Chapter 3
Darkness.
Then…
Tadashi opened his eyes. In the distance, he could hear the faint beeping of machines weaving in and out of the silence. He pushed himself into an upright position, grimacing at the pain that engulfed him. It hurt to move. It hurt to think.
Aunt Cass was pacing back and forth at the edge of the room, her footsteps echoing on the linoleum tiles. When she saw that Tadashi was awake, she ran up to him and threw her arms around him. "Tadashi!" She exclaimed. "I was so afraid you wouldn't wake..." her voice trailed off as she bit her lip, willing herself not to cry.
His gaze met hers. Her face was unusually pale, her eyes dull with worry. He could see dark circles under her eyelids, which indicated that she hadn't been sleeping much. Tadashi felt a pang of guilt settle in his heart as he returned her embrace.
"Hiro. How is he?" Tadashi inquired. He stared into her eyes, almost afraid to know the answer.
Aunt Cass averted his glance, unsure of how to respond. "I..."
Upon receiving no reply, Tadashi's frown deepened. "How is he?" He repeated. There was a note of panic in his voice, one that Aunt Cass simply couldn't overlook.
She fumbled for the words like she was searching for a key in the darkness. "He's alive," she stated finally. "But he hasn't woken up yet, and I don't know if he ever will."
Her words echoed in Tadashi's mind. A faint smile made its way across his lips. His brother was alive; he had survived the fire and they were now tending to him in the hospital. It wasn't the end. Just the thought filled him with relief. But the possibility that his brother might never wake up again made his smile melt away. It was too much for him to take in at once.
He didn't realize that tears were cascading down his cheeks. Nor did he care. "I need to see him," Tadashi stated finally. "Where is he?"
Aunt Cass fell silent. She knew it wasn't a good idea to tell him. Tadashi was still weak from his injuries... if he saw the grim state that his brother was in, it would most likely be too much for him to stand.
"Please," Tadashi pleaded. "Answer me..." He trailed off, sadness evident in his voice. Hiro was the one who filled his life with warmth. And in the cold, empty atmosphere of the hospital, there was nothing he needed more.
Cass swallowed. She couldn't deny him from seeing his brother. "He's in room 46," she admitted finally.
That was enough. Without another word, Tadashi stood up and made his way out of the room. His expression remained stoic, but the slight unevenness of his walk and the pain that haunted his eyes did not go unnoticed.
Hiro was lying on a hospital bed. Tadashi didn't know which was more lifeless; the dull, colorless hospital room or the boy who lay within it.
Tadashi sat down next to the hospital bed, nervously clenching and unclenching his fists. It pained him to see his brother in a place like this. It was insanity contained within a single room. It was a million emotions trapped inside of nothingness. It was a massive scream that would never be heard.
"Hiro…"
He took a shaky breath. "I'm so worried about you, knucklehead." He was unable to suppress a tremor in his voice. "We… we all are."
He eyed the many machines that surrounded his brother; glanced over all of the needles that penetrated his skin, and wondered if they were doing any good at all. Turning to the heart monitor, Tadashi watched the line rise and fall steadily in mountains and valleys of death. He prayed with all his heart that it would never stand completely still.
"Please wake up," he choked out. "We need you..." He felt tears forming in his eyes. This time, he made no effort to blink them away.
He had always been the one to save Hiro. He had always been the one to rescue him from his silly bot fights; the one to save him from anyone who dared to lay a hand on him. Tadashi had promised himself never to let any harm come to his little brother. And for awhile, he had come to believe that it was possible.
Yet he had failed.
In the one time his brother needed him most, he had ignored him. He had run towards the fire for his own selfish reasons, resulting in...
...This.
Staring at his brother's lifeless features, Tadashi felt as though his heart just might break. The guilt was an ocean and he was drowning. Suffocating.
He felt hot, angry tears fill his eyes. Inside, he was screaming.
Why?
Why did it have to be Hiro? Out of all the people in his world, surely his brother didn't deserve this.
No one did.
Tadashi's hands were trembling now, his whole body burning with anger. He should never have tried to save Callaghan. He should never have entered the burning building.
This was all his fault. His brother was dead and it was all his fault.
He felt a wave of rage wash over him. He slammed his fists onto the wall, sending a ripple of pain throughout his body.
He remembered yelling in anger, until he was out of breath and his hands felt cold and clammy.
Then, slowly, his anger dissipated, and all that was left was sadness.
A tear fell to the ground. Then another. He hadn't bothered to wipe them away.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I should have been there to protect you. I'm so sorry, Hiro…" He fell silent, listening to the steady ticking of the clock. Every second brought Hiro closer to death. And every second, guilt crushed Tadashi a bit more.
He felt the energy leave him like sand emptying from the top of an hourglass. For the first time, he realised how exhausted he was. But that didn't matter. None of it mattered anymore. He looked up at the many machines that surrounded his brother and realized that now, more than ever, Hiro looked…
...Helpless.
Unprotected. Weak. Vulnerable. Like he was just moments away from death.
Tadashi swallowed. No. His brother was stronger than that. Hiro was the one who could look a bot fighter in the eye without batting an eye. He was the one who dared to enter college as a thirteen year old, no matter how many people found it impossible. Tadashi just prayed that the explosion hadn't taken away all that.
I would do anything to take your place, he said silently. Anything… He heard footsteps in the hallway and knew that it was time for him to leave.
"Please be okay," he whispered. He reached out and fistbumped his brother lightly. "I love you."
"Tadashi. Visiting hours are over. We need to go home, okay?" It was Aunt Cass. Her voice was muffled by the door between them, but he could tell that she'd been crying.
"Okay," Tadashi responded. When the door opened, he emerged with a smile on his face.
Aunt Cass frowned. "Are you feeling alright?" Tadashi wasn't one to get over things this quickly.
"I'm fine," He told her. But the pain in his eyes said otherwise.
Sorry, this didn't turn out as sad as I hoped it would be. Hopefully it was okay regardless.