Naomi hates hospitals. There, she finally admits it and acknowledges how ironic that is for her as a former doctor. But it's not from her experience of working in them for most of her career that is the cause. It's the fact that she is now a patient and not a doctor that is making her loathe being trapped in this place. Just the fleeting pains in her chest from surgery, the constant fretting of everyone around her whenever she says she isn't feeling that well, and those irritating feelings of helplessness as she is confined to a hospital bed all fuel her growing restlessness and desire to leave this place once and for all. She could now live a normal life with her adopted daughter again without having to worry about counting down the days to her demise since she has been completely cured, and the only thing now separating her from this right is this damn hospital. She understands why all of this is necessary though; she wouldn't want to die of a relapse as soon as she is released after all. She'd never be able to let Alyssa endure that pain. Still though...if they would just let her go outside just once...
A knock comes at the door to her room before it opens up with a not so discreet creak, and she sees her surgeon enter the room as calm as always, however his stoic expression doesn't last long. He pauses in front of her bed, and Naomi almost instantly notices how his eyes widen with his pupils dilating upon seeing her, causing a feeling of worry to swell in her chest. Why does he look uneasy? Are her charts really that bad? Does her face have bruises from the disease?
"Uh..." He stammers uneasily. "H-Hi, Ms. Kimishima. H-How are you, uh, doing today?"
Naomi just looks at him and observes how he's trying to act more casual as he awkwardly smiles at her. Obviously, the kid has been trying to take after Gabe, not a good influence at all. The worrisome feeling vanishes, and she decides to play along for his sake. "Fine, Doctor. Thanks to you."
He nods quickly as he picks up her charts and starts reading them, most likely trying to hide a blush that is creeping up on his face. Naomi feels herself smile with amusement. She likes this nervous side to this seemingly cool and collected doctor. It's no wonder everyone enjoys taking a friendly jab at him every now and then.
"I-I was just doing my job. Anyway, your charts look good." He quickly changes the subject. "I just need another blood sample to check your levels for research purposes."
"As per usual." Naomi mutters with a sigh. "Guess this means I'll be spending a little more time in here then."
For a second, she thinks she sees a look of sympathy flash across his features as he takes out a syringe. "Soon you'll be discharged, I'm sure. This is just to monitor your recovery slowly and watch for any signs of complications from the surgery."
"Though I would highly doubt that because of your skill with the scalpel."
His face turns red again and this time he isn't able to do anything about it because of the task at hand. Instead, he wraps a band tightly around her bicep and disinfects the area as he lightly mumbles, "Make a fist for me."
Naomi happily complies and winces slightly when the needle goes into her skin. During this whole process, she observes him closely, taking note of how focused and diligent he is as he carries out this job. Even when he's doing something as simple as taking some of her blood, he still strives to be the best doctor he can be. She finds that admirable about him.
After filling the vial up with an ample amount of blood, he takes the needle out of her arm and bandages up the wound. He grabs the chart and writes something on it before gathering up his things and turning to leave.
"I'll tell you the results once they come back." He says as he makes his leave. He stops for a moment and glances slightly upward, as if trying to find the right words to say next. "I'm...positive you'll be able to return to your work in no less than a few weeks."
Well...he may be a little awkward with friendly conversation, but he certainly has been getting better about it. She thanks him and settles in for a nap after he leaves because there is simply nothing else for her to do right now. She finds it strange though, that as she is dozing off, the face of her surgeon...her rescuer...is the last thing she thinks of before falling right to sleep.
Tuesday: her check-up day, at least that's what she's been told after being in the hospital for two weeks. Naomi thinks they wouldn't be so bad if Gabe would just show up at a consistent time and not make sarcastic remarks as he examines her, though she does like it when that computer companion of his calls him out on it. Yet for some reason, all of her patience depletes to nothing whenever he enters the room, and she suddenly feels very exhausted and easily irritated once his mouth starts moving. Today shouldn't be so different.
However, it is. A knock comes at her door at 10:30 in the morning. Gabe never gives her a courteous knock, instead just taking the liberty of barging right in, one of the many things he does that she can't stand. Naomi watches as the door opens and is quite stunned upon seeing the unexpected person walking in. The kid is in his usual attire, only this time he has a stethoscope hanging around his neck and is accompanied by RONI.
"Well, this is a welcomed surprise." She comments as he takes a seat next to her bed.
He smiles shyly, taking the stethoscope off his shoulders. "Dr. Cunningham is out today, but I'm more than capable of examining a patient. It shouldn't take too long."
"Indeed." RONI pipes in. "I have conducted an evaluation of this doctor and concluded that he is 94% able to complete a physical examination without difficulties, but 6% unable to properly communicate with the patient in a sociable manner."
Naomi lets out a light-hearted chuckle when he shoots an irritated glare in the device's direction. He shakes his head, muttering something about RONI being worse than Cunningham under his breath, but nevertheless proceeds to start the examination.
"I'll keep this brief since I'm sure you'll want to rest." He says. "First, how have you been feeling?"
"I'm feeling better with each day that passes."
"Good. How are your sleeping patterns?"
"Well, I've been resting a lot more than I usually do."
"Understandable, considering you're still recovering the strength you lost. How has your appetite been?"
"I have been able to finish whatever meals are brought to me."
"Is there any bruising, unnatural discoloration, or tingling painful sensations around the incision site?"
"No, but..."
"Hm?" He glances up from his clipboard and stares at her intently. "What were you going to say?"
"It's just...there's been a small pain in my chest, and I don't know what's causing it."
A look of concern graces his expression as he presses his fist against his chin, obviously dwelling hard on this. "Are you having trouble breathing?"
"No. It goes away with the morphine, but it's usually a quick on and off kind of thing."
"Can you describe the pain? How would you rate it?"
"It's a burning, aching kind of pain. I'd say about a four."
"Around the incision area?"
"Mostly in my heart actually."
He takes off his stethoscope, placing the headset part in his ears, and presses the bell against her chest. It's cold on her skin, but she doesn't think about that while he listens to her heart. Rather, it's the fact that he is indirectly touching her that is nearly making the blood rush to her face.
"Your heart is beating normally, if not at a slightly elevated rate." He points out, to which she is relieved to hear. "Does it hurt...here?"
Now he's touching the skin of her chest with his own hand. She nods as she tries to ignore this pesky feeling of awkwardness that's trying to rise up. Oh, of all the inappropriate times to feel like this, why does it have to be now?! "A-A little."
Luckily, he doesn't catch onto her nervous tone as he is too engrossed in the examination. "I can actually feel a bit of swelling near the incision area."
"Doctor." RONI speaks up. "After observing all these symptoms, I have reached the conclusion that the level of discomfort the patient is in is quite normal after surgery. However, an X-ray will still be necessary for precautionary reasons. I have already sent in a request that has been approved."
He looks rather stunned at the machine's capability. "Even though I didn't tell you to do that?"
"I have applied my 'To hell with that!' algorithm that allows me to perform as such."
"...It has a mind of its own." He murmurs to no one in particular.
"Doctor, is there any reason why you are still palpating the patient's chest?"
Well if the situation wasn't awkward enough at first, it certainly is now, especially when they realize just how close the distance between them is. He quickly tears his hand away from her as she fixes the top of her hospital gown, both of them trying as hard as they can not to flush red as though they have been in the sun for too long.
"I'm, er, sorry about that." He stutters, all the while avoiding her gaze. "I really...I mean I didn't..."
"It's...fine." She responds, though her voice is rather unusually high. "Really, don't worry about it."
It only takes him a second to recompose himself, but even still he looks rather uncomfortable as he nods. "W-Well, a nurse will be here soon to wheel you to the X-ray facility, but the pain you have is most likely from the surgery. I'll put in an order for pain medication."
"Yes...thank you, Doctor."
He leaves without saying another word, and she tries hard to forget that moment of tension between them. Even still though, the place where he felt her chest still feels warm as though his hand is still there, lingering with a gentle, careful touch.
Naomi has grown so used to spending much of her time with Alyssa in the hospital- over the course of which Alyssa started to call themselves "Hospital Buddies"- that it's almost a shock and quite saddening to hear that the day has come for young Alyssa to be discharged from the hospital since her injuries are fully recovered. Naomi knows she'll be in good hands since Little Guy decided to take it upon himself to bring Alyssa to his apartment to care for her in the meantime, but the maternal side in her is feeling rather anxious, and she would much prefer it if she could care for Alyssa herself. But she can't do anything while she's still in the hospital, and she wouldn't want to keep Alyssa cooped up in there any longer than needed. So when it is time for Alyssa to leave, Naomi asks to go to the child's room one last time to see her off. Luckily, that is one request that her surgeon has no problem granting her as he helps her into a wheelchair and takes her to Alyssa's room.
"Now, Alyssa, please be a good girl for Little Guy while you are at his house." Naomi instructs the young girl, who is sitting in her lap and listening to her attentively. "Listen to whatever he tells you to do, and go to bed on time. Do you understand?"
Alyssa nods in understanding, but her face is solemn and Naomi is quick to inquire her about this. "What's the matter, Alyssa?"
The young girl looks at her for a little while before crumpling into her arms and starts crying. "I don't want to go! I wanna stay here with you!"
"Ah..."
Little Guy is also in the room, and as he is watching the scene unfold he scratches the back of his head uneasily. "My place isn't that bad, you know..."
"Quiet, Little Guy." Naomi says and smirks when he jumps at her tone. He's come a long way from being that strict, uptight Delphi assistant she used to know. "Alyssa, it's not like I won't be seeing you again. Once I can leave, then I will come and get you."
Alyssa sniffles. "And...and then we'll be a family?"
"Yes, Alyssa. We will be a family."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Naomi hugs the girl close to her as she tries to fight off tears of her own. She knew it was going to be somewhat hard to say goodbye to Alyssa, but she certainly wasn't expecting it to be this emotional. With slight hesitation, she releases her little girl from her grasp and looks straight at Little Guy.
"Watch over her well, Little Guy." She tells him with a stern voice to drive her point home.
Little Guy smiles as he gives her a mock salute. "Yes, Doctor. I know you'd have my hide if I didn't."
Alyssa, observing the two interact, takes it upon herself to get Naomi's surgeon's attention and imitates Naomi's voice as she says to him, "You better take good care of Naomi."
He gives her a reassuring smile. "Of course. I promise I will do my best to help her get better."
Satisfied with that answer, Alyssa smiles triumphantly and marches over to Little Guy, who then takes her hand and leads themselves out of the room. Naomi waves at them as she watches them go, and once they are out of sight a sense of longing washes over her.
"All the more reason to get better." The kid speaks behind her.
She sighs wistfully. "Indeed. Well, Doctor, this is all that I wanted. I am ready to return to my room."
"Actually..." His voice sounds a little, how can she put it, somewhat mischievous? Quite uncharacteristic, coming from him. "I was wondering. Would you like to go outside?"
She twists herself around to look at him. "Is that allowed?"
"Not really, but...I am your surgeon, so it's cleared with me."
"Oh. Well, in that case..." She grins coyly. "I would love to go outside."
"This is restricted area..." Naomi points out, a bit of trepidation slipping into her tone.
She doesn't understand why though. The courtyard is very beautiful, and patients like herself would probably very much enjoy the serene atmosphere it offers. The kid shrugs and puts the brakes on the wheelchair so it won't move forward as she is getting out.
"Here, can you stand?" He offers her his arm for her to cling to as she attempts to stand up for the first time in a while. Her legs are wobbly like a newborn dear, but soon she gets accustomed to standing on her own and relinquishes her hold on his arm. "Anyway, Maria says that rule gets broken all the time."
"Careful, Doctor. If you listen to them, you could get years added back to your sentence."
He snorts at her comment, and Naomi realizes that this is the first time she has ever seen him laugh.
It's actually rather cute...wait, what am I thinking?! She shakes her head to herself and instead takes a seat on a bench in the garden. "In all seriousness though, how is that going for you?"
He sits down next to her and glances off in the distance. "I'm almost halfway done with my sentence. I still have more operations to complete before I can finally start working as a surgeon and not a prisoner with a debt to society."
This doesn't sit well with her for some reason. She has already found the real truth to the incident that resulted in him being put on death row, so why hasn't he been released yet? "That doesn't make sense though. If you ask me, society should be indebted to you." And didn't I just prove that you WEREN'T the one responsible for that Cumberland College Incident?
He has a forlorn look about him as he mumbles in that deep voice of his, "I suppose, but...I'm sure they have their reasons for keeping me incarcerated. I mean...imagine a convicted felon, who previously for eight years has had absolutely no memory of who he is or what he did, suddenly come to you saying that he remembers everything now. Would you trust him?"
Naomi shrugs in response. "I guess it would be hard to believe then. But I even have evidence..."
"The investigation has been closed for some time, I doubt they'll reopen it now to take a look at it, what with the statute of limitations fast approaching and all..." He pauses for a moment so he can cough into his arm. His body probably isn't used to the warm outside weather, she muses. "Besides, I've already worked off a lot of years from my sentence. I'm so close to freedom."
Naomi doesn't respond, instead letting the silence take over from there, but it isn't as awkward as she thinks. She's actually rather surprised at how much he has said even though they haven't known each other for long. In fact, one would never expect him to be this easy to talk to. After a few moments pass, she decides to start talking to him some more, hoping to get to know him a little better.
"So you completely have your memory back?" She inquires.
His eyes squint at the question, and she wonders if she asked something that was too personal for him. Nevertheless, he does answer, "Well...not completely. I remember my past life: bits and pieces of my childhood...if it can even be called that, the years I spent growing up with Rosalia in Professor Sartre's home, that vivid day when I lost everything...but there's one thing that I, for the life of me, just cannot remember."
"And what is that, if it's not too prying?"
"...my name." He shakes his head. "Heh, isn't that convenient? I can remember almost everything about me: age, birthday, blood type...but not my given birth name."
The fervor with which he speaks makes Naomi know that she has touched a sensitive topic. She doesn't press him further on the subject, despite the lingering questions that remain on her mind.
"You're probably wondering why I don't just change my name." He says, to which Naomi flinches. So much for not pressing further on the subject.
"How did you..."
"Because everyone has been asking me that. Maria, Dr. Cunningham...even the chief has inquired me about it. But my reason is this: I've been a prisoner for as long as I can remember...or at least until a little while ago. I don't know my true name. 'CR-S01' is the only identity given to me that I know of. It's the one I'm mostly associated with. That's why."
Naomi ponders what he just said. He has made a good point, but she finds herself still confused about one thing: if not for his prison number, then he'd just be a nameless face on this planet who would easily be forgotten after he passes on. But yet...why go by an identity that pretty much branded him a criminal? He was no longer a prisoner, nor a mass murderer. He was a brilliant surgeon with a desire to save lives. Shouldn't he have a name that reflected the more positive side to him?
"It's okay, I'm not expecting you to make sense of all this."
"You're quite good at reading minds." She mutters back.
He chuckles and stands up to stretch his limbs. "We've been out here for quite a while. I better get you back to your room before the nurses get suspicious."
"Well, you may not be a delinquent, but you certainly have the makings of one."
"Hmph. You learn a few things from the stuff guards say when you're behind bars for eight years. Come on."
He helps her stand up again and waits until her legs don't feel like jelly before helping her walk over to her wheelchair. Naomi's legs are throbbing from not being used in a while, but she doesn't mind a bit. It feels so good to be able to use some of her old motor skills again. The way back to her room is silent, and luckily they get to it five minutes before the next nurse is scheduled to arrive to check in on her.
"I didn't mean to talk so much about myself back there." He says after getting her situated in her bed. "But...thank you for listening."
She smiles. "It's okay. I really didn't mind at all. And if it makes you feel better, next time we'll spend the hour talking about myself."
Even though she's smiling and being light-hearted, Naomi feels her stomach twist into knots as she says that last part. There are so many things about her that she has always kept hidden from the public eye, wanting to keep that information as confidential as possible. It was her only method she could rely on to escape her past. She isn't sure whether or not she wants to disclose that stuff with him so soon...then again, he did tell her some parts about himself that she is sure no one else knows, and he probably doesn't want them to know.
"I'll look forward to it." Comes his reply. On his way out, he stops in the doorway and looks from side to side as if scouting for unwanted company, then turns around to face her. He utters in a low tone, "And...that stuff I revealed to you, you're the first person I ever told. So if you could please...just keep that between us?"
She nods, understanding him fully. "I won't tell a soul."
He gives her a soft smile of gratitude as he closes the door behind him. Naomi reclines back in her bed as she waits for the nurse to come. When she thinks about how quickly he has opened up to her, it is then that she decides that she will tell him a few things about herself no one else knows...and maybe a bit more when the time is right.
Gabe comes in the next day to check on her, and she can already tell he is having a rather hard day by his blank demeanor and lack of humor (well, his jokes always sucked anyways).
"Since when did patients start jumping on the whole 'I-hide-my-symptoms-because-I-don't-want-people-to-worry-about-me bandwagon?" He complains to her. "It's annoying and really makes my work difficult!"
Naomi chuckles. "Maybe they're trying to be honorable in their cause."
Gabe shakes his head as he takes her blood pressure. "They only think it's honorable, which it's not. If they want to know more about that whole 'honor' thing, then they should be talking to Tomoe. She's an expert in that." He lets out a loud, exasperated sigh. "Alright, I'm gonna check your pulse now. And please be a good patient and tell me if you feel off."
"I'll be a good patient if you'll be a good doctor."
"FYI, I'm always a good doctor. Your argument is invalid."
Naomi just rolls her eyes and waits for Gabe to be done listening to her heart beat. The feeling is definitely not the same compared to when he did it. That experience was much more pleasant.
"Alright, everything sounds good." Gabe removes the stethoscope and hangs it around his neck again. "Your charts are clean...looks like the kid did a great job examining you. Maybe I should take him up as an apprentice for the Master of Deduction."
"Don't you dare. You'll only succeed in making another you out of him."
Gabe chuckles heartedly at her rebuttal as he fakes being punched in the gut. "You wound me, Corpse Whisperer. But as much fun as that would be, I highly doubt he'd match my level of sarcasm. Took me years to perfect it to the skill I have now. Besides, he's too socially...inept to catch onto it at the moment."
"Ha. I can agree with you on that." Naomi says with a laugh. "Where is he, by the way?"
"He has an operation at this hour. Maria's assisting him. I just came by to see how you were doing and to see how well the kid did my job the other day."
"Well, aren't you nice."
"Wait, Is...is that...appreciation, I hear? Never thought I'd see the day." The sound of papers being shuffled fills the room as Gabe gathers up all of his files and documents. "You know," When he talks again, he suddenly sounds a little more serious. "Speaking of the kid...don't tell anyone I said this, but...he seems to have the hots for someone."
For some reason, Naomi gets a strange kind of feeling in her chest upon hearing this. It's an odd combination of anxiety, excitement, jealousy, and heart pain. "What makes you think that?"
Gabe shrugs. "I just notice it. He's been in quite a relaxed, chill mood lately. I caught him daydreaming in the lounge one day, and he immediately got very flustered when I questioned him about it."
"I don't see how..."
"Here's the kicker: I think it's you."
Naomi blinks and finds herself unable to formulate any words, save for a quiet "...What?"
"Yeah, he talks about you a lot more than usual. Whenever he passes by your room, he kind of slows down and stares at it like he's trying to see you inside. And when he can't visit you for a while, he always asks the nurses about your condition. And not because that's his job as a surgeon. I think he's genuinely concerned about you. I dunno, sounds like a crush to me."
This newly discovered information comes as a shock to her. While Gabe whistles as he finishes off gathering his things, Naomi doesn't pay any attention to that as she finds herself completely stuck on the fact that the kid...liked her that way. She wonders what he possibly sees in her that makes him feel like that towards her...and why does she suddenly feel her face heating up at the thought of it? Does she...like him back? Maybe she shouldn't be that convinced though, considering that since the source of this news was Gabe, which may make it seem unreliable, but she really does hope that isn't the case.
"Now that I think about it," Naomi snaps back to the present after hearing Gabe's voice, and sees him already walking out the door. "I bet he'd be a pretty good match for you. Dark, brooding doctors with extensive medical knowledge and no sense of humor...yeah, I can see it happening."
Gabe is smart to quickly run out and shut the door before Naomi can throw a nearby vase at his head.
"I have good news."
The kid's voice is filled with enthusiasm, and though he's clearly trying to contain himself, he seems very happy about something. Naomi smiles at him, eagerness gnawing at her gut. "Well, don't leave me in the dark. What is it?"
At this, he can no longer hold back and his lips break out into a smile, probably one of the biggest smiles he has ever made. "Your blood results came back normal, anything left over from the Rosalia Virus is negative, and there has been no relapse. Nothing showed up on the X-ray either. Your heart and everything else are very healthy. So this means you will be able to leave as soon as tomorrow afternoon."
In the next few seconds that follow, Naomi feels like she has lost all control, but she is too overwhelmed with happiness to even care. She throws her arms around him, hugging him close to her as her eyes brim with tears, some even managing to escape and slide down her cheeks.
"So...it's all officially over now..." She whispers, voice weak with pure joy and relief. "Thank you so much, Doctor..."
He doesn't know what to do right now as he's trapped in her embrace. He has never been hugged...or not in a very long time at least, and he's never really been an expert at human affection in the first place. What he does know is that he doesn't want to even think about what his face looks like right now. After a moment of thought, he shakes off the awkward feeling and wraps his arms around her as well.
"Yeah...it is over. You're fine now."
The next day, Naomi is surprised at how much of the staff has come to see her off. It's almost like she's a celebrity, but she just isn't sure whether she likes the attention or not. Being the last Rosalia patient doesn't really seem to warrant that sort of fame to her. Out of all the people here who had helped her and worked with her, she notices there is one particular person who is missing from the crowd and that is her surgeon, the one ultimately responsible for making sure she would live to see another day. She wonders where he is, though she supposes she can't really blame him for his absence. A lot of things demand his attention after all, but she is still a little disappointed. She especially was wanting to see him one last time before leaving.
"Are you ready to go, Doctor?" Little Guy asks as he steps behind her. "Alyssa was very anxious to see you, but I told her she still had to go to school."
Naomi chuckles. "We'll reward her with a half day. And yes, I am ready to go, but first I'd like to say something to the chief."
As if on cue, Esha steps forward with a big smile on her face. "Ms. Kimishima, I cannot thank you enough for your effort during this crisis. You've really helped out our hospital big time."
"You give me too much credit. You should really be thanking your staff."
"Oh please," She leans in closer so she can whisper, "wouldn't want to inflate their egos more than they already are."
The two share a laugh over this. Naomi just shakes her head. "But all the same, I am indebted to the people here at this hospital for giving me my life back. I'm really grateful for all you've done."
After Naomi shakes hands with the chief, she begins to turn around to leave but that is when someone taps her on the shoulder. Curious, she winds around to see who the person trying to get her attention was, only for her soft blue eyes to be met with intense red ones. A warm feeling rises up in her chest.
"Ah, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see you before I left." She says with mirth.
He's acting rather fidgety and he glances away from her briefly as if he is too shy to meet her gaze. Naomi wonders what could have brought this sudden behavior on.
"Well, uh..." She can tell he's trying not to stammer. "I got caught up with...anyway, here. This is for you."
She watches him as he stiffly holds his arm out, offering a beautiful white daisy from the courtyard garden to her. She could feel everyone's eyes on them, and she's pretty sure she hears Gabe whistling in the background. But for her right now, the only people standing here are just him and herself. She stares at it for a while until she finally accepts it with a smile, and he visibly relaxes.
"I...heard that's what people do." He mumbles, embarrassed. "They give a 'get well soon' present to a loved one, but...you're already well, so I guess..."
"Thank you, I love it." She cuts him off to spare him from trying to awkwardly explain himself. "You know, you kind of remind me of someone."
He blinks. "I do?"
"He's an old friend of mine. Both you and he share unmatched surgical skills and a passion to help people. He...also showed me what it truly means to save lives."
"I...don't recall ever showing you that."
"You didn't have to. Just observing you as you worked- saving people in a crisis and not giving up hope- really reminded me why I became a doctor."
"Well, I...I'm glad I was able to help." He sounds a little unsure of himself, but nevertheless gives her a friendly smile. He's been getting better at that.
Naomi continues on, "I don't know how to express how much I appreciate everything you've done, except this. Thank you...for saving Alyssa, for saving me so I can be there for her, and... for truly giving me another chance at life. Thank you so much."
She embraces him again and this time he doesn't hesitate a second to return it. A tingling sensation travels through her system as he holds her close, and she can't identify what it is. For some reason, hugging him like this just feels so...right. After a while, the two pull away and she sees his face flushing a bright red, but she doesn't have it in her to laugh. Not when she's sure her face looks no better. For a long time, neither of the two speak, instead just taking this opportunity to stare in silence in the other's eyes...at least until Little Guy snaps them out of their trance.
"Dr. Kimishima, we should really be going." He says. "Elementary school carpool is hell, I tell ya!"
Resisting the urge to yell at him for interrupting their moment, Naomi just nods and signals for Little Guy to wait a few more seconds. "Well, Doctor. I guess this is where we part ways. I wish you luck in your future. And also..." She hands him a small piece of paper with her number on it. "Don't be a stranger. Please, feel free to give me a call."
"I'll be sure to." He responds, accepting the paper and pocketing it away. "Take care of yourself too, Ms. Kimishima."
"You too...Erhard Muller."
"...Hm?"
"Oh yeah, I didn't tell you this, but..." She smirks. "Being confined to a hospital bed gets rather uneventful quite quick. To pass the time, I was helping the FBI reinvestigate the case on Cumberland College. I thought Detective Holden told you."
He gapes at her, his eyes full of shock and disbelief. It's the first time she's ever seen him this distraught. "No, he...he hasn't told me anything! I had no idea..."
"He sure likes to keep you in the dark about things. But yes, they reopened the investigation and so far a double look at the evidence is starting to point suspicion away from you. And it was while we were investigating did we come across something interesting: Professor Sartre's class roster for the year of 2012. Every student on that list is deceased...save for one: a certain Erhard Muller. When that name was typed into the system, a picture of that student was brought up, along with all his personal information. I'm sure you know what I'm getting at. You were that student. Your name is Erhard Muller."
The kid...no, Erhard is speechless. He has a name...he actually has an identity, and it isn't a prison number!
"Erhard...Muller..."
The moment the name rolls off his tongue, flashbacks start to come back to him and instantly flood his mind.
"Erhard, c'mon! Daddy says the butterflies are in the garden!"
"And now a speech from our own valedictorian: Erhard Muller."
"Erhard, my boy, I have a feeling you are going to like Cumberland College."
"Hi, my name is Erhard Muller. I'm Professor Sartre's son."
"Doctor, are you alright?"
Erhard blinks as he finds himself in an unfamiliar environment. Through his peripheral vision, he sees a table and a few lounge chairs, and his mind registers that he is lying on a couch in the break room. Slowly, he attempts to sit up when a hand suddenly pushes against his chest, urging him to lie back down.
"Don't. You need to relax for now."
That voice... "Ms. Kimishima?"
Sure enough, Naomi is sitting in a chair next to his feet, a concerned look on her face. However, it quickly fades when he recognizes her. "Yes, it's me."
"What happened?"
"You passed out. Gabe said you didn't have a seizure or anything so you would be fine, but I came back a few hours later just to make sure."
He feels a little guilty for making her worry like that. "...I'm sorry. The memories just came rushing back to me all at once that I guess I was just overwhelmed."
"No, don't apologize." She sighs. "I'm sorry, it might have been too soon."
"Oh, no. It's fine. I'm really grateful that you helped me remember. I'm glad that I can recall my name again...but I have to wonder. Why did you go through so much, even so far as to reopen the investigation, to figure out who I am?"
Naomi takes a new interest in staring at the wall away from him. "You sounded discouraged when we were talking and you said the one thing you couldn't remember about yourself was your name. But trust me, I didn't redo the investigation just to find out what your name was. The evidence I collected while trying to create an antiserum for the Rosalia Virus was sent to Cumberland HQ per my assistant. While I was recovering, I requested my superior to reinvestigate the case in light of the new evidence, and he was kind enough to agree to it."
"...that still doesn't answer my question though. Why?"
At this, Naomi remains silent as she tears her eyes away from the wall so she can fixate them onto him. A look of confusion crosses his features as he is silently demanding an explanation. Finally, she cracks a small smile as she admits to him, "To repay you."
He certainly isn't expecting that answer. "To repay me?"
"You gave me back my life. Isn't it fair that I do the same for you?"
"Ms. Kimishima, I..."
"Naomi."
"...Naomi, I..." What does he say to her? He can't just thank her; that wouldn't be enough. What is he supposed to do? Suddenly, an idea comes to mind.
Actions speak louder than words.
Carefully as to not worry her again, Erhard shifts himself to a sitting position until he is face to face with Naomi. He gazes into her eyes, which are bright and twinkling with bewilderment at his actions. Cupping her chin with his hand, he slowly moves in closer until his lips are met with hers. She immediately blushes heavily, but doesn't say anything as she closes her eyes and kisses him back. As enjoyable as it is, he doesn't make it last long and he pulls away after a few seconds or so. She grins and brushes a few strands of hair out of his face.
"I take it you're grateful for that then?" She asks jokingly.
He merely nods and pulls her in for another kiss. More than you'll ever know.