Using the map made by my mother, which was previously made by my father, we decided on following the way back to school, and then to go to the hospital from there. Hiroshi did not exactly know where we were, and neither did I, so we had to take the slow path to the hospital rather than just beelining to the end like if we were on a track and field course. The entire walk was very silent, Hiroshi was just looking at the flower in his hand most of the time and I would have felt bad interrupting this moment for him. By the time we got to the hospital, the afternoon was already ending, sunset had just started. My parents won’t be happy to know that I’ll be going home late for two days in a row…

Entering the hospital, the waiting area seems quite large, which feels appropriate for a tall hospital like this one. We grabbed a number ticket, 164S... looks like we will need to wait a few minutes since the panel is still at 124C. After a long time of waiting and seeing many people walk by and leave, the panel finally showed our number. Hiroshi went to the S table and gave all of his credentials and documents needed for a visit, the lady checked in her system and gave us the okay to visit the room on the first floor.

We decided to take the elevator despite being just a bit of stairs away, no one was using it so we might as well do so. After navigating through the long corridors we reached the door of said number. Hiroshi carefully opened the door and… there she was: a tall woman with long black hair laying down on a medical bed. Her eyes were closed, and she was wearing an oxygen mask connected to a heart rate monitor, beeping at a consistent rate. Next to her was a thin flower vase that had four green Gladiolus. He entered the room, and, after feeling a little hesitant, and having a bit of apprehension, I followed suit with very light and careful steps.

She made no movements, and did not have any reactions, resting here like she was frozen in time…

Hiroshi very gently puts the flower he brought in the vase and sits close to her bed, placing his hand over his mother’s. WIth a bit of a sad smile on his face, he begins talking to her:

“It has been a long time since I last visited you, mother. I hope you're doing a little better today. I’m sorry for getting here later than usual, I wasn’t able to get here as soon as school ended because of a few troubles along the way, but I managed to arrive today with the flower you like… A lot has happened since last time.”

“Remember the garden I have been taking care of at school? Some no good students made a huge mess and stomped on many of the flowers I was taking care of. It was really bad. Thankfully, I noticed them and managed to scare them off… but the damage was already done. So many were in terrible shape and hurt. I spent the rest of the day taking care of them. I even fell inside the bush with some thorny flowers, you know, the one I planted last year. This is why my blazer is torn up right now…”

“But it’s not all bad. This event led to another and I ended up meeting some good people at school, I’m sure you have noticed her already.” He said, turning to me, who was standing a little far from the bed to give them some space.

I waved and replied: “Hello Miss, I’m Seiko, Hiroshi’s friend!”

“The other one is Chie. She wasn’t able to come here today since she was busy. I know I never brought anyone with me to meet you, it’s very out of the ordinary… but these two have been so helpful to both you and me that… I think you would appreciate them as much as I do as friends.”I never thought I would hear that from Hiroshi. He is usually so stoic and serious, but when talking to his mother, he really lets all that go away and speaks with the most sincerity I have ever seen. Similar to how he talked to the flowers at the school garden. But this time, with a melancholic happiness in his face…

“I had a lot of trouble getting your favorite flower for today. All the shops that I knew didn’t have them and-”

He continues to talk to his mother, despite not getting any reaction from her. A one-sided conversation of many trivial problems and moments of the past few days. It’s touching, but bittersweet at the same time…

“-things at home didn’t change that much. Dad stopped coming home late every day but I still only exchange very brief words with him… it will probably never change. I know you said to me that I should get along with him… I just can’t. He had always put his work above everything and for him to suddenly switch his priorities around only after all of that happened… it’s hard to accept-” Things really feel rough.

I-I hope you wake soon, Miss. I am sure it would make him really happy. Maybe then things can improve in the family… But until then, Chie and I will try to help as much as we can!

He continued his conversation to his mother for a few minutes. I could tell it was a very comforting moment for him, so I decided not to disturb their time and remained silent. Despite never reacting to anything he said, deep down, I felt that she was attentively listening to everything he said… I wonder if he feels the same way.

But suddenly, the sound of the doorknob turning catches my attention; the door was being slowly opened by a tall man, but who?

He was not wearing any uniform from the hospital, so he could not be a worker. That spiky black hair kind of reminds me of Hiro-

Hiroshi swiftly turned to the door after hearing the noise and said out-loud: “F-FATHER!?” which surprised both me and the man standing at the door.

“Hi-Hiroshi!? I thought you were home already.”

“Why are YOU here?!”

The tall man, stumbling on his words, says: “I came here to visit her.” Seems like neither expected the other here.

So he is Hiroshi’s father, huh. I remember him say that he never really had the best of relationships with his father, especially after everything that went down. He looks… so tired and defeated.

“I…I never thought you would come to visit her.”

“I have been, ever since she was hospitalized.”

Hiroshi seemed surprised by his answer: “Yo- Why haven’t you ever told me this?”

“Every year, I come here during the night to… not bother your time with my presence.” He said with a defeated look on his face. I-I really feel like I should not be here now…

Hiroshi made it sound like his father never cared about this, but it seems like he did actually care about the miss after all-

“Wh-Who are you?” He exclaimed, turning towards me, Ah! I was deep in my thoughts, I did not notice that he saw me! Ah-

“Uhm, I-I’m Hiroshi’s friend, ni-nice to meet you si-sir.”

“Friend?”

Hiroshi’s tone changed as he quietly said “Why? Why…”

This caught the attention of his father, wondering what he was whispering.

Hiroshi let go of his mother’s hand, turning to his father he yells: “Why do you care about her all of a sudden?!” With a really resentful look on his face…

“I-I always d-”

Hiroshi shouts before his father could even finish his sentence: “You didn’t! You NEVER did anything while she was sick!” Th-that can’t be true, her husband would do something about it ri-right?

“Th-That’s not true, Hiroshi! I worked so many extra hours so we could afford all the consultation and medicine she needed!”

“But you always did that! You never once comforted her, always prioritizing your work over everything else!”

T-Things are escalating way too much! Both of them are shouting at each other, wha-what should I do?!

“You didn’t do anything while she was sick, you didn’t even say anything!”

“C-Cal-”

“YOU LEFT HER AND NOW SHE’S LIKE THIS!”

“HIROSHI!”

Eek- They are not listening! Ca-can I even do something?? I’m starting to panic, all this just keeps escalating and I don’t know what to do!

“IF ONLY YOU DID SOMETHING, MAYBE THINGS WOULD END UP DIFFERENTLY!”

“I-

I-

I WISH I HAD A DIFFERENT FATHER!” Hiroshi screamed with all his anger.

This made the room go silent. Both of us were shocked by what he said.

He's father might have done something wrong, but does he deserve to be seen as this unforgivable monster?

Looking at him right now, his expression of anger turned to one of deep sadness, as he could not even find an answer to what Hiroshi said.

But Hiroshi is not wrong as well, from what he made it sound like, the person he’s supposed to look up to was mostly missing his entire life. Then only when tragedy happens, he comes back and tries to reconnect with his son. Hiroshi is looking down as well, it seems like he did not want to say that either…

Aaaaaah! This is too complicated!

But before any of us could say anything to break the silence, the heart-rate monitor’s beeps started to ramp up. Hiroshi suddenly felt something pull on this blazer, something that seemingly scared Hiroshi because he for a split second before turning to his mother. Her face that was once blank expression turned to one of anguish and sorrow.

“H-Hiroshi…”

The monitor was now beeping faster and is becoming more erratic! Panic is starting to settle in all of us-

“MOM!” “HANA!” Both of them screamed in unison, as his father ran to the side of her bed, while Hiroshi held his mother's hands with tears in his eyes…

I need to do something. Come on, think brain! I can’t just stand here and watch… but everything is so complicated and messy. Argh…

In a hurry, I decided to leave the room. I instinctively began running through the corridors of the hospital, trying to find a single doctor or a nurse. Hiroshi’s situation with his father… His mother’s… Everything went so fast that I did not even have time to think! I somehow thought that, right there and then, this was the right thing to do.

By sheer luck, I managed to find a nurse going upstairs.

“Miss- MISS! WAIT!” I panicky called for her.

She notices and responds a little anxious “Huh? Wh-What’s the matter??”

After taking a quick breath, I urgently explained that Hiroshi’s mother needed help, and the nurse immediately went downstairs to call for a doctor. In a minute or two, she came back up with a doctor right behind her.

I followed them back to the room. Hiroshi was already in the hallway looking from side to side in panic. Seconds after getting inside the room, the doctor told us all to leave the room, and to stay outside, likely because we were all panicking behind him… closing the door on the three of us outside, leaving us with the anxiety of not knowing what's going to happen to her…

Anxiety is ever increasing as the minutes go by, nurses leave and enter the room constantly, always in a hurry. I’m really hoping that everything is going to be okay, but this constant moving around does not help it at all… Though more importantly, I hope everything goes well for those two as well… Hiroshi’s usual stoic and composed look has completely shattered from all of this, showing his emotions of worry and regret as he stares at the door, his father sharing the same look… despite everything, they are still father and son…

I have never seen Hiroshi act with resentment and anger before, not even when he had to scare the bullies in the garden, at least from Chie made it sound like it. It's understandable to be upset at what his father did, or rather what he did not do, but was that level of anger warranted? Why did his father suddenly try to become friendly and more involved in his life after this tragedy? Is it because of guilt or obligation? Both? Is everything going to be okay??

…

I-I should take a step back.

Maybe I’m a bit intrusive in trying to know all this about their lives. “You shouldn’t pry people for their secrets, Seiko.”

…

An hour later, the doctor called all of us, as he had a few things to say to the family. Hiroshi and his father entered the room, but I decided to stay back here, sitting on this not very comfortable corridor floor. I should not invade their family matters, it's theirs to discuss… but the doctor calling them is very unusual, does that mean something bad happened to her? Is she really okay??

A few minutes later, the doctor leaves the room and walks away, leaving the two of them inside. I really hope things are alright…

More time passes and finally Hiroshi leaves the room, he sits down next to me wearing a bit of a sad expression.

He takes a deep breath and then says “I-I’m sorry you had to see what happened earlier, Seiko.”

“Hiroshi…”

“Thank you for the help and everything you have done.”

“I-Is she okay??”

He averts his eyes away from me… no, that can’t be!

“The doctor got there just in time to control the situation and return things to normal…”

After letting out a sigh of relief from the good news, I respond: “Thank goodness she’s fine.”

“The doctor said she was under severe stress, something that shouldn’t be possible in normal circumstances…” he lowered his head after saying that, did she really hear what he said?

“Do you think…”

“Yeah, I do think she heard what I said and reacted… It was scary.”

“…”

Raising his head, he looks at the door saying: “While we were waiting for the doctor, so many things were going through my head… but one thing kept repeating over and over, her last words she said to me.”

“I get it now.” He says while having a faint smile.

Hiroshi's mother's last words… about him not liking his father very much… Did something happen between the two of them after the doctor left?

“For the first time ever, my father and I talked a bit. How my mother called him that day, telling him things like ‘if things turn for the worse, everything will need to change for his sake’ … Even when this severely ill, she was still put first over everything.”

“Always trying to plan ahead somehow.” She cares so much about him…

“He does care about both of us, but he also has his own troubles and demons he tries to face from his own experiences as a child, when it comes to the whole family thing. Sometimes it was so hard for him that he would slave himself to work to deal with it…”

“…”

“I was being unfair to him, but not from a place of malice. The impression he always left on me was that he never wanted a family… but that wasn’t the reality of this situation, he just didn’t know what to do… My mother must have heard what I said to him and somehow reacted to it.” he said, expressing a bit of relief in his voice.

“Even the doctor was surprised about her reaction, in his whole career, he only heard stories of coma patients reacting to real world stimuli; he never really saw one for himself.”

“Everyone was, I have only seen that in movies and stuff… never knew it could happen in real life. But, what are you going to do now Hiroshi?”

Turning to me, he said: “... I don’t know.” with a face full of doubts and concerns.

“Part of me wants to avoid him like he avoided me during all those years. But the other part wants to at least give him the chance to repair the broken bridge. After all, he’s not supposed to be a perfect parent, he’s also a human that has fear and makes mistakes… It's a tough thing.”

Hiroshi becomes silent as he deeply enters his thoughts. It really is a difficult decision for him to make, but-

“You know, Hiroshi.”

“Hmm?”

“Your mother is really smart. At least to me, it felt like every step she took. Was to make things better for you. From hiding her weakness to calling your father to change things, she always had you in mind.”

“…”

“I think, you should include her wishes in the decision you are going to make.”

“Umm…”

I gave him some space to think about it, such an important decision should not be made in haste after all. A few minutes later, after it looked like Hiroshi put a lot of thought into it, he made his decision: “I think… I’ll give him a chance.”

“Is that so?”

“Thinking back now, for the past five years, I have been only denying and ignoring any attempt he ever made at conversation. Never giving him a chance to say his piece. I’m not being any better than he was like this.”

He takes a deep breath and responds with a smile on his face, while looking at the door: “I’ll give him the chance to do things right. That's my choice.”

“That’s your answer huh… I bet that your mother would be really happy to hear that.” I said, also looking at the door to her room.

“It’s going to take a long time and it will be a difficult process, but I’m sure she will be very happy to see that the both of us are on good terms when she wakes up.”

“That’s the spirit Hiroshi!” I said raising my fist, trying to make a fist bump.

“Thank you, Seiko.” He answers, following up with the fist bump.

“Hm…”

“Are you thinking of something?”

“Just thinking about how we are going to tell all this to Chie…”

“We are??”

“Well yeah, she will be dying to know how things went down over the weekend, and she’s part of the club too. I think she deserves to know.”

“You’re right… I’ll tell her on Monday during lunch, then.”

“I-I also have something to do that day; I made a promise, and I need to tell them what happened.”

“Them? Promise? What are you talking about?”

Oh! I slipped up! “D-Don’t worry about it, I’m not actually going to tell anyone what happened!”

“But I should get going now, I need to get home before my parents worry too much about me.”

The process of getting up was a little rough, as I was sitting for over an hour on a uncomfortable floor, but now that things are alright, I should head home-

“Seiko!”

Hiroshi yells my name after I begin to walk away. I turn to him and he continues: “Have a nice weekend!”

Huh, I never heard that one from him!

“You too!”I answered back while waving at him, partially hoping that we would not get yelled at by yelling in a hospital.

~~ ❀ ~~

Later that Monday, Hiroshi told Chie what happened during the weekend. She felt quite emotional and cried a bit, which is fair, hearing did make me cry a little bit too. The bridge between him and his father does not seem impossible to rebuild anymore, and he said that it's going to take a long time for that trust to be rebuilt. But Hiroshi is in a much better mood than last week, something that both Chie and I were glad to see.

After that little moment, the school bell rang and I waited for the both of them to leave the garden. After all, there are still some that need to know the good news…

I approached the white Gladiolus in the garden and told them the good news!

“You guys don’t need to worry anymore! I, Knight Seiko, through fire and ice, managed to get the flower in his hands and he delivered it to his mother!”

“In other words, I fulfilled my promise! So, you no longer have to worry!”

And just like last time, a little gust of wind passes by me, making the flowers react by, in unison, shaking up and down. Hm-

“Glad to help! I’ll be going now; See you guys tomorrow!”

They do listen. Even if it’s not really scientifically proven to be the case, I can feel that they do want to hear what we have to say, and sometimes even react when they notice we are doing things wrong or right… Well, that last part is a bit unrealistic , but it's what I like to believe now.

Flowers really are great listeners.

~~ ❀ ~~