When You Smile - Complete

Chapter Five - Turning Point

Chapter Five - Turning Point

Her throat began to emit cries of pain as Tezuka dropped his racquet and leaped over the net to kneel beside her. "Miyako?" He got no response. He turned to the fence. "Echizen! Get the coach!" Making sure that the boy obeyed his command, he turned his eyes back to the girl. He carefully uncurled her arms from her knees. "You need to keep moving, Miyako. It'll only hurt more if you don't."

"But it already hurts." Miyako whimpered, no longer coherent enough to understand logic.

By now the gate was opened and Fuji appeared on Miyako's other side. "What should we do?"

"Her muscles are going into shock. We have to keep them moving or she'll only hurt herself further." Tezuka explained. "Help me to stand her up."

"No!" Miyako cried, hearing the instruction. "No it'll hurt."

Tezuka ignored her. "Take her left arm, Syusuke." He instructed as he took a hold of her right arm. As they began to lift her - and her cries increased - Tezuka looked over at Miyako's friend. "You're Sato-san right?"

Kara jolted, but nodded.

"Get her water. She'll need it."

"Right." Kara said

But Miyako spoke up in a rasped voice. "I need my puffer, Kara. It's in my bag. Quickly."

Kara nodded and searched Miyako's school bag to find the grey puffer.

Miyako reached for it and she heavily inhaled two puffs and then coughed a little. While Miyako was doing this Kara retrieved the water bottle and ran over to them as they managed to make Miyako stand lightly on her feet, nearly all of her weight on the boys on either side of her. "Miyako, you have to drink."

Kara was about to place the mouth of the bottle against the girls lips when Tezuka felt the heave from her stomach.

"She's going to be sick, kneel her on the ground." Tezuka said and at the same time, swiftly and just in time, they knelt with her.

With one last heave a yellow bile rose and emptied from her lips, drizzling to the ground.

"What's happened?"

Tezuka looked up as the coach arrived and noticed that the other Regulars were already dispersing the crowd and insisting that they all go home. He sighed in relief. He'd promised that he wouldn't humiliate her.

The coach knelt down by Tezuka's side and used the back of his hand to feel her forehead. "She's made herself sick." He informed them. "We should get her to the nurse's office and I'll call her parents to come and pick her up."

Tezuka nodded and shifted, lifting her right arm around his shoulders he hooked his other hand under her knees and lifted her up, easily and slowly he stood and then followed the coach towards the school building. Her head lolled onto his shoulder dizzily and it seemed that her inhibitions were for the moment, forgotten - tears began a steady stream from each of her eyes and instantly he felt horrible for drawing out such a long game.

"It was a good game, wasn't it, Tezuka?" Miyako asked quietly.

Tezuka looked down at her, for a moment surprised that she even had the capacity to speak let alone form a sentence as she had. "Sure. But it went for a bit long, don't you think?"

"Yeah...My parents might be worried about me." Miyako muttered as though the problem was just a side thought.

"Don't worry about that. The coach is going to call them and they'll come to pick you up."