Almost

Chapter Two

The next day....

"Karamatsu," the doctor spoke to the man seriously as they walked down the halls of the doctor's office after having taken X-rays to make sure nothing had been damaged when he fell. "There's something serious we need to talk about."

"What is it?" Karamatsu asked, staring directly into the doctor's deep, blue eyes. It was not in a menacing or challenging way, of course. It was more of a 'you have my full attention' look. "Is it something I shouldn't tell Ichimatsu?"

The doctor scratched his beard a little, glanced down at his clipboard, then nodded his head.

"Your brother is still a little traumatized over the past, is he not?" the doctor raised his eyebrows a little. "If I even so mention that you have something serious going on here, he'll begin to panic, which isn't good for his heart and current mental state. So, for now, it's best if we just keep this between the two of us."

"Sure thing," Karamatsu nodded his head. "I'll make sure to keep quiet. Though, if he does ask me about something, there's no way I'll lie to him, or give him only half of the truth."

"Mmmm," the doctor nodded his head. "Fair enough."

"So, what is it you need to tell me?" Karamatsu asked as they both entered the examination room again. The doctor closed the door behind the two of them.

Karamatsu immediately sat down, as did the doctor.

"Your kidneys are failing you again, and I don't think there's anything we can do to fix it now. There is one thing we could do, but it'll be difficult to keep if hidden from your brother. Especially if you live next door to each other," the doctor sighed. "But we'll see about it. For now, unless you can afford a kidney transplant, dialysis is your only option. If you don't do it, your kidneys will probably just stop working in a little less than a month. That means you'll die."

Karamatsu put his head in his hands, trembling a little.

"Did you say...die?" Karamatsu's voice shook. "Ichimatsu would..."

"That's why, I'm just begging you, Karamatsu. You've got to do this treatment. It might make you nauseous to the point of vomiting at first, but you've got to do this for the sake of your brother and wellbeing."

"So, I can do it at home, right?" Karamatsu asked, looking up. His eyes were filled with worry, but he still managed to have a soft smile on his face.

"Yes. If you can handle it, you can even do it while you're sleeping. It takes four hours, and you'll have to do it exactly three times a week. I repeat, three times a week. It's not that bad, really." the doctor said. "If you don't do it, it'll shorten your life and increase your risk of dying."

"I'll gladly do it then," Karamatsu said with a smile, looking a bit stronger. "Ichimatsu has been through enough grief as it is. I want to seem him smile again."

There was a sudden knock on the door of the small examination room, as a nurse burst inside seconds later.

"Doctor! There's something I need you to look at," the nurse exclaimed seriously, handing over a sheet of paper to the man. "And it doesn't look good..."

The doctor pushed his glasses up with his index finger, crossing his legs as he read the page slowly and carefully.

"Hmm..." he sighed.

Karamatsu felt a knot tighten in his stomach, his legs feeling like jelly. It was as if dialysis wasn't enough.

"Does this even have a name?" the doctor spoke bitterly. "These are just signs of an illness that cannot be cured!"

The nurse fled from the room, not wanting to hear what would happen next.

Karamatsu immediately felt a hot, salty tear race down his cheek, splashing onto his hand. Then more came. And more. And more.

"I'm so sorry..." the doctor sighed, handing the paper over to his patient, allowing Karamatsu to read it for himself. "We'll try our best to help you, alright?"

Karamatsu was blinded by his own tears, unable to even read the paper. His hands trembled, handing the paper back to the doctor.

"T-Thank you..." Karamatsu managed to croak out. "Thank you..."