This Is Gospel (ShimaxYukio)

33. Woe Is Me

Rin was having trouble breathing---he shouldn't have been sprinting in the first place---but he was determined to get to the emergency room as quickly as possible. He prayed to whatever god there was that everything would be okay.

Please! Please let him live!

The last thing he expected that evening was a phone call from the police telling him that Ling Mao had been in a near fatal accident.

On his way to come and see them.

Rin could feel his heart shattering and though Bon tried to keep some sort of hope, the look on his face showed that he felt the same.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please---PLEASE---"

"Rin, calm down, baby."

Bon firmly grabbed Rin by the shoulder to pause him in his sprint, catching him in his arms when he teetered backwards. The raven was near tears, heaving and grabbing at his stomach as the baby mercilessly kicked at him. "Don't...tell me...to calm down..." He panted, straightening himself as a man in bloody scrubs and a surgical mask came walking out of the Emergency Operating Room. The man looked around a bit, eyes lingering on Bon and Rin for a moment before he approached them.

"You're Mr. Mao's family?"

"Yes! Please tell me that he's gonna be okay! If that idiot dies on me, I'll fucking kill him!" Rin clutched at the doctor's arm, trembling. The doctor seemed a bit taken back by the sudden contact but then he smiled, which threw Rin and Bon off tremendously considering the conversation.

"Sorry. It's just that Mr. Mao, in a moment of consciousness, mentioned that an angry pregnant lady named Rin would kill him if he didn't make it. I'm assuming you're Rin?"

Rin let go of the doctor's arm, suddenly unsettled at this man's audacity to laugh at a time like this...and at the audacity that Ling himself had for even cracking such a joke in the first place. The doctor removed his mask. "I'm Doctor Kehlm. I'll be seeing to Mr. Mao." he introduced himself, offering a hand to the couple. Rin's lip pulled back in distaste, seeming as if he would jump on the doctor at any moment if didn't get on with a sense of urgency.

Bon wrapped an arm around Rin to calm him. "Give it to us straight, Doc. Is the kid okay?" he asked, grip tightening on Rin's trembling shoulders.

"Mr. and Mrs. Suguro, Ling had several broken ribs...along with several other limbs. He received multiple lacerations during the accident as well, but the biggest threat was the trauma to his cranium. Remarkably enough, we have managed to stabilise him. A moment ago, he was even talking to me and the nurse." the doctor paused, smiling at Rin's relieved face as he exhaled a breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding.

"Thank you...so much!"

"We do what we can, ma'am."

Rin hadn't even cared enough to correct him, tears of relief overflowing at the good news.

"My team and I shall continue to work out his treatment. You may go in to see him, but he's sort of in and out. Let us know if you need anything."

The doctor gave them both a pat on the shoulder before rushing off to help someone else. The two of them made their way to Ling's temporary room where he was to stay until they wheeled him to recovery.

#

Yukio felt like he would lose his mind at any moment. He had been jumpy ever since he had that dream and though Shima was doing his best to help him cope, he was struggling. To make matters worse, Shima had left on business that evening and left Yukio alone in that big, empty house. He said something about a flight to Italy and left, but made sure that Kinzo and Juzo knew to check on Yukio because he wasn't certain of when he would be back.