Chapter 3
When Die and Shinya walked into the hospital waiting room together, Toshiya was pacing nervously while Koaru was bent almost double on a chair, his face pale and his body trembling. When he saw them, Toshiya ran up to them and hugged them both tightly, as though reassuring himself that they were all right despite the fac that they hadn't been sick.
"How is he?" Die questioned, glancing around. The waiting room was full, but there were only a few people actually paying any attention to them. All four of them probably looked horrible, pale and worried, but it was understandable. The five bandmates had grown close to each other over the years. When one was in trouble, everyone felt the impact.
Kaoru sighed as he straightened himself up, although his eyes remained on the floor. "The doctors took him into a room almost instantly. That was about a half an hour ago. They haven't come out yet," he said.
"I'm scared," Toshiya added quietly.
Letting Shinya comfort the bassist, Die made his way to where Kaoru was sitting. He knew about Kaoru's secret feelings for Kyo. The two of them had been working alone on a guitar rift when Die had made an offhand comment about how tight Kyo's pants were that day. When Kaoru had blushed, Die prompted him into telling him the truth of his attraction for the petite vocalist. He could only imagine what the other guitarist was thinking now.
"How are you doing?" he asked, his tone quiet.
Kaoru glanced up at him and snorted slightly. "I didn't even know he was sick. Not only that, we argued to the point where he wanted to leave the band. I feel like shit," he stated.
Sighing, Die pulled his friend into a hug. "Don't worry. When Kyo wakes up, you'll get your chance to appologize and everything will be all right," he stated.
"Why do we always have to fight?" Kaoru whispered rhetorically.
Die shook his head and just held his friend tighter. It always caught him off guard when he witnessed Kaoru's feelings for Kyo. They were almost dramatically opposite from each other. He hoped that things would work out.
After a few moments of tense silence, a doctor came into the waiting room and motioned for them to step into the hallway. "You are all Tooru-kun's friends?" he asked.
"Yes, we're all his friends. I'm also his roommate," Toshiya replied quickly.
"How is he?" Kaoru asked just as quickly, almost interrupting the bassist.
The doctor frowned a little. "We have him in stable condition, but there are a few things I need to ask the four of you. Can you come with me to my office so that I can speak with you in private?" he questioned.
Immediately, the four men followed him, the air filled with a tense silence. None of them sat down when they reached the office, despite the fact the doctor offered them the couch along the wall.
"Tooru-kun has caught a virus called meninjitis. There are three different ways that it attacks a human body. Before I get into that, I need to know if any of you have been vaccinated against it?" the doctor questioned.
They all answered negative, and the doctor frowned deeply. "Have any of you shared something with Tooru-kun in the last week, such as a cigarette, cup or popcan, or something like that?"
Again, they answered no and the doctor smiled for the first time. "meninjitis passes between people through the fluids in their body. Most commonly, it is passed by sexual intercourse or kissing. However, it can also be passed simply by sharing something that has been in another person's mouth, like the butt of a cigarette with someone's contaminated saliva on it," he explained. "I wanted to make sure that none of you were in danger of coming down with the virus as well."
Kaoru thought for a moment, then shook his head. "We usually only share a cigarette when someone has run out, and we've had no trouble with that lately. I shared a lipliner with him two weeks ago, at a photoshoot, but I haven't been feeling ill," he commented.
The doctor blinked for a moment at the words 'lipliner' and 'photoshoot'. "Are you five a group of models?" he questioned.
"We're in a visual kei rock band. Tooru is our vocalist," Die explained, seeing his confusion.
Nodding, the doctor digested this information. "Then the cause of Tooru's illness could of been anything. Even if he pressed his mouth against a microphone which a contaminated person has also pressed their mouth against, it could of caused him to pick up the virus. Do any of you know how long he's been sick?" he asked.
There was an uncomfortable silence before Toshiya suddenly burst into tears. "I share an apartment with him, and I didn't even know!" he cried. "What kind of friend am I?"
"Toshiya, don't blame yourself," Kaoru said quickly, although his tone wasn't reassuring. He blamed himself as well, so how could he comfort the other?
Quickly, the doctor stood. "Don't be upset. meninjitis can attack very suddenly, giving the victim no time to prepare theirself before they are sick. The early symptoms are much like a flu, with a slight fever and nausea. When it finally takes control of the body, it is very sudden and the person infected doesn't realize how seriously they are sick until it is too late. You couldn't of helped him, because Tooru-kun himself probably didn't realize how ill he actually was."
"But is he going to be all right?" Shinya questioned, still looking frightened.
Nodding, the older man face remained serious as he came around to sit on his desk in front of them. "There are three different ways meninjitis attacks a body. The least serious of them is a serious flu. Whoever is infected is bedridden for a few weeks, but is fine after a short while. The most seirous version is when the virus enters into the brain. It is incurable and instantly fatal. Fortunately and unfortunately, Kyo has neither of these," he explained.
"So, what is wrong with him?" Kaoru pressed, unable to stand the explinations any longer. He wanted to know what was going on with his friend.
"The other form of meninjitis can be fatal, but is curable. Luckily, you got him here during the early stages and we were able to give him a vaccination. He will probably remain unconcious for a while as the medicine does its work, and will need to stay at the hospital for a few days. I am certain that he will make a full recovery. However, he will be very weak for a long time and will probably need constant supervision for the first few days after his release. If there is any sign of a relapse, he has to be brought in immediately. Even if it is only the slightest fever," the doctor stated.
"That won't be a problem," Kaoru stated firmly.
Die nodded, sharing a smile with his bandmates. "We'll take good care of him. We were all so worried when he got sick that there is no way we'll leave him on his own," he stated.
"He'll hate us for babying him," Shinya commented, a smile on his lips now that their worries has been lifted away.
"Can we see him?" Toshiya questioned, turning his attention back to the doctor.
"Can we wait with him until he wakes up?" Kaoru added, his eyes hopeful.
The uniformed man hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "He will probably still be unconcious for a while, but I don't see any harm. It might do him some good to wake up with familiar faces around him. It can be discomforting to wake up alone in a strange room."
Sighing with relief, Kaoru thanked the doctor and almost ran toward Kyo's room after he gave them directions. His bandmates were right behind him, talking happily about Kyo's recovery. Mostly, who would get the first chance to spoon-feed him babyfood.
To be continued
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