CHAPTER 2f:

The 4th Division: Medical

And

The 5th Division: Special Tactics (Kido Support)

"No…NO…NOOO… awww come on honey…just lie back down and rest….wait..WAIT…Aww.. Akito please!...You KNOW you aren't supposed to be up and out of bed…"

The 4th Division Captain spoke as calmly as he could while he and a few other 4th Division nurses tried to lightly restrain the 5th Division Captain, who was struggling to get out of her 4th Division Barracks bed.

"Look…it's a special occasion…Goto-sama didn't factor in special occasions…and neither did YOU Mamoru!... Now let me up…and... and Hitomi! Get me my haori!"

The beautiful and buxom Lieutenant of the 4th Div., Hitomi Sosen, nodded in compliance from the other side of the bed. She started to rise up from her kneeling position, but was quickly waived off by the 4th Div. Captain., Mamoru Mushanokouji. The 4th Div. Lt. sighed with an apologetic look at the 5th Div. Cpt., kneeling back down next to the bed.

"Ugh!...fine then…Masatane!...where are you? Get me my haori and get all of them off of me."

She barked out to her Lt., as she kept fighting with several nurses to get up.

Jo Masatane, Lt. of the 5th Div., sat slouched on the opposite side of the room in an uncomfortable chair where his long black hair draped over the chair's back. He looked bored while thumbing through some 2-3 year-old copies of the Seretei Bulletin left there for visitors. He smiled as she called for him but not looking up from the Bulletin, and responded with a raised and sarcastic voice, heard easily over the ruckus.

"Sorry sir…and for the last time…you KNOW the Captain Commander's orders…You aren't to be out of bed until that baby is born… I can't very well go AGAINST the Cpt. Commander's wishes now can I?...So just relax sir… And don't worry, I'll look great standing there in line for you though…Want me to wear your Captain's haori?"

Jo grinned widely as he spoke over the top of the Seretei Bulletin, kicking up his long thin legs and feet onto the coffee table. He had said those last words knowing very well he was going to be in for it as she would undoubtedly not forget his tongue.

The 4th Div. Cpt., Mamoru, looked back, rolling his eyes at the 5th Div. Lt., attempting to give him a stern look, as the Lt. was NOT helping calm the situation.

"Grrrrrrr!… Masatane!"

"When I get out of here…grrr…You have NO idea what I am going to do to you!"

The 5th Div. Captain, mother to be, and wife to the 4th Div. Cpt., Akito Usa-Moushanokouji, yelled out, trailing off as she pushed away a few nurses as the struggled continued.

"stop…STOP…fine!...get off of me!...just stop!

She said as she was trying to calm down, holding her large nine-month pregnant belly, scooting herself back so she was sitting up against the backboard of the bed.

The 4th Div. Lt., Hitomi, quickly stood and gathered up some of the thrown-off pillows to place behind the 5th Div. Cpt.'s back and smiled at her as she stroked her arm lightly. She also pushed some of the 5th Div. Cpt.'s shoulder length red hair out of her face for her and slid it behind her ears, before then backing away to the waiting area where the 5th Div. Lt., Masatane, sat.

"Thank you Hitomi…"

The 5th Div. Cpt. lightly said to her as she sat back in the bed in a loud huff, resigned to her fate, as she was becoming aware she was not going to get her way. The 4th Div. Cpt., Mamoru, the moved closer to sit next to her, holding a plastic cup of water and a few small pills, which he passed to her. Then taking her hand in his.

"Here honey, please take these, they should help a bit…And, I brought you some fresh apricots too…I know how you like them"

She snatched up the pills and water, taking them with a sigh, giving her husband, the 4th Div. Cpt. a steely glare the whole time before tossing the plastic cup towards the 5th Div. Lt. seated nearby, missing him by several feet. The only response she got from him was a sarcastic wave of the hand from above and behind the Seretei Bulletin he held in front of his face. She was not amused.

"Darling. Relax. Please."

"It's not like the news at the meeting is all that shocking or ultimately important…It's just a Captain appointment announcement…it isn't wartime orders or anything. I'm sure Jo-san will congratulate her appropriately, and I'll be certain to set up an appointment for the new Captain to come visit you so you can tell her personally...ok?"

The 4th Div. Cpt.'s words were sincere and logical, a quality which made him so endearing to her most of the time, but something Akito didn't really care for right now. It was her job to be at that meeting, and she did not like not forgoing her responsibilities, no matter how trivial.

"Look...Mamoru…if Goto-sama hadn't made that order, I'd be there. Regardless of you, your wishes, or your nurses…"

Her voice to her husband was straight to the point.

The 4th Div. Captain responded softly to her, but just as stern.

"That's pretty selfish, Akito…"

Akito glared back at him, surprised, as he continued.

"…Hirokatsu-sama…and me… and my nurses didn't make our decisions for forcing you to rest to PUNISH you in any way. We did it for the child, OUR child Akito..."

His eyes looked softly into hers, and he held her hand tightly. The pretty 4th Div. Lt. looked over silently from her seat near the 5th Div. Lt., who was peering over the top of the newspaper at the Captain-couple and soon-to-be parents.

Akito's eyes began to well up as she exhaled and squeezed his hand slightly, moving his and her hand over her belly to feel the unborn child inside.

"Oh, Mamoru…I know…I know…"

She said apologetically, her eyes wet with her tears.

The two of them felt her belly and smiled to one another.

The 5th Div. Lt., Jo, exhaled lightly and shook his head as he watched the two of them. Then, under his breath he said.

"Mood swings are a pain in the ass. I don't know how he can stay so calm with her…"

He then moved his eyes to look back at the old Seretei Bulletin he was having a hard time finding interesting.

As he did, he caught the icy yet sad gaze of the 4th Div. Lt., Hitomi, who had obviously heard him. He looked a bit surprised then shrugged his shoulders at her.

"What?"

He said unapologetically, but a little quiet.

She shook her head at him, and began to sign something to him with her hands. Jo then began shaking his hands at her cutting her off.

"Hey..Hey…just stop…I don't know sign language beautiful…So I got no idea what you're saying..."

She sighed and shook her head at him. Eyebrows furrowed she pulled out a little notebook and pencil from her sleeve, and began to write feverishly.

That was when the 4th Div. Cpt.'s voice was heard loudly bouncing off the walls in the maternity room, startling Jo and the nearby nurses. Hitomi, noticing the startled 5th Div. Lt., stopped writing and looked over to the direction of her Captain.

"She said…LIEUTENANT...that you're being extremely rude...and to stop it...to which I'd have to agree…"

His eyes and head turned from his seated position next to his wife to stare from behind his eyeglasses right at Jo. Even from that distance, he had heard Jo clearly, and he had seen and read his own Lt.'s signing at Jo clearly too, all the while keeping his focus on his wife.

Jo gulped as his face went red, getting caught in his disrespect. He straightened up a bit in his chair, folding up the Seretei Bulletin and placing it on the coffee table, arranging the others so they looked nice, trying his hardest not to look up at the face of the 4th Div. Cpt. or even worse, at the frosty stare of the 5th Div. Cpt. he was undoubtedly getting.

He looked out the nearest window trying to act like he could see the sun and therefore the time of day. He cleared his throat as respectfully as he could while he stood up from his seat.

"Umm..well…Sirs…M'am…I…I think it's about time to leave…Akito-Captain, Will you be joining us?"

Jo said weakly, his eyes trained at the far wall, away from any of the others in the room. His words had no confidence in them, and it was very obvious he felt guilty.

"No…Jo-san…I will not be attending. Please give my best to the new Captain, and set up an appointment for us to have lunch at her earliest convenience. And I'll keep my Captain's coat right here with me, LIEUTENANT. Thank you very much..."

The pregnant 5th Div. Captain said firmly but also eerily softly to him from her seated position.

"Of course sir"

Jo replied quickly, bowing low in his Cpt.'s direction. Before moving he also turned and bowed uncomfortably and apologetically to the 4th Div. Lt., Hitomi. He then moved to the door and stood, his head downward and hands clasped behind his back, as he waited on the 4th Div. Cpt.

"He IS right you know hun…my mood swings are getting pretty epic…And you really SHOULD be going."

Akito grinned at her husband, her voice only loud enough for him to hear.

"Ha!"

Mamoru blurted out.

"I wouldn't have them any other way my dear... and I know..."

He squeezed her hand lightly before bringing it up to his mouth to kiss it. Then smiling, he placed her hand on her belly while his rest on top of hers.

"I will not be very long…Hitomi here will stay with you just in case you need something...ok?"

She nodded with a smile to him as he pushed himself up off the bed, and as he made his way towards the door he snatched up his long white Captain's haori from where it hung with his zanpaktuo on the bedpost at the foot of Akito's maternity bed. Grabbing his zanpaktuo and sliding it in his belt, he then turned and smiled to his wife once more and nodded to Hitomi who had once again moved to his wife's bedside. Mamoru then slid his coat on putting his hands in the two large homemade outer pockets that sat just below his waist on each side.

Jo opened the door for the 4th Div. Cpt. and tried to steal a glance back to his own Captain just for the briefest moment, and caught her steely eyes trained right on him. Before he turned to follow the 4th Div. Cpt. out and onto the Captain's meeting, he thought he saw her eyes relax toward him for just a second. At least he hoped they did.