Chapter 18: Sky
Kagami, wet in the continuous downpour, reached the train bound for Tokyo before it could even close its doors shut. At the last minute before the doors were completely shut, she was able to enter the densely-packed train bound for the capital. The train eventually rolled out from the station. All that running made her very exhausted. Worse, she was wet all over; so were her clothes. On top of that, the train is air-conditioned. At her state, a cold would be very likely of her. When the train pulled over to her destination, she hurryingly went out amidst the crowd of commuters. It was practical that in the case of an emergency, the patient would be brought to the nearest hospital which was several miles away from where she stood. Without any protection from the gushing rain, she ran as if her life depended on it and searched the hospital nearest to Miyuki's house. But it proved that the search would be difficult and time-consuming, considering that there wasn't only one hospital in Tokyo. Luckily, she bumped into Miyuki's mother who happened to be on her way to the right hospital.
"Ah, Kagami-chan, are you going to visit him too?" She said. "Then follow me."
As Kagami followed her towards the correct hospital, Miyuki was waiting by the main lobby of the building. She wasn't her joyful and happy usual self but quite the opposite: weariness and anxiety written all over her face as if she didn't get a minute of sleep. Miyuki explained everything after their arrival—the benefits and consequences of the medicine that would be administered to Hajime's bloodstream. They were in total shock.
"How can you do that without my consent, Miyuki?" Her mother said.
"I couldn't help it, mother." She was already on the verge of crying. "If we don't act soon, he's not going to make it."
"Miyuki…"
"I've never seen my cousins for a long time. I don't want this chance to fade away; not now, not ever."
Kagami placed her hands on top of Miyuki's shoulders and said: "Come on, it's very unusual for you to cry. If you really believe that he's going to be fine, then he will be fine."
"Kagami-san…" She replied in a soft tone. "You said you don't want to see him anymore."
"I've never been in love before, Miyuki. I was scared so I acted like a fool. I don't want to lose anybody just because of me. He can rest in peace later but now is not a good time."
It was a pretty blunt statement but it somehow gave hope to the hopeless. Miyuki felt like she was showered with a fresh batch of hope—a chance to right the wrong. They all watched from the window pane of the ICU as the doctors that surrounded him were preparing for the administration of the medicine. His doctor prepared a long needle and administered a small amount of the medicine inside. If everything goes well, Hajime will be given another chance to start anew—something that he truly desires after realizing his grave mistake. Before the process, he stepped out of the room to remind them one little detail.
"I must warn you, once the administration of the remedy is done, he will experience excruciating pain particularly within the chest area for a few minutes. This is the point where he will have to resist the pain because he hasn't eaten anything. When he gives in to the pain, the remedy will cause his internal cells to self-destruct. I'm going to ask you again: are you sure you want to go through this?"
Miyuki honestly answered: "If that pain is for the sake of my dear cousin's life, then I will have no argument about it."
"Okay then, I'll inject the medicine now."
The doctor went back inside the ICU and performed the operation, starting off by rubbing a part of his arm with a damp cotton ball. Then in goes the needle. Slowly, the doctor pushed the liquid towards the body until the contents of the syringe was empty; and carefully pulled the syringe and needle away. It was a perfectly-executed procedure—all that was left was to pray that the medicine would put an end to everybody's misery. All of a sudden, the beeping on the life support system gained speed and the patient himself was crying out in pain. He twisted and turned violently as the nurses pinned him down with straps from the stretcher and part of their strength.
"Don't let him break free! Resist the pain, boy!" The doctor yelled at him.
From outside the ICU, his relatives watch helplessly as he fights the pain all by himself. He stopped himself from moving around too much, wearing an excruciated face. The life support system beeped like crazy, saying that his heartbeat rate was going wild. He felt the pain spread like wildfire; from the chest area to parts of his body. It felt like something big was pressing him down aside from the tight leather straps and a handful of nurses pinning him down with all their combined strength. Also during this time, he dreamt of random conversations with Kagami in the past.
"Takashi-senpai, I…really, you must be mistaking these roses for somebody else. I never have been approached like this before." (Chap 2)
"Wow, a stuff toy cat." Kagami said. (Chap 10)
"T-Takashi-senpai…you talk as if you're a philosopher." (Chap 11)
"Stay away from me from now on." She said subtly but with anger building inside her. (Chap 15)
"You two used me as a prize. You took me for a trophy." (Chap 15)
"We're done talking. Don't look for me anymore." (Chap 15)
While resisting the pain, Hajime kept on saying sorry over and over again. It was so repetitive; it was beginning to annoy the nurses who were offering their lives to pin the patient down. Tears flowed down at the side of his face.
Taking off the respirator, he cried in an agonizing voice: "I'm sorry, Kagami! I'm really sorry! Give me another chance to redeem myself!"
It was no time to be awed but Kagami couldn't help it. His cry was so loud, she heard every word clearly. The doctor took a fresh syringe and needle; measured a small amount of a tranquilizing agent; and injected it into his bloodstream. In a matter of seconds, Hajime involuntarily went to a deep sleep—a slumber that signified the end of his short yet painful suffering. The doctor stepped out of the ICU as the nurses brought the patient back to room 3177. All has gone quiet…for now.
"He's a very strong boy. He was able to resist the side effects of the medicine. As long as he eats something and he eats normally, he's going to be fine." The doctor concluded.
They were overjoyed by the feat of success. Hajime had cheated death right in the eyes and lived to tell the tale.
"That's good…" Kagami, badly pale, said before fainting and collapsing to the floor. The doctor immediately rushed to her aid and touched her neck.
"This is bad!" He said; calling for available nurses in the area. "She's burning with fever. Take her to the emergency ward!"
0
The small town of Washimiya on the Saitama prefecture was spared from the effect of torrential rains after the floodwater failed to reach the overflowing point extended by the sandbags as an effort of the quick response of the rescue teams in the area. Although a mass evacuation was issued amongst its citizens, they were relieved that their homes were spared from the destructive force of a flash flood that could've turned the scenario into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Town officials say they don't regret issuing a mass evacuation because either way, casualties are prevented. As of today, the destructive current has subsided and the water level has gone down to only the top riverbanks.
In a related story, two bridges along the said river fell to the wrath of the wild rapids a few minutes ago. As the water level and the speed of the river increased, the Washinomiya Bridge, the nearest route to the well-known Washinomiya Temple, gave way and collapsed; sending the debris floating towards the sea. Another bridge: the Haninozuka Bridge, a vital route for commuters going in and out of the town, also gave way and rode with the wild rapids. Three more bridges along the river stood mightily against the raging rapids even though their support columns were obviously on the verge of collapse. Traffic officers have diverted traffic to the remaining intact bridges until engineers can reconstruct the fallen bridges.
The ward was silent; the only source of noise was the television tuned on a news program. To the viewers, especially living in the said town, it was good news—no; great news. A flood on the scale like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina could've yield devastating results. The mass media showed evacuees returning to their respective homes along with their belongings and the gradual subsiding of the enraged water serpent. The torrential rain eventually became nothing more but a drizzle after a few hours of panic and havoc. Hajime slept the afternoon away like he should; considering the effects of the tranquilizer that was administered to him. He woke up after the effects wore off. He didn't know that room 3177 as well as all the patient wards in the hospital can accommodate a maximum of two people. Right by his side was Miyuki who fell asleep watching over his condition; and incidentally behind Miyuki was another bed with another patient. The other patient was still asleep.
"I forgot…the ward holds two people." He whispered. "I need to go to the bathroom."
He got up and along with his full pack of dextrose; he went straight for the toilet. A flush later, he emerged from the comfort room refreshed. He planned on going back to sleep but he got intrigued by his mystery roommate. His eyes didn't deceive him for sure when he looked at the patient: it was Kagami.
"What the—? Kagami-san…?"
His doctor entered the ward to check up on both of his patients. "It's only fever. I already gave her something to make her feel better."
"What happened to her, doc?"
"Most likely she got drenched in the downpour. Rain plus cold winds always add up to a serious illness. So how are you feeling?"
"A little noxious…"
"It means that the medicine is still in effect. You have to eat something for the microbes to eat on. In a matter of days, you'll be back to your feet."
"What about Kagami-san?"
"Take it easy, she's out of danger now. If I didn't take immediate action, she would have suffered terrible complications."
"I see…"
The doctor then decided to butt in his personal life. At least, it was for the satisfaction of his burning curiosity.
"I know it's not my business to ask this but are the two of you…?"
"In a relationship…? Yeah…it's a very long story…and a very complicated one."
"So I was right to put the two of you in the same room. You two are from the incident a few days ago, am I right?"
"It was unavoidable. Still, I felt totally responsible for getting it out of control. In the end, it was ruined by a painful slap. It was so painful, even medical science had no remedy for it."
"I sympathize with you. No matter how advanced technology is today, there will always be things that can't be solved by technology alone."
"If I just knew that this was coming…if I could go back in time, I could change the past."
"No matter how you look at it, it can never happen…at least for now. Get some rest. Both of you need it."
"Thanks for listening to my story, doc."
"Anytime you need me, give me a call through that speaker behind your bed."
Immediately, the doctor left the ward and Hajime returned to sleeping in his bed. A few minutes into his sleep, Kagami slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a ward. She looked beside her to see the sleeping princess and a roommate also sleeping. In fact, everybody inside the ward was fast asleep…at least, everybody except one.
"You heard every word, didn't you?" Hajime asked, staying stationary in his bed.
"What if I did?" Kagami replied arrogantly. "It's not like your words could make me forgive you for what had happened."
"I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I'm asking for another chance to redeem myself worthy."
"Aren't they the same? What are you talking about?"
"I've found my chance. After the semester, I'm going to America."
TO BE CONTINUED
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One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.
-Sophocles (496 BC – 406 BC)-
What do you do when the word itself is the weight and pain of life? Why does it feel different again when its...
Kagami in the Rain 2: Desolation
January 2008