Chapter 40
An hour had passed since arriving here and it was driving Leifang absolutely crazy. It didn't take long for her to start pacing around the room they were both sitting in, just to have SOMETHING to do. She wrung her hands together unconsciously.
All kinds of scenarios were running through her mind. What if Hitomi was dying right in this moment? Or what if she was already dead?
"Would you settle down? The only thing you're accomplishing with it is making me even more nervous." Viktor called out to her. The young man wasn't helping her with his behavior.
She ignored his words and turned around again, for how many times she didn't know. With a sign Viktor got up from his seat and walked up to her.
"Come on now. All this walking around won't make the surgery go faster." he said to her.
She fixed him with a look for a moment and saw that while his words were casual he was as worried as her. The Chinese turned her gaze to the wall. "Just sitting around is killing me."
"But the only thing you'll do is tire yourself out. Do you think Hitomi would want that?"
She didn't reply to that, just looked at the white wall.
"What if she dies?" she asked.
"Don't go down that road yet just because it's been an hour. She's a tough girl. Toughest one I know. She'll make it through."
Leifang shook her head. She felt like crying but at the same time she was already tired of it. The times when they didn't have some kind of drama seemed so far away now. Ever since their first kiss it had been one thing after another, either imposed by themselves or by something else.
Couldn't they just be happy?
She found herself wondering what would happen if Hitomi died today and she wasn't able to make things right. Leifang didn't know if she could handle that. Hitomi mattered too much to her. She had put her past behind her just for the possibility of this relationship.
It would destroy her, she knew. And despite not wanting to cry anymore she felt tears gather in her eyes once more. Please, stay alive!
Viktor was about to say something comforting when they heard steps echoing down the hallway. Leifang didn't pay them much attention though. In the past hour they had heard footsteps often enough that the Chinese didn't want to get her hopes up anymore.
A woman walked into the room, dressed in scrubs as well as holding a clipboard in her left hand. Her dark hair was greying and her face was marred by wrinkles. Leifang couldn't tell if it was due to age or because of the daily stress that she looked like that.
Clearing her throat the woman approached them. "Are you the people I've been informed of?" she looked at the clipboard. "Ah, Hitomi Buchfink?"
"Yes! How is she?" Viktor asked right away and Leifang closed her eyes, preparing herself for the possible bad news.
"We've managed to remove the blade and stop the bleeding. It wedged itself pretty deep into her and damaged her kidney pretty badly. I'm afraid we had to remove it." she looked through the papers. "But she'll be fine. In a lot of pain, but that's what we have the sedative for and she's getting a transfusion to help with the blood loss. Still she had a lot of luck."
Relief flooded her entire body and she dared to open her eyes again. She's alright. She's really alright!
Beside her Viktor let out the breath that he had been holding and a smile formed on his lips. "Thank you, doctor."
The woman looked a them both then shrugged. "Just doing my job, really. She's currently being transported to the station and will be remaining there until tomorrow, one of my colleagues will take over then. Are you two her relatives?"
Leifang and Viktor looked at one another. "No," he said. "Her only relative is her father and he's currently out of town. I was going to contact him tomorrow."
The Chinese lifted her eyebrow in confusion. Then remembered something about Hitomi telling her that her father would soon leave to register the dojo for the next German karate championship.
The timing couldn't have been worse in her opinion.
"Oh, then I'm afraid you can't go up to see her. So I think it might be best for you two to call it a night."
There was no way that Leifang would go home now. She wouldn't be able to sleep before seeing Hitomi. The doctor was just about to leave them when Leifang blocked her path. "Can't I stay with her?"
"I'm sorry, but the rules of the hospital are very clear-"
"Please." Leifang begged. "I'm her girlfriend. Do you think I could just go away, knowing that she's lying here? I promise you I won't disturb anyone. I'm begging you."
The doctor was just about to retort when another voice chipped in. "I'll take responsibility." Tim said from the doorway. The doctor sighed and finally gave in, nodding.
"Alright you can stay with her. But only you." she looked at Viktor. "You, young man, should head home now."
Viktor lifted his hands in a pacifying manner and smiled. "Aye aye, Ma'am."
"Good night then." she said and left the three of them, probably busy with something else already.
Leifang turned to Tim and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."
Tim smiled in return and just shook his head. "It's really nothing. You care a great deal about her and it wouldn't have been fair for you to not at least see her. I'll come and get you when she's settled in."
After he left Leifang turned to Viktor and couldn't keep the grin off her face. He too had a grin of his own. And without thinking she hugged him.
It was just a simple, quick hug. Not even long enough for him to respond, but it was the first sign that they had put their argument past them.
"Wow, easy there." Viktor said when she let go.
"Sorry, I couldn't stop myself." Leifang said.
Viktor chuckled and just shrugged. "Not complaining, really. Who complains about being hugged by a pretty girl?" he joked.
He looked at his watch. "Well I better go then. Wouldn't want to keep you away from her. I'm just glad I won't have to deliver any bad news to her old man. Not that he won't storm back here the next chance he'll get."
He rubbed his chin. "Hmm maybe I should lay low, or he might want to take my hide as compensation for telling him his dear daughter is in hospital."
"Just tell him that you don't shoot the messenger." Leifang advised him.
"Riiiiiight." he said. "Well I'm off."
He headed for the door and, when he passed her, patted her on the shoulder with his right hand. "See you around."
"Don't be a stranger." she called after him.
Leifang waited for another twenty minutes, this time though she could handle it. She knew that Hitomi was ok.
When Tim arrived he was holding a blanket. "Alright, come with me."
They headed towards the elevator and got it. It took them to the third floor. He led her down the hallway to one of the rooms.
Room 314 she read and immediately committed it to memory.
"Here we are. Like the doc said she's not going to wake up before tomorrow." He handed her the blanket. "It's not gonna be very comfortable but try to get some sleep. There's a vending machine down the hallway in case you get thirsty. And the toilet in case... you know. If there's anything else just come by the nurse office downstairs."
"Thanks, I will." She said, taking the blanket and tucking it under her arm. Tim nodded one last time and walked back towards the elevator.
Leifang turned towards the door and put her hand on the door handle. She remained that way for a short moment, taking a deep breath to calm herself, then opened the door and walked in, closing the door silently afterward.
Her gaze instantly focused on the figure lying lifelessly on the bed, the rising of her chest being the only sign of life, covered mostly by the white linen sheets and wearing a hospital gown. It was silly but the fact that those doctors had seen her naked irritated her a lot.
An IV-bag hung above her bedside, the tube connecting it to a needle that was inserted in the German's arm.
Slowly she walked over, grabbing one of the chairs and pulling it near the bed so that she could sit down. She turned on the small light on the bedside table.
Her breath caught in her throat when she got a good look at Hitomi. Her face was all bruised up, the black eye and patch across the bridge of her nose standing out the most. Delicately she placed her hand on the German's face, afraid that she might hurt her even more.
Who did this to you? Leifang bit her lower lip. Once more tears started to prick her eyes.
"I'm so glad you're okay." she whispered and tentatively started to stroke her cheek. "Do you realize how scared I was?"
No response came from the sleeping girl, but Leifang didn't care. She needed to talk right now. Needed to say it now out of fear that she might not have the courage to do so later when she was awake.
"I don't know what I would've done if you died." she said and pulled her hand away. She guided it down and reached out to take a hold of Hitomi's left hand, holding it in both her hands. "You're the reason why I changed my life around. All I did, moving on from my past, taking up my studies, was so that I could be with you. Either as friends or more."
"But in the end I just forced what I wanted on you, didn't I?" She held Hitomi's hand a little higher and leaned her forehead against it. "What was I thinking? I basically did what I was warned not to do. Going in half-assed. Only in a different way."
"Not anymore. I promise." she placed a kiss on the Karateka's bruised knuckles. "I'm not going to be afraid anymore. From this day on it's all in for me. For us."
She turned her head again to look at Hitomi's face. Her lower lip started to quiver as she tried not to cry once more, closing her eyes a few times to blink away the tears. A few moment passed before she dropped her hand and shot up from her seat, leaning over and placing her hands gently on either side of the Karateka's face. Her thumb grazed over the other girl's lips. It felt rough under her fingertip.
Not anymore. She pressed her lips gently against Hitomi's. Just a simple chaste kiss, but still filled with deep emotions. She held the kiss for a few more seconds before pulling away slowly, looking at her with her eyes half closed.
Leifang wished that Hitomi would have woken up and returned the kiss, but knew that she would remain the way she was until the next day. Letting out a sigh she smiled at her girlfriend and brushed some loose strands out of her face.
"See you tomorrow." she said and pressed a final kiss on her forehead. Looking around she saw a second chair in the corner of the room and pulled it forward, aligning it so that she could place her feet on it while sitting in the other one.
After she had made herself relatively comfortable she turned off the light and covered herself with the blanket she was given.
No jokes for now.
But I'd like to use this opportunity to say thank you to all my readers that have stuck with me to this day and I hope you guys enjoy this as well as the future arcs this story will have.
Well, see you next week!