Memories of An Old Lane.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ.

Yamamoto Shogo is the youngest heart surgeon at the hospital he is working at. His colleagues are telling him that he is already successful but he doesn't really acknowledge it because he feels he is still lacking something. He smiled at the patients and visitors while walking in the hallways. At the age of twenty-five, he is about to finish his internship soon.

He stayed up until dawn due to a surgery he needed to perform in. He yawned while opening the door of his office. Once he got inside, he took his coat off and hung it on the rack. He sat on his office chair and reached for a certain file on his table. He opened it and saw the profile of the patient he just performed a surgery with.

"Hasegawa Fuyu. Twenty-two years old. She has had a weak heart since she was five." He muttered and his gaze shifted on the photo attached on the upper right of the file. He rested his back on the seat as he pulled it off from the folder. He stared at her smiling face but he noticed how lonely her eyes were. He took his phone from his pocket and clicked a certain photo from his gallery.

"You look the same." A faint smile etched on his face. He lightly brushed his fingertip against the screen and it accidentally showed another photo.

"I miss you so much already." He doesn't know for how long he will stay in love with her but as long as he can see her photos or their photos together, he will never be able to move on.

A knock came from outside. He hid his phone back in his pocket and attached Fuyu's photo to the file again. The door went open when he closed the folder. A nurse came in to tell that his patient was finally awake. He stood up and took his coat from the rack. He went out of his office with the nurse and while walking in the hallways, his mind is full of old happy memories. His smiling mask is always on his face, greeting the people who greets him along the way.

The nurse opened the door and he went inside, seeing the patient's family at the side. A young man is sitting on the chair at the side of the patient's bed and he greeted them with a smile. They checked her vital signs first and after that, he explained to the family what they needed to know about their daughter's heart transplant. The patient is just looking at him while listening. She can't speak yet as the ventilator is still attached inside her mouth to provide oxygen. He saw that her parents are relieved after learning that the transplant is successful. He smiled at them and looked at her. He noticed that she was just staring at him and then, she slowly closed her eyes to sleep.

"Sensei, thank you." Her older twin brother, Makoto said after following him outside the room. He turned to look at him and smiled before nodding. He is happy that he was able to help another patient.

"I will check her up again later. For now, I will not detach the ventilator. It will take a few days before she can breathe properly without the help of it." He said and the younger one nodded while smiling.

"Thank you, Sensei. Thank you so much because you gave her heart to my twin sister." He doesn't know how he found out about it but perhaps, it is because she died a day before Fuyu's heart transplant.

"Take care of her." That's the last thing he said and he went back to his office. Until now, he can't believe that he was able to perform the surgery when his heart and mind was screaming for her.

It didn't take long for her to recover. She was caught staring at him when he checked her vital signs. Her cheeks went crimson and she looked away. The warmth of his palms against her skin is sending chills down to her spine and she hates to admit that he has an effect on her. She lied down in the bed again and hid under the blankets. As of now, they are the only ones inside the room since Makoto went out to buy food for lunch.

"Two days from now, you will be able to go back home already. You will still need to have your weekly check ups to make sure that your heart is completely compatible with your body. You can do things but little by little. Don't push yourself too much when you can't." He advised but it looked like she was not listening, so he gently pulled the blankets away.

He let out a sigh and covered her again with blankets. She fell asleep. How can she fall asleep that fast? He stared at her sleeping figure and he unconsciously reached his arm out to ruffle her hair. He should not mix his personal matters in his work. He quickly stood up and left the room. She opened her eyes and sat up in bed again. She placed her hand on her hair and caressed it. It gave her heart a fluttering feeling. She acted like she was fixing her hair when Makoto came in with a plastic bag full of bento boxes.

"I bought your favorite fried chicken and mushroom soup. And then, lemon juice." He smiled at her and then, she moved the overbed table in front of her.

"I asked Sensei if you can have fried chicken and he said yes. I made sure that it is not that oily." She bit her lips lightly when she mentioned him but she smiled and nodded.

While eating, they talked about her going back to university. Despite having a weak heart before, she was able to finish her studies until high school. It just started acting up too much when she attended university. Makoto promised not to leave her alone, so he also stopped from studying to take care of her. He has been by her side since they were babies, so he is too protective over her. Now that she will not have any more heart complications, they will visit places already like amusement parks and aquariums.

"I will continue my part-time job when we start attending university again." He smiled and she puffed her cheeks.

"I also want to work. I want money to buy some things." She took the bottle of lemon juice and drank from it.

"You can ask Mom and Dad for money." He said but she shook her head. She got her spoon and had some mushroom soup.

"I want to earn money for it. I will ask Sensei when I can have a part-time job." She smiled excitedly while feeling her cheeks heating up.