"Isaac! Isaac! Huff, huff, don't you think it's about time to head home? Huff, huff, what's that boy doing, making his lovable and unbelievably young mother run after him?" She said as she placed her wrist on her forehead.
Isaac, who had bided his time, waited until his mother was right in front of the bush he was hiding in to jump out and surprise her. And when he felt that the time was right,
"RAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
He leapt out, but no one was there. He looked to his left, then to his right, still, no one was there. Just then, he heard rustling from above him. He raised his head and saw his mother, peeking through the leaves of a tree she seemed to have climbed bearing a haunting expression.
"Boo." She said, plainly.
Colors on his face slowly faded as Isaac dropped and cowered on the ground. His mother slid down the tree and burst out laughing. Other parents accompanying their kids in the playground looked at the scene with concern.
"Ohhh that was hilarious. But you have to try waaaaay harder to get one over your mother!" She said, her thumb pointing to herself with the other arched to her waist.
"No fair! If I were bigger I could've climbed up there instead!"
"Don't say that! I'll miss my cute little boy!" She said as she took Isaac in for a deep suffocating hug.
"B-But I d-don't, urgh! Wanna be a little boy anymore!" Isaac struggled to break free from the embrace.
"Awww, but Mommy will get sad if you stop being cute and be all manly and hairy like your father."
"Ewww! Too much information!"
"Be grossed out all you want, but don't come crying to me once you get hair growing in certain places."
"Mom! Please! Okay! We'll go home."
"Mom 1, Isaac 0." She snarkily said.
They walked home under the gaze of the setting sun. Isaac slurped up the ice cream cone he had on hand which he got from the grocery store they went to beforehand.
"Ahk! I got it in my nose!" Isaac said.
"Here, head down and blow out your nose with this tissue." She directed which Isaac followed accordingly.
"That was adorable though, but next time try sipping it from the bottom of the cone." She said as she pinched his nose.
"I meant what I said earlier! About not wanting to be a little boy anymore." Isaac proclaimed.
"Okay, but you're still six years old, why rush through things all of a sudden?"
"It's because of big bro! He made me promise to take care of you and Dad, but how can I do that if I'm still being treated like a little boy?"
Even though the mention of Aaron saddened her a bit, she could see the fire of determination in Isaac's eyes. Her eyes slowly began to water but she composed herself for her son. She leaned forward and reached out her pinkie towards Isaac.
"Can you make me a promise too?"
"Sure thing, Mom!"
"Can you promise me that, if Mom isn't around anymore, you'll still be the same wonderful boy I know?"
Brown dried leaves flew by as the wind flurried them over. Isaac saw his mother's expression but did not understand what it meant, her words just now even less. Despite that, he reached out his pinkie.
"Of course!" He assured her with the brightest smile.
~~~
Loud screeching noises came from the parking lot as Sydney drifted perfectly into the nearest barely lit parking lot. Out they came, rushing into the hospital while Sydney bumped into every single person in the way to clear the path. Mei offered her apologies to everyone as best she could. She slid into the elevator, her heels scratching the floor. Sydney mashed the button on the floor where Isaac's mom's room was, much to the fright of every other person in the elevator. Again, Mei offered her apologies.
They arrive at the room to be stopped by two nurses saying that only immediate family are allowed to enter.
"It's fine, she can come in." Isaac's father called from inside.
Mei entered and immediately felt the change in atmosphere. It was similar to what she felt the first time she set foot in this room. She looked over to the bed and saw that none of the machines were operational. Isaac's father was standing by the bed, holding his wife's hand as he stroked her cheek.
"You just missed him. Isaac, I mean." He said, not looking away.
"No, I meant to… What I mean is… I… I'm sorry." All Mei could do was look at the floor as her hands trembled.
"It's okay. Here." He gestured to Mei to come closer.
Small steps as she got closer to the bed. She felt as if her legs would give out at any second.
"I could still remember her smile from earlier today. She was so excited to finally get out and see Isaac's work on the stage. She wanted to rest up for it but before she slept, she made me promise to take care of Isaac. To tell him how proud she was of him and that she'd always be with him. She'd talk like this before to scare me, worked every time. But this time, she never woke up."
It grew silent again, Mei covered her mouth to make less noise as she completely gave in to the tears.
"Isaac wasn't here when she…" He trailed off then took off his glasses to wipe his teary eyes with his sleeve.
"I'll keep my promise to her, but right now I'm the last person he wants to talk to. So, Mei, may I ask you to go and talk to him? Despite how he looks, this is hitting him harder than any of us."
"Of course. Uhm… Could I say a few things?" Mei said, between sobs. To which he replied with a nod.
Mei walked closer to the other side of the bed. She saw Mrs. Aikawa, her pale face didn't match her lively smile. Mei thought that even in death, nothing could ever hope to make her look bad. She knelt down beside her, as she struggled to find the words.
"Hey, Mrs. Aikawa. It's me, Mei. I just wanted to say sorry, for being such a headache while Isaac and I were growing up. And to say thank you, for letting me be a part of your family, welcoming me into your home, and sharing that blueberry cheesecake specialty of yours." Mei tried to smile through her sniffles.
"I'll make sure to take care of Isaac. I promise."
Mei stood up, offering her condolences to Mr. Aikawa before leaving the room. She took one last look at her before exiting, her sweet and lively smile was one she would never forget.
"Mei, how're you doing?" Sydney asked.
"I'm okay, Syd. But right now we need to find Isaac."
"I spotted him earlier. He was in the recreational area outside the hospital."
"Really? Okay, let's go."
"You go. I think it's better if it's just the two of you there. I'll go call Rikki and tell him to get here ASAP."
Mei nodded. She dashed through the hallway and squeezed into the elevator right before the doors closed. She continued her sprint, luckily the crowd thinned out after her and Sydney's escapade earlier.
Reaching the recreational area outside, one or two patients were resting on wooden benches along the main pathway which was shadowed by dense trees and shrubbery. Along the path was an entrance to the playground which had no trees to cover the moonlight from the sky.
"Hey."
Mei sharply turned to the source of the voice. Isaac was there, sitting on one of the two swings hanging from the swingset. He had a pack of sodas with him and half of it was already gone.
"Seats are free. Care for a sip, Mei?"