Forever Dream — (Chapter 5) Dimitri Keeps Me Up All Night
Tags: Short Story, Fiction, Series, Forever Dream, Magical Realism

“That’s it?” Hide gawks at Kagawa, flabbergasted at the man’s words. “That’s your ultimate plan to get her back to normal?”

Kagawa, never losing his cool, crosses his arms across is his chest and coolly raises his eyes as if completely unaware and uninterested in whatever it is that’s troubling Hide. “That’s the best way to go about it, Hide.”

“If all I was supposed to do was keep her away from drugs, why would I need you?”

“You said she has schizophrenia.” Kagawa raises his eyes. Hide shrugs saying that’s what he’s heard. “I don’t want you to tell me what you’ve heard someone say, Hide. I want a proper diagnosis. And if you can’t provide one then I’ll have to do it myself.”

“What difference does it make?! I just need you to up and fix her for just a day! Is that so hard?!”

“Yes, it is. Considering my possible treatment could be the end for her if I don’t have all the details of her case, Hide.”

Hide closes his eyes, dark circles looking more prominent in the early morning light that filters through the apartment windows. With hands-on his hips and an annoyance in his voice, he bites out, “all I want to know is if she’s going to be able to fucking act normal during the stakeholders meeting in 3 weeks.” The stability and bottled-up frustration in his voice make the hairs on the back of Kagawa’s neck rise and Hide know this.

Kagawa gulps, falling back a little as he nods his head, looking away — trying to sound nonchalant. “She’ll be ready by then.”

“Good.”

Hide turns away and is about to leave the room when Kagawa starts speaking again, “she’ll need your help, though, Hide.”

“My help?’ Hide turns back to gauge Kagawa’s reaction for any signs of humour or falsehood, but it’s not there. And when Kagawa nods his head he frowns. Stepping closer to the other man, he squints. “Why does she need my help for?”

“Detoxification can he deadly, Hide. Especially for a case like hers,” Kagawa tells him, huffing a deep sigh and jutting his hands in his pockets. “The withdrawals alone could kill her, you know?”

Hide doesn’t respond to that and looks away towards the sofa chair on the other side of the room. The girl is sitting there — knees up and hair down, wearing a green sundress and no shoes— muttering nothings as she continues staring at the sunlight pouring all over the apartment floor. Like a cat waiting to pounce on a ball of yarn. It’s been a day since he brought her back from the hostel she was wasting away in and her condition hasn’t improved.

It hasn’t worsened either so at least he’s not worried. For now.

He stares at the tiny girl, almost getting eaten up with the sofa, and his heart aches. Her greying locks make him wince and her chapped lips make his own throat dry. The dark circles under her eyes — deeper and more brutal than his own — make him wonder how many days it’s been since she’s slept. The fact is that he doesn’t know the answer but her condition would suggest over a week. The cracks on her feet and the cuts lining her wrists feel like wounds on his own spotless skin and he can feel his resolve break.

Hide shakes his head violently when he realises that pity is what he’s feeling and he walks out of the room without a word; leaving Kagawa to stare at the closed door behind with a knowing smirk.