Surprisingly calm
Guilt and Forgiveness
Aaron, Gui Gui and Genie sat outside Jiro’s ward in the hospital, and waited for the doctors to finish their examination of Jiro.
Genie sat and twisted her hands in nervousness, and looked like she could start crying every minute it should be. Gui Gui bit her lower lip, and Aaron could see that her eyes were glossy.
Aaron’s own mind was practically blank. Less than an hour ago, Xiao Gui had declared that he knew that Aaron was guilty in Emma’s death. Right after that, Jiro fainted. They had quickly called an ambulance, and Jiro’s parents were about to arrive. The doctors had examined Jiro for quite a long time now, and the atmosphere became tenser for every second.
Finally Jiro’s parents arrived. They weren’t quite what Aaron had expected – he had thought of some kind of hippie-happy parents in flower-power clothes – Jiro’s dad was in tight suit and seemed to look strict when his face was not covered in worry, and his mother looked elegant and smart (which was the complete opposite of Jiro’s appearance).
“What happened? Where is he?” Jiro’s mother asked anxiously and looked worried around until she noticed Aaron, Gui Gui and Genie.
“Oh, Ying Jie! We came as quick as we could, what exactly happened?!” she continued, and sat down next to Gui Gui and took her hand. Her husband sat down next to her. Aaron sat on Gui Gui’s other side, and Genie sat on the opposite side of the passage and sniffled.
Gui Gui explained that Jiro just suddenly fainted, after expressing that he was a bit dizzy. Her voice cracked, and she hided her head in her hands and sniffled.
When Jiro’s dad finally said something, his voice was surprisingly deep.
“It’s probably just a small thing… He will hopefully get over it fast…” He didn’t sound like he really believed it himself.
They didn’t ask to Genie and Aaron’s identities – Aaron came to the conclusion that Jiro had already told his parents about them.
The door into Jiro’s ward opened and a doctor came out with some nurses, who rushed down the passage to get some instruments.
The doctor dried sweat from his forehead, and Jiro’s parents got on their feet. The other three listened anxiously.
“We’ve examined him, and it is pretty critical. He’s got a blood clot in the brain, and as his brain already has some… development problems, it is even more dangerous. It is fortunately not too big, so we’ve temporarily given him some blood-thinning medicine, so the blood can flow a bit easier, but we have to operate as soon as possible. You can visit him now, if you want,” the doctor said, like he had said it a hundred times before and quickly walked down the passage after the nurses.
They all rushed into the room where Jiro was. He was still unconscious, and Gui Gui and Aaron decided by eye contact to let his parents see him first. They hold Genie back, who now cried unrestrained.
“Let go of me!” she said, “I need to see him!”
“Genie, let his parents see him first,” Gui Gui said, while Aaron had got Genie’s arms twisted behind her back so she couldn’t get free, even though she tried with all her might.
“Genie, calm down!” Aaron said, and struggled to keep her still.
“I… need… to…” she said through her tears.
“Genie, we are just as worried and upset as you! Will you please calm down, crying like that will only make him feel worse,” Gui Gui said, and it had the right effect. Aaron could loose his grasp, and they sat down in some chairs in the room and waited. Genie tried to pull herself together, but she was too upset. Tears had also started to run down on Gui Gui’s cheeks, but in a calmer way than Genie’s hiccupping weeping. Aaron looked down at his feet and tried not to think about Xiao Gui’s words. He wouldn’t really tell Gui Gui, would he? But on the other hand, he seemed like a person who wasn’t afraid to do it if he could get benefit from it.
After some time Jiro’s parents gave way for them to talk to Jiro. He had just woken up. They said they would go down and talk to the doctors, and left the room.
Jiro smiled faint, when they sat down around him. Genie tried to hide her tears.
“Genie, don’t cry, I will be fine,” Jiro said in a weak voice, and took her hand. Genie totally broke down and cried down in his blanket. Gui Gui also couldn’t hold it anymore, but she chose Aaron’s shoulder to cry on instead.
Aaron laid his arms around her and her hair.
“How do you feel, Jiro?” Aaron finally asked. Jiro looked relieved from the depressed atmosphere, and answered:
“I am dizzy, but it’s better when I lie down. My parents told me about the situation,” he said, and looked surprisingly calm – maybe he was just too tired. But it wasn’t his usual tone of speaking either; this sounded more mature.
“We were also told,” Aaron said, and still caressed Gui Gui’s hair. He liked that she was so close to him, especially now when he was threatened to loose her.
Jiro nodded thoughtful.
“Are you… afraid of the operation?” Aaron asked. It was now impossible for the two girls to form a connected sentence through their sniffling.
“Not at all,” Jiro said, and laid his hand supporting over Genie’s back. “I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel that my mind is very clear, apart from the dizziness, but that only reaches my eyes and balance.”
Aaron got a spontaneous thought – wasn’t Jiro’s brain underdeveloped? What if the blood clot had a temporary effect on that?
A few doctors and nurses came in, followed by Jiro’s parents, and they made ready to take Jiro to the operation department. Jiro wiped some tears from Genie’s face, and she got up. Aaron and Gui Gui also got on their feet.
They should wait outside the operation room, and Jiro’s parents decided to go down in the cafeteria, as they thought it would be no use just to sit in front of the room when the operation anyway was going to take a few hours.
Genie had been clever to bring some packs of napkins, and shared with Gui Gui. Aaron, who at first also had felt a want to cry, had somehow calmed down by Jiro’s calm and collected state.
He could now use all his powers on consoling the two girls – or better said Gui Gui, because Genie was inconsolable.
When Genie was at her fifth package, Gui Gui said thoughtful:
“This year, I’ve realized how unpredictable death can be.”
Aaron looked at her.
“I mean, my sister just died so suddenly… And now Jiro is in danger. I really…” – her voice cracked – “hope he survives.” She whispered the last.
Aaron felt a sudden urge to vomit, but tried to ignore it. He sat in the middle of two girls who were totally dissolves in tears, and didn’t know what to do. He laid his arms around Gui Gui again, but didn’t know if he could do that to Genie.
“Uhm… Genie, did you hear what Jiro said just before? He isn’t afraid. You, we, shouldn’t be afraid either,” he said. Genie sniffled, but it seemed to calm her down a little.
Jiro’s parents came back, and they waited in silence.
Finally, the doctor came out.
Genie sat and twisted her hands in nervousness, and looked like she could start crying every minute it should be. Gui Gui bit her lower lip, and Aaron could see that her eyes were glossy.
Aaron’s own mind was practically blank. Less than an hour ago, Xiao Gui had declared that he knew that Aaron was guilty in Emma’s death. Right after that, Jiro fainted. They had quickly called an ambulance, and Jiro’s parents were about to arrive. The doctors had examined Jiro for quite a long time now, and the atmosphere became tenser for every second.
Finally Jiro’s parents arrived. They weren’t quite what Aaron had expected – he had thought of some kind of hippie-happy parents in flower-power clothes – Jiro’s dad was in tight suit and seemed to look strict when his face was not covered in worry, and his mother looked elegant and smart (which was the complete opposite of Jiro’s appearance).
“What happened? Where is he?” Jiro’s mother asked anxiously and looked worried around until she noticed Aaron, Gui Gui and Genie.
“Oh, Ying Jie! We came as quick as we could, what exactly happened?!” she continued, and sat down next to Gui Gui and took her hand. Her husband sat down next to her. Aaron sat on Gui Gui’s other side, and Genie sat on the opposite side of the passage and sniffled.
Gui Gui explained that Jiro just suddenly fainted, after expressing that he was a bit dizzy. Her voice cracked, and she hided her head in her hands and sniffled.
When Jiro’s dad finally said something, his voice was surprisingly deep.
“It’s probably just a small thing… He will hopefully get over it fast…” He didn’t sound like he really believed it himself.
They didn’t ask to Genie and Aaron’s identities – Aaron came to the conclusion that Jiro had already told his parents about them.
The door into Jiro’s ward opened and a doctor came out with some nurses, who rushed down the passage to get some instruments.
The doctor dried sweat from his forehead, and Jiro’s parents got on their feet. The other three listened anxiously.
“We’ve examined him, and it is pretty critical. He’s got a blood clot in the brain, and as his brain already has some… development problems, it is even more dangerous. It is fortunately not too big, so we’ve temporarily given him some blood-thinning medicine, so the blood can flow a bit easier, but we have to operate as soon as possible. You can visit him now, if you want,” the doctor said, like he had said it a hundred times before and quickly walked down the passage after the nurses.
They all rushed into the room where Jiro was. He was still unconscious, and Gui Gui and Aaron decided by eye contact to let his parents see him first. They hold Genie back, who now cried unrestrained.
“Let go of me!” she said, “I need to see him!”
“Genie, let his parents see him first,” Gui Gui said, while Aaron had got Genie’s arms twisted behind her back so she couldn’t get free, even though she tried with all her might.
“Genie, calm down!” Aaron said, and struggled to keep her still.
“I… need… to…” she said through her tears.
“Genie, we are just as worried and upset as you! Will you please calm down, crying like that will only make him feel worse,” Gui Gui said, and it had the right effect. Aaron could loose his grasp, and they sat down in some chairs in the room and waited. Genie tried to pull herself together, but she was too upset. Tears had also started to run down on Gui Gui’s cheeks, but in a calmer way than Genie’s hiccupping weeping. Aaron looked down at his feet and tried not to think about Xiao Gui’s words. He wouldn’t really tell Gui Gui, would he? But on the other hand, he seemed like a person who wasn’t afraid to do it if he could get benefit from it.
After some time Jiro’s parents gave way for them to talk to Jiro. He had just woken up. They said they would go down and talk to the doctors, and left the room.
Jiro smiled faint, when they sat down around him. Genie tried to hide her tears.
“Genie, don’t cry, I will be fine,” Jiro said in a weak voice, and took her hand. Genie totally broke down and cried down in his blanket. Gui Gui also couldn’t hold it anymore, but she chose Aaron’s shoulder to cry on instead.
Aaron laid his arms around her and her hair.
“How do you feel, Jiro?” Aaron finally asked. Jiro looked relieved from the depressed atmosphere, and answered:
“I am dizzy, but it’s better when I lie down. My parents told me about the situation,” he said, and looked surprisingly calm – maybe he was just too tired. But it wasn’t his usual tone of speaking either; this sounded more mature.
“We were also told,” Aaron said, and still caressed Gui Gui’s hair. He liked that she was so close to him, especially now when he was threatened to loose her.
Jiro nodded thoughtful.
“Are you… afraid of the operation?” Aaron asked. It was now impossible for the two girls to form a connected sentence through their sniffling.
“Not at all,” Jiro said, and laid his hand supporting over Genie’s back. “I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel that my mind is very clear, apart from the dizziness, but that only reaches my eyes and balance.”
Aaron got a spontaneous thought – wasn’t Jiro’s brain underdeveloped? What if the blood clot had a temporary effect on that?
A few doctors and nurses came in, followed by Jiro’s parents, and they made ready to take Jiro to the operation department. Jiro wiped some tears from Genie’s face, and she got up. Aaron and Gui Gui also got on their feet.
They should wait outside the operation room, and Jiro’s parents decided to go down in the cafeteria, as they thought it would be no use just to sit in front of the room when the operation anyway was going to take a few hours.
Genie had been clever to bring some packs of napkins, and shared with Gui Gui. Aaron, who at first also had felt a want to cry, had somehow calmed down by Jiro’s calm and collected state.
He could now use all his powers on consoling the two girls – or better said Gui Gui, because Genie was inconsolable.
When Genie was at her fifth package, Gui Gui said thoughtful:
“This year, I’ve realized how unpredictable death can be.”
Aaron looked at her.
“I mean, my sister just died so suddenly… And now Jiro is in danger. I really…” – her voice cracked – “hope he survives.” She whispered the last.
Aaron felt a sudden urge to vomit, but tried to ignore it. He sat in the middle of two girls who were totally dissolves in tears, and didn’t know what to do. He laid his arms around Gui Gui again, but didn’t know if he could do that to Genie.
“Uhm… Genie, did you hear what Jiro said just before? He isn’t afraid. You, we, shouldn’t be afraid either,” he said. Genie sniffled, but it seemed to calm her down a little.
Jiro’s parents came back, and they waited in silence.
Finally, the doctor came out.
***
Sorry for the long wait :/
And I’m sorry to say that I don’t think I can update as often as I used to in the summer vacation, when I start in school again Monday -.-‘’’’ But I will update as much as I can, if I get enough comments (it is much more attractive to write, if you know that someone appreciates it).
I’m a bit in doubt if I’ll let Jiro get a normal brain, I think I will miss his childish personality xD
Hope you like the chapter, I would also really love to know what you think of the writing stile ^^, thank you all for commenting!! Makes me keep updating.
- Blitz
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