Endless Chase chapter ten
Sorry, guys. I should have posted the chapter a little while ago… But my dog died earlier. D:
Anyways. Yet again, if you want to know anything that's going on-like if the chapter will be postponed or something (or to get sneak peeks of future chapters), follow me on twitter (at)desperatembrace! Same tumblr, same Livejournal!
Started January 31st
Completed February 4th
Chapter Ten
Shock
Shock: (Noun) a collapse of circulatory function caused by severe injury, blood loss, or disease, and characterized by pallor, sweating, weak pulse, and very low blood pressure.
Or, Alternate:
(Noun) a sudden or violent disturbance of the mind, emotions, or sensibilities.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o
I made a mistake.
I was stubborn, unwilling to admit to the fact that my health was a serious problem. Unable to admit to the fact that being stuck in the guise of Conan was severely limiting. In the face of an experienced, professional assassin, I had little to hold my own.
Despite the obvious logical conclusion, I chose to ignore my health and chose to follow the assassin. I very nearly lost my life due to that decision.
But of course, Hattori wouldn't allow me to lose my life. So he made his decision.
Regardless of our other two companions, he gave me the antidote.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o
The supposed 'safe place' that KID had mentioned was one of his safe-houses, set aside as a hideout lined along his one of his more frequented escape routes after heists.
KID's safe-house had ended up being the entire third floor of a multi-business complex building. It seemed that this particular floor had been undergoing renovations so it could be leased once more, but when the recession had hit… Well, needless to say, there hadn't been enough funding to continue the upgrading process. So the entire story had been untouched for the better part of a year. Or so the enigmatic thief had said as Heiji had questioned him upon approaching the building. There was really no telling with him.
It took a little maneuvering to slip in unnoticed, but the trio had managed to get in without anyone seeing.
Conan had been deposited on a small, makeshift cot in the near the center of the slightly-dusty room located at the center of the third floor. KID rifled around with some stuff in the cabinet in the far corner of the room, pulling out various medical supplies as quickly as he could. Heiji sat next to Conan, having just finished ripping the bespectacled boy's shirt a bit to examine the wound as best as he could in the dim light provided by a few construction lights (each shielded with little metal cages) haphazardly installed into the ceiling of the room.
Hakuba hovered nearby, glancing worriedly at their surroundings. He took in the room in a way that only a detective could, methodically storing the information away. There were no windows, and therefore no chance of someone happening to look in despite the late hour. The room was relatively large, about the size of a small gas station. It was sparsely filled. A cot (currently occupied by their injured companion) sat in the center of the room, next to a bedside table and across from a small couch off to one side. A chest, sink, and set of cabinets were lined up on the opposite side. There were a couple of chairs situated around the couch, one of which sat beside a mini fridge. In another corner was a table littered with various gadgets.
They probably weren't too far from the heart of the city-from what he figured, they were ten minutes by foot at the most. They would have to wait at least an hour or two before they could leave the safety of the hideout without the chances of their pursuers finding them. They would likely give up during that time period. For now, however, they had to concentrate on administering first aid to their youngest companion.
KID pulled away from the cabinet, arms uncharacteristically cluttered with a slew of medical supplies. Without pause, he made his way over to the three detectives, depositing his load upon the nearby table. "How is it?" he asked, voice hushed as he sorted through the small heap.
Heiji took but a moment to answer. "The bleedin' has slowed down a lot. It didn't hit any arteries or major veins, so it should be safe ta get the bullet out." He held up the barely-blood-stained cloth he had been using to stave the flow of blood to support his words and then said, "It was def'nitely a handgun, so the wound isn't large 'nough to cauterize. Stitches would be the most he would need, if at all. We'd hafta see how big it is after takin' the bullet out." KID nodded, finding himself unable to speak any further. That such a thing would happen to tantei-kun…
He shook the thought away, setting the alcohol, tweezers, pocket knife, and gauze aside. These particular items would be the main things necessary for the procedure. Unfortunately, seeing as how they had wasted a lot of time trying to get there (and the patient had yet to regain consciousness), any sort of numbing agent would be rendered ineffective and time consuming. They couldn't afford to wait for it to kick in. Hopefully, everything should go okay for the process and all other supplies would be unneeded.
At this point, they could only hope.
Heart thumping in his chest, the young thief turned to the other two males, gesturing to the pale child. "Have either of you done this before?"
Honestly, chances were that both detectives had treated a gunshot wound before. It was almost to be expected of their job. He was giving them a chance to intervene, though. He knew that the other two probably still didn't fully trust him and wouldn't want him to do the procedure. KID knew that he himself was probably generally good candidate at playing doctor this time around-he'd been shot once himself and dealt with it alone. Not to mention he was naturally good with his hands. But still. If the other two didn't want him touching the child, it wasn't really something that could be forced.
Heiji nodded, but said, "I have, but…" He held up a hand, gesturing to the minute shakes rippling through his body. Nothing more needed to be said. It was obvious that this particular incident had hit a bit too close to home for the Osakan. The magician then turned to Hakuba. The half-British detective simply nodded, eyes boring into his own. He made no move toward the supplies.
The chances were that Hakuba was using this moment to fish for more information on the infamous KID, but they really didn't have the time to argue. Kaito wasn't going to argue. He wanted to make sure that tantei-kun made it out of this predicament alive, and the fact that he was going to be the one to do the procedure somewhat helped his nerves. He knew that there was little to no chance of the other two making a mistake, but… Well, he had always been rather protective of the tiny detective.
Conan had to live.
Without another word, he made his way over to a lone sink on the wall, making quick work of washing his hands. He wiped his hands on his clothes and trailed back over to the supplies, jaw tensing as both detectives moved to either side of the cot surrounding Conan. He pulled the table closer and knelt at the small boy's side, brushing his hand against his forehead.
The small boy was running a high fever.
Kaito fished a lighter out of one of his many pockets, making quick work of sterilizing his tools. With that done, he set the tools aside. The moonlight magician clenched his teeth, adrenaline pulsating through his body. Without further ado, he ripped Conan's shirt further, pulling it clear away from the wound. Uncapping the alcohol, he poured a generous amount over the area, withholding a wince.
Conan's reaction had been immediate. Though he was still unconscious, his body tensed, from the toes all the way up to the jaw. He moved as if meaning to curl around his wound, to protect it from any outside ministrations. Heiji and Hakuba sprung into action, clamping their hands down on his arms and good shoulder. The boy tried his best to twist away in his unconscious state, but their grips were unyielding.
Kaito poured alcohol over the blade of the knife and the tweezers, rubbing at them for a moment. Then he continued, using the knife to work the bullet out of the skin somewhat. At this point, the tiny detective had begun groaning and making keening noises.
The work was grueling, Kaito would later reflect. Conan's cries of pain continually grew louder and louder (thankfully, the walls of the building were soundproofed, so attention wouldn't be drawn to the abandoned third floor), and it wore on his emotions. He was digging a knife into a child's skin to get a bullet. There were so many things wrong with that… He swallowed, praying that the tumultuous feeling his stomach was producing would fade away.
Finally the bullet had been wedged out to an acceptable point. Kaito set the bloody knife aside, taking a moment to swallow the lump in his throat before continuing. He made quick work of retrieving the bullet with the tweezers, setting it aside and then cleaning up the mild seeping flow of blood. He added more alcohol to the wound before dabbing at it with some gauze.
With the meat of the job finally finished, Kaito sat back, releasing a pent up breath of air. Heiji and Hakuba relaxed their hold on Conan, leaving their hands to hover over his small twitching form should he make a move that could potentially irritate his wounds. Kaito took a moment to smooth out his nerves before he leaned forward once more, eyeing the wound. By the looks of both the size of the wound and the bullet, stitches wouldn't be completely necessary, but… it was probably safer to do so. It was the best option in order to keep the wound from getting infected.
He had just reached for the needle and thread when Conan made a jerky movement accompanied by a muffled yell. The young thief snapped his head around in time to see the two detectives clamp down on him again.
"Shit…!" Heiji cursed, features twisted in pain as he stared down at the thrashing brunette. "He's goin' inta shock."
Kaito knew it would be best to get the injury stitched up so that they can deal with his shock. With renewed determination, he snatched the needle up, fumbling through his pockets for a lighter. He paused, however, when the dark-skinned young man stood. "Wait! Hold him for me," he ordered. The young thief blinked in confusion. He snapped from his daze when Conan thrashed once more, moving from his perch and took over the Western detective's spot.
The two other men watched as Heiji quickly fished his phone from his pocket, punching in a number in fervor before holding it up to his ear. "Haibara," he called into the phone sharply.
Kaito's brow furrowed. Wasn't that the little girl who was always following Conan around in that little group? Why in the world was he calling her..?
Haibara, on the other hand, knew something was up from the moment she answered the phone. Hattori Heiji never called her by name unless he meant business. Hell, he rarely even called, period. "What is it?" she asked without pause. "What's wrong?"
"He's been shot and he's goin' inta shock-we have no way a gettin' to the hospital right now." He didn't stop even when he heard her sharp inhale. "But 'e's goin' through the stages too fast. High fever, thrashin', his lips are turnin' blue, pale, clammy skin, sweatin'. We got tha bullet out and sterilized the wound but…" He wanted her advice. If anyone knew the best thing to do from that point, it would be her.
Haibara hesitated for a moment, mind quickly going over her charge's stats. Finally, she said, "His body was already likely going into shock from the toxin, but now he has an assumedly serious injury to add on to that. His body, at the point it's currently at-an eight year old child, cannot handle the overload. So the shock is progressing a lot faster than it should…" She paused, considering their options before she was struck by realization. "Considering you're calling me… I think you already know what the best course of action is."
Heiji nodded, not really caring that she couldn't really see it. The grunts of pain behind him were too distracting. He had thought that was what needed to be done, but he still wanted to double check with her. There was always the chance that it could backfire.
Her voice sounded tight when she continued. "There's a chance it won't work. But it's the best bet."
He closed his eyes, controlling his breathing as best he could. "Thanks. I'll call ya back when I can."
She didn't answer, but he knew that she had heard him. He flipped the phone shut, tossing it to the table without care. He rubbed absently at his pocket, reassuring himself as best he could before turning to the probing eyes of his companions. He knew that they wanted to ask questions, that they were curious about his urgent need to make a consulting call at that point in time.
The Osakan stared at the thief and then the other detective, evaluating them as quick as he could. He knew that there was a chance that this could backfire. He knew that, should it work, the circumstances would change drastically. He knew that these two would be sucked into the vortex that his friend had been trying to shield everyone from. But since it was these two…
He looked at Hakuba for a moment longer before settling his eyes on the plainly-dressed Kaitou KID, face obscured by his down-tilted baseball hat and the dim light. Absently, the words that Shinichi had said at the prior heist came to mind.
"I think…I think I can trust him." Vivid blue eyes pierced him from within the confines of his memory.
We'll have to take a bet on that trust, Heiji thought to himself, pulling his wallet from the pocket of his pants and setting it on the table.
He knew that his two companions wanted to ask questions. He knew that they were curious about what was going on. But he didn't have time to give them reassuring words or anything remotely close to an explanation. His best friend's life was on the line. They would find out soon either way.
"I need you two ta strip 'im." The duo sitting at Conan's bedside watched him for a second, minds whirling with questions. But they had heard the undertone of the dark-skinned young man. He was going to give them answers, but they couldn't afford to waste time. He knew what he was doing.
"Got 'ny cups?" Heiji directed the question at the magician who was ripping the rest of Conan's shirt off. The magician didn't even look back as he answered, "Second cabinet on the left." Heiji quickly retrieved a cup and filled it with water from the sink, making his way back over and setting it on the table.
"Blankets?"
KID waved a hand toward a chest sitting in the corner. Heiji fetched a thick quilt, throwing it over his best friend's exposed form just as the magician had wrestled the last of his clothing off. Hakuba didn't have to hold the child down as harshly any longer, for Conan was no longer thrashing but shaking as if submerged into the cold wilderness. Heiji snagged the cup of water and his wallet from the cluttered table, making his way to the head of the cot just as KID set his glasses aside.
The Osakan rested the cup between his legs and cracked open his wallet, pulling out a tiny ball of plastic. He dropped his wallet disdainfully, directing his focus to unwrapping the plastic. When he finished, he was left with a tiny capsule. Hakuba and KID gave it a curious glance.
Taking a deep breath, the dark-skinned man steeled himself. He had made his decision and it was too late to turn back now. He was going to make sure that Shinichi made it out of this alive, no matter the consequences.
"Hold 'im for a second," Heiji murmured. As the other two obliged, he situated Shinichi's head into a comfortable position, forcing his mouth open and placing the pill on the back of his tongue. Then he poured some water between his lips, coaxing the liquid down with a hand massaging his throat. He watched with relief as Shinichi swallowed.
The effect was almost immediate.
"Aughhh!" An awkward sound burbled from the child's lips, startling the three young men. Heiji grit his teeth, wishing that it would just hurry up and get the worst over and done with. He had never watched the transformation (into either Conan or Shinichi), but already he found himself wanting to take the brunt of his friend's pain.
Shinichi made to curl on his side but was restrained. "Loosen up on 'im," Heiji called, pushing their hands away. He didn't want them crowding him when it started…
"Ah…Aghh!"
It was impossible to describe the phenomenon. The three men watched, eyes riveted upon the changes that were taking place. They couldn't see his body, but from the shape of the blanket, they could tell what was happening. The lump beneath the quilt grew in size to the point where his feet peeked out from beneath the material. His face, however, was a different matter. The changes were obvious.
Conan's nose shifted and grew sharper, the childish baby fat clinging to his cheeks reducing in size before sharpening into the tell-tale jaw line of a man. Finally their patient grew silent and fell still, breath coming out in short puffs and heart beating steady and strong. Heiji breathed a sigh of relief, brushing the back of his hand across his best friend's forehead and moving a few stray locks of hair out of his face.
Hakuba and KID stared at the prone figure upon the cot, completely at a loss and likely in shock.
For the person lying before them was no longer Edogawa Conan but undeniably one Kudo Shinichi.
Chapter Ten
End
So the big secret is out. What will happen next, I wonder?