Somewhere in Time
Posting earlier and longer chapter for the delay in Chapter 4. Please do review if you've read, I do have a lot pre-written but I'm at a stalemate for the moment so encouragement is appreciated.
05
Sakura was propped up in bed, motionless. There was almost a serene, peaceful look about her. Hair had been combed neatly out of her eyes and her bedclothes had been changed from a horrible paper hospital gown into a cloth one. Not a single noise came from her, although the machines she had been hooked up to made several different types of noises in her stead. The most noticeable of them all was a sharp beep which monitored her pulse.
A nurse had been stationed with her at all time in case she woke up, also because the hospital ruled this a suicide attempt. Policy stated any and all individuals that attempted to take their life needed supervision at all times, regardless of state of consciousness. The nurse touched Sakura's pale cheek, wondering what could have caused such a pretty girl to do something like this to her body. She looked over at the various monitors next to the bed to see any activity. Sakura's cheek was pale, but there was indeed still life inside her small body.
"Goodness child, I wish I could help you more right now..." There was no response, no movement, no sign that her words went through. Again she peered at her vitals wondering if there would be any change. Still nothing. No brain activity. "I know you're in there, hang in there," The nurse squeezed Sakura hand and continued to attend to her work in the small, square room.
"Syaoran?" Sakura was propped against Syaoran in bed. Both had been reading their own separate books for the past hour in silence. University entrance exams were rapidly approaching now and the immense stress both were under was almost unfathomable. Sakura had thought that the stress she went under for high school entrance was something else. That was nothing in comparison to all the weight she felt on her shoulders the last few weeks. Her Syaoran though... he took things wonderfully. Hardly did the young man break much sweat or lose much sleep over the pending examinations.
"Hmm?" Syaoran hardly lost a beat reading his book. He was hardly paying attention to her words. School work was indeed most important to him.
"Why don't you act like my boyfriend anymore?" Syaoran's eyebrows went straight up in surprise. There he was in bed with her. Although both were reading, they were still sharing an intimate and private moment together. There would not be any other lady he would allow this behavior with.
Syaoran flapped the page of his book and placed it on the nightstand next to his bed. "What's bringing this on?" Often times Sakura felt insecure in their relationship. These insecurities came in waves and a few gentle pokes and prods from him would remedy it. Although this time he felt like this was indeed unwarranted, he had been spending plenty of time on her recently and they were indeed still acting romantically towards one another, despite the fact that their relationship was now long past the honeymoon period.
There was an uncomfortable wiggle from Sakura as she struggled to once again find her barrings next to Syaoran. "All we do is study, you never touch me," Syaoran frowned at this. She was talking crazy once again. He reached over to her own book she had flopped down on the bed, marked her place and placed it on the nightstand on top of his.
"You know very well that this is important. We always get so caught up that we lose track of the time. Besides.." he pulled her into his arms now, "we decided that it would be special if we waited until after exams so we could enjoy it more," This gave little comfort still to Sakura who fussed in his arms. "Don't be like that, Yingfa, have patience,"
"I am being patient, but sometimes I think we need different things," Sakura sighed and bit her lower lip. Even when upset, she was still so damn cute.
"Now?" Syaoran attempted to diffuse the tension by poking her nose. "Didn't you want me to get us a hotel room, flowers, wine?" Once again she sifted in his arms and thought about her words carefully.
"Those are all just objects. I could be with you on a mattress on the floor in the living room and it could mean more than in the fanciest hotel in Tokyo with the most expensive wine and flowers you could afford..."
Syaoran shifted his position and trapped her underneath him. He had both elbows on either side of her head and he knees cradling her hips. It caught her off guard, but his advancement was not unwelcome. "Sakura," He kissed her cheek. "I" He kissed the other one, "love," he kissed her forehead, "you," he took her lips finally in a deep kiss. Their lips pushed against each other, but their tongues stayed in check. "I promise I'll give you everything. I promise right now you'll have everything you could need with me. I'll take care of you, always. In return, please work with me. I can't tell you everything, I wish I could. Give me time," He was serious, his eyes piercing, but still full of love.
She soaked his words up and nodded her head in agreement.
"Come here... I guess we can have a small break..." Syaoran cuddled her close now and rolled over onto his side to not put too much weight on her. He pushed his forehead against her and closed his eyes, taking in her smell. Over the years both had become relatively accustomed to one another; both had their unique smell, which was something Syaoran always loved. He loved her to smell her, it was faintly floral and so feminine. Not too strong either, but just enough to get his brain to think of her.
Within a few minutes their lips had met once again in ginger kisses, testing each other out. Gradually their kisses became deeper and longer, falling into a gentle rhythm with the other. Their bodies failed to join in the way that Sakura had been alluding to, but in the span of a few hours on Syaoran's bed they loved each other. It was everything a young woman could ask for. Completeness emotionally, physically and every way between.
"Sakura's body is weak, she was severely underweight for her height and age. Unfortunately because of that, her body is having a more difficult time after the overdose. I understand she was in a depression, is that correct?"
Fujitaka sat at a desk in a rather mundane office with the same doctor as before. It was closing in on midnight now and Sakura's father was now being talked to about the professional medical team's assessment of the situation. He nodded and squeezed his hands together, doing all he could to keep his composure. It was vital he kept calm to not miss any important information that could potentially help Sakura.
"Yes..."
The doctor nodded. "You were made aware of our policy then about 24-surveillance due to this being a suicide attempt," Fujitaka's eyes glazed over and pushed all thought of crying out of his head. For Sakura's sake. "We've done what we could with her to flush her system and monitor her heart to make sure she does not go into cardiac arrest. I'm sad to say though she has slipped into a coma. We have her hooked up to a few machines to monitor. A nurse will be with her at all times for 72 hours. If there is no improvement, we will be forced to transfer her to a psychiatric hospital. The closest one is in Tokyo."
From across the desk the doctor slid a packet of paperwork to him. All of this was overwhelming. Unfathomable. He reached into his pocket and squeezed a small piece of fabric. A piece of a scarf that Nadeshiko had once worn frequently kept him calm and reminded him of her love in difficult situations such as this. He was here alone now, his wife long gone from his side. At least physically she was gone from his side. There had to be a way that she was watching over their daughter right now. Taking care of her, if only spiritually.
"I understand, sir," Fujitaka nodded and collected the appropriate paperwork.
"We will be in touch, the hospital's visiting hours open at 9am in the morning," The two nodded in agreement with one another and both stood up, shook hands and left.
"Nadeshiko..." Fujitaka passed by Sakura's room once more on his way out. "Please, take care of her, please protect her," He took the small piece of fabric out of his pocket as he prayed to his deceased love. "Sakura, I know how hard it is to lose the one you love... I wanted to crawl away too, but then I saw you and your brother... and I knew I could love still seeing your faces... please fight," Fujitaka closed his eyes and put his hand on the glass. It caught the attention of the attending nurse, who gave the concerned father a nod and gentle smile.