Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.

Lifeline

Chapter 9

Sitting in silence, all she could hear was tick, tock, tick, tock. Why was the day dragging on so much? She was desperate to get out but this test was getting in the way. It had been a few days since Tai finally woke from his coma and Emiko was back at school, sitting a maths test devised by her teacher. It wasn't a major test, just one to see how much the class had learnt so far. Emiko had been promised some leeway because of the events of the last few days. Despite this, she was keen to get out of school and get to the hospital as soon as possible. Due to the fact he had suffered a blow to the head, Tai was still in hospital being monitored. There were still a few issues that the doctors were concerned about. Emiko had agreed to continue living with Kari and her family but missed her father so visited him every evening after school.

Finally, after staring at the clock for ten minutes, the bell rang signalling the end of school. Immediately, Emiko threw her books and pencil case in her bag then dashed out of the room. She quickly found her locker and opened it to find the present she had for her dad. As she carefully lifted it out and shut the door, she was alerted to footsteps. She glanced to come eye to eye with Arashi.

"Hey, Arashi." She greeted.

"Hi, Emiko," He smiled kindly, "You off to see your dad?"

"Certainly am. I've got to get these babies to him. You think he like them?"

"He'll love them. Would you like a hand getting them there? I've got time."

For a second, Emiko wanted to insist that she could manage. But she remembered her behaviour while Tai was unconscious. She had been rude and abrupt with those who were only trying to help. She had been reminded that it was ok to accept help. With a soft smile, she nodded and let Arashi pick up her school bag, putting it over his head and on to his shoulder. Emiko then carried her dad's present. As they walked out of the school gates, she glanced over at her friend.

Since coming back to school, all of Emiko's friends had been amazing. She had seen their get well card for Tai and was touched to see how much they wanted to show their support. They had all done their best to make her smile and remind her they were a team. Even the cool guy Jayko showed he cared. Sammy and Rhea were great in leading the support but it was Arashi who stood out most. He put aside his own feelings to ensure Emiko was ok. She felt a tiny pang of guilt that she still had a parent while Arashi's were both dead. But he didn't let this stop him helping her get through this difficult period. He was the sweetest guy she knew. And he was quite cute as well. As they walked along, Arashi realised that he was being watched. He glanced across to spot Emiko smiling at him.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah," She replied softly, "Just wanted to say thanks."

"For what?"

"For being a great friend. Everyone's been amazing but you had a good reason to stay away from all of this."

"What do you mean?"

"I-I mean… losing… your parents."

"Well, that's why I wanted to help. I understood what you were going through and wanted to use that to help you. And I still want to help you. I'm here whenever you need me."

Emiko smiled shyly at his words as he smiled softly back. Arashi then lifted their bags a little higher then discreetly moved his hand closer, offering it to her. With a soft giggle, she gently took his hand as they walked to the hospital.

Eventually, they arrived and Arashi followed Emiko to the ward where Tai was being kept. Now that Tai was conscious, he had been moved off the critical care ward to a small room on a low dependency ward. When Emiko and Arashi got to the door to the ward, Emiko could see her dad's room and it made her smile even more than she already was. Arashi saw the smile and knew he wasn't needed now.

"Well," He said softly, "I'll leave you with your dad."

"Oh, ok," Emiko replied, "Thanks for walking with me."

"Any time. Say hi to your dad for me."

Arashi gave Emiko back her school back then set off for home. Emiko softly smiled after him then entered the ward. As Emiko stepped in to the ward, she was greeted by the nurses. They were used to seeing the teenager now and it was comforting to know these lovely people were looking after Tai. With a smile, she walked over to her father's room. She peeked through the window but stopped. The scene inside was one she had only heard about. Since coming out of the coma, specialists had been working with Tai to help him rehabilitate. The blows to his head had affected him more than was obvious. One affect was on his balance and mobility. Once a day, every day, the specialists got him to stand and try walking around. These sessions were usually done by the time Emiko got to the hospital so she assumed that everything was straight forward. However, the session today was late so Emiko was finally getting the chance to see how her father was getting on. But it was what she expected. A man in a white shirt and tie and a female nurse helped Tai stand then let go as he balanced himself. For a few seconds, everything looked ok. He still seemed weak but he was standing unaided. Emiko felt a small smile appear as Tai took a couple of breaths. Then finally he tried taking a few steps. But after just a few slow shuffles, he stumbled backwards, fortunately landing against the bed where the nurse caught his arm. Emiko felt her heart sink as she watched her father try to calm his breathing.

"Sorry," Tai said, "I'm trying."

"We know," The man replied, "It is an improvement from yesterday, we just need to keep working on it. It's why we can't send you home yet."

"We need to be confident you'll manage on your own."

"Yeah, me too. I don't want Emiko worrying about me. I'm just getting frustrated."

"And that's understandable. But, the biggest thing to remember is that you are here, alive. It'll take time but you will go home, when you're ready."

Emiko moved away from the window and sighed a shaky breath. She had hoped Tai would be allowed home soon. So to hear and see that he was more frail than she realised was a blow. She could feel tears tickle her eyes as she listened through the door.

"Ok, let's give the memory test a go, shall we?"

"Sure." Tai replied, seemingly hesitant.

"Ok, remember just answer the questions I ask. So, what day is it today?"

Worryingly for Emiko, there came a long pause. Tai was thinking about this rather simple question. It had never occurred to her that his memory would be this scrambled too. Finally, though…

"It must be Wednesday, right?"

"Correct. And the date?"

"8th March?"

"Close, it's the 9th."

Emiko peeked through the window again and saw Tai roll his eyes at his wrong answer.

"Ok, can you remember your birthday?"

"May 19th." Emiko whispered to herself.

Again, Tai had to pause and think about it. This time he got it right. A relief but it concerned Emiko about how long it took. The rest of the questions continued in the same vein. The specialist asked simple questions, like which country they were in and where exactly where they. Then came a more sensitive question.

"When was Emiko born?"

Tai's eyes widened. Clearly, this was a new question. Emiko could feel her heart pound, praying her father remembered her birthday. However, there wasn't the long pause.

"1st of May. Has to be."

Emiko felt her heart swell and a smile appear. Tai was right. The doctor too smiled, pleased that this unexpected question was answered correctly. With that, the nurse helped Tai back in to bed and the specialist called it a day. Emiko realised they were heading her way and ducked behind the wall. She waited until she saw the nurse and specialist walk out of the room and out of the ward. Now, they were gone, she came out of hiding and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Tai called.

Nervous now that she realised her father was still ill, she slowly popped her head around the door. The moment Tai spotted her, he sat up straighter, trying to hide the toll the session had had on him.

"Hey, Dad." She smiled.

"Hi, Emiko," He greeted, "Come here, give me a hug."

With a smile, Emiko quickly walked over to the bed, put her bags on the chair and wrapped herself in her father's arms. As she savoured the feeling of his arms around her, the worry that appeared from watching her father's therapy session melted away. He was still her daddy, no matter what. They parted the hug then Tai spotted the package.

"What's that, Kiddo?" He asked.

"Well, I've brought you a little present."

Tai watched curiously as Emiko turned picked up the package she took out of her locker, a small, white box. She smiled as she opened it to reveal a batch of freshly baked cookies. The cooked dough was perfectly golden brown with shiny chocolate chips dotted throughout. The smell was enough to make Tai's mouth water.

"Did you make those?" He asked.

"Of course," Emiko grinned, "We made them in class and I wanted to cheer you up."

She put the box on the bed as Tai tried to decide which one to eat first. He finally picked one up and took a bite out of it, Emiko watching anxiously for his verdict. It didn't take long before her dad was smiling.

"Amazing! They're really good, kiddo."

"Glad you like them."

"I think these will make staying here more bearable."

"When do you think you'll come home?"

"I don't know, honey. The doctors need to be sure that I can look after myself, and you, before I can go home. And that would be until my brain has rewired itself. Understand?"

Emiko nodded but now had a disappointed look on her face. As much as she liked being with Kari, TK and her cousins, she missed her father greatly. She's hadn't been back home since the incident and she wanted her own bed. Tai spotted the look and sighed. He too wanted to get home and back to their normal life. He reached over and gently brushed her hair out of her eyes. She then looked up at him.

"It'll be ok, Emiko," He reassured her, "We'll be back home. Just remember that I'm here and ok. We just need to be sure that my brain is working properly first. Ok?"

Emiko smiled slightly and let Tai pull her in to a warm hug.

"Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Emiko.

They parted and smiled at each other. However, Tai wasn't done yet.

"Now, where is it?"

"Where's what?"

Tai merely cocked an eyebrow, knowing Emiko understood exactly what he was referring to. She rolled her eyes and pouted. Finally, she picked up and opened her bag. After a few seconds of rummaging, she pulled out some books and her pen.

"I come all this way to see you and you're making me do homework," Emiko pouted, jokingly, "All while you eat cookies!"

"Hey, just because I'm in hospital doesn't mean I can stop being a parent. You can't use me as an excuse now. As for the cookies, I might save you one."

"Daaad!"

Father and daughter laughed then Emiko finally started her homework, Tai watching, proud smile on his face.

The end

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the story. I wrote the ending this way because I wanted to show that Tai still has a long journey of recovery to go through but still end positively.