The pitter-patter sound of the early autumn rain that morning brought a very gloomy mood to her day. With an umbrella on one hand and some heavy steps on her feet, she told herself to keep walking toward the school.
She hated it, however.
There were just so many water puddles on the street, while getting her shoes dirty and her legs wet from the splashes were the least things she wanted. To add more to her misery, one side of her shoulders seemed to always get a little damp no matter how wide her umbrella was.
Darn. She cursed.
If she could skip classes on such days without worrying her attendance record, she would absolutely do it. Or maybe those days would be brighter if she could share her umbrella with him. At least that way, she didn't have to stride down the street all alone in this kind of damn weather.
Oh boy, were her thoughts ever so dreamy before!
The school lessons after that didn't get her day any better. On the contrary, it slowed down the time so much that she kept on checking her watch for its two hands while enduring herself from letting out a yawn. The dull faces of her classmates voicelessly told her that she wasn't the only one who felt the ennui. Until a sudden knock on the classroom door woke every students up from the boredom, silencing the teacher in charge from continuing her lecture.
It was a teacher from the staff room who interrupted the lesson.
"May I speak to Haibara-san?" He asked.
Everyone in the room were staring at the staff, wondering at the sudden intrusion he had brought. The staff teacher said nothing though; the class teacher gave her permission. The class's gazes were averted toward the said strawberry blonde once her chair made a scraping sound against the floor as she stood up. By observing through his look and gesture, Ai could guess there must be something wrong going on that needed her immediate attention.
She was standing just beside the opened classroom door on the outside part– unmoving– as her eyes were getting wider with each word the staff teacher uttered.
"There was a call for you from the hospital." He said.
Everything around her felt like crumbling down the more she listened to him say things to her in a ridiculously calm manner.
Ai-chan. Ayumi couldn't let go of her best friend's face even from afar. It worried her how solemn it was getting by each second.
Shortly after, the staff teacher called for the teacher in charge and talked to her as well. The students in class were starting to murmur things. They were getting worked up by the serious secretive discussion between the three people outside the room. Not to mention, it was the famous Haibara Ai who was involved.
"Quiet, class!" Getting back inside the classroom, the teacher subsided the noisy students. Ai was also back to her seat only to gather her things and silently walked out of the classroom again from the back door. "Let's start again from where we left off just now."
"Awww…" The students complained before getting a scolding from the teacher.
However, the detective boys couldn't concentrate on the lesson anymore. Especially Ayumi who saw the strawberry blonde's grim expression very closely before she left.
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Her head was hung low as she walked slowly under her umbrella in the rain. Although her voice sounded ludicrously flat as ever when she talked to her teachers minutes ago, she knew full well she was totally discomposed in the inside.
How could she not? Because sure enough, the call that came from the hospital was to notify her about Shinichi's emergency condition. It seemed he had listed her number as his emergency contact. Noticing that, his colleague who happened to know she was still a student, informed the hospital staff to call her school instead.
And so here she was, back in the endless rain once more.
As much as she wanted to run to his side, she was just too skeptical with the atmospheric pressure and herself. What could she do anyway if she were there right now? It wasn't like she could barge in to the operation room and helped the doctors, was she?
She was only a helpless high school girl who could do nothing beside reflecting the gloomy mood she had since morning going so wrong in this very early afternoon. She clenched onto her umbrella tighter as she hugged her school bag so close to her chest, preventing her clothes and her stuffs from getting damp. Even so, this drenching rain had sipped into her heart, soaking it wet just like how it did to her soles and socks.
Looking back to this morning, she found him so energetically fine like always during breakfast. He even tried to lift her mood up by sweetly stealing a kiss from her before he went out the door with Chiharu. It was the least thing she would expect that he was going to get himself shot upon chasing a waylaid main suspect, probably of the serial rape-murder case he recently handled.
She clearly understood that his line of job was far-fetched from the word safe, nonetheless she couldn't help not to curse when this thing happened only few days after they made up from their first marriage quarrel. Furthermore, he had promised to help her figuring out her future by telling her to rely more on him. But if he wasn't here, then who should she lean on to?
How irresponsible of you. She muttered inwardly.
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Ai arrived at the hospital's designated floor just right to see the doctor who handled the surgery out from the operating room. She wasn't the only one who was there though. Miwako was also there in the waiting room to check on things until Shinichi's emergency contact came.
She instantly realized it was the female inspector who informed the hospital to call her school instead.
"Ah, Ai-chan." She greeted her once she noticed the girl walked into the waiting room. The surgeon also turned his head to have a look at her.
"So, are you Haibara-san?" The surgeon seemed to hesitate at first, seeing Ai was so young in her high school uniform– Ai nodded. Realizing the inspector was also still here, he decided to go on with his explanation. If there was anything, at least there was a police officer under her watch, he thought.
However, her ethereal maturity and understanding of the medical terms convinced him to elaborate further regarding the detective's condition. As usual, her intelligence never failed to leave an impression on the adults around her.
"We will keep monitoring Kudo-san's condition, but for now, he needs to stay on the hospital bed for three days." The doctor ended his long report. "Should you have anything, you can call on us, Haibara-san."
"Okay, thank you." Ai replied.
Her legs went limp once she saw the doctor left. As she sat herself on the chair, she sighed in relief.
There was nothing note worthy except for the fact that a bullet had penetrated one of his lungs, which caused a mild traumatic pneumothorax. It didn't touch any of his vital organs while the rest was only a light bone fracture on the right rib and arm, so he would completely recover between two to three months. That was, if he followed everything the doctor instructed.
"Good to hear it's nothing serious." Miwako felt as relieved as she was, although it didn't settle her anxiety for leaving the girl alone with a patient. No matter how smart and reliable Ai was, it just didn't feel right. She was, for all she knew, also living alone by herself. "Do you have any other relatives who can help you with this, Ai-chan? You still have to attend school during the day, don't you?"
"I could just take some days off." Ai replied plainly. "With my current grades and perfect attendance up to this day, I don't think it would be difficult to ask some."
Well, that sounded like a plan.
"If you say so. Just give me a call if you need some help, okay?" Miwako said before she bid her goodbye. She needed to get back to the office and make a report about this to the chief inspector as well as to the human resources department.
Ai nodded and watched the female inspector leave. It was a good thing that Miwako didn't suspect anything as to why she was listed as Shinichi's emergency contact despite their physical age gap– it was unquestionable if it was vice versa. It seemed being known as two very close neighbors had brought them some benefits, huh?
She stood up a moment later once her legs gained a little of their strength. She better went home now to get herself a change and pack some of his stuffs to bring back here before he was out from the recovery room. There were some other things she needed to arrange as well beside her school's absence, and that was to ask Chiharu's maternal grandmother to take care of the little girl once again urgently; at least until Shinichi was discharged.
She groaned, looking at the rain from her spot in the hospital entrance. There was no sign that it would stop pouring soon. So with that, she went into the rain for the umpth time today to get things done as soon as possible.
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Being an official ranked police officer served Shinichi a lot more of adrenaline rush than when he was still doing his high school detective play. With the piles of difficult cases being filed in a day, the non-stop investigations undergone, and the after reports to make– which he hated very much– there were just so many things that excited him to get into his job. And because of that, there were just so many more times he had to face a life and death threat during his case-solving.
Although he had successfully avoided meeting the death gods numerously, there seemed to be a time when he finally had to stop running from them. Or were the death gods finally caught up to him?
All in all, he had auspiciously cornered his prime suspect in this pouring late morning on a rooftop of an empty rundown building after catching him red-handedly doing his crime– well, it was actually a trap prepared by him and his police team to lure the guy out into action. Shinichi had that smug grin plastered on his face for achieving the final part of this one prolonged rape-murder case smoothly, though it was soon disappeared when the criminal pointed a gun toward him.
Holding a stolen gun for his defense in his shaky hands, the criminal tried to intimidate the detective to let him away. As heroic as he was, Shinichi raised his two hands in the air and stepped forward unarmed to persuade the guy to lower the shooter.
It was a fool of him to let his guard down when he sensed the criminal started to give in. For not long after that, his colleague and the other police teams who knew nothing of the situation came into the view so suddenly to ruin his chance. The criminal went berserk instantaneously, pulling the trigger and pressed the gun toward a random direction.
That was when the time seemed to stop as Shinichi felt something burning penetrating his chest. It shocked him that his deft reflexes didn't work well on that very second the bullet flew. And so, he took the shot which immediately immobilized almost half of his movement. It was getting harder for him to breathe; blood escaped all together with some suffocating coughs. Even so, he just didn't know when to give up.
Putting pressure to his wound with his hand while losing his breath at the same time, he tried to gather his concentration to stop the escaping suspect despite his colleague's warning. Then, he got stumbled down the stairs upon missing his balance after sending an empty paint bucket to knock the guy out with his deadly kick.
Everything went hazy afterward, and the last thing he remembered was his colleague's voice calling the paramedics through the phone and the sound of his police team securing the criminal. His mind started to wander as he was losing his consciousness.
How ironic of him if he were to meet the death gods now, while he had gone through a lot more dangerous situations when he was fighting them. He let out a sarcastic chuckle at his own self. Bet, Ai would throw her sharp tongue at him for being so stupid if she were here right now.
Shit, he was starting to miss her sarcasm.
In spite of his attempt to stay awake, his body was just getting weaker and he eventually blackened out. He fell even deeper into the darkness as the doctor injected him with some anesthetics, which only started to wear off an hour after everything was done.
His eyelids were still heavy although his ears had started to hear some beeping sounds coming from the monitor beside him. His whole body was numb, but he could feel something was inserted to the back of his hand– it was an IV drip.
He squinted his eyes once he tried to open them. It was so bright and white. But unlike his house's white ceiling, this one felt a bit unfamiliar. Where was he?
"Kudo-san, can you hear me?" Before he could think further, a male in a nurse uniform approached his side. His face was in a blur and he started to ask the detective some little questions which he answered without thinking.
Shinichi tried to ask back for where he was and what happened, but he couldn't seem to completely grasp the words the nurse gave him as a reply.
He was fuddled due to the anesthetic effect, it seemed. And before he knew it, he fell asleep once again as the remains of the medicine in his blood took in.
He was moved to a different room the next time he gained his consciousness. It felt more comfortable than the last one he was in. He could see some dusty orange shades penetrating through the window and reflecting themselves on the ceiling, telling him that the day had almost ended although the rain stayed. Looked like he had been asleep for too long.
His mind seemed to work better now that the anesthetic in his system was waning. Recalling his deadly situation pieces by pieces, he was eventually aware that he had been undergone a surgery procedure probably for the shitty bullet removal from his right chest, and was lying on a hospital bed right at this instant.
He sighed in relief for the God had let him stay alive– feeling lucky for fate just won't let him die that easily.
He turned his head slowly to his side, searching for someone who he dearly wanted to see right now. As if the above heard him and decided to grant it, he was completely mesmerized by the view of her being basked beautifully in the cloudy sunset as she was arranging some flowers in a vase by the side table. Alas, his reddened cheeks got submerged in the dull orange color.
"Ai?" He whispered. His voice sounded weaker than he thought.
He gained her attention instantly. A wave of warm emotion crept into his heart as his eyes met with hers. It had only been some hours since the last time he saw her, but it felt like it had been forever.
She looked baffled for a second, then she felt a small tear escape the corner of her eyes. She hurriedly wiped it, while trying to gain control over her composure– she failed however.
She was just too elated to hear his voice again.
Watching another tear rolling down her face and followed after the other, Shinichi panicked. He tried to move if it wasn't for Ai getting closer to him and sat beside the bed. No words spoken between them as he lifted his left hand to cup her cheek, swiping his thumb on it gingerly to wipe her still falling tears. She brought her hand to caress his.
"You're awake." She finally whispered back to him. The slightly curved up lips was forming a small smile on her face; her voice sounded hoarse.
It was still raining outside despite the slightly hint of the sun presented behind the grey clouds. Nonetheless, her mood was getting better just from watching him alive. It was even better than when she started the day this morning.
Realizing he was still very much alive to watch her again, he smiled back. Never did he feel more grateful than now. To see her smile again, to touch her skin again, looked like he had eluded from meeting the death gods one more time.
Author's Note: I just found a fun fact about umbrella and that was about how it never changes from time to time. I found it after I rereading a very old manga and I totally agree on that. Aside from an upside down umbrella, what else had innovations do to improve its effectiveness? Maybe it was that or maybe it was the weather in my country, but somehow I wanted to write a rainy scene for once in a while.
And talking about rain, I hate it when I had to go out in the rain, although I like it raining if I could stay at home and sleep (haha).
As always, please give me your comments and reviews. Happy reading!
Disclaimer: All characters of Detective Conan are belong to Aoyama Gosho. I don't own any single of them.