Accident

Chapter 7

Writer's POV

"Mafuyu-chan, I'm here for your call! What's wrong?!" Hanae, Nariyuki's mother, is running toward Mafuyu, who is burying her head in her knees, with a doctor in front of and comforting her. Seeing Mafuyu like that, Hanae knows she has to calm down and face the situation calmly. So instead, she walks to the doctor and asks: "Doctor, what happened? There must be something wrong with my son?" Replying to her question, the doctor just gives a nod.

"Due to his head injury, I'm afraid that the pain has recurred. This time is actually... well... much harder for us to deal with. We need more times to check it further, but I'm afraid that if it's terrible, his chance of surviving is lower than expected..." The doctor said, but soon after that, she was scolded by Mafuyu, who stood back up with tears in her eyes.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'LOWER THAN EXPECTED'? I've put a lot of things on this and you all just say that?! So those 12 months spending for his recovery will be gone for nothing?! What kind of hospital is this?!" Mafuyu said, but slightly lowered her voice in the last question. Can't even stand properly, she collapses to the ground and starts sobbing, fearing that all of her efforts, all the things she has been through for Nariyuki, all will vanish away. Hanae also has some tears in her eyes, but she wipes them away, keeping her hope that her son will survive.

"Doctor... thanks for the truth. Can you... just go back in there and continue your work?" Hanae said, tried to keep calm. Knowing the terrible atmosphere, the doctor simply nods and goes to the recovery room. After she is gone, Hanae crouches down to Mafuyu's place. Being next to the sobbing woman, she reaches out her arms and wraps them around the teacher's back, trying to calm her down.

"There, there, Mafuyu-chan... Everything will be okay... You see..." Hanae comforted Mafuyu, like a mother telling her daughter not to cry. Feeling the warm but strange embrace, Mafuyu just buries her face in Hanae's crook of the neck, and Nariyuki's mom can feel her teardrops falling to her knees. They just stay the same for a while, with Mafuyu's weeping sounds echoing across the silent corridor, with just flickering lights.

"Mafuyu-chan, do you want to talk? Let's have a talk to help you shake of all the sadness, okay?" After a while, Hanae whispered. Mafuyu then finally nods, knowing that she is not able to talk or say anything properly.

O0O

"You know, Mafuyu-chan, you really have some similar things to my son." Hanae told Mafuyu, who was drinking a bottle of water, hoping that some water would help her calm down. Hearing that makes Mafuyu starts blushing, almost choking on water. "S-Similar? I don't think so, Hanae-san..." Mafuyu rejected. However, Hanae let out a small smile. She starts remembering about a special thing, something that is the same with Mafuyu.

"Back when my son was young, he didn't have much friends, if I don't want to say that he hardly had any. So one day there was a little puppy followed him to our home. Seeing how cute it was and how Mizuki liked it, he begged Hiroshi and I to keep the puppy. So I said yes, but I had to make him promise to clean its place." Hanae told Mafuyu about her son's childhood.

"So he was kind of an animal lover, Hanae-san?" Mafuyu asked.

"Yes. That puppy was like a friend to him, the best one he had ever had. Not just him but also his little brothers and sisters. Our house was full of woofing, noisy but lively. Oh I can't even describe how I miss that time." Hanae said and Mafuyu let out a slight smile. However, Hanae's voice turns from cheerful to sad. "Things were going really great, until... that happened."

Noticing Hanae's sadness makes Mafuyu concern about her. "What's wrong, Hanae-san?" She asked and turns her look to Hanae. Nariyuki's mom then lets out a sigh and continues the story.