Identical Memories (An OHSHC Fanfic) [Completed]

Chapter Eighteen

Emi

"You don't have to be here, you know. It's not that important."

I scowled.

"From where I sit, a blood transfusion is pretty damn important."

Eri simply offered me a thin smile, one arm at her side, the other settled on a table with a need dug deep into the crook. As I continued to scowl at her, she simply shrugged her unimportant shoulder. At least there was that- she knew how I was about her unnecessarily moving her arm. No matter how often I'd been around them as we were growing up- or perhaps because of it- the idea of a needle in someone's skin bothered me. Especially the thought of her moving wrong and it tearing something beneath the skin. No matter how many time she'd told me that, that wasn't going to happen, I couldn't get the chilling thought out of my head.

So, she stayed still.

"It's standard. Even if I'm requesting to be allowed to live without other treatment, a blood transfusion isn't something the doctors will stand for me going without. I don't have a problem with it," she informed me, her expression turning thoughtful. "It'd be troublesome if I started showing symptoms of anemia at school."

No longer scowling, I simply shot her a bitter expression in response to that.

"What's the difference between allowing that to happen and what you were doing before you were dragged to the hospital?" I questioned.

She gave me that thin smile once more. Not once since she'd been officially declared out of remission by the doctors had she been willing to admit that perhaps keeping the fact to herself had been wrong. If anything- she seemed to believe that the best course of action was to continue to conceal the matter from anyone that was still unaware. Her stubborn streak when it came to avoiding pity and special treatment seemed to be worse than ever.

"Will apologizing again fix anything?"

That was the closest she'd come to the idea that she was wrong- and even then I was well aware it was only out of guilt towards my reaction.

"Not a damn thing."

As her eyes studied me, I looked away in annoyance. I knew what she was thinking- it was obvious on her face. Within a second, it'd escaped her lips.

"When was the last time you saw Dr. N-"

"When hell froze over."

She sighed.

"Lovely, Emi."

I shot her my most charming smile.

"I know I am."

Looking far from amused, Eri shook her head, her gaze flickering between me and the place where the needle dug into her skin.

"Look... it's natural to be angry with--"

"I think I'm late for school."

As I sat up, I seized my bag from the floor at my feet, ignoring the annoyance that flashed across Eri's face. Without giving her a chance to irritably state that she was coming as well, I started towards the door, giving her a cheeky wave as I did.

"Oh, and I told the driver that you weren't feeling well, so he's taking you back home when you're finished."

"E-"

"See you when I get home."

As she sputtered a complaint, I let the door fall into the room fall shut behind me. I didn't move down the hall like I was supposed to- however, I simply sagged against it, letting my eyes fall shut for a moment. No matter the argument I'd had about staying with her during the transfusion- when she'd gotten the look on her face that said she was about to suggest visiting our old therapist, I drew the line. When Eri had first started getting really sick the first time she came out of remission, the doctors had suggested a local psychologist that dealt with families going through similar things. The first time Eri had been sick, I'd been too young for my parents to consider it. The second time...apparently something about my attitude had struck them wrong.