Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Digimon franchise. The only thing that is mine is the plot and some OC's.

Lifeline

Chapter 2

The drive from the school to the hospital was possibly the longest and hardest Kari had endured in her entire life. Akira's funeral had been the hardest until now. At the funeral though, she knew what was going to happen at the end of the journey. Now, she had no idea what was waiting for her, making this scarier. In the backseat of Ken's unmarked police car, Kari still had Emiko secure in her arms as the teenage girl breathed deeply, hiccupping slightly as she tried to control her sobs. She hadn't stopped gripping Kari's blouse since they held each other in the principal's office. Kari had never seen Emiko like this. She had cried plenty of times when her mother died but she was much younger and Akira had worked hard to prepare her daughter. Tai had comforted Emiko throughout too, keeping her safe in his arms. Since then, he had become Emiko's everything and now the possibility of losing him was terrifying her. No matter how hard things got for them, Tai always kept Emiko safe and happy, protecting her from any more hurt. Even if Emiko misbehaved or they fell out, he always forgave her and made things ok again. How would she manage without him? Yeah, she knew Kari and TK would take her in and she'd be safe with them but how would they compare to her own father?

"No, I need to be positive."

Slowly, Emiko's crying eased off as her breathing calmed. Kari sighed and rested her cheek against Emiko's soft brown hair, almost the same shade as Tai's. Ken glanced in his rear view mirror and spotted the girls holding each other. He sighed too as he tried to keep professional and calm. He kept reliving the moment he saw Tai being freed from the car and taken to hospital. The shock of seeing a person who was usually so strong look fragile and vulnerable was still there. They drove in silence until Kari's phone began to ring. Emiko turned and watched as Kari, reluctantly, pulled her phone out of her bag. When she saw the name on the screen, she was almost relieved. With a sad but reassuring smile to Emiko, she answered the phone.

"TK," She said, softly.

"Kari, where are you? Have you seen the news? There's some crash downtown and…"

"I know. It's Tai."

TK stalled.

"Ken's driving Emiko and I to the hospital now."

"He's ok, then?"

Kari took a deep breath and explained to her husband the seriousness of Tai's predicament. TK was shocked but immediately stopped himself getting too emotional. Kari may be there for Emiko but she needed TK to be strong for her.

"Right, ok," He said, steadfastly, "Don't worry about the boys or anything else, ok? Concentrate on Emiko and I'll take care of everything. Just stay positive."

Kari couldn't help but smile at her husband's spirit. TK could still amaze her.

"Thank you. I'll call you when I know more. Love you."

"You too, Baby."

With a sigh, the couple said goodbye and Kari hung up as TK began calling family and friends. With a squeeze of her hand, Kari smiled sadly at the still shaken Emiko. Now she could focus on supporting her niece through this, without worrying.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they arrived at the hospital and Ken led Emiko and Kari through to the trauma unit where a smartly dressed woman was waiting. She had dark brown hair tied in a bun, elegant red thick framed glasses, a white blouse and black skirt with black court shoes and tights. She was clearly very important as Kari and Emiko approached her.

"Doctor Yoshida," She introduced, bowing her head respectfully.

"Kari Takaishi," Kari returned the gesture, "I'm Mr Kamiya's sister. This is his daughter, Emiko."

"Yes, we were expecting you."

"I-is my father going to be ok?" Emiko pleaded.

"We're doing everything we can," Doctor Yoshida explained, "But we had to operate to fix your father's injuries, including injuries to his head."

Emiko felt her body tremble as she felt the gravity of the doctor's words. Kari was slightly annoyed at the bluntness of the doctor's words. Emiko was emotionally shaken as it was and hearing more words that suggested Tai was going to die wasn't helping. For now, she bit her tongue, not wanting to upset Emiko, or herself, further by being rude or aggressive.

"C-can I see him?" Emiko asked, shakily.

At first, the doctor didn't speak. She gazed carefully at the fourteen-year-old, assessing Emiko's emotional strength. The brunette could see what the doctor was thinking. She swallowed the lump in her throat then spoke as clearly and as determined as she could.

"Please," She begged "I need to be with him."

With a sigh, Doctor Yoshida asked the girls to stay there for a second then went to the door to a quiet, private room. Emiko tried to catch sight of Tai as the door opened. But nothing. Kari watched as the doctor spoke to one of her colleagues then turned back to them. This time, she had a soft smile on her face.

"They have finished stabilising him so it's ok if you still wish to see him."

Desperate to take the offer, Emiko darted away from Kari and to the door, her aunt in tow. Just before they could even get through the door, though, the Doctor spoke one more time.

"I will warn you," She explained, directly at Emiko, "Your father has been hooked up to some machines to help us monitor him and keep him stable. There are wires and tubes all around and there are lots of beeping noises from the machines. He also has bandages on various parts of his body. It'll seem scary but it's all for his benefit. OK?"

Emiko swallowed, starting to wonder if she was ready for whatever state Tai was in. But her heart was aching, desperate to find him and be with him. So, with a nervous nod, she followed Doctor Yoshida through the door.

In the middle of the room, Emiko's sapphire eyes fell on the prone figure on a bed before her. Like the doctor said, there were different machines close to the clinical hospital bed. Tears refilled her eyes as she recognised the person lying perfectly still among the plastic tubes and delicate wires. Kari felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight as Emiko determinedly got closer and closer until she was just inches from him.

Flat on the bed, there was very little sign of life from Tai. The only clue was the rising and falling of his chest as a machine helped him breathe. A sinister looking tube was protruding out of his mouth, Emiko could see it went down his throat. The clean white shirt he had been wearing when she last saw him had gone, exposing the myriad of white patches on his chest and stomach, all connected to beeping machines by wires. A thick white bandage was wrapped securely around his head. Now, she was beginning to crack. The sight was all too real.

"D-dad?"

But, of course, Tai didn't answer her. Behind her, Kari was letting tears run down her cheeks, hearing the break in Emiko's voice.

"Dad, I-it's me. I-I'm here. Please, Daddy. Don't … leave …me."

"Don't do this to her, Tai."

Finally, unable to hold herself together anymore, Emiko near collapsed as she buried her face in Tai's chest and began crying, uncontrollably, her own chest hurting with every breath. Letting her own tears flow, Kari finally closed the gap and put her arm around the distraught teen, the room filling with Emiko's heart-felt sobbing.