THE MOTHER'S POINT OF VIEW


I couldn't sleep last night. The image of my deathly pale son lying in the ward kept popping up in my head. I was scared. I cried in the bathroom, remembering how my husband and I had put pressure on him, and realizing that I might not be able to apologize to him anymore.

There were dark circles under my eyes this morning, and I couldn't sleep. After cooking breakfast and seeing my husband off, I went to the hospital and sat there waiting for the operation to end. It lasted almost 8 hours. Due to intense emotions and a sleepless night, I fell asleep right on the bench.

I woke up because someone was pushing me. When I opened my eyes, I saw my husband standing over me. Tears were streaming from his eyes. The most terrible thoughts came into my head, but he calmed me down. It was only then that I noticed the smile on his face, full of happiness and relief. He said that the operation was completed and that everything was fine with our son. Like a mountain off my shoulders! I cried, and so did my husband. But those were tears of joy. He hugged me, and we sat like that for a few minutes, after which we went home. The doctor said he would call when the patient wakes up, and until then it is better not to disturb him.

A couple of days passed, and we were finally informed that our son had regained consciousness. We immediately went to the hospital, taking the fruit with us. When we entered the room, Izumi's face was still too pale, but not as pale as if he was dying. He looked at us and smiled faintly.

"Mom, Dad, where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, son. But don't worry, you're already on the mend. You'll be discharged soon.

He just nodded and stared at the ceiling.

"Son, I'm sorry for everything. When you're discharged, we'll go wherever you want. We'll spend time together.

"Excuse me?" For what?

— Well, for pushing you so hard and not talking for a long time.

— Oh, you mean that… I haven't been offended in a long time. I just haven't been home much lately, so I haven't been able to talk.

My husband and I exchanged glances. Tears welled up in my eyes. Izumi started to fall asleep again, and we decided not to ask about the details of that evening for now. I kissed him, and then he fell asleep. We stood for a while and looked at my son with smiles on our faces. My husband put his hand on my shoulder and held me close. We stood there for about half an hour.

---


IZUMI'S POINT OF VIEW


After a while, I was discharged, and my family and I went home. Himari was still in the hospital, as her condition was worse than mine. Due to numerous internal and external injuries, she could not recover for a long time, but doctors said that her condition was improving rapidly. After I was informed that Himari had woken up, I immediately went to visit her.

When I entered the room, Himari was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall. It reminded me of the moment we first met, when she was also sitting on a bench, looking into the distance. I went over to her.

"Himari, you've finally woken up.

"Izumi?" It's you?

"Yes, it's me, your friend Izumi.

She stared at me for a few seconds, and then tears began to flow from her eyes. She hugged me, and I, a little embarrassed, hugged her back.

—I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered in a trembling voice.

"It's okay, I'm here, alive and well.

"Thank you for saving me." Thank you, Izumi.

She cried for a few minutes, but then calmed down and returned to the bed. From that day on, I visited her every day.

At home, I had a heart-to-heart conversation with my parents. We apologized to each other for everything that happened and agreed to spend more time together. Our relationship started to improve.

Later, I said that I had an important conversation with them. We sat down at the table, and I gathered my thoughts and began:

— Mom, Dad, I want to tell you where I've been and what I've been doing all this time. Just please be understanding. And at the end, I will have a request that I hope you will not reject.

I've told the whole story from beginning to end, leaving out only minor details. The parents sat in silence, not interrupting. When I finished, I took a deep breath and said:

— Can Himari live with us?

They looked at each other, then at me, and after a short silence, they answered:

"Of course, son,— Mom said with joy in her voice.

"We'll help her move right after she's discharged,— her father added with a smile.

"Can you imagine, our son has finally found a girlfriend,— Mom jokingly remarked.

"We're not dating yet,— I smiled, blushing.

I thought they would refuse, but it seems they wanted it even more than I did. On the day of Himari's discharge, the whole family went to the hospital to pick her up. Akara was cured too, and we took him with us.

When we entered the room, Himari was anxiously packing her few belongings. We approached her.

"Himari, I didn't come alone today.

— Hello, Himari. We are Izumi's parents. We know your story and we want to ask you: would you like to live with us?

"Are you kidding?"

— No, we're serious.

"What about my father?" He won't let me go.

— He was imprisoned for a long time. The neighbors testified, and now he's behind bars.

—Then... please take care of me," she said with her sweetest smile. It was obvious that something [something] oppressing her had crumbled to dust, and now she looked as happy and cheerful as I had never seen her before.

My father and I waited in the hallway while my mother helped her change her clothes. Then we all went home together. Himari moved into my room. I gave her my bed and bought a soft futon for myself. The doctors said Himari couldn't stay alone, so we slept together.

At first, Himari couldn't sleep because of the nightmares. I read books to her before she went to sleep until she fell asleep. Sometimes in the morning I would find her sleeping next to me. I understood her: a new place, old wounds—it all took time.

But gradually she got used to our family, and we accepted her with warmth and love. I started going to university again, but transferred to correspondence studies, so I spent most of my time at work. I also finally finished writing a novel, which became quite popular, and even brought in a small income. While I was away, Himari listened to audiobooks or chatted with her mom.

When my father and I returned from work, the whole family gathered for dinner. We had fun telling each other about our days. Oh, how everything has changed! Previously, such moments were torture for me, but now I was ready to give everything so that this time would never end.

After finishing my studies, I confessed my feelings to Himari. She didn't answer at first, but by the end of the day she agreed. When I asked why she didn't answer right away, she said she was shy and consulted with her mom.I laughed and hugged her tightly. That day we went on our first date as a couple and had a great time.

That's how our days passed, surrounded by a loving family.

---


THE EPILOGUE


I was returning home through the dark streets of the city. "I'm a little late today," I thought, hurrying home. On the way, I stopped at a pastry shop and bought a cake to please my family.

At home, I knocked on the door and heard the sound of small feet.

"Be careful, Madoka, or you'll fall!"  A woman's voice rang out from behind the opening door.

—Welcome back, dear,— Himari said with a smile.

— Hi, Daddy!  A little girl shouted joyfully, holding out her arms to me.

— Hi, my daughter. Look what Daddy brought! — I showed her the cake, and she started jumping for joy.

—Welcome back, son," my parents said.

— Yes, I'm at home.

A lot has happened over the years. After Himari and I started dating, I worked even harder to secure our future. I thought she would start hating me for my absence, but she said she would wait for me as long as I tried for our sake.

Several years have passed. It was a difficult time, but Himari always supported me, as did my parents. They tried to distract me on weekends so that I wouldn't go crazy with work.

Finally, I saved up the necessary amount and decided to give Himari the most expensive gift for her birthday — I gave her my eye. As it turned out, Himari's blindness could be fixed with a very expensive eye transplant, which I had been saving up for all these years.

On Himari's birthday, I proposed to her. We were having dinner at a restaurant and I took out the ring and said:

— Himari, I've been thinking about this for a long time, I've been preparing for a long time, but I've decided it's now or never. You have filled my life with meaning and happiness. I'd like to spend the rest of it with you. Himari, will you marry me?

Himari gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. There was shock and disbelief in her eyes. But without thinking twice, she replied:

— Yes, I agree.

When I heard this, I almost jumped with happiness, but remembering that I needed to put on the ring, I knelt down and carefully put it on her finger. When I finished, I said softly:

— Do you remember when you asked me why I decided to have that operation?

—Y-yes, I remember.

— Now I can answer. When I realized that I had fallen in love with you, and saw how you were constantly sitting at home, unable to go out, my heart broke. I wanted to show you how beautiful this world is. That's why I organized our honeymoon trip.

- what? Are you serious?

"Himari, I've never been so serious.

"Amazing."..  She whispered, hugging me tightly.

After that, we got married and went on a trip. I took Himari to the most beautiful places, showing her how beautiful the world outside the house is. Every day was filled with new impressions and joy.

Later, we had a daughter, whom we named Madoka. This cute girl runs around the house every day, playing with Akaru. Our lives are filled with happiness and love. Soon Madoka will go to school, and new worries will begin, but this is a completely different story.

It's a simple, cozy life, and it suits me completely. And now I think I know what I'm going to write my next story about.


End.