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No Escape
Chapter 28
Ichigo felt helpless as he listened to Detective Kira give orders over the phone. The state troopers and local police in Hokkaido were all closing in on Kon's location.
At least Yammy had left Kon alive. Ichigo would never have been able to live with himself if anything had happened to Kon.
For the first time in his life, he had an idea of what it must have been like for Uryu to lose his wife and why he'd chosen to go into isolation. The pain of almost losing Kon on top of Rukia's close call was enough to make Ichigo want to crawl away and lick his wounds. He felt sore inside, like his organs had all taken a beating. But it wasn't a physical kind of soreness. It was deeper than that. Much worse.
And it wasn't over yet. He still had to face Rukia and tell her what had happened to Kon. Tell her that he'd hidden the danger to her son from her.
He was pretty sure she'd never forgive him, but he'd done what he thought was right. He couldn't help himself when it came to protecting her. It was like it was part of his genetic code or something, and no matter what he did, he couldn't change it, any more than he could grow taller or make his eyes turn blue.
"The ambulance is here, and police are looking for Yammy," said Kon over the phone. "I'm gonna clean all this... blood off."
Ichigo gripped the phone so hard his hand cramped. "Blood? Are you hurt?"
"Not my blood." Kon sounded like he was trying not to throw up or cry or both. "I'll call you back later."
"Can I come get you?"
"No. The police said they'd bring me home after they take my statement."
"Stay safe. See you home soon."
Ichigo hung up the phone and looked to where Kira was on one of the hospital phones. There hadn't been time to go back to his office, so they'd taken over an empty room. Kira was still speaking with dispatch or whoever it was he'd used to convey information to the officers on the scene. After another couple of minutes, he, too, hung up the phone.
"They've secured the scene," he said. "Yammy's still missing, but Kon's fine. A little shaken, but they'll bring him back soon."
"I need to go to him."
"You're not legally connected to him. After tonight, I don't think they'd let a strange man anywhere near him."
"Rukia can't go."
"They're not going to charge Kon with anything. He's not in any kind of trouble. They know he was an innocent victim."
"Someone should still be with him," said Ichigo.
"They'll have him home in about the same amount of time you could drive there and get him. Just let them bring him back. I promise you that since he tried to stop the cop's bleeding, no one will mistreat him in any way."
"How are the patrolmen?"
Kira's jaw clenched. "One of them died on the scene. The other is in bad shape, but he could still pull through."
Ichigo couldn't help but grieve for the man who'd died in the line of duty. If it weren't for him, Kon might still be out there with Yammy. "I wish I'd have let them know sooner about Yammy's weapon."
Kira rubbed his eyes in a gesture slow with fatigue. "They were both wearing a vest, but it doesn't do a bit of good against a skull fracture. Or a lucky shot to the neck."
"Wish that made me feel better," said Ichigo.
"You and I both know that's not the way it works. The only thing that will make you feel better is to get your family home, safely tucked in their own beds, and watch them sleep every night until you start to believe that they really are safe."
Man, that sounded good. Too bad that wasn't part of his reality. As soon as everyone was truly safe, he had no reason to stay. He couldn't be the man Rukia needed, and he sure as hell wasn't going to stick around and watch while she found one.
"They're not my family," said Ichigo, feeling a jolt of painful loss he didn't understand.
"Maybe not on paper, but you treat them like their your own. They probably feel like that, too."
Ichigo had no idea. It had been so long since he'd been part of a family that he wasn't sure if he even remembered what it was like. All he knew was that whatever he was feeling right now sucked, and if that's what it meant to be a real family, he wasn't sure he was a strong enough man for the job.
"I've got to go see Rukia. Let her know what's going on."
Kira lifted a blond brow. "Are you sure about that? I mean, wouldn't it be better to wait until Kon is home safe and sound?"
"The longer I wait to tell her, the worse it will be for both of us."
"Good luck. You're going to need it," said Kira. "And when you see her, will you tell her that I questioned Rurichiyo Kasumioji and she told me she got the tea from a delivery man. He asked her to give it to Rukia. The kid had no idea it was poisoned."
Ichigo's phone rang. Caller ID showed the number was private, but he didn't dare not answer it, in case it had something to do with Kon. "Hello."
Renji's voice wavered nervously in Ichigo's ear. "I, uh, kind of lost Rukia."
Ichigo froze, his muscles clenched so tightly that it was painful. "What the hell are you talking about, pineapple. Explain. Now."
"Rukia found out about Kon and left."
Panic slammed down hard on Ichigo. "Left?!" he shouted. "What the hell do you mean she left? Where is she? What the hell were you doing when this happened? How could you let her leave? How the hell did she even find out?" Ichigo stopped to take a breath and realized that if he didn't stop talking, Renji couldn't answer him.
"She was so upset when I told her, I went to get a nurse to see if they could sedate her. She was gone when I got back. I have no idea where she might be." He sounded frantic, but not half as frantic as Ichigo felt.
"How long ago?"
"I was only gone a few minutes."
Ichigo was sincerely regretting his decision to take her clothes. A woman in a hospital gown would have drawn a lot more attention, making it harder for her to get away. "She won't get far without her car. I'll have them seal the hospital."
"I'm on it," said Kira, picking up the phone.
AN
So this was pathetically short and Rukia still didn't make a physical appearance, but I have to stop now. Sorry. Stay tuned for the next installment of No Escape. Wow, that was lame. Anyway, review please!