Bungou stray dogs: Dazai overdose

Chapter 23

Atsushi pov
I was happy, that Dazai had regained consciousness. But something told me, that this was far from over. Sure it was gonna take a while until his body recovered. But a blind man could have seen the hopeless expression in his eyes.

It was obvious everyone saw it, but no one was gonna say it out loud. He survived, but did he really though? It didn't matter, he was alive and I, no we were gonna do everything in our power, to understand and help. I had no idea, what exactly happened to him. I knew what Fukuzawa had told me, sure, but.... Fukuzawa had told me very little details, he never described the exact things, all he ever said, was ''abused'', ''raped'' and ''badly injured'', and someother stuff, but details is what was missing. And details was what we desperatle needed.

I focused my eyes on Yosano, who was trying everything to keep him distracted. She seemed to know more, than me. Although I didn't know from where she had that information. There was still a lot I didn't know about all of them.

''Dazai, can you breath fine?'' She asked, completely out of place, since he was wearing an oxygen mask, so obviously he was breathing fine, but not strong enough to do on his own.

She seemed have gotten a reply through hsi hand, because her face showed a pleased expression.

''You left us tones of work to do.'' Kunikida said awkwardly. Ranpo, him and I obviously lacked of ideas of what to say, while to Yosano it didn't seem to matter what she said, as long as it was something.

I looked at the time. It had already been an hour since he had woken up. Not much had happened, we talked to him a little, although that conversation was very singlesided. Dazai hasn't said anything, he just groaned in pain from time to time. Ranpo, Kunikida and I had said some small sentences along the way, but Yosano had done most of the talking.

Surprisingly she really didn'T care what she said. At some pooint, when she started to run out of ideas, she began to talk about a cat, she had saved, cured and rerleased. Kunikida and her were constantly holding Dazais hand. Ranpo on the other hand was barely visible from Dazais perspective.

On purpose obviously, he had a huge frown on his face, unpleased about something. He had been staring at Dazai worriedly, wich showed me, that neither him, nor Yosano or Kunikida were happy with the situation. But the couldn't show that to Dazai.

Just as Yosano was about to go on with her story about how she bought a bike from a homeless man, Dazai began to cough violently. Everyones attention was immediantly on him. Kunikida jumped up. Ranpo's gaze shifted and he sat straight up, about to stand up as well. I sat there in shock.

I had believed this period of his condition was over. Honestly the only one truly useful right now, was Yosano.

She had reacted quicker, than lighting could have hit him. She had fast, but carefull lifted his upper body. Then she precieded in rubbing his back and whispering calming words. Such as...

''It's ok, Dazai......You're gonna be fine.......Eveything is gonna be fine.......you're doing good''

His coughing didn't stop, so Yosano yelled at us to go get Dr. Jackson. Ranpo grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room with him.

Yosano pov
I was scared, to be honest, it was clear to me, that just because he was awake, didn't mean, that he was fine. I had seen it from the moment his eyes opened. Drained, tired, exhausted and in pain. In his eyes was no hope and no happiness, then again, his eyes might have always looked like that, but no they didn't, even if he had felt like ot before, he wouldn't have allowed anyone to see such hopelessness in him.

I realized, that I had never payed good enough attention to him, to acctuall be able to tell. 

I was talking nonesense to him, about some strange events, that had happened at some point in my life, that might distract him from his current condition. Just as I was about to wipe out another story he began to cough, violently and painfully.

The shock of this unexpected move, was visible in everyones faces. I forced myself out of the panicked state and rememebered what had to be done. I lifted his body, so he could vreath more easily and, since he was consciouss this time, stroke his back, in a way to comfort him.

When it didn't stop with that I panickly ordered into the room for someone to get a doctor. To wich Ranpo got up and pulled the in shock standing Atsushi with him.

Dazai kep on coughing, until blood began to spill from his mouth, it was just a little bit, but apparently that was what had caused this outburst, because after it came up, the cuoghing stopped.

I looked at him.

''You think you ready to lie back down?'' I asked
It took a while for him to process what I had said, but he then replied.
''....mhm...'' It wasn't a real word, but it was enough to bring my hopes back up, at leasst a little.

''Ok, let me help you'' I said, when I realized, that I was fully supporting his sitting position, without me, he would have collapsed into himself like a line of stacked dominos, once you accidetly push one.

He didn't respond, so I slowly lay him back down. He looked even more exhausted and weak, than he had before. I was about to say something. That was, when Dr. Jackson barged in. I looked at him.

''He coughed up blood again, it wasn't much though.'' I said, gesturing at the now dirty with blood oxygen mask.
''Ok, let me see.'' He said.

He began to examin Dazai and cleaned the blood out of the mask.
''Yes, it would seem, that he migth keep coughing for a while. My guess is, that the blood that he coughed up previously was, what was in the way of survival. However this now is in the way and makes it painful and hard to breath. But I can't tell how much more he will cough up, without an X-ray, wich I would like to avoid for now.''

I nodded, taking an x-ray now, while he was awake, would be another bother to his mental state, it would be stressfull and he might panik.

''Thank you'' I thanked him, for from my perspective nothing. He hadn't said anything, I couldn't have guessed myself. ''Is there anything that can be done, to make it easier for him?'' Atsushi, who still looked a little jumpy, asked in a worried, almost pittiful tone.

''I'm afraid not, anything that we could do, to make it go slightly faster, would cause a great amount of pain. And I really don't want to add that to the pain he already feels.''

Atsushi nodded with a sad expression on his face. Dr. Jackson excused himself and left, since now, that Dazai was no longer in need of constant medical attention, he had other paitents as well.

We all sat back down.

''Dazai'' I kept saying his name instead of speaking to him without a saying a name, hoping it might make him feel important. ''Do you feel a little better now'' Strange question, I kenw that, but what else was I supposed to say. But I was still hoping he would form a word or sentence today at some point.

''.....y--ye...yea-h'' We all stared at him with relieve and in surprise. ''You talked, good.'' I said, though looking at his expression said, that he was still in a great amount of pain and about to fall back asleep.

''We should call the president'' Ranpo now said. I nodded.

''I'll call him'' I said and pulled my phone out to call him and Kyouka, who was with him on a job. No one knew, why they were on a job together, but then again, did it really matter?

I went onto the balcony to make the call, once I was done, I returned inside.

''They said, they're on their way'' I told the group that was positioned around Dazais bed. I knew I wouldn't be long, before he fell back asleep, so I had told them to hurry, but from the looks of it, he was about to drift of any second. His face was still pale and sweaty from the high fever, he looked tired and sick, but other than that he seemed to be doing better, than he had previously. Still, he seemed off...

///I know I'm getting slower in updating, but I'm just really busy right now. Sorry