Left-Behind Trace [Open]

[standalonehuman]

WHO: Togusa and people!
WHERE: The hospital, oops.
WHEN: January 7th and onwards.
WHAT: Togusa got shot, he's in the hospital, and finally knows how his Other got shot.
WARNINGS: Discussion of violence, medical treatment, and the like.

The news probably didn't take long to reach a lot of people. Togusa got brought to the hospital with a gunshot wound. Togusa's official story is that he got shot stopping an opportunistic mugger trying to steal things in the chaos of the fire. So what actually happened?

Comments

January 6th: Togusa and Mariko

[standalonehuman]

Togusa's immediate cyberbrain message went directly to Mariko, and the subsequent alarm got sounded. When he is wheeled in, it's as if half the damn police Department has already made it into the lobby. But, in the emergency department, itself, it's harder for people to follow him.

He is already on oxygen, and the EMTs have given cursory treatment to a gunshot wound on his back and chest. They are bringing him back, but Togusa is far from sedate, gripping the edge of the gurney tightly.

Koutarou Takao is the one who provides Mariko the opportunity to get back there, though. He is (rather intensely, for him) arguing with one of the nurses, to try to get access. It means they can't stop a second person sneaking back there. And the other cops recognize her well enough that they wouldn't dare stop her.

So there he is in the triage cubicle, just a few curtains keeping him away from everybody else, for now. He lies stiller than anyone would like, his face is pale and covered in a sheen of sweat, and every breath is a near-herculean effort on his part.

Welp

[megatechbody]

It is almost like a fugue, this feeling that settles over Mariko. At first it was anger and searing hot panic and the flash of red and blue lights no matter how tightly she screwed her eyes shut. However, she still knows old tricks - ways to get muscles to unlock,and old pain to settle. Parts of it feel familiar and intimately so but still so far away from her thoughts. It’s like music playing in another room and it is only that distance that lets Mariko function.

Function. Barely.

She’s probably one of the last to show up, just as the hospital staff is trying to make sense of all the men in their lobby. They are kind in their almost stubborn refusal to acknowledge the woman who eases by them, or maybe she’s just gotten better at sneaking. Mariko doesn’t know anymore.

But hospitals are old hat. She hates them and you couldn’t fucking pay her to be in one but she knows what to do. Her hair is tied back and at the last accessible bathroom she washes her hands, nearly up to the elbow and under the nails. As she rinses, she tries not to breathe the scent of dial antibacterial in too deeply and shoves the feeling of nausea so far down it almost becomes hunger again.

The staff don’t bother her when they spot her this far in; not with that look on her face, not with the lobby full of cops that just happened to miss her. Still she mumbles “I’m his sister” to anyone who looks at her for a half second too long. At least she thinks she does.

She makes it to his room, goes to his bedside and stares at him, like a doll. The hysteric noise is stomped down, the only evidence of its existence a quick inhalation. The rage bleeds off of her in a wave because Hitori is too pale and his breath is too shallow to see and —that is not a thought she’s having. For a moment she stares at his hand, fingers reaching but God if he’s cold when she touches him, there’s nothing that would stop her, nothing and no one and for a moment she shivers because cold and sirens and caskets and skipping stones and and and —

Her tongue feels heavy iin her mouth. Her limbs feel heavy, but then through the mechanical din and the chaos of her own mind, the beep of the heart monitor - Mariko hears Hitori breathe and with that she settles.

She sits in the chair, almost silently and just waits.

[standalonehuman]

Mariko was so quiet it takes a second for Togusa to realize someone is even there. His eyes open, and his head shifts so slightly. His chest rises in a sharper breath in.

"M... M-" The name turns into a groan of pain.

"Mariko," he tries again. His hand unclenches from his fist, and reaches out towards her. They already cut off his uniform shirt, so the movement shows that there are also a lot of regular bruises all over Togusa's chest, tiny, impact bruises, almost in a pattern.

Now that he's away from Malik, and the strangeness of what was behind the door, he can let his fear start to show. He was gripping on to anything he could to try to keep himself from shaking.

"I got shot- he got shot." He shakes his head ever so slightly. "I remember it now." His voice cracks. When he looks at her, his gaze is watery. "It was important." He coughs on that last word.

[megatechbody]

"Shhh."

She takes his hand in both of hers, scowling. He shouldn't be trying to talk, He shouldn't even be here, much less trying to explain something he knows about his Other.

"That's not important right now."

The condemnation dies on her lips and she can feel herself shaking. Maybe once he's sitting up and breathing unassisted, she'll take his head off for doing something as fucking stupid as getting shot.

But for now she'll settle for holding his hand and trying not to cry all over it.

"Whatever it is can wait until you're healed up."

[standalonehuman]

Togusa's grip in return has some strength to it. It's as if he's clinging to her, however he can. Her words help, but he absolutely cannot shake the sense of urgency, of something hanging over him, because the memory is too fresh.

"Held it together until we got out the door. Passed out in the ambulance. One second, I was just- there." He squeezes again at her hand, and his voice finally picks up a tremble. "Woke up. They said I'd-" Fuck. Word. He plucks the one that explains the situation. "Seizure."

Not an entire surprise. Damage to the lung, could damage transport of oxygen to the brain, end in seizure activity. Togusa's eyes close for a second, and when he opens them again, his gaze is watery, trying to keep back tears.

"I'm scared. He wasn't scared."

[thesettingsun]

No, the news did not take long to reach people. Shuji shows up to Togusa's hospital room as soon as he can, with his most powerful I Am Relieved You Are Okay But Also Seriously Worried You Were Almost Not Okay face.

It's a pretty powerful face.

"I promised Isamu I'd lobby for robot visitation rights once things calm down." That's the first thing he has to say. "And that I'd give you ten hugs."

[standalonehuman]

Before Shuji found him, Isamu was pacing in the parking garage, zipping up and down the ramps like he was trying to figure out how to sneak in. (Thank goodness he can't turn invisible yet.) Instead, he is now anxiously waiting just outside the hospital's front door.

Togusa sits up when Shuji arrives, and he reaches out a hand towards him. "Shuji. Thank you. He doesn't have a connection on Retrospec. I've got to get him his own messaging app or something." A small laugh.

The smile he puts on is tired, but genuine. "I'm okay."

[thesettingsun]

Shuji maybe definitely gave Isamu a hug of his own before hurrying to see Togusa.

"He's almost as worried as I am, I think." He squeezes Togusa's hand gently. "What happened?"

[standalonehuman]

New data acquired: hug. Isamu is still analyzing it.

"Have you made it through any part of the fire? There's- there's paths through, doors, even. And there's something on the other side." He has to start there, because the network chatter has been so slim, he doesn't know how many people have found it.

January 7th onward: Open

[standalonehuman]

The first day that Togusa is in the hospital is a little hard to get to him, because of the sheer number of cops in the lobby. Turns out when a detective gets shot, the police force gets antsy in response. They disperse more when he makes it out of surgery, so on the following days, the mood is a lot less tense in the hospital.

The Chief herself had come down to get Togusa's statement, which is where the story of a robbery gone wrong has spun out from. It's believable, and nobody seems to be questioning it. For those on Retrospec, though, it's easy to tell this is a lie.

Togusa is varying levels of alert, depending on when someone comes to see him. Micromachine surgery is going to make his recovery a lot faster than it would have otherwise, but it still isn't going to be immediate.

Notable, by Togusa's bed are a tiny wooden carving of a bluebird, and a small vase with delicate blue flowers in it. Someone may be making fun of him.

[frostythehitman]

James arrives on January 8th. He heard about Togusa being in the hospital yesterday (after getting shot somehow) but wasn't able to show up sooner. Too many cops crawling around the place. And while he's technically neither a wanted man nor James Barnes any more, he's still cautious around them, given the dubious circumstances of his freedom.

Once they clear out, though, there's nothing stopping him. He slips into Togusa's room quietly at around 11 in the morning. He doesn't say anything, though--he doesn't know if Togusa's resting right now or not. And even if he wasn't, James has no idea what to say, where to even begin. Instead, he just stares at him, arms crossed, with a look on his face somewhere between anger and weary frustration. For someone who just aged 20 years overnight, he seems to have already perfected the expression of a disappointed father.

It clashes heavily with the bright and cheery "Get Well Soon!" balloon in his hand. It hovers over his head like a shiny cheerful cloud over his sourness.

[standalonehuman]

Hi, dad.

Togusa is honestly not surprised that all his colleagues chased some people away, not even intentionally. He is more lucid when James arrives, propped up in bed some, but still hooked up to a bunch of machines. They've still got him on oxygen as a precaution, because of the close call with his lung.

When he sees who it is, Togusa actually flinches from that look. An odd reversal of their usual standards, and it hurts more coming out of him. He looks down, because it suddenly hits him that he doesn't know what James knows. Is that look only going to get worse when he tells him who he saved?

"I swear, I was trying to get both of us out of the way. This wasn't a dumb sacrifice move, I just fucked up."

[frostythehitman]

James eyes the machines warily. The quantity of them is an indicator of just how badly injured Togusa must have been. Or, still is.

He works his jaw as he tries to figure out what to say in response to that. In truth, James doesn't know much of anything, so Togusa's words do nothing for him except add to his confusion. He heard that Togusa was shot in some mugging incident, but was pretty sure that was just bull. Anything of the truth, though, is a mystery to him.

After a few moments, he finally settles for, "What the hell were you even doing?" And, realizing now that Togusa said 'both of us', follows up with, "Who were you even with?"

7th

[thisloveisjustice]

For the record, Tatsuo hates hospitals. It's not something he's vocal about, but it's not something he hides either. Police fund raisers involving the hospital? Tatsuo won't be there, even in support.

So it's a testament of how much Togusa means to him that he shows up the next day. It's early in the evening and he's just left his shift at the lab, so he doesn't smell of smoke and ash just yet. He doesn't bring anything, because nothing seems fitting. Instead he just quietly slides into the room and stands at the foot of Togusa's bed.

[standalonehuman]

It's a mentality that Togusa can appreciate. He is used to being around them, but he's been so healthy in his life that he has never had an extended hospital stay. So, a reversal of normal.

It takes Togusa a second to notice that Tatsuo is there. He's obviously on wonderful drugs. But he hits the button to move the bed up some so he sits up more.

"Tatsuo. I'm. I'm sorry."

His head drops some, he can't keep holding the gaze that Tatsuo is giving him. It's hard to see, around the hospital gown Togusa wears, but there are also odd bruises on his arms and neck, like a lot of tiny impact points in a pattern.

[thisloveisjustice]

Tatsuo's expression is... muddled, to say the least. There's discomfort at just being in the hospital, worry over Togusa's condition, confusion over the story he got from the department, and not a little anger at whomever the hell it was that shot someone he considers family.

"What happened? A robbery gone wrong? That's what they're saying at the station..."

But something about the whole story just, doesn't sit right with him.

His tone is a little terse as he struggles to keep his emotions in check. He keeps his hands shoved down into his pockets so they won't twitch and so he doesn't think about the fact he can barely feel his finger tips right now. At work, he had things to focus on. But now, all he has to focus on is his friend in the hospital bed.

Re: January 7th onward: Open

[blondferret]

[When Derek heard Togusa got shot due to a robbery gone wrong, Derek knew that was a lie and was slightly disappointed in the police chief's lack of ability to discern that. He eventually makes is way to the hospital to visit Togusa. He doesn't have anything with him, he's not that close to the guy. Besides, if needs be, he can conjure some flowers. Hell, if Togusa wanted birds flying around his head, he could do that too. He left some flying around the Tachikoma just to distract the poor thing and to get it to stop crying.

He saunters into the room and silently closes the door behind him. He walks to the end of the bed and folds his arms.]

You're poor robot is crying outside. Well, wailing to be more precise. It would actually be concerning if water was coming out of it.

[Derek... that's not how to greet an injured person in their hospital room!]

It's nice to see you alive though. So, how did you actually get shot?

Re: January 7th onward: Open

[standalonehuman]

Togusa lets himself sit up more, and he can manage a small smile for Derek. "Isamu. Can you let him know that I'm all right, and I'm thinking of him, when you get out of here?"

It's an odd thought, though. Why can Isamu cry? Is he modeling that behavior off of humans? Did he come pre-programmed with that, as a way to empathize more with his user?

Togusa realizes he fell silent for a little too long, and he shakes his head. "Sorry. Uh. It turns out there's something behind the firewall. I don't know how many people have found it. Doors that lead, I'm assuming they all lead somewhere different."

Re: January 7th onward: Open

[blondferret]

[Togusa is asking him to talk to a robot and let it know it's owner is OK? Cool, he's down for that.]

Yeah, no problem. I'll let... Isamu you said, know.

[Derek waits for Togusa's explanation. When he hears it he frowns. Togusa what kind of place did you go to?]

They must because no one shot bullets at me. What kind of world were you in?

jan 14

[godcards]

News might've traveled fast, but Malik wouldn't have known about any of that. In fact, had he not been present the day of the particular incident, he would have stayed blithely unaware. He doesn't mingle with cops. He doesn't want to mingle with cops, and it's for that reason that he waits so long to even make it this far into the hospital.

The first couple of days, there were bound to be too many people, and that's putting aside the fact that Malik was so unwell he actually followed the EMT's instructions on taking care of himself. Crowds and bright lights were a no-go, as was walking that far. It's not until after he feels like himself again that he decides to go visit, but the first time, he still gets inexplicably anxious and leaves before he can make it up to the reception desk.

He made it today, though. It's quiet enough that he can keep his nerves about him. There's still some sense of awkwardness clinging to him, mostly because he doesn't do stuff like this. Being like a real, normal person is a truly awkward venture, as he's discovering.

"They ever catch that robber?" Said from near the doorway. No queries into how Togusa is doing, because how well could a guy in the hospital be doing, really?

Re: jan 14

[standalonehuman]

The voice is a surprise, and Togusa shifts to see Malik better. By the time Malik is there, he's off the oxygen, so the whole scene looks less scary. Heart and blood ox are still being closely monitored, but they think he's out of the woods.

"No," Togusa is easy to keep up the lie. "Can't really work on a manhunt with this much fire. If it's gone this long and he hasn't popped up again? They're pretty sure the guy'll skip town as soon as he can."

All beliefs that Togusa is subtly working to help push so that everybody forgets about it as soon as possible.

"How are you doing?" Togusa gestures to the seat by his bed, played host to a lot of people so far. "They didn't bring you with me." So Malik has to be somewhat okay.

[godcards]

Malik plops down in the chair, hands neatly in his lap.

"Better than you are. I was told by one of those EMTs that I more than likely had a concussion... a mild one, so I'd be better off going home than going to the hospital where they were going to tell me the same thing."

He shrugs.

"Unless it's actual brain damage, they didn't want to give up a bed, I suppose... Which is fine, because I didn't want to go anyway. I had to walk back to my place, however, which was far more challenging than I'd like to admit, but after some rest I felt a lot better."

"You don't look as bad, now that you aren't trying to die in front of me."

two mini characters for the prices of one

[spirithacker]

Being a small, cute child enables Shinji to get places he probably shouldn't. In this case, he's a tiny kid asking to bring the cop who helped him out a get well soon gift, and he wants to have his parents wait in the lobby because Togusa's in recovery and you're not supposed to bother them with lots of people, right? So since Shinji is the littlest person, he's the best to go visit, right?

This may or may not be strictly allowed, but you try telling a teary-eyed nine year old that he can't see the nice policeman.

Shinji comes in with a small package of mixed candies, which he puts on Togusa's bedside table, next to the flowers.

"Hospital food sucks so I brought you chocolate." He definitely did not clear this with the nurses first. "Are you okay?"

If he was okay, he wouldn't be in a hospital bed, but Shinji just wants to hear a 'yes'.

Re: two mini characters for the prices of one

[standalonehuman]

The much lighter footsteps get Togusa's attention better than anything else, and he perks up when he sees it's Shinji. He still feels so tired, but he knows the rule, you put on the facade to tell the kid that it's okay. So he is going to make an extra effort.

"Oh, thank you. I swear they don't flavor anything in here." A small smile.

Togusa takes as deep a breath as he can, like he's trying to prove it to himself, too. And then he nods. "I'm okay. I'm through the scary part, so now I just need to rest."

why do you have hospital icons for him. I'm upset.

[spirithacker]

"Okay."

Shinji was worried, but if Togusa says he's okay, then he's... well, at least he's definitely not gonna die, because Togusa wouldn't lie to him like that.

"...Are you too hurt to get hugs?"