I didn't want to look at Aki, but I reached for his hand. Careful not to interrupt the IV apparatus, I held his fingers, just to let him know I was there. I was afraid to acknowledge what he looked like asleep in the hospital bed. I had seen him in many states, but mortal was not a state I had been prepared to be reminded of. I reached for my phone in my pocket, surprised that there was an unread message. It was after 2am. To my surprise, the message was a reply from Fuji. "I'm coming." It read. I looked at the message I had sent him. "Need help. Get here now." Without question, at midnight, Fuji had come the instant I called.
Rustling beside me caught my attention, and I looked over. Aki was looking at me, smiling weakly, and lifted his hand to wave in a greeting. He squeezed my hand as if to reassure me. I could tell he was having trouble keeping his eyes open, drowsy from the medication he was given. "Aki, I'm so sorry." I said softly. "Are you in pain?"
I could feel my eyes welling with tears again. He moved his hand slowly to the oxygen mask, lifting it slightly away from his face. "Hurts to breathe. Broken ribs." His voice was raspy and quiet. I had never heard such a voice come from him before, and I hoped I never would have to again.
I had fallen asleep with my head on Aki's thigh, leaning over the bed from the chair. When I woke, it was to Fuji opening the door, and Aki's hand was resting a top my head as if he had been stroking my hair while I slept. I sat up to greet Fuji as he handed me a cup of hot coffee. Light was streaming in the window, and I knew morning had come.
I checked the time on my phone, it was only 7am. "Good morning." I said to Fuji, tilting the coffee cup toward him in a one sided cheers. "Thank you."
"Are you okay?" He asked me. I thought I must have looked a mess, in the clothes I had been wearing the night before, my coat still zipped, since my shirt had been ripped. Fuji handed me a small canvas bag. "Go get cleaned up and changed." He said. "Sorry it took me a long time to come back after all. Kota and Hiro are going to come. I called Yamada-san last night to tell her what happened. I knew you and Aki were taken care of here, so I tried to sleep a couple hours. Today is going to be a long day."
In the washroom in Aki's room, I took a deep breath as I looked myself over in the mirror. My eyes were swollen and spotted with red where blood vessels had broken from crying. There was a deep purple bruise on one side of my jaw, and just looking at it in the mirror made me realize how painful it was. I leaned over the counter to get closer to the mirror, turning my head to both sides to examine the damage. There were more bruises on my neck as well. The adrenaline I had been riding on had dulled the pain for a long time. I came to realize how much my entire body ached, as if I had been tensing every muscle as hard as I could for hours. I opened the bag Fuji had given me to find a change of clothes, various soaps and hygiene products, and I thought he must have made a stop at our apartment to fetch them for me before returning to the hospital. As I unzipped my coat, I stripped off my cut up t-shirt and bra and threw them into the trash bin, covering my face with both hands and taking a deep breath. I knew I would gradually start to recall the details of how I had been pinned down, but for the moment, I wanted to wash my face and put on a clean outfit. The rest could wait.
When I returned to the room, a nurse was talking to Fuji, and my eyes went directly to Aki. He was awake, his eyes scanning the room, and when he saw me he reached his hand out for me. I dropped the bag at the bathroom doorway and crossed the room to him quickly, taking his hand. "Do you feel okay?" I asked him, knowing the answer was obvious. He nodded.
"We took down his pain medication gradually overnight and he responded well, so he should be more alert today. Nothing making him drowsy. He can use the oxygen mask as he needs. Broken ribs are very painful, so a little help breathing doesn't hurt."
I looked at Aki. "Did you hear that?"
He smiled weakly and lifted the mask. "They told me last night while you were asleep." His eyes looked heavy, like he was working hard to keep them open, but I could see the confident Aki begin to shine through again.
"Kota and Hiro are on their way with Yamada-san. The police are going to come to ask questions too." Fuji finished with the nurse and turned his attention to us. "Aki, are you going to be okay for all that?"
Aki nodded slowly. "Thank you, Fuji." He said as he removed the oxygen mask completely. "I don't know why you were there or how you knew to come, but thank you. Things could have gone a lot worse."
Fuji smiled, looking embarrassed. "I'll let Natsuko tell you about that. I'm going to meet Kota and Hiro downstairs. I know they're bringing you tea but do you want coffee?"
Aki nodded, seeming suddenly more alert at the mention of coffee. "I sent a message to Fuji right away when I realized who those men were." I said to him. "I asked him to come help us. I think Toshie-san called the police when she heard us outside. Her light was on the whole time, and she came to me to make sure I was okay."
"Did they do anything to you?" I shook my head at his question. I knew exactly what he was asking, and I didn't want to tell him. Not then. "That was quick thinking, calling Fuji."
"I wasn't thinking. I just acted. I felt like something really bad was about to happen."
He nodded, showing that he understood. "It could have been really bad. I know they broke my nose and three ribs, but I'm pretty sure I got stabbed as well."
"Were you in surgery?" I couldn't recall what had happened when we arrived at the hospital, I had stayed with Fuji, and my mind was slowly blocking it out. It felt like a long time ago.
"No, they just set my nose and wrapped my ribs. It's really tight. But they did stitch something under the wrap. They told me what was going on, but they were giving me so much medication, I couldn't understand."
Tears had started rolling down my cheeks as I listened to him. "I'm so sorry, Aki. This is all because of me."
"Don't." He said firmly. "We can say what if this happened, what if that happened all day, but we're here now. So we move forward from here."
I wanted to climb onto the bed beside him and be tangled with him. I wanted to feel his arms around me. But I knew I would just hurt him if I did. I would have to do without his embrace for a few more days at least. "I want to leave Tokyo." I said.
"No." He said firmly. He didn't offer any explanation. He reached his other hand out as if motioning for me to lean down. "Don't be afraid, you won't hurt me." He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me down to kiss him. "I was so worried about you."
The door opened to reveal the rest of Guardian following Fuji. He was carrying a tray of coffee cups, holding the door open to let Kota and Hiro inside. "Aki got a free nose job? No fair." Kota said as he approached the bed. He put his arm around my shoulders and I could feel him shaking. He was as nervous to see Aki in that state as I had been.
Aki lifted his hand to bump fists with Kota. "I'm glad you're jealous of my misery."
Fuji held out a cup of coffee from beside us for Aki to take. "Do you need a straw?" Without waiting for an answer, he offered a straw as well, but he laughed. "The police are coming to ask you questions about what happened. Do you want us to clear out?"
"No, please don't. I'm not sure how much I can actually recall, and you were a witness to most of it."
We spent the day with nurses, police, and visitors entering and exiting the room. Every visitor was respectful and quiet, but time passed quickly, and we were busy retelling the story over and over. I left out the details of being pinned down and mentioned only that the man had hit me. I would tell Aki alone later, once the commotion had faded. I took a couple trips to the coffee shop outside the hospital with Fuji and Kota, just to breathe in the fresh air and be in motion. My whole body still ached with the trauma, but every time I wanted to complain, I thought of how much pain Aki must have been feeling.
While Kota and I were waiting in line at the coffee shop on one of our outings, my phone rang. An unfamiliar woman's voice was on the other end, confirming that she had reached me. It was the university, asking why I didn't return to classes. It was Monday afternoon, and I had forgotten entirely about school. I explained what had happened the night before and that I had been in the hospital since.
"My boyfriend was injured badly, and I'll need to be absent for the rest of the week as well." I finished. Kota had been watching me, looking concerned.
"If you work hard when you return, you won't fail the semester. But it could also mean you'll have to attend classes during the summer to make up the time." The woman warned me.
I nodded to the phone, though I knew she couldn't see it. "I understand. Thank you for your concern." I hung up and looked at the phone for a moment, drawing in a breath and sighing heavily. "Looks like I won't be able to go on tour with you guys this summer." I said to Kota.
He shook his head. "Don't worry, we'll all help you so that you don't have to go to summer school." He put his arm around my shoulders. It had become an expression of protection and endearment that they all used with me, and I appreciated being able to be so close to them. "You think we're going to start rehearsing for the summer concerts without Aki? We're going to be on rotating shifts at your place helping out. Which means we have plenty of time to help you study and catch up."
I nodded, understanding but still reserved. "I'll send a message to Ayane-san and ask her to send me the assignments. I have to do everything I can to make you all proud."
Aki was still awake and alert when Kota and I returned, sneaking another cup of coffee to him. "The police just left." He said. "They said they caught one guy fleeing, and with my help they realized they knew who the other two are. Already on their radar."
"That's great!" I said. I wanted to run into his arms, but of course I couldn't. It would be something to get used to for a little while.
"I'm pressing charges." Aki continued. "Considering Guardian is famous, they have to pay for my lost time at work and damages because I'm considered an asset. Hear that, Kota?" He tried to smile, but between the heavy bandages on his nose and the wince on his features from the pain in his ribs, the smile quickly faded.
Kota laughed, partly at the joke Aki made and partly at the unfortunate situation. "Yeah, if someone broke my hands and I couldn't play guitar, they'd be paying for it."
"The nurse said I'm being discharged tomorrow. I haven't used the oxygen, and I'm just on pill painkillers now." I brought my hands to cover my mouth in surprise and to hold in the overwhelming happiness I felt hearing the news. Aki held up a hand. "But, recovery isn't going to be easy. You guys have a lot of work ahead of you."