Chapter 2
When I woke up the young man who had saved me five months ago, I don't really remember his name, was sitting next to my bed talking softly with the Orphanage owner, who had been crying from the looks of it. At that time, I didn't know that I was the reason she had been crying, it was not because I had hurt her in my fit of anger but because she had never been able to protect me. I slowly sat up blinking my eyes to get rid of the gunk clogging them.
"Fuyuko, are you alright?" The young man asked taking my hand, trying to provide me some comfort. I quickly pulled away my hand before looking over at him confused, unsure why he would be there. I was about to clear my throat when both the young man and the orphanage owner handed me a glass of water. I reached out and took the glass that orphanage owner was holding, keeping my eye on the young man at all times.
"I'm glad you woke up Fuyuko…now the doctor said that your body went through a great amount of stress and shock at the same time which overloaded your brain to the point that it just shut down. They also said to make sure that you don't try to do anything stressful for the next few days." The young man said once I had sat back against the pillows behind me. I quickly looked around the room, to see that I was once again in the hospital and not in my room at the orphanage. I slowly started to processed everything around me, the last thing I remembered was getting into a disagreement with the Orphanage owner, but when I tried to remember what the disagreement was about my head starts pounding harshly. I sighed, eyes closed while rubbing my temples with my fingers trying to alleviate some of the tension, this was before someone put a hand on my shoulder. To say I was startled would be an understatement, seeing as I almost threw myself off the hospital bed, if not for the bars keeping me in place.
"Why do you even care?" I asked after a few minutes of silence. I wasn't trying to be rude but I was scared that he might try to hurt me if I let him in. I sink away from him and his hand, at the same time trying to hide the fact that I was shaking in fear.
"Because you deserve a good home and family, and I want to provide it for you." The young man said, reaching to take my hand but I quickly pulled away from him. I was curled up in a ball in the top far corner of the hospital bed, scared out of my mind.
"Sorry, that must have startled you Fuyuko. Do you remember my name?" The young man said pulling his hand away from me. I quickly shook my head; my voice wouldn't come because of my fear.
"Mr. Kogami, I think Fuyuko has had enough for one day." The orphanage owner said putting her hand on the young man's shoulder. I watched him as he slowly got up from his seat before leaving the room. The orphanage owner took his seat, smiling sadly at me, but not saying anything. We sat like that for about five minutes or so before she pulled my petite dragon out of her bag. I immediately reached for it, before the owner could even blink, I was holding the small stuff animal to my chest.
"I thought you would want to have Petite with you." The owner said reaching through the bars on the hospital bed to pet my leg, only for me to jerk away from her.
"Okay, no touching." The owner said holding her hands up in front of her, trying to appease my need for safety.
"That young man, he was my surprise, right?" I asked after a few minutes of just listening to the clock on the wall ticking the passing seconds, the whole time petting my petite dragon soft fabric.
"Yes, he is your surprise." The owner said smiling softly at me, I looked at her confused, normally when people found out about the baggage, I carried they would immediately withdraw the adoption paperwork.
"You mean past tense, right?" I asked looking over at the orphanage owner. I didn't want to get my hopes up again, but a small part of me wouldn't listen to my brain. That small part of me wanted to hope that I would finally be given a good home that would care about me. That was before my case worker entered the room and I could tell that she was not happy, right away I curled up at the head of the hospital bed hugging my stuff dragon to my chest. I don't know why but every time I see my case worker, I couldn't help but coward in fear.
"Fuyuko Fujiki get up, I'm moving you to the next home." My case worker said putting a pile of clothes on the end of the bed just out of reach of my foot. And just from where I was sitting, I could tell that the clothes were an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants; even through it was nearing summer, and was too hot for sweatpants. I knew there was no use in auguring with the nasty old woman, so slowly I got up from the hospital bed, not knowing that I had been hooked to an IV, only to crash to the floor; setting off an alarm in the process, which also let the doctors and nurses, around the nurse's station know that something was wrong my head was sent a pounding by both the impact with the floor and the sharp sound pierced my ear drums.
"Fuyuko are you okay?" The Orphanage Owner asked rushing around the bed to my side, only for my case worker to push her away from me. My case worker didn't even seem to care that I had been in the hospital for a reason, what the reason was is not really clear to me. I slowly reached out with both of my hands to grab my petite dragon which I had dropped when I fell.
"Oh, stop acting like a baby; get up, we have to go now." My case worker said stepping on my outstretched left hand, just inches from my stuff dragon, causing me to scream out in pain.
"Stop it; Fuyuko is sick and she needs to rest." The Owner said pushing my case worker away from me, at that point a nurse showed the two clowns into the room just as all hell broke loose. It took three orderly, 6 nurses and the two clowns…I mean police officers to stop my case worker and the Orphanage Owner from fighting, when the fight broke out, I had crawled into the far corner away from the two women, petite dragon held to my chest while I was silently crying.
"Okay that's enough, this is a hospital." The big officer with the scar said pushing my case worker and the Orphanage Owner away from each other, the other police officer was squatting next to me, his jacket wrapped around my shoulders. The three orderlies lead the two women out of the room so that they could calm down before being question about what just happened.
"Fuyuko are you okay?" the big guy with the scar asked as his partner helped me to my feet, I don't know if it was because of fear or the fact that I had just put myself through a stressful situation but I was shaking uncontrollably. It was then that I notice the IV line hanging next to the right side of the hospital bed, slowly I looked down at my arm to see that a giant chuck was missing from the croak of my elbow. I had never been a big fan of blood, so for me to look at the thick stream flowing from the injury was unsettling to say the least, and if one of the police officers hadn't been holding onto me, my head would have met the floor for a second time. I even tried to down play the fact that I was about to pass out.
"Oh, yeah you are fine…nurse, can I get a nurse in here a patient is bleeding out." The thin officer said as everything started to go black, I could feel hands on me before the stress and blood lost got the better of me. When I woke up, I was back in a hospital bed an IV in the back of my hand, while my elbow was wrapped in a heavy bandage. My head hurt along with my arm. A nurse was sitting next to my hospital bed watching me as if I was back on suicide watch.
"Hello Ms. Fujiki; do you understand what I am saying?" The nurse asked not taking her eyes off of me. I slowly sat up being careful of my right arm.
"Yes, I can understand you." I said rubbing at my eyes with my left hand, it was then that I notice that I wasn't in the hospital room but in a dark gray room with no light because of the heavy window coverings. My mouth became dry and it was getting hard to breath or that was before the nurse next to the bed closed her book harder than what was necessary.
"I'll let a doctor know that you have woken up…he will probably see you some time tonight." The nurse said getting up from her seat, I watched as she left the room before pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I had finally been deemed unadoptable, and crazy to the point that I needed to be put in a long-term mental facility. I however was not allowed to dwell on the thought that I would never get out here when a second nurse entered the room carrying a tray of food.
"Hello Ms. Fujiki, how are you feeling today?" The second nurse asked setting the tray on the table in front of me. I looked away from her, hands gripping tight to the blankets over my legs.
"I'm fine…thank you for asking." I said trying to convince both of us that I truly was fine. But I could tell from the way the nurse was frowning that she didn't believe me at all.
"You don't have to lie Ms. Fujiki." The second nurse said sitting at the foot of the bed, her arms at her side clearly trying to put me at ease. I slowly relax my body at the nurse's calming presents.
"I swear I'm fine…I'm not crazy or unstable. I don't belong here." I said grabbing onto the nurse's arm as I try to tell her that nothing was wrong with me. I was surprise when she didn't pull away from me but instead started patting my hand softly, as if trying to calm me down. I slowly pulled away from the nurse and curled up in a tight ball, trying to process everything. The bed was stiff and hard, the covers where heavy and scratchy which didn't feel good on my skin. I was scared and just wanted to go home even if that meant the house overlooking the ocean, heck I would even take a foster home.
"Fuyuko why do you think you were brought here?" The second nurse asked leaning forward so her elbows were leaning on her knees. I looked up at her confused, so far everyone had been calling me by my last name. I uncurled from my ball before copying her sitting position. While almost the same position, it hurt to lean my right elbow on my knee so I had both of my arms folded neatly in front of me.
"It's because I've been deemed both unadoptable and crazy to the point that the government said that it was not worth the effort to take care of me or trying to find me a good home." I said not even blinking as I told her what I had been told since I was 12 years old. I couldn't help but notice that the second nurse's eyes went wide, I don't know if it was because of what I said or because of how I said it.
"Oh Fuyuko, that is not true. The reason that you are here is a lot simpler than you think. Several nurses and doctors have reported to the social care office when they notice that you were not eating very well. The Orphanage owner and your potential adoptive father agreed that it would be best if you get treatment here." The second nurse said reaching out to take my hand into her, but I quickly pulled away from her. I was not a big fan of people touching me when I did not initiate it.
"Okay no touching…um…let see here. Oh, here is something that the orphanage owner wanted me to give you. She said that it was your favorite toy when you were a little girl." The second nurse said pulling petite dragon out from under her top, I moved faster than lightening because one moment the second nurse was holding Petite and the next, I was rubbing him against my cheek.
"Petite, I'm glad that you came with me." I said looking down at the little green dragon, while running my fingers over his soft fabric.
"So, his name is Petite, it's cute." The second nurse said sliding closer to me on the bed, but the minute I looked up at her, she quickly stopped and looked away as if I don't know she had been trying to come closer. I slide a little closer to her before holding out my stuff animal.
"This is a duel monster by the name of Petite dragon that's why we call him Petite. But when I was a little girl, I used to call him Pete Dragon because I couldn't say petite." I said leaning my head on her shoulder, I don't know why but around this woman I felt safe and for once in a long time I felt sane. We stayed like that for about fifteen minutes before a doctor and the first nurse entered the room. Right away the second nurse got up from her seat on my bed and started to straighten up.
"Naomi what are you doing?" the first nurse asked crossing her arms across her chest, and from her body language I could tell that she actually didn't care what the second nurse was doing. That was before the first nurse notice that I was holding my Petite dragon, and her expression went from uncaring to furious. The first nurse rushed forward and tried to take Petite out of my hands but by no means was I going to allow that. I didn't hear the ripping fabric before Petite dragon's head went flying at the doctor, who caught it in one hand. When I saw this, I couldn't help but bite my bottom lip trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Ms. Sora, I think you went a little too far. Naomi, can you fix her toy please. Now Ms. Fujiki…" The doctor said before I cut him off with my sobs as the situation got too much for me. I wasn't getting enough air and my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. I don't remember what happened after that, as the pressure got too much for me to remain concussion. I fell into the darkness.