rndmnwierd: I know right? I mean, even if Masaki did completely screw up, all they had to do was either fix the dance so it would be a three person thing, or toss in Riho Thanks for the reviews~
Yo yo yo! No, this is not a onesie, nor is it a full fledged story. Rather, it's a short story. Maybe I should call it a "short" to go along with the clothing naming? Though I DO have the urge to call them "booty shorts" since I seem to see those everywhere on campus these days Gross~
Anyways, this one came to me all of a sudden after watching a documentary in my psychology class about the "Wild Child" Genie and hearing this one specific line, as well as looking up "My Sister's Keeper."
Character death by the way, if you couldn't tell by the banner (though I should write this after the banner...eh close enough )
Mmmm, en~nnnnnjoy!~ v(' 3 ')v ------------------------------------------------------------------
”How long were you working as her nurse?”
“A little over 3 months.”
“Tell me, what was it like?”
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With her long and wavy brunette hair tied back in a high ponytail, the twenty-five year old nurse stood by the information counter, pretending to pay attention to the superfluous words of the chatty secretary. Rather, she was curiously observing her sleeping patient through the open blinds of the hospital room window. Today was her first day working with said patient as the previous nurse could no longer handle the emotional distress that came along with caring for patients with cancer.
”Cancer…” Ever since her own sister diagnosed of cancer before eventually succumbing to the disease, she knew where her future was headed.
Wordlessly waving good-bye to the talkative receptionist, the nurse slowly approached the door. As she wrapped her small hand around the stainless steel doorknob, her dark brown eyes drifted to the bulk clipboard in her other hand as she read the name once more. “Niigaki Risa.” She whispered, thinking back to the conversation she had with her supervisor not even an hour ago.
”You’ll be in charge of Niigaki Risa. Nineteen years old. Diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia two years ago. Her condition as of now is pending to be classified as terminal. She’s stopped responding to chemotherapy and other treatments.”
“Nakazawa-senpai, I’m a little confused.” The nurse interrupted, bringing the formal explanation to a halt. “Why is Niigaki-san still in the hospital if she’s no longer responding to any treatments? Wouldn’t it be best to send her home under the supervision of a homecare specialist and just let her be comfortable?”
A moment of silence passed as the supervisor kept a still gaze on the brunette. With a loud sigh, the woman gently set down the clipboard as she rubbed her always aching temples. “You see Takahashi, Niigaki-san here is a special case. She is the eldest daughter of Niigaki Shouta and Miyu. Ever heard of them?”
“They’re on TV a lot aren’t they? They’re both actors I think.”
“Correct. That's not the main point. The point is that each month, the hospital is sent money to keep Niigaki-san in the oncology ward as neither Niigaki-sans have the time to take care of her themselves.”
“That’s a shame. At least they come to visit her, right?”
Silence was her answer as a grim Nakazawa Yuko stood from her office seat and wandered to the one sided glass window. From her standpoint, she had a clear view of the sleeping form of Niigaki Risa. “If you count the day she was diagnosed and admitted to the hospital, then yes. Yes, they have visited her.”
“They’ve basically abandoned her,” the younger nurse spat out, surprising herself with her her disgusted tone, especially towards these people she had never met in her life. Silently, the twenty-five year old nurse could only stare at her sneakers though there was a clear form of hatred growing inside of her. She wasn’t the type of person to easily dislike someone, but the way these so called “parents” were treating their daughter…it wasn’t fair. “She’s all alone isn’t she?”
“No. Thankfully not. She still has a few friends who come in for daily visits,” Yuko turned around to glance at the nurse, who continued staring at her feet. With a knowing look, the older supervisor walked over to her junior and clamped a hand onto the nurse’s shoulder. “Hey…I know what you’re thinking. We all want to make the patients as happy as we can, but don’t forget, you can’t connect your emotional side with work when it’s in these situations.”
“I know…”
“Remember, you’re getting paid to take care of this girl, just like you’re getting paid to take care of the other patients.”Tightening her hold on the door, the nurse turned the knob to the right and slowly pushed the door open. Before she could even enter the room, another hand grabbed a hold of the handle, closing the door as quietly as possible. Confused, the brunette turned around, only to be greeted with three female adolescents. As she nurse opened her mouth to question their actions, a voice filled with slight rudeness cut her off.
“You Gaki-san’s new nurse?” the extravagantly dressed girl with a cat eyes asked, suspiciously observing the older woman. “You’ve been standing in front of the door for an awfully long time now.”
“Yes I am. Takahashi Ai,” the woman held her hand out to shake the girl’s hand, but when she scoffed and looked away, another one of the girls warmly accepted the handshake with both hands.
“I’m Kamei Eri.” The girl grinned cheekily, a small fang peeking out between her lips. “The one with the big bow and glittery bangs is Tanaka Reina. She’s always like that, so please don’t be too offended.”
As Eri released Ai’s hand, the girl with the long black hair also gratefully shook the nurse’s hand, her lips graced with a princess-like smile. “My name is Michishige Sayumi.”
“You three are the friends that Nakazawa-senpai was referring to?”
The girl named Eri nodded as her eyes drifted to Risa’s sleeping form. “We’ve been visiting her since she was diagnosed. There were several others first. Classmates and peers who wanted to help Gaki-san…but over time, they just stopped. I guess they decided it wasn’t worth their time anymore.”
Nodding in understanding, Ai smiled at the three. “You three are very good friends then. She’s lucky to still have you guys in her life after everyone else has abandoned her.”
The three girls, rather than doing the expected “thank yous” with a proud smile, shifted uncomfortably. The uneasy feeling was apparent, especially when it came to Sayumi and Eri as the small smiles they held quickly faded away. Instead, their expressions were guilt stricken while Reina on the other hand simply seemed even angrier at the world. Despite how curious Ai was, she held the urge to question the three.
“What’s her current condition like Takahashi-san?” Sayumi eventually questioned in a quiet voice.
“I’m sorry, but that information is classified. This type of information is restricted to family members only.”
Reina scoffed as she rolled her eyes at the formality. “Who do you think we are? We
are her family. You think those pathetic excuses for parents are gonna come visit?! They haven’t even contacted her after the doctors diagnosed Gaki-san, let only physically come check on their 'precious' daughter. Their damn careers are more important than their own daughter!”
“Please tell us Takahashi-san,” the nurse was taken aback at the pleading tone of Eri’s voice as the girl's now shaky hands re-connected to Ai’s hands. There was no doubt that they were worried sick.
“She…” Ai paused, glancing at the window of Nakazawa-san’s office where the supervisor herself was observing from afar. Locking eyes, there was a barely noticeable nod from Yuko and Ai knew it was the signal of permission. “Her condition is terminal. She’s no longer responding any treatments.”
“Meaning?” Kamei looked up, the corner of her eyes nearly overflowing with the salty tears.
“Please make Niigaki-san as comfortable as possible. And…I’m sorry.”
“Whatever,” an angry Reina shoved Ai from the entrance as she silently let herself into the room, soon followed by Sayumi and Eri who both at least had the decency to thank the nurse. Still standing at outside the door, Ai could only watch as the three friends gather around the sleeping form of Risa.
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“There are three other girls? What happened to them?”
Silently shaking her head, Ai feebly smiled at the interviewer. “They just couldn’t handle it.”
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“Reina, are you sure about this? We can’t just do that to Gaki-san…”
“Seriously Eri? You were dead set on this a while back too. You’re really gonna back out now?" Seeing the turtle's lack of eye contact, the yankii imitator slammed her fists on the end of the hospital bed, before silencing herself. The heavily accessorized girl quietly observed her resting friend and noted that she was indeed still sleeping before continuing on, only this time, in a hushed tone. "God Eri, can you be anymore of bleeding heart?! I thought we all agreed to this once it came to this very point!”
“I-I know…but-“
“Sayu, talk some sense into your girlfriend! Please! She obviously needs to face the facts.”
“Eririn…”
On the otherside of the door, Ai nosily peeked between the crack of the door, completely oblivious of curious glances and whispers from her co-workers.
"Are they...?"“We told her we’d stick with her didn’t we? Until the very end? That’s what real friends do isn’t it?! We should be there for Gaki-san! She deserves that much after everything she’s suffered through!”
“I’m not having this conversation with you Eri,” an annoyed Reina pushed herself out of the seat, the chair legs quietly scratching against the tiled floors. Quietly, the wonky eyed girl stumbled to the sleeping girl, where she silently watched for a short moment. Slowly leaning down, the girl pressed a soft kiss on Risa’s forehead while muttering a few words that Ai couldn’t hear from her standpoint.
Silently gasping, all Ai could do was watch as one by one, Eri and Sayumi followed Reina’s actions, though the two were much more obvious about their guilt and emotions as their sniffles could be probably heard from the opposite side of the hospital.
“I-I’m sorry Gaki-san.” Eri whispered, probably louder then she had intended to, as she stroked Risa’s yellow-green beanie once more before the three began to gather their belongings.
The nurse continued absent-mindedly watching when all of a sudden, the door swung wide open and she was faced with the three tear stricken girls. As she parted her lips to make some sort of comment, Reina was the first to stomp past Ai, once again pushing her to the side as the other two girls quickly followed their youngest friend.
“Wait!” Ai managed to call out, an arm outreached as she began to chase after the girls.
“I…no
we can’t stick around anymore,” Eri explained, wiping away her continuously falling tears with her long sleeves. “Please take care of her Takahashi-san.” And without another word, the three ran. As the retreating figures of the girls disappeared from sight, the only family members that remained in Risa’s life were gone.
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“Just like that? They left without a proper good-bye? What about Niigaki-san? How did she react?”
“Better then I imagined.”
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With a defeated sigh, the brunette let herself into Risa’s room as she silently crept over to the bed as she began to tidy up the room. As she twisted close the window blinds for the night, Ai glanced towards the supposedly sleeping patient, only to be greeted with a pair of warm honey brown eyes.
“They’re not coming back, are they?” the patient’s hoarse voice questioned, though it was a clear fact to the girl as small tears slid down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry Niigaki-san.”
“Don’t be. You’re not to blame,” with a small smile, the short haired girl slowly sat up in her bed. “I had a feeling this day might come. They’re all very sensitive, especially Tanakacchi.”
Awkwardly shifting from foot to foot, Ai slowly glanced at the girl, who, despite the slow flowing tears, held a beautiful smile. “I-I’ll go get your dinner now.”
“Takahashi-san…” the bean started as she wiped away her tears with own bare hands. “Please, just call me Risa.”
Silently nodding, Ai allowed herself to subconsciously be taken to the entrance. Glancing back once more, her lips curved into a small smile. “Of course Risa.”
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“Why did she ask you to call her by her first name? You guys had just met that day, right?”
“Yes, but I think she just wanted a friend.”
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“Ohayo Takahashi-san!” a bright and cheery Risa greeted from the hospital bed. Scattered on the try in front of her were various bottles of nail polish and small gems that were used to decorate the bean’s inch long nails. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Uhh…tamagoyaki and white rice with some natto.”
The look on the girl’s face was priceless. The cheery Niigaki grin quickly fell into a half disappointed, as well as half disgusted, grimace. “Seriously? Mama use to buy some of the yummiest chocopan from the bakery!”
“The chef could probably-“
“Daijoubu!” Risa grinned once more as she began to put away her nail art supplies. Using her dried hand, the bean motioned for the nurse to come over. “It’s fine. Really. Tamagoyaki, rice, and natto aren’t completely terrible.” She joked as the tray of food was placed onto her lap, thanking the nurse as usual.
“Well, enjoy your meal then,” As Ai shuffled to the door to continue her rounds, she felt a hand grab onto her scrubs.
“Takahashi-san…stop being so awkward. Please?”
“Sorry, I’ll try my best-“
“Tell me about yourself then! Where’d you go to school? How old are you? Do you have a boyfriend? Maybe you’re married?”
“Niigaki-san-“
“Risa.”
“Risa, I don’t want to be rude, but I have other patients that are waiting for their breakfast. I really must go.” Looking back at the bean, she felt the grasp being released, but the saddened expression on the nineteen year olds face filled her with remorse.
Silently, the patient nodded in understanding as she picked up her pair of chopsticks. With a quiet “itadakimasu”, Risa began to eat her breakfast, blankly keeping her eyes on the food as her motions continued on as if she were a robot on a set schedule. Feeling guilty, Ai ran her fingers through bangs, trying to come up with a way to cheer up the girl.
“I-“
“Will you come chat after you’re done delivering breakfast?”
Ai responded with a hushed “yeah” before hurrying out the door, allowing the bean to continue eating in peace. It wasn’t until about an hour later when she finally returned to the room. In her mind, she expected the girl to fall back to sleep immediately after eating, but the moment she stepped into the room, she felt herself being dragged towards one of the open seats.
“You’re not supposed to be out of bed,” the nurse pointed out, though she was completely ignored by the patient.
“You know, you’re pretty slow at this. If I were Nakazawa-san, you’d be fired by now.”
“Thanks.”
Laughing, Risa crept back into her bed, where she sat on top of the sheets cross legged, curiously observing Ai from head to toe. “So, tell me about yourself.”
“There isn’t anything interesting to say really. I’m a nurse. That’s as about interesting as life gets for me.”
With a light chuckle, Risa bent over and stuck her hand into the small handbag that hung off the edge of the hospital bed. Pulling out a small pack of Jagarico, the bean offered some to the nurse, who politely declined the biscuit treat. “I’m sure there’s at least something interesting that’s happened in your life Takahashi-san. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Have you had one?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you a virgin?”
“N-What!?” Taken aback, the nurse quickly glanced at the girl, who happily munched on her snack as her interested eyes remained focused on Ai. “What kind of question is that?”
“I don’t know. I’m just trying to get to know you since we’ll be hanging out a lot. Like friends...right?”
“Right...”
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“By the sounds of it, you didn’t seem to be enthusiastic.”
“I’m a nurse in the oncology ward. It’s rarely a happy environment there. Besides, it’s not every day that I meet a patient who’s so happy and curious about my personal life. Anyways, she continued with the questions for a pretty long time, but eventually, she started opening up and told me about herself.”
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“What was high school like for you Takahashi-san?” Today, Risa seemed much livelier as she dug through a box filled personal belonging. After much begging, the bean finally convinced the nurse to bring in a DVD player into the room, which was paid for by the Niigaki parents, so Risa could at least have the pleasure on enjoying the Disney DVDs that she had with her.
“Well, I was in choir club-“
“Me too! I’m Alto. What about you?”
“Mezzo-sophrano. Anyways-“
“I hope you're a fan of Stitch!”
Feeling upset that she was interrupted for the third time that day, a pouty Ai leaned back against the wall with her arms across her chest. “It's fine. Whatever you want to watch.”
Finally satisfied with a film to watch, Risa opened the case to Lilo and Stitch, the cancer patient handed the worn out disc to the brunette nurse to place into the player before hitting the play button. With a smile, the patient reached under the pile of pillows at the head of the bed, digging and patting all around until she pulled out another container of Jagarico, once again offering the first taste to her new friend.
“You sure seem to like that stuff a lot,”
“It's the best! Especially the Caesar Salad flavor. Did you know they discontinued it few weeks ago? I want it to come back!"
Chuckling at the girl's enthusiasm, Ai leaned back into her not-so-comfortable chair. It had only been a week or two, and it seemed like she had already grown a bond with the girl. Despite how she enjoyed the newly growing friendship, the words of her supervisor continued to haunt her. Was this a true friendship? Or was this just a friendship created out of pity for the girl? Brushing off the negative thought, the nurse turned her attention to the decorated picture frame hanging above where Risa slept for the past two years. Every few seconds, the digital picture frame showed different pictures throughout the short lifespan that Risa had endured.
"I like your picture frame."
Perking up at the comment, Risa scrambled, despite Ai's worried protest, to remove the decoration from the wall. Signaling for the nurse to come closer, the bean reset the picture frame to its beginning phase of picture of baby Risa. As the Disney film continued to play, Risa enthusiastically told a condensed version of her life, such as how she begged her mom to allow her to have a similar haircut to her favorite singer Abe Natsumi. Silently nodding while watching the images of Risa's life passed by, Ai couldn't help but frown sullenly at a grinning, but also balding, image of Risa flashing a peace sign with Reina and Eri doing the same on the sides.
"That was taken after my first day of chemo sessions. I think I threw up on Tanakacchi after Sayusuke took that picture."
Clicking the right arrow button, the image changed slightly. Though a balding Risa remained in the picture, she was being smothered in hugs by four other girls, all which were of elementary school age. Just as Ai began to question, the girl cut her off once again.
"Four girls that me, Tanakacchi, and KameShige looked after. They were all raised in the foster home only a few blocks away from the hospital. Strangely enough, I really did enjoy their company."
"They don't come anymore?"
Shaking her head grimly, the patient's heavily manicured fingers traced circles around the heads of the four girls. "Not anymore. All four of them were eventually adopted by four different families that came from different parts of Japan. Pretty lucky huh? Anyways, it’d be too hard and expensive for them to be able to keep contact, so we just said our good-byes on their last night at Tokyo. I'd rather lose contact with these four so they could be with good families then have them be stuck in Tokyo without a family."
Despite the tears that began to slowly stream down her cheeks, Risa grinned at her nurse. "I hope they do really well in life you know? Yasushi...she's gonna be a great performer when she grows up. Best dancer in the world- guaranteed!"
"Fuku-chan's gonna get married to a good looking guy and start a family with the cutest babies in the entire world while working full-time as a cute house wife and mommy."
"Even though Suzuki isn't necessarily the best at school or anything else for that matter, she's gonna keep living a life where she makes people happy with her goofy smile and bug imitations."
"And Ikuta...damn that Ikuta. She's so weird and crazy! Did I ever tell you how she collects pictures of me and sticks them in photo albums? Pictures of me sleeping and pictures of my childhood that even
I have never seen! None of us even knows where she gets the pictures from. She was so damn attached. The day she was set to leave for Fukuoka, she cried like a baby and begged me not to let her new foster parents to take her away and just wouldn't let go of me, even though four or five people were trying to pry her off me. But in the end, all I could really do was pat her on the head and encourage her to move on. The shirt I wore that day...it's permanently covered in all the tears and snot that came out of her. And she's such a KY! Just like how Kameha used to be! Probably even worse...but I have faith in Ikuta. She'll make it..."
Taking in a heavy breathe, Risa accepted the handful of tissues that Ai offered her as she wiped away the spilled tears running down her cheeks, though it didn't stop the actions from continuing.
"Tanakacchi's not a completely emotionless rock. She just likes to keep things to herself. But when she really opens up to you, she can be one of the biggest crybabies you'll ever meet in life. I remember the day KameShige finally happened. Tanakacchi isolated herself in
my house for a few days and moped around the whole time while eating yakiniku and chugging Red Bulls. God, I hope her diet improves. Sometimes I'm surprised that she’s not the one dying in the hospital. I've never really told her, but Tanakacchi's tough demeanor is so funny, especially since she’s such a wussy. And her smile...her real smile is just so refreshing."
"I remember when I first met Sayusuke as a kid. I walked up to her to say good morning and her poison tongue just slipped out. 'Your pigtails look like disgusting elephant ears. You need to get them chopped off! You’ll never be as cute as Sayumi!' she shouted before stomping off. When Kame finally did make her apologize, she offered to share some of her tips to become the 'ichiban kawaii'. Honestly though, that's all just a cover up. When she finally warms up to you, Sayu's honestly one of the nicest people in this entire world. I'm glad she finally got the guts to ask Kame to be her girlfriend. They fit each other."
"Kameha...she's such an aho. I don't even know how she's managed through life. She falls asleep in the most random place like a narcoleptic . She can't even tell the difference between a mango and a papaya! But...even though she's a complete aho, Kame is one of a kind. She's always there for you and is willing to do whatever she needs to. She'll put other peoples needs before herself any day. If there was ever only one person in life I could meet, that person would be Kame."
Before the girl could even finish, another wave of fresh tears hit as the smaller girl suddenly clung onto Ai's, burying herself into the older woman's arms. Loud sobs echoed off the walls as Ai did the only thing she could- gently stroke Risa's cropped hair. "It's okay Risa. You don't have to play strong anymore. You're not alone."
The two girls sat in silence, except for the quieting sobs from the bean. Slowly the cries turned into slight sniffles, though the younger girl cuddled into Ai's arms, happily welcoming the comforting warmth.
"Takahashi-san?" Risa eventually asked softly.
"Yeah?"
"Do you have any wishes in life?"
Pausing for a moment, the nurse pondered over the bean's question. Of course she had wishes! Despite her age and height, she still had the hopes of joining the Takarazuka troupes and performing as a male lead. At the same time, she wanted to meet a wonderful man, get married, and have a happy family together. Yet, most of all, she had one remaining selfless wish- Ai wished, more than anything else, for Risa to be free of her leukemia. "A couple. Do you?"
"Yeah," slowly, Risa sat up from her slumped over position and grabbed the fallen picture frame. Shuffling through the pictures, the girl finally paused at an image of herself, happily smiling with a theme park in the background. "I wanna go to DisneySea one more time..."
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"It must have been heartbreaking to see her break down like that."
"It was. But watching her illness worsen...it was awful."
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A sleepy Takahashi Ai strolled in to the oncology ward's lobby, greeting her co-workers as she checked herself in for work. Slowly, the nurse made her way to Risa's room, doing her usual greetings for the morning before fully indulging in work. Yet, just as she opened the door, another nurse pushed Ai out of the way, her arms filled with who knows what. Curiously, the brunette nurse peeked in the room and a sudden disgust settled in her stomach. "Risa..."
The hospital patient sat in her usual spot, yet this time, many other workers surrounded her, including Nakazawa Yuko herself, who was whispering comforting words to the girl, as well as rubbing circles on her back. It wasn’t long before a gagging noise rang throughout the room, and from Ai's spot, she could see the younger girl regurgitate into a bucket. Not once, not twice, but three times in a row, followed by a raspy cough. The young girl finally glanced up after some time, finally realizing Ai's presence. "What!?" came her muffled hiss as she held an enlarged wad of tissue paper as an attempt to stop her gushing nosebleed. Before the nurse could make a response, the bean dropped the tissues into the nearly overflowing bucket as another wave of nausea overcame her. This time, the vomit matched the color of her falling tears and nosebleed. Crimson red was everywhere.
Nearly half an hour later, the room returned to its original state of pristine white cleanliness with the tunes of Abe Natsumi rummaging in the background. Using one hand to push open the door, Ai shuffled into the room, her other arm being occupied by a tray of food. Seeing the bean's unenthusiastic demeanor, the nurse sighed as she set down the tray before gently shaking the girl. "Come on Risa. You can't just lay there in bed all day."
"Go away." the patient muttered, tightening her clutch on the sheets that were pulled over her head.
"Risa..." Ai started, now stroking the girl's droopy cropped hair.
A hand slowly rose from under the sheets and as a weak attempt, swatted at Ai's hand. Nonetheless, the nurse continued her action until Risa's hand weakly took a hold on her wrist. As if in a slow motion film, the bean crept from underneath her sheets, shooting her only friend a nasty glare. "Don't you get it?!" she croaked, her throat hoarse from the excessive sobbing. "I'm sick! I'm sick and I'm dying and I just want to sleep! Can't you just take a hint and
go away!? You have other patients too you know!"
Without another word, the nurse quickly scrambled out of the room, allowing the girl a moment to herself. It wasn’t until an hour later that the woman returned to the room. The moment she opened the door, Ai felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist as the patient buried herself into Ai’s shoulders. With a gentle smile, the nurse stroked the smaller girl’s hair, whispering comforting words to the girl as she led her back into her bed.
“P-Please don’t leave Takahashi-san! I’m sorry for being rude. P-please! P-please don’t leave me like everyone else…” the girl continued crying, refusing to release the older woman from her tightened grasp. Ai chuckled lightly as she continued her actions.
“I’m not going anywhere Risa.” She whispered reassuringly.
Eventually, the younger girl released her grasp, though she had half the mind to hug the older woman once more.
“You promise?”
The woman simply nodded. Feeling much more relieved the patient let out the large breathe she had been holding in for who knows how long, as she leaned back down on the hospital bed.
“Thank you Takahashi-san.”
“Ai-chan.”
“What?”
Ai grabbed the younger girl’s hand, intertwining their fingers together into a tight hold. “We’re friends aren’t we? “
For the first time in days, the patient felt her lips curve upward into a familiar grin. “Arigatou…Ai-chan.”
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“Even by the way you talk about Niigaki-san, I feel as if I can feel the connection the two of you had.”
“I’ve never cared about a patient as much as I cared about Risa, so this was a new experience for me. Every day, I’d continue my daily routines, but even after my shift was over, I stayed a lot longer then I needed to. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I felt like her time was coming, so I had to do something.”
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"Isn't there anyway I could do this? The hospital doesn't even need to know Nakazawa-san! Just give me this one day. That's all I need."
The supervisor sighed, learning forward on her desk as she massaged circles into her temples. "I've tried talking to the higher up, but I can't even get contact with him because he’s so busy. Does it have to be today Takahashi? Can't it wait another month or so"
"NO!" the nurse exclaimed, slamming her fists onto her lap. "There might not be another month and
you of all people should know that!"
"Discharge her." A familiar, though quite rare, voice called out. Surprised, both women turned to the entrance of the office where a well-groomed man stood, his arms lazily folded across his chest. "If my approval is all that’s needed, then I say go for it. Have her discharged for the day. Niigaki-san's condition isn't going to get worse than it already is if she goes to DisneySea for a few hours. "
"Tsunku-san..."
Said man leisurely strolled to Ai's side, clamping a caring hand over her shoulder. "You have the next few days off too, so you can take Niigaki-san out for some fun. She's been cramped up in this hospital far long."
The nurse grabbed Tsunku’s hands into her own, repeatedly shaking them as she thanked him.
Sprinting back into the patient’s room, Ai could see the bean’s fragile form daintly resting in the bed. With a small chuckle, the nurse softly crept towards her patients, gently shaking her on the shoulder in order to grab the young girl’s attention. No answer.
“Risa. Get up.” Ai commanded.
The nurse scrambled to the plastic drawer, digging through the contents to find a suitable outing outfit for the bean. Once satisfied with her coordination, the older woman glanced at the girl once more, only to discover she had not moved a single centimeter.
“Ri~isa,” Ai sang, creeping onto the side of the bean’s bed as she ran her fingers through the short limp hair. “Get up. We’re going to Disney Sea.”
A moment of silence passed. Yet, slowly, the bean weakly rolled over, her drowsy eyes locking with those of the nurse.
“Really?” the patient croaked, her eye lighting up as they regained the lost cheeriness they once held. “Are we really going?”
A nod of confirmation was all she needed as a happier Risa weakly pulled herself up, using as much energy as she could to get dressed.
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"Niigaki-san must've enjoyed the trip to DisneySea."
"Even if we had gone elsewhere, it was better than the days where she laid in the hopsital doing absolutely nothing."
"According to my documents, the trip to DisneySea was her last. Do you think she knew Takahashi-san? Do you think she..."
"Do I think she knew it was her last day? Of course she did."
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"Donald was definitely my favorite. He actually gave me a hug while Mickey and Minnie just stood there! They were giving me funny looks!"
As the night came to an end, the two returned to the hospital, where a casually dressed Ai was wheeling Risa back into her room.
"Nee Ai-chan?" Risa called out, just as Ai began closing the door.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"No problem. I know how much you've been wanting to go to DisneySea."
"No..I mean...thank you. For everything you've done for me."
"Oh...well you're welcome!"
As Ai quietly shut the door, the room became its quiet self once more. Deep in thought, Risa's mind wandered. Would it be a good idea? Shaking her head at her hesitance, Risa grabbed her brand new Stitch themed stationary set, staring at the colorful alien filled pages in front of her. Finally, after much thought, she brought the tip of the pen to the top line, and with a broken smile graced upon her lips, she began to write.
Dear Ai-chan
If you're reading this, then...------------------------------------------------------------------
"And then..."
"Everything was over."
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"Ohayo gozaimasu!" Ai greeted as she shuffled into her workplace. The time read 7:45 A.M. The nurse would have arrived at a sooner time, but the events from DisneyLand had completely worn her out and thus, sleeping in a little bit longer felt necessary. However, instead of the usually greetings from everyone, her responses were different. This time, all the coworkers could do was stare at her with sympathetic expressions. Between the other doctors and nurses in the ward, quite a few knew of the fondness for Risa that Ai held. Swllowing the large lump in her throat, the saddened eyes of Nakazawa Yuko were what grabbed finally grabbed Ai's attention to the tense atmosphere.
"Nakazawa-senpai...is everything all right?"
Despite the older woman's attempt to keep back the tears, they continued flowing down her cheeks as she slowly shook her head "no". With a longing look at room 1023, the supervisor herself slid down into one of the seats in the waiting area. "I'm so sorry Takahashi...We-"
Fearing the worse, Ai pushed through the crowd of her sympathetic co-workers.
"No...it can't be. Yesterday...everything was fine yesterday! When she arrived to room 1023, everything was the same as the day before. The window blinds, as well as the door, were still completely closed to allow Risa to sleep properly. Taking in a deep breathe, Ai grabbed a tight hold of the door knob and turned, letting the door slowly creak open itself.
Shock.
It was the only emotion that came to the nurse as Risa came into sight. Taking one step closer, the brunette reached her hand out to wake up the girl. Yet, something was missing. The breathe of life had been sucked out of the room. "Wake up Risa..." Ai muttered as she slowly shook the girl's arm, as if she were a child prying for attention. "Risa...wake up. It's time for breakfast. I-I brought you some chocopan a-and I found some Caesar salad Jagarico."
Tears began to streak down her cheeks at the lack of response. Finally gaining the courage, Ai looked directly at the girls' face and at that instant, she felt a pang in her chest. The girl's welcoming smile and honey brown eyes were no longer there. Instead, she was face to face with a pale and eyes closed Risa. Or rather, Risa's body. "Risa..."
The nurse's legs shook as she slowly collapsed to the ground, dropping the bag of goodies as well. A sense of panic began to over whelm her as she grasped onto the younger girl's body, frantically shaking her. "Wake up Risa! This isn't funny! Please Risa!
Wake up!"
Hearing the sudden screaming, other workers rushed into the room. It took at least three people to restrain the thrashing older woman as she was led out of the room and into Yuko's office, where the supervisor was already waiting, her hands gently resting in her lap. "She was holding this when we found her this morning. It's addressed to you."
Despite the frantic sobs and gasps, Ai slowly directed her hands to accept the sealed envelope in front of her. The supervisor quietly excused herself from the room, closing the door behind her to give the nurse some space. It wasn't until a few minutes of complete silence that the woman finally unsealed the letter, letting her tear drops stain the envelope. Taking a deep breath, Ai opened her eyes, taking in the familiar, yet messy handwriting.
Dear Ai-chan,
If you're reading this, then I'm probably gone. It's kind of weird...I'm writing this to you alive, but as you're reading this, I'm no longer alive.
As you're reading this, you're probably thinking, what now. At least, that's what I'm hoping you're thinking. Maybe...maybe I'm being full of myself.
But still, you must have some type of shock. After these past three months together...I'm thankful. Thank you for staying by my side Ai-chan. Thank you for staying with me until the very end. You have no idea how happy you've made me over these last months of my life. I've never felt so open and happy with anyone in my life. If I could spend one final day, knowing that I would be gone the next, I'd spend it with you. And I'm glad I did. You are a wonderful person Ai-chan. Wonderful, beautiful, and amazing. You're everything a person would ever want. If anything, the only thing I regret in life is only having met you three months ago. Thank you Ai-chan, for everything.
Although I could never say this to you...I love you.
Yet, I sincerely hope that you don't have the same feelings. I want you to live on. I want you to become successful and start a wonderful life with the person of your dreams. Please...please forget about me Ai-chan. If anything, don't think of me. Continue focusing on the future, and maybe, we'll meet again in time. Until then, live your life to the fullest.
Please take care of yourself. I hope to see you one day.
Niigaki RisaA fresh set of tears began to drop onto the colorful paper, mixing in with the already dried stains from the night before. "Risa..."
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"I'm sorry for your loss."
"No. There's nothing for you to be sorry about. You did nothing wrong. I just wish...I just wish the ones who should be sorry actually felt that way."
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Because they were not able to get in contact with neither Niigaki parents, the hospital itself decided to take care of the situation. After all, the funds were still being paid by Risa's parents. Despite how stereotypical ideas came in mind, the funeral itself was nothing grand. Her body, after much debate, was finally cremated a few days after Risa's death. Not only did the girl leave a letter for Ai, but a more formal letter was also left behind with preferred instructions by Niigaki Risa herself. There was no big ceremony with hundreds of grieving people. Instead, there was Nakazawa Yuko and Takahashi Ai standing on a small shore that sat opposite of DisneySea. Despite the simplicity, it was a funeral nonetheless.
With the comfort of the gentle breeze, both women whispered their final good-byes to the girl. Ai, who held a tight hold of the yellow-green cremation urn, removed of the lid and gently poured the ashes, silently sobbing as they were spread free into the sea. Silence filled the air once more as the two watched the remains disappear into the roaring waters.
The walk back to the road was a pain. Just as the two approached the small sports car, Ai froze in her spot as the figure of three familiar girls caught her attention. Feeling her anger swell up from deep inside, the nurse stomped towards them, despite the protests from her supervisor. "Hey!" she shouted, grabbing the attention of the three.
The girls held surprised expressions. Not only was it shocking to come across the nurse as the three were going to spend a day at the lake, but seeing her tear stricken face, there was a sense of confusion. "Takahashi-san..." Eri mumbled as she reached out to take the woman by the hand. The fang toothed girl jumped back when her hand was slapped away. "Is everything okay?!"
"You three..." the nurse started as she shook uncontrollably. "You three gave up on something so wonderful. Something so precious. And yet, I'll never understand why she never resented you."
"What the hell-"
"She's dead." Sayumi stated flatly, being the first to notice the colored urn that Ai was clutching ever-so tightly to. Silently confirming to herself, the narcissist's eyes beginning to water up. "Gaki-san’s dead isn't she?"
"Tell us where you spread her ashes.
Now! We want to pay our respects to Gaki-san."
"No."
No longer being able to withhold the bubbling anger within, Reina released her hold on the items in her arms, letting them clatter onto the sandy shore of the lake. The smaller girl lunged towards the surprised nurse, her arms outreached to grab the ceramic jar. Quickly, her two older friends grabbed the extravagant girl, attempting to hold her back as she continued to claw at the nurse. Despite her usual angered and cold manner, a mixture of guilt and sadness became evident as salty tears streamed down Reina's cheeks. "We were her friends too! We deserve that much!" the kitten screamed, continuously thrashing around as an attempt to break from the duo's strong hold.
"You honestly think that? If anything, you all deserve
nothing."
Without another word, Takahashi Ai turned her back on the group, stomping her way up the mounds of sand. Despite her anger, she could hear the hushed sobs of Kamei Eri, the low cries of Michishige Sayumi, and the heart wrenching wails of Tanaka Reina. As she approached Yuko’s car, the nurse slowly spun around, watching the calm waves of the sea once more. “Good-bye Risa,” and with that, she climbed into the sports car before speeding off.
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"You two ended up becoming very close. Am I right?”
“She was very special to me.”
“Did you feel that you loved her?”
Ai let out a heavy sigh as her mind shuffled through the various memories she had with the girl. Even though they had only met and interacted for three months, losing the girl was still hard, let alone sharing her experiences. “Well, nurses aren’t supposed to love patients," Another pause. Despite the amount of professionalism that she was hoping to keep, there was no doubt that Niigaki Risa held a special place in Takahashi Ai's heart. Those three months, despite the grief filled ending, were some of the happiest moments for the nurse. The thought of Risa's habits made her closer and closer to letting the tears fall. Each question asked, every container of Jagarico eaten, and every Disney filled moment that the two shared. It was irreplaceable. It was quite simple.
As a single tear slid down her cheek, Ai gave the counselor light chuckle. "If you could find another word that meant the same thing, then yes, I did feel that way towards Risa.”
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Yeah…angsty feelings equal angsty stories (. _ \) I hope you enjoyed it though hehehe. I shall now be working on a continuation for Love Me Ai. YEAH, YOU HEARD ME RIGHT RNDY, RISA_AI, AND BADSAINTS! Okay...bye now~ Rini is sleepy~ (^ - ^)/
P.S. I have bad titles...I fail Dx