The Outsiders - 8

Chapter 8 – The Tube

Kagome sat in the dining hall with a meal in front of her. The hall was empty and silent. All the other patients were gone. But Kagome sat still there. She hadn't eaten a forkful, even though it had been almost an hour since the lunch started. The nurse Kaede sat opposite her, waiting for the miracle to happen.
  ”Eat”, she compelled. Kagome didn't answer. ”Kagome, eat up.”
  And so they sat still. Nothing happened. Only the ticking of the clock could be heard.
  Finally the nurse, Kaede, sighed and got up from her chair. Kagome stared at her, her heart pounding.
  ”Alright”, Kaede huffed. ”Alright. Go. Go on.”
  And Kagome sure did. She jogged out of the dining hall into the corridor. She was very pleased of herself. She was strong. Stronger than food. And so she returned to her room.

Kagome seriously thought that she had succeeded. That she had got away with this, dodged a bullet. She sat on her bed, thinking.
  She thought of that hanyou boy. Was he called Inuyasha? Something about him was mystic, especial. She knew nothing more of him – but she wanted to.

Then she could hear approaching steps from the corridor. The room's door opened, and Sango came in.
  ”Hi...” Kagome greeted a bit quietly. It was hard to be cheerful in the same room with Sango.
  Sango nodded and clearly tried to smile, with poor results. Slowly she walked  through the room and sat on her bed.
  ”Were you talking to the doctor?” Kagome asked. ”I... I mean if you mind if I ask, sorry, I...”
  ”That's okay”, Sango said. ”And yes, I was.”
  A dense silence filled the room. Kagome spun her thumbs, uneasy. She has one question in her mind.
  ”Uh... Sango?” she hesitated.
  ”Yes?”
  ”I don't want to sound too curious, but still... Could you tell me a bit about Inuyasha?”
  ”Uh... Inuyasha? Why him?”
  ”Well, um...” Kagome mumbled. ”He has came to me a few times and said...”
  ”Said?” Sango interrupted Kagome. ”Did you say he Said something to you?”
  ”Yes. He told me to stop...”
  Sango went quiet.
  ”That's weird...” she said finally. ”Inuyasha has never said a word in here. Not to anyone. We have no idea, what his voice sound like.”
  ”Really?”
  ”Yes. I actually thought he wasn't even able to talk. A is a bit like that, you know. He's a hanyou. Miroku told me some things about him. Something has gone wrong with Inuyasha. His youkai blood has taken over him, or something like that. He is not actually like he is... Well, Miroku knew more about him, but now...” And Sango burst in tears.

Kagome felt uneasy of Sango crying. Of course talking of Miroku was hard for Sango. Oh how Kagome wished she had kept her mouth shut!
  ”Sango...” she tried to cheer Sango up, but no good. Sango couldn't stop sobbing.
  ”I-I can't tell you more of Inuyasha... You sho-should have asked Miroku...”

Suddenly the door was knocked. The girls turned their faces towards the door. Kaede came in.
  ”Kagome, come with me”, she said.
  Kagome did't ask anything, just got up and walked to the door. She waved at Sango and closed to door after leaving.
  ”Where are we going?” Kagome asked Kaede as they walked the corridor.
  ”Don't ye worry, this is for your own good”, Kaede told.
  They stopped in front of a door. Kagome hadn't been there. She had no idea what it was. She had a bad feeling about this when four nurses came from the room, gathering around Kagome as a circle.
  ”W-what is this?” the girl asked alarmed.
  ”Come”, Kaede said calmly and pointed inside the room. The first thing Kagome saw was the limb restrainting bed in the middle of the room. In half a second Kagome turned towards the corridor and tried to run away, but the nurses grabbed her. Kagome fidgeted, kicked, punched and bit, but she was too weak; she couldn't do anything. And so the nurses put the fragile girl on the bed. They rolled her on her back and started strapping her in the belts. Soon the girl was was strapped on the bed from wrists, ankles and chest.
  ”What's happening?!” Kagome shouted frightened. The nurses shushed her.
  ”Because ye don't eat...” Kaede talked calmly and quietly and made way for one other nurse. ”... we will now put you a naso-gastric tube.”
  ”No! No!” Kagome screamed, but no good. One nurse put the tube into her nose while one other nurse kept her head still. Kagome could feel the tube going down her nose and esophagus. She gagged constantly and the pain was immense. But finally the job was done. The tube was all down to the girl's stomach. The nurses shoke each others' hands, praising each other, and left the room one by one.
  ”Okay, that's it...” Kaede calmed the panting Kagome on the bed. Suddenly one nurse came into the room with a drip stand. There hung a bag of Nutrison. And so the nurse connected the tubes; Kagome's tube and the Nutrison tube.
  ”If ye promise not to rip the tube off, we can let you free from the straps”, Kaede said. ”But remember that if ye Do rip it off, we will just put it back, and believe me – that time ye won't be let go this easily.”
 
And so an hour went by, and Kagome was freed from the straps. Her heart was still pounding quite hard as she staggered from the isolation room to the corridor. Kaede walked behind her and closed the door with a huge slam.
  ”Now, maybe ye should go to the living room”, Kaede nodded with a smile and pet the girl's shoulder. ”I'll come right to you in just a few minutes.”

Kagome walked the corridor pushing the drip stand with her. She was ashamed to walk around with it, but she had no options. And right when she got to the living room she could all the other patients' stares burn a hole in her back. The tube was quite a sight. Kagome looked at Sango, who was sitting on the couch, who sighed sadly for Kagome.