Tsubaki glanced at the wall clock. It had been two hours and Satsuki was still inside the operating room. She turned her head to look at the man sitting beside her. The man was sleeping, his head lying on her left shoulder.
Assessing the dark circles under his eyes and his slightly pale face, she knew he didn't get enough rest. It was just the same as the time when she came to meet him in his office a few days ago. He had been sleeping like this for over an hour already. Her shoulder had already felt numb but it was impossible for her to wake him up.
It's already noon. He must be hungry once he wakes up.
Tsubaki lifted his head gently off of her shoulder and slowly laying him on the bench. The bench outside the operating theater had soft cushions and it was comfortable enough to lay down. But it was still kind of small for a tall man like Ren. She just had to make do for now. After taking off his shoes, she went to the nurse station.
"Excuse me." She properly greeted one of the nurses. "May I ask for a blanket and a pillow, please? My... friend fall asleep and I need to run for an errand downstairs."
"Here you go." A kind looking nurse handed her a small pillow and a folded blanket.
"Thank you." Tsubaki nodded her head in thanks.
"Why don't you wake the gentleman up and ask him to use one of our empty beds? He looked so exhausted. Those bench isn't too comfortable." The nurse asked before she left.
"Thank you for your offer but there's no need." She rejected the offer politely. "He said he didn't want to leave the place."
Before Ren had fallen asleep, she had already persuaded him to rest on a hospital bed but he adamantly refused her suggestion. He didn't want to leave her alone waiting for Satsuki and he wanted to be there when the boy had successfully finished with his surgery.
After placing the pillow under his head and covered him with a blanket, Tsubaki went downstairs to the cafeteria. She bought a boxed lunch, two rice balls and two bottles of mineral water. She grabbed one can of black coffee before queuing up for the register.
These should be enough for now.
On the way to the elevator, Tsubaki spotted the sign leading to the pediatric section. A small face crossed her mind, making her smiled. She wondered if Kouichi was still being hospitalised. She headed to the section.
Sound of kids' laughter could be heard from a nearby playroom. All of them were in hospital gowns, looking energetic despite being admitted to the hospital. She walked to the nurse station and asked for a patient named Nagao Kouichi.
"Little Kouichi?" A petite nurse looked at her with a smile. "He has been discharged two days ago. Are you one of his relatives?"
"No." Tsubaki smiled regretfully. "I just met him and he asked me to come visit him again. It's too bad I was late."
But it was a good thing that the little boy was healthy again.
"Oh!" The nurse exclaimed in surprise, she just remembered something. "Are you the pretty sister that he had told us before?"
"What?" Tsubaki stared at the nurse in confusion.
"I think she is!" Another nurse chimed in. "He asked us to leave you his contact information if you ever came to find him. He looked so hopeful we couldn't deny his request."
"Please give it to me."
Tsubaki wondered if Kouichi had been waiting for her to visit but considering he had left his information to the nurses, she didn't have a doubt anymore. The nurse gave her a note. After giving her thanks, she quickly went back to the operating theater. From the elevator, he could see that the man had already woken up. Once he saw her walking outside the elevator, he ran towards her.
"Where were you?" His voice sounded hoarse.
"I'm sorry." Seeing his worried face, she felt guilty. "I went downstairs to get you food. How long have you been awoke?"
"Five minutes, I think?" Ren smiled helplessly, sighing in relief.
He almost went into panic when he couldn't find her near the hallway outside the operating theater. He tried to call her but his battery went flat. Only when one of the nurses told him that she went downstairs for an errand, his panic subsided for a bit. But he could only be at ease once she came back.
"I'm sorry for worrying you." Tsubaki lowered her head.
Ren picked the paper bag from her hands. Tsubaki looked up, surprised.
"This is for me right?" His eyes landed on the paper bag. "Have you eaten?"
Before she could answer, he had already pulling her to the bench. They sat side by side. Ren carefully brought out the food from the paper bag and picked his chopsticks.
"Thank you, Tsubaki."
"You're welcome."