Oschner Medical Center

[GGJ5]

The medical center is a short distance from the city limits of New Orleans. As the flagship of the Ochsner Health System, it was founded by Dr. Alton Ochsner, opening as "Ochsner Clinic" in January 1942. The hospital currently has 473 acute care beds and is completely accredited by the Joint Commission of Health Care Organizations.

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

It was late-- or, actually, really early, since it was a nice while after midnight-- when the last part of the Transformers movie finished on YouTube. She'd popped a bag of popcorn for it, but hadn't touched more than a kernel, and now that it was over, the popcorn bag had gone cold. And despite her instincts, Erin let out a yawn, half-disbelieving that she was really tired already. But behind at home with limited things to do had somehow gotten her started on falling asleep earlier than her norm, she supposed. She looked at Yukito with a smile, then rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. "I'm ready to go to sleep," Erin announced before laying back into the bed, though she neglected any cover besides the sheet. It was warm for a winter evening, at least it felt like it to her. "Night," she mumbled, her words muffled by her face halfway in the pillow.

A few hours later, a persistent pain woke Erin out of her sound sleep. Her face wrinkled in discomfort as her hands went to her stomach. Owww.... It had been bothering her a little on and off all day, but nothing really to worry about. It's not like she'd eaten anything that would bother it; she hadn't been very hungry anyway. But clearly her body wanted to disagree. It felt a lot worse now than it had all day. Everything feels worse at night, she thought begrudgingly, shifting her position in hopes to shut up the constant shred of pain. It didn't work. In fact, the movement only seemed to make it worse, and Erin involuntarily sucked in air sharply at the sensation that struck her. Moving onto her back again, Erin found the sore spot and held it, hoping the pressure or warmth of her hands would ease the feeling. Well, it certainly didn't make it worse. A little relieved, Erin took her hands away, only to feel the sharpest and most stark stabbing of pain yet, forcing a sound of exclamation out of her. She looked over at Yukito, wide-eyed, fearing to wake him up for something as stupid as a stomach ache... he had to work and all that, too... But it hurt so bad.. it was making her eyes water with pain. "Yukito," she whispered loudly. If he woke up then, she'd tell him. If not, she would take care of it by herself. Surely she could find some advil or something and go back to bed, right? Or just drink a lot of water or something...

Erin shifted to get to her feet-- carefully, so as not to disturb Yukito, but even as carefully as she tried, it still hurt like heck, making her pause and freeze several times to try to catch her breath from being taken away by the stabbing. Ow ow ow ow oww...!!

The rest of the early morning hours were spent with Erin trying every remedy she could think of, but it only seemed to make it worse. Drinking water, warm or cold, no difference, except it was worse. Same thing with a makeshift heatpad --no more than a wet towel wrapped in a plastic bag and heated, but it served its purpose. Except for now, where it only irritated her more. Now she felt like she was sweating, and shaking, and dizzy, and feeling sick on top of it all, and hurting, and Erin's concern was practically at the ceiling now.. why wouldn't it stop?! By the time the morning light came, she had planted herself in the bathroom, lying down on the floor with her head closest to the toilet. Yes, when Yukito walked in there, he would see her sick and hot and nauseous lying on the floor, but right now she didn't care. It was one long, unceasing stab in her side, going deeper and deeper, and it made her want to cry and scream at this point, but crying only sent the knife even deeper and angrier into her. "It hurts," she moaned out to herself, her voice carrying the ache for tears.

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

He'd spent the evening doing all the boring stuff he'd seen his mother struggle with - organizing the bills and due dates, listing them so he'd remember them later, figuring out which expenses could wait, and how much they'd need for the next month. It took a long time, but he took it without complaining, save for an occasional sigh from weariness. He could hear Erin nearby watching Transformers on Youtube, and he peered over and let out a little laugh to see it, commenting once in awhile. But it was all too soon when Erin had headed to bed, touching his shoulder and informing him she was already tired. He was tired, too. But he had to finish, and he told her so before giving her a quiet, "Oyasume," for the evening.

Jacob Spenser, I hate you for being right. He sighed at the dates and couldn't figure out midway through the month. Another hour or so and he'd figured out the kink, but it was all hanging too delicately for his taste. One unexpected expense and they were shot pretty badly in the proverbial leg. Still alive, but wounded. It would have to do. Yukito was getting tired of the phrase 'for now'. They were safe - for now. The bills could wait - for now. That was enough - for now. They could do without this and that - for now. It was like all the things they desired were just around the corner, and it was taking them forever to realize they were only walking in circles.

But he was going to be happy with that - for now.

He crawled into bed with his jeans still on, hesitating as per usual before moving close enough to touch Erin beside him. She was already really warm, like an electric blanket turned on high. Yukito found that amusing, since he was almost always too cold. He remembered crawling into his mother's bed when he was little, and she always complained that his feet were freezing. To spite her he'd touch her legs with his toes repeatedly, making her squeal with protest and laughter. Now, Yukito curled himself up next to Erin, careful not to touch her too much so she'd feel him and wake up. He wanted her to sleep peacefully for tonight. Sooner than he expected, he had drifted off into sleep as well.

He woke up when he noticed the chill. Yukito instinctively reached out, but felt a fearfully cold empty space where something should be. For a moment, he didn't know what... then..... Erin. Yukito leapt up from the bed as though someone had screamed, racing toward the light on in the bathroom. It was getting into the early hours of dawn, and a hazy color hinted at sunrise all over the house. But the bathroom light was still on. He felt a cry strangle in his throat when he saw Erin on the floor, looking miserable and ill. "Erin!?" he gasped, standing stupidly in the doorway, "What's wrong?"

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"Erin!?" Yukito's voice reached her ears, and she wanted to sit up and tell him she was fine now and crawl back in bed-- god, had she really been up all night? But even thinking about walking now made her feel worse. So she just laid there, face flinching at the sharpness squeezing her from the inside, trying her best to ignore the urge to dry heave.

"What's wrong?"

Instead of words, Yukito earned a groan by response, and Erin forced herself up enough to reach the rim of the toilet, retching from the nauseous pain. As soon as she could, though, she dropped back to the ground, the floor tilting below her even as she lay still, and her retching had only worsened the stabbing sensation. Like ice cold knives in a corkscrew pattern, gutting her alive. "It-- hurts-- Yukito!" Erin managed to get out. She was crying now from the pain, something she could never remember doing before-- not from just pain. There had been emotional stuff before, and it hadn't hurt as bad. She didn't know it was possibly to hurt that bad! Her hands were pressing on her stomach again, almost at her side, and she was scared to let go. If she let go, the feeling might just kill her. "Yu-- Yu--" No other sounds were coming out in her aching sobs, and she felt too hot and too dizzy and too sick.

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"Erin!?" he stepped into the bathroom and received a sharp, painful wave of shock and fear. Erin was sprawled on the floor next to the toilet, looking miserable. As if she'd been slammed violently against the walls all night and then tossed into the oven. Her face looked clammy and her eyebrows knitted in pain. "What's wrong?"

He knelt down next to her, afraid to touch her for fear of hurting her more or setting off some sort of explosive. Erin pulled herself painstakingly up to the toilet,upheaving a whole lot of nothing into the toilet before backing down to the floor. Yukito sat, frozen, on the floor next to her. "It - hurts - Yukito!" she managed, sending his numbed state back into a boiling panic.

"Where? Where does it hurt, Erin?! How long have you been down here? And why the hell didn't you wake me up?!" his voice was obviously afraid. He was so afraid of doing something wrong, that he was too late to do anything, and even if he wasn't, he would probably botch everything until it really was too late. His mother had never let him do anything, and dealing with emergencies definitely wasn't his area of expertise. Instead of ambulances and blood transfusions or anything of that sort, he'd been more accustomed to bumps, bruises, and broken limbs. Scary and painful as all hell, but not deadly. Never that serious. The only time he'd ever dialed an emergency phone number had been for Natalie. Yukito paled, his hands starting to shake. He leapt from the bathroom, reaching for his cell phone by the bed. Dead. Yukito swore loudly and snatched up Erin's cell, racing back into the bathroom as he punched in the numbers as though he had a personal score to settle with them. To Erin, he murmured, "You've gotta tell me exactly where it hurts and how, Erin." His voice shook against his will, his expression unforgiving as he heard a voice on the end of the line. Don't let her die on me!

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

She couldn't answer his questions. How could she answer those?! She could barely get out that she was hurting, much less hear and answer all the thing he demanded. His order didn't even register with her. Erin felt too bad to think. Make it stop!, God, make it stop! Was the only coherent thought in her mind-- everything else was justpain.

At some point Yukito had started speaking to her again. "...Exactly where it hurts and how, Erin..."

"Here!" Erin held her hands tight over her right side, almost at her hip. Her response had been a mixed up cry and scream and if she'd spoken any more than that one word, it wouldn't have made it past her tongue. Only more crying came, and all she wanted in the world was to make it stop! The cries turned into coughing, as if her stomach thought there was anything in it to expel any more, and she was shaking from the tears that were stuck inside, trapped by the constant stabbing. "Knives!" she cried out, in a last ditch effort to explain what she felt. Maybe then he would know how to make it stop. He had to make it stop, he had to know. Oh god, it hurt!

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

There was no denying it. He was panicking. "You've gotta tell me exactly where it hurts and how, Erin." He could hear his voice quivering as he watched her, wishing he could just touch her and fix it with no problems, to just take it away. Or at least to know what he could do, how he could help.

"Here!" Erin cried out painfully, pressing her fingers to her lower right side. She started to cough, and there were tears threatening to fall from the corners of her eyes. Yukito took her free hand and pressed it in his own, feeling more helpless than ever. "Knives!" The voice over the phone pressed to his ear called repeatedly for him, and he turned his attention to it.

"Yes, it's my girlfriend...she's on the bathroom floor and she says her side hurts," he gave their address and answered the necessary questions with a lot of pauses, feeling distanced from his own body. He was having a hard time remembering anything, and almost gave the wrong information several times. "Uh...I don't know if she has a history of health issues. Yeah, she says the pain in her...uh, side...she says it feels like knives." Why was everything getting blurry? And his voice was shaking so hard it was hard for the lady on the phone to understand him. He cursed his own accent. "Her right side. Almost to her hip. Y-Yeah... Should I-- Should I move her at all?" He looked down at Erin, feeling a wetness on hischeek and realizing the blurriness was his own tears. "W-Will it hurt her?" He let out a shaky sigh, "Yes... How quickly will you--?" Yukito wanted to nod, but knew it would be useless over the phone. "'Kay..." Yukito didn't wait for anything more, hanging up the phone and setting it beside him on the bathroom floor.

He leaned towards Erin, his expression twisted and unsure. "Erin? They're on their way. You have to hold on until they get here, alright?" He squeezed her hand in his, "You just gotta hang on for a few minutes." There was a brush against his arm that made him jump, and he looked over to see Chica, her glowing cat-eyes staring up at him in question. She let out a miniscule sound, the noise seemingly unfit to the cruel-looking teeth that she revealed in a sort of half-yawn. Working his lip nervously he pet her with one hand, keeping hold of Erin's in the other. It was an agonizing 'few minutes'. He hated every second. He felt useless. The moment the knock on the door came, Yukito flew up to open the door, unlocking the handle and the deadbolt as fast as his fingers could go, then bolting off into the bathroom as though afraid she couldn't slipped away in those few moments he'd been gone. They asked a lot of questions, and he tried to answer as best as he could during the trip there, but he started to stumble over his own betraying tongue, and finally fell into silence. Yukito was still gripping her hand, the blare of the sirens like blades to his ears as he stared into her face, a dark, fearful look there. "We're almost there, Erin.." he mumbled stupidly. He had no real idea. He just wanted to keep talking to her, to keep reaching out to her and keep her close. He'd just wanted to keep her closer to him.

Whatever it was that was wrong with her, the doctors didn't seem too fazed. They didn't look a fraction as afraid or concerned as he felt. It was just routine, everyday occurances. He was left with a bunch of papers and some short, squat lady with a clipboard and a lot of dumb reassurances as they wheeled Erin off for tests. Yukito didn't even hear the lady. It sounded like a blur.

"I....I don't know!" he complained weakly in answer to the unheard questions. "I have to call her parents. They said they'd..." he had Erin's phone out of his pocket by now, and was flipping through her speed dial with a look of dread. There was no good way to drop this news. He felt strangely, and sickeningly guilty. "Mrs. Spenser? It's Yukito." A pause. He wet his lips, trying to get the strength back to his voice, "Something's wrong with Erin... she was on the floor saying her side hurt really bad. We're at the hospital now," he tried to sound reassuring as much as he could. At least he hadn't botched up getting her the help she needed. But was there something he had missed before? She'd seemed fine earlier that evening. Happy, even, if tired. Was there anything he could have done? "The doctors are taking a look at her to find out what's going on..." The short lady in front of him whispered, and he relayed to Mandi, failing at keeping the growing panic out of his voice, "It might be appendicitis... The nurse says that's pretty common and easy to take care of. But I don't know what else I should be doing, and there are all these papers...I don't know what medical history Erin has, or if she's allergic to any medicines or what..." He trailed off, the foreboding shadow of useless washing over him afresh. "I need your help. Please."

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

She could hear Yukito talking, but not to her-- what he was saying didn't make sense if he was talking to her-- and Erin searched for his face until she found it, talking on the phone. He's calling 911? Am I really that bad? Oh, god.... She wanted to say she could wait it out, that she didn't want to call freaking 911, but instead she sucked in a sharp breath, wincing. It would have been one of the biggest lies she would have ever told that she could just wait it out."Yukitoooo...!" His hand was holding hers, and she tightened her grip on it without thinking, both her hands surrounding his in a vice grip. "Yukito!" Why can't you make it stop?!

"Erin? They're on their way. You have to hold on until they get here, alright?" She gave a fervent nod-- as if she would be going anywhere? "You just gotta hang on for a few minutes." "I'm not.... I'm not going-- ah! Owww...!" Her short attempt at reassurance fell into whimpering as they both waited-- Erin for Yukito to do something, and Yukito for... for whatever he was waiting on... At some point Yukito tore away from her, earning him a loud shout in protest. You can't leave me now!! You can't! He was back soon, though, and she'd taken to crying in his absence. His hand found hers again, and she squeezed it tighter until her knuckles were white with strain, but she didn't care. She just wanted this stabbing ache to stop, even as a bunch of strange people began talking what seemed like all at once, asking things to her and to Yukito, as they poked and prodded her, making her wince and squirm and cry all the more. Not helping!! The sounds of the siren came louder, and she looked around her fervently, through blurry tear-filled eyes and too quick breathing as she was loaded dizzily into the ambulance. Her grip on Yukito'shand never let go. "It still hurts," she whimpered, trying to best to hold back the urge to scream again, her face wrinkled tight in the effort.

"We're almost there, Erin.."

She felt like she was being carted around and shuffled from one person to the next, and at some point she found herself separated from Yukito. The realization hit her hard, and made her crying start anew. It made listening and answering to questions a lot harder-- when did the pain first start? Where? Did this hurt? How about that? Did she have allergies? Was there a possibility she could bepregnant ? "No, stupid idiots!" she cried out at the technicions getting her ready for some kind of scan... Cat scan, she would have guessed if she cared. But she didn't, because a stupid freaking cat scan wasn't going to make her feel any better. Thank god it went fast, even while she wanted to scream the whole time. Finally she was moved into a room and was expecting that they'd give her something to feel better, and when they didn't, her tears came back again. She was still crying when a doctor came in, taking a few tries to get her to calm down enough to pay attention. He explained to her that it looked like acute appendicitis, and he answered Erin's next question before she could even get it out-- the inflammation had grown so rapidly that the quicker they took it out of her, the better. "You're gonna cut me?!" she screeched out, sitting up a little in protest until the pain hit her twofold. "Fine!" She sat back on the hospital bed and started crying again, as the doctor said something about preparing her for surgery. "I want my boyfriend...!"

Meanwhile, at her parents' house, the phone rang only once to wake up Mandi Spenser from her light sleep. Her husband slept through the ringing, and most of the conversation, despite it taking place right beside him. "Hello?" she whispered, still half-asleep.

"Mrs. Spenser? It's Yukito."

"Yukito..." She sat up, more alert now, instincts kicking in. "What's wrong??"

"Something's wrong with Erin..."

"What happened?" The words were rushed and panicky, and her grip on her phone tightened.

"She was on the floor saying her side hurt really bad. We're at the hospital now."

"The hospital? Oh, my god..." All premise of whispering was gone now, and she began shoving her husband's side in order to wake him up fast. "Get up, Erin's in the hospital," she ordered him as soon as Jacob registered signs of consciousness. The words immediately sent him into action as he haphazardly shoved bare feet into the nearest shoes and scrambled to don a jacket at least. Mandi grabbed the keys. "We're coming right now, Yukito. What happened? Did they tell you what's wrong yet? What room number is she? Where are you? We're coming now," she repeated, muttering behind her words a series of half-whispered prayers.

"The doctors are taking a look at her to find out what's going on... It might be appendicitis... The nurse says that's pretty common and easy to take care of." Mandi relayed the information to her husband, the both of them praying that that was all it was. "But I don't know what else I should be doing, and there are all these papers...I don't know what medical history Erin has, or if she's allergic to any medicines or what..."

"She's not," her mother immediately responded. "No allergies. Thank God."[/b]

"I need your help. Please."

"We're almost there, Yukito, we have emergency lights on and everything. We're going as fast as we can, all right? She's my baby, too. We'll be there in just a few minutes, Yukito. You don't have to hang up, you can stay on the phone with me. What else do you need to know right now? Tell me when they tell you what's wrong, okay?"

It didn't take them much longer to get there, finding the first parking space they could and practically sprinting into the ER lobby. "Yukito?" The call came from the both of them a few times before Jacob spotted him, and immediately Mandi pulled Yukito to her in a hug. "Have you heard anything? How is she?"

Jacob eased the papers and forms away from Yukito, concern deep in his disheveled face. "I'll finish these for her. Can you go check on her? Please?" It would have been impossible to miss the pleading in his voice, as calm and rational as he was trying to be right now.

Inside another room where they'd moved Erin, she was being prepared for the surgery she hadn't imagined she would have to have. She'd never had a surgery, especially not like this, and she was scared. She didn't know where anyone was, and she wanted Yukito back. And she wanted her parents. Right now. And she wanted the freaking anesthesia that would make her quit hurting so bad. But they were making her change into the stupid backless paper gown and answer a load of questions first. Again with the questions. "I want my boyfriend! I want my family!" she answered them vehemently. "I want them," she repeated, the plea broken up by painful tears.

It didn't take much longer for the doctor to return, with a bunch of other people in scrubs, and they started prodding her again. Some lady was trying to talk to her about a needle and going to sleep and she sounded like she'd said it a dozen times, so Erin just nodded, ready for it all to be over. Whatever, just do whatever! She didn't even feel the prick of the medicine as she felt her head and eyes grow quickly heavy. "I want 'em," she ordered one more time, weakly and somewhat slurred as the anesthetics kicked in completely.

The anesthetics weren't completely worn off when she woke up, either, even though apparently the surgery was done. No one was poking her anymore, and the stabbing pain was gone, even though she still felt gross and full and sore. It felt like a dream. Erin let out a little half-awake groan and reached one hand out to her side, searching for the cell phone she normally kept in that area, were she still at home. "He-eyy..."

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"Hello?" she whispered, still half-asleep.

"Mrs. Spenser? It's Yukito."

"Yukito..." He could hear her voice, and knew she could tell something was up. "What's wrong??"

"Something's wrong with Erin..." He felt worse than the bearer of bad news...he felt almost like the cause of it.

"What happened?"

He took a deep, shaking breath. "She was on the floor saying her side hurt really bad. We're at the hospital now."

"The hospital? Oh, my god..." He heard her trying to wake up Jacob. "Get up, Erin's in the hospital," To Yukito she said, "We're coming right now, Yukito. What happened? Did they tell you what's wrong yet? What room number is she? Where are you? We're coming now,"

"She was fine when she went to bed last night, but she must've gotten up at some point..." he didn't like the think on the fact that she hadn't come to wake him. Oh, God...what if she had? The sinking feeling in his stomach hardened into a knot. "The doctors are taking a look at her to find out what's going on... It might be appendicitis... The nurse says that's pretty common and easy to take care of. But I don't know what else I should be doing, and there are all these papers...I don't know what medical history Erin has, or if she's allergic to any medicines or what..."

"She's not," her mother immediately responded. "No allergies. Thank God."

"Yeah, I knew she had no food allergies, so I could at least give them that..but that's not very helpful here.. and I don't know if she'd had surgeries before or what medications she's taken in the past and..." He made himself stop to breathe, tried of hearing his own panic and ready to slap himself at this point to keep himself under control. "I need your help. Please."

"We're almost there, Yukito, we have emergency lights on and everything. We're going as fast as we can, all right? She's my baby, too. We'll be there in just a few minutes, Yukito. You don't have to hang up, you can stay on the phone with me. What else do you need to know right now? Tell me when they tell you what's wrong, okay?"

He nodded slowly, even though she couldn't see it. Seeing the forms in front of him made him feel like a preschooler. He couldn't remember what meds Erin took these days, since she avoided the subject he tried not to dig for them or anything. Every question made him feel less and less like he knew how to take care of her. Even on the simple ones he drew a blank, having to stoop into asking her parents for help. I should know these...shouldn't I? But I've only really known what's been going on with her for the last year...how would I know?

Because I should have.

"Okay, I'm on the last page. You guys just get here as quick as you can," he mumbled into the phone, closing it and looking up just as a doctor came his way. Yukito heard the explanation, but all he wanted was a simple, 'she's going to be just fine', even in that stupid, lame, just-keep-them-happy-and-shut-them-up voice. He nodded numbly as both the Spenser parents spotted him. Yukito turned, seeing their worried faces as they came toward him.

"Yukito?" Mandi pulled Yukito to her in a hug, making his eyes widen in surprise. For some reason, he had expected a reprimand, or exclamations of guesses as to what had happened or harsh questions. But the whole time they'd been just worried. Only worried.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, barely audible into Mandi's hug. He blinked away the slight pangs at the corners of his eyes, not even sure what he was apologizing for.

"Have you heard anything? How is she?"

He moved away from Mandi, looking into her eyes, "It's appendicitis. They're taking her into surgery." Stupid tears, still threatening to come. At least the panic had given away to his regular dull tone. At least he could hide behind that. "The doctor said it like it's a right-now sort of thing, but she should be fine since they've got it now."

Jacob eased the papers and forms away from Yukito, concern deep in his disheveled face. "I'll finish these for her. Can you go check on her? Please?" Yukito looked up at him, feeling weak. To be honest, he'd been avoiding going to check on her. He'd busied himself in the hallway where they'd taken her away, determined not to fixate his mind on imagining any of the millions of things they would have to do to keep her safe for him, and for the people that loved her. He hated hospitals. He hated them as though they were a torture chamber. Waiting around, with nothing to do, feeling pain and sorrow and wondering what went wrong, feeling helpless. The clean and cold added to the unwelcome atmosphere, no matter how many fish tanks sat around the waiting rooms, or how many boring paintings were hung up on the walls. He didn't want to go see her, because he was deathly afraid to find her dead, even against all the logic that said she was going to be alright, that she was in good hands who would do everything, anything, to keep her alive for him. Yukito wandered indecisively behind Mandi, several steps after her, but close enough to hear Erin in the room as they approached. She was calling for her parents... and she was calling for him. Yukito stopped outside the doorway, and by the time he mustered enough courage to step inside, she was blurring under the anesthesia.

And he was too late to say anything as her eyes closed. Now the real wait began.

Yukito paced the waiting room a thousand times, sat staring off into the middle distance. He watched stupid sitcoms on the room television, and did his best to avoid talking to the Spensers while not seeming to. He felt as if he spoke too much, it would ruin the egg-shell-fragile protection he had over his self-control. Or that it could possibly affect her surgery. He rifled through the list of eerie brochures and informative bookmarks to see if he could find anything on appendicitis, but he came up empty. The updateshe received were like lifelines to a reality he didn't feel attached to completely, and he found himself jumping up from his seat and walking over before the nurse had a chance to spot him or call his name. He could tell she was getting irritated, but not as irritated as he was getting. Yukito kept telling himself over and over again to calm down and just wait it out, that it was a routine procedure, that there were good signs according to the nurse, that they had everything under control. The worst times were the gaps between, hands down.

The moment the surgery was over, he thought he could relax. But there was still a long recovery ahead of them. But thank God she's gonna be alright.. He found himself letting out a sigh of relief, almost forgetting that Jacob and Mandi were even there. "When can we see her?" He didn't want the opportunity to check on herpass again. He felt horrible for not going in to see her immediately after calling her parents. As soon as he was allowed, he trailed into the room and directly to her side, reaching out for her hand. For both his languages, he couldn't find one word to describe how it felt to see her lying on the hospital bed, a reptetive and aggravating beeping noise indicating that she was doing fine.His knees went weak. Yukito found his hand slipping from hers as he managed to stumble backwards into a chair, feeling nauseous.

Then she moved, relinquishing a quiet little groan she usually did when waking, her hand waving around, searching for something. Yukito wondered what it was, wishing it was him. But she hadn't reached over to wake him up early this morning, had she? So it couldn't be. The sinking feeling in his gut had fallen to deep below basement levels, and he couldn't keep the sensation lifted enough to smile hopefully like he wanted to.

"He-eyy..." she mumbled. Yukito leaned forward a little, willing her to open her eyes.

"Hey..." he said quietly, refusing to reduce his voice to a whisper. There was a long pause as he sat, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers entwined in front of his face, trying to manage that hopeful smile he wanted to really greet her with. "Are you really awake now, or are you messing with me?" There was a chilly sort of sarcasm to his voice, as he struggled to smile.

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

Her mother had just come in as she went under the anesthetics, but not her dad. Or Yukito. Where are... they... Her thoughts fell into nothingness as the injection did its job and the doctor and his medical folk began theirs. She remembered not a thing.

Some time after it was all over, the anesthesia wore off enough that she began to wake. Automatically, Erin searched for her phone, her mind telling her she was in bed beside Yukito and was checking to see what time it was, so that she could choose to sleep longer. Instead she found nothing, and assumed her phone had gotten knocked out of position as she slept, or that maybe Yukito moved it as some kind of joke. Where was he? She didn't feel him. Everything felt off. Oh... hospital... stomach.... That's right... "He-eyy...."

"Hey..." came the quiet whisper in reply. "Are you really awake now, or are you messing with me?"

"Mmm?" She turned her head towards the sound and slowly opened her leaden eyes. "I'm... oh.. hi," Erin mumbled, eyes seeing a distant and blurry Yukito. At least she thought it was Yukito.

"She's awake!" Another familiar voice-- female. Mama. Erin lifted her head groggily to see both her parents at the end of her bed, but then they'd vanished and reappeared closer to her, one on each side. Her mom immediately began gushing on about how worried they'd been and how thankful she was that Yukito had called them, and that she would be just fine after a couple of days and then Erin could go home, etc.... but she wasn't really paying attention. It felt like she was still drifting in and out of sleep, though it was hard to tell. On the other side, her dad managed to catch her at one of her more awake moments to ask her how she felt. "Mm... I feel full... 'n' gross..." Erin made a little face to demonstrate her discomfort. "And outta it..." she tacked on, her heavy tongue slurring the words a bit. "That's fine, Erin, it's normal. The nurse told me that was what we should expect. It'll be gone soon," replied Jacob, patting one of her hands with his.

Her eyes closed briefly, then reopened. "Am I still aslee..." She trailed off, trying her best to find Yukito again, sitting up halfway before feeling the soreness and heaviness and dropping back again. "That's just the medicine, baby, it'll wear off.." her mom assured her, kissing her daughter's cheek and taking one of her hands in both of hers. "I am so glad you are okay, Erin." She kissed her hand, too, before giving it back to its rightful owner.

Instead of answering them, Erin just muttered, "Where's Yuyukun? I thought... where'd y'go?" She felt a sleepy smile cross her face. "Hey, love... I love you.. did you know that? Where's my phone? I think I lost it 'gain." Her eyes closed again and she didn't bother to reopen them. "I'm sleepy. Let's get married. I'mma sleep, 'kay? I'm cold..." The word was hardly out of her mouth before she had gone back to sleep.

While she was once again in sleep, the same doctor made his way into the room, the tiny hospital cube becoming more and more crowded. He explained the recovery to her parents and to Yukito, that she needed a couple of days in the recovery room but if she continued to do just as fine as she was now, it would be pretty smooth sailing. She would be sore for maybe a week or two, a pretty strong sort of sore that would need tending to, so he would write Erin a prescription just until she felt better after that first week or so. Overall, it would be about a month, maybe six weeks before she was completely healed up on the inside, and as he dismissed himself, he noted he would be back or have a nurse come back to explain some recovery guidelines to Erin once she woke up again. Deep in sleep, Erin missed it all, not even dreaming.

Once again later, she woke up, feeling more awake though not a hundred percent, and feeling more sore than she remembered. "Mm... ow... ugh..." She grimaced. I don't feel good...

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"He-eyy...."

"Hey..." he called out to her, watching her brow crinkle as she tried to open her eyes. "Are you really awake now, or are you messing with me?"

"Mmm?" She turned her head towards the sound of his voice and slowly opened her eyes. "I'm... oh.. hi,"

"She's awake!" Mandi exclaimed. Both her parents rushed in on either side of the bed. Yukito stood up and hovered behind Jacob's shoulder, a little smile starting to tug at his expression. Mandi started doing thegush thing to Erin again, saying a lot of things that were kind of obvious and seemed ridiculous to have to say. But then again... Erin looked seriously out of it. Her movements were slow and labored, as though she were underwater, or had forgotten how to use them. Jacob asked how she was feeling, which also seemed at first a silly thing to ask- you could practically tell just by looking at her face - but he had to admit he was wondering if she was still hurting. Had the pain completely ebbed away in those long hours, or did it still linger? Was there something the doctors were waiting to do that could take it all away completely? Was there something he should do to help her now?

"Mm... I feel full... 'n' gross..." Erin made a little face to demonstrate her discomfort. "And outta it..."

That's fine, Erin, it's normal. The nurse told me that was what we should expect. It'll be gone soon," replied Jacob, patting one of her hands with his.

Her eyes closed briefly, then reopened. "Am I still aslee..." She trailed off, then started to try sitting up, only making it halfway before she fell back heavily onto the sheets. When she'd started to move, he'd jerked a little instinctively forward, as if to hold her up, but the movements of her parents held him back. As much as he was grateful for them being there, handling things, he wished he had a moment to welcome her back to the land of the living alone. Just a moment...

"That's just the medicine, baby, it'll wear off.." her mom assured her, kissing her daughter's cheek and taking one of her hands in both of hers. "I am so glad you are okay, Erin." She kissed her hand, too, before giving it back to its rightful owner.

Instead of answering them, Erin just muttered, "Where's Yuyukun? I thought... where'd y'go?" He stepped forward, smiling a little at the sleepy smile on her lips.

"I'm here, Erin." I've been here the whole time.

"Hey, love... I love you.. did you know that?"

"Yeah, I know...I love you, too," he managed.

"Where's my phone? I think I lost it 'gain." He pulled it out of his pocket to show her, but her eyes were already closed. "I'm sleepy. Let's get married. I'mma sleep, 'kay? I'm cold..."

He stood frozen for a moment in surprise at the loop-de-loops on Erin's mental roller coaster, but didn't have time to ask her about the random comment before she was breathing evenly again, completely asleep. "I'm sleepy, let's get married"? Those anesthetics work wonders. As strange as it was to admit, he'd seen her acting similarly before, on a certain Bourbon St. But even then she'd managed to stay awake. Yukito felt the doctor coming in and shuffled closer to the wall, farther from everyone else and at Erin's head, watching her sleep. With an unreadable expression, stillnumb from the hours of waiting, he listened to the doctor explain the future for him and Erin. He couldn't imagine Erin lying around for a week on painkillers. She was always moving. He already had a hard time making her not do anything crazy, now she was going to be drugged, sore, injured, (probably cranky from the previous three) and liable to do something crazy. But either way, he dreaded the moment her parents might offer to bring her home until the recovery was over. He didn't want them to have to take care of her while he was at work. The hours at the music store now seemed to stretch on for eternity.

"...A month, maybe six weeks before she is completely..."

He hated hospitals.

"Six weeks...." he mumbled, turning to stare down at her again when the doctor left. Yukito let out a sigh. "Do you mind if I sit with her alone for awhile?" he asked her parents, uncertainly, "Just for a few minutes?"

Both his hands moving up to grip the weird plastic bars he never understood on the sides of the bed, his own fingers feeling cold in the chilled atmosphere of the hospital. He hated the ugly lights and the feeble attempts at warming the view of a hospital world that showed no mercy. He hated the reassuring voices of doctors working on their bedside lies, veiled delicately in fact and gentleness. He hated the smells and the sounds, or the lack thereof. He wished he could have woken up that morning to the sounds of Erin taking a shower or dropping something in the kitchen, or Chica clawing into his shoulder, or distant rock music already ringing through the thin walls of the apartment, through either their cell phone alarmsor the small radio shoved onto the kitchen counter that migrated all over the house with them like a baby. He wanted that, not the emptiness he felt now, not sure if something could have been done to prevent their rude awakening to this morning.

He stared down at Erin and mentally willed away the last twenty-four hour period. He'd do it over again, if he had to. If he could have. What had they done wrong? She hadn't eaten anything weird. Well.... no weirder than normal. She'd felt fine the evening before, as far as he knew.

She didn't move for a long time. Or maybe it was just because the stupid hospital ripped away all his sense of time or justice. He was sure it had been more than a few minutes, but Mandi and Jacob weren't back yet. Yukito leaned forward, feeling stiff, and took her hand. "Erin?" Nothing yet. He leaned farther forward and kissed her forehead.

"Mm... ow... ugh..." She grimaced.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he half-sung, then, more seriously, "You made this one of the worst nights in my life."

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

The moment Erin woke up, she felt the gross soreness in her stomach and the dizzying throbbing in her head. "Mm... ow.. ugh..."

Yukito was right next to her but she still jerked a little in surprise to hear his singsong tone: "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

"I am awake, baka..." Erin muttered, turning to look at him with a tired smile. "Sore as crap, but awake...."

"You made this one of the worst nights in my life."

"Can't say it was my best night either, you know," Erin retorted dryly, briefly closing her eyes again in discomfort. "I really don't feel good... How long do I have to stay here?" Another little groan and she pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead. "Feel like I drank too much or something..." She turned to look at him again, already sick of feeling helpless and stuck in a gross, uncomfortable bed in a boring room feeling huge and gross.... "Maybe.. is this normal? Maybe we should call the nurse... I really don't feel good...."

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he murmured gently to her. She jumped a little at his voice, though he'd been there for a long time.

"I am awake, baka..." Erin managed to smile up at him, and he chuckled. She seemed to enjoy calling him that at the weirdest times. "Sore as crap, but awake...."

"Good. You made this one of the worst nights in my life," he stated with sincerity..

"Can't say it was my best night either, you know," Erin retorted dryly, making him smirk. "I really don't feel good... How long do I have to stay here?"

"Just a couple of days. Luckily." He handed her the cell phone he'd kept in his pocket since sometime early that morning. "Full recovery takes a month to six weeks, according to the doctor. Welcome to appendicitis."

Another little groan and she pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead. "Feel like I drank too much or something..." She turned to look at him again, and he moved his hand down to take hers. "Maybe.. is this normal? Maybe we should call the nurse... I really don't feel good...."

"I can imagine it completely normal to feel weird, but I wouldn't have thought it would feel full... Your appendix tried to implode or something. They managed to get it out in time and everything, though." He shrugged, then stepped out to the hallway, stopping a nurse and asking her within Erin's hearing. More to reassure Erin than anything. He got an aggravatingly long explanation of symptoms Erin would have to endure for the future, and slipped back inside with a mumbled thanks. "Sounds like you're gonna feel bloated for awhile, Erin."

Yukito stared at her quietly for a second, then, "Erin...did you try to wake me up?" The sentence sounded too oblivious to all the implications behind it. It should have revealed how guilty he felt and also carried the light weight of the accusation. A question hehated and needed an answer to. Did she try to wake him and he'd be too stupid and asleep to get up and help her, or did she try to handle things on her own? Neither was really a good answer.

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"I really don't feel good... How long do I have to stay here?"

"Just a couple of days. Luckily."

"Two days?!" Erin complained, already weary of the place. "I have to eat and sleep here? Ugh... this sucks..."

For some reason Yukito handed her her cell phone, and she took it, giving him a thoroughly confused look. "Why are you giving me this?"

"Full recovery takes a month to six weeks, according to the doctor. Welcome to appendicitis."

The number hit Erin hard-- really, six weeks like this?!-- and she glared at the tiled ceiling, growling at it. "I don't wanna feel this crappy so long!" She knew she was whining a lot, but Erin didn't really care enough to do otherwise... she'd kind of earned the right to a little complaining, being she had part of her organs removed. Another little groan and she pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead. "Feel like I drank too much or something..." She turned to look at him again, and he moved his hand down to take hers. "Maybe.. is this normal? Maybe we should call the nurse... I really don't feel good...."

Yukito wasn't very helpful. "I can imagine it completely normal to feel weird, but I wouldn't have thought it would feel full... Your appendix tried to implode or something. They managed to get it out in time and everything, though."

"I figured that much... I'm not hurting like I was but I feel awful, Yukito, okay?"

Yukito just shrugged and left the room, apparently getting her point since he stopped a nurse and posed her same question. Erin wished the scrubbed worker would just quit the rambling so Yukito could come back in-- a simple yes or no answer would have been fine, whether what she felt was normal and if they'd do anything about it. She was in their hospital, weren't they supposed to make her feel better? Finally Yukito was freed and he came back into her room. "Sounds like you're gonna feel bloated for awhile, Erin."

Erin's face contorted in disgust. "Ugh... 'bloated', such a freaking ugly word... Now I have this idea that I look like a whale too, instead of just feeling like one. Thanks." She glanced away, pouting a little. Didn't anyone get that she felt bad?

"Erin...did you try to wake me up?"

"Only once..." she mumbled, looking back up at him. "It didn't hurt all that bad earlier so I was just gonna tell you I was getting up 'cause I didn't feel good, but I didn't wanna try to wake you up too much, because it felt stupid to wake you up just because my stomach hurt. Like, what if I woke you up and all and all it was was like, me having to go to the bathroom or something stupid like that? It woulda been awkward and stupid to wake you up for that... Yukito, really, I feel like crap, can't you get a nurse actually in here this time? It's their job to make me feel better and right now they suck at it."

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"Two days?!" Erin complained, "I have to eat and sleep here? Ugh... this sucks..."

"I know how you feel," he handed her her cell phone and she took it, not understanding.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Because," a tiny smile reappeared on his lips, "You asked for it. One of the first things you wanted when you woke up earlier." His smile vanished. Today he was her bearer of bad news. "Full recovery takes a month to six weeks, according to the doctor. Welcome to appendicitis."

As worn out as she was, she was awake enough now to glare at the ugly ceiling, growling at it. "I don't wanna feel this crappy so long!" Another little groan and she pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead. He didn't have anything to reassure her with. At this point he was still thankful she hadn't gotten anything worse and had survived the night. "Feel like I drank too much or something..." She turned to look at him again, and he moved his hand down to take hers. "Maybe.. is this normal? Maybe we should call the nurse... I really don't feel good...."

"I can imagine it completely normal to feel weird, but I wouldn't have thought it would feel full... Your appendix tried to implode or something. They managed to get it out in time and everything, though."

Apparently, the drugs really had worn off. "I figured that much... I'm not hurting like I was but I feel awful, Yukito, okay?"

Yukito just shrugged and left the room and stopped a nurse to get her some answers, staying close by so Erin could hear the long list of what she would have to deal with in the future month-to-six-weeks. When he did come back she didn't look any happier. "Sounds like you're gonna feel bloated for awhile, Erin."

Erin's face contorted in disgust. "Ugh... 'bloated', such a freaking ugly word... Now I have this idea that I look like a whale too, instead of just feeling like one. Thanks." She glanced away, pouting a little. He leaned forward, smiling a bit at her protruding lips.

"You don't look bloated, and you don't resemble a whale, I promise you." he stated matter-of-factly, "Whales don't make hospital gowns look the way you do." A long pause, and he watched her face, sobering up before adding, "Erin...did you try to wake me up?"

"Only once..." she mumbled, looking back up at him. He felt the hope and optimism in his chest crumble to the ground. It was like she had just informed him of his own betrayal. "It didn't hurt all that bad earlier so I was just gonna tell you I was getting up 'cause I didn't feel good, but I didn't wanna try to wake you up too much, because it felt stupid to wake you up just because my stomach hurt. Like, what if I woke you up and all and all it was was like, me having to go to the bathroom or something stupid like that? It woulda been awkward and stupid to wake you up for that... Yukito, really, I feel like crap, can't you get a nurse actually in here this time? It's their job to make me feel better and right now they suck at it."

He stood still for a moment, staring blankly down at her. "Erin, they've done all they can for now. Soon they'd load you up with a bunch of meds and it's gonna suck, but they can't take that away. I've already asked a million times while you were in surgery. What bothers me is that I'm not able to do anything for you. Not really. I didn't wake up when I couldn've helped you earlier. I woke up and you were on the bathroom floor" He paused, working hard to keep himself under control. He wanted to tell her he'd find someone to help, even if it was just to get him out of the room and keep her satiated for a few more minutes. But he couldn't. "You scared the hell out of me."