“Flowers May Scatter, Yet I Am With You” 13

Chapter 12: A New Heartbeat
The moment I surfaced from the depths of darkness, the world was filled with the dull sound of water being struck.
——Tap, tap.
It took me several seconds to realize that the rhythmic impact echoing deep within my ears was now the signal of my own life.

When I opened my eyelids, the shadowless lamp on the ceiling was already off, and only the pale orange indirect lighting illuminated the hospital room. An oxygen cannula was at my mouth, my throat was dry, and ECG leads were draped across my chest, straddling the bandages.
“Post-op ICU.” A place I had only ever read or heard about was now becoming reality at the edge of my vision.

“Oh... you opened your eyes?”
I tried to turn my neck toward the voice, but my shoulders jerked from a dull pain.
My father, Kazunori, was leaning forward on the simple sofa by the bedside. As if it were the middle of the night, his hair was disheveled, and he was clutching an open medical chart to his chest.
“Dad...”
My voice was raspy, but I managed to get it out. My father smiled awkwardly and pressed the nurse call button.
“Doctor! She’s regained consciousness!”

A few minutes later, Dr. Saeki and a nurse entered. Blood pressure, pupillary reflex, level of consciousness. They proceeded with quick checks, as if inspecting a ship that had just been pulled from the water.
“Blood pressure is fine. Consciousness is clear. A good awakening.”
Saeki placed a stethoscope against my chest. Thump—thump.
I could hear it. More than with my ears, I felt a deep, thick pulsation within my chest that I had never experienced before.
“This heartbeat...”
When I asked, Saeki lowered his gaze and caught his breath.
“I’ll explain in more detail in a little while. But I will say this: it was an infinitely ideal heart for you.”
An ambiguous way of putting it. Behind him, I saw my father hanging his head low.

The IV bottle was replaced, and painkillers filled my veins. The pain receded, and in its place, a numbness like a mild fever spread.
“Where is Mom...?”
“In the hallway. She’ll switch with me in a few minutes.”
My father said that, then lost his voice, gripping both hands tightly.
The weight of that silence fell upon my chest, and gradually, it began to beat with an unsettling rhythm.
(Why... is everyone making a face like that...)

After drifting between sleep and wakefulness several times, daylight leaked through the curtains. Supported by my mother, I sat up slightly. Relieved that there was no longer a tube in my throat, the scent of rich chicken broth passed through my nostrils.
“You can’t have porridge yet. Let’s just lick some ice.”
My mother’s voice was trembling. Tears welled up the moment I took in moisture. I didn’t know why. It was just that the heartbeat in my chest was telling me it wasn’t my own.
“Hey, Dad. ...What happened last night?”
My father and mother looked at each other. I could tell they were communicating with their eyes.
“Let’s talk after you’ve settled down.”
They wouldn’t say anything more. The pulsation beneath the bandages was, conversely, eloquent.

Evening. The oxygen cannula was removed, and my breathing, though shallow, stabilized on its own. Just as the ICU doctor began explaining the criteria for moving to a regular room, I heard the voices of Vice Principal Ishikawa and Rika Wakamatsu from the hallway.
Rika held her breath through the glass, pressed her hands together, bowed, and left. The vice principal stood there for a long time, knocked on the door twice, but eventually turned away as if giving up on entering.
(Teacher... what happened at school?)
The question rose to my throat, but it didn’t become a voice.

Night. After my parents left the room, Saeki appeared alone and sat in a chair.
“I think it’s about time I told you.”
He checked the heart rate on the monitor and said quietly.
“The heart that was scheduled for yesterday did not match in the final cross-match. You remember that, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“Two hours later, another donor appeared. It was a rare case—young, and both the blood type and physique matched yours. The specimen was negative, and the possibility of rejection was at the lowest level.”
(Whose... was it?)
Even without opening my mouth, the doctor read that I was asking with my eyes.
“...It was Kyoichi Yoshino.”
Time stopped. The beep of the heart monitor skipped a beat.
“Brain death was declared due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage. He had registered his intent to donate organs while he was alive. His family also consented, and you were chosen as the top priority. ...There are no medical or ethical issues.”
Even though the words reached me, their meaning broke down and overflowed in my brain. My breathing became shallow and a nurse rushed over, but no alarm sounded. The center of my chest was hot, and it was beating painfully.
(Teacher... is inside me...?)
Tears streamed to the edge of my pillow. Saeki stood up and closed the curtains slightly.
“A shock reaction is natural. But this heartbeat is certainly supporting you. Just as Mr. Yoshino said, ‘Don’t run away,’ right?”
The doctor left, and the lights went out.

Late at night.
(Teacher, how sincere can you be...)
I placed both hands on my chest. The heartbeat was strong and regular, but its texture was different from my old one.
(I will live. ...With this heart.)
My resolve seeped out with my tears, and I closed my eyelids. In the distance, the ventilation fan hummed low, and the air in the ICU circulated quietly.
A new spring pulsed deep within my chest.

To Chapter 13→

Prologue —The Scattered Voice Falls into My Heart—
Chapter 1: A Colorless Spring
Chapter 2: A Pale Pink Premonition
Chapter 3: Cherry Blossom Remedial Class
Chapter 4: Father’s Shadow, Daughter’s Resolve
Chapter 5: Wavering Teachers
Chapter 6: Twilight Promise
Chapter 7: Rainy Donor Notification
Chapter 8: Hospital Room Confession
Chapter 9: White Dawn
Chapter 10: Shattering Flash
Chapter 11: Quiet Handover
Chapter 12: A New Heartbeat
Chapter 13: Classroom After the Rain
Chapter 14: Hill Road in the Fragrant Breeze
Epilogue

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