It has been a few days since my fathers surgery. He hasn't woke up yet.
"Mom, you have been here since his surgery go home." I said checking my fathers responses.
"Not until he wakes up." she said holding his hand.
I could tell that she still loved him.
Not by the fact that she hasn't left his side, or that she was holding his hand.
It was the way she spoke about him. The way she looked at him.
"Mom, you need to get some rest. You know he would be telling you the same thing if he was awake...I will call you if anything changes or he wakes up."
"Alright. I'll come back soon" She said getting up and leaving."
"Orimitsu, can you make sure she gets home ok please."
"Yes...Mrs. Fukuda." he said putting her arm in his.
He is always such a gentlemen to everyone.
Even the little girl that was playing in the park last month.
We were at the park having a picnic when a little girl came up.
They needed someone to play a dragon and asked him.
I watched him play with them, running around laughing.
He will make a great father when we have kids.
"What am I thinking?!" I suddenly say out loud.
We have only been dating a yea, besides he hasn't even asked me to marry him.
Does he want to marry me some day?
This was going through my head all day as I finished my shift.
I was walking into the house when my phone rang.
"Aikawa...What?...I'm on my way" I said hanging up and locking the door as I rush back to the hospital.
"What happened?" I asked running into the room.
"He was asleep on the bunk bed and rolled off." said Grace. "He didn't break anything but he said his back hurt from the fall so I gave him some medicine for the pain."
"What did you give him?" I asked walking over to Cooper who was asleep with an oxygen mask on.
"I just gave him some ibuprofen."
"What?!" I said looking at her crazy.
"I gave him some ibuprofen. Then he started wheezing and his inhaler didn't help so I brought him here."
"Grace, he can't take Ibuprofen." I said starting to yell.
"I didn't know."
"Where is Kunihiko?"
"He is in the waiting room with the kids."
"Tell him I want to talk to him." I said sitting down next to Cooper.
"Anne?" Kunihiko said walking into the room.
"Why would you let her give him Ibuprofen?!"
"Because he was sore from falling out of the bed."
"Kunihiko, he has an allergy to NSIAIDS...that's ibuprofen, advil, children's motrin, motrin, children's advil..."
"I don't need you to tell me what he can't take."
"Apparently I do. He has asthma Kunihiko. Having asthma and an allergy to Nsaids and taking ibuprofin is just a stupid thing to let happen!"
"She didn't know ok, we are not doctors like you Anne."
"That doesn't matter, what happend to the list I gave you to keep telling you what he can and can't take for pain?"
"What list?"
"Really?" *sigh* I walked out of the room and went to the break room.
I went to my laptop that I leave at work and printed out another list.
I walked back into the room.
"Here, it is a copy of the list of medications he can and cannot take."
"Seriously, its like 2 pages long."
"Alot of medications have nsaids in them Kunihiko."
"Alright, we will go through this list and make sure we have the right medications for him."
"Right, I'm going to go. Tell him I stopped by."
"I will."
I walked out of the room.
"Oh, Dr. Aikaway, I was just going to call you."
"Why, what's going on?"
"You dad is awake."
"When did he wake up?"
"about an hour ago."
"Ok, thanks." I said going on the elivator to the 3rd floor to see my father.
I walked into his room.
"Dad?" I said walking in.
"Anne, I told them not to call you."
"They didn't I was already here. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing ok I guess."
"Good."
"How did the surgery go?"
"I got it all." I said smiling.
"What?"
"I got it all. We will just need you to do some therapy and come back every few months for a scan."
"So, I'm going to be ok?"
"for now, you know that the chances of it coming back are high."
"I know."
"Alright, let me take a look at you." '
I went through and did a number of test to see if he had and damage.
I shinned the lights in his eyes to check the dialation of his eyes, had him follow my finger with his eyes.
I asked his a lot of questions about the past.
Then I took my pen and touched his foot.
"So far so good," I said lifting the blanket off his feet. "Now can you feel this?"
"feel what?" he asked.
"What about this." I said taking the pen running it along his arch.
He just looked at me and shook his head.
At that moment my mother walked in.
"Anne, what's going on?"
I sat my mother down and told her what was going on.
"Wait...you mean he is paralized?"
"Yes. We will keep doing tests. It might be temporary it might not. We won't know until later."
"Oh, Kinichi."
"I'll be fine Nikara."
"Really, what are you going to do if you don't get the feeling back in your legs huh?" She said getting annoyed.
"I will find somewhere to go." He said glancing at me.
"Don't even think bout it dad. I don't have any room."I said not even looking at him.
"I'll find a place." He said sounding down.
"Nonsense, you're going to stay with me and that's final."
"Nikara..."
"I'm going to go home and start moving things around."
"Nikara..." He said calling after my mother, but she was already out the door.
"She never did listen to anything I said."
All of a sudden my pager went off.
"I got to go dad, I will be by to check on you later." I said leaving the room.
"How are you feeling Mr. Okada?"
"B...bet...better." He said smiling.
"I'm glad to hear that. That stuttering should go away after a week or so. I didn't see any injury that would have caused it. If by chance it doesn't , just come back and we will see what she can do."
"O...OK, th...tha...thank yo...you."
"Its no trouble, take care." I said leaving the room.
I walk up to the nurses station.
"OK Danielle, here is the chart for room 362 and Mr. Okada is ready to be released. I'm heading home, see you Tuesday."
"Have a good evening Dr. Aikawa." She said as I left.
I went home and took a shower and started making dinner.
*knock knock*
"Coming."
I opened them door.
"Hi mom." the boys said running into the house.
"Mommy!" Ayana said as she gave me a hug.
"Hey, did you have fun at dads?"
She shook her head yes and then ran after the boys.
"Thanks for dropping them off, I wasn't sure if I would get off in time."
"No problem. How is your father?"
"He is doing ok. I got all of the tumor, but now he can't feel below the waist."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thanks."
"You still able to take them next week?"
"Yea, I took off next weekend so we could spend sometime together with just me and them. Grace is out of town to see her family."
"You're not going with her?"
"No...they don't approve of me marrying her since I was already married I started seeing her."
"That's understandable."
"Anne..."
"Sorry. So you are on your own for now?"
"Yep."
"Do you...want to..."
Then my phone started to ring.
"Hold on." I said going to get it. "Hello...O hey Orimitsu..." I said turning around, but Kunihiko was already gone. "Huh?...no he just dropped them off." I said closing the door.
After dinner...
"Alright boys, homework done?"
"Yes."
"Teeth brushed?"
"Yep."
"Alright, good night." I said turning their light off and closing the door.
I went and checked on Ayana.
She was sound asleep in he bed.
I went to bed soon after.
"Boys, lets go!" I yell after them down the hall.
"Okay mom!"
"Geez, don't have a cow."
"Excuse me?"
"What...its what dad says to Grace all the time."
"Well don't start saying everything your father says. Here is your lunches, now go before you miss the bus!"
They both ran out the door.
"Alright Ayana," I said turning to her. "Ready to go see Grandma?"
She looked at me, ran to her room and came back out with her bag and coat.
"I'll take that as a yes." I say laughing as we walked out the door.
I dropped Ayana off with my mothers and headed towards the hospital to check on my father.
On the way there I got a call from Orimitsu.
"Hello?"
"Hey, are you free right now?"
"I was going to the hospital to check up on my father. Why?"
"Could you meet me?"
"Right now?"
"Yea."
"Where?"
I went to meet Orimitsu at the place he told me.
"Orimitsu? Is everything OK?"
"Yea, everything is fine." He said not turning around.
"Why did you want me to meet you so suddenly?"
"I talked to your mother, and father. I even talked to the boys." He said laughing a little.
"About what?"
"This." He said turning around holding a small box.
"Wha...?"
"I love you Anne. I love the boys and Ayana. I want us to be a family. I want to wqake up next to you smiling every day. I want you to lean on my when you need help. I want to grow old with you."
"Orimitsu..."
"Marry me."