Chapter 2: Would he?
Ughh…
Kotoko woke up to the sound of the birds chirping. It was six o'clock in the morning, and she had her shift at the hospital at eight. She turned on her side and hugged her pillow.
Five more minutes…
It was a chilly morning in November. The sun had not yet risen, but the people in the city were up. The trains were running, the students were heading to school, and the adults were going to work. Kotoko could hear the sound of her in-laws and her widowed father talking downstairs. Naoki had already gotten up a few hours earlier and made his way to the hospital. He was called in early due to an emergency. This was not an uncommon occurrence. It was part of the job. And she admired her husband for doing his job, despite the fact she couldn't spend as much time with him anymore. Of course, the time they did spend together usually involved Kotoko talking and Naoki trying to read the morning paper as he drank his coffee.
Yes, he was old fashioned like that.
She smiled as she thought back to the days when she would hang around outside his classroom just to catch a glimpse of his face.
He would ignore her, as usual. But that didn't stop her from trying to win his heart. Which she did, eventually, after eight long years of trying.
Kotoko often wondered to herself how she could love someone so much. She loved Naoki. He knew that. Everybody knew that. She would do anything for him.
She wanted to be a "good" wife for him. He was a doctor and "Japan's number one handsome genius", after all. That's why she became a nurse–a fitting profession for Kotoko, who wanted to support her husband in every way possible. She thought back to their first day of highschool–the day she saw him for the very first time, and fell in love with him at first sight.
There he was, standing, cool and handsome as ever, delivering a welcome speech to the students. His eyes did not meet hers, but her eyes could not move away from him. Kotoko had never fallen for a guy before him. It was like something had awakened within her that had been there for a long time. He became the center of her world from then on. She remembered how she had spent a whole week writing her love letter that she intended to give to him.
"Hey, Irie-kun! I have something to give you–"
"I don't want it"
He had flat out rejected her, without even giving it a second thought. And told her that he "hated stupid girls". She cringed slightly as she recalled that moment.
Her trip down memory lane was then cut short by the sound of her alarm ringing for the second time.
No way…
Five minutes had passed. Kotoko rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. She sat up, stretched her arms and let out a sigh.
Okay, time to get up!
"Good morning!" said Kotoko as she approached Tomoko and Motoki, her fellow nursing colleagues. She walked up to them as they were chatting near the entrance of the hospital. It was early, and they had yet to change into their uniforms and start their shift.
"Good morning Kotoko!" Tomoko replied.
"Morning" said Motoki.
The three of them have known each other since first year. Ever since being placed in the same group when they were students, they stuck together and helped each other through the hardships of nursing. Tomoko was the sweeter one among her friends. She was always willing to listen to her friends' troubles. She also had another side which always surprised her friends when they saw it, which was her love for blood.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Tomoko loved blood. The nursing profession was perfect for her. She delighted in looking at body parts, as well as giving injections. She was different in that way from Kotoko, who was a lot more squeamish. Of course, she was very disappointed to find out that she would never wield a scalpel on the job. She didn't realize this until she was already in school. Her dreams of making incisions and exploring the human body on a deeper level were crushed, unfortunately.
Nevertheless, Tomoko was very kind and caring toward her friends. Kotoko never forgot the time she comforted her after a big fight with Naoki, which was fueled by his jealousy over Keita, another fellow nurse.
Tomoko wasn't particularly interested in having a relationship, but she wasn't opposed to having one either. She was very content with the way her life was going, and she devoted herself to the nursing profession. Her friends often joked that she would marry a scalpel if she could.
Keita could be seen from afar pushing an old woman on a wheelchair. He waved to his friends as he passed by. He was still close with the group, but spent less time with them ever since becoming busier with work.
Things were a bit awkward after the fight, since he did love Kotoko at the time, but the tensions were eventually dissolved, as Kotoko seemingly repaired her relationship with her Naoki, and Keita decided to move on with his life. He fell in love again, this time with a girl named Akiko, who the rest of the group knew little about, except how much Keita liked spending time with her. She was a handicapped patient at the hospital, and Keita was instructed to take care of her as she recovered. She was worried about recovering, since she had feelings for Keita as well, and was worried she wouldn't be able to see him again. Keita never understood why she was upset, since he didn't know she reciprocated his feelings at the time. Everything turned out to be fine though, since they started seeing each other soon after she recovered. Keita was the one who confessed his feelings first, being the hot-blooded and direct person that he was. Their relationship slowly developed into something serious, and they have been happy ever since.
Motoki was the passionate and outspoken one in the group. She was known for being one of the few people they knew who was open about her gender expression. She, despite being born biologically male, always felt like a woman deep down. She was very courageous for being herself despite the opposition she faced from people she has known throughout her life, as well as society in general. She was also open about the fact that she was very much attracted to men. She often voiced her attraction to Naoki, much to Kotoko's chagrin. It was all jokes though. She would never try to break them up. But it didn't stop her from teasing Kotoko.
They all had a hard time believing that Kotoko was married to Naoki at first– as did many people. He was, after all, very popular and sought after. Kotoko was more approachable in their eyes. Irie Naoki seemed so far out of reach, so it came as a surprise when they found out they were married.
Marina, their flashy and gossipy friend, could be seen walking towards them.
"Hey guys" said Marina, as she approached the group.
Marina was open about the fact that she joined nursing so that she could have a greater chance of finding a man of "status". And by status she meant doctor. There were many doctors, but none that particularly caught her eye. At least, not one that wasn't already taken.
"Oh Marina, " said Motoki with a smirk on her face, "still haven't found a rich husband have you~"
"No" she glared, "but I will, you can be sure of that"
"Mhmmm….." Motoki replied with an amused expression on her face, "it's too bad you can't have Irie-kun, though you never know…"
"Eh. There's always hope. I mean, he's with Kotoko after all" said Marina.
"Hey!" said Kotoko, slightly offended, but not at all surprised. Her friends were two of many, many women who admired Naoki.
"Come on we're just teasing" said Motoki, who laughed as she pat Kotoko on the shoulder, "let's go"
Kotoko had just finished changing into her nursing uniform. She adjusted her cap as she walked toward the room where a patient was waiting for help with her treatment.
The patient was the little girl who Kotoko was taking care of for the past week. She was an adorable young girl who had just turned nine. She had curly blonde hair, which was tied in a high ponytail. A cute little heart clip was placed on the side of her head. She had the cutest chubby cheeks and big light brown eyes.
Kotoko walked in the room and greeted the young patient.
"Hello, Asami-chan!"
"Hello", replied the young girl, with a smile on her face. She was laying on the hospital bed, and was holding a small coloring book in her hands.
Her name was Yamamoto Asami, and she was an only child born to divorced parents in their late thirties. She had been in and out of the hospital for a few years.
She began showing symptoms of asthma at six. Her mother, who had primary physical custody of Asami, didn't think it was a big deal at first, but she decided to have her admitted into a hospital once she had an asthma attack for the first time at seven. Her father was minimally involved in her life, and her mother often found herself fighting to get him to show as much concern for their daughter's health and wellbeing as she did.
They had gotten a divorce a few months before Asami was born. They met when they were in middle school, and had a very tumultuous relationship.
Her mother, Yumi, was head over heels in love with her father, Akito, when they were younger. They were both in class B at one point in middle school, but Yumi's grades started to drop, and she was moved to class D, and stayed at that level until her high school graduation. Akito was eventually moved to class A. He had become very focused on his academics at one point, as his parents started to put pressure on him to get into The University of Tokyo.
Akito was a bit of a player. He enjoyed the attention he got from other women very much. Rather than ignoring Yumi the way Naoki ignored Kotoko, he would flirt with her very often. He rather enjoyed the attention he would get from her. He wanted her to stay in love with him. He would often make digs at her intelligence, since she moved to a lower class.
There was a girl who was in the A class with Akito, who liked him. He would often flirt with her right in front of Yumi, who would obviously get upset. One day she was fed up, and decided to move on from him. He didn't like that, so he ended up telling her the words she had always wanted to hear from him…
I love you
This happened during their second year of middle school. They became a couple and stayed throughout the last few years of high school, and they were together in college. They didn't get married until they were both 27, and that was when Yumi fell pregnant with Asami. Akito had always been reluctant to marry her. His parents never approved of their relationship. Their relationship wasn't headed anywhere, which caused Yumi a lot of anxiety.
When she got pregnant, she panicked. It was a very scandalous thing in Japan to become pregnant out of wedlock. Akito decided to "man up" and marry her. He went against his parents and gave up his position in his father's company as well as his inheritance as a result.
He was very resentful of Yumi, and once they got married, his contempt for her started to manifest in the form of neglect, of both her and the baby. He entertained other women throughout her pregnancy, and also turned to alcohol to cope with his own self-hatred. Yumi ended up getting fed up and filed for divorce.
Akito was furious. He wouldn't sign the papers. He resented Yumi, but he was also very possessive of her. She was eventually granted her divorce as well as primary custody of Asami. He had proved himself to be an unfit parent.
Akito eventually found another woman who craved his attention the way Yumi once did. He would often try to tell Yumi the details about his newfound romance. Yumi did not want him back, and didn't care who he was involved with, but she was worried for her daughter, who would eventually become old enough to understand. She wanted to make sure that Asami would be okay, and that she would have the tools and the will to survive anything that is thrown at her.
Asami has loved pianos ever since she was a toddler. Her favorite toy was a toy piano. She loved pressing the buttons and hearing different sounds come out. Eventually when she was six, her mother put her in piano lessons, and she was shown to be gifted. She was amazing at all of her recitals, and loved practicing when she wasn't at school. Her mother approved because it provided a way to turn her daughter's attention away from her father's lack of involvement in her life.
Kotoko picked up the inhaler that was prescribed for Asami. She helped her take a couple puffs.
"How do you feel, Asami-chan?" Kotoko asked after the final puff. She wanted to make sure Asami wasn't experiencing discomfort or feeling worse.
"I'm okay," Asami replied.
"Great", Kotoko replied as she smiled.
Kotoko looked over at the woman coming inside the hospital room. The woman was of average height and had short curly brown hair, and light brown eyes. It was Yumi, Asami's mom. It was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and there were only a couple hours left until visiting hours were over.
"Good afternoon, Yumi-san" said Kotoko.
"Hello Kotoko-san," Yumi replied.
Yumi was a pretty woman. She had great style, and was pleasant to be around. But the stress of her job as well as making sure Asami gets the treatment she needed was wearing her down. It was stressful taking care of bills and paying hospital fees, and Akito, her ex-husband, wasn't helping.
It turned out that Asami would need to go through a bronchial thermoplasty, which is a treatment for asthma. She was staying at the hospital awaiting her treatment. They are hoping that with the treatment, her asthma would have less of an effect on her daily life, and she would be able to resume going to school as well as piano classes.
"Asa-chan, how are you feeling?" Yumi asked her daughter as she ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.
"Okay, but my chest still feels a little tight", Asami replied.
"I know honey, but don't worry, you'll feel better with the treatment. The doctors will take good care of you", Yumi said to her daughter with a smile.
"Her dad has been very stubborn lately, and it's hard because Asami needs to go through with her procedure, but we can barely afford it…" Yumi said in a frustrated tone. She was holding a cup of tea in her hands as she vented her frustrations to Kotoko. The two of them were sitting on a bench outside the hospital. Visiting hours were over.
"Oh…" replied Kotoko. Yumi had told her the details about her marriage and her divorce, as well as the general details of their situation now. Akito was too concerned with taunting his ex, rather than caring about his daughter. Kotoko felt horrible for her.
"It's just hard co-parenting with someone who doesn't care," Yumi said, "I never should have believed him when he told me he wanted to be with me, and I never should have chased him in the first place, then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. It's all my fault that we're struggling right now".
"Don't say that Yumi-san; it's not your fault" Kotoko replied. She thought about how she chased Naoki for almost eight years until he "finally" gave in.
That's different though. Irie-kun loves me.
"A guy who truly loved me wouldn't have given other women the time of day. He also wouldn't have called me stupid as many times as he did", Yumi said as she turned her head to face Kotoko. Kotoko looked back at her with a slightly worried expression on her face.
Irie-kun called me stupid too…But that doesn't mean anything. I mean, I was stupid. And clumsy.
"...It's because I didn't love myself at all," Yumi said, "I really believed all the things he was telling me about myself, when in reality, it didn't matter. I shouldn't have cared about his approval".
What does she mean?
"What do you mean, Yumi-san?" Kotoko asked.
"Well…Think about it this way. Why would you fall deeper in love with someone who doesn't even treat you well? You shouldn't. The person who claims to love you should support you and defend you against people's harsh words, not attack you. I realized this sometime during my pregnancy. He didn't love me. He loved that I loved him".
Kotoko stared at her with an unreadable expression on her face. She tilted her head slightly to the side and looked down.
Why do I feel strange?
Kotoko was walking toward the changing room of the hospital. Her shift was over and she was heading home. As she was walking, Yumi's words were ringing in her head.
"...he loved that I loved him…"
"...I never felt like I truly had him…"
Was such a thing even possible?
Obviously not.Irie-kun loves me though. He said so. He wouldn't have kissed me if he didn't love me. He wouldn't have married me if he didn't love me.
They just didn't work out. It wasn't true love. I'm lucky I have it though.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she bumped into someone. She fell to the floor and rubbed her backside which was now sore from the fall.
"Ouch…" said Kotoko.
"Watch where you're going!" Kotoko heard the person she bumped into say. She looked up and saw a woman with long flowing auburn hair. She stood up to face her.
The woman was gorgeous. Her wavy locks flowed down her back and stopped just below her mid back. She had piercing green eyes that stared deep into your soul.
"Hello? Can you not hear?" the woman said with an irritated expression on her face.
"Oh! Uh…I'm sorry!" Kotoko said, slightly embarrassed. She looked to her right and saw her husband standing next to the woman.
"Irie-kun!" Kotoko exclaimed with a smile as she walked up to her husband, "what are you doing here?"
Naoki rolled his eyes slightly at the sight of his flustered wife and replied "I have to perform a surgery in an hour, and she is an intern who is under my supervision".
"She" was the woman who Kotoko had bumped into.
"Oh…" Kotoko replied. She made eye contact with the woman once more. Kotoko realized that she was wearing a doctor's coat. The woman stared back with a slight smirk on her face.
"Irie-kun, who is this?" she asked.
"My wife, Kotoko," he replied in a monotone voice.
"Really? That's your wife?" said the woman while looking Kotoko up and down, "Interesting…".
"Yeah! And what about it?" Kotoko huffed.
The woman laughed and said "Nothing…I just thought that Irie Naoki's wife would be a bit more-"
"-A bit more what?" Kotoko replied.
"Something" she finished.
"Let's go," said Naoki, bored by the conversation.
"Okay, Irie-kun!" replied the woman as she walked away with him. She looked back for a quick second and made eye contact with Kotoko once again.
Kotoko felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Motoki.
"Oh look at that! Bet you're scared she's gonna steal your husband", Motoki said, with an amused expression.
"Pfft…No!" Kotoko replied, "Who is she, anyway?"
"That's Fujihara Youko, an intern who's been at the hospital for about a month", Motoki replied, "She graduated from the top medical school in Japan".
Motoki continued, "She has apparently been under Irie-kun's supervision for a while. They looked good together, so rumors started to spread that they were a thing"
Kotoko was washing the dishes at home after dinner, as she replayed her conversation with Motoki in her mind.
"She comes from a very well off family. Her father, Fujihara Hiroto, is the CEO of a toy manufacturing company. They were originally based in Osaka, but moved to Tokyo to expand. Youko-san is his only daughter. She has two older brothers who work for the company. Her father is married to her stepmother. We don't know what happened to her biological mother", Motoki said as filled Kotoko in on the gossip.
"Oh, I see", Kotoko replied, "Why would people think that they were together though? They know we're married".
Motoki shrugged, "I guess they expected someone…different"
"Hey", Kotoko exclaimed as she pouted.
Kotoko dried off the last plate. It was so clean and shiny that she could see her reflection.
People always pretended that she and Naoki weren't married. They refused to acknowledge it. She thought back to her honeymoon, when a woman shamelessly flirted with Naoki in front of her own husband. She also thought of all the nurses who were infatuated with him, and would often talk to Kotoko about how much they wanted him.
Kotoko was his wife though. They knew this.
He wouldn't entertain it though. He's married to me. I have him now. It's not like when he was engaged to Chris. We weren't together back then. I don't have to worry about that kind of stuff anymore. He wouldn't entertain it.
Kotoko gripped the plate in her hands.
He wouldn't, would he?