Rigid Crow

I'll Be Here

"Hinata," I announce ourselves as Miyamoto and I enter his hospital room after practice. "It's me."
     "Ah, Kageyama-kun, it's good to see you."
     I jump at the other voice. I didn't see Hinata's father in the room. "Hinata-san," I greet. "Nice to see you, too."
     "Who's this?" he asks, looking at the first year next to me.
     "I'm Miyamoto Norio," my new teammate gladly introduces himself. "I'm new to the Karasuno team. Are you Hinata's father? He looks just like you!"
Hinata-san smiles warmly. "Yes, I am. Are you the only new addition to the team this year?"
"No!" Miyamoto answers, shaking his head. "There are two others as well, but they're not here now."
"I assume you're here to meet Shōyō?" Hinata-san asks.
"Hai."
"Then I'll leave you to it." He stands and collects his things.
"Oh, you don't have to go!" I try and stop him. "Don't let us interrupt anything."
"You're not," he assures us. "I need to pick up some groceries and medications from the store, anyway. I'll be back within the half hour."
He leans down and cups a hand on his son's cheek. "See you soon, Shōyō. Have fun, okay?"
As Hinata's father leaves, Miyamoto and I approach the bedside. "Hinata-senpai?" he says, and Hinata's eyes glow with approval. Senpai. No one's referred to us that way since middle school. "I'm so excited to meet you!" He takes a seat and begins chattering away about all the cool moves Hinata has pulled off and about how incredible the team is and about how excited he is to be joining.
Eventually, he and I go down to the cafeteria to pick up some dinner. I fear awkward conversation starters I might have to make, but my worries are all for nothing. Miyamoto almost never stops talking. He says goodbye afterward and heads home, as it's getting late.
When I come back up the room, Hinata-san is back, and a doctor is explaining something to them: "It's quite possible Hinata-kun could have a stutter for the rest of his life. His left side brain has gone undergone serious trauma, and that controls language. However, the brain can heal. The body is an incredible thing. With a lot of speech therapy and hard work, you will most likely be able to speak again."
     Hinata looks disappointed and discouraged, even though this sounds like very good news. I was afraid that he might never speak again.
"That's so good to hear, Doctor," Hinata's father says with a reassuring smile for his son. "When can we have the therapy started?"
"That's up to Shōyō-kun," the doctor explains. "You see, not only will he be having speech therapy, he will be having physical therapy for retraining his entire body to move again. Both of these therapies are quite taxing, and it's up to him whether he'd like to take both at once. Whether that be both every day, alternating days, or tackle a chunk of one first before the other."
The three of us look at Hinata. He still looks upset, but he lifts a shaking hand a few inches. He holds up two fingers.
"Both?" the doctor clarifies. "Every day?"
Hinata's head tips forward in a nod.
     "Wonderful," the doctor says with a smile. "I'll get an occupational therapist and a speech therapist set up for you. We can have sessions beginning by the end of this week."
Hinata-san stands and shakes the doctor's hand. "Thank you, doctor. This means a lot."
"Of course." The doctor takes a look at her watch. "It's about time for the both of you to get going, I think. Visiting hours are up in about fifteen minutes."
"Certainly." Hinata-san laughs. "I've kept my wife waiting long enough."
"Have a good night," the doctor says in farewell as she leaves the room.
"Do you need a ride home, Kageyama-kun?" Hinata-san asks me.
"It's a nice night out," I reply. "I think I'll walk. I don't have much homework, so I have the time."
"Alright." He takes his son's hand. "Your mother and I love you very much. We'll visit tomorrow, okay?" He gathers his things and waves one last time before leaving.
I, too, go to get together my stuff. I have to stop when I hear the gentle noises of quiet crying. I look back to Hinata and see tears falling from his eyes, his mouth curled back into a grimace. His chest bounces with each tiny whimper that issues from his throat.
"Hey," I say, panicked. "Are you okay? Are you in pain? Should I bring back your dad? The doctor?"
It doesn't take long for me to figure out his tears are painless ones. He's devastated. That conversation with the doctor could not have been an encouraging one for him.
"Oh, Hinata..." I haven't seen him cry in a long time, and never like this. I want to make him feel better, but I don't think there's anything in the world I could say to make any of this seem okay.
     It's touching that he's brave enough to cry in front of me, though. He held his tears until his dad left, but he's comfortable crying in my presence. That should mean something. He could've waited until I left, too. For that reason, he must want my comfort. He wants me to stay with him.
     I can't even fathom this. Who would ever want my comfort? I can't be that reassuring, can I?
     "I'll make sure you jump again." The words tumble out of my mouth before I can even register what I'm saying.
     Hinata blinks, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. But those are the last of them, for the moment.
     "I will," I promise. "Your dreams are just as important as mine. I won't always be here, but I'll be here as much as I can. When I can't be here for you, I will make sure there is someone who is. I want to help you through therapy. I want to see you get better. I want you to jump again. I want to set for you again! Maybe it won't happen this year. It may take a long time yet. But I believe in you, Hinata. You're different. You have more motivation than anyone I've ever seen.
     "So don't cry. You don't have to, because you will get through this. That's a promise."
Hinata's expression is one at peace again. He doesn't look so troubled anymore. I take his hand and squeeze it in mine. He squeezes it back.
I guess, for now, that's enough.