Chapter 11
The End of the World
After that trip, Ushio got sick. I quit my job to care for her. Sports Day was coming up, and Ushio wanted me to participate, but I couldn't. Akio was going to, but he cancelled, seeing as how his only real competition had also cancelled.
I placed the glass of water on the floor and eased Ushio back on the pillow. She was burning up. The doctor said her illness might go away or it might last several months. I considered taking her to the hospital, but decided against it. They wouldn't know how to treat her anyway. The same thing had happened to Nagisa as a child, and the hospitals had been utterly useless. More importantly, she wanted to stay home with me.
As the season wore on, Ushio's condition worsened. Eventually she was only able to eat soft foods. I was wasting away, worried sick about her.
"Come on, Ushio, time to change your pajamas," I said.
Ushio made to get up, but I stopped her.
"No!" she said. "I can do it!"
She stood, and promptly fell.
"Silly! Let me help you!" I chastised.
"Okay," she pouted. I grinned, but only slightly. I pulled her top off and replaced it with a clean one. I did the same for her bottom.
"Daddy?" she said quietly, almost in a whisper.
"Yeah?"
Ushio squeezed her Dango plush tightly.
"I… I'm so hungry…"
"Ushio you just ate twenty minutes ago," I said, handing her back her glass. She just held it, making no attempt to drink. I stared at her.
"Ushio, drink up."
She slowly turned to look at me. Her eyes were dead, although she breathed, and her face was flushed a deep red. That was the day my world began to collapse.
A/N: Yeah, I lied about the no more depression! What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out!