Gravitation

Struggling Towards Normalcy

Chapter 3 – It Can’t Be…

By: C-Chan

 

Disclaimer: Uhm…let me check something. *Runs away to search her room* If it’s not in here, I don’t own them!  *mumbles* Now where is that damned ownership paper…

 

            As promised, the doctor had returned a little while later.  Of course, he wasn’t expecting for the hospital room to be filled with visitors.  A few he recognized as the normal visitors, but some where other people he couldn’t quite remember.  Oh well, it didn’t matter much to him anyway.

            As he closed the door behind him, all heads turned his way, and for the first time in a while the doctor felt very nervous.  Clearing his throat and approaching Shuichi’s bed, he greeted his patient with a gentle smile before speaking.  “Konnichiwa, Minna-san.  Would you mind allowing me some time alone with my patient?”

            The crowd filled out except for Yuki, who remained at Shuichi’s side, there hands intertwined.  The doctor sighed and put on his ‘doctor’s face’, which caused the gentle smile to fade away.  Shuichi’s eyes widened slightly.  He never really did like doctors.

            The doctor walked to the bottom of the bed, pulling a small device out of his lab coat pocket, about the size of a pen with a circular disk attached at the end.  Gently, he lifted up the blankets to Shuichi’s knees and leaned forward a bit.  “Shindou-san, I want you to tell me when you feel something.”

            Shuichi nodded and grasped Yuki’s hand tighter, all of a sudden very nervous.  The doctor ran the disk slowly up Shuichi’s leg starting from his ankle, all the while watching Shuichi’s face for a reaction.  When he reached just above his knee, Shuichi squirmed a bit.  “I felt it.”

            The doctor frowned and put the object back in his pocket.  Yuki watched his face for any indications, until finally he couldn’t stay quiet.  “What did you do that for?”

“It seems the back trauma was more serious than we first thought.” He replied solemnly, looking straight into Yuki’s golden eyes.  “Though it’s not affecting Shindou-san’s upper body, it is affecting lower.”

“What does that mean?” Shuichi whispered, paling a bit.
”It could mean anything.  You could be paralyzed, or it could be because the muscles in your legs are so weak they aren’t registering anything in the nerves.  I want to wait until a few weeks into your rehabilitation before I fully diagnosis it.” The doctor replied in a monotone voice.

“Paralyzed?” Shuichi squeaked.

“Can he make a full recovery?” Yuki asked in his monotone voice, his eyes narrowing dangerously, possessively.

“Of course.” The doctor replied, undaunted.  “But then again, he may remain like this permanently.  I suggest you get into rehabilitation as soon as you feel able.”

            The doctor stood, and his gentle smile fell back on his face.  “I’ve seen a lot of patients come in like this, Shindou-san, and most of them had made full recoveries.  I hope the same for you.” And with those words, he left the room.

            Shuichi leaned back, closing his eyes.  Paralyzed?  Would he ever be able to perform again?  Just the thought of not being able to stand on stage and entertain Bad Luck’s fans made him want to cry.  “I want to go home.” Shuichi whimpered.

            Yuki let go of Shuichi’s hand to brush some of the bangs from his face.  A small frown found his face, and he audibly sighed.  He wasn’t taking it as hard as Shuichi, but it still hit hard all the same.  Yuki was aware that rehabilitation was long and painful, especially when re-learning how to walk.  On top of that, mental anguish made the want to improve seemed like an impossible task.  He recalled one of the first books he wrote with a similar situation like this and sighed again.  It was going to be a long road ahead of them.

 

~*~*~*~

 

            A week and a couple of arguments (With doctors mostly) later, Shuichi was finally released from the hospital.  He looked much better, the pale, sickly color of his skin fading slightly, giving some of his color back.  The bandage around his head had been removed, and a large gash rested above Shuichi’s eyebrow, stretching up and into his hairline.  After winning one such argument mentioned above, Yuki was allowed to remove the sling around his arm, making him much happier and more friendly (if you could call it that).  As Yuki wheeled Shuichi out of the hospital, the pink-haired singer looked up at him, smiling weakly.

            Yuki’s gaze softened a bit and he smirked back, stopping in front of a black car.  His beloved foreign car was demolished beyond repair, leaving him to rent a cheap, Japanese car.  Though it got him to and from the hospital, he didn’t like it.  Not one bit.

            He opened the passenger door and lifted Shuichi from the wheelchair, placing him gently on the seat.  After folding the wheelchair up and placing it in the back seat, he rounded the car and got in.  Soon, they were on the highway heading back to Yuki’s apartment.
            The drove in silence for a while, Shuichi staring at the large bandage wrapped around his surgically-repaired knee and Yuki concentrating solely on driving.

“Yuki, will you come with me on Friday?” Shuichi asked suddenly.

            Yuki refused to remove his eyes from the road, but shrugged.  Shuichi watched him for a moment before sinking into the seat.  “I don’t want to go alone.” He whispered.

            The tone of his voice was something Yuki had never heard from the youth before.  Usually Shuichi was happy and energetic, babbling incisively about any and everything that popped into his mind.  But as he spared a brief glance at his lover, he knew that boy was gone right now, leaving behind a scared, worried, young man.

            Yuki returned his eyes to the road, frowning.  “I’ll come with you.” He said, his tone impassive.

“Thanks.” The singer whispered, looking out the window.

 

            They arrived home a little while after that, and as quick as they could went inside to get settled in.  The apartment was just as they left it; Shuichi’s blanket and pillow pilled at the far end of the couch (even after a year he still slept there…sometimes ^^), and Yuki’s reading glasses resting on the table.  A few beer cans were around it, ignored during the weeks Shuichi and himself were in the hospital.  Yuki wheeled Shuichi inside and went over to clean them up.

            Shuichi sat where he was for a while before wheeling himself in further, stopping just next to the couch.  He stared at it for a while, ignoring Yuki as he continued his attempt at cleaning his living room.  Turning his gaze down to his legs, he sighed hard.  The therapist who would be working with him during his therapy was a nice, young woman who had a lot of hope for him.  She promised not to be too rough on him, and allow him to go at his own speed.  Of course, Shuichi didn’t have so much hope.

            For a moment he wondered where the ‘old’ Shuichi had gone.  If it was anyone else in this situation, he’d immediately jump up and offer any help he could, even risking getting in the way to help a friend in need.  But it wasn’t a friend.  He was the one who may never walk again.  He was the one stuck in a wheelchair for God-knows how many months.  And he was the one, the usually super-genki singer, who already doubted a full recovery.

            Yuki finished his cleanup and walked over to sit next to Shuichi, noticing the strange expression on his face.  He turned to the pink-haired singer and looked into his clouded amethyst eyes, searching for something, anything that showed the old Shuichi still there.

            Shuichi looked deep into the golden eyes, frowning.  The singer turned his gaze back to his knee, sighing again.  “Baka.” Yuki whispered, reaching over to grab Shuichi’s hand.

“Eh?” Shuichi blinked, looking up at him.

“Stop frowning like that.” Yuki ordered, smirking a bit.  “I hate to admit it, but I think I like you better when you’re loud and annoying.”

            Shuichi couldn’t help but giggle.  If this what Yuki considered ‘cheering up’, he had a lot of work to do if he was going to do it to anyone else.  As for Shuichi, it was more than enough.  “Gomen, Yuki…I’m just thinking about stuff.”

            Yuki shifted a bit closer, and Shuichi leaned over to rest his forehead on Yuki’s shoulder.  “About what?”

“I’m scared…that I might not...” Shuichi trailed off, not wanting to finish.

“Baka.” Yuki repeated again, squeezing the singer’s hand.  “Keep thinking like that and you won’t.”

“I know.” Shuichi whispered, squeezing back.

            I know…but it’s hard to think otherwise.  You’re not the one who’s in a wheelchair.  Shuichi thought before falling asleep, still resting on Yuki’s shoulder.