Chapter 3

 

When I finally awoke, I felt disoriented and slightly nauseous, my head feeling heavier than usual. I could hear a faint beeping and could see bright lights through my eyelids. Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself inside a stark hospital room. The beeping came from my heart monitor and my right shoulder had a dull, throbbing pain. I turned my head to the right to see Toshiro asleep with his head next to my hand on the bed. Gently shaking his shoulder, I roused him from his sleep and he greeted me with a smile.

 

“Are you okay, Mina-chan?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. I smiled softly and ruffled his hair with my hand, which had an IV in it. Moving my left arm sent a wave of sharp pain up my arm and I resisted the urge to flinch by biting my lower lip.

 

“I’ll be fine. Are you hurt at all?” I asked, looking him over. His hair still had my blood crusted in it, something I’d have to wash our later, and he had a couple band-aids on his cheek.

 

“Just a couple scratches.”

 

“What happened back there, at the park?”

 

“A huge monster attacked us an’ you got hurt real bad. Then, all of a sudden, the monster flew backwards and you fell on top of me. Mr. Ishida helped you while someone called the ambulance.”

 

My eyes narrowed slightly in thought as I realized who the voice from before was. Uryuu Ishida, a man who interned at a local fashion store, must have been passing through when that… thing attacked. Mentally storing this information for later, I focused my attention on my little brother, who was forcing back tears.

 

“Come up here,” I whispered gently, moving my arm out of the way. More pain raced through my veins. Toshiro climbed onto the hospital bed and I pulled him closer. “You’re very brave, Shiro-chan.”

 

“You got hurt ‘cause of me,” he answered sullenly.

 

“No. I’m hurt because of that monster. You did nothing wrong.”

 

I gently rubbed his back in a soothing manner as the door opened, revealing a nurse with short, black hair and soft eyes. She was flipping through the pages on a clipboard as she entered the room. When she looked up, a small smile formed on her lips.

 

“It’s good to see you’re awake, Miss Kitamura. How are you feeling?” she asked. Toshiro sat up straight and stared at her.

 

“Much better than I was before,” I answered with a smile.

 

“And how does your shoulder feel?” I glanced down at my brother with a soft sigh. There was no use worrying him.

 

“Shiro-chan, why don’t you go get a snack? My purse is right behind you.” Toshiro nodded and slid off the bed. After getting enough money for the vending machine, he left the room, shutting the door behind him. I turned back to the nurse. “I don’t want him to worry about me.”

 

“Of course. So, how is your shoulder?”

 

“Exceedingly painful if I try to move it. Honestly, just hugging my brother is hard to do. I’m just putting on a brave face for him.”

 

“On a scale of one to ten, how painful is it?” the nurse asked.

 

“I’d say a nine. How does it look under the bandages?”

 

“You have multiple stitches along your shoulder, but they look as though the wounds were bitten in. Were you attacked?” I frowned slightly. I couldn’t tell her what I’d seen. She’d likely think I was insane. I placed my left hand on my forehead, feigning thought.

 

“I’m not sure. I can’t really remember.”

 

“It’s alright. You’re very lucky, you know. Someone must be watching over you.”

 

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

 

“You lost a lot of blood. A young man was able to tend to your wounds until the paramedics arrived, and that greatly improved your chances. In fact, you may be able to go home today, if the doctor deems you fit to leave,” the nurse explained and I nodded.

 

Toshiro reentered the room at that moment with a water bottle and a bag of pretzels in his hands. The nurse stared at him incredulously for a moment and I couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d probably expected him to get a lot of candy. I moved my arm for Toshiro, biting my lip to suppress another wince, and he sat beside me again.

 

“Do you want some, Mina-chan?” he asked.

 

“Maybe later, but thank you,” I answered softly.

 

“We’ll get you some pain killers for your shoulder and I’m sure you’ll be prescribed something when you’re released,” the nurse said, jotting down a few notes on her clipboard. “If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to call.” With that, the woman left the room and I leaned further into the pillow behind my head.

 

“Nee-chan, are you okay?” Toshiro asked again. I chuckled quietly and used my left hand to ruffle his hair.

 

“I’m going to be perfectly fine, Shiro-chan,” I answered with a smile.