InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ It is you I have loved ❯ Conversations in a Hospital Room (Part 1) ( Chapter 6 )

`Warm. It's still so warm.' Kagome's body wouldn't move and it hurt so badly. Her lungs felt as if they'd been wrung through a press and her chest felt beaten and bruised. She'd thought she was dead but there wasn't pain in death, or was there? She must still be under the water then. She could hear voices, but they seemed so far away. The sound was garbled, mumbled. There was a rushing in her ears. Wait, what were they saying?

 

“Kagome!” Did the voices just call out to her?

 

“I saw…” she strained to hear what they were saying.

 

“Yes, did you see? Just then!”

 

“Go get your mother! Tell her Kagome is waking up!” Kagome felt the rushing sound fall away. Her body, her consciousness was being pulled up, out of the watery tomb it was stuck in.

 

“Kagome!” The light stung her eyes. She blinked, trying to lift her hand to shield her eyes but it was stuck. Feeling a pinprick of pain she slowly turned her throbbing head to gaze at her hand. There was something stuck in it. There was a clip on her thumb and fluids running into whatever was in her hand. `What? What's going on?' Her head turned down to look at her chest. Why were there strings…wait, wires stuck to her? What was she wearing? What was that incessant beeping!? Kagome's mind finally caught up with its surroundings as her eyes flew open and her head shot up, trying desperately to bring her body with it. She was in a hospital. Why was she in a hospital? Kagome's mind traveled back to the last conscious thoughts she'd had. She'd been drowning and someone had jumped in to save her. She hadn't known if they'd reached her in time but they must have for her to be in a hospital. But how did she get to a hospital. She'd been “away” in Inuyasha's time. Her mind, again, was slow in

catching up. Inuyasha was the only one besides herself that could go through that well.

 

“Kagome, dear, lay back down.” A motherly looking nurse had a withered, yet firm hand on Kagome's chest, easing her back onto the bed. But no! No! Kagome didn't want to lie back down. She wanted to know what happened! How she'd gotten here. Why she was attached to so many wires. Her pulse pounded in her head, her chest felt almost broken, and her lungs were working so hard just to contain the small air she could get. Resignedly, Kagome laid back down. She could get her answers lying down too…

 

“That's a good dear,” The nurse removed her hand and turned to the people in the room, “The doctor will be in soon. See that she stays still. Too much movement could aggravate her condition.” With that, Kagome saw the nurse leave the room from the corner of her eye. Despite the pain, Kagome really wanted to know more about her surroundings. Her eyes landed first on the bed she was on. Looking down her nose at it, she saw a small tube going to her nose. She brought a weak hand up to touch it. There were small puffs of air being pushed from it. Traveling farther, her eyes moved to the offending machine that was making the beeping sound. There were numbers and lines lighting it up that she didn't understand.

Finally, her eyes landed on the small group of people assembled in her hospital room. Grandpa was there, standing next to a nervous looking Souta. Next to them was a worried Hojo. `Oh no. Why can I never get away from him? How did he find me!?' Just then the door flung open and Kagome was pulled into a tight embrace. Her mother spoke into Kagome's hair as Kagome felt tears drip onto her neck.

 

“Oh Kagome! You're finally awake. We were so worried. So…” a sniffle, “so worried.” Kagome's restrained hands reached up to pull her mother into a weak hug.

 

“Mama.” Kagome had missed her mother so much. She hadn't even realized how much until now. “Mama I missed you.” This sent her mother into a fresh round of sobs.

 

“I'm very sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Higurashi, but I need to check on your daughter.” Slowly, Kagome's mother slid her arms from around Kagome's body. As she backed away, a middle aged doctor stepped into view.

 

“How are we feeling today?” Like I just got hit over the head with a clay pot, had my chest jumped on, and my lungs juiced. Other than that I'm fine. Oh and what's with this `we' stuff. I'm the freakin pin cushion right now.

 

“Uhn…” That was all she could manage. Though she may have lots to say, Kagome just didn't have the energy or the strength.

 

“I see. Could you please look up at the ceiling?” Complying, Kagome's eyes focused on a cracked ceiling tile just before the doctor's face came into focus and a bright light forced her eyes to close.

 

“Uhhnn!”

 

“I'm sorry. I have to check to see if you're all right.” He moved over to the beeping machine and stared at the screen for a second, making “ahh” and “uh-huh” noises as he wrote something down on a metal clipboard. And, after moving the fluids in the bag she was connected to around, he turned to face the occupants of the room.

 

“She's recovering well. She was lucky that the man that found her knew C.P.R. That saved her. But it's a good thing she was taken to a hospital after that. She's suffering from severe exhaustion coupled with slight emaciation and an infection has started to form in the gash in her foot. We cleaned out the wound properly and saw to it that it was bandaged properly. She's getting nutrients through the IV. We also want to keep her here for observation and to heal for another week. She'll be on some pretty heavy medicine for the first few days, so, unfortunately, keeping visits short would be in her best interest. Also, Mrs. Higurashi, if I could speak with you alone for just a moment.”

 

“Uh, yes. Yes.” She turned to face the others in the room. “Please,” her voice lowered, “please, I don't want to leave Kagome.” They understood and all quickly exited. Or so she thought.

 

“Sir, I'm sure Mrs. Higurashi would appreciate some privacy during our talk.” Sir…? Who was he talking about? Kagome found the doctor's eyes and followed their gaze. Standing against the opposite wall, hair covering his eyes, hat thrown on his head was the person the doctor was addressing. `Inuyasha…'

 

“No…no, I'd rather him be here actually, if you don't mind.” Kagome heard the doctor sigh at her mother's request.

 

“Very well. Mrs. Higurashi I will get straight to the point. When your daughter was first brought in we examined her to find any other possible injuries. We found many, though they were months old. A few looked as if they could be almost two years old. She has quite a few hairline fractures throughout her body and areas that have been repeatedly cut or bruised. Then we noticed her emaciated and exhausted state. This girl's body has suffered far, far too much trauma for it just to be sports injuries. Her body has obviously been abused. Now, I don't see you hurting your daughter, but it does look very suspicious.” Kagome looked at her mother's stricken face. She saw tears rolling down her face.

 

“You think that I would…would hurt my own daughter!?”

 

“Now, Mrs. Higurashi, I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just saying that by law and conscience she will be kept further to let her heal and to examine for the cause of the injuries. If she wishes, she will be given a counselor to talk to. When she is released, a social worker will be sent to the house once a week for the first two months, twice a month the third month, and once a month for 9 months to check up on Kagome here.” Kagome watched the tears drip from her mother's face as her head shook furiously. Then she heard a low growl come from the corner of the room. Even though she couldn't see his face, Kagome knew exactly what face accompanied that angry sound.

 

“My Daughter! My own Daughter! How dare you!” Her voice was shrill and painful.

 

“Mrs. Higurashi, I ask that you pleased calm down or you will be asked to leave.” Kagome saw her mother deflate as she fell into silent sobs again.”

 

“I'm sorry this has happened. I'm sure it will all be resolved. In the meantime, you may pick up a schedule that will accompany the social worker's visits with Tanako at the desk right outside the door. Again, Kagome will remain under surveillance for the next week but I will leave you now to sit with your daughter. I ask though that Kagome is never left alone with just one other person in the room. I apologize again for this situation.” With that, the doctor stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. Kagome's mother turned towards Inuyasha. She was still shaking slightly from her recent sobs. She was only a few feet in front of him when she started talking.

 

“Inuyasha?” Kagome saw Inuyasha's head tilt up slightly to acknowledge her mother. Kagome almost thought there was a hint of fear in what she could see of Inuyasha's face. “I just wanted to say…to say thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there to save Kagome. But all these other injuries, I mean, what is she doing that is abusing her body this badly. Badly enough for someone to fear that I hurt my own child?” Kagome's mother wrung her hands. “I know I should be upset at you but I know as well as I'm sure you do that if Kagome wants to do something, she will, no matter how much it will hurt her. Especially if she feels she needs to protect someone. And, it's not that I really care that the state will be paying visits. It's just I can't protect her anymore and to some extent, I do feel responsible for Kagome's injuries…so, Inuyasha, please help her stay safe.” Whatever Inuyasha had been expecting her to say, this obviously wasn't it. His mouth betrayed a shock that his covered eyes could not. “I know that no matter how much I want Kagome to stay safely here, she will always find a way back to your time. She has her mind made up and there is nothing that I can do to change it. So again, I ask that you will watch over her. If you can at least keep her from making rash decisions that would be something. And…thank-you again for…for saving her. I don't know what I would have done if, if…” Kagome saw her mother's shoulders droop even lower and watched as fresh tears dripped off her chin. Guilt welled up in Kagome's throat. This was all her fault. The fact that her mother was shedding more tears than she'd ever seen her shed, the fact that she was suspected as an unfit, abusive mother, that fact that Kagome had made her mother worry so severely, it was all her fault.

 

“I'm s-s-sorry. I should be able to be strong, I just…” and with that Kagome's mother just couldn't handle it anymore. Although she had dearly missed her daughter, she couldn't allow her daughter to see her in this state. Inuyasha watched the door close behind Kagome's mother and turned his attention to a floor tile he obviously found very interesting. He knew Kagome was awake and still couldn't look her in the eyes. Besides the fact that the only reason he'd know she was in trouble was because he was spying on her while she bathed, Inuyasha felt very responsible for Kagome's current condition. Kagome's family had not yet returned and Inuyasha was about to end the tense silence when Kagome spoke. He'd known she was still awake, unlike the others that had been in the room, but he didn't know if she wanted to be discovered faking sleep.

 

“Uhm, Inuyasha?” Inuyasha stirred slightly. He waited for her to continue. “You saved me right?” Inuyasha nodded and blushed slightly though, Kagome couldn't see through his thick curtain of silver hair. Kagome didn't know what to say. She had just woken up after being out for who knows how long, her mother had just been accused of child abuse, and the person she should be positively worshipping for saving her wouldn't even look her in the eyes. But, she had to at least thank him. “Well, then thank you.”

A/n: *bwwooh* o.k. so yah the chapter is a bit serious. Sorry. I didn't intend it to be that way, but to maintain some sense of reality I couldn't just have her sent to the doctor's and have them NOT notice all the injuries she's obtained from fighting so often, plus it kinda helps lead into some interesting conversations and situations later on in the story.