I was in my hospital room when two nurses called me. They came to pick me up with a wheelchair, and I sat down, allowing them to transport me to the operating room. We took the elevator down to the ground floor where the operating room was located. Even though I could have walked there perfectly fine, it was standard procedure to have the patient taken to the room.
Outside the entrance were my parents, my sister, and my cousin. The strange thing was the delay of Ayeme-san and her aunt. She should have already been out of school, so I couldn't understand the reason for the delay.
I thought to myself, "I'll see them later, I guess."
Meanwhile, I saw the faces of my loved ones surrounding me with a mixture of melancholy and hope. Each of them prayed silently that everything would go well, and I was doing the same.
Because of the uncertainty, I said the following words to everyone, "Thank you!" Their faces showed curiosity at my statement. "I love you all."
My sister and cousin burst into tears suddenly, while my mother and father, along with the others, struggled to hold back their emotions. "If, by chance, we shouldn't see each other again..."
"Please... don't say that!" Chika sobbed through her tears. Even my parents, who were trying to remain as composed as possible, broke down in tears.
"Please listen. It's a possibility, but know that I love you all. If I haven't broken down before, it's because of all of you..."
My tears started to flow as I spoke, and I tried to wipe them away by passing my hands over my eyes.
"...therefore, I'll fight. I'll keep fighting to come out of this alive. I love you all. You are my life."
The nurses, affected by the situation even though they had nothing to do with it, announced that it was time to go in. But before I left, my mother knelt in front of me, tears streaming down her face, and repeatedly kissed my cheek.
"My dear... please come back to us. We love you too."
I wanted my mother's touch to last forever, but I had to go in. I lay down on the bed in that large, cold room, and they gave me an injection to completely anesthetize my body and put me to sleep.
As the drug took effect, I felt my strength slowly leave me. I could hear the instruments being prepared and ready for use.
I began to think about my life, all the difficulties and problems I had faced, and the strength I had to find to react and survive, not just exist.
Despite all the anguish and emotional pain I had experienced, I had to be honest... I had to be grateful.
If it weren't for this illness, I would have never come to this city. We wouldn't have bought our house, and as a result, I would have never met Ayame-san.
Perhaps an outsider might think it's impossible to compare meeting a person with having or not having a disease. Indeed, they would be right. It would be foolish to equate the two, but for some strange reason, I couldn't help but think that if I imagined a version of myself who had never met her, I felt a sharp pain in my heart that I couldn't explain.
Now that I'm here, it feels like things were meant to happen this way, like I was destined to meet her.
In the midst of these thoughts, my eyes started to feel heavier, almost closing on their own. The light around me became blurred, and the noises around me grew distant.
The anesthesia was taking effect.
I fell asleep with Ayame's face imprinted in my mind, praying to God to open my eyes as soon as possible.