"Of Loss, Life, & Love"
A Ranma ½ Fanfic by Luna12
Chapter 32: "Aftermath"
Ranma was still running hard when he entered the hospital. Since he hadn't been able to travel with his mom or Akane via ambulance, he had been forced to take the bus and run the rest of the way from the nearest stop.
He was almost grateful for his past experience with Tendo Soun. He was familiar enough with the hospital's layout that he knew where to go and ask for information.
Ranma bounced his weight from foot to foot, struggling with impatience for the nurse at the information station to finish her phone call and talk to him. She was busily writing something down on a clipboard while she worked. Ranma barely noticed the television screen playing in the background, set to the evening news. Finally, the nurse finished and made eye contact.
"Yes, can I help you?"
"Yeah, my mom and Ak-the girl that came in with her. They were rushed in here from a fire. I need to check on them." Used to hospital policies, Ranma handed over his I.D. for verification.
Efficient and friendly, the nurse (with her prim name tag of "Tani Yoshiko") pulled the appropriate information off the computer. "No visitors tonight, but your mother is in good and stable condition. She needs to spend some time both intubated and in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber to recover from the excess carbon monoxide exposure and smoke inhalation."
Ranma frowned at the detailed diagnosis. That certainly sounded serious. "But she'll be okay?"
Nurse Tani nodded, reading the details on his mother's files more closely. "She was quite fortunate. Any longer exposure would have been fatal, but she's responding very well to treatment. She's tentatively scheduled for release by the end of the week."
Ranma let out a long breath. The nurse's words echoed in his skull. It had almost been too late for his mom. He owed Akane big time.
He remembered how anxious Akane had been for his mom's welfare. He couldn't wait to tell Akane the good news, soon as he found her.
"And Tendo Akane? What about her? She was in the same fire."
The nurse typed the information, then frowned at the display. Ranma felt his stomach drop.
"Are you family?"
"I'm her fiancé." The answer came without hesitation. Even though it wasn't technically true anymore, he didn't care. It used to be, so that counted, right? Besides, he wasn't about to let hospital policy keep him from seeing Akane.
Nurse Tani looked surprised. "Her fiancé?" She sounded unconvinced. Ranma figured it was due to their young age and hoped she would believe him. Getting into the whole "traditional arranged marriage" issue would only complicate matters.
"Yeah, so can I see her?" he asked roughly, feeling a little panicked at the nurse's lack of response. Why hadn't she just told him her status? He felt the stirrings of panic and forcibly pushed it back down. It was only moments ago he had spoken with Akane, held her as she tried to resist being fussed over. She was going to be okay. She had to be.
Tani looked conflicted. "Her family hasn't arrived yet, but if you're really her fiancé, I can take you there."
X X X
Ranma followed Nurse Tani silently down the hospital corridor, noting the signs of "Burn Ward" as he passed. Just like the other sections of the hospital he had seen, the walls were painted a stark, clinical white that was jarring to the eye. Doctors and nurses walked brushly by in crisp white uniforms and lab coats, reinforcing the spartan environment. He suddenly felt horribly self conscious of his red Chinese shirt, stained with soot and ash from the fire, all disagreeably loud against the surroundings.
Tani stopped at number thirty-nine and opened the door.
Ranma's eyes quickly took in the room. Lacking windows, the space was lit by sharp fluorescent lighting that seemed to amplify the bleakness of the room. A single bed occupied the middle of one wall, and a curtain able to encircle the bed was bunched up in the far corner.
There was a small panel of buttons and switches above the head of the bed. Beside it stood an IV stand that held a bag of clear liquid slowly dripping down into a tube. The tube snaked its way over to the figure on the bed before disappearing into her forearm.
In the bed lay Akane, unconscious. She was dressed in a standard blue hospital gown and her hands were thickly bandaged in gauze. Her left knee was propped up with a pillow and in some sort of brace. The same looking oxygen mask that they had used on Akane in the ambulance was on her face.
Ranma felt his chest tighten, and his stomach felt like an oni was wringing it inside-out. Akane's injuries were clearly more serious than he first realized. It was just like her to keep telling him she was fine when clearly she was not.
"Now don't wake her. We gave her a sedative to sleep off some of the pain." Tani's voice was in hushed tones.
Ranma nodded silently, a huge lump in his throat.
Tani noticed the panicked look on the teenager's face. "Don't look so stricken, she'll be alright." The concerned reaction seemed to fully convince the nurse of their engaged status. She picked up the medical chart clipped to Akane's bed. "Tendo-san suffered some shock from her burns and fluid loss, and some minor smoke inhalation. Oh, and a non-displaced fracture in her patella. The knee-cap."
Ranma's tongue turned to clay in his mouth, so he just continued to dumbly nod his understanding.
The nurse continued: "The good news it that her burns are only second degree. There won't be any permanent scarring, and it is easier to treat. With minor physical therapy, all her nerve functions and flexibility will be intact."
Despite the somewhat reassuring words, Ranma felt a huge weight on his chest. He could only imagine the nightmare, as an active martial artist, of losing nerve functionality in the hands.
Ranma suddenly found his voice. "The bad news?" he choked out. It seemed as if there was enough bad news, but if the nurse was calling this 'good'…?
She looked at him sympathetically. "Second degree burns are severely painful, and hers are extensive enough that we need to be especially careful to avoid infection."
Ranma clenched his hands. A wave of guilt crashed over him leaving him unresponsive. He should have been there. If it wasn't for his stupid cat phobia, he would have been. In his mind, he would have made sure his mother got out right away, and then she'd have been fine, and Akane wouldn't be here having to consider agonizing second degree burns as 'good news'.
Tani put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Is it true she rushed into a burning building and rescued your mother?"
The question pulled Ranma out of his dark train of thought. "Yeah. How did you know?"
The nurse smiled. "She was on the evening news! Some neighbor got video footage of the rescue."
Ranma felt stunned, all he could reply was a numb, "Oh."
The nurse continued, obviously eager for gossip. "But we had no idea she rescued her own soon-to-be mother-in-law!"
Ranma fiddled with his hands, feeling more and more uncomfortable of the white lie regarding their engagement. Oblivious to Ranma's attitude, she continued. "I know you couldn't pay me enough to save my mother-in-law, let alone charge into a fire." She gave the young man an encouraging wink. "Sounds like she's a keeper. "
Ranma's awkwardness only grew. "Can I stay?" he asked, desperately wanting to change the subject and get the nurse to leave.
Tani looked at her watch and frowned. "It's not visiting hours anymore…" The nurse saw the troubled look on Ranma's face. The young man was so lost and worried. "Hmm. As long as you're quiet, I'll let you visit alone until her family arrives."
The nurse left, and Ranma felt his previous adrenaline rush drain away, leaving him empty and emotionally spent.
He gazed past the distracting IV and breathing mask to watch the girl beneath it all. He walked closer to her sleeping form and continued to take stock of every visible bruise and abrasion. Akane's skin was paler than usual, a stark contrast to her dark hair fanned out on the pillow. Her breathing was even, but his fine hearing could detect a faint rasp now and again from the smoke inhalation she suffered.
He pulled over a small stool and half sat, half collapsed into it. He wanted to touch her, but felt awkward and afraid of where to lay his hands given her injuries, so he settled for willing her awake with his eyes. He dared not disturb her rest in any other way, but oh how he desperately wanted to see her honey brown eyes looking at him, to hear her voice call his name.
He inched closer, grasping the bedrail so tight his knuckles went white. His mind once again churned over how horridly close Akane had come to...to…
NO. He wouldn't say it. He gulped and shook his head, hard. He couldn't allow himself to even think it; that way led madness.
The regular ping of the heart monitor was harsh and grating in the otherwise still room. He felt his emotions slipping, and he rested his forehead against the bedrail.
No matter what any nurse or doctor would say, he wouldn't be able to relax or believe she was okay ...
... not until he heard her voice call his name.
X X X
Akane's eyes blinked, awaking from a fuzzy, drug induced sleep she couldn't recall entering. She could only vaguely remember the doctors administering some medication via IV before blacking out. A sharp, burning, throbbing pain from both hands and her knee tugged her back to full consciousness.
The next thing she noticed was that the itchy, plastic breathing device was still on her face, but her lungs felt much better, and the urge to cough was easier to suppress. Her eyes widened further, groggily taking in the new surroundings. She was no longer in the ER, but in a separate hospital room. An IV was connected to her left arm, but both her hands were rendered immobile by a plastic brace and layers of gauze. She could make out a mass of dark hair hidden among a familiar pair of muscled arms leaning against her bedrail.
"Ranma?" she confirmed softly, surprised that her voice was still a little raspy.
Ranma's head jerked up, "Akane!" His deep blue eyes met hers and seemed to waver. His outstretched hand trembled for a moment before he gathered control over himself, and he gently caressed the top of her head. "How're you feeling?"
"I'm okay," she reassured him, closing her eyes and focusing on the comforting feel of his fingers through her hair.
Ranma smiled, looking immensely relieved.
As the fog lifted from her mind, a sudden panic overwhelmed her. Instinctively she forced herself up into a sitting position. "Auntie, is she alright?!"
Ranma gently pushed her back into the bed, propping the pillows for her. "You got her out in time. No burns, just breathed in too much smoke. They got her recovering down the hall."
Akane visibly relaxed.
Abruptly, Ranma's attitude shifted to frustration. "What the hell were you thinking?! Charging into a burning building?!"
Akane was taken off guard. One minute he was being sweet, staying at her bedside, but now he was yelling at her?
"What was I supposed to do?" she shouted back. "Let your mother burn alive?!"
Ranma felt his mouth open and close like a stunned fish, utterly unsure how to respond. He hadn't planned on yelling at Akane. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but his building frustration with her and himself had burst out.
The shouting was a bad idea, and Akane felt her throat and lungs protest. She struggled and failed to contain a minor coughing fit.
It had the effect of draining both Ranma's temper and the coloring from his face. "A-are you okay?" he rushed out, flushed with a surge of panic, guilt and concern. He quickly poured out a cup of water from a pitcher on the side table. Belatedly, he realized Akane couldn't even hold it to drink; her hands were bandaged so thickly she might as well have worn boxing gloves.
Akane slowly regained her breath, and watched in surprise as Ranma carefully moved the mask aside and tenderly brought the cup to her parched lips. Akane finished the drink, and Ranma returned the cup and resumed his seat.
"So...are you still... going to fight with me?" Akane challenged between ragged breaths, trying to read the strange expression Ranma had on his face. She was well used to their banter and how easily it could escalate, so it was weird to have a quiet, subdued Ranma - especially right after the baka started an argument.
Ranma shook his head, feeling more than a little chastised. Really, what did he expect? Akane was always trying to save the day - he had to admit they were both the same that way. He felt an all too familiar, awkward mix of emotions; there was gratitude and affection that Akane cared enough to always try to bail him out of trouble, while also fury that she would put herself in danger.
His stomach clenched, his mind and body thrown into a vivid déjà vu of how he felt the last time in China. He pulled hard on his bangs. Damn it. At the best of times, it was hard enough keeping the memories of Jusendo at bay, but it was near impossible after witnessing Akane go through another brush with death.
"You gotta stop doin' this to me…" he mumbled. His blunt admission made her take a better look at her fiancé. He seemed tense and anxious with a bit of relief thrown in. His hair was disheveled and his clothes soot-stained from coming straight away from the burning building.
Her gaze softened, but remained firm. He sighed, realizing that yelling at the girl he loved, and who had just saved his mother's life, was not the correct response. "Sorry... I... well...thanks, Akane."
Akane couldn't believe her ears. Ranma apologized to her? Not just that, he was thanking her? Maybe the drugs they gave her were stronger than she thought. She felt her face grow warm, sure that she was blushing.
Hastily, she changed the topic. "How's your home?"
Ranma shrugged. "I think it's a pile of debris by now. You'd think it was cursed."
"Funny how that only happens when Shampoo or Ukyo come to visit you." Akane answered wryly.
Ranma visibly bristled at the mention of Ukyo, but before he could say anything further, the door burst open.
Nabiki and Kasumi entered, looking mildly panic stricken.
For a moment, Akane kept looking at the doorway, waiting for her father to burst in. The reality of his absence hit her again, and she had to stifle the urge to cry. Involuntary tears filled her eyes, and she struggled to keep them at bay. She was so used to her father overreacting and wailing about his baby daughter. It had been annoying, but also endearing. She missed it more deeply than she ever expected. Grief hit her full force at unexpected times and she hated it.
Kasumi approached Akane's other bedside, her eyes quickly taking in all the bandages. "Oh Akane! I can't believe you ran into a burning building! What were you thinking, acting so reckless?"
Being chastised by Kasumi, rather than Ranma, only left Akane feeling embarrassed rather than angry. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Oneesan."
Nabiki lingered near the doorway, glaring at Ranma. "So, what are you doing here? Aren't you forbidden from contacting us?"
"Nabiki!" Akane scolded. Her middle sister's rudeness never ceased to amaze her.
Ranma stood up awkwardly, clearly feeling unwelcome.
He turned to face the patient, ignoring Nabiki. "Uh, feel better, Akane. I'll see you later." Ignoring the piercing glare Nabiki was still shooting at him, he left.
Akane was still upset at her sister. "Nabiki, that was rude!"
Nabiki simply rolled her eyes, her voice thick with her usual emotional defense mechanism: snarky sarcasm. "Who, me? Not polite to the jerk who attracts disaster for my youngest sister, and whose mother decided to cut off all ties with us?"
Akane felt at a loss as how to argue back. Nabiki was always so good at manipulating the facts in her favor.
"Now, now, the important thing is that you're all right," Kasumi chimed in, always the peace-maker.
Nabiki shrugged and let the argument drop.
Kasumi's face visibly calmed as she took in the genki attitude of the patient. Clearly, her tough as a brick sister was okay yet again. "As much as I hate to encourage your behavior, Akane, we are very proud of you."
Akane's eyes beamed. "Really?"
Kasumi nodded. "I may disapprove of how Auntie Saotome has behaved under that brainwashing, but saving her was the right thing to do."
Nabiki managed a chuckle. "You should hear the gossip, sis! It's not enough that you were on the news, but neighbors witnessed Ranma full out screaming at Ukyo. Apparently she lied to him about you and Nodoka being trapped inside."
Akane's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She liked Ukyo well enough for a rival fiancée, and didn't expect behavior like that from her. Even more surprising was hearing that Ranma had yelled at his 'cute' childhood buddy.
Nabiki continued. "You know, most gals wouldn't put their life on the line for their mother-in-law, let alone a rude, used-to-be-future-mother-in-law."
"Hey, Auntie Saotome wasn't always like that... I couldn't just let her die."
Nabiki had a vicious gleam in her eye, and gave a conspiratorial glance Kasumi's way. "You still want Ranma back, don't you?"
It was now Akane's turn for her mouth to flap open.
Kasumi giggled. "Little sister, it's not polite to keep your mouth open like that."
Akane blinked and quickly closed it. "I-I never said anything about that!"
Nabiki shrugged dismissively. "Actions speak louder than words, sis. The two of you were sucking face in front of the whole DAFT crowd!"
Akane's face turned pink from chin to ear tips.
Her older sisters gave each other amused grins, not quite ready to let their little sister off the hook yet. Nabiki's smirk widened. "You also forgot my bedroom is right over the front door. You think I wouldnt figure out where my youngest sister was sneaking off to every night? And as much as Saotome obeys his mother's every whim, he was still sneaking off to visit you."
Akane's eyes widened at the revelation. All this time she had congratulated herself for her undetected rendezvous. She should have known her nosy sister would have found her out eventually. For a moment, Akane was surprised Nabiki hadn't sold the information off to Kuno or Ukyo for a profit, but then she remembered all the subtle ways Nabiki had been helping her and Ranma in the background. Her mercenary sister had grown a heart, finally.
Kasumi put a gentle hand on Akane's shoulder, steering the conversation to the main point. "You want the engagement back, don't you?"
Akane didn't think she could blush any deeper as she studiously studied the stitching on her blanket.
Quietly, she answered. "I don't want it forced on him. Or me. But... I... " She took a deep breath, having trouble continuing. Although it had been a long time since she had realized her feelings, actually speaking them aloud seemed impossible.
"Yes?" both sisters pressed her in unison.
In a whisper, Akane answered. "I love him."
Kasumi gave her middle sister a wink and a smile. "That's all we needed to know."
Author's Note:
Special Thanks to You ROCK harder's "Distractions". Her story is amazing and I absolutely adore her Ranma/Akane bedside scene in the hospital. It was hard not to draw inspiration from it, and she gave me permission to reuse one of her lines of dialog.
Additional Thanks to AngelaJewell and PurseMonger for being great beta-readers, and to all of you readers for encouraging me with those reviews. The story is nearly at an end.
Original Publication Date: Dec. 4, 2014
