Chapter 1: The Accident
This starts right after Iwanako shows up. It will be pretty much word for word except for a few comments I myself would've thought. Never been a big fan of huge ANs so let's get started.
"Iwanako, I got a note telling me to wait here… It was yours?" I said. Dammit. I spent all afternoon trying to come up with a good line and that was the result. Pathetic.
"Ahmm… yes. I asked a friend give you that note… I'm so glad you got it." She says softly, as if she were to speak to loud, the area around would break. A shy, joyous smile that makes me so tense I couldn't make a single muscle even if I tried. My heart is pounding now, as if it were trying to bust out from my chest and claim this girl for itself.
"So… ah… here we are. Out in the cold." I say. The wind once again stirs up the branches. The cacophonous noise is music to my ears. Iwanako flinches slightly against the wind. Why is she wearing a skirt again? As it passes, she rights herself, as if supported by some new confidence. Her eyes lock with mine and she lazily twirls her long, dark hair around her fingers. All the while the anxious beating of my heart grows louder. Well, this is awkward.
My throat is tight; I doubt I could even force a word out if I tried. "You see…" Iwanako began slowly. My heart beats loudly throughout my body. "…I wanted to know…" she continues just as slow as before. My heart beat speeds up as she continues with her soft words. "…If you'd go out with me…" I stand there motionlessly, save for my pounding heart.
I want to say something in reply, but my vocal cords feel like they've been stretched beyond their breaking point. "… Hisao?" Iwanako says in a worried voice. I reach up to massage my throat, but this only sends spikes of blinding pain throughout my arm. "Hisao?!" She says, frightened. I don't know if it's because of my painful face, or if it's because she's not getting a response. My whole body freezes, save for my eyes, which shoot open in terror. My heart beats erratically, until eventually, it stops. "HISAO!" Iwanako screams. I feel weak at the knees, and I collapse forward into the snow there's a new, dull pain in my throat as the world slowly turns black.
The canopy of bare branches, the dull winter sky, Iwanako running towards me, all of them, gone within a couple of seconds. The only thing I remember was the sound of Iwanako screaming for help and the incessant sound of the clattering branches above…
It's been four months since my heart attack. In that whole time I could count the amount of times that I've been outside this hospital room unsupervised on one hand. Four months is a pretty long time when you're left to your own thoughts, so I had plenty of time to come to terms with my situation.
Arrhythmia. A strange word. An alien one. One you don't want to be in the same room with. A rare condition that causes the heart to act erratically and occasionally beat way too fast. It can be fatal. Apparently I've had it for a long time. They said it was a miracle that I lasted so long without an incident.
They also found that I fell onto a stone that pierced my throat, right through my vocal cords. They told me that when I went into surgery, they tried to repair the damage done to it. They've been teaching me sign language. That tells me how that went. The bandages around my throat seems like a collar more than cloth meant to keep scars from opening.
All in all, life sucks so far.
My parents, I think, were hit harder by the news than I was. They practically had two hemorrhages a piece. I already had a full day to digest everything. To them it was all fresh. They were ready to sell the house for a cure to arrhythmia.
Of course, there isn't one.
Because of the late discovery of the… condition, and the extremely bad case of sore throat, I've had to stay in the hospital, to recuperate from the treatments. When I was first admitted I felt as if I was missed… for about a week, my room in the ward was filled with flowers, balloons, and cards. But soon the visitors and get-well gifts dwindled into nothing. I realized that the only reason I had gotten so many cards and flowers was because sending me their sympathy was turned into a class project.
Maybe some people were genuinely concerned but I doubt it. Even in the beginning, I barely had visitors. By the end of the first month, only my parents visited.
Iwanako was the last to stop coming.
After six weeks, I never saw her again. She never had much to talk about when she came anyways. She never spoke about that snowy day.
The hospital? Not much of a place to live. The doctors and nurses weren't the nicest people in the world. I didn't even get a sponge bath. I can't blame them though, they had so many patients in one day, many of which didn't survive the next day, to them, I was just another person, waiting to die or be released.
For the first month I asked the head cardiologist every time I saw him when I'd be able to leave, well not asked but, you know what I mean. He'd never give a straight answer. So I idly observed the scars that the numerous surgeries had left. Every time I look at them, they seem to change. Every once in a while, I asked the Cardiologist when I'd leave but I never had my hopes up high.
I stopped watching TV.
And I couldn't read either. Whenever I went to the "Library" and picked something to read, I couldn't make it past the first few sentences. They just weren't interesting. So I instead started to read textbooks. Might as well. I also developed a taste for coffee. But the coffee in the hospital was too weak, either too watery, or not enough flavor.
I need to get back on track.
So without entertainment, I stared blankly at the ceiling, weeks went by without me noticing. Sometimes I start to feel like I may cry. But that never happens. So instead I just go to sleep.
Today the doctor came in with a bright smile. He seems excited, but not very. He may be excited that he's kept another patient alive through their days in a hospital. Or he's trying to make me happy. Either one works. My parents are both in the room, it's been a couple of days since I last saw them. The doctor must've got them here. Must be big. There's this ritual the doctor has, he shuffles his papers and straightens them. Strange. It's also very annoying. Then he sits next to my bed and looks me in the eyes.
"Hello Hisao." He says with the smile slightly faltering when I just stare at him. Then it comes back when I smile a bit and nod. "I believe you can go home now, with some precautions you should be fine. We have all your medications sorted out. I'll give your father the prescription." The doctor quickly hands the sheet over to my father, whose eyes slightly pops out. "So many…" I take it slowly from his hand as not to frighten him. Wow… The words flow through my head as I try hopelessly to memorize the list.
"I'm afraid this is the best we can do at the moment. But there are new medications coming out every day, I wouldn't be surprised to see that list shorten throughout the years." Years. Huh, that actually kinda comforted me for a minute, but then reality hits again. "Also, I've spoken to your parent s about transferring you to a new school." My eyes widen in shock, but they slowly return to normal as logic regains its grasp. A new school huh? I smile slightly, when I realize I can make something good out of this. "Well, you're not too bothered about this, right Hisao?" my mother ask, unsure. I nod slightly.
"Well, that's great! I knew you'd be fine with it!" My dad boast ever so slightly. my mother replies, "Weren't you the one in the car who was worried he was going to hate you?" with a slightly mocking tone. "Honey, we weren't going to talk about that…." My father whines. I smile at my parents antics.
"Yes well, you'll be going to a school that has a proper nursing staff, and proper education. The schools name is Yamaku Academy. It specializes in dealing with students with all sorts of disabilities" the doctor says, trying to get the attention on him again. "the majority of students live on campus. Think of as a boarding school with a hospital nearby. It gives students independence, while having help nearby." This school really does sound like it would be… alright I guess. " We went out there and had a look around, it looks really nice." My dad says.
"Well, you should be excited to be going back to school again. I remember that you wanted to go to school again, and while it's not the same one…" the doctor says, suddenly becoming unsure. I nod slightly, as if to give him reassurance. Anything to get out of this damn hospital.