Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

51. Old friends

Yaeko couldn't wait until they finally gave her a date for the trial.

Every doctor's appointment with Hana and all the details she got to know about their baby was equally a joy and a reminder that he wasn't there.

She wanted to share all of those moments with him, and see his reactions to all of the small things that warmed her heart.
This baby was the result of so much love that she couldn't see it as something bad. All of the uncertainties about her pregnancy seemed to vanish as she imagined just how incredible he would be as a father.

In the middle of all of that joy, however, with each day that passed and her bump grew bigger and more obvious, so did her concerns.

Time just went by so quickly that it was getting harder to think that it would all be fine.

Yae was pretty certain that Agent Miura was close to blocking her number with just how many calls she made. Constantly asking about the trial date was a routine that she seemed to have caught on very quickly.

At least she wasn't alone.

Hana would come over often to the safe house and hang out with her. If it hadn't been for her, Yae was sure she had gone crazy by then.

"Stress is terrible for you and the baby, Yae."

"I know, Hana, It just seems unavoidable given everything going on."

"Have you been able to speak with your prince charming recently?"

Her friend would do that sometimes, ask about him without ever questioning who he was or what he did. Yae always found it a bit odd that she wasn't more curious but at the same time, was grateful for it. Given the case, she couldn't tell Hana about his identity.

"They allowed me a call per week, 10 minutes max."

"That must feel short."

"It really does. I barely get to tell him about our checkups before the time already runs out."

It was inevitable to feel saddened as she remembered their current circumstances. Yuzu would always make her feel loved but she missed the intimacy and contact that came with relationships. Yae missed his kisses, his caring touches and most of all, his sweet words. They barely had time to exchange conversation, let alone have deep talks like they used to.

"Soon, alright? I'm sure he misses you just as much as you miss him. Just a bit more and you will all be a family."

Hearing that, Yaeko broke into tears.

Family.

After what had happened to her in the past, there wasn't ever a scenario where she imagined a family and here they were, making that happen despite all of the trauma that was inevitably connected to the word.

She spent so long thinking about it that she almost ignored Hana's tone, as if she knew how he felt, as if she somehow knew him well enough to assess his feelings.

Only then did she eye the woman carefully.

"You speak almost as if you know him."

If the whole thing hadn't been suspicious before, the way that Hana reacted then was all Yaeko needed to be wary of her friend.

"Huh... you see... I'm just... you know.... making assessments from what you told me about him."

"Which isn't much."

Yaeko didn't feel threatened about her suspicions, she was more curious than anything else. Whatever her friend was hiding, she would figure it out."

"Yae..."

"You know him, don't you?"

Yaeko noticed Hana gulp dry, and after a few seconds of staring directly at her, the girl finally nodded in the admission of her sins.

"My dad was his physio for a while. We're childhood friends."

Suddenly, it all made sense.

Hana had entered her life when Yae needed someone to help with all of the emotional chaos, she had been there when no one else was. Even those nosy neighbours had been side-eying her ever since the pregnancy became obvious. No one in Japan likes an unmarried woman pregnant, but it's even worse when a woman is pregnant with another man's child.

The neighbours didn't know the full story, so they had always thought her to be unmarried, but it was still enough to side-eye her.

The doctor had been there despite all of that and after all of the trauma dump, she was still there and willing to take the supportive role that Yaeko needed.

"He... he sent you?"

"It was before you knew about the pregnancy. I've been working in Saga for a while and he called me after his show here, asking my support if you ever needed anything from the hospital. I never expected you to be pregnant and I don't think he could even imagine that scenario either."

"Oh."

"The important thing is that Yuzu loves you and your child with all of his heart and if I can help you both in any way, I will."

There it was, his name out of her mouth with all the ease in the world. Yae could barely believe he hadn't told her about it.

"So all the afternoons and hanging out..."

"Don't even think about it like that. Sure, he asked for my help, but I became your friend because we connected on our appointments, nothing else. I can definitely see what he loves about you."

"I'm grateful for you. I don't think I could handle all of this without your shoulder to cry on."

Yaeko wasn't like this, she rarely allowed anyone to see her in an emotional mess and yet, with all of the hormonal changes that came with pregnancy, a lot of her doubts seemed inevitable.

"Whatever happens, we will all be here for you. Stay brave, Yaeko, you're doing something good, something impactful for a lot of people."

Thinking about everything in Hana's story, it just made sense that the doctor was willing to help her. Most of all, Yae was just glad. Glad that Yuzuru had made the call to his friend and glad that she wasn't alone in all of it.

Because as strong as she was, Yae wouldn't be able to do it alone.