【 Summer of Rain-Colored Tones 7 】

Masayuki, along with two paramedics, carried Kataoka out of the restroom, but he was no longer breathing. One of the paramedics immediately began CPR. Watching this in silence, Masayuki whispered to himself, "It's already too late..."

"We'll take him to the hospital immediately."
As if prompted by the paramedic's words, he helped the distraught wife into the ambulance. Masayuki, left behind, locked up the apartment before heading to the general hospital where they were taking him.
After asking for directions at the reception desk and walking through long, maze-like corridors, Masayuki arrived at the location to find the wife sitting alone on a bench in the hallway.
"Yoshida-san..."
There was no need to confirm the situation. The sight of the wife sitting powerlessly in a daze spoke more eloquently than any words could. Masayuki sat down next to her and said in a whisper,
"It didn't go well, did it?"
"Yes..."

Before long, the door to the examination room opened, and a nurse's voice called out, "Kataoka-san, please come in."
Saying "Yes," the wife stood up. However, she froze in place and turned a gaze toward Masayuki that seemed to be pleading for help.
Perhaps frightened by the nurse's urging voice, "Kataoka-san, please come in," the wife said in a trembling voice,
"Yoshida-san, could you please come with me?"
"Of course," Masayuki replied, and he entered the examination room with her.
"And who is this?" the attending physician asked, casting a suspicious look at Masayuki.
"I am a friend of her husband. I was at the apartment with the two of them when this happened..."
"I see."
"I asked him to come with me. Is that not allowed?"
The wife said in a trembling voice that sounded as if she were about to cry, as if begging.
"That will be fine, then," the doctor said, and began to explain the cause of death.

"This is Japanese, I understand the words. I understand what is being said. But it isn't reaching me. What is this strange feeling? It's as if the meaning of the words, or the content of the conversation, isn't getting through at all." Thinking this, Masayuki closed his eyes and listened to the doctor's explanation.
"What would you like to do?" The doctor's voice suddenly grew louder, so Masayuki looked at him. The doctor was staring straight at the wife and said,
"I will say it again. As I just explained, there are no particular questions regarding the cause of death. Personally, I do not think an 'autopsy' is necessary. However, if you are absolutely unable to accept this, I will consider it. What would you like to do?"
"I..." the wife said, turning a gaze toward Masayuki as if seeking his agreement. Masayuki nodded silently, conveying with his eyes that it was fine.
"This is fine as it is, please do not perform an autopsy. Please do not torment my husband's body even after he has passed. I beg you." Saying this, the wife broke down in tears right there.
Surely, her tension had reached its limit, and the hoops of her heart had come undone.
"I understand. Then, we will do that. A nurse will explain the procedures from here on out." The doctor left the room after saying that.
"Please wait a little longer in the chairs from before." Prompted by the nurse, the two of them sat back down on the bench in the hallway.
Fluorescent lights illuminated the windowless corridor. Gray walls, gray ceiling, gray floor, gray doors... In a space stripped of color, only the sound of the nurse's footsteps echoed loudly from time to time.

Although she had been prepared, the wife had no way to accept the sudden death of her husband, and Masayuki could not accept the sudden death of his friend at all. Only the silence flowed quietly between the two of them, left behind.

The bench, which felt like thick vinyl stretched directly over wooden boards, could hardly be called comfortable. As he listened to his own thin-fleshed buttocks screaming in protest, Masayuki gradually began to regain his composure.
"How much time has passed since I noticed this pervasive smell of disinfectant..." Closing his eyes, Masayuki traced back the time that had passed.
When Masayuki opened his eyes after noticing someone's presence, white cross-strap nurse sandals came into his field of vision.
When he lifted his face, which had been looking down before he knew it, the nurse from earlier was standing in front of him. She then said in a calm tone, "I will guide you to your husband."
Prompted by the nurse, the two walked through the maze-like corridors again, took a slow-moving elevator down to the basement, and walked through more maze-like corridors until they finally reached the room where Kataoka was sleeping. It was built like a regular private room, and flowers were decorated on a small table by the wall.
A white cloth was draped over Kataoka's face as he slept in the bed. When Masayuki gently lifted the cloth, Kataoka looked as if he were sleeping with a very peaceful expression.

Even though it was midsummer, a thick blanket was draped over him, and Masayuki felt a slight sense of discomfort at that. The moment Masayuki spoke to the nurse, saying, "Isn't it hot?", he corrected himself, thinking, "Right, he doesn't feel anything anymore..." Immediately, his eyes grew hot, and tears threatened to spill over. It was the moment Masayuki faced the reality of Kataoka's [death].

The nurse, who had been handing a few documents to the wife and telling her to sign them, asked, "Huh?" He did not answer that, but instead told the wife, "I'm going outside for a moment," and began to walk toward the room's door.
To the wife who said, "Yoshida-san, please stay with me, don't leave me alone," he replied, "It's okay, I'll be back as soon as I contact the company," then told the nurse, "Please take care of this person," and Masayuki left the room.
When he went outside, the summer sun was blocked by clouds, but it was as hot as if he had stepped into a steam bath.
In the sweltering heat, Masayuki looked for his car, but he couldn't find it anywhere.
"This won't do," Masayuki thought, and began to climb the stairs toward the main entrance, looking for a place where he could see the entire parking lot. After climbing a few steps and turning around, he could see the whole parking lot.

ー To be continued ー

Facebook Publication Date 8/25 2020