Chapter Text
THE TOKYO HOSPITAL was really calm this night. The corridors were slightly illuminated by dim lights, and only the nurse's movements as they did their job disrupted the silence. No emergency declared, letting the overexploited interns rest a bit on the abandoned stretchers between two corridors while the doctors could use their office or the restroom. Among them, the Doctor Shoko Ieiri, away from the tranquillity of the hallways, was facing a mess that she would have avoided.
“Satoru, if you could stop putting your hands everywhere, I would appreciate it.” She sighed.
The culprit turned around to face her, a fake innocent expression on his face. His malicious eyes put all credibility aside. His very light blue irises were almost dazzling, and with his white hair, he looked surreal. Unfortunately for Shoko, Gojo Satoru was undeniably real, and she was paying the consequences of his existence.
“I’m bored, I thought you had amazingly interesting stuff to tell !"
The pitiful lamination he used to defend himself made Shoko’s eyes roll. She slouched on her office chair, giving up on keeping her office tidy. She locked her eyes with the dark ones of the man in front of her. “And you, Suguru, do you have a passionate story to tell us to entertain the hyperactive child with us in the room?”
The named man giggled while shrugging, not bothered by the mess his friend was making. “No, it’s very calm.”
“And we’re fucking bored.” Satoru intervened, playing with a foot skeleton.
“I really wonder how people can trust you to defend their case in court.” Her sarcastic tone didn’t bother Gojo, who put down what he had in hand to face his friends. He raised his finger like he was about to answer something probably stupid. Before he could say anything, Shoko’s biper rang, interrupting him. “Duty calls, I’m leaving you. If you could get out, it would be awesome. Especially you, Satoru. I don’t think your relationship with Megumi would be fixed if you continue to abandon him for hours in a hospital.” She disappeared behind the door.
“That was not nice”, commented Satoru.
“That was deserved.”
Suguru nodded at his own words and, without adding anything, they both walked to Tsumiki’s room.
Shoko walked fast to meet the nurse who called her. Her face, already tired from all her hard work and endless night shifts, was getting darker as she drew nearer to room 212 of the palliative care wing. When she opened the door, she saw the old man buried in his bed. His expression was more tired than ever, and the nurse beside him was pinching her lips. The doctor came closer to her patient, and after having checked his vitals, she leaned toward him, knowing what would happen. “Is there someone you would like us to call, Mister Itadori?”
“My grandson.” He said before being interrupted by a coughing fit. “Call Yuuji.”
Shoko nodded and gave a heavy look to the nurse, who hurried to go out to make the call. Shoko stayed with her patient.
Itadori Yuuji has never been reluctant to help people. I liked to occupy his hands, and if it could help people, then he was happy. It was the reason he was here tonight, sorting the medical blouse and the sheets that the cleaning team mixed all the time when they cleaned the rooms. Working in the hospital laundry was not a dream job, especially when he had to manipulate dead patients’ clothes, but it permitted him to earn some money. Even more so when I was doing the night shifts. His grandfather and him didn’t have a lot of money, so as soon as he reached the legal age, he had started to work small jobs to complete his grandfather’s pension.
While he was complaining about a pair of trousers rolled up into a ball in the laundry basket, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He gave up what he was doing and frowned when he saw the number of the nurse's office that took care of his grandfather. He picked up. “Hello?”
“Mister Itadori? Could you please come to the hospital as fast as possible?”
Yuuji confirmed and hung up. He let go of what he was doing and took the elevator. From the underground, he reached the third floor and ran through the hallways. He opened his grandfather’s room door and said: “I hope it’s important, I don’t want to be caught up for abandonment of post!”
He froze when he saw his grandfather’s weak expression and the frowning face of the Doctor Ieiri. His wide smile faded as he drew closer to his grandfather. Shoko let him take her place on the chair and pressed his shoulder to express support. Without saying anything, she left the room.
“Yuuji…”
The young man clenched his jaw, doing his best not to cry. His hands were tensed on his knees, and his eyes were fixed on his feet.
“You’re a strong kid, so… help people. It doesn’t have to be everyone. Just whenever you can. You may feel lost. Don’t expect gratitude. Just help them. When it’s your time to go, make sure you’re surrounded by others.” The old man got interrupted by coughing once again, and Yuuji put his hand on his grandfather’s. Usually, he would have told a bad joke, but he didn’t find the strength to tonight. “Don’t end up like me.”
Yuuji nodded, knowing that if he started to talk, we couldn’t restrain the tears. A few seconds passed, and when he finally found the courage to speak, the sound of the electrocardiogram went from regulars bips to a continuous, deafening sound.
Now talking was unnecessary.
In an opposite aisle of the hospital, Gojo Satoru opened the door of room 13 loudly, followed by Suguru Geto. “Megumiii, it’s time to say bye to Tsumiki and return home!”
Megumi nodded and got up silently. He kissed his sister’s forehead and left the room before the adults. As if nothing happened, the two men followed him and walked to the exit. “Megumi, you know you’re heading to the emergencies, right?”
“I know, it’s faster this way.” He said.
The harsh sound of the young man’s voice imposed silence once again. Finally arriving at the emergency reception desk, Gojo was about to jump on Shoko before stopping himself when he heard what she was talking about. “Please sign the death act here. You’ll be able to grab his stuff in a few days. And don’t worry about your job tonight, someone else will take care of it. You can go home.”
The young man she was talking to nodded and signed the paper before leaving.
“Poor kiddo”, Gojo said. “He looks really young to deal with that stuff.”
Megumi heard Geto confirming as he was walking straight through the doors. He had enough problems himself to deal with others. A few steps away, two people were walking in their direction. Megumi recognised his cousin and a guy he didn’t know. His cousin seemed to notice him, and she went to salute him. “Hey Megumi, how are you going?”
Megumi just answered something vague that his cousin didn’t pay attention to.
“What are you two doing here?” Asked Gojo.
“Uh”, The woman looked at the guy behind her. Half of his face was covered in blood. “Todo fought, and he needs stitches.”
Nobody dared to ask more about it. The tone of her voice was convincing enough; they knew that if they asked questions, they would end up in the same state as Todo’s. Speaking of which, Todo started to look at Megumi from top to bottom and asked: “Hey, you. Do you know how to fight?”
Before Megumi could answer that weird question, his cousin grabbed Todo’s wrist and led him to the entrance of the hospital. “Are you stupid? We should stay quiet. If we get caught, we’re dead!”
Megumi frowned. For a few seconds, he couldn’t help but wonder what she was talking about. Then, he remembered that he didn’t give a fuck about what she could do or not, and left the hospital.