IM SORRY GUYS IT TOOK SO LONG FOR THIS CHAPTER TO COME OUT
I was stuck in writers clock for a while and couldn't write anything TT^TT
So this chapter may or may not be kinda gross and horrible to read
And thanks once again to my lovely reviewers XD
For what its worth
Enjoy chapter 9~~~
Hinata jostled around in his seat.
There were a lot of people around it seemed. Old people, children, teenagers, parents. They were all there. All sitting in the waiting room, either awaiting a diagnosis or awaiting word from one of the doctors about their family members. Either way, the building seemed rather crowded.
Hinata felt uncomfortable and the small space that he was able to move around him suffocated him. It felt like he was a bird trapped in a tiny cage. He would occasionally give up his seat to those who looked to be particularly in need, but would recede back into the hard plastic chair when the occupant eventually got up and left.
It had been a while since sensei and Kageyama had been called in by a doctor and Hinata didn't think he could bear staying still for much longer.
The loud gossiping between the receptionists, the piercing cries of babies and small children, the vast amount of people injured and sick, the revolting smell of disinfectant. It made Hinata want to hurl right onto the little girl running around in front of him.
Sugawara had texted him that the rest of the team might not be able to make it to the hospital because a little problem that Sugawara refused to outline had cropped up. Hinata wished that they were there too.
He really didn't want to stay there alone.
"Hinata-san?"
Hinata looked up to see a nurse glancing down at him.
"Excuse me, are you Hinata Shouyou-san?" She asked.
"Y-yeah," Hinata replied.
"Could you please come with me? Your sensei is calling for you."
The nurse walked briskly, weaving between the crowds of people carefully, but quickly. Hinata almost got lost a few times before managing to catch up again. The nurse lead him down a corridor that was surprisingly rather empty compared to the previous room he was in. After a few twists and turns through the maze of hallways, the nurse finally slowed to a stop at a room.
'Room 109'the sign on the door read.
Hinata noticed his sensei standing outside, talking to a man he didn't recognise.
"Ah Hinata-kun," the teacher called out to him. The other man also turned around to face him.
"Hello Hinata-san," the man held out his hand and smiled warmly. Hinata cautiously brought his hand out and shook the stranger's one.
"I'm Saito-san, the doctor who will be in charge of Kageyama-san during his stay in this hospital."
Hinata felt uneasy talking to the man. His smile seemed superficial and fake, and it was creeping him out. What was there to be happy about when there were sick people everywhere?
"Your sensei has told me all about you and your relationship with Kageyama-san," Dr. Saito continued. "Would you happen to know any of Kageyama-san's parents' contact details?"
Come to think of it, Kageyama never really talked about himself, Hinata thought. But then again, neither did he. They mainly spent their lunchtimes talking about volleyball or playing volleyball. They didn't do much else together.
"U-um… sorry but I don't…" Hinata mumbled.
The doctor seemed extremely shocked by this statement, but quickly covered it up by plastering the smile over his face again.
"Oh that's ok, but we do need to discuss Kageyama-san's condition with his parents or at least another family member," Dr. Saito remarked.
Hinata got a little pissed. The doctor sounded as though the only reason Hinata needed to be there was so that he would be able to contact Kageyama's relatives.
"It's fine!" Hinata half-yelled, wary of his current location. "Me and Kageyama are basically like family!" Hinata didn't actually think they were, but he felt it necessary to say that right then.
The doctor thought about it for a moment before nodding to the sensei.
"Thank you very much Saito-san." Sensei bowed. "Hinata-kun, I leave Kageyama-kun to you then." Then he turned around and left.
Now there was only Hinata and Dr. Saito left in the hallway.
"Ok, I want you to listen carefully," Dr. Saito said, his smile replaced with a serious expression.
Hinata gulped.
"Overwork, lack of sleep, insomnia and an unbalanced diet. All of these things have led to Kageyama-san's current condition."
Hinata's eyes widened. Had Kageyama really been dealing with all these problems? Kageyama had always seemed pretty normal during trainings until recently. Was the doctor trying to joke around?
"Prolonged problems like the ones I have just mentioned often lead to common disorders in the internal organs." Dr. Saito paused and took a deep breath.
Eh? He couldn't mean…
"Although the chances are low, Kageyama-san may have to undergo surgery. If he doesn't wake up within the next week then we will have to operate on him."
Then it hit him. And it hit him hard.
It was like a wakeup call for Hinata. Never had he thought that Kageyama, the invincible Kageyama, had his own weaknesses. Was it his fault? It was wasn't it? Kageyama had done so much for him, yet all he could return were more problems.
Hinata forced himself to turn away from his thoughts.
It's ok, he told himself. It's ok.
Yet even as he constantly uttered these words to himself, his lips began to tremble and his body began to shake.
His body refused to listen to the pleas of his mind.
"Hinata-san?" Dr. Saito said.
"Its ok, the chances are extremely low, and even if Kageyama-san does end up having to take the surgery, the chances of it failing are next to impossible," he reassured.
However, all Hinata could pick up was the 'NEXT to impossible' part. That meant it could still happen right…? What would happen if the operation did fail?
Hinata was too scared to ask.
"U-umm…" Hinata's voice wobbled.
"C-can I go s-see him?"
The doctor seemed somewhat relieved that Hinata seemed to be fine enough to be able to at least talk a little.
"Sure, although he's still unconscious, you may visit him as long as you are not too loud." he smiled warmly. A genuine one. "He's right past those doors." He gestured to the double doors beside them.
Hinata bowed slightly before making his way over to the entranceway to Kageyama's room.
He gripped the handle tightly, hesitating to push it open.
He was terrified about what he might see on the other side. If he walked on, he would be walking straight into his own fear. If he stayed on this side though, he could remain ignorant, brush this off and return back to his small little world.
But no matter what, he still needed to see Kageyama, to make sure that he was okay. Still alive. Still breathing.
Hinata inhaled and pushed open the door.
A dim white light was emitted from the ceiling, giving the room a dull glow. The pale green curtains had been pulled shut. It wasn't necessary to keep them open after all.
There wasn't much in the room. A couple of chairs similar to those in the waiting room for any visitors, an old bedside table with an empty vase sitting dully on top and lastly, a large, white hospital bed.
Kageyama lay there silent. It felt a little odd for Hinata, seeing Kageyama that quiet. Not that he could really help it considering his current state. He was connected up to an IV drip that was constantly refilling and feeding Kageyama his medication.
Kageyama's chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm and not the fast-paced uneven beat that Hinata was used to. His complexion was a lot calmer and he was no longer sweating in torrents. Hinata sighed in relief.
Even though it was unnecessary as Kageyama was unconscious, Hinata stepped as lightly as he could as though he were afraid to have him wake up and yell at him. He wished that he would though.
Oh how he wished.
Hinata picked up a chair and softly placed it beside the bed. He sat down and watched Kageyama's face, not caring about how weird that seemed.
Although it was hard to see, if you looked closely enough, there were indeed bags under Kageyama's eyes and his brows were slightly furrowed, creating wrinkles on his forehead.
Hinata chuckled quietly to himself and used his finger to push at the crinkles that lined his head.
"That's no good Kageyama," he murmured. "If you keep frowning like that, you'll scare everybody away."
And as if in response to Hinata's statement, Kageyama's facial muscles relaxed, and the creases smoothed out.
Hinata retracted his hand and instead, placed it in Kageyama's.
"Hey Kageyama…" Hinata whispered, his voice barely audible.
"I know that you probably can't hear me, that you probably can't feel my presence and that you probably wont ever know that I was here. But I just really want to say that the time I spent with you was really special. You gave me a new way of fighting in volleyball, a new world that even someone as short as me could survive in. Yet I took it all for granted."
Hinata laughed softly. But it wasn't his usual bubbly laugh that he used so often that it annoyed those around him, it was a lifeless one. Empty and lined with sadness. As though he was pitying or maybe even mocking himself.
"This is all my fault isn't it? Even though you had so much to deal with already, I just had to open my big mouth and make everything worse didn't I?"
Hinata tightened his grip around Kageyama, but quickly loosened it again as though he had just done something illegal.
"You've given me more than what I could ever ask for, yet I had just chucked it down at your feet as though it were something worthless."
A small stream rolled down the side of Hinata's face.
"And now you're like this. And it's all my fault. I shouldn't have shouted at you. I shouldn't have skipped club. I shouldn't have avoided you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
Hinata wiped at the tears that were now flowing freely down his reddening cheeks.
"When you get better, you will go back to playing volleyball. You'll keep being that amazing setter on the Karasuno High School Men's Volleyball Club. You'll find another partner for our… your quick-strike. Someone like me doesn't deserve any of this."
Hinata clutched Kageyama's hand tenderly, in a way that even Hinata didn't understand.
"Thank you for everything." A hint of a smile crept into his expression.
"Sir," a nurse called from behind him. "Visiting hours are now ending."
Hinata's arms fell lifelessly to his sides. He got up and walked towards the door.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't fulfil my promise. But you will find someone even better to fill in the gap. I'm sorry but…" Hinata stood in the doorway.
"But this is goodbye, Kageyama."
And he was gone.
Kageyama's hand lay still, the warmth from Hinata's touch slowly dissipating into the cool night air.
A/N: Yes I know I said there was going to be fluff and there will
I PROMISE
But just not yet...
Saito was just some random name I came up with, sorry but hes not particularly important lol
I want to avoid putting OCs in the story as much as possible
And it was terrible writing this chapter
I didn't have fun at all (ok yes I enjoyed writing it but it was still horrible)
Please review and tell me what you think XD
See you guys next chapter~~~