That Number Ten

25. Hospital Visits

"Eh?" Izumi muttered to himself, looking down at his phone.

"What's up? Is Hinata going to be late?" Koji leaned over to peer at Izumi's phone and yelped as he had to catch the device when it fell from limp fingers, quickly reaching to place a steadying hand on Izumi's arm and looking at the phone in a quick glance.

Shouyou: don't think I can make today in hospital see u soon

Koji's fingers tightened on Izumi's arm before he tapped fervently at his friend's phone, bringing it to his ear as it rang.

After the first two rings, it was picked up.

"Hello, Hinata residence!" a cheery female voice answered.

"H-Hinata-san?" Koji asked. "Sorry, is Shouyou there?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Shou-chan is at the Tohoku University Hospital today. Did you want me to take a message for him? Is that Ko-chan?"

"T-Thank you Hinata-san, that's okay." Koji numbly exchanged a few more pleasantries and then hung up.

"Do you think he's okay?" Izumi asked shortly. "I mean, he's well enough to text, so he should be okay, right?"

"Only one way to find out," Koji said, and pressed Izumi's phone back into his hand. "We go and find him."

Hinata glanced up from his mathematics book in surprise as the hospital room eased open gently, his pen falling from where it had been perched in his mouth and dropping to the floor.

"Izumi-kun, Koji-kun, what are you two doing here?" Hinata asked in a hushed, but not less excited voice.

"Oh, Shouyou, friends of yours?" the old man occupying the only hospital bed asked, and Hinata grinned, setting his book to the side.

"Yup! From Yukigaoka! They - hrrk!" Hinata was cut off as Izumi strode forward and crushed him in a hard hug, fingers grasping at the back of Hinata's shirt.

"You can't just say you're at the hospital and not give a reason, idiot!" Izumi said, voice choked. "I'm sorry for intruding, but you can't worry us like that!"

"He has a point, Shou, you're the type of person who doesn't look both ways when crossing the road and instead screams and sprints to the other side," Koji interjected, but his face was flushed and his countenance was flustered from the rushed journey to the hospital and the rush to find Hinata.

"Oh my, oh my," the old man chuckled. "Seems you've worried some dear friends."

Hinata let his arms fold around Izumi in return and mumbled an apology.

"Grandad got admitted to hospital, so mum said I should see him. The only visiting hours were when we were supposed to meet up, and I didn't want to miss out on seeing him." Hinata's voice was quiet and vulnerable.

Koji reached a hand into the tangle of limbs to rest it comfortingly on the back of Hinata's neck, and was briefly startled as Hinata's hand shot out from underneath Izumi's armpit to grab onto his jacket.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Izumi hiccupped, and Hinata's grandfather laughed softly.

"No need, my dear boy, I get to see a side of Shouyou I haven't see in many years. I'm glad to see he has such good friends at his side."

"Always," Koji murmured, bowing his head in greeting to the bedridden man, and stood there quietly as Izumi sniffled and shook and Hinata held on tight.