↳ 𝖊𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖒𝖆║(ᶜᴼᴾ! ᵁˢᴴᴵᴶᴵᴹᴬ ˣ ᴿᴱᴬᴰᴱᴿ)

𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝖘𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓

"scalpel."

without a seconds delay, you handed over the instruments at request, your full focus on completing the operation.

"gauze."

you obeyed again, careful not to make any mistakes. luckily for you, despite your nerves, it wasn't you who made the mistake.

the anaesthetist must have miscalculated the time your father should've been unconscious for, because half way during the operation, he woke up screaming in pain.

everyone in the operation theatre was taken aback, and your father began his usual routine of throwing anything he got his hands on; the tray of operation instruments, the syringes, and anything else he could find.

"sir, we need you to stop moving." once nurse interjected, and got a syringe thrown at her.

"step back." you told everyone. "it's okay to restrain him with force, he's a criminal."

"but (l/n), he's a patient right now—"

"with three identified murder cases. if we report his violent behaviour, restraining him will be justified. of course, the anaesthetist might suffer a lot due to their mistake." you clarified.

"...understood." the doctor in charge nodded, making eye contact with the nurse on the other side of the operation bed. "you. hold him down. (l/n), syringe."

"yes sir." you responded immediately, and picked up once of the syringes that hadn't made contact with the floor.

"one of you, inform the anaesthetist about this. we can't afford to make any more mistakes."

the room was silent, apart from the shuffling around of staff and the heart monitor as they tried to get the situation under control.

"(f/n), you should step out. this doesn't look good for you."

"what?"

"you're personally involved with this criminal, if news of this gets out, all accusations will be pointed at you. wait outside and we'll call you in if we need more hands but otherwise it's best if you aren't near this operation."

as much as you'd wanted to disagree, the doctor was right. all blame would be pointed at you, the victim of your father's torment for years. and despite being the culprit, your father would have the sympathy of the public, if the news twisted their words enough.

"okay." you nodded. "please let me know as soon as you need help."

you weren't excessively worried. the doctors were perfectly capable of handling this case, it was more so a fear of what your father would do if he woke up again. but you were certain the same mistake wouldn't occur twice, and decided to stop thinking about it.

since you couldn't be inside the operation room, you sent down a nurse to tell the police that you were ready for questioning.

this time, i'll do this right.

~•~

"excuse me, what?"

"we're so sorry ms. (l/n). it couldn't be helped, we tried our hardest but—"

"no, no. forget that. what did you say was the result of this?" you asked again, bewildered. you were sure that laughing right now wouldn't be appropriate, but the relief you felt bubbling inside you was undeniable.

"...he's paralysed from neck down, miss."

"oh... okay." was all you managed to say. you couldn't find the right words to say at the moment. "i'll just— i'll go see him before the police come to take him."

ushijima was already waiting outside your father's room for you, and you filled him in on your father's condition.
he too, was unsure of how to react, but the fact that he felt more at ease was evident.

it was as if a huge weight was lifted off your shoulders. you didn't need to fear for your life every waking second anymore. ushijima didn't have to worry endlessly either. for the first time since you were young, this was the most peaceful you'd ever felt.

you sucked in a deep breath and pushed open the door to your fathers room, ushijima following close behind you.

"(f-f/n)-chan?"

seeing your father nervous was a first, and quite the sight to be seen. "aw, look at you. how does it feel to be the one on a hospital bed hanging on to fear life for a change?" you greeted, smiling brightly.

ushijima had to bite back a chuckle. "you really didn't hold back."

"why should i? he's a literal murderer. and now he's powerless." you shrugged.

"don't get too cocky (f/n)-chan. i'm not done with you yet." your father's voice, which would have sent shivers down your spine only hours prior, now lacked its usual confidence.

you scoffed, folding your arms over your chest. "and what are you going to do? glare at me?"

"i-"

"you're powerless now. so worry about what i could do to you to bring you to ruins."

ushijima seemed to be at a loss for words. there were so many things he'd have liked to do. punch your father across the face for once, but he had his job at stake if he did that. "you won't be stepping outside of a prison cell anytime soon. i'll make sure of it." he finally stated, and you placed your hand on ushijima's shoulder.

"let's go see mom, she's not that hurt but she could probably use our company." you said softly and he nodded reluctantly. the two of you left your father in the room, sending in some staff to keep an eye on him.

before you left the room, you threw him a smug look, one he'd given you one too many times. but that's his time, it was your turn to laugh at his state.

"let's go?" ushijima asked, holding out his arm to you and accepted with a gentle smile.

"mhm, let's go." you let him lead the way, and spoke up again while walking. "hey toshi, thank you. for staying with me through everything."

he gave your hand a comforting squeeze. "i promised, didn't i?"

"yeah, but still. it means a lot to me."

you mean a lot to me.

"anytime. after all, it makes me happy when you smile."

all of a sudden, you felt like you were thrown back in time to when ushijima followed you around in high school reciting pickup lines just to see you smile. this boy really did go above and beyond to make you happy, and you didn't know how to respond to his kindness.

"i love you." you finally managed.

"i love you too, (f/n)."

~•~

ok there's literally one more chapter and maybe an epilogue and that's it!! i wanna finish this book by this weekend so hopefully i'll be able to update again soon!!

i cant believe it's been a year since i started this wtf?? but i'm glad i wrote this, and i'm vvvvv grateful to all of you who stick with me despite my irregular updating schedule y'all are godsend

ily all, mwahs!! <3