When Mori came to my room later that evening to tell me dinner was ready, I wasn't exactly thrilled. Still, I was starving, and I didn't have to talk to the others. Ignoring them wouldn't be easy, but hopefully I wouldn't be put in a situation where I was forced to speak. Of course, there was no way for me to have it easy.
When I arrived, much to my despair, there was only one seat left. I sat down slowly, putting my bag on the back of my chair. I was stuck between Hikaru and Eric, and I could still feel the anger emanating from them, and I sat across from Tamaki, who looked like he didn't know what to do since he was also sitting next to Haruhi. We were put in an extremely awkward situation.
Honey tried, "Let's dig in, everyone...." I nodded in agreement, refusing to speak. On the table was a buffet of crabs, but Honey had been kind enough to accommodate for me and gave me a piece of catfish to eat on a bed of rice. I picked up my knife and fork and began to eat. "Haru-chan, these are the crabs we caught. I bet they're delicious!" He and Mori held up a few of the crabs.
Haruhi grabbed a crab leg and easily snapped it open with her hands. Each time she cracked one, it seemed to bother Tamaki. I watched with wide eyes as the shells started piling up. How much could she eat? Haruhi said with her mouth full, "These crabs... taste in-crab-ible. Get it?" I cracked a small smile at the joke, and I saw Hikaru roll his eyes at me on the edge of my peripheral vision.
Tamaki said, "Don't you think you've had enough? Give it a rest." Something didn't feel right. I quietly set down my silverware.
Haruhi reminded him, "Excuse me, I thought you weren't speaking to me."
I placed a hand to my stomach when it began to hurt, and the pain was rapidly increasing. I felt my face warm, and I was sure it was reddening. "You trying to be cute?" Tamaki glared. She gave him a side-glance in response. He slammed his napkin on the table and stood up. "Okay, fine, I get it. It seems you refuse to admit that you were wrong." He put his hands in his pockets and started walking off. "See if I care, then. I'm going to bed. Kyoya, would you show me to my room, please?"
Kyoya stood up as well, "No problem. Well, excuse me, everyone." An intense wave of nausea hit me.
I asked, making the two stop moving, "Honey, did you cook my fish along with the shellfish?"
"Yeah, why?" Honey wondered. Cross contamination? My eyes widened, and I immediately got my bag and started sifting through it.
Tamaki gasped, "Wait, with the shellfish?"
Hikaru spoke up, "What's the big deal? She can eat it even if she doesn't like it. She's just being picky."
Eric told him, "She's allergic to shellfish!"
"What?"
By the time I found my allergy pills, another wave of nausea washed over me. It was too late. I demanded, "Where's the nearest bathroom?"
Kyoya said, "Turn right, and it's the second door on the left." I clutched my bag and ran out of the room as fast as I could with the others calling my name. I thought I heard them following, but I wasn't too sure. I reached the toilet just in time to throw up the contents of my stomach. Even when there was nothing left, I kept retching.
Usually, after I threw up, I would start feeling better, and the attack would be over. There was something different that time, though. My heart rate was slowing, and I was panting for breath. A coughing fit racked my body, and when it wasn't, a wheeze could be heard in my breathing. It was a chaos I had never felt before, but I had always been warned of it. I was going into anaphylactic shock.
The door slammed open. "Katashi!" I heard Hikaru shout.
I turned my head to them all slightly. Everyone there looked terrified. Eric kneeled next to me and said, "I'm here, Katashi."
Kyoya told us, "The doctor should be here in a minute."
"Hikaru...." I managed. Eric looked taken aback.
He stepped forward, crouching in front of me, "What is it, Katashi?"
"My bag... has my EpiPen," I told him, pointing to the bag sitting nearby.
He quickly found it and asked, "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Blue cap off.... Orange pointing down.... Inject outer thigh for... ten seconds.... Rub area for ten seconds...." I explained as best I could, but I knew my speech was beginning to slur. It was like I could feel my body shutting down, attacking itself. I was running out of time.
"I don't think-" he started.
I stressed, "Now!" He removed the blue cap and hesitated for a moment before jabbing the needle into my outer thigh. Everyone was very quiet as he waited for the ten seconds to be up and another ten for him to rub the area he injected me in. I felt my breathing immediately get better. "Merci, Hikaru." I rested my head against the wall of the bathroom, fatigue truly setting in.
"I need to get through!" a man's voice said. The group immediately parted, and Hikaru moved away from me. The man in a white lab coat replaced where he had been.
"She had her EpiPen injection," Eric told him. I felt him put something around my arm, and it began to squeeze me. It must have been a blood pressure tester.
"H-Hold on! I'm not even sure I did it right!" Hikaru rushed, still holding the device.
The doctor looked over at it, saying, "You did. The needle is pushed inside it." He took it off me, and he said, "She's stabilizing, but I need to get her somewhere more fit to check her. Quickly, someone carry her behind me." He stood up and started walking out of the room.
Tamaki volunteered, "I've got her." He picked up my limp body bridal style and started carrying me out. I moved my head a bit to look at the others, but my vision was still a bit blurry. My brother kissed my head and whispered in French, "You're okay now, Amarante."
My eyes slowly opened, and it looked like sunlight was beginning to stream in through the window. Had I fallen asleep? I remembered the doctor kept telling me to stay awake, but it was all a bit fuzzy.
I shifted slightly as my eyes became adjusted to the light. I was in a bed, and it felt like I was wearing my nightclothes. I looked around me and saw it was my room in Kyoya's family's house. Wasn't I supposed to go to the hospital? I couldn't remember anything after the doctor gave me a checkup. Did I fall asleep then? I wondered drowsily.
I went to move my hand, but I realized something was keeping it there. Hikaru was sitting in a chair next to my bed, holding my hand while he slept. I saw Tamaki was also sleeping in a chair in the corner of the room. I whispered, "Hikaru?" I shook his hand slightly. "Hey, Hikaru?"
He started blinking slowly, and he lifted his head. When he saw me, he seemed to become more alert. "Katashi! You're awake!"
"What's going on?" I asked, sitting up a bit.
"How much do you remember?"
I responded, "The doctor had just finished making sure I was stable...."
He smiled a bit, "Yeah, you passed out after that. He said you'd be fine. We got you injected in time, but you're being put on bed rest when you get back home. You're allowed to leave today, though." I nodded, happy to hear my health was better.
I rubbed my eyes, "What time is it?"
Hikaru checked his watch and answered, "It's around six in the morning. You slept through the night, but he said you would. Severe reactions take a lot out of people."
I gasped, "Have you been here the entire time?"
He began to blush, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's not a big deal. I didn't mind. Tamaki stayed, too." He pointed where Tamaki still sat, snoring and oblivious to the world. "Eric was here for a while, but he had to get to sleep since his plane left so early."
"You didn't have to do that!" I exclaimed, feeling guilty. I put my head in my hands, all the events of the night coming back to me. "Oh, no, I made you donnez me my EpiPen, didn't I?"
He nodded, "Yeah, you told me what to do, and I did it."
I apologized, "Je suis tellement désolé! I wasn't thinking! I shouldn't have made you do something like that! I can't believe I put you in that kind of situation like that." I shook my head at myself.
Hikaru quickly put his hands on my arm and calmed me, "Hey, take it easy! You're not supposed to get stressed! Really, it's fine. It's like you said. You weren't thinking clearly, and I wasn't going to not give it to you. At least I know how if this came up again and were alone." I gave him a doubtful look. He smiled at me. "I'm not mad, Frenchie. Don't worry so much."
I looked away from him, troubled. I hadn't even been able to inject myself when I failed to steer clear of my allergies. I couldn't protect myself. I knew I wasn't invincible, but I hadn't realized how weak I really was. I was vulnerable. There was a lot I could do myself, and while I always told the others that they didn't know my limits, it seemed I didn't, either. There were times I couldn't keep myself from harm, and I needed someone to help me.
While I was thinking, I hadn't realized that I left us in silence. "Katashi, why did you make me do it?" Hikaru asked carefully.
"What do you mean?" I replied, perplexed.
"I'm still not angry about it, but Eric was right next to you, and it looked like he knew what to do. Why did you get me to give you the medicine when he could have?" he elaborated. I bit my lip and laid my back against the pillows once more, thinking about the answer to his question. Why had I done that? I wasn't too sure myself.
After a little while, I finally said, "I think I wanted you to... because I trust you with my life more than I do him. What he said about letting me handle myself no matter what bothered me. I'm not an idiot, you know. I know there are things that can hurt me, but I usually try to take them on myself. Still, I want someone to be there for me. When they see I can't do it, I want them to step in and help, not stand by and watch me crash and burn. You were right about everything. You were the one who saved me from those two guys, and I felt better hearing that you would help me even if I didn't know or want it at that moment. So, I'm sorry, Hikaru. I didn't mean to make you and the others worry back on the beach. I shouldn't have risked myself like that when I knew Haruhi and I were on the shorter end of the stick. I could have done something that wasn't dangerous to me to help. Thank you for being there."
He kind of just stared at me for a long time, like he was trying to register what I had said. I expected him to say something flirty or tease me about it. Then, I watched the corners of his mouth tilt up, and his eyes softened. Hikaru forgave me, "It's alright. I'm sorry I was such an ass to you about it. And that I yelled at Eric and kept him away from you the entire day." I parted my lips to say something in return, but I was at a complete loss for words. He laughed at me a bit and leaned over, kissing my forehead. "I'd save you whenever you need it, Frenchie. Now, get back to sleep. You have a little more time before you need to be up for the doc to check you one last time."
I blurted out as he leaned back, "Allez-vous rester?"
"I might be getting better at French, but I still don't understand most of what you say."
"Will you stay... with me?" I immediately blushed when he looked at me like I was a child.
Hikaru nodded, "I'll stay until you wake up, okay? I'll see you later."
I turned on my back, facing away from him. I felt strange again, but I knew it wasn't my allergies that time. Don't do anything you'll regret, Katashi, I chastised myself. You've got to keep it together.