Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ This I Promise You ❯ The Diagnosis ( Chapter 14 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Chocho
This is not happening. Shuichi is in a coma? He’s a what? And he had a what? No, no. That’s impossible. You must’ve gotten the x-rays mixed up because in case you haven’t realized it, Shuichi is a guy. It’s impossible.

Anime/Manga: Gravitation Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Angst / Suspense / Romance / Fantasy / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 03.16.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.1K | Visits: 771 | Status: Work In Progress

This I Promise You
Prequel to: Because of You
Written by: Chocho
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation
Story summary: Everybody assured him Rinjin Yasashii was just another obsessed fan with a crush and that there was nothing to worry about. Little did they know how wrong they all were.
Chapter summary: This is not happening. Shuichi is in a coma? He's a what? And he had a what? No, no. That's impossible. You must've gotten the x-rays mixed up because in case you haven't realized it, Shuichi is a guy. It's impossible.
Warnings: M-preg, explicit sex, language, violence, angst
Key: Blah blah blah: flashback/dream
Blah: stressed words
*: change in POV or time
 
***
 
Chapter 14: The Diagnosis

Two dark suited men stood guard in front of an isolated room in the ICU ward where the comatose lead singer of Bad Luck laid, an IV drip secured in his hand and a breathing tube hooked into his nose. A heart monitor's rhythmic beeping was the only sound in the eerily silent room. His whole body seemed to be encased in white bandages, making him look eerily like a mummy.
*
 
Eiri sat in the farthest corner of the waiting room, a miserable wreak and stewing in a vat of guilt that hung over him like a dark cloud.
 
He looked up when he heard the sharp click-clack of heels and watched Mika walk confidently into the waiting room. Her hair was pulled back neatly and her crisp business suit hugged her curves nicely. She sat down besides him, crossing her legs. She turned towards him and started talking, but Eiri heard none of it. It was all a jumbled mess of words. Back in the hallway, just out of earshot was Tohma, who was speaking with two plainclothes detectives about what had happened. Eiri knew they would want to talk to him eventually, but he was not in any mood to rehash what had happened earlier. All he wanted to do was forget those horrific events and focus on getting Shuichi back up on his feet. Besides, he still had to take his new husband on their honeymoon.
 
Tears pricked his eyes. He pursed his lips together to keep a threatening sob from getting loose. Leaning his head back against the wall, he took deep, even breathes in through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, trying to loosen the tight restrictiveness in his chest and the constrictiveness of his throat. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the white dropped down ceiling, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from escaping their prison cell. And he prayed. Eiri was not sure when the last time he prayed was, but he asked, demanded, pleaded, offered to make a deal with whoever was listening as long as Shuichi made it out of this alive. He was willing to do anything to have his husband back safe and sound.

“Tatsuha's on his way along with Ryuichi,” Mika was saying to him. “Apparently they left as soon as Tohma called.”
 
Eiri nodded. Tatsuha and Ryuichi, both, are very close to Shuichi, especially Shuichi. The two of them were like brothers. The idiotic singer was not going to take the news very well, but then again none of them were taking it very well.
“Father's staying at the temple. He has a wedding to perform tonight and then a funeral tomorrow, but he said he'd pray for Shindou.”
 
Eiri let his head lull to the side, where he stared blankly at the wall above the television that stared back at him with equally blank eyes. He had had a feeling his father would not come. He was not exactly in favor of his relationship with Shuichi, though he has come to accept it, but only because he had no other choice, but knowing that his father would be praying for Shuichi, somehow made Eiri feel a little better.
He turned and looked at Shuichi's parents sitting on the far side of the waiting room. It was obvious by the strained look on his face that he was trying to curtail his own grief in favor of comforting his wife, who was wailing hysterically in his shoulder. It was not hard to tell she and Shuichi were related. Their daughter, Maiko, and her husband were flying into Narita tonight from Hokkaido with their one year old daughter.
 
He wondered what they would think if he were to tell them about the commitment ceremony Shuichi and he held in their living room last night. It may not be a legal marriage in the eyes of the law, but for the two of them, they were as married as two people could be.
Eiri's eyes slid to the various members of Bad Luck who were huddled together. They looked almost like a pile of puppies. Sakano had been so distraught he had been sedated and was now resting on a bed in the recovery/observation area in the emergency room. Hiro appeared to be the most upset. He and Shuichi had been friends for ever. Eiri knew that the guitar player felt the heavy burden of guilt weighing him down just as he did. If Shuichi did not make it out of this in one piece, he would most likely never forgive himself. The writer knew exactly how he felt.
 
Hiro shook his head, and then dropped his face into his hands. His shoulder shook softly. Eiri assumed he was crying.
Hiro's wife, Ayaka, was nine months pregnant and was due any day now so Hiro thought it best if stayed home, though it might have been better if she had come to the hospital because it would convenient if she were to suddenly go into labor. She would already be at the hospital.
 
Then there was Noriko and her family. Unfortunately, they left this morning for Hong Kong for a family vacation and left no contact number. So, they had been forced to leave a message on their answering machine.
“Niwa-san was taken into custody,” Mika was saying to him.
 
Eiri blinked. He had forgotten she was speaking to him.
 
“No surprise, he squealed like a pig. Apparently, he was the one who stole Tohma's cellphone.”
 
Eiri scowled. That was something Eiri would never forgive his brother-in-law for. When Tohma lost his cellphone, he should have had it disconnected, or had the service terminated or something, then maybe the guards would have been there to protect their charge instead of being lured away.
As hard as he tried, Eiri just could not stop the tears that tickled down his cheeks. He brushed them impatiently before anyone noticed them. Please, he silently prayed. Let him be alright. A picture of Shuichi flashed through his mind, his lithe body mangled, his limbs splayed at odd, unnatural angles. He shook those images away violently. He had to keep his mind busy.
 
“Did you find out anything about Shuichi's guards?” he asked his sister, cutting her off mid-sentence.
 
Mika blinked, momentarily confused. “Uh? Oh, yes. I asked the two police officers and they said they spoke to the corner and from his preliminary reports; it appears as if they had been dead for several hours by the time the emergency personnel arrived. The cause of death for now is a single gunshot to the heart, but we'll have to wait until he does the autopsy.”
 
Eiri sighed heavily. Damn, he thought.
 
“Also,” Mika continued, “Rinjin-san appears to have snapped his neck in the fall. They said he died instantly.”
 
A low growl escaped Eiri. Mika glanced at her brother in sympathy.
 
That bastard, after everything he did, had the nerve to die instantly? That asshole, who was the cause of this whole fiasco, had the nerve to escape justice? Bullshit. Eiri hoped that he suffered in the next life for his crimes.
*

Eiri glanced up quickly as heard someone enter the waiting room. He roughly scrubbed his wet face and jumped to his feet as he recognized Shuichi's physician. “Dr. Ohtani,” he greeted, stepping forward as everyone else got to their feet.
The middle aged gentlemen nodded at the writer. “Uesugi-san. I'm sorry we have to meet again under these circumstances.”
Eiri inclined his head in agreement.
Mrs. Shindou, clutching her husband's arms tightly, stepped forward. She was pale and trembling. “Doctor, how's my son?”
Dr. Ohtani glanced at the gathered group, eagerly awaiting something, anything about their loved one. “Shuichi's in a coma.”
Gasps and stunned silence met this stunning revelation. Suddenly feeling faint, Eiri grew pale. The room narrowed down to nothing.
 
Across the room, Shuichi's mother cried out. More gasps and whispers echoed as Mrs. Shindou's eyes rolled back and her feet collapsed under her. Mr. Shindou cried in alarm and rushed to her side. He laid her out on the floor just as Dr. Ohtani rushed forward, calling over his shoulder for assistance. The doctor checked her pulse and then her pupil's just as an orderly flew into the room with a gurney. “She'll be alright. She just fainted,” Dr. Ohtani sighed, standing back up. Stepping back, he allowed the orderly to lift the woman gently and place her on the wheeled bed. “We'll wheel her into the recovery room and give her a full physical just to be sure.”
“Thank you,” Mr. Shindou bowed as he followed the white clad man out of the waiting room.
Everybody watched the couple with pity and sadness. They knew exactly how Shindou-san felt. But they had a feeling that it was only going to get worse.
Dr. Ohtani sighed. “Unfortunately, that was the good news.”
 
Eiri snapped his head around towards the older man.
 
“Aside from being in a coma, Shuichi also has a mild concussion.”
Eiri had to admit he was not the least bit surprised. Shuichi had hit his head hard when he fell.
“It could have been worse,” Dr. Ohtani confessed. “From what I've been told, it seems when he fell, Shindou-san landed on Rinjin-san, which actually cushioned his fall somewhat, which is why he is still alive, but he also used Rinjin-san as a trampoline of sorts. Shindou-san bounced off of him and hit the floor, hitting his head, which is what caused the concussion.”
 
Eiri forced the images that pushed their way into the forefront of his mind back. The last thing he wanted was to remember those agonizing seconds when he thought he had lost the love of his life.
 
“We did a CAT scan,” Dr. Ohtani was saying, “and nothing showed up thankfully. No blood clots, nothing. There should not be any lingering affects from the concussion, but we won't be absolutely sure until he wakes up.”
Please let my baka be alright, Eiri prayed for the hundredth time that night.
“Do you know when that might be?” Officer Maki asked from behind the doctor.
Dr. Ohtani shook his head. “Unfortunately, little is known about comas. Some people wake up after a few days and others never wake up.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the group.
Eiri swallowed over a sudden lump in his throat and squeezed his eyes shut against sudden tears.
 
Shuichi was strong and stubborn. He would wake up. One of the things he hated above all else was disappointing Eiri. He did not like it when Eiri was cold and distant. He also hated it when his lover- now, husband- was mad at him. Shuichi would wake up, if for nothing else, to apologize.
“Shindou-san broke both legs and hands, as well, but they should heal without incident.”
 
Eiri could picture Shuichi wrapped around Rinjin's waist when the railing broke. Unfortunately, the singer's limbs had been trapped behind his back as the insane man hit the floor.
“He broke a few ribs, there isn't anything life threateningly wrong with Shindou-san,” Dr. Ohtani continued.
Sighs of relief echoed through the room.
“But…”
Everyone tensed, holding their breath. Eiri lowered his hands that had been holding his head and glanced at the doctor.
“We took some x-rays and discovered that Shuichi suffered a spinal injury.”
Eiri paled. Spinal injury? Dear God.
“But he'll be alright,” Hiro pleaded.
Dr. Ohtani shook his head sadly. “I really don't know. We'll have to wait for him to wake up to ascertain the extent, but at this point, it looks as if he might be paralyzed from the waist down.”
This could not be happening! His baka won't be able to walk? That seemed too cruel a fate for the hyperactive singer. Shuichi thrived on being free to ran, jump and prance around on stage. He was always running around the house, sliding across the floor like it was an ice rink, jumping on him, dragging him out for walks and dates. With the lower half of his body useless, it was better if Shuichi had been killed in that fall. Shuichi always acted as if he had ants in his pants. He could not sit still if his life depended on it. Truth be told, Eiri loved that about him. But now…
“There is the possibility of surgery, but,” the doctor continued, his voice trailing off.
Eiri glanced up sharply.
“But what?” Tohma asked.
“It may do more harm than good. Right now, there's a chance that with rehab, Shuichi'll be able to walk again. He may not recover fully and he may have to use a cane, but he'll be able to walk.”
“And this surgery?” Hiro asked.
“May permanently paralyze him.”
“What're his chances?” Tohma asked calmly.
“Well,” Dr. Ohtani scratched his head, “without the surgery, he has at least a forty percent chance of walking. With the surgery, he has an eighty percent chance, but there's also a twenty percent chance the surgery may cause him permanent paralysis.”
Everyone glanced at the blond writer. Eiri mulled over both options. As the one Shuichi had chosen to make decisions for him, should the need rise, Eiri felt the mounting pressure. He had no idea what to do. What was better? Should he tell Dr. Ohtani to hell with the surgery and take the chances with rehab, or take the chance of permanently paralyzing his lover? He wanted Shuichi to be able to run and jump and act like the idiot that he was, but…It was all too much. He could not decide. He could not do that to Shuichi. “I think we should wait for Shuichi to wake up before we decide.”
Dr. Ohtani nodded in agreement. “That's fine.”
“I want to see him.”
“Of course,” Dr. Ohtani nodded.
 
“We'll wait here for you,” Mika told her brother.
Grateful, Eiri followed the doctor out into the hall.
“Uesugi-san,” called a voice behind the writer.
Eiri paused and watched as the tall, toothpick-like police officers strolled over to him.
“When you get the chance, I would like for you to come down to the station and give your statement,” Officer Nada said. He pulled out a card and handed it to the writer. He also gave one to the doctor. “And when Shindou-san does wake up, we'd like it if you would call us.”
“Of course,” Dr. Ohtani said with a nod.
“One more thing, Doctor,” officer Maki said.
“Yes, officer.”
“Did you…” He glanced at Eiri briefly. It felt weird to ask this question about a male victim. “…find any evidence of sexual assault?”
Eiri paled. Sexual assault?
The writer glanced up and saw his husband alive and well at the head of the staircase. At his feet was their neighbor, clutching his face and crying. He blinked. “Shu, wha-what did you do to him?”
Shuichi smiled proudly. “Decked him.”
Eiri snorted, but felt a surge of pride. “I can see that, Baka.”
“Well,” the singer said, fisting his hands on his hips, “that's what he gets for trying to take what I reserve for you alone.”
“What?” Eiri did not like that one little bit.
Eiri clenched his hands as a surge of anger flowed through him. If that bastard touched his Shu-chan, he would go to the morgue and slice the man's body into ribbons and feed the pieces to the sharks.
“There was evidence of recent sexual activity,” Dr. Ohtani admitted.
Eiri felt his face pale. Dear God, did that mean…
“But, fortunately, there was no evidence of rape.”
Eiri breathed another sigh of relief. Shuichi was not someone who would willingly allow something like that to happen. He was only gang banged by Aizawa all those years ago because he allowed it to happen in order to protect him. Shuichi may look like a scrawny weakling, but he could kick anyone's ass. Hell, he managed to kick some guy's ass that was twice as big as he in order to protect Ayaka when they first started dating.
“But if Shindou-san was unconscious…” Officer Maki pressed.
Eiri glared evilly at him as the officer voiced the very thought he had been thinking. What was it with these people? Could they not let sleeping dogs lie?
Dr. Ohtani shook his head
The officers nodded and thanked the men for their cooperation. Bowing, they left.
“Well shall we,” Dr. Ohtani asked Eiri. He pushed the button on the wall and the doors swung open.
 
Eiri followed the doctor down the corridor, to ICU.
 
They turned a corner and Eiri immediately saw two large black men standing outside of one of the rooms at the far end of the hall and knew that was Shuichi's room because he recognized the guards. Usually, they were Nittle Grasper's bodyguards while the band was on tour. It seems as if Tohma had reassigned them to guard and protect Shuichi. Tohma trusted them with his life, quite literally. If he was remembering correctly, their names were Blade and Marcus. They were wearing black jeans and tight black muscle shirts. Black holsters and black hand guns blended invisibly with their clothes. These guys took their job seriously. They left their posts for no reason, other than to protect their charge. As Eiri and the doctor approached, the men sized them up with long penetrating stares.
“Dr. Ohtani,” the one closest to them greeted with a nod.
“Gentlemen,” Dr. Ohtani nodded in English. Stepping aside, he indicated the writer. “This is Eiri Uesugi, Shuichi's husband. Uesugi-san, this is Blade,” the one closest to them, “and Marcus,” the one farthest from them. Bows were exchanged.
Blade stepped aside to allow both Dr. Ohtani and Eiri into the room. Dr. Ohtani flicked the light switch on as he crossed the threshold and strode to Shuichi's side. Eiri stood right inside the doorway staring at his husband, or what he believed was his husband. His legs refused to take him farther into the room. They flat out ignored the signals his brain was sending them. The door closed behind him, bumping into his back, forcing him to either walk into the room or annoy the guards. Swallowing, he walked with trepidation towards his comatose husband.
Dr. Ohtani stood at the foot of the bed, waiting patiently.
Eiri stood by Shuichi's bedside, gazing forlornly down at him. He felt so helpless. Shuichi was pale and encased nearly from head to foot in bandages. What was not was covered in bruises and cuts. Reaching out, he brushed a strand of Shuichi's black locks behind his ear. He hated seeing his lover like this. Shuichi was not supposed to be silent and still. It was like they had been trapped in some sort of alternate universe. Once again, he felt a lump in his throat. He took in a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly.
“Uesugi-san,” Dr. Ohtani said in a soft, gentle voice, stepping towards him. “There's something else I would like to talk to you about.”
With difficulty, Eiri forced his gaze from his husband to the doctor, his face carefully blank.
“I didn't want to bring it up in front of the others because I was not sure…” He let his voice fade. Sighing, he gazed down at his sleeping patient. “You noticed how his jeans were soaked in blood, right?”
The memory came back like a slap upside the head.
Eiri hugged his baka tightly to him, crying chaotically into his black locks. His hand ran down Shuichi's back to his buttocks, so he could hold the tiny man closer, but felt something slimy and squishy at the crotch of the lithe singer's jeans. Pulling back, he glanced down and gasped, his eyes widening in shock. There was a large, widening stain bleeding out onto Shuichi's jeans. His heart jumped sharply. “Shit,” he cursed. He hugged Shuichi to him, tears falling freshly down his face. “Shuichi! Hold on! Shuichi!”
Eiri shook the memory aside. “What's wrong with him? Why was he bleeding? Is it-”
Dr. Ohtani sighed and shook his head. “I'm sorry Uesugi-san, but Shuichi had a miscarriage.”
Eiri blinked stupidly at the doctor. Miscarriage? What the hell was that supposed to mean? A miscarriage implied a baby and pregnancy and the last time Eiri checked, Shuichi was a guy and was not properly equipped. “Miscarriage? You must be joking. Dr. Ohtani, I don't know if you realized this, but Shuichi is a guy. Men can't and don't have babies. You must've gotten his test results mixed up with someone else's.”
“Oh, my,” the doctor muttered in shock. “He never told you.”
Eiri blinked in confusion. “Told me what?”
“Uesugi-san,” the doctor sighed, “Shindou-san is a hermaphrodite. He's one of the few in the world that I'm aware of.”
“A herm…” He looked stupidly at the other man.
“A hermaphrodite. It means Shuichi was born with fully functioning male as well as female parts. So, in essence, he has the ability-“
Eiri nodded impatiently, waving off the explanation. “I know what a hermaphrodite is,” he snapped. He ground his fingers into his temples as he felt the beginning of a migraine. “So, what you're telling me is that Shuichi, my Shuichi, is a…a hermaphrodite.”
“Yes.” The older male studied the writer closely. “You really had no idea. Shindou-san never told you.”
Eiri stared blankly at the greying man before him. He just could not wrap his mind around any of this.
 
“Shu was a…and he was…”
“Pregnant. Yes, he was.”
Lightheaded, Eiri stumbled backwards and collapsed into a chair. He dropped his head into his hands. This was all too much for him to take in. This has got to be some sort of sick joke. First, Shuichi was in a coma, and then he was paralyzed; now he had had a miscarriage? None of this was making any sense.
“I am sorry for your loss, Uesugi-san,” Dr. Ohtani whispered softly.
The writer asked bluntly, “What happened? How…?” He paused and tried to get control over his emotions. “Was it the fall?”
Dr. Ohtani shook his head. “I'm not sure. It is entirely possible, but then again because of all the stress and emotional upheaval he went through today, it's possible that it all added to the loss.” Dr. Ohtani laid a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. “I really am sorry, Uesugi-san.” Squeezing his shoulder, the doctor turned and left the ICU room, leaving a man to mourn.
 
***
 
A/N: Don't tell me you're shock to hear about Shuichi being pregnant, because I warned you since chapter 1 that this was an m-preg. When I first wrote this, I did not intend to make it one, but it just happened that way. Anyway, for those who don't know what it is, “a Commitment Ceremony can look just like a wedding, complete with church, wedding gown, and hundreds of guests -- but no marriage license. Or, a commitment ceremony can be the most alternative event imaginable: a ritual to bless your relationship, or just a big party to celebrate your love. A commitment ceremony can be a huge bash with all your friends and relatives in attendance, an intimate exchange between you and your partner, or a family rite of passage to strengthen the bonds between parents and children in a new unmarried stepfamily. You can call it a commitment ceremony, a wedding, a ceremony of union, or anything else you like!” (unmarried.org/ceremonies.html)