Hospital

Sam recovers after a few seconds of shock. She runs down the stairs to her friend. The driver was already dialing 119 after checking Yoko. He quickly requests an ambulance and proceeds to put himself between the reporters and the two women.

"Step back," he yells at them while they try to capture the incident with their cameras.

Yoko groans in pain, she tries to sit up but Sam stops her.

"Don't move, Yoko."

"Sam, my baby." Yoko's words struck something in Sam. She follows her friend's eyes until the wetness between her legs. "It's blood isn't it?" she asks with despair in her voice.

"It's… I'm…" The words choke in Sam's throat.

Sam hears the ambulance sirens. "The ambulance is coming, Yoko, just hang in there. Everything is going to be–" She tries to reassure her but a deafening screech drowns her voice.

Kei emerges from the car with a disheveled look. "Sam," he calls before running to them. "What the fuck happened?" He kneels next to his sister-in-law.

"I don't know," Sam utters. "One second she was next to me, the next she was falling down the stairs." She squeezes her eyes shut, remembering the scene.

"Was she pushed?" Kei asks through gritted teeth. But Sam has no time to answer because the ambulance arrives.

The paramedics rush the stretcher to Yoko and carefully place her on it after checking her and enquiring about what happened.

"Can we come with her?" Sam asks one of the men while walking with them toward the vehicle.

"I am sorry ma'am but there is no room."

"We are taking her to General Hospital, please drive safely and meet us there," the other paramedic informs them before he closes the ambulance doors.

"Come, I'll drive." Kei wraps an arm around Sam. Her whole body was shaking.

"Mr Ichihara," a man greets at he approaches them. He is followed by a few others. "We were sent by Mr Matsumoto."

"Good. How about you gather that useless bunch over there and take them to the station to find out how my brother's wife was injured." Kei's cruel glare at the reporters sends a shiver down their spines.

Kei doesn't waste any more time. He guides Sam to his car and helps her get into it before he hurries to the other side.

He looks over to her for a moment. "Sam, put your seatbelt on." But she doesn't answer. In fact, she looks like she doesn't even know where she is sitting. "Sam," Kei calls her again.

She turns and stares at him with haunting eyes. "It's my fault, isn't it?"

"What? What are we talking about?"

"This only happened because I was with her." Sam shakes her head. "She's going to lose the baby isn't she?" Hot tears rush down her cheeks.

"Sam, no." Kei pulls her to his chest. "Why are you torturing yourself like this? Of course it's not your fault, if anyone is at fault here that would be me."

"You don't understand… what it feels to lose a child," Sam utters, making Kei's body stiffen. His mind immediately travels back to 13 years ago.

"Sam–"

"I don't want Yoko to go through what I went through."

Kei's chest tightens. He gulps down the ball that has formed in his throat before he buckles her up.

"Let's hurry to be by her side, I am sure everything is going to be alright."

When they arrive at the hospital, Kei is told that Yoko was urgently rushed to have surgery to save the baby. They are then guided to a waiting room.

Kei and Sam sit uncomfortably on the gray chairs, anxious. They both hate hospitals, but Kei is more worried about Sam. She looks worse than she did before. There is sweat on her forehead and her lips are ashen. Her knuckles have gone white from squeezing her intertwined fingers so hard.

Suddenly, the door flies open. Jiro arrives as pale as a ghost. Kei had called him earlier to let him know about the accident. He instructed one of the drivers to bring him instead of him driving in his state.

"Where is she?" he asks with a panicked voice.

"She's in surgery," Kei answers.

Sam looks at Jiro with sympathy. "I'm sorry," she mumbles.

"What the hell happened?" Jiro asks her, confused by her apology.

"There were reporters, and in the chaos, Yoko was pushed and she fell."

"Oh God, is she going to be alright?"

"I'm sure, Brother." Kei squeezes Jiro's shoulder.

"And the baby…" he says, making Sam flinch.

"Come, have a seat."

Jiro complies and sits on the opposite side of Sam. He leans his elbows on his lap and covers his eyes. Horrible thoughts are running through his mind, but he takes a deep breath to calm down.

Kei sits next to Sam and takes her hand in his, it was cold and trembling. "Are you alright?"

Sam slowly tilts her head towards him, her glossy eyes stare at him for a moment. "I don't know," she utters. "If something were to happen to Yoko or the baby, I… I don't know what I would do."

Kei clenches his jaw at the thought. This has gotten way out of hand, and waiting until it dies naturally is not an option anymore.

'Whoever is behind this will pay for it.' Kei promises.

When the doctor enters the waiting room about an hour later, the three of them rush to him.

"Doctor, how is my wife, and the baby?" Jiro asks.

"The surgery was a success, we were able to save both the mother and the baby," the doctor starts. "Your son will be kept in the NICU for a few weeks since he was born prematurely, but everything looks good, Mr Ichihara." He gives him a reassuring smile.

Jiro sighs in relief. "Can I see her?"

"She will be brought from the recovery unit in a moment. If you come with me, a nurse will show you to the room."

"Thank you, Doctor." Jiro follows behind him.

Kei turns to Sam who is standing next to him. "See, they're both fine," he says with relief in his eyes.

Sam nods. "They are both fine," she repeats with a whisper before her body gives way and she collapses. Kei leaps just in time to catch her as she falls into his arms.