"So…?" Light asked as I shook, covered in a blanket sipping hot coffee.
I pushed away a man who shone a light in my eyes and screamed at him for suggesting psychiatric therapy.
"Fuck you, I'm not crazy!" I screamed, choking on tears.
"No one's saying you're crazy Tsukiko." Light whispered.
Out of pure habit, I stood up and crossed the ambulance to him and lay my head on his shoulder. He caressed my black hair and whispered sweet nothings to me. Maybe I was wrong about him being a jerk..
Malak suddenly melted into the ambulance, looking at me with a look of both terror and jealousy. I ignored him at first, until he whispered to me the words I would probably never hear again in my life,
"I'm so sorry."
I almost blurted out, but it would be odd as it would look like I was talking to myself. The ambulance came to a soft stop and a man told me we arrived at the hospital. Light hopped out the back first, then took my hips and helped me out as well. Mr. Yagami and Ryuzaki were already waiting in the parking lot. I chuckled as they ran to me.
"Only in Japan can you get two good friends to the hospital before an ambulance."
Mr. Yagami hugged me tightly, completely ignoring my joke.
"I'm so sorry Tsukiko."
"It's alright Mr. Yagami, you didn't do anything."
"I know, but I can't help it."
I sighed gently and followed the EMT into the hospital where they immediately put me into a room. A handsome doctor approached me, staring at my crooked nose.
"My my, what happened here?"
"I got into a fight at school." I lied.
The doctor checked his watch skeptically.
"It's six o'clock."
"I know, I was going to set it back myself, but my mother objected, and we've been arguing for hours."
The doctor nodded, and looked at my nose. I didn't realize until he got closer and I saw him name that he was American.
"So..doctor Dwyer?" I asked.
"Yes?"
"Is it permanent?"
He merely chuckled and put on a stethoscope, holding it against my chest..
"Not at all. Now take a deep breath."
"Why? I only have a broken nose."
"It's standard procedure for abuse victims."
"Abuse?!" I shouted, leaping off the table, "I wasn't abused, my father killed my.."
Dr. Dwyer smirked at me. He knew this entire time about my father and my mother. Nonetheless, I wasn't abused.
"Now please lift up your shirt and take deep, slow breaths."
I jumped back onto the exam table and lifted my shirt up. I gasped as the cold metal brushed against my exposed skin, but I ignored it after some time. He face was riddled with concern as he listened to my breathing.
"Are you asthmatic?" He asked after putting his stethoscope back around his neck.
"No, why?"
He nodded and grabbed a clipboard from his desk, flipping a few papers around then peering at me over his glasses with a look that frightened me. I couldn't remember much about my attacker, except the look he gave me. Dr. Dwyer gave me the same look, that look of violent lust…
"Do you have problems breathing after hard exercise?"
"Yes." I replied, ignoring the look.
"Mmhmm. And do you have problems breathing in cold? What about during extreme emotions?"
"Yes and yes." I replied, unsure of where this was going.
"Alright. Hate to say it Miss Namida, but you have asthma."
Oh. That would explain why it's been so hard to breathe for a while. I didn't want to tell him about my difficulty breathing, so I didn't. This man was making me feel very uncomfortable very fast. He signed off a few prescriptions and told me to take it easy and that I could leave, but someone had to drive me.
"Thank you doctor."
"You're welcome." He replied so slowly that it forced me to turn around and peruse him.
Come to think of it, he looked a lot like my attacker.
"You know me, don't you?" I asked cautiously.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know me," I replied a little louder, coming back in and slamming the door shut, "You've known me since before this visit."
"I don't know what you're talking about." He chuckled and approached me.
I got very close to him. He was a giant compared to me.
"You know me the way a rapist knows his victim."
The glint of a scalpel caught my eye, and I moved out of the way just as he tripped me. I fell to the floor on my hands and my breathing became labored and difficult. He launched himself on me and roughly turned me over to face him. His hot breath warmed my bare shoulder.
"It was a mistake to let you go." He whispered harshly.
Again Malak melted into the room and knocked him off of me and tugged me up. I ran out of the room as fast as I could, literally running into Ryuzaki.
"Why, Tsukiko, what's the matter?"
"Get me the fuck out of here." I cried as my breathing became more and more struggled.