Another day had passed with her friends by her side.
Another day of tea and conversation.
But, as with every day, visiting hours eventually came
to an end and they were once again cleaning away
cups while bidding their farewells.
The nurse came in only a moment later. The girl
instantly perked up when the door opened. This was
a special night because, for the first time, the nurse
came with Azusa's dinner. She placed the tray on the
roll-up table and helped the excited young patient fix
her bed upright.
"Thank you," she began, "I hope my friends aren't a
bother coming to visit me."
The nurse paused for just a moment to give a small
frown, but replied quickly.
"They're no problem. Tell me, do they visit you often?"
"Every day. They spend all of visiting hours here."
"Well, as long as they only come during visiting hours
they should be fine," she said with some relief, "you
still need to be resting."
The nurse lifted the plastic cover to reveal a very plain
dinner of tapioca pudding.
A low rumble came from the girl's stomach and she
quickly covered it with her hands. She looked down to
hide her bright red face.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I guess I was just hoping for a
dinner that's a little more filling."
"That's alright. You're still getting better so we don't
want you to have anything too heavy right away."
The nurse brushed Azusa's hair away from her face
and rested her hand on top of her head.
"Remember to push the call button if you need
anything."
Azusa nodded and picked up her spoon while
imagining a bowl of hot pork ramen.