Part Five….Mockingbird don't sing
AR: Once again thank you for all the great reviews! This is the last part sort of. What I mean by sort of is that there will be one more part after this but that will be the epilogue. So this is the grand finale if you like.
Ryuichi Sakuma sat in the uncomfortable standardised orange plastic hospital chair doing something he had never done before. He was praying.
Now in all of Ryuichi's 45 years he had never prayed. Ever. Not when he spent his childhood in a home. Not when he was in and out of rehab for several years. Not even when things started to fall apart between him and Ai. No Ryuichi never believed that some divine intervention would come along and save him. If there was one thing his life had taught was that whatever you wanted you had to fight for it.
But now for the first time in his life Ryuichi was praying. Praying for Shuichi.
'Please God, Buddha or whoever's there. Don't let Shuichi's baby die. I don't care if I don't get to be with him just don't let the baby die please'
When Ryuichi opened eyes he saw that he was still alone in a hospital hallway. He had tried to get one of the nurses to talk but they wouldn't give him any specifics because he wasn't a family member or a parent.
He was just left outside waiting. Waiting and…praying.
Eiri Yuki sat alone in his sitting room surrounded by darkness. The only source of light was from the end of what could have been his ninth or tenth cigarette.
After throwing Mika out and ignoring all of Tohma's phone calls Eiri was and would probably always be. Alone.
He took a last drag from the cigarette and then carefully ground it into the crystal ash tray which sat on the coffee table. He was just reaching for the packet to light another when the phone rang.
Eyes narrowing Eiri grabbed the extension from where it was resting on the arm of sofa and examined the Caller ID. He was very surprised when it came up as 'Unknown'.
Curiosity got the better and he pressed the talk button.
"Hello?"
"Yuki-san? Its Ryuichi"
Eiri's eyes turned into slits.
"What the hell do you want?!"
He heard a sigh from Ryuichi. "It's Shuichi"
Eiri sat up. Alert. "What is it? What's happened?"
On the other end of the phone Eiri heard the man give a deep and painful sounding sigh.
"He collapsed…in the restaurant. So I took him to the hospital. His blood pressure through the roof if they don't do something soon he could…….."
Another tear wrenched sigh.
"The babies' heart beat is weakening as well and if they don't get the baby out soon she'll die…."
Without for him to finish Eiri dropped the phone without hanging up and grabbed his coat of a nearby chair and stomped out his apartment.
As Eiri walked down the seemingly non ending translucent white corridor toward Shuichi's room he tried very hard not to let his emotions over run him.
As soon as he'd arrived at the hospital he'd been greeted by Dr Yeisha. She'd informed of the current situation.
It had gotten worse. Shuichi had now developed a fever and was refusing to let the Dr's work on him before they got the baby out. Eiri let out a sad smile at that. 'Just like the brat. Never puts his own welfare first'.
He was in front of Shuichi's door now. He stood for a moment taking a deep breaths trying to calm himself. He knew if he didn't he would either cry, vomit, scream or all of the above.
He had to be strong. For once.
With one last shuddering breath he stepped inside.
Shuichi lay on a bed tied to several monitors. He was lying perfectly still watching the monitor to his left, which beeped intermittingly. Eiri had an awful feeling that the machine monitored the baby's heartbeat.
As he got closer he saw how bad Shuichi looked. His eyes were glassy; he was sweating and he a sad look on his face.
It was more than sad. Eiri had never seen that look before. It was a look of hopelessness and helplessness and guilt.
"What the hell are you doing here" Shuichi whispered. Not angrily but weakly.
"I…." began Eiri. But what could he say? He didn't deserve Shuichi's understanding or compassion. He didn't deserve the baby. In just universe he would be the one lying on that bed having his heart slowly ripped out as Shuichi was.
Their eyes met. Both helpless, both on the verge of tears.
"Shuichi I'm sorry. So sorry, can you forgive me"
"It doesn't matter does it?" was Shuichi's reply. "It's not about us anymore"
Eiri looked confused as Shuichi kept talking.
"I realized that a long time ago. See the truth of it Yuki is I would have gone back to you. I was going to the minute I put the phone down after talking to that reporter I had forgiven you. But then I realised staying with you….what was I sentencing our child too? Your coldness? Your cruelty? I couldn't do that not to my baby. I couldn't be that selfish."
"I can be better." Eiri bit back. He could. Couldn't he?
Shuichi turned to him and half smiled. "I know you can. I've always know" he then grabbed Eiri's hand with his sweaty fingers.
"Eiri listen to me" His eye's burned with intensity "The baby is what's important. You have to make them understand."
Eiri breathed in so deep it hurt. He ached so much. He wanted to hold Shuichi, to kiss his forehead and wipe his tears away. But Shuichi didn't need that now. His words rang through Eiri's head 'not about us anymore…'
Eiri could do nothing but hold a Shuichi's hand. Because in that small hospital room surrounded by beeping machines. Eiri knew what Shuichi wanted.
One day later…
Mika Seguachi sat in a hospital arm chair. Holding her one day old niece. She had been there now several hours. After Eiri had called her then promptly disappeared.
She watched as the little girl in arms slept. She was perfect. Button nose, little starfish hands and a mess of curly soft red hair. She was small, very small even for a new born but by some God given miracle she was strong. She had survived even if her life giver had not.
Mika just sat. Trying to forget everything. Her brother's face as he fled the hospital, Ryuichi's sobs in the waiting area and finally Mrs Shindou's pain filled accusing voice when Tohma told her the news over the phone.
Behind her, the door to the small room creaked open and in stepped Tohma. His face as void of emotion as ever.
"Ryuichi's left" he stated simply. Avoiding Mika's penetrating glance. "He wanted to go see his children".
Mika nodded and turned her attention back to the small bundle in her arms. Without looking up she spoke quietly "The Dr says she can go home soon".
Understanding the request behind the statement the all powerful Shacho shook his head.
"Mika we can't…"
"Why not?" Mika interrupted trying desperately not to shout "Eiri's gone Tohma what if he doesn't come back?"
Tohma's eyes softened as he lent down to be on eye level with his wife "Mika darling" he whispered "She won't replace the one we lost"
"I know that! I wasn't thinking about it. I'm thinking about a little girl who doesn't have a place in the world at the moment."
At that moment small blue eyes opened. The little let out a small cry. As if alerting them to something. The hospital room door opened and a nurse tuck her head in.
"Mr Yuki's back" was all she said and closed the door again. Mika looked at each other shock evident on their face's as the little girl gurgled in Mika's arms.