Tsubaki became restless as the night grew. Suddenly, she disliked the smell of the hospital. She felt as if it was a scent of death looming over her and Ren, causing her heart to grow into anxiousness.
Throughout the years she had to spend in the hospital because of Satsuki, she had never felt this way before.
If it was not because Ren was injured as well, she would have insisted to be discharged right away.
"Sweetheart, can't sleep?"
Her man's voice sounded so languid from behind her. Tsubaki was startled from her daze. She felt he was gently caressing her arms while murmuring words of comfort.
Her eyes gleamed in tears.
"...Ren."
"En, do you need something?"
Ren rubbed his sleepy eyes. He carefully sat up and hovered above his wife. Tsubaki had turned around. Despite the dimness of the ward, he could see she was staring unblinkingly at him.
"Sweetheart?" Ren softened his voice even though his heart told him something was amiss with his wife. He cautiously asked, "Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Need me to call a doctor? Or, do your limbs ache again?"
Tsubaki bit her lower lip hard, afraid of letting him heard her sobs.
She couldn't sleep.
The image of him almost being hit by the car during the day overlapped with the explosion of the car of the accident five years ago.
Although Tsubaki knew it was just an illusion played by her exhausted mind, she couldn't push the horrifying scenes away.
"...Ren."
In the end, she failed when a stream of tears gushed out of her eyes.
Wide-eyed in shock, Ren was frantic when he saw his wife crying again. He hurriedly hugged her tight without caring about his fresh wound that was wrapped by the bandage.
"Yes, sweetheart, my sweetheart, everything's okay now... I'm safe, you're safe, we're together, en?"
He randomly blurted out the words that popped inside his mind. Ren could only helplessly point her crying episode to the shocking incident that happened this afternoon.
Tsubaki was distressed because her crying only made it hard for him to rest. He was a patient yet, here she was, unable to control her emotions.
The deep fear and despair that she felt during both of the horrifying times almost choked her out of breath.
Tsubaki held the front of his shirt tightly.
"Ren... I... That time... I..."
I remember.
His face was no longer recognizable behind her teary eyes.
Tsubaki wanted to force the words out yet no matter how many times she tried, she still failed. She bit her lips, opened her mouth, pressured herself to speak yet they were all futile.
The helplessness further pushed her mental state to break the limit.
She broke down.
"Arghhhh!"
"Tsu... Tsubaki!"
Tsubaki cried out loud. Her palms slapped the bed hard. She continued crying and heaving, releasing all her frustrations and anguish that clogging her heart.
Go away!
Go away!
GO AWAY!
"Argh! Huh... Huh! Hah..."
"Tsubaki! Look at me! Doc... DOCTOR!"
Ren repeatedly pushed the call button. Tsubaki was hyperventilating after crying nonstop. He held her in one arm while the other was frantically pushing the button. He didn't stop even after there were hurried footsteps rushing to their ward.
"Huh... Huh..."
Tsubaki pressed her chest hard, her face instantly turned pale. Her body slumped down on the bed.
"Tsubaki, the doctor's here! Doctor! My wife! She's hyperventilating! Help her!"
The doctor and nurses that barged inside the room quickly performed a first-aid. Ren had to step aside to give them space. His pupils shook as a sense of fear enveloped his entire being.
"Missus! Easy, easy... Control your breathing, yes, yes, in... out, in... out..."
The doctor cupped his hands over Tsubaki's mouth, attempting her to breathe slowly. The rapid movement of her chest gradually turned slower as she followed the doctor's instructions. The overlapping images of what she was seeing slowly merged together.
"Easy, easy... You're doing great..."
During the time the doctor was assisting Tsubaki, Ren didn't realize he was clenching his fists hard until his nails sank into his palms.
Tsubaki fell asleep as soon as her breathing returned to normal. The agitated appearance of hers when she hyperventilated earlier left no trace to be seen.
"Doctor, my wife..." Ren trailed off, not knowing what should he ask nor say.
The doctor calmly looked at the young man, "Your wife is under stress and shock, presumably because of the accident this morning. Adding with the fact that she's pregnant, she would be more vulnerable to anything shocking."
"Then, is there anything I have to take note of? Would she hyperventilate again?" Ryuu asked the same thing he inquired to the doctor that attended to Tsubaki during the day.
"It's generally bad if a pregnant woman undergoing long-term stress, it might lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and even premature labor," The doctor's expression turned a bit stern, "Give support to your wife. If she had anything to say, don't brush it off. Treat even the simplest problem with caution. Ask your other family members to give her support as well."
"Yes, yes... Thank you, doctor," Ren answered in a dumb voice.
As soon as the doctor and nurses stepped out of the ward, Ren carefully got on the bed, afraid of waking her up.
This was terrible.
He didn't expect she would show such an extreme reaction.
But...
Why did he feel something was wrong with her? Like... she was hiding something from him.
Ren pursed his lips hard. He ran the back of his hand over her face, feeling her warmth. His expression was indiscernible in the shadows.
Tsubaki woke up the next morning. Her complexion was much better than yesterday. After having a quiet meal with her husband, she made a phone call to her mother, Grandma Fuse and Satsuki.
To the others, she just sent them a message when she received a warning look from Ren because she had been talking on the phone for a long time.
"Could I be discharged now?" Tsubaki was extremely reluctant to keep staying in the hospital even for a second longer.
Ren smiled faintly. He lifted up a hand, placed his wide palm over her head and gently caressed her hair. Despite the uneasiness that haunted him since last night, he tried his best to not show it to her.
"The doctor said you're fine now so you could be discharged. And, I'd get a doctor on guard at the villa. We still have to be careful, sweetheart."
Ren didn't want to downplay the seriousness of this matter. The doctor indeed found that there was nothing wrong with Tsubaki but, to be on the safe side, he found a medical team to be on standby.
"En, anything's okay," Tsubaki agreed.
She didn't mind what his arrangements were as long as she could leave this place as soon as possible.
After the discharge procedure was completed, the husband and wife returned to the villa. Ren supported Tsubaki as they got out of the car.
The sky was bright, the same as yesterday.
Occasionally, the sound of the wind gently caressed the leaves and tree branches echoed around the villa. The yard of the villa was littered with red maple leaves. Some of them were gliding in the air before falling to the ground.
"Go inside and rest?" Ren looked at his wife.
She was staring at the yard. After a few seconds of silence, Tsubaki answered with a shake of her head.
With a slight tilt of her head, she looked at him back.
"I want to sit in the yard, can I?"
Although she had regained her complexion, Tsubaki still appeared listless. Ren felt his heart tightened at such a sorry sight.
"Let's go and sit together," Ren agreed.
Both of them headed to the yard. Ren helped Tsubaki to sit on a garden wrought-iron bench before he took a seat next to her. Tsubaki leaned against him as soon as he sat down.
"It's good that you're here," She murmured faintly while nestling closer to him.
"Let's just rest today. After lunch, we'll go and take a nap. Okay, sweetheart?"
Ren draped an arm over her shoulders. His other hand was tenderly brushing her bangs over her forehead. His movement was a bit stiff because he used his injured hand,
"En."
Tsubaki closed her eyes. She still clearly remembered what happened last night.
Her emotions were in turmoil, resulting in her almost fainted due to hyperventilating. Before that, she had even cried out loud thus shocking her husband.
Although Ren didn't openly ask her, she understood he was on tenterhooks as he was being cautious in treating her.
Tsubaki inwardly sighed heavily.
No matter what, she had to let him know that her sealed memories had come back.
If not, the knot in her heart would continue to entangle more, creating a mess within her.