The cicadas were loudly singing, and Uki impatiently tapped her foot, readjusting her phone against her ear. "Look, I can't leave, my shift's not over!"
"Well, I can't pick him up by myself. I've only got one good hand." Her older brother complained.
She rubbed her forehead. Why did Ota have to be on that summer school trip now? Why did Sano-nii have to break his hand again? And why, why was Papa out at this hour? "I'll ask Tokio-san if she can cover for me, and I'll text back if it's okay. But you have to call Katsu one more time. Got it?"
"Yeah. Got it." He ended the call.
She groaned, slapped her cheeks with both hands, and fixed on a smile as she reentered the hospital. "Um, Tokio-san, can I ask a favor from you?"
Tokio-san looked up from the printer, which was spitting out pamphlets. "Of course. What is it?"
"My dad was arrested. Again. I might have to pick him up from the station with my brother. Is it okay if I leave a little early?"
"Why don't you leave now?"
"I can't do that to you. It'd just be you and all the babies." She gestured to the room full of incubators. The NICU ward was a terribly lonely place, at night.
"I don't mind at all. I can get out of my date." She was already dialing.
"Even worse! You never go on dates, this is a lifetime opportunity!"
Tokio-san rolled her eyes. "It's fine. It was a blind date, set up by Yamakawa-san. That man loves playing matchmaker…" She muttered, before clearing her throat. "Saito-san? I'm sorry, but something came up and it looks like I have to cancel. Oh." Confusion then took over her expression. "No…that's right. But you also work at Kamiya Kasshin? I see, surgical oncology, on the other side of this floor."
"A surgeon. He could be rich." Uki whispered, and was rewarded with a light shove.
"Two more hours. Are you sure you don't want to move it?" Saito-san must have said something snide, because Tokio-san pressed her lips together, as she did when she was pissed. "Well, I'm not nervous either. I'll see you in two hours." She flashed her phone a disgusted look. "The date is still on. That man refuses to back down."
"Does he know you're a nurse?"
"He probably does; he seems informed." Tokio-san shook her head. "Anyway, Uki, I'm your senior. Don't worry about me, go to your dad. He needs you."
"…okay." Reluctantly, she left, blowing kisses to the sleeping preemies on her way out.
Half an hour later, she picked up Sano-nii and drove to the station. "I brought water. He'll need it." Sano-nii said.
"Hmph, we're way too nice. He should appreciate how we're trying to alleviate his hangover in the morning."
"Yeah, we shouldn't give it to him." Her idiotic brother was about to pour the water out the car window.
"Don't you dare!" She yelped, as the warm wind swept through her short hair. "Give it to me, I'll save it for my shift tomorrow."
"Damn, make up your mind." He clicked his tongue. For a while, they were quiet.
"Mama would give him water." Uki murmured.
"Well, she's not here anymore."
Breast cancer was ugly and fast. Her illness had forced Sano-nii and Papa to reconcile, after years of estrangement. Then, with her death, they had unraveled, fighting each other when they could and fighting others when they couldn't. Uki had to hold the family together, and it was hard, to essentially be a nurse at all hours of the day. But she didn't have a choice. She loved her father and brothers, and now that Mama was gone, she was only fiercer about it. She didn't want to lose anyone again.
Their father was waiting for them, under the supervision of three cops, who released him after Sano-nii signed whatever they wanted.
"Hey, you two." He grimaced. His hands were covered in bandages, and one eye was purple and swelling.
"You're a wreck, Papa." She hated how her voice sounded so pitiful, and she opened the water bottle for him. "You've caused so much trouble. Here, drink up, and let's go home."
"Saito-san proposed." Tokio-san casually said, when they bought coffee. A red maple leaf caught in her bun and she nonchalantly removed it.
Uki's eyes widened. "You just had your one-year anniversary! Why is he rushing?"
"He might get a job in Hokkaido."
"Then, are you going with him?"
"I said I would think it over."
Uki blew out a breath, and watched how the steam evaporated in the cool air. "Marriage, huh? That's a big step."
"For you, maybe. You're twenty-two. You have plenty of time." Tokio-san was ten years older.
"If I ever met anyone. Katsu is the only one I see on a semi-regular basis, and I'd never marry a NEET. So, do you not feel ready?"
"No, I am." She admitted, as they walked into the bustling hospital lobby. "But I like my job too."
They had the day shift now, and some of the infants were just waking up. After greeting the other nurses, Uki checked on the little ones. Most of them were doing well, and she cooed encouragement. "Good morning, everyone. Let's work hard today."
Then, Tokio-san tapped her shoulder. "I just got a call. C-section for twins, 32 weeks. You and I are going to retrieve them."
"Alright."
They hurried to the operating room, wheeling two spare incubators. Tokio-san accepted the first child and began to work methodically. Uki quickly took the second, and she carefully inserted the breathing tube. There, the baby gasped, and Uki smiled. The next few hours would be critical, but she had helped welcome this tiny life.
After they transported the infants to the NICU, Tokio-san spoke. "I've decided. I refuse to quit and move to Hokkaido."
"What will your boyfriend say?"
"He'll have to deal with it. He's a grown man, that shouldn't be a problem." It apparently wasn't, because on Monday, Tokio-san was pink-cheeked. "Saito-san said that he's staying here after all."
Uki threw her hands up in celebration. "Then, is it time to look at wedding gowns? Or are you having a Japanese-style wedding?"
Tokio-san brushed it off, saying she hadn't said yes to him yet. But it was clear that she would, and Uki was happy for her.
Ota was being bullied, and since Papa was late for the parent-teacher meeting, Uki arrived in his stead. The bully's parents denied any wrongdoing, and she grew irritated. She didn't realize that she had raised her voice and the argument had turned into an outright screaming match. She only saw red, refusing to calm down even as other teachers had to drag the parties apart.
"Those people need to relearn manners! How could they be so mean to a cute young lady like me?" She huffed, as they walked back to the car.
"But, thank you, Uki-nee." Ota said.
"I'm your sister, that's what I do. And you have to tell me when things like this happen. If you stay quiet, I can't help." He nodded, and she readjusted his scarf for him with a sigh. "It's so cold, but not enough to snow."
"Mm."
"What should we have for dinner?"
"Soba."
"Good idea." And she was reminded of Tokio-san, who cooked the dish often. Saito-san liked the buckwheat noodles. But lately, Tokio-san had been quieter than usual, and Uki had not heard her mention her husband for a while.
The following day, she noticed her friend's eyes were red. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Then, they both looked up as the door opened.
Saito-san strode over. There was a weariness in his expression, when Uki inspected him closer. "Tokio."
"Hajime?" She glanced at Uki, before saying to her husband. "We can talk outside." But she had forgotten her coat, and Uki went to give it to her. She stopped short though, for she could hear them through the door.
Saitou-san's voice drifted out. "You're upset, and I want to know why."
"You know why. We hardly see each other, and when we do, we never talk. I miss you, even when you're right there."
There was a pause. "Work has been busy."
"So am I. And yet, we have to make time for each other."
"I'll try." He said at last.
"You will?"
"Yes. Because I love you." He said it like a fact; it wasn't romantic at all.
Tokio-san shakily answered. "I love you too. But we need to do more than this."
"I know."
Uki remembered herself and slowly backed away. It was just in time, because her phone suddenly vibrated. "Ota?" She asked.
"Hi, Uki-nee. Do you need anything from the supermarket?"
"The supermarket? Are you there?" She heard chatter in the background. "Look, don't worry about it. I'll stop by after I leave, so you can go home. Sano-nii is working overtime today, but Papa should be finished soon." Their father drove vegetables and woven baskets from the countryside.
There was a shuffling noise, as if Ota shook his head. "It's okay. I should help out more, around the house. I'm not a little kid, you don't have to take care of me all the time." He was right.
She exhaled. "Hang on, I wrote down a list earlier and I'll read it to you."
Cherry blossoms were outside Papa's hospital room. He had sprained his ankle, and Uki desperately needed a break. She fluffed his pillow and checked his vitals, anything to busy her mind. "Have you been crying?" Papa asked her.
"It's allergies." She lied and blew her nose into a tissue. She'd have to redo her makeup later.
"If you say so." He leaned back, waiting.
"One of the babies didn't make it. Organ failure. I'm not usually like this!" She defended. "Tokio-san's hormonal, because now she's pregnant and she already has Eiji, the little boy she adopted with Saito-san. Anyway, the parents cried, then she cried, and I cried because of her. Saito-san took her home early though, so here I am. Once I feel better, I have to go back."
"If it hurts, why are you working as a nurse?"
"I want to be here. This is the hospital that took care of Mama, until the very end. And I'm always minding you, Sano-nii, and Ota. At least, babies are cute and they give nothing but love. It's so rough, when we lose one."
"That's because you care so much."
"It's not a bad thing!" She snapped.
"Of course not." He ruffled her hair. "If you didn't, we'd be helpless. You've done a good job, putting up with this old man and your brothers. So, don't forget that caring is what you do best. That's why you can keep going on, even when your work is tough."
Damn it, now she was tearing up again. "Why can't you say more things like that?"
"Uh…" He coughed.
"Knock, knock." Sano-nii drawled as he entered. Ota tailed him, carrying a duffel bag. "Good grief, I couldn't believe it when I heard you were the patient."
"Well, it's not like I wanted to be here. Tch, now I can't drive. And aren't you supposed to be working?"
"I'm on lunch break, I might as well spend it here. You've got a nice view from your window, and Ota wanted to drop off bento boxes."
"Here, Uki-nee." Ota handed her one. "You should eat too."
"Thanks. We should eat fast, you need to get back to school."
As they ate, they bickered and raised their voices often and laughed too loudly. It wasn't exactly a flower viewing, but she was with her family, and that made it alright.