Strangers in a Waiting Room
5. Introductions are Better Late than Never
Koichi blinked. Takuya thought that must mean he hadn't noticed he'd been talking to someone whose name he hadn't known. Now that Takuya thought about it himself, that was quite uncomfortable.
Well, it was all patched up now anyhow. And with any luck, he wouldn't let the incident slip in front of his mother and get scolded for lack of manners.
The conversation had slipped into silence again. Koichi clearly didn't want to spill his guts out to a stranger – or to Koji's best friend for that matter – and Takuya couldn't say he blamed the other. And the hospital was getting busier, making it harder to forget why they were there.
And that Takuya still didn't know anything about his best friend's condition.
It was almost nine by the time Takuya sighed, gave up, and stood. 'I'm going to take a peak,' he said.
But a peak turned into more when he walked in and the Minamoto's turned around in surprise.
Maybe they'd forgotten, Takuya mused to himself, as the adults looked at each other and then Mr Minamoto got out of his chair. 'I can come back…'
But Mr Minamoto shook his head. 'I need to talk to…' He wandered off without finishing the statement.
Mrs Minamoto did for him. 'Koichi,' she explained, gesturing to the seat her husband had vacated.
Takuya slid the door closed behind him and sat down. He'd been about to ask. Offering extra information was always a good sign. But Koji was lying on the bed and that's what he'd come for and all the other, extra, bits of information fled from his mind.
Pale. Check. Flushed cheeks. Check. Too smooth blankets. Check. Sleeping on his back – because Koji hated sleeping on his back. Check. Tubes and wires and things Takuya couldn't even pretend to understand. Check. Guilt and confusion and some emotion that tasted roughly like bile. Check.
'Sleeping pills,' Mrs Minamoto said.
Takuya tore his eyes away from his friend and stared at her. 'What?'
'Sleeping pills,' she repeated. She looked even more tired than yesterday, even though a night had passed since. 'Kousei's.' Her eyes flickered to the door he'd left from, then back to where Koji's hands rested, outside the coverlet. 'I…maybe he thought…his mother…' She twisted her clasped hands. 'Kousei told him she was dead.'
Takuya already knew that part, and that already formed foundation helped the rest of the bits she'd given him snap into place.
But still… 'I don't understand.'
She smiled sadly at him. 'It's not my place to say.'
Takuya thought he understood what he'd walked in on the night before.
He looked at Koji again. He was pale now. The difference was obvious. Had he been paler than normal the last time Takuya had seen him? He didn't think so. He didn't remember anything strange at all. Aside from the anniversary approaching – but he'd been like that last year as well.
Takuya had used the flour over the door trick then. And invited him to Shinya's birthday party. And Koji had been happy.
But now…
I only saw him a few days ago and he'd looked fine.
He felt his eyes pricking with tears.