Catching Feelings

Something warm brushes over his ear. Sounds are muffled while he is still trying to stay asleep. The sounds start to become clearer as he feels a warm weight on his head, moving down his neck to rest on his back. Someone is speaking, quietly, almost whispering but rough.

"Omoide. Omoide. It's time to wake up." Another brush of a hand and a finger moves some hair behind his ear. "My my, Omoide, when was the last time you slept?" A light chuckle and a sigh come after. "Okay, maybe we should sleep a little longer." The voice fades as gentle breathing can be heard and the weight, a hand - he can tell now, settles on his shoulder.

Another touch, not the same, against his back and a shaking of his shoulders, "Sir, it's daylight. You should get up." A woman's voice starts to bring him out of his sleeping state. "Mmn, Ms Shugosha, I'm awake." He says as he begins to sit up, feeling the soreness in his muscles from laying across the side of Benjimin's bed, slumped over a in a chair.

Sitting fully upright, he glances at the head of the bed where Benjimin is sitting, propped up against a mound of pillows. He is still asleep, the slow rise and fall of his chest quells the anxiety in Omoide's mind. "Has he come to yet?" He asks, not taking his eyes off of Benjimin's face.

"Yes, he was awake for about 20 minutes around 3:00 AM. When I came in, he was talking to you but I'm not sure if he was fully awake, he didn't realize you were still asleep." Keibiin states as she checks the monitors and the IV. She writes on the chart, watching Omoide out of the corner of her eye. He seems distant, deep in thought or just not fully awake yet.

She lowers the chart and turns towards Omoide and sighs, "Sir, I have laid out fresh clothes so please shower and eat. Food has been prepared and is under the warmer in the kitchen. I will stay with Mr. Madelin and notify you the second there is a change in his condition." She keeps constant eye contact while lightly tapping the pen on the back of the clipboard that holds Benjimin's chart.

Omoide looks at Benjimin again and lightly pats the back of his resting hand. "Thank you, Ms. Shugosha. I will be back as soon." He turns and walks to the doorway, stopping to look back at Benjimin again, "Wake up soon, my friend. We have much to talk about…..and I miss talking with you." He turns, leaving the room with shoulders slumped and staggering steps as he wanders down the long hallway to back towards the foyer.

Reaching the foyer, Omoide's thoughts are interrupted by the enticing aroma of eggs, bacon and a sweet smell, probably pastries. He pauses trying to decide if he should shower and change or eat first. A loud rumbling sounds from deep inside his stomach, "Hmm, eat first it is." He changes direction and heads for where the wonderful scents are coming from, hopefully the kitchen.

As he nears the wide doorway of the kitchen, he can hear the sounds of tableware clinking and the low droning of a television or radio with the day's weather forecast. Entering the kitchen he sees a large L-shaped counter that has several high barstools stationed on one side. There is a recessed section in the center of the counter where breakfast foods have been laid out under a heating dome. His eyes are drawn to the marble and granite counter and the dark wood cabinets that line the left wall of the kitchen. There is a wide industrial sized refrigerator that sits nestled back into the wall making it almost seamless between the cabinets.

The kitchen scheme is dark woods, glistening white stone and stainless appliances with a huge 8 burner stovetop that even has a wok ring in the center, occupying the short side of the counter. Another wall houses 4 ovens with what looks like a control console from 747 airliner. The lighting seems to be part of the ceiling as no one point of light can be seen. The room just seems to be lit by the light glowing form the ceiling.

A loud clinking of diner wear against the stone bar top draws Omoide's eyes to the end of the counter where Sumi and Harold are now staring in his direction. "Uh, good morning. Did you get some rest last night?" He asks the pair as he makes his way over to the buffet, picking up a plate and looking over the selection before him.

Omoide's greeting pulls Harold and Sumi out of their trance. "Yes," Sumi replies, "I slept very well. Thank you for asking and thank you for staying with Benji last night. Did you get any rest yourself?" She asks as she goes back to eating her meal.

"I ended up falling asleep in the chair so I'm a little sore but will be able to work that out with a run or something. Benjimin seemed to have slept soundly as well, although Ms Shugosha said he did wake up around 3:00 AM and seemed to be talking to himself as I was asleep." He stated as he finished filling his plate and move around the bar to find a place to sit and eat.

Harold stood up from the table and hesitated a bit, looking at Omoide with a concerned look on his face, "Mr. Bannin, would you like some coffee or tea? There is a variety of juices and milk as well." Harold said quietly as he walked around the island to the coffee station in the corner of the kitchen. He looks back at Omoide waiting for his answer.

Sumi raises an eyebrow as she watches Harold and Omoide stare at each other. She smirks and giggles quietly which brings an end to the men's staring contest. "Uh tea is fine. Just green tea with some honey and coconut milk, if there is some, thank you." Omoide finally answers.

Harold turns back to the corner and pulls out two containers, a jar of honey with the comb in the jar and pulls a container of coconut milk from the refrigerator. "Do you prefer loose tea or is a tea bag okay? Both are from the same tea leaves, we just started to prepare it in bags so Benjimin didn’t have to struggle with preparing the loose tea himself." Harold explains as he holds a canister in each hand.

"Oh, the prepared tea bag is fine, thank you, Harold." Omoide says while still staring at Harold trying to get over the sudden change in his behavior.

"You're welcome, Mr. Bannin" Omoide waves his hands and he swallows his mouthful of eggs. "Omoide, please call me Omoide." He smiles at Harold who then turns his face away suddenly, leaving Omoide slightly confused but he shrugs it off with another mouthful of eggs.

Harold turns back around with a small tray containing a coffee mug, a single serving tea pot with the tea bag already steeping, the jar of honey and the coconut milk. He sets it down in front of Omoide's plate and smiles, "Let me know if you would like anything else, Omoide." He then turns to the sink and starts to prepare the water to wash the morning dishes.

Omoide freezes, staring at Harold's back as Sumi stands up, loudly scraping her stool legs against the tile floor. "So, for that run, there is a gym in the basement. It should have just about anything you could want to work out." She winks at Omoide and collects her dishes. Walking around the counter to the sink, she gently adds her dishes to the soapy water for Harold to clean.

She turns and leans back against the counter next to the sink, and places her hand on Harold's shoulder while looking at Omoide. "Harold here uses the gym almost every day so he can take you down and show you around. Is that okay with you, Harold?"

Harold whips his head in her direction and whisper yells at her, "What are you doing?"

Sumi shrugs and pushes herself off of the counter and begins to leave the room but stops to squeeze Omoide's shoulder. "I think it would do you both some good to get some of the tension out and bond over male strength rituals or whatever guys do when they get all pumped and sweaty together."

She walks on, waving her hand over her shoulder, "I'm going to pack my overnight bag to head back to the lab but will sit with Benji until you two are done."

Harold and Omoide watch Sumi stroll out of the kitchen before they turn back to face each other. Omoide's expression is neutral while Harold's cheeks begin to flush. "Are you feeling okay, Harold? You seem flushed…" He states as he goes back to eating his plate of food.

Harold turns back to the sink and shrugs, "The water is a bit hot I guess." He answers and cringes. 'What kind of answer is that? And why did her statement embarrass me?' He scolds himself as he focuses back on washing the breakfast dishes.

"Hmm, okay. Do you want my dishes as well? I can wash them myself, if you prefer." Omoide offers as he rises from his stool and collects his dishes. "No, I can manage, you just enjoy your tea." Harold replies as he reaches out to accept the dishes from Omoide.

Omoide settles back at the bar. He slowly pours the tea into the mug. He then pours a generous amount of honey into the mug as well, and then adds the coconut milk until it almost reaches the top. Stirring the finished tea slowly, he seems lost in thought watching the swirling colors combine.

"So, the gym is well equipped. What type of work out do you want to do? There are treadmills and ellipticals along with free weights, and squat rack, kettle bells and… well, just about anything a professional gym would have. There is even an onsen along with a sauna connected to the locker room." Harold says as he is drying his hands after finishing the dishes.

As he turns to look at Omoide, he stops suddenly and just stares at the other man. Omoide is still stirring and staring at his tea but now there are tears slowly tracing down his cheeks. His eyes are opened so wide it seems painful and all Harold can do is whisper, "Omoide, are you okay….?"

Omoide blinks is eyes rapidly a few times and becomes aware of Harold speaking to him. "Hey, it's okay. We have all been emotionally shocked by Benjimin's condition. Sumi and I have watched him deteriorate over the last few months so I guess his appearance now isn't quite as shocking as it must have been for you. I'm sure the last time you saw Benjimin, he was his normal burly healthy self." Harold offers a folded handkerchief to Omoide.

He takes the offered cloth and slowly dabs at his eyes. "I don't know why everything suddenly hit me. I have treated many people that were in declining health, some I didn't get to in time and they passed during treatment. Maybe I have been too clinical in my practice but why do I feel so helpless. I'm doubting my skill to be able to help Benjimin overcome this. If I fail, I lose him….. We all will loose him."

His tears start to fall again as his hands shake, twisting the cloth. Harold rushes forward, grasping Omoide's hands and pulling him up and into his arms. "You're okay, Omoide. Benjimin has so much faith in you, he trusts that you will get him well again. You know Benjimin, it takes a lot for him to trust anyone and he specifically called out to you for help." Harold sighs as he rubs comforting circles on Omoide's back.

"You and Ms… Sumi have been by his side for a months now. It seems he trusts you both more than me. Not that I wouldn't have come if I had been asked from the beginning but I had no idea…. No idea at all, that he was ill." He pushes himself away from Harold and wipes the tears from his cheeks.

Harold lets his arms drop to his sides as he visibly sways and reaches for the back of one of the bar stools. His eyes are plastered to the floor as if his socked feet are the most interesting things in the world at this moment.

"We actually barged in of our own accord. We didn't ask, we just couldn't fathom what he was going through that would keep him from coming to The Center, from his work. His work has been his sole focus since I met him. It was hard to get him to take a day off or even a lunch break!" Harold's states firmly, as his long held frustration starts to break through his calm façade.

He grips the back of the stool and tightens his hold to the point that fists turn white around the knuckles. Omoide gently lays his hands over Harold's fists causing him to look up and into Omoide's eyes. "You're a good friend, Harold. Your concern for Benjimin is evident in your frustration and determination to figure out a way to help him. I'm sure his trust in you must be one of the things he treasures." Omoide smiles and pats Harold's fists that have now loosened on the chair back.

Harold fully relaxes and lets go of the chair. "I don't know about that. He….he had asked for you a few times but we thought he was dilutional. He had tried to hand write a letter but had lost the ability to control his limbs by that point. It was only after Sumi installed the dictation software and got it working correctly that we found several personal journal entries asking for you." Harold sits down heavily on the stool. "He did get that email off to you before he collapsed but he never saw your reply."

Omoide looks at Harold with confusion on his face for a second and then the realization hits him, "You sent his journals. All of those entries that were gibberish or had only the date, did you delete the text?" He asks moving closer to Harold and blocking his exit from the buffet area.

Harold stiffens and holds his hands out in front of him, gesturing for Omoide to not come any closer. "It's nothing like that! Really! There really wasn't anything in those entries.. He had a side note journal where he would put thoughts and theories. That is where you were mentioned, not part of his main journal so I didn't think to send them along."

"Are you sure, Harold? Did you read the side journal thoroughly?" Omoide asks as he narrows his eyes at Harold.

Harold winces and grabs at his chest, his breath coming in short gasps. He falls forward but stops himself by grabbing the bar in front of him. He turns his eyes to Omoide with a confused expression. He notices a faint glow behind Omoide's pupils, "What….your eyes….. Omo…." Harold reaches his other hand out to Omoide.

"Harold! What the hell! Omoide, what are you doing? Can't you see he's in pain. What in the world is wrong with you, why are you just standing there?!" Sumi rushes into the kitchen pushing Omoide out of the way and grabs Harold's face, "Harold, you okay… what is it? What are you feeling? Can you breathe? Hey, hey, it's okay, you're okay Harold. You with me?" Her voice takes on a softer tone as she tries to calm Harold down.

His breathing goes back to normal and he blinks his eyes a few times but his gaze stays on Omoide. "Sumi, I'm fine, really… it's fine. Just a little too much… ah, stress and all that. Shouldn't have had the second cup of coffee maybe. I'm good, really." He says and tries to smile back at Sumi.