It didn't take them long to get ready and pack up. Before noon, they were ready to go.
"Let me wheel you out." Akama held Miki by the arm and helped her into the wheelchair and pushed her out of the room to the front desk. While Miki was busy filling in some forms and signing some papers, the nurse told her, "there were several reporters rang up wanting to know your condition."
Miki looked up. "Oh?"
"We of course did not tell them anything but I thought I let you know just in case there were some opportunists waiting for you outside the hospital," she said. "Do you have a media relation person?"
"My coach usually handles those kinds of matters," Miki said. "But I haven't seen him since yesterday at the qualifier. He's probably busy with the other gymnasts who are still competing."
"You should probably get him to do a press release so the media would not bother you," suggested the nurse. "Or you can give us authorization to tell them what you want to tell them."
"Hmm," Miki contemplated. "I'm really not good with words. I'll just let my coach do it. I'll call him when I get home."
"You can leave from the back door if you like to avoid getting your photos taken by those waiting outside," the nurse suggested.
"That'll be great," Miki thanked the nurse for being thoughtful. "Actually, I will also need a taxi. I just realised I don't have my car with me here since our friend drove us yesterday and I really don't want to trouble them or my coach to get me home. Would you be able to organise that for me?"
"Certainly," she said as she picked up the phone and ordered a taxi "I will show you out," she said once Miki finished everything.
The nurse wheeled Miki to the back door of the hospital followed by Akama holding crutches the hospital lend to Miki for the time being so she can at least hop around when she has to move around.
"I'm so sorry about your ankle," the nurse said as they were walking. "You were such a great gymnast".
Miki wished she didn't remind her of how her gymnastic career was pretty much over. She just smiled weakly and said, "I'll be fine."
"You're so much prettier in person," the nurse said again.
Miki laughed. "Thanks, that means a lot considering I'm in such a state of mess right now."
The nurse laughed, too. "You're a lucky guy," he said to Akama.
"But she's not my…," Akama tried to correct her.
"Actually I'm the lucky girl," Miki cut him off and turned her head to meet his glance and winked.
Akama grinned like an idiot when he heard Miki said that.
The nurse laughed again. "You're really sweet, Momozono. I don't understand why they always write about how you have a cold personality."
"What? Who wrote what?" Miki asked, confused.
"You know…those tabloids," she explained.
"Whoa, what's with these tabloids? Why are they so interested in me?" It never crossed her mind that the public would be so interested in her personal life. Yes, she was a gold medallist but that was all. She did occasionally see some stuff written about her on the sport section of the paper but they were mainly about her achievements and not about her personality.
"You don't read them?" the nurse was surprised.
"No!" Miki replied rather annoyed. "I don't read gossip tabloids! But apparently he does!" She pointed to Akama.
Akama wanted to kick Miki for embarrassing him like that.
The nurse giggled. "Then you should know she's one of the top 10 Japanese hot single female," she said to Akama which made him blush uncontrollably.
"What the…?" Miki couldn't believe what she just heard. "I should really read more. I feel like I've lived in a cave."
The taxi arrived before they could discuss any further about Miki's tabloid personality. The nurse showed Akama how to fold and unfold the wheelchair and helped him put it into the car's boot while Miki tested her crutches and hopped into the car.
Once Akama got inside, she told the driver where to go. "Maybe we should pass by the newsagent to buy one of those tabloids," she said sarcastically.
Akama couldn't tell if Miki was serious or not so he said, "I think I brought one with me in my bag if you want to take a look. One with you on the cover."
Miki widened her eyes and looked mad. "Since when did I agree to be a cover girl?"
Akama didn't know what to reply to that. He couldn't decide if she was mad at him for telling her that she was on the cover, or at the magazine that put her on the cover. So he just kept quiet.
"And you, why are you lugging a gossip magazine with you?" she said accusingly. "Let alone one with me on the cover! I really don't know what to think about you now."
"I got bored on the train…," Akama defended lamely.
Miki shook her head. "I really don't know anymore."
"It's okay Miki. It's really not so bad," Akama tried to console her.
The taxi driver who heard the whole conversation decided to chime in, "Fame comes with being pretty and talented."
"Don't tell me you read them, too," Miki said.
"Only the one with the top 10 hot female…"
Miki was lost for words.