Hiiro (41)
After Naruhito was taken to the operating room, there was nothing I could do. Trying to distract myself from the anxiety, I looked at the work Akemi had shoved onto me, but the words on the page blurred into meaningless shapes.
The surgery took eight hours to complete.
I felt a wave of relief when I was informed that Naruhito had woken up. Despite being told I wouldn't be able to see him for a while, I was called in less than an hour later.
They said he wouldn't stop crying.
Naruhito? Not stopping crying?
It must have been extremely painful for him.
"We want him to stay calm, but he's been fussing non-stop."
Ikumatsu said as he put a sanitized coat on me and a cap on my head. I entered the special double-doored room. The beeping of machines filled the air, accompanied by the thin sound of wheezing breaths.
Naruhito lay on his side, his head wrapped in bandages. An IV was attached to his right arm, with clips connecting his fingertips and toes to various machines. A tube ran from his head to a bag, dripping liquid.
His face was swollen and round, and his eyes were so puffy they couldn't open.
"Can I touch him?"
"Yes, but please keep him still."
He flinched at the sound of my voice.
"Naruhito."
The wheezing sound from his throat stopped. I crouched down and placed my hand on his cheek. His lips moved, forming my name, Hiiro.
He remembers.
He remembers my voice.
Emotions welled up inside me, and I struggled to hold them back.
I had thought that as long as he survived, it wouldn't matter if he forgot me, but here he was, just as he used to be.
Overwhelmed with joy, I kissed his dry lips. He clung to me desperately, sucking the moisture from my mouth.
"Hiiro, please don't excite him."
Ikumatsu's voice made me reluctantly pull away, and Naruhito let out another cry.
"Isn't he just thirsty? What about water?"
"No, that's not allowed."
"That's probably why he's so upset. What can we do about it?"
"Please wait a moment. Keep him calm. Easily, gently."
Ikumatsu left the room, making an unreasonable request.
"Naruhito, you did well."
I said, stroking his cheek, and his tension eased a little.
Ikumatsu returned with a cup of crushed ice.
I took a piece into my mouth and kissed him, pushing the ice into his mouth. He licked it eagerly, murmuring, "Candy."
"It's not candy. It's called ice."
By the time I said that, his expression had softened, and his breathing had turned into the calm rhythm of sleep.
What do you think about this chapter?
