A lunch date

[soul_scatter]

Who: Kuchiki Byakuya and Unohana Retsu
When: Monday, May 28th - noon
Where: The hospital
Summary: He's returned from the dead and reporting for dutymommy absolution.
Warnings: Byakuya? No. Seriously.

Byakuya had stopped by and picked up a few light things - seafood salad for the pair of them, and an actual iced tea blend that was both citrusy and refreshing. He'd also brought a single lily for her, just to cheer her up.

Byakuya would never admit it, but he did not believe she took proper care of herself when so many others needed her.

However, he didn't ask the nurse to announce him. Merely said that Unohana would be going to lunch shortly. She knew he was here, no reason to announce it to the hospital.

Comments

[soul_scatter]

He stopped eating for a moment. Internalized guilt? Well, he certainly had enough of that. But... enough to... yes. Hisana alone was enough. With Rukia, Kurosaki to an extent, and several other things... internalized guilt he had in spades.

"It would certainly cross the boundaries between mortal and others." He just hoped he didn't get sick again. Dying once was enough.

[calm_tempest]

"Indeed. It explains much."

She didn't even question why Kuchiki-taichou's case had been strong enough to kill him, now. Of course he had internalized guilt. He internalized everything. She herself had remained largely untouched by symptoms, as she prefers to come to terms with the things that happen in her life.

Some exhaustion and a few aches here and there, but she'd been able to pass that off as overwork. And the reason she'd even felt them at all was sitting right in front of her, eating his lunch. There hadn't been much time to work through the guilt of being unable to save him.

"Hitsugaya-taichou has been suffering a rather serious case himself, though from what I've learned from the nurses, he has shown a steady improvement in the past twenty-four hours."

Already in this hospital, she had ears. She knew quite a few things that were outside her area, thanks to that.

[soul_scatter]

Byakuya could probably pinpoint one big thing Hitsugaya felt guilty about and he'd made her go home and rest, instead of hovering over him. "Hinamori-fukutaichou will be glad to hear that."

He was too. Because, honestly, he didn't know if he'd be able to deal with Hinamori losing Hitsugaya. He wasn't good with grief. Not his own, not that belonging to others.

"Will he be able to return home soon?"

[calm_tempest]

"A few more days, perhaps. He still needs to be under observation in the event of a relapse."

She hid a smile behind another sip of the iced tea -- it was truly quite tasty. And drinking kept her from laughing. Hitsugaya-taichou would not appreciate anyone laughing at his predicament. She'd honestly tried to get him transferred out of the pediatrics ward, but there had been no available beds.

"I can assure you that the staff in pediatrics is doing everything they can to speed his recovery."

He'd been quite the terror to the nurses, evidently. It had taken telling them to drop her name when he was particularly belligerent to get him to stop.

[soul_scatter]

It wasn't nice when she did things like that. He hesitated just for a few moments before setting his tea down. Because if he took a sip now, he'd choke on it.

His eyebrow ticked up just slightly. "Pediatrics?"

Oh, that was just... He wasn't laughing. Honestly. He wasn't.

[calm_tempest]

As if it weren't obvious anyhow how amused he was. But at the very least, both of them were making some effort to be respectful.

"Yes. I was unable to get him transferred to a more appropriate ward, unfortunately. They will be glad when he is stable enough to be released; word among the nurses is that he's been a trial when energetic enough."

Honestly, sometimes the words had been worse than that. And she'd stepped in when such a thing happened. Letting off steam was one thing, but she would not allow anyone to speak so ill of a patient, particularly one that was a captain of the Gotei Thirteen.

[soul_scatter]

"I have no doubt." Especially since Byakuya knew how much Hitsugaya hated being called a child. To Byakuya's mind, it was one of the most immature things about him, but he never said so.

"Hinamori is ill, as well." But her, he'd ordered to stay home and rest. She didn't need to hover over Hitsugaya.