Chapter 20: Falling into place

Beeping. Kagome's world was beeping when she came to. Amazingly, she was feeling better, except for the ache in her shoulder where Hojo had shot her, but her head also felt a little heavy. She slowly opened her eyes, her head suddenly hurting from the burst of bright light. She realized that she was indeed back in her time and in a hospital. The various machines buzzed and beeped around her. All the noises were so familiar, from when she did part of her internship in an emergency room, yet at the same time, they were foreign and scary. These machines that she had become so accustom to were there to monitor her. For the first time since she started practicing medicine, Kagome was the patient.

Once her eyes had adjusted to the light, Kagome looked around the little room and realized that she was all alone. A sudden feeling of dread exploded in her chest and a knot formed in her throat as she automatically assumed the worst. 'Inuyasha didn't make it through. He was left behind, again!' her mind cried as her pounding heart started breaking. Tears sprung up in her eyes and her breaths came in hiccupped cries. Just then, a faint knock and a nurse stepped in shortly afterwards. She was looking down at her clip board, figuring her patient was still knocked out, but the sound of sobbing told her otherwise. She looked up from her clip board to find her patient very much awake and softly sobbing.

"Dr. Higurashi, what's wrong, why the tears?" She asked.

Kagome looked at the white board on the wall, and sure enough next to the "Your nurse today is:" was the nurse's name written. "Amy, is it? How American. I'm sorry, I'm just a bit overwhelmed, so much has been going on and I just haven't had any time to cope."

"I understand. A lot has happened. I'm not at liberty to tell you everything only that it's going to get better." There was something in the young woman's tone that made Kagome realize that she was talking about something more than Kagome had known. "If you'd like our hospital psychiatrist is on call, I can set you up with an appointment, just say the word."

"No, that's ok, thank you." Kagome sighed out. "If it's possible, I'd like to see my family. Can you contact them for me? Do they even know I'm ok? My mom and grandfather must be worried sick. Gramps has probably worried himself totally bald after all that's happened." Kagome stopped in her tracks at the expression the nurse wore on her features at the mention of her family. "…is there something wrong?"

Amy shook her head and sighed. "I'll call your mother's cell. She might even be in the hospital still." And with that the nurse quietly went about her business, taking Kagome's temperature, checking her wound and bandage, jotting down information from the machines and once she was done, she gave Kagome a small smile and said "I'll be back after your family gets here. If you need anything, don't hesitate to use your call button on your bed railing." And with that, she left the room.

Kagome was left alone with her thoughts for less than twenty minutes before another knock came at the door. "Come in." Kagome called.

"Kagome?" Her mother's soft voice filled the room. Kagome looked up, relieved to finally see her mother. Mrs. Higurashi entered the small room and her appearance almost scared Kagome. Her hair was barely brushed and her eyes were red and puffy. She looked like she also hadn't gotten any sleep in a couple of days.

"Mom, it's ok. I'm going to be fine." Kagome reassured her mother.

"I know. So much has happened in the past week. You had been missing for four days when Inuyasha brought you to us, half dead. The police were combing the surrounding area in a 'recovery' search. After Hojo attacked the house and…everything had passed, we had followed a trail of blood from your car to the well house. Sota knew you had gone back, but we just couldn't be sure, after the last time." Mrs. Higurashi's ranting was frustrating Kagome.

"Mom, please, one thing at a time. You said Inuyasha brought me back, is he still here?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, no, well Sota had to drag him back to the house to get some sleep. He was practically delirious with worry and lack of sleep and was starting to drive the doctors insane with all his questions. You should have seen him. When he came back with you, you were dying in his arms and your gunshot wound was bleeding and your body was feverish. When we got to the hospital, the doctors informed us that they had lost a pulse on you during transport and that it wasn't looking good. You had surgery to remove the bullet and some infected tissue and have been in the ICU ever since. You're so lucky to be alive. Inuyasha will be glad to hear you're awake." Mrs. Higurashi spoke with such heaviness in her voice.

"Mom, what's wrong. There's something you aren't telling me, isn't there?" Kagome asked. "What happened that night I disappeared?"

"We were in the dining room waiting for you to get home when we heard shots fired into the house. Grandpa sent Sota and Etsu upstairs to your room to call the police and stay safe. He got his old shot gun out of the closet and the next thing I knew shots were being fired back and forth and I saw Hojo fall backwards and then your grandfather collapsed to the ground. Hojo had been shot in the chest and was dead on arrival and your grandfather had been shot in the stomach. The doctors tried to save him, but he was just too old and the bullet had done so much damage. We kept him on life support for three days, hoping you'd turn up, but on that third day we had to let go." Kagome's mother's voice was choked and laced with sadness.

Kagome knew that on that third day, her family had let her die with her grandfather. It was only natural to assume the worst. Then it hit her that her grandfather had died and once again she couldn't be there to say goodbye or to grieve with her family, instead her family grieved for her and her grandfather.

"His funeral is in two days. We decided to wait for you to heal before we held the funeral. The day after we took him off life support, we were going to plan a memorial for you and we wanted so bad for you to be found so that incase of worst case scenario, you two could be together in your final resting place. But then that day, Inuyasha brought you back to us. It's been a hard couple of days. You've been in stable condition for three days now. The doctors say that as long as you feel up to it, you can attend the funeral, but you have to come back here and stay for a bit longer. You know, it's been such a circus. The media has been swarming all over this, especially when it was reported that you had turned up alive. I'm letting you know now that once you leave this room, you'll be in the public eye."

"Mom, I have a feeling it's going to be ok now. Did gramps suffer?" Kagome's voice choked up at the circumstances of her grandfather's death. She felt slightly responsible, but knew that any one she told would insist that she wasn't at all at fault and she knew it was true, but she couldn't help but feel guilty.

"No. I don't believe he did. Before he lost consciousness, he told me that you were ok. I don't know how he knew, but he did. And those were his last words." Kagome's mother's voice broke. She had lost her father at the hands of a mad man. "I just wish Hojo had lived to be punished." She spat out.

"I know. But he will be punished, is being punished." Kagome stated.

"You know, there's a lot of publicity surrounding him. Apparently the board of directors had found some unexplained spending and they were in the process of bring up charges of money laundering against him, among other things. This last week has been a cliché kind of nightmare right out of a Hollywood movie." Kagome's mother sighed and sat down in the chair next to Kagome's bed.

"How's Sota and Etsu doing?" Kagome asked.

"Sota's managing. Etsu's been pretty shaken though. Being as pregnant as she is and this has been quite a bit of stress for the poor girl." Mrs. Higurashi explained.

Another soft knock at the door caught the attention of the women in the room. Kagome thought it was her nurse again and was right when her nurse poked her head in the door. "Kagome, you have some more visitors who are dying to see you." She said and just as quickly as she came, she disappeared again. The door opened further and Sota came bounding in and not too far behind him was Etsu and Inuyasha.

"Kagome! Thank the heavens! We've been so worried about you." Sota cried out with relief. "I wasn't all THAT worried. Gramps said you'd be alright and I somehow knew he was right. But you still scared us."

"I'm sorry Sota. Thank god you guys are ok too. Mom told me Hojo opened fire on the house. I'm so sorry you guys had to be put through that." Kagome said as she grabbed her brother and sister-in-law in a big hug.

"Trust me; we're just glad you pulled through. What a miracle that we're together again." Etsu said.

Kagome noticed that Inuyasha didn't come very far into the room. Instead he hung out by the door and just stared at her through glassy, golden eyes. He looked worn and even more aged than when she last saw him, which by her calculations was three or four days ago.

"How are you feeling, Kagome?" Sota asked.

"I'm doing much better now that you guys are here. It's going to take some time to grasp everything that's happened, but in time I guess we'll all heal, right? Gramps, it just doesn't feel real yet." Kagome said, railing against the urge to cry.

"I know it doesn't. Maybe the funeral will help make it final. I keep forgetting myself." Kagome's mother said with tears in her eyes. "But you know, we have much to prepare for, plus I promised Etsu that we'd go baby shopping today, so we'll be going now. Inuyasha, would you like to stay here?"

"Can I?" Inuyasha asked softly.

"Sure you can. Kagome, you give me a call on my cell if you need anything." And with that, Mrs. Higurashi herded Sota and Etsu out of the room leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

Inuyasha watched them leave and when the door closed, he looked back at Kagome with a sea of emotions written across his features. Before Kagome knew it, he was at her side enveloping her in a gentle hug. "I was so scared I was going to lose you, again. You can't keep doing this to me." His voice was strained and dry.

"Inuyasha I'm sorry." Kagome said.

"Are you feeling ok? You're not in any pain, are you?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm doing much better now, thanks to you." Kagome said.

Kagome took a deep breath in and closed her eyes. She rested her head against Inuyasha and sighed loudly. Inuyasha sat next to Kagome on the small bed and just sat in silence, listening to her breathe. The sounds of the hospital were unsettling to him. He recalled when he had arrived here with Kagome's family and how the sounds and smells of the hospital were all overwhelming to him. The stench of the sick and dying and even the odor of death had overcome his senses as they waited in a private little room. Even the doctor who came in to explain Kagome's condition had a touch of death on his clothes and what was worse than that was the fact that it was Kagome's scent that had death laced in it. But those smells were gone now. She smelled like herself. It was a bittersweet moment for Inuyasha when he realized that she would go on living, but he mourned her grandfather's loss. He had died protecting his family, as any man should, but it didn't change the fact that he was dead.

"Inuyasha, you're going to stay with me, right?" Kagome asked with sleep heavy in her voice.

"I promise you, I'm not going anywhere. It was my job to protect you, I'm sorry I wasn't there." Inuyasha said thickly.

"It's not your fault. I have a feeling that the pieces haven't quite fallen into place." Kagome said. "How do you think my grandfather knew that I was going to be alright? He told my mother before he died that I was going to be alright." Kagome asked.

"I don't know. Who knows what happens right before you die. Maybe he had a glimpse of the future before he died. But he knew and that's what's important, right? He didn't die wondering about your safety." Inuyasha reassured.

"I suppose you're right. I'm getting kinda sleepy, seems there's nothing else to do when you're stuck in a hospital bed. Will you be here when I wake up?" Kagome asked.

"I'll be right here." He said. Kagome muttered something as she snuggled down onto his lap, but was asleep before no time.

Inuyasha was as good as his word, he sat there and stroked her hair and just watched her sleep as he reflected on his past and the years that went by. It suddenly seemed like only yesterday when they had defeated Naraku and when Kagome had been ripped away by the power of the well. He reflected fondly on the day that Miroku and Sango had Aiko and the short few years they shared before Aiko died. He remembered how sick she had been and when Kagome came back, he was sure that Kagome would be able to save Aiko, but when Aiko died Inuyasha knew that Kagome wouldn't be coming back. He figured that was the last time he would ever see Kagome. Imagined how she lived her life. He thought by now she would have married someone else and surely would have had children. It seems that everything worked out in their favor, more or less. If only Sango had lived, she would be so happy to know that Kagome had returned once again and that they were all going to be ok. Miroku had told him once that before Sango passed, she told him that she knew that they would meet again and she was right. Are we blessed with a premonition of the future before we die or was it just luck that the final wishes of the dying had been realized? Inuyasha wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Inuyasha didn't know why, but he always knew that there was more to Kagome's grandfather than he knew. Since the first day he met Kagome's grandfather, he always held a feeling of familiarity although there was no way he could have met him before, right? Well that didn't matter now. All Inuyasha knew was that he was eternally grateful to the old man for what he did for Kagome and her family that night.

As he watched Kagome sleep, Inuyasha made a silent promise to himself as well as Kagome's grandfather that he would watch over Kagome from here on out. He would never leave her side and protect her, always.

End of Chappy……..

(A/N) I'm sorry for the delay, I just moved from Minnesota to New Mexico and I just got internet back, thank god! Well, we're almost done. As soon as I'm able, I'm going to redo all the chapter, fix all my grammar and misspelled words. Damn typo demons, always attacking my keyboard. Anyway, I'm glad that you've stuck with me as I've written this story. Back when I started this fic, I was still in the aftermath of a friend's death. He died back in August of 04 and I started this fic in April of 05. This fic has kinda been my healing process, three years later and coping has gotten much better. Some of these chapters were written during emotional events and due to such, my grammar and spelling has suffered, sorry about that. Like I said, I'm going to fix them up. But this chapter as well as this story is dedicated not only to my little buddy, Bradley, but to you, the reader as well. Your words of encouragement and corrections have helped me make chapters better and keep writing. Thanks you guys. Oh, and the next chapter should take your head for a spin!

Ja ne