“Imagine one of these two assholes is terminally ill, but decides not to tell the other because REASONS I GUESS”
This was supposed to be a standalone thing, but it ended up fitting pretty well as a possible lead in to Doc’s prequel to my Day 3. But that’s complicated and not really necessary, so here goes. ~580 words, and a warning that it’s not edited very thoroughly because my alarm didn’t go off this morning.
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“I’m calling her.”
Haruka crossed her arms. The hospital gown ruined any effect it might have had. “I thought you’d on my side in this.”
Mina took a deep breath. “I am always on your side. But there aren’t any sides right now. I don’t have any love for the squidly queen, but she’s your wife.”
“And that’s why she doesn’t need to know. She’ll worry.”
Mina was this close to pulling out her hair. Of course Michiru would worry, Mina was fucking worried. The doctor had laid out the odds. Haruka was dammned if she had the surgery, damned if she didn’t. And of course Mina couldn’t cry, if Mina cried finding out Haruka would never be convinced tell Michiru.
“I’m going to be okay, Mina. We’ve always been one in a million, haven’t we?”
Organ failure, the doctor’s words echoed in Mina’s head. Possible brain death. “What about Himeka?”
Haruka sat down on the bed. “Her class is reading Charlotte’s Web. Hopefully I’ll be home before they reach the end, she’s not ready for that.”
“Goddamnit Haruka, stop this. You can’t just pretend this isn’t happening.”
“That’s not…” Her eyes were glassy. “I’ve been reading a lot, Ami would be proud. Patients who believe they’re gonna be okay survive more than those who don’t.” She grabbed Mina’s hand. “I can’t keep believing if everyone says goodbye.”
The paper sheets crinkled as Mina say down too. “Why call me then?”
“I wasn’t going to. But I needed someone.” She looked down. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ll have to make it up to me later. Buy all my drinks next karaoke night.”
Haruka smiled. “I don’t make enough in a week to cover everything you drink.”
Mina forced herself to smile. “Better start saving then.”
They talked awhile about meaningless things, things that slipped through Mina’s mind like water no matter how much she tried to remember them later. Then the nurses swarmed in to prep Haruka.
“You have to go.”
“One hug. For good luck.”
Haruka didn’t argue, and she didn’t protest Mina holding on just a little too long. Mina needed to memorize this, bottle the feeling up for when Haruka wasn’t here. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
“You don’t have to stay here.”
“Okay,” Mina said, as though there were the even the faintest possibility she was setting foot outside the hospital until she knew the outcome. One of the nurses ushered her into the waiting room.
It wasn’t like the waiting room for a normal doctor or the dentist or Mina’s favorite masseuse. There was no television showing the morning talk shows, no friendly issues of gossip magazines. Only scared people avoiding eye contact with all the other scared people. They all knew someone in the room would get bad news. You all don’t have to worry. It’s me today. Fuck Haruka, hiding this until the last possible moment. Fuck her, it was probably the car fumes that fucked her up in the first place, it was all her fault for picking a career like that. Fuck her for putting Mina in this position, fuck her fuck her fuck her.
Mina’s breath caught in a sob. All the scared people kept their eyes averted. No one wanted to acknowledge pain that wasn’t their own. She cried alone until her phone vibrated. There were signs plastered on every wall commanding her not to use it, but Mina didn’t care. Rei’s number flashed on her screen, a shine of something like hope.
“Hello?” Her throat was scratchy.
“Where are you? I’ve been wa—“
“I need you to come to the hospital.
Bring Michiru.”
SittingOverHereDreaming 