[2-D] Ayaka Arai (Nurse) Act 2 #ThoseWhoCannotReturn

The blue tarpspread over the gymnasium floor did not block out the night's chill.
Unable to sleep, Ayaka tossed and turned repeatedly. What remained in her ears were the coughing of people, the crying of children, and the irregularaftershocksshaking the building. Even when she closed her eyes, the scene of the chaotic hospital ward on the day of the disaster surfaced.

“—You’re a nurse, aren’t you?”
Startled from her dozing, Ayaka sat up. An elderly woman stood there anxiously, pulling her grandchild by the hand.
“This child, I think they have a fever...”

She didn't remember telling anyone her name or profession. But news seemed to travel fast. Ayaka took a thermometer from her bag and gently touched the child's forehead. It was hot.
“It’s going to be okay. Let’s have them drink water little by little and keep them warm.”
Even as she said this, there were no sufficient blankets or medicine here. All she had on hand was a basic first-aid kit and a few masks she had brought from the hospital.

In the morning, when the shelter staff called out, “Is there anyone here who is a medical professional?”, Ayaka eventually took the lead in setting up a makeshift medical corner.
People coughing, people showing their scrapes, people who had run out of their regular medication.
Every time she responded, Ayaka told herself,
—This is nothing more than first aid; these are patients who should be seen at a hospital.
But traffic had stopped, and the phones were not working.

“At the very least, let me check your blood pressure...”
She took measurements with the equipment she had and kept records. Every time the numbers scribbled on scraps of paper increased, the weight of the responsibility piled up in her chest.

After noon, Ayaka went outside and joined the distribution line.
What she was handed wasone rice ballanda bottle of water.
“Um... could you please give a little more to the children?”
When she spoke up, a man in line gave a bitter smile.
“Everyone is the same. Just because you’re a nurse doesn’t mean you get priority.”

Unable to find a response to his cold words, Ayaka accepted the rice ball with both hands. He was certainly right. She was just another evacuee herself.
But then, a small hand tugged at her sleeve. It was the child with the fever from earlier.
“Thank you, big sister.”
His weak smile made her chest tighten. Ayaka broke the rice ball in half and offered it to the child.

In the afternoon, the signal returned for a brief moment to her smartphone, which had been disconnected due to network failure.
Ayaka opened her messaging app with trembling fingers.
≪Ayaka, are you safe?≫
A short message from a friend. But it immediately changed to ≪No Service≫, and she couldn't send a reply.

In the notification bar on the screen, unfamiliar English posts were lined up.
≪#QuakeHelp≫≪#WhereIsSafe≫
—It seemed that foreign tourists were asking for help.
Ayaka briefly thought about launching a translation app, but noticing that her battery was below 20%, she hurriedly turned off the power.

“I’m sorry...”
Someone might be waiting for help on the other side of the screen. Even so, for now, she had no choice but to protect the scope of what she could handle.

Night.
In a corner of the shelter, Ayaka was checking on people's conditions again.
An elderly man sat down clutching his chest, and the surroundings became noisy.
“An ambulance!” someone shouted.
But no car would come. The phones were not working.

Ayaka desperately checked his pulse and called out to the young people nearby.
“Press here to help ease his breathing!”
They complied awkwardly.
Before long, the man's breathing calmed down, and a sigh of relief escaped.
“Thank you, nurse.”
At those words, Ayaka didn't even have the energy to force a smile in return. She simply pressed her trembling hands against her knees.

Late at night.
The draft in the gymnasium blew coldly through the gaps.
Ayaka hugged herself and closed her eyes.
Before being a nurse, the loneliness and anxiety of being a human being came rushing in.
“I want someone to protect me too...”

At that moment, a small cry came from outside.
“Meow...”
When she looked back, near the entrance of the shelter, a thincalico catwas crouching.
“Mike?”
She stood up instinctively. But hidden by the shadows of the crowd, it disappeared from sight immediately.
Perhaps it was just an illusion.

While leaving a faint warmth deep in her chest, Ayaka sat back down on the floor.
Tomorrow, she would surely face someone's life in the same way.
But whether there would be a place left for her after that—no one knows.

👉 Ayaka Act 3 to