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**************************
"C’mon, guys. The mornin’s wasting.
Let’s get goin’ already! Guys?
Guys! Mia, you marshal the troops.
They’re ignoring me."
"All right, listen up! We all promised Ryo we’d help him, did we not?"
"Yes, Mia!" (chorus)
"Are any of you going back on your word?"
"No, Mia!" (chorus)
"Fine, then quit fooling around and let’s *go*
already. General Ryo?
The troops are mustered."
"Hah! General, my ass!"
"Yuli!"
"Oops, sorry Mia."
"C’mon, Ryo, what’s takin’ you so long?
Can the general beat us to the
lake?"
"Rowen! Hey, not fair. You got a head
start! Sage, help me catch
him!"
*SLAM*
***********************
"Huh?" Sai’s sleepy interrogative seemed
to echo in the sudden silence
that descended on the house. Jarred from
a sound sleep, he tried to
gather his scattered wits.
"Mmm, oh," Sai murmured in slow realization as
he drew his legs up to
his chest and snuggled the blankets firmly up
around his chin. It had
been the voices of his friends and the sound
of the front door slamming
that he’d heard. At dinner the previous
evening, Ryo had started a
determined campaign to convince the others to
shovel a large enough area
on the lake so that they could go skating.
At the time, his friends’
enthusiasm had been dubious, at best, yet now,
the happy clatter and
clamor that had awakened Sai seemed to indicate
otherwise.
Wait a minute. Silence? The house
was silent? That was… unexpected.
Cautiously, Sai cracked an eyelid. No doubt
about it, the bedroom he
shared with Kento was quite empty. Nothing
more threatening met his
gaze than the bright sunshine that streamed through
the balcony doors,
turning the hardwood floor where it touched into
a glowing, honey-gold
pool, silhouetting the ladder-back chair that
Kento had placed at their
bedside. Hmmm, the empty, *unoccupied*
ladder-back chair. Sai slowly
smiled. It was the first time in nearly
2 weeks he’d awakened without
his watchdog. Perhaps the others had persuaded
Kento to accompany them
to the lake as well? Sai hoped so.
The idea of having the house to
himself was incredibly attractive.
At the tail end of a yawn, Sai rolled onto his
back. His lazy stretch
was abruptly aborted before he reached full extension
by a taut, mildly
sore twinge in his middle. "Oh, damn."
Beneath the covers, slender
fingers traced the 3 inch scar on the right side
of his abdomen. It was
still a bit sore, yet Sai couldn’t help but smile
to himself as he
curled back onto his side. That scar might
still be sore, but every
time he awakened, it seemed less so. Dr.
Mori had been right. He was
young, in good health, and was, indeed, recovering
quickly.
But, not quickly enough. Like the cloud
which crossed the sun and
dimmed the luminescent, gold of the floor to
a flat tan, the thought
dimmed Sai’s smile. Sighing heavily, he
threw back the covers,
shivering slightly as the cool air prickled across
his naked body. He
wasn’t recovering quickly enough… why’d he have
to get sick to begin
with?
~~~~~ 16 days ago ~~~~~
"Please, is Dr. Mori in? Sai needs to see him right away."
Sai wasn’t surprised when the nurse standing behind
the receptionist’s
desk took one look at them and motioned Kento
towards the nearest
examination room. Perhaps it was because
the waiting room was empty,
perhaps it was because of the fear in Kento’s
voice, perhaps it was
because of the way Kento was cradling him in
his arms since he’d hurt so
badly he’d been unable to walk into the office
himself. Whatever the
reason, Sai really didn’t care. He needed
help, and barging in on Dr.
Mori without an appointment was *way* better
than the emergency room.
The nurse must have gone for the doctor immediately
after closing the
door behind them, for Kento had barely set him
down on the examination
table before Dr. Mori, already ruffling through
Sai’s charts, bustled
into the room.
"You boys are lucky you caught me here.
I’m due at the hospital for
rounds in about an hour. What’s the prob-,
good lord, Sai, you look
absolutely horrible!"
>From his curled position on the examination table,
Sai watched his
doctor’s normally cheery demeanor melt away into
complete seriousness.
His fear that something was seriously amiss grew
even as he tried
concentrate through the pain in order to answer
Dr. Mori’s rapid-fire
questions. Yes, he’d felt feverish; no,
he’d not suffered from either
diarrhea or constipation; yes, his appetite was
non-existent; yes, he
was constantly nauseous, though he hadn’t actually
thrown up; yes, the
pain in his stomach had started around his belly
button, and then moved
to center around the lower right-hand side; yes,
the fever and nausea
had started after the pain.
Taking Dr. Mori’s suggestion, Sai held Kento’s
hand as his abdomen was
probed. Though the doctor’s fingers were
gentle as they pressed, the
pain they elicited was the sharp thrust of a
dagger’s blade, lancing
through him and pinning him to the examination
table. It hurt! Oh, it
hurt! Scarlet dripped from Sai’s lower
lip as he turned his head to the
side, mingling with the few tears he was unable
to suppress and staining
the white tissue beneath his cheek pink.
Miserable, aching soreness
reverberated around and through his mid-section
as Dr. Mori eased up on
the pressure, bleeding away sight and washing
away the sound of Kento’s
cry as Sai’s hand spasmed tightly on his.
"Doc Mori! What does all that mean? What’s wrong with Sai?"
Kento’s strident, insistent voice drew Sai out
of his pain-filled fog,
pulled Dr. Mori’s attention away from Sai’s chart
and his confusing,
medical-speak mutters.
"Appendicitis. Sai, the intestinal virus
you had most likely infected
your appendix. The good news is that we’ve
caught it in time, but the
bad news is that I’m quite sure that your appendix
has ruptured and that
peritonitis has developed. When we get
to the hospital, I’ll order up
an abdominal x-ray and a CBC before we operate,
but I’m sure those will
only verify my diagnosis."
"Hospital? Operate!?!"
"Kento, sit back down and calm yourself!
Yes, operate! Peritonitis is
fatal if left untreated. We must operate
to remove the ruptured
appendix and cleanse his abdominal cavity of
the infection immediately,
or Sai will die."
"Die…"
~~~~~ End flashback ^_^ ~~~~~
But I didn’t die, Kento. Sai scuffed his
feet into his slippers, and
slowly stood. After rummaging through his
dresser for jeans and a
sweatshirt, he made his way out of the bedroom,
down the hall, and into
the shower.
"Die…"
Sai stood still, eyes closed, water as hot as
he could stand it pounding
on the back of his head and shoulders.
He wished that the drumming
droplets could wash away the memory of the mingled
dread, guilt, and
accusation that he’d heard in Kento’s hoarse
whisper, that he’d seen
shining from Kento’s eyes, as easily as they
washed the shampoo suds
from his hair. He was beginning to fear
that he wished in vain, that
that particular memory would never fade, for
it was reinforced daily.
Not in the ambulance, not before they wheeled
him into surgery, not in
the four miserable days he’d spent in the hospital
after his surgery
with nothing more exciting to do than watch the
antibiotics and
pain-killers drip through his IV, not one single
time in the 12 days
since he’d come home. Kento never spoke
the actual words. He didn’t
have to, for his every expression and action
screamed them until Sai
couldn’t help but hear: Why didn’t you
say anything? Why didn’t I
notice? You could’ve died!
But, I didn’t die, Kento. I’m going to be
all right. Sai shook his
head so sharply he nearly lost his footing on
the slick surface of the
shower stall, then resolutely reached for the
soap. Instead of further
brooding, he needed to think of a way to get
Kento to believe that.
Kento. Eyes drifting closed, Sai’s cleansing
motions slowed almost
against his will to lingering caresses; slick,
soapy fingers tracing his
nipples, moving downwards to brush against his
half erect penis. Ah,
hell, Kento. His hands dropped slowly to
his sides, slowly clenched
into fists. No, he didn’t want to do it
this way. It wasn’t his hands
he wanted touching him, but Kento’s.
With something that approached a growl, Sai turned
and wrenched the
shower controls to cold, again resisting the
desire that had been
growing in him ever since his incision had began
to itch more than it
ached. Sai rapidly rinsed the remaining
soap from his no longer aroused
body, then turned off the water and stepped from
the stall. He hugged
his towel to his chest, burying his face into
it’s plush softness. His
incision wasn’t the only thing that itched, yet
he’d had no more success
in getting Kento to scratch that itch than he’d
had in getting his love
to believe that he was really going to be all
right.
Sai quickly and vigorously dried himself, as if
his towel could soak up
his frustration along with the water clinging
to his body. He dressed
and groomed himself as rapidly, his stomach beginning
to rumble. And no
wonder. Strapping on his watch, Sai realized
that it was nearly noon.
Since his surgery, he tired easily, and had been
sleeping much more than
he normally did. Hoping that Mia had left
something simmering on the
stove for breakfast, Sai hung his towel over
a hook to dry, and exited
the bathroom.
"Yeah! Way to go, dude!"
Sai froze, foot hanging in midair above the first
step of the stairs, as
Kento’s voice drifted up to him from the direction
of the family room.
Though slightly disappointed, for he'd relished
the idea of having the
house to himself, Sai couldn’t help but smile
fondly. No one he knew
could get quite so enthusiastically into a game
as his love, and Kento’s
happy cheering was something he’d not heard in
far longer than he cared
to consider.
Well, as it seemed Kento was occupied at least
for a little while, Sai
tread lightly down the stairs, hoping that meant
he’d have a chance to
eat before Kento realized he was awake; he’d
have much more peace that
way.
Glancing towards the entry hall as he made his
way to the kitchen, Sai
smiled again, this time just a bit wistfully.
As most of the jackets
and boots that had taken up residence on and
beneath the pegs on the
wall next to the front door were missing, it
was practically a sure
thing that everyone besides Kento had gone to
the lake. Sai wished he
could’ve gone as well, but he’d been banned from
any strenuous physical
activity for another week to two weeks.
Sai continued on into the kitchen, making his
way to the pot sitting on
the stovetop over low heat. Lifting the
lid, he peeked inside, silently
thanking Mia for her thoughtfulness. She
must have made the oatmeal
just before she’d left the house, for it had
not yet thickened to the
consistency of wall spackle. Grinning,
Sai filled a bowl, and then
scraped what remained in the pot into the container
that Mia had left on
the counter. After placing the container
into the refrigerator, Sai
gave the pot a quick wash, then let the water
out of the sink.
Perching himself on a stool near the counter,
Sai slowly stirred syrup
into his oatmeal, then shook some raisins into
his hand. Two more
weeks? Would that be the point at which
Dr. Mori would declare Sai
fully recovered? With the doctor’s confirmation
that he was all right,
would Kento stop treating him as if he would
up and die at the drop of a
hat? Sai picked up his spoon, then stuck
his tongue out at the cheerful
smiley face he’d created on the surface of his
oatmeal with the
raisins. Kento had better, for Sai was
unsure he’d last another two
days if he didn’t, let alone two weeks and beyond.
His natural optimism reasserting itself, Sai smiled
and picked up his
spoon. He had to hope for the best.
It was a new day, and it was
promising that Kento had been downstairs bonding
with the television
instead of hovering upstairs in that darned chair
waiting for him to
awaken.
Sometime while Sai had been in the hospital, Kento
had managed to
convince himself that he needed to ‘take care
of’ Sai in order to assure
his lover’s well being. Sai would be lying
to himself if he claimed he
hadn’t enjoyed that extra special attention the
first couple of days
back from the hospital. It had been nice
to be pampered, for that
incision had hurt! On the bright side of
things, after those couple of
days, the pain had steadily faded. On the
dark, gloomy, ‘make you wanna
slit your wrists’ down side of things, Kento,
with characteristic
pigheadedness, continued to treat him as if he
were still incapacitated
no matter how Sai protested that he was capable
of caring for himself.
Kento followed Dr. Mori’s orders as if they were
gospel. Dr. Mori said
to get lots of rest, so Kento badgered him into
bed at regular
intervals. If Sai protested he wasn’t tired,
Kento simply scooped him
into his arms as if he were a babe, carried him
to their bed, and then
practically stood guard until he inevitably did
fall asleep. Dr. Mori
said to avoid rigorous exercise, so Kento fetched
and carried. He
wouldn’t allow Sai to do *anything* for himself.
Nothing! Sai was
surprised that his lover wasn’t there to hold
his penis for him while he
peed, not that that would be such a bad thing.
At least that would be
one way to get Kento’s hands on him again.
Since he’d fallen ill, his
lover made no move to touch him and ignored any
attempt on Sai’s part to
instigate any kind of sexual play. Kento
made sure Sai followed Dr.
Mori’s diet. Kento made sure he took his
medication on time. Kento
hovered, rarely leaving Sai’s side. Kento
was solicitous. Kento never
raised his voice. Kento wouldn’t bicker
or banter. Kento was acting so
out of character, that Sai was beginning to suspect
some elves had
stolen his love away, leaving a changeling in
Kento’s place. And that
changeling was slowly driving Sai right out of
his mind!
Sai carried his empty bowl over to the sink, and
turned on the water.
Watching the crystal tide flow over the edge
of the bowl, carrying bits
of oatmeal with it, Sai tried to decide what
he was going to do. He
understood that his illness had rattled Kento.
It had rattled him. It
was not as if he were a stranger to death or
the possibility of dying,
but death as a result of fighting alongside his
friends for something
they all believed in was far different than dying
a pointless death due
to sudden illness. Sai understood that
Kento, with all his mothering
and hovering, meant well, so had, thus far, held
his tongue, hoping that
his constant improvement would reassure Kento
that he was well. Thus
far, it hadn’t.
"All right! Yes!"
Startled, Sai looked up from his contemplation
of his breakfast bowl,
then scowled as he realized he was simply putting
off going to Kento.
He hated that he felt that way, but no matter
how many times he tried to
speak with Kento it was as if he spoke a foreign
language. Kento would
*not* hear him, either couldn’t or wouldn’t understand
him. He loved
Kento with all of his heart and soul, but his
lover was smothering him,
and he feared that when he finally could hold
his tongue no longer, he’d
say something he truly regretted. Sighing,
he turned off the water. It
was a new day, and he hadn’t lost hope.
At least not yet.
The sound of fans cheering on the television grew
louder as Sai
approached the family room. He paused in
the doorway, unable to prevent
a smile at the sight of Kento on his feet, one
arm pumping in a
close-fisted victory sign, and practically dancing
with excitement as
whatever team he was rooting for scored again.
Sai’s hope grew with
each step he took into the room. Kento
was acting… normal.
Wonderfully, beautifully ordinary. Finally!
Could it be his Kento had
returned, ousting the loony changeling?
***********************
To be continued...
Anyone surprised? *grin*
Anyway, was it all right? Please let me know... *big, hopeful eyes*
Ladyglen
