Chapter Eight
"I just got back from meeting with the lead doctor. They think they know what's wrong with him."
Nowaki tensed and said, "Hiro-san looks fine. You're sure he didn't just collapse from hypotension or anemia?" He began to talk faster, as if the speed of his words would make them true. "He had anemia last month. It can cause fainting when it gets bad. He might not have been eating right while he was here. Sometimes when he gets out of his comfort area—"
"Nowaki," Miyagi interrupted, "it's not anemia." He fidgeted and looked away. "I… I think you should go talk to the doctors. They'll be able to describe it better than I can."
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
Nowaki left the doctor's office in a daze. He didn't understand what happened, how this happened. He stumbled as the toe of his shoe caught in a floor crack. A bench was near him, so he sat down and rested his head against the wall.
An open window was the cause of his Hiro-san's situation. Situation— was that even the right word? Condition might be more appropriate, though Nowaki didn't know if an appropriate term even existed.
That morning, a group of scientists were performing an experiment in the Kang Institute, testing how some chemicals reacted against each other. The scientists were just paid to carry out the experiment; they didn't know what the research was for or what would happen as a result. Because of their lack of knowledge, they didn't hesitate to open the window.
Nowaki clenched his fists. Stupid, it was all so stupid. An open window provided a portal for the chemicals to travel through the air and reach Hiroki. If those damn researches weren't so ignorant…
The effects of the chemicals were still unknown. They were still testing Hiroki to determine what exactly happened. There was only one thing they knew for certain: the chemicals had an effect similar to radiation. In the next few days, when the results on his organs came in, they would know if he would live or die.
He punched the bench. He had never been so angry in his life.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
Once Nowaki had calmed down, he trudged back to Hiroki's room. He found the older man asleep, and that was good. He didn't know if he could face his lover without breaking down. So many emotions were swirling through him. One side of him was angry. Angrier than he had ever been in his life. Hell hath no fury compared to what he would unleash upon the scientists if they ever met. His other side was sad and filled with despair. Helplessness consumed him. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could say, that would make this better.
In a small way, he never wanted to meet the people responsible for this. He never wanted to see their faces and know that their screw-up was the reason why his Hiro-san could die. According to the doctors, there was nothing that could be done except wait for the results of the quasi radiation to come in. There was a small chance that nothing would happen, that Hiroki would walk out the doors in a few days unscathed, but there was a much larger chance that his organs would fail. Fail, meaning that Hiroki would die.
He looked at the sleeping man. Hiro-san was so peaceful. He wouldn't die, Nowaki wouldn't allow it. He would use all of their love to protect him.
He reached out to grasp his Hiro-san's hand. It was warm and soft, just like always. Instinctively, Hiroki rolled over to get closer to Nowaki's heat. He often got cold when he slept, which was why he sought out the warmth of the man sleeping next to him, causing them to wake up entangled. But Nowaki didn't mind. Quite the opposite actually; he reveled in his Hiro-san's sleeping form snuggled up against him.
There was only one thin blanket on the bed. Nowaki pulled it further up his body so that more of him would be covered.
At the memories of them sleeping together, Nowaki laid his head down on the pillow. Their faces were so close; if Nowaki stayed still, he could feel the slight air moving in and out of Hiroki's mouth. This comforted him and he matched up the patterns of their breaths so that they were inhaling and exhaling in unison.
Soon, Nowaki drifted off to sleep.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
A knocking on the door roused the sleeping men from their slumber.
"Come in."
Miyagi walked in the room.
"I just thought I'd knock seeing as how you two were in here alone." He smirked. "I didn't want to walk in on you guys enjoying each other's company. God knows I've done that before…"
Miyagi rolled his eyes as if he was bitter, but his playful tone belied his words.
Nowaki was not amused. He crossed his arms disapprovingly, letting Miyagi know that he wasn't in the mood to joke around. Before he fell asleep everything was a blur; he didn't quite grasp what exactly had happened. While resting, reality had set in.
Having grown up under the strict raising of the orphanage, Nowaki had impeccable manners. It took every ounce of this training not to lash out at Miyagi. His Hiro-san could very likely be dead in a week. Dead! There was nothing anyone could do about it. And Miyagi was trying to be funny?
Hiroki witnessed this exchange silently. He didn't remember much except his eyes burning and then a lot of tests being done on his body. But he felt fine, so nothing bad could be wrong, right? Probably just some smoke got in his eyes, causing him to fall over and hit his head.
As the two taller men fumed, Hiroki decided that it would be a good time to speak up.
"So… Anyone mind telling me what's going on?"
They both looked over at him, pain in their eyes.
Hiroki scoffed. "Come on now, it can't be that bad." Silence. "Right?"
Miyagi sighed. "We don't know yet."
The professor was confused. "What do you mean you don't know yet? Nowaki, what's he talking about?"
Nowaki didn't answer. He couldn't answer, couldn't look him in the eyes and tell him the truth.
"Nowaki!" he demanded.
He looked away. He didn't want his Hiro-san to see the tears that were threatening to fall. That would only stress him out, something he surely didn't need.
In the end, Miyagi had to tell Hiroki what had happened. He listened to what he was being told, but more intently he paid attention to Nowaki, who was sitting silently in a chair, eyes closed and unmoving.
A nurse came in the room a few minutes later to tell them that visiting hours were over. Miyagi left, but Nowaki protested vehemently. Nothing could tear him away from his Hiro-san, not when he didn't know how many hours they had left to be together. Once the nurse learned that Nowaki was a medical professional, she allowed him to stay in the room, but only if he was very quiet and didn't leave.
Have a wonderful Easter!