イタズラな KISS ~3 ✔

INK3-7

Epilogue Seven: Burden (Part One)

Nurse Hosoi scolded me for the commotion I've caused. I can't remember what else she said except that I might trip off on the stairs because of my carelessness. I was immersed in my imagination with Irie-kun, imagining his enormous love for me. Well, I get him. Irie-kun is very shy in his feelings and he is not very vocal about it but I liked the way he's proving that to my doubtful friends.

"Irie-san!"

Nurse Hosoi shook my shoulders, dragged me back to reality.

"Nani?!" I seemed bewildered, scanning all around for possible complications.

"Kato-sensei is looking all over for you! It's about your pre-natal, something. And we met across the hall a minute ago and he said it was urgent. Please be mindful that you are going to be a mother, Irie-san. You need to be careful about your baby."

I shook down.

"Hai..." I mumbled, atoning for all of my mistakes.

"Well, then. Go now. It must be probably important." Nurse Hosoi smiled a little and gestured me to be out of the office.

I was dilly-dallying on the way to Kato-sensei's office, singing a familiar lullaby that my Mom used to sing to me when I am about to sleep. I'm proud that I can still be able to remember it and possibly, sing it to my baby.

"Good morning, Kato-sensei." I greeted him and grinned when it popped out to me the coffee accident in Irie-kun's papers.

"Oy, Kotoko-chan. Good morning." he smiled and put his coffee down on the desk and started finding some specific papers stacked on his side.

"Nurse Hosoi said that you were looking for me. Is this part of my pregnancy? Nani? Is there something wrong with my baby? Did I hurt him because of my carelessness?" I started to get worried.

Kato-sensei assured me it's nothing so I smiled back. I don't want to disappoint Irie-kun about this.

"Your baby is perfectly fine for now, Kotoko-chan. I just wanted you to know what I had found out..." he assured me but it's not even convincing, "Please take a seat, this may take a few minutes to explain." he gestured me to sit down and I did so, without breaking eye contact with him.

He sounded serious. I started to get panicked and I don't know how to erase those thoughts away.

"Uhm... during your ERG test, I found out that you have retinitis pigmentosa. It's an inherited disease that runs in the genes. Does your family have this kind of disease?"

I don't know what to say. Even though I am a hundred percent sure I didn't understand any of it, since Kato-sensei looked very serious, this is not something to shake it off. My heart went into a hammer. It's aching wildly while it sunk in the ocean.

"I... don't understand and I don't know. My Mom died a long time ago and I can't remember her. I will ask my Dad. By the way, what is retinitis pigmentosa?"

"It is a group of rare, genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina—which is the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. Common symptoms include difficulty seeing at night and a loss of side peripheral vision."

"Are you saying that I have that kind of disease, Kato-sensei?" I pointed myself.

"We did run a few tests and it says so. I am so sorry, Kotoko-chan. It's in the genes and I believe your child will have that too. Since you will be going to be a parent with a dominant gene mutation, there is a 1 in 2 chance that any children will inherit this mutation and the disorder."