[Fic] Ten days, eight hours, twenty five minutes
Title : [Fic] Ten days, eight hours, twenty five minutes - Day 10 Final (1/2)
Author : Jadey
Rating : PG to R
Pairing : Ohmiya (Ohno/Nino)
Disclaimer : fiction, yo!
Summary : On the day Japan was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami, the Jimusho gathered all of its artist for a headcount. All were present except for one : Arashi's Leader, Ohno Satoshi, was missing.
Word count : around 3200 words
Note : 2-part Finale XD this is solely dedicated to my BB, Pam, gambitsfox ! Congratulations on finishing your treatment, love!
( 10 days 8 hours 25 minutes - Day 9)
The moment he opened his eyes, Doctor Risa Kishimoto realized who he was.
It was kind of surprising that none of her staffs recognized him - the eyes had already been a dead giveaway, but then again, he had spent the majority of his time in the hospital with his eyes closed after all for them to really pay attention to it.
The nurse - Rui-chan - who had been openly admiring the man was surprised and equal-parts sad when she learned he was going to be discharged from their hospital and was going to be transferred somewhere else.
She was signing the transfer papers when Rui-chan found her. “Sensei, is it true?” was the first thing the young nurse asked her when she closed the door behind her. Risa briefly glanced at her patient before she turned to look at Rui-chan.
“Ah, I see that the news have reached you,” she joked, chuckling when she all but scowled prettily in return. She chuckled and reached over to pat her arm comfortingly. “It is for the best, Rui-chan.”
She looked marginally unconvinced and Risa couldn’t exactly blame her. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was her patient, and that her main concern, amongst other things, was to make sure he was on to full recovery, she probably wouldn’t even bother. But knowing that sooner or later someone was bound to recognize him, even despite her ruling the chances of him suffering with amnesia out, she couldn’t take her chances.
The very brief moment of him opening his eyes was what it took for her to decide on the spot. It didn’t even take her two minutes to convince the director of Keio University hospital to agree to her once she told him the situation she was facing with this particular patient.
“There’s no way we can keep him here and expect for him to recover in peace, and you know it,” she had told him, firmly, on the phone. The director was her professor in University and she knew that if there was anyone she could trust with things like this, it was him. “it’s only a few days passed and he was already almost healed. The bruises are still there but anyone who has eyes will know he’s not just some random guy who ended up at a countryside hospital and who popped up out of nowhere. I am still not a hundred percent convinced it is him but I’ve seen enough of his face in my house to be convinced that it is indeed him. He could wake up anytime and I might not be here to make sure anyone who’s on duty won’t go straight into snapping a photo of him once he started to ask why he’s here in the first place.” She had said.
But why here?... was what the Director asked her.
“Would you rather have me transfer him to a smaller hospital, then?” she had joked and the Director simply snorted in answer. “I’ll be honest here, Sir, that the reason I chose your hospital is because of the top notch security. Not to mention the fact that I can be assured your staffs are professional enough to be discreet. It’s embarrassing, I know, but here, we don’t have that kind of luxury. So until we are sure, and until we figure out how to contact his family, or at least his agency, I need you to take him in. Make sure he’s safe from the public.”
Kishimoto-kun, I swear if I didn’t know that you are head over heels in love and happy with your wife, I’d assume you’re falling in love with this man… the Director said.
She chuckled and made rude but still playful remarks about him and his obvious concern to his former favorite student, not bothering telling him that if it wasn’t for the fact that her beloved wife was a fan, she wouldn’t even know, nor bothered, but as it was, the least she could do was make sure he was treated well. She promised her wife that, after all.
“But why?” Rui-chan asked, pouting like a child. Risa felt herself more and more amused at her antics and if it wasn’t for the fact that she was at least better, and good at her job than most of her colleagues, she could have easily petitioned her removal from her department. “Is there something wrong with him that you haven’t disclosed yet, Sensei? Is that the reason why we need to transfer him to Tokyo?”
She gave her an almost condescending smile, one that he usually didn’t give the staffs or the nurses if she could help it. But Rui-chan was kind and Risa knew she cared genuinely for this man, the same way that she was.
“There’s nothing seriously wrong with him, Rui-chan, apart from the fact that he really should start waking up now instead of spending his days on his bed, sleeping,” she joked, squeezing Rui-chan’s shoulder. “he’s fine, and as far as his medical tests are concerned, he’s getting better. He’s going to be fine, that much I can tell you. But he can’t stay here - well, he can but to be honest, I personally think that he shouldn’t. I can’t really tell you the real reason now but I will, in time, so, let’s just say this is the doctor’s advice and that we should abide it, okay? Okay?”
Rui-chan still looked unconvinced but at least she seemed to understand it.
“Okay, Sensei.”
She smiled. “We’re transferring him tonight,” she said, giving her a wink. “would you like to accompany him? I need someone to go with him and me anyway.”
She beamed at her like a kid on Christmas morning. “Of course, of course, Sensei!”
She grinned. “Let me go and get the papers signed, then.”
+
“Ji-chan, are you listening to me?!” he yelled, totally uncaring that he was being a complete jerk to his manager on the phone who seemed to have developed an ear disease during the few days they didn’t see each other. Nino was so worked up he could barely keep himself still, could barely keep his fingers from shaking as his manager stuttered an almost endless epithet of “Huh, what, eh?” on the other end.
He forced himself to breathe, to calm himself down enough to talk without screaming before he tried again.
“Ji-chan, are you with anyone right now?” he asked, slowly, and found himself huffing an almost relieved breath when his manager replied, “Kihori-san is here.”
Fingers still shaking around his phone, he barely managed to grit out, “Give him the phone, Ji-chan, and let me talk to him. Now.” He said.
It took him not even five minutes to finish what he wanted to say, another two to get Aiba’s manager to book him the earliest flight back to Tokyo without ending up tearing his hair out of sheer frustration. Aiba’s manager even asked him what was wrong, and why he suddenly decided to go back after his untimely and admittedly stubborn decision to stay here in Fukui but another call from Shino-san stopped him.
He still have to call Sho and Jun and Aiba, maybe tell them about this discovery but he didn’t want to do it on the phone. For one, he wanted to be there first, wanted to see Ohno for himself before he called on the others, make sure he wasn’t going to make the biggest, and admittedly the most heartbreaking decision of his life by dragging his friends into believing they found their Leader alive, only to realize in the end that they were wrong.
“Shino-san,” he grunted when the call was connected. “Sorry, I was on the phone with my manager, is there anything else -“
“I’m still here in the hospital, Ninomiya-san,” Shino-san said, “and I found the doctor I was telling you about.”
He didn’t know what to say, or what to feel, but one thing was for certain - he needed to go see her, talk to her, ask her a few things first before he go and see the man they suspect was Ohno.
He had his room keycard and his wallet in hand, grabbing his glasses and his face mask on his way to the door when he said, “Stay there, Shino-san,” he told the other man. “I’m on my way. I want to see her.”
A beat. “I’ll tell her, then.”
“Please do, and thank you.” he said and hung up.
+
He was on the cab when his phone rang again. He realized he had at least a dozen of missed calls from Sho and Jun alone, and at least thirteen messages from both. Aiba, just like the usual, preferred to give Nino his space knowing that he wanted and needed it.
“J, what’s up?”
What’s up? That’s it? That’s the thing you’re going to say when we don’t even know what is happening and why, all of a sudden, you decided to go back to Tokyo without bothering informing us what the fuck is going on with you there?! Ninomiya, I swear to God -
“Hey, calm down, Jesus Christ, your voice is so loud I swear everyone in Fukui just heard you scream your tits out,” he breathed, trying to make it sound like he was joking when the truth was, he was relieved and equal-parts glad Jun called.
Calm down? You want me to calm down? Fuck, Nino, you’re incredible, I don’t know what else to say to you. Leader is missing, you decide to seclude yourself there in Fukui without bothering telling us why, and then all of a sudden, your manager tells us you called him, screaming, demanding to be booked on the first available flight to Tokyo before the day ends. I mean, seriously, what the fuck is going on?
He could honestly picture Jun right now - red in the face and brows sticking together - scary, to be honest, and despite it all, despite the fact that Nino really should pay attention more and maybe thank Jun for calling, something Nino didn’t bother doing, he instead found himself laughing so hard in return that there were honestly tears in his eyes when he stopped.
“Oh God, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” he breathed in answer to Jun’s ‘Are you done? What, have you finally managed to fry those few remaining working screws in your head and now we’re not just dealing with the problem of missing a member, we also need to put one in to a mental institution too? No, seriously, how much crap do we need to be thrown at us before you properly talk to us, huh, Nino?’
He breathed, and sounded genuinely apologetic when he spoke again. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I’m making fun of you or something. It’s just that, well, I swear I’ve been through the most difficult situation since morning and I guess I just - for a minute there, I kind of lost it.”
There was a longer pause this time before he heard Jun’s voice again. This time, though, Jun’s voice sounded so soft that Nino found himself closing his eyes and wishing he was back in Tokyo already so he could hug the shit out of his bandmates if he wanted to.
Nino, I know this is hard, especially for you but you need to know that we’re here for you, okay? You’re not the only one who is suffering here, we are, too, you know that. It pains me that you’re doing things on your own like this, that you have to deal with things alone because you wouldn’t let us in. We don’t do things like that, Nino, and you know it. I’m not going to force you for answers, but for fuck’s sake, at least tell us what is happening to you so we can figure out how to help. It’s so frustrating, you know, being left in the dark like this when we could just -
“I’m on my way to the hospital where we were told someone who has the exact description of Leader was brought in the day after the earthquake,” he cut in, deciding on at least sharing a bit of what was happening to him to Jun but still keeping things to himself hoping against hope he was not about to make the biggest mistake of his life by telling Jun these things even without prior confirming them. “I was told that the doctor who treated that person is there now so I’m going to meet with her, talk to her. I’ll call you once I have news, I promise.”
Jun was quiet for a second, probably letting that new information sink in before Jun was speaking again.
So, okay, I totally get that but… but if the clues are there in finding Leader, then why are you heading back here?.. Jun asked, and Nino couldn’t have been more proud of him than now. His friends are smart, that much was obvious.
“Because apparently, that person had been transferred into a hospital there, in Tokyo,” he said, heart twisting hard in his chest, opting on still keeping the few little details to himself if he could. He’d have to do it, more for his sake and his promise to Ohno than anything, knowing that he owed it to Ohno for having come this far just to find him.
“I’m going to meet with the doctor to ask her exactly where.”
+
If Nino wasn’t sure his heart was as healthy as it should be (his latest medical report should prove that he was at least as healthy as he needed to be), he swore he would have collapsed and died on the spot the second his gaze found her.
He didn’t think it was even remotely possible, finding her, watching her take a seat opposite him as if she completely walked out from his dream and to life, but he guessed, especially after everything that happened to him during the past few days, he was quite ready to admit that he wouldn’t be thrown off by anything anymore, but seeing her apparently still did.
He couldn’t believe his eyes and for a moment there, he knew he just made a complete fool out of himself when he gaped at her, trying to compare her to the doctor he saw in his dream.
“Are you sure you are okay? Do you want to go in for a quick checkup first, I think you need it.” he vaguely heard the lady doctor’s voice through the thundering noises of his own heart beating inside his chest, only catching on to how he had simply embarrassed himself in front of her and Shino-san when the other man reached out and slapped him lightly on the wrist.
“Crap, I’m so sorry,” he managed to stutter, forcing his mouth close lest he’d end up embarrassing himself even more. “I just. Jesus fucking Christ, this is honestly so creepy, I swear to you.”
To his credit, she at least looked a little amused, though he couldn’t tell much from her eyes. Were all doctors this good at hiding their emotions?
“I’d gladly share your sentiment, Ninomiya-san, but since I’m not really sure what you are talking about, I would assume it is about something else. Anyway, Shino-san here said you wanted to come see me, to ask me about that one particular patient, yes?” she said, not bothering walking her way around the issue and spitting the reason Nino was here in the first place straight to his face.
He swallowed through the lump that had formed in his throat, wishing he had the strength (and the brain cells) to say the right words, to not fuck up this chance to find out if he was heading into the right direction or not.
Though to be honest, seeing her in the flesh after her not-so recent appearance in his dream proved him that he certainly was at the right place, meeting the right person, at the right time.
“I know I’m going to go out of line and about to ask you to go out of yours, but this is important and I swear you won’t even have to answer if you think you shouldn’t but… but to be honest, I think you already why I’m here and what I’m about to ask you, Sensei.” he started, fingers twisting nervously on his lap.
“Yes,” she answered, “you’re here to confirm my patient’s identity, correct?”
Bingo. “That and more,” he said, holding her gaze. He needed to know something first. “how is he and why did you decide to transfer him to Tokyo? Is his condition not that good or -“
“He’s fine,” she said, and the relief he felt right then was overwhelming he honestly felt like crying. “though we won’t be completely sure until he stays awake for more than a couple of minutes, since he’s mostly sleeping ever since we transferred him. But his medical tests all turn promising and I can assure you that he is getting better. Sleeping is our body’s natural process of healing itself, after all.”
He was honestly grateful to hear that. Blinking back the tears and trying hard to swallow his emotions down, he kept his gaze locked on hers and smiled, knowing for certain that right now, he didn’t care whether she decided to transfer her patient to Kabul or to America or to any hospital of her liking so long as he was sure that this particular patient of hers was well and alive.
“Is - C-Can you tell me if… w-will you tell me if he’s… if you think he is - “
“Well,” the doctor murmured, and for once, Nino saw her smile, that tiny, genuine lilt at the corners of her lips that made every single heartache, every single pain of every damn day trying to find Ohno, all worth it. “Wouldn’t you want to find that out for yourself? I’ll give you the details of his whereabouts, where you need to go and who you need to talk to once you get there. I can even call the hospital in advance so they can assist you when you arrive to see him.”
“I -“ he paused, chest swelling with emotion he could barely try to hide. He wanted to say so many things, thank her for saving the one person that meant the world to him but Shino-san’s phone ringing interrupted him.
He glanced at Shino-san briefly and found out the man was actually grinning.
“What?”
“Looks like you don’t need to wait until your scheduled flight tonight to see your friend, Ninomiya-san,” Shino-san said when he ended the call.
“Huh?”
Shino-san stood and pointed up, confusing Nino even more. “Matsumoto-san sends his regards,” Shino-san said, still pointing up, “in the form of a helicopter. He says to make sure to bring you home as soon as you want to. So take everything you need from the doctor and come with me. The pilot is already waiting for you.”
Nino grinned, feeling the tears on his face despite the overwhelming joy washing him.
Damn Jun and his love for the theatrics, really, but Nino loved him hard for it.
( 10 days 8 hours 25 minutes - Interlude)
Author : Jadey
Rating : PG to R
Pairing : Ohmiya (Ohno/Nino)
Disclaimer : fiction, yo!
Summary : On the day Japan was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami, the Jimusho gathered all of its artist for a headcount. All were present except for one : Arashi's Leader, Ohno Satoshi, was missing.
Word count : around 3200 words
Note : 2-part Finale XD this is solely dedicated to my BB, Pam, gambitsfox ! Congratulations on finishing your treatment, love!
( 10 days 8 hours 25 minutes - Day 9)
The moment he opened his eyes, Doctor Risa Kishimoto realized who he was.
It was kind of surprising that none of her staffs recognized him - the eyes had already been a dead giveaway, but then again, he had spent the majority of his time in the hospital with his eyes closed after all for them to really pay attention to it.
The nurse - Rui-chan - who had been openly admiring the man was surprised and equal-parts sad when she learned he was going to be discharged from their hospital and was going to be transferred somewhere else.
She was signing the transfer papers when Rui-chan found her. “Sensei, is it true?” was the first thing the young nurse asked her when she closed the door behind her. Risa briefly glanced at her patient before she turned to look at Rui-chan.
“Ah, I see that the news have reached you,” she joked, chuckling when she all but scowled prettily in return. She chuckled and reached over to pat her arm comfortingly. “It is for the best, Rui-chan.”
She looked marginally unconvinced and Risa couldn’t exactly blame her. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was her patient, and that her main concern, amongst other things, was to make sure he was on to full recovery, she probably wouldn’t even bother. But knowing that sooner or later someone was bound to recognize him, even despite her ruling the chances of him suffering with amnesia out, she couldn’t take her chances.
The very brief moment of him opening his eyes was what it took for her to decide on the spot. It didn’t even take her two minutes to convince the director of Keio University hospital to agree to her once she told him the situation she was facing with this particular patient.
“There’s no way we can keep him here and expect for him to recover in peace, and you know it,” she had told him, firmly, on the phone. The director was her professor in University and she knew that if there was anyone she could trust with things like this, it was him. “it’s only a few days passed and he was already almost healed. The bruises are still there but anyone who has eyes will know he’s not just some random guy who ended up at a countryside hospital and who popped up out of nowhere. I am still not a hundred percent convinced it is him but I’ve seen enough of his face in my house to be convinced that it is indeed him. He could wake up anytime and I might not be here to make sure anyone who’s on duty won’t go straight into snapping a photo of him once he started to ask why he’s here in the first place.” She had said.
But why here?... was what the Director asked her.
“Would you rather have me transfer him to a smaller hospital, then?” she had joked and the Director simply snorted in answer. “I’ll be honest here, Sir, that the reason I chose your hospital is because of the top notch security. Not to mention the fact that I can be assured your staffs are professional enough to be discreet. It’s embarrassing, I know, but here, we don’t have that kind of luxury. So until we are sure, and until we figure out how to contact his family, or at least his agency, I need you to take him in. Make sure he’s safe from the public.”
Kishimoto-kun, I swear if I didn’t know that you are head over heels in love and happy with your wife, I’d assume you’re falling in love with this man… the Director said.
She chuckled and made rude but still playful remarks about him and his obvious concern to his former favorite student, not bothering telling him that if it wasn’t for the fact that her beloved wife was a fan, she wouldn’t even know, nor bothered, but as it was, the least she could do was make sure he was treated well. She promised her wife that, after all.
“But why?” Rui-chan asked, pouting like a child. Risa felt herself more and more amused at her antics and if it wasn’t for the fact that she was at least better, and good at her job than most of her colleagues, she could have easily petitioned her removal from her department. “Is there something wrong with him that you haven’t disclosed yet, Sensei? Is that the reason why we need to transfer him to Tokyo?”
She gave her an almost condescending smile, one that he usually didn’t give the staffs or the nurses if she could help it. But Rui-chan was kind and Risa knew she cared genuinely for this man, the same way that she was.
“There’s nothing seriously wrong with him, Rui-chan, apart from the fact that he really should start waking up now instead of spending his days on his bed, sleeping,” she joked, squeezing Rui-chan’s shoulder. “he’s fine, and as far as his medical tests are concerned, he’s getting better. He’s going to be fine, that much I can tell you. But he can’t stay here - well, he can but to be honest, I personally think that he shouldn’t. I can’t really tell you the real reason now but I will, in time, so, let’s just say this is the doctor’s advice and that we should abide it, okay? Okay?”
Rui-chan still looked unconvinced but at least she seemed to understand it.
“Okay, Sensei.”
She smiled. “We’re transferring him tonight,” she said, giving her a wink. “would you like to accompany him? I need someone to go with him and me anyway.”
She beamed at her like a kid on Christmas morning. “Of course, of course, Sensei!”
She grinned. “Let me go and get the papers signed, then.”
+
“Ji-chan, are you listening to me?!” he yelled, totally uncaring that he was being a complete jerk to his manager on the phone who seemed to have developed an ear disease during the few days they didn’t see each other. Nino was so worked up he could barely keep himself still, could barely keep his fingers from shaking as his manager stuttered an almost endless epithet of “Huh, what, eh?” on the other end.
He forced himself to breathe, to calm himself down enough to talk without screaming before he tried again.
“Ji-chan, are you with anyone right now?” he asked, slowly, and found himself huffing an almost relieved breath when his manager replied, “Kihori-san is here.”
Fingers still shaking around his phone, he barely managed to grit out, “Give him the phone, Ji-chan, and let me talk to him. Now.” He said.
It took him not even five minutes to finish what he wanted to say, another two to get Aiba’s manager to book him the earliest flight back to Tokyo without ending up tearing his hair out of sheer frustration. Aiba’s manager even asked him what was wrong, and why he suddenly decided to go back after his untimely and admittedly stubborn decision to stay here in Fukui but another call from Shino-san stopped him.
He still have to call Sho and Jun and Aiba, maybe tell them about this discovery but he didn’t want to do it on the phone. For one, he wanted to be there first, wanted to see Ohno for himself before he called on the others, make sure he wasn’t going to make the biggest, and admittedly the most heartbreaking decision of his life by dragging his friends into believing they found their Leader alive, only to realize in the end that they were wrong.
“Shino-san,” he grunted when the call was connected. “Sorry, I was on the phone with my manager, is there anything else -“
“I’m still here in the hospital, Ninomiya-san,” Shino-san said, “and I found the doctor I was telling you about.”
He didn’t know what to say, or what to feel, but one thing was for certain - he needed to go see her, talk to her, ask her a few things first before he go and see the man they suspect was Ohno.
He had his room keycard and his wallet in hand, grabbing his glasses and his face mask on his way to the door when he said, “Stay there, Shino-san,” he told the other man. “I’m on my way. I want to see her.”
A beat. “I’ll tell her, then.”
“Please do, and thank you.” he said and hung up.
+
He was on the cab when his phone rang again. He realized he had at least a dozen of missed calls from Sho and Jun alone, and at least thirteen messages from both. Aiba, just like the usual, preferred to give Nino his space knowing that he wanted and needed it.
“J, what’s up?”
What’s up? That’s it? That’s the thing you’re going to say when we don’t even know what is happening and why, all of a sudden, you decided to go back to Tokyo without bothering informing us what the fuck is going on with you there?! Ninomiya, I swear to God -
“Hey, calm down, Jesus Christ, your voice is so loud I swear everyone in Fukui just heard you scream your tits out,” he breathed, trying to make it sound like he was joking when the truth was, he was relieved and equal-parts glad Jun called.
Calm down? You want me to calm down? Fuck, Nino, you’re incredible, I don’t know what else to say to you. Leader is missing, you decide to seclude yourself there in Fukui without bothering telling us why, and then all of a sudden, your manager tells us you called him, screaming, demanding to be booked on the first available flight to Tokyo before the day ends. I mean, seriously, what the fuck is going on?
He could honestly picture Jun right now - red in the face and brows sticking together - scary, to be honest, and despite it all, despite the fact that Nino really should pay attention more and maybe thank Jun for calling, something Nino didn’t bother doing, he instead found himself laughing so hard in return that there were honestly tears in his eyes when he stopped.
“Oh God, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” he breathed in answer to Jun’s ‘Are you done? What, have you finally managed to fry those few remaining working screws in your head and now we’re not just dealing with the problem of missing a member, we also need to put one in to a mental institution too? No, seriously, how much crap do we need to be thrown at us before you properly talk to us, huh, Nino?’
He breathed, and sounded genuinely apologetic when he spoke again. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I’m making fun of you or something. It’s just that, well, I swear I’ve been through the most difficult situation since morning and I guess I just - for a minute there, I kind of lost it.”
There was a longer pause this time before he heard Jun’s voice again. This time, though, Jun’s voice sounded so soft that Nino found himself closing his eyes and wishing he was back in Tokyo already so he could hug the shit out of his bandmates if he wanted to.
Nino, I know this is hard, especially for you but you need to know that we’re here for you, okay? You’re not the only one who is suffering here, we are, too, you know that. It pains me that you’re doing things on your own like this, that you have to deal with things alone because you wouldn’t let us in. We don’t do things like that, Nino, and you know it. I’m not going to force you for answers, but for fuck’s sake, at least tell us what is happening to you so we can figure out how to help. It’s so frustrating, you know, being left in the dark like this when we could just -
“I’m on my way to the hospital where we were told someone who has the exact description of Leader was brought in the day after the earthquake,” he cut in, deciding on at least sharing a bit of what was happening to him to Jun but still keeping things to himself hoping against hope he was not about to make the biggest mistake of his life by telling Jun these things even without prior confirming them. “I was told that the doctor who treated that person is there now so I’m going to meet with her, talk to her. I’ll call you once I have news, I promise.”
Jun was quiet for a second, probably letting that new information sink in before Jun was speaking again.
So, okay, I totally get that but… but if the clues are there in finding Leader, then why are you heading back here?.. Jun asked, and Nino couldn’t have been more proud of him than now. His friends are smart, that much was obvious.
“Because apparently, that person had been transferred into a hospital there, in Tokyo,” he said, heart twisting hard in his chest, opting on still keeping the few little details to himself if he could. He’d have to do it, more for his sake and his promise to Ohno than anything, knowing that he owed it to Ohno for having come this far just to find him.
“I’m going to meet with the doctor to ask her exactly where.”
+
If Nino wasn’t sure his heart was as healthy as it should be (his latest medical report should prove that he was at least as healthy as he needed to be), he swore he would have collapsed and died on the spot the second his gaze found her.
He didn’t think it was even remotely possible, finding her, watching her take a seat opposite him as if she completely walked out from his dream and to life, but he guessed, especially after everything that happened to him during the past few days, he was quite ready to admit that he wouldn’t be thrown off by anything anymore, but seeing her apparently still did.
He couldn’t believe his eyes and for a moment there, he knew he just made a complete fool out of himself when he gaped at her, trying to compare her to the doctor he saw in his dream.
“Are you sure you are okay? Do you want to go in for a quick checkup first, I think you need it.” he vaguely heard the lady doctor’s voice through the thundering noises of his own heart beating inside his chest, only catching on to how he had simply embarrassed himself in front of her and Shino-san when the other man reached out and slapped him lightly on the wrist.
“Crap, I’m so sorry,” he managed to stutter, forcing his mouth close lest he’d end up embarrassing himself even more. “I just. Jesus fucking Christ, this is honestly so creepy, I swear to you.”
To his credit, she at least looked a little amused, though he couldn’t tell much from her eyes. Were all doctors this good at hiding their emotions?
“I’d gladly share your sentiment, Ninomiya-san, but since I’m not really sure what you are talking about, I would assume it is about something else. Anyway, Shino-san here said you wanted to come see me, to ask me about that one particular patient, yes?” she said, not bothering walking her way around the issue and spitting the reason Nino was here in the first place straight to his face.
He swallowed through the lump that had formed in his throat, wishing he had the strength (and the brain cells) to say the right words, to not fuck up this chance to find out if he was heading into the right direction or not.
Though to be honest, seeing her in the flesh after her not-so recent appearance in his dream proved him that he certainly was at the right place, meeting the right person, at the right time.
“I know I’m going to go out of line and about to ask you to go out of yours, but this is important and I swear you won’t even have to answer if you think you shouldn’t but… but to be honest, I think you already why I’m here and what I’m about to ask you, Sensei.” he started, fingers twisting nervously on his lap.
“Yes,” she answered, “you’re here to confirm my patient’s identity, correct?”
Bingo. “That and more,” he said, holding her gaze. He needed to know something first. “how is he and why did you decide to transfer him to Tokyo? Is his condition not that good or -“
“He’s fine,” she said, and the relief he felt right then was overwhelming he honestly felt like crying. “though we won’t be completely sure until he stays awake for more than a couple of minutes, since he’s mostly sleeping ever since we transferred him. But his medical tests all turn promising and I can assure you that he is getting better. Sleeping is our body’s natural process of healing itself, after all.”
He was honestly grateful to hear that. Blinking back the tears and trying hard to swallow his emotions down, he kept his gaze locked on hers and smiled, knowing for certain that right now, he didn’t care whether she decided to transfer her patient to Kabul or to America or to any hospital of her liking so long as he was sure that this particular patient of hers was well and alive.
“Is - C-Can you tell me if… w-will you tell me if he’s… if you think he is - “
“Well,” the doctor murmured, and for once, Nino saw her smile, that tiny, genuine lilt at the corners of her lips that made every single heartache, every single pain of every damn day trying to find Ohno, all worth it. “Wouldn’t you want to find that out for yourself? I’ll give you the details of his whereabouts, where you need to go and who you need to talk to once you get there. I can even call the hospital in advance so they can assist you when you arrive to see him.”
“I -“ he paused, chest swelling with emotion he could barely try to hide. He wanted to say so many things, thank her for saving the one person that meant the world to him but Shino-san’s phone ringing interrupted him.
He glanced at Shino-san briefly and found out the man was actually grinning.
“What?”
“Looks like you don’t need to wait until your scheduled flight tonight to see your friend, Ninomiya-san,” Shino-san said when he ended the call.
“Huh?”
Shino-san stood and pointed up, confusing Nino even more. “Matsumoto-san sends his regards,” Shino-san said, still pointing up, “in the form of a helicopter. He says to make sure to bring you home as soon as you want to. So take everything you need from the doctor and come with me. The pilot is already waiting for you.”
Nino grinned, feeling the tears on his face despite the overwhelming joy washing him.
Damn Jun and his love for the theatrics, really, but Nino loved him hard for it.
( 10 days 8 hours 25 minutes - Interlude)