Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Most Nerve-Wracking Nine Months Of My Life ❯ Father-to-be In Panic Mode ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Serenitychan13 
The drama of waiting...
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.10.2004 | Updated On: 07.13.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 974 | Visits: 213 | Status: Completed
The drama of waiting...
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.10.2004 | Updated On: 07.13.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 974 | Visits: 213 | Status: Completed
The Most Nerve-Wracking Nine Months of My Life
A Romantic Comedy by: Serenity-chan
POV = * *
Thoughts = ' '
Speaking = " " (Did I really need to say that?)
Chapter 5
(Or: Father-to-be In Panic Mode)
*Souzou*
I went tearing through the streets at a dead sprint. My heart was racing a mile a minute and I don't think I was even breathing. My mind was flooding with thoughts, both good and bad - mostly bad. Not the least of those thoughts, especially the bad ones, was the thought of what had happened to Reichi's wife, Sadako.
Sadako was about as small and thin as Midori. She was quiet almost to the point of being conisidered shy. So she didn't tell Reichi she was expecting until she could no longer hide it with her kimono. It turned out that her body couldn't handle the birth. A major blood vessel burst deep inside her and there was nothing anyone could do. She fought for her life and held on long enough to name her son. She died a few minutes later in Reichi's arms. Reichi was devastated.
The harsh truth was that there was a very real chance that the same thing could happen to Midori. I shuddered, forgot to look where I was going, and nearly ran into a cow. Midori had to pull through. There was no way I could live without her. We were one soul in two bodies. The chilling reality and the desire to get away from it lent me extra speed.
Within minutes, I was banging on the door of the clinic. I probably looked like a raving lunatic, but that didn't matter to me at the moment. People were staring, but I barely noticed and I didn't care anyway. Thankfully it was the young Dr. Shimada who answered.
"Can I help you, sir?" she asked, eyeing me warily.
I was having a hard time breathing and pressed my hand against the stitch in my side.
"It's... my wife..." I choked out, panting hard.
She stared at me for a second, then raised one eyebrow.
"Oh yes, I remember you now," she said, smiling knowingly once again and irritating the living daylights out of me. "Let me guess... Baby's on the way?"
Unable to speak anymore, I nodded. The young doctor's smile widened and she disappeared for a moment. When she returned, she had a medicine chest with her and her long, dark red hair tied back. Before I could even try to ask, a skinny teenager who was obviously her younger brother screeched to a halt in front of us, driving a small cart.
"You do remember where to go, don't you, Minoru?" Dr. Shimada asked her little brother.
The skinny, red-haired teenager nodded curtly and quickly urged the rather old and tired-looking donkey to top speed. I had finally gained control of my breathing, but my heart was burning and my mind was nearing collapse. Dr. Shimada seemed strangely calm, even for a doctor. She knew even better than I did the danger Midori and our child were in. I felt a twinge of anger in my heart. Did she care if my wife and child lived or died? Was she worried at all?
'Get a hold of yourself, Souzou," I ordered myself. 'She doesn't deserve your anger. You're just worried and you can't take your worry out like that...'
I got so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice when the cart stopped. When Dr. Shimada touched my shoulder, I yelped and nearly fell off. Silently, stinging with embarrasment and numbed with worry, I followed her into the house. I got as far as the spare bedroom when the shoji banged shut in my face.
"What the hell!?" I yelled indignantly, banging on the door.
I got no answer, tried again a couple more times, swore out loud (more than once) and eventually just gave up. There was no way I could stay still, so I just started pacing up and down the hall. This time, I actually was talking to myself. It was this little stretch of time that I regretted swearing off sake. Sure as hell I could use a drink right now.
I nearly died the first time I heard Midori cry out. She sounded as if she were in mortal pain. It was killing me to know that she was in so much pain and there was nothing I could do about it. She cried out again and it damn nearly broke my heart. Reichi's retelling of his wife's death echoed through my head. The only thought that followed was that the same thing could happen to Midori, that I could lose her forever just in the next few moments. I might not even be able to hold her in my arms again, not even just one more time.
'Please... Let her live,' I prayed silently, ceasing to pace for a moment as I leaned against a wall, clenching my eyes shut to ease the burning in my head and heart. 'And my child... I can't lose them both... Don't take them from me...'
Midori cried out in pain again. I winced, worrying that the worst would happen and her body would give up the fight. My heart clenched in fear as I heard Nanaka's voice begging Midori not to give up. Then Midori screamed one last time. For a moment, there was a tense silence.
Then I heard a baby crying...
A Romantic Comedy by: Serenity-chan
POV = * *
Thoughts = ' '
Speaking = " " (Did I really need to say that?)
Chapter 5
(Or: Father-to-be In Panic Mode)
*Souzou*
I went tearing through the streets at a dead sprint. My heart was racing a mile a minute and I don't think I was even breathing. My mind was flooding with thoughts, both good and bad - mostly bad. Not the least of those thoughts, especially the bad ones, was the thought of what had happened to Reichi's wife, Sadako.
Sadako was about as small and thin as Midori. She was quiet almost to the point of being conisidered shy. So she didn't tell Reichi she was expecting until she could no longer hide it with her kimono. It turned out that her body couldn't handle the birth. A major blood vessel burst deep inside her and there was nothing anyone could do. She fought for her life and held on long enough to name her son. She died a few minutes later in Reichi's arms. Reichi was devastated.
The harsh truth was that there was a very real chance that the same thing could happen to Midori. I shuddered, forgot to look where I was going, and nearly ran into a cow. Midori had to pull through. There was no way I could live without her. We were one soul in two bodies. The chilling reality and the desire to get away from it lent me extra speed.
Within minutes, I was banging on the door of the clinic. I probably looked like a raving lunatic, but that didn't matter to me at the moment. People were staring, but I barely noticed and I didn't care anyway. Thankfully it was the young Dr. Shimada who answered.
"Can I help you, sir?" she asked, eyeing me warily.
I was having a hard time breathing and pressed my hand against the stitch in my side.
"It's... my wife..." I choked out, panting hard.
She stared at me for a second, then raised one eyebrow.
"Oh yes, I remember you now," she said, smiling knowingly once again and irritating the living daylights out of me. "Let me guess... Baby's on the way?"
Unable to speak anymore, I nodded. The young doctor's smile widened and she disappeared for a moment. When she returned, she had a medicine chest with her and her long, dark red hair tied back. Before I could even try to ask, a skinny teenager who was obviously her younger brother screeched to a halt in front of us, driving a small cart.
"You do remember where to go, don't you, Minoru?" Dr. Shimada asked her little brother.
The skinny, red-haired teenager nodded curtly and quickly urged the rather old and tired-looking donkey to top speed. I had finally gained control of my breathing, but my heart was burning and my mind was nearing collapse. Dr. Shimada seemed strangely calm, even for a doctor. She knew even better than I did the danger Midori and our child were in. I felt a twinge of anger in my heart. Did she care if my wife and child lived or died? Was she worried at all?
'Get a hold of yourself, Souzou," I ordered myself. 'She doesn't deserve your anger. You're just worried and you can't take your worry out like that...'
I got so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice when the cart stopped. When Dr. Shimada touched my shoulder, I yelped and nearly fell off. Silently, stinging with embarrasment and numbed with worry, I followed her into the house. I got as far as the spare bedroom when the shoji banged shut in my face.
"What the hell!?" I yelled indignantly, banging on the door.
I got no answer, tried again a couple more times, swore out loud (more than once) and eventually just gave up. There was no way I could stay still, so I just started pacing up and down the hall. This time, I actually was talking to myself. It was this little stretch of time that I regretted swearing off sake. Sure as hell I could use a drink right now.
I nearly died the first time I heard Midori cry out. She sounded as if she were in mortal pain. It was killing me to know that she was in so much pain and there was nothing I could do about it. She cried out again and it damn nearly broke my heart. Reichi's retelling of his wife's death echoed through my head. The only thought that followed was that the same thing could happen to Midori, that I could lose her forever just in the next few moments. I might not even be able to hold her in my arms again, not even just one more time.
'Please... Let her live,' I prayed silently, ceasing to pace for a moment as I leaned against a wall, clenching my eyes shut to ease the burning in my head and heart. 'And my child... I can't lose them both... Don't take them from me...'
Midori cried out in pain again. I winced, worrying that the worst would happen and her body would give up the fight. My heart clenched in fear as I heard Nanaka's voice begging Midori not to give up. Then Midori screamed one last time. For a moment, there was a tense silence.
Then I heard a baby crying...