Chapter 5
When I woke up, the effects of the medication had worn off, and I found myself no longer in the isolation room but back in Room 350, covered with several thick blankets. A cool washcloth rested on my forehead. The girl with brown hair, whom I had met a few days ago, sat next to the bed, engrossed in reading my book about the greatest illusionist. Slowly, I sat up, feeling tired and worn out. As soon as I did, my body, which had been warm under the thick covers, began to shake from the chill in the room. I would have asked a nurse to turn on the heat if the girl—whose name I couldn't recall, despite it only being a few days since we met—hadn't draped a thick blanket over my shoulders.
"Ms. Naomi and Dr. Saito mentioned that due to an infection, your body is unable to regulate its heat properly. That's why they have to keep you bundled up to prevent you from getting sick again," the girl explained, setting my book aside before handing me Petite Dragon, my stuffed animal, dressed in a smaller set of hospital clothes. It seemed the nurses on this ward had a fondness for dressing up my stuffed animal.
"I don't understand why the nurses like to dress up Petite in clothes... he's a duel monster stuffed animal," I commented, glancing over at the girl next to me. I noticed she was struggling to hold back her laughter, but she eventually lost the battle. Her laughter continued until the nurses entered the room, concerned by the commotion. After fifteen minutes, the girl was still laughing, so I resorted to throwing a small amount of water at her to break her out of the fit. She glared at me, slightly wet, and I would have started laughing myself if it weren't for the overwhelming need to cough. The taste of iron, which I had somewhat grown accustomed to from all the vomiting, grew stronger, and it became harder to breathe as my throat felt constricted.
"Fuyuko, calm down... you need to breathe. Try taking a deep breath, nice and slow," the girl instructed, pressing her forehead against mine to force me to make eye contact. She repeated my name until I was calm enough to breathe on my own, albeit with some difficulty.
"Sorry... about that," I managed to say, struggling to fill my lungs with oxygen. The girl didn't leave my side until I was able to breathe properly. She even raised the head of the bed, allowing me to lean against it and take in more oxygen than when I was sitting up.
"Okay, Fuyuko, I'm going to get a nurse because there could be something wrong," the girl said, rising from her seat, only for me to cling onto her arm. I was scared and didn't want to be alone.
"Please don't leave me alone," I pleaded, holding tightly onto the girl's arm. I made sure not to hurt her, but I also didn't want her to pull away from me. I could see the internal struggle on her face before she leaned over me to press the call button on the wall behind the bed.
"Yes, how can I help you?" a nurse's voice came through the intercom system.
"Yes, this is Sky Zaizen in room 350 with Fuyuko Fujiki. I was told to inform a nurse if Fuyuko couldn't breathe. She had also been coughing up a fair amount of blood before she couldn't breathe," the girl explained, speaking into the intercom system while I held her hand, ensuring she wouldn't leave my side. I knew I was acting like a little girl, but this person knew my brother, and it might be my only chance to send a message to him. I couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
"Okay, I'll send a nurse to take a look at her. Thank you for letting us know," the nurse stationed in the hallway responded before ending the call. I watched as the girl returned to her chair, and only then did I finally release her arm, feeling ashamed of my behavior.
"I'm sorry about that," I said, avoiding the girl's gaze. Instantly, I noticed her expression soften as she got out of her chair and sat next to me on the hospital bed, holding the remote in her hand.
"Your brother Yusaku told me that you love Blue Angel," the girl said, pulling up some Blue Angel dueling reels on the screen. I became so engrossed in the duels that I didn't even notice a nurse enter the room, pushing a cart filled with medical equipment. The nurse began by drawing my blood, and I was grateful for the PICC line as it spared me the pain of needles being repeatedly inserted into my arms. The nurse then proceeded to check my airways, giving me a slightly concerning look. However, I could only catch glimpses of this from the corner of my eye. Some of the other doctors had accused me of being paranoid about the people around me, but I saw it as being cautious for my own safety. I wasn't pleased when the nurse turned off the Blue Angel reels to talk with Ms. Zaizen about me, as if I wasn't even there.
"Ms. Zaizen, did you notice anything before Ms. Fujiki started coughing?" the nurse asked, crossing her arms over her chest, a clear sign that she didn't genuinely care about what had happened to me. Her attitude reminded me of Ms. Sora. I picked up the call button that was sitting on the bed next to me and discreetly pressed it, ensuring that the other nurses at the station would be able to hear the conversation.
"I was laughing until Fuyuko playfully splashed a small amount of water, and it seemed like she was about to burst into laughter. However, instead, she started coughing. It took me fifteen minutes to help her calm down, but even then, she was struggling to breathe properly," the girl next to me explained, turning slightly so that the nurse and I could see me. I quickly noticed the glare on the nurse's face, as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. It became clear that this nurse was likely a friend of Ms. Sora, who had recently been charged with attempted murder and fired. She was probably taking out her frustrations on me, despite my innocence.
That's when I saw a vial of my blood precariously placed on the edge of the cart. It was about to fall, but I managed to catch it just in time. Due to my limited eating and drinking, the nurses could only draw my blood every few days. If that vial had fallen, a crucial medical condition that the doctors needed to know about would have gone untreated, and the consequences could have been severe.
To make matters worse, at that moment, my stomach betrayed me, and everything that had been in it ended up on the floor in a large puddle. Several nurses rushed into the room, and the nurse who was friends with Ms. Sora had the audacity to scream when a bit of the vomit stained her shoes. I noticed that she had positioned one foot toward the door, a clear indication that she didn't want to be there. She would have likely lashed out at me if a tall gentleman with green hair hadn't entered the room accompanied by another man. The second man resembled the teenager who had almost gotten in trouble because of Ms. Sora.
"What's going on in here?" the first man asked, placing his hands on his hips. If the girl hadn't been holding onto the back of my hospital gown, I would have fallen onto the vomit-soaked floor. I had to push my upper body up and tap the girl's arm, signaling her to pull me back. It took the girl and the second man five minutes to get me back onto the bed without letting me fall into the mess on the floor. Meanwhile, Dr. Saito and Ms. Naomi were called to the room, and now I was receiving concerned and angry looks from everyone except the second man and the girl next to me.
"Okay, would someone like to explain what the heck just happened?" the man with the green hair demanded, looking down at me while Dr. Saito fixed my IV, which had come undone from my PICC line.
"Akira, Fuyuko managed to catch that vial of blood in her hand after the nurse knocked it off the cart. When she leaned forward, she got sick, resulting in the large puddle of vomit on the floor," the girl explained to the man with the green hair. I then held up the vial of blood to confirm her explanation. Immediately, Ms. Naomi rushed forward to take the vial from my hand, disregarding the fact that she stepped in the mess on the floor. The nurse who was friends with Ms. Sora looked like she was about to be sick herself, and I already felt remorseful for the nurses and cleaning staff who would have to clean up the mess I had made.
"If you feel sick, please do it in the bathroom," I said, pointing at the nurse who was the cause of this entire ordeal. Everyone exchanged surprised glances between me and the nurse, taken aback by my uncharacteristic directness. Normally, I was polite and courteous towards others, even when dealing with Ms. Sora.
"Fuyuko, is everything alright?" Ms. Naomi asked, taking a step towards me, being careful not to upset me further. The sound of her vomit-covered shoe was irritating me to the point that my eyebrow started twitching. Immediately, Ms. Naomi took a step back and quickly removed her shoes before walking to the far side of the bed. She placed a hand on my forehead, clearly trying to check if I had a fever. I didn't say anything, but her touch felt comforting on my pounding head. However, both Ms. Naomi and Dr. Saito could already sense that something was wrong.
"Okay, Fuyuko, what have Ms. Naomi and I told you about hiding when you're not feeling well?" Dr. Saito said, crossing her arms over her chest with the same stern look she always gave me whenever this happened, which was every few days.
"That if I don't speak up, you won't know about any side effects I might be experiencing. Besides, those side effects could be related to my existing condition... Currently, I have a fever, tightness in my chest, and a frequent cough. The good news is that the need to vomit has decreased to only once today," I replied before reaching for the bucket on the table in front of me. I clarified that I wasn't lying because this was only the second time I needed to get sick.
"I'll inform the nurses to bring some frozen yogurt. With the amount of acid in your stomach, it can be harsh on your throat. Oh, that's right, a new doctor will come to talk to you tomorrow, Fuyuko. The results of the tests conducted on your heart should also be available by then," Dr. Saito said, being cautious of the puddle as she pulled the nurse who was friends with Ms. Sora out of the room by her arm. I handed the bucket to the second man, who gently rubbed my back, trying to help calm me down. Meanwhile, the girl held a glass of water, attempting to get me to drink something to prevent dehydration.
"Sky, I believe Ms. Fujiki doesn't want anything to drink," the first guy with green hair, whose name was Akira, said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. I glanced at them, noticing for the first time that their facial features were strikingly similar.
"Are you two family?" I asked, leaning back against the pillow with the second guy's help. For some reason, he was being very protective of me, but I didn't mind it at all.
"Yes, this is my older brother, Akira. I've heard from your brother that you struggle with remembering names, but you have a knack for remembering faces," the girl said, smiling at me as she moved to sit on the edge of the hospital bed, holding my hand and soothingly rubbing circles on the back of it. I sighed, my eyes slowly growing heavy with each passing second.
"It's alright, Kiddo. Yusaku asked me to look after you until you get better," the second man, whose name I learned was Jin, said, gently pushing my loose hair away from my face. I drifted off to sleep before the nurse could bring me the frozen yogurt. When I woke up, Jin was asleep next to my hospital bed. As I sat up slowly, I noticed a collection of stuffed animals and notes from different patients at the mental facility at the foot of my bed. One particular note stood out—the teddy bear holding Petite Dragon.
"Jin hasn't let go of that bear since he was found. Like your brother, he was one of the children taken during the lost incidents," the second man explained, reaching past me to pick up the teddy bear, his smile carrying a tinge of sadness as he reminisced.
"I haven't seen my older brother in ten years. I still don't understand why he had them take me away," I said, curling up with my knees to my chest. Then, I pulled out the note from the hidden pouch on the front panel of Petite Dragon. I didn't need to look at the man's face to know he was giving me a sympathetic look. Normally, that would have triggered me, but I felt safe with this man. Maybe it was because we had both endured those six months, wondering if our loved ones were alright.
"Yusaku explained to me that he was plagued by nightmares and was concerned that he might harm you if something happened during the night. He told me that when you were scared or hurt, you would seek comfort in his bed, especially after the Lost incident. He was just trying to protect you, Fuyuko," the second man said, gently stroking my hair away from my face. I looked up at him, confused, and then glanced at the note in my hand. I recognized my brother's handwriting, which hadn't changed much since we were young children.
"I never stopped searching for him during the ten years we were apart. Sky must have given him an earful about me suffering alone in the hospital. I just feel so hurt that he didn't tell me anything. If I had known about his nightmares, I wouldn't have intruded on his bed. I could have helped him," I said, crying into the head of my Petite Dragon. Now that I understood why Yusaku had taken those actions, the next step was healing—for both of us. I believe that was the first night I finally managed to get a decent night's sleep, with Petite Dragon watching over me.