"Alright, children, who would like to share their drawing?" Mrs. Eto asked her new class of third graders enthusiastically.
Not one hand rose among the devoted and focused students. They were immersed in completing their art. Crayons and markers decorated their desk. Some had shakers of glitter. Mrs. Eto was taken aback by the lack of response but proud at the same time. She smiled, and though there were fifteen minutes left before the bell rang, she let them be and headed back to her desk.
"Mrs. Eto! I'm done!"
A small fair hand shot up, grabbing Mrs. Eto's attention. It was a tiny, willow boy with short blonde shaggy hair, round cyan eyes hidden behind large thick purple rim glasses, and a peachy presentation. It was Adam Bishop in seat twelve, with the blue group.
"I finished!" He proudly said, holding up his drawing, "Can I share?"
The other students still hadn't finished, and Mrs. Eto didn't want to disrupt them with only ten minutes left before school ended. So she decided on another decision.
"Why don't you just share with me, hmm?" She suggested walking over.
Before she could reach the table, Adam sprung from his seat and rushed to the front, gathering attention from a few classmates. Giddily he spun around facing everyone, holding his drawing up, setting bewildering looks on Mrs. Eto and the others. Clearing her throat, Mrs. Eto gave Adam a nod to proceed.
"And what is your drawing about?" She asked."I see a lot of…umm….dunes?"
Adam's face lit up, "Yeah! Sandy dunes! See!" He pointed to the squiggly gray lines on his paper, "and this is the moon! See! See!" He moved his finger upward to the half-drawn circle.
A hand rose from a student and pointed at the strange creatures drawn with brown bodies and purple heads.
"What are those?"
Adam dropped his eyes to the drawing at the figures.
"Oh, those are called Boney Faces."
One child shuddered, "They're scary."
A few other students nodded while some exchanged ashen looks. Adam maintained his smile and continued.
"Yeah, they are pretty scary looking," he paused and, with his index finger, pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose, "but most are nice. At least this one."
He pointed to a bundle of green lines constructed into a body and purple head.
"This one right here is my friend. He's smaller than the other boney heads. But he doesn't mind. His name is-"
The bell rang, cutting Adam off. The students quickly gathered their things and cleaned up, adding to the rising noise level with the footsteps of other students passing by in the hall.
"Alright, children, carefully put your things away and line up orderly by the door." Mrs. Eto carefully ushered some students while simultaneously assisting some in their cleanup.
Adam remained at the front of the class, still holding up his drawing, and watched his classmates begin to line up. He wasn't ready yet and wanted to continue, so he put forward his other drawing with black squiggly and swirl lines mashed together, forming what seemed to be a head with two straight lines coming from the top of the smaller circle.
"Mrs. Eto, can I talk about this drawing?" Adam asked with a cheery promise. "I promise it's not scary!"
Mrs. Eto ushered in the last child, "I'm sorry, Adam, school is over. Maybe another time. Now get put your stuff away and get your things."
Adam's mouth opened to protest but quickly closed as Mrs. Eto began leading the line out. Swiftly Adam put this stuff away and took his bag as though it came to him and his hat. After fitting his hat on, he despondently followed the line. Students from older grades filled the halls while those younger grades, like Adam's, remained in line and stayed against the side of the river of students. Adam couldn't help to look with wonder at the older students. He even began waving at some. Few gave a wave back and returned to their conversation.
The class made it outside where most of the others students were; some were leaving, waiting for friends to walk home, or some just walked home. A few parents out front were waiting to pick up their kids; some kids broke from the line to their respective parents. A few met up with siblings and began walking. Adam noticed students from his class give apprehensive looks back at him while muttering as they left.
Adam grabbed the brim of his hat, pulled it slightly over his eyes, and dropped them to his feet.
Mixtures of cheerful and gigging voices whirlpool around him. He could nearly imagine their smiling faces and linking arms the further he heard his heart slowly lowered and felt himself shrink. Then he heard a familiar name among the clamoring voices he hadn't heard for some time.
"Hurry up, Karin!"
Adam's heart skipped, and his eyes snapped up to scout for the owner of the familiar voice. He couldn't find them among the sea of students, and even when he tried standing on his tippy toes didn't help.
"Adam, what are you doing?" Mrs. Eto frets slightly, raising an eyebrow, noticing him before returning inside.
"Looking!" He strained while remaining on his tippy toes. "I-I'm okay!"
The moment those came out, everything happened in one heartbeat; Mrs. Eto shirked racing to Adam. Adam slipped and toppled forward to the concrete stairs. The last thing heard was the sharp gasps of those around; before a throbbing ache came, and the world went black.
Settled in the darkness, Adam wondered for a moment when a faint voice called to him, and a glim of light flickered in the distance of the darkness. Curious and feeling drawn to it, Adam reached out a hand to draw it toward him when a familiar voice called to him. It kept calling for him and managed to pull him back.
Pain filled Adam's head when he woke, yet he wasn't deterred. He released a laugh when he found you over him, his eyes brimming with something exciting against your eyes brimmed with concern and worry. Noticing that, Adam's smile slowly dropped, and his excitement slightly fizzled. Relief swept over you, seeing him up, and well, you brought him into a tight embrace. This allowed him to realize his surroundings; he wasn't at school or the front of it. He found himself in a white hospital bed and a white hospital room with a large window with a decent view overlooking the town. The sun had begun setting, casting a dark sorbet glow over everything.
"Thank goodness you are alright," you sigh, squeezing him tighter and bringing his mind back. "Are you alright, though?" You asked, allowing some space between you and him, cupping his face in your hands, your eyes steadily on him, surveying any sign of discomfort.
Adam lost his words for a moment from your look. From your look, he saw his reflection and noticed his head wrapped, taking his attention away from your answer to the bandages. He lifted a hand and lightly touched the bandages. He flinched slightly from the touch but quickly smiled light-heartedly, even letting another giggle slip out. Your heart breathed hearing him and took it as his answer. Gently you kissed him on the forehead.
"Will you ever tell me why you laugh?" you asked teasingly, taking your hands back and sit beside him on the bed.
You barely finished setting up for tomorrow's lesson when you received a transfer call from the office. The office attendant from Karakura Elementary informed you of what happened, and Adam was taken to the hospital. Your heart dropped, and you flew out of your classroom to the hospital. You burst through the doors of Karakura hospital, nearly startling the nurse at the counter; you shouted your name back at her and who you were, sprinting down the halls before she could ring for you. You located Adam easily. It wasn't hard it never was. Your heart nearly split when you entered his room. A nurse was there checking his vitals, and before she could say anything, you appeared by Adam's side while hastily following protocol and providing the information she needed. At that moment, the phone rang, and you blocked her out from there, even when she left. Adam remained unconscious. Without reading his chart, you knew through quick observation what it was, and after closing the door, you placed a delicate hand on his head and called his name.
Adam contained giggling, shaking his head with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't know."
You chuckle, shaking your head. He leans on you, still looking at his bandages. "What happened?" He asked cluelessly.
"Well, you stumbled down the stairs at school," you tell him, softly stroking his hair, "they said you were on your tippy toes looking for something. I am sorry if I was late," you whisper, "I did not mean for this to happen."
His response surprised you, "I don't mean to be mean, but I was looking for someone else."
"Someone else? Who?"
He shrugged, leaving the bandages alone and now looking around the room. "My cousins."
"Cousins?" Your eyes widen, knowing what he meant and stare at him perplexed. Before you could inquire more, a knock came on the door, followed by a flat, firm voice.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Ishida," A tall man, with white hair, neatly framing his face, sharp blue behind thin-rimmed glasses, dressed in a sharp white suit that was befitting to the white lab coat he wore.
He held a clipboard in his eyes where his eyes remained as he walked over to you and Adam. He stopped just six feet away and took another second on the clipboard, Adam returned to touching his bandages, and the doctor finally lifted his eyes directly at Adam.
"Please don't do that, otherwise you'll aggravate it," Dr. Ishida said, and waited for Adam to lower his hand. Adam did and presented a smile while leaning on you. The doctor finally turned to you, "May Bishop, I presume?"
"Yes."
A few seconds of silence filled the room, Dr. Ishida held up the clipboard to scan it over, glanced at Adam(now leaning on you), then returned to you, "Adam sustained a grade 3 concussion upon his front temple. Resulting in his loss of conscience and bleeding. There is minor hemorrhaging or was hemorrhaging." He walked to Adam and held up a finger and pulled out a small flashlight from his pocket with his other hand, "Follow the light please."
Dr. Ishida turned it on, and unison moved his finger and the light. Adam's eyes followed for the few seconds that passed before turning them upward to the ceiling. Dr. Ishida stopped and returned the flashlight to his pocket. He pulled up the clipboard and scribbled something down on it. You tensed a bit but remained calm.
"Nothing to be alarmed about," Dr. Ishida informed noticing your intent focus on the clipboard, "just a few notes."
"What notes?" you question tucking Adam closer, keeping your voice level.
"Notes to add to his file. That's all."
The answer wasn't sustainable and you had felt there was more behind it. You noticed the flash of surprise in Dr. Ishida's eyes when swiftly glanced at Adam upon entering. A grade 3 conscience with light hemorrhaging resulted in unconsciousness for a few hours and CATScan with around-the-clock monitoring; especially with a child of Adam's age. To find Adam up and well as though nothing happened would or could be deemed a miracle but someone like Dr. Ishida didn't seem like someone who believed in such things.
He finally finished scribbling on the clipboard and returned his gaze to you and Adam. "Is he discharged?" you carefully asked.
"Everything seems in order, yes," Dr. Ishida affirmed, tearing off a paper from the clipboard and handing it to you. You take it, keeping your eyes locked with his, mirroring his calm demeanor.
Adam threw up his hands cheering, "I can go! Did you hear? I can go!" He squeezed your arm laughing.
"Yes, you can," you turn to him smiling, "what do you say to the nice doctor."
Adam turned to Dr. Ishida and gave a little bow of the head, "Thank you! Thank you, doctor!"
"You're welcome. Now you must be more careful. Otherwise, it could lead to a severer injury. Alright?"
Adam nodded and with that Dr. Ishida left. Once you heard his steps receded, let out a deep cough. Adam turned to you concerned, and quickly you present a smile and pat on the head.
"Come on let us head home."
You get up first and help Adam down. A nurse came in with his things a few minutes after and after thanking her, take Adam by the hand and leave. As you both walk out, Adam asked you something.
"Can we to the shop? On the way home, please."
"Another time, alright? I want to get you home to rest."
"Oh. Are we going to stop by and light the candles? At the empty place?"
"Yes."
"Oh, goody! Guess what? We drew pictures in class today! Can I show you them when we get home?"
"Of course."
