Fox and Butterfly (177013)

Chapter 15

Feeling and Instinct

It was three o'clock in the morning, but the sky outside was still pitch black. The cold winds slammed into the window, causing the glass to vibrate as if it was about to break.

Saki finished her meal for a while. Currently, she was sitting on the bed and being carefully examined by the doctor about her condition. To her right was a young doctor. He gently took her hand to check her pulse, then shone the light into her eyes to check her pupils. Every once in a while, the doctor wrote a few words into her medical record.

Wendy was sitting on the lounge chair to the left of Saki. Right behind her was a window with fragile glass that could break at any moment, but Wendy didn't mind at all. In her hand was a copy of Saki's medical records, and that was what drew all of her attention.

Saki was intently peeking at Wendy. That strange girl had the mystery that made her feel quite curious. When she first met Wendy, she was overwhelmed by her cold attitudes. Her lifeless eyes on a blank face showed no kind of emotion, nothing but the emptiness like someone has lost their soul.

However, Saki could feel the care for her and Hana in those deep blue eyes, like a spark of light in the pitch-black sky. Maybe little and opaque, but it certainly exists.

"Saki Yoshida, you're... very lucky." The doctor dispelled the silence in the room with a sudden sentence. Saki was startled; she stopped peeking at Wendy and hurriedly turned to the doctor.

The young doctor continued to say while putting the pen into his pocket. "The death rate of opioid overdose without prompt treatment is extremely high, Saki. Luckily, your friend brought you to the hospital in time. Otherwise ... I cannot guarantee you and the baby have a chance to survive."

"What? Friend? Is Wendy my friend? But ... I've just met her for a while." Saki thought. She was pretty surprised when the doctor said that Wendy was her friend. When actually, she didn't have any friends at all. However, contrary to Saki's surprise, Wendy didn't seem surprised when the doctor assumed Saki was her friend.

"So, doctor, could you tell me about the treatment for Saki?" Wendy asked, still in her low and steady voice, barely expressing any emotion.

"Ah ... right, right! The treatment!" The doctor quickly put on his glasses and turned the following few pages of Saki's medical record. "So, we tested her blood, and Saki were positive for gonorrhoea. This disease can cure with regular injections of the antibiotic ceftriaxone. Also, we found that she has a tear in her uterus. It's a skin wound, and we've stopped the bleeding. Just change the bandage and clean the genitals often. The wound will heal after around two weeks."

The doctor cleared his throat and continued to open several pages of the medical record. Then, he frowned upon seeing Saki's drug-positive result. "Now, this is what makes me concern, Saki. Your body is affected by opioid, or more precisely: heroin."

The doctor paused and looked worriedly into Saki's innocent blue eyes. "Listen, Saki. Heroin is extremely harmful to the health of you and your baby. Continued use of that drug could lead to the sudden death of the baby. To protect you and the baby, we have to put you into the detox program using the methadone method."

"Methadone method? What is that?" Saki asked in worry.

"Methadone is a drug used to relieve pain caused by drug addiction. We will give you small doses every day to control your craving for heroin. Compared to stopping the drug suddenly, this method is safer and less painful. Especially for a fragile girl like you during pregnancy, Saki." The doctor slowly explained.