At the hospital, Angelique's mother and Angel were impatiently waiting for the doctor outside the ward.
" My daughter! My poor baby! I shouldn't have left her alone. This all happened due to my negligence as a mother. I failed at my responsibilities as a mother". She was getting very emotional and couldn't hold her tears.
" Calm down, Ma'am! Angelique wouldn't be happy to see you like this. You're her strength. She's where she is now thanks to your guidance. You're a good mother and you should never doubt that!" Said Angel thoughtfully and as a way to comfort her.
…
Angel silently wiped off her tears while she was staring at him. Before long, all the tears were seemingly gone.
" Angelique will be fine. She's a strong girl". He said, smiling.
" Thank you!" She said on a whim. Angel got confused by her words.
" Huh?"
" My daughter told me all you've done for her. Thanks for helping her out when she was in need. I wanted to meet you for a while to offer my sincere thanks, so here it is! Thank you so much!" Angelique's mother said gratefully to him.
" Don't embarrass me by thanking me, ma'am! I did nothing special. I just did what a friend would have done in my shoes". He said uncomfortably.
Angelique's mother was taken aback by the words friends. She remembered how her daughter used to be happy just by pronouncing those words and also how those same words affected her entire life as a result.
" Are you my daughter's friend?"
Angel's response made her relieved but at the same time slightly sad.
" I would have loved to be referred to that way. I would have loved that but Angelique didn't give me this honor".
Angel's expression and tone were sad as he spits out those words from his mouth. His sadness reflected how much he cared for her and Angelique's mother could easily see it in his eyes.
" Don't blame my daughter, young man! The word ' Friendship' is a very powerful word when it comes to Angelique. It can make you the happiest but also the saddest". She expressed herself sadly.
" I know that".
" Angelique used to smile every single day. She would tell me how her days went and how much fun she had with the brightest smile ever. She used to comfort me whenever I was feeling down".
…
" Her ravaging smile was the solution to all my worries. She would join us on the weekend and we would have some quality time as a loving family. Those happy days are now long gone. They will never come back". A tear slipped from her eye. Angel felt saddened seeing her in that state.
( This all happened because of me. If only I had prevented Oscar from going to Angelique, this wouldn't have happened. Her mother wouldn't have been so sad and Angelique wouldn't have ended up in the hospital).
Just then, Oscar unexpectedly showed up at the hospital. Upon seeing him, Angelique's mother couldn't hold her temper and shouted at him.
" What are you doing here? Aren't you satisfied yet?"
" Mrs. Tsukishima, I'm truly sorry for my behavior. I thought she was faking her illness which is why I acted so brutally like that. As I realized my mistake, I came here specifically to apologize to her".
Oscar's response made her even angrier. This was as much as she could tolerate.
" Apologize! Do you even know the significance of that word?"
…
" Go away! I don't want to see you near my daughter ever again".
The discussion was getting very animated. The medical personnel started to wonder what the commotion was about. Angelique's mother was losing her temper by the second due to Oscar's presence at the hospital.
" Oscar, please, go away! Your presence is hurting her". Angel expressed himself towards him with coldness.
" I won't leave until I see her". Oscar refused to leave.
" Why do you want to stay here? Do you want to spill your venom at her once again?" His words were extremely hurtful and full of indifference.
…
Oscar walked away silently without saying another word. Unbeknown to them, he didn't leave the hospital.
( I won't leave the hospital until I see her).
A few minutes later, the doctor came out of the hospital room. Mrs. Tsukishima and Angel hurried to him.
" Doctor, how's my daughter?"
…
" What's the matter, doctor? Why aren't you saying anything?"
" Ma'am, calm down and let the doctor talk".
…
" Sorry, doctor!" She apologized to the doctor.
" Don't worry, Mrs. Tsukishima! Your daughter's fine although---------------". The doctor stopped halfway in his phrase.
" Although what, doctor?" Angel asked the doctor as his expression and tone had slightly changed.
" She's fine now although her fever hasn't subsided entirely". He continued his statement. " Only a small portion of it has subsided so far. Also, she's quite frail".
" What does it mean, doctor? Won't the fever go down?" Mrs. Tsukishima asked anxiously to the doctor.
…
" The situation is not as alarming as you think it is. The fever will subside eventually but the process won't be as fast. Don't worry, Mrs. Tsukishima! She'll recover in a few days". What the doctor said reassured Mrs. Tsukishima slightly.
" Can I see her?"
" She's still unconscious for the time being. I suggest that you wait until tomorrow before seeing her".
" Okay, doctor! I won't see her today but can I at least stay the night?" She formulated another request.
" You may stay the night with her but you must be careful as to not be too close to her due to the fever". The doctor said firmly.
" Thank you, doctor!" Mrs. Tsukishima was grateful to the doctor for letting her stay with her daughter.
The doctor left and Mrs. Tsukishima turned to Angel. She thanked him for accompanying her to the hospital and for attending her daughter along with her.
" Young man, you should leave now! You have school tomorrow".
" Don't refer to me that way! Am I a stranger to you?" Angel was unhappy with being referred to as a stranger.
…
" Your daughter is the same as you. She would refer to me as Mukaido every time I encountered her at school. If it wasn't for me saving her, she would still be referring to me that way".
" What do you mean by that?" She asked confusingly. She didn't understand what he meant by those words.
" After the gym incident, your daughter wanted to repay me for saving her life. Although I said it wasn't necessary, she wouldn't let it go. She asked me to formulate my request which I did".
" Was your request that she stop referring to you by your last name and use your first name instead?" She asked straightforwardly.
" No, it wasn't! That was my second request as the first one couldn't be granted". He answered.
" What was your first request?" Mrs. Tsukishima asked Angel inquisitively.