The Promised Neverland Oneshots

the day flowers grew in his lungs

"Wait.. what?"

"Don't worry about it, Emma."

***

As Norman predicted, [Name] came. Norman stood outside Ray's unit, head turning left as he heard footfalls coming his way. [Name] ran to a point of a jog but it was obvious that she was actually running before she came in the building based on the sweat on her forehead and the way her torso heaved from breathlessness. A smirk wanted to tug on his lips, knowing that his text did the job — perhaps a bit too effectively. The pale-haired boy pulled his friend aside to the nearest vending machine and bought her a water bottle without so much as saying a word. She accepts the offer and takes a few gulps. She wipes away the sweat and recuperates from her adrenaline rush. After she calmed down and recovered, they both go sit down on a nearby bench. It was then that [Name] had completely lost whatever she wanted to say when she came rushing to the hospital. Norman was aware of this. He intended to make her panic and catch her off guard and it clearly worked. There was silence between the two of them for a while.

"Is he—?"

"You're aware of what you've done to my best friend, are you not?" Norman's blue eyes barely had to look at [Name] and yet he sees her flinch in his peripheral vision. He was serious. And terrifying.

[Name] gulps. "I didn't think this was going to happen..."

Norman sighs, his demeanour softening. Even despite what happened, they were all still friends. It may have been complicated with Ray's feelings for [Name] mixed into the fray but Norman had the best guess out of everyone else that [Name] also harboured the same feelings. But then, despite this, how did the fight lead to Ray's condition? Norman attempted to seek for answers from [Name] and a solution to save Ray. The two spoke softly, yet seriously. They shared a moment or two discussing the past few weeks, especially regarding the argument that [Name] and Ray had. It wasn't easy to coax it out of her but she eventually discussed it in detail (to the best of her ability without tearing up). They've talked for what was hours into the late afternoon. It was already night.

Norman stood up to stretch. [Name] did the same and popped some joints here, throwing a fleeting joke about being old before silently laughing to herself. Then she clears her throat.

"Can I go see him?"

Norman said nothing. Instead, he led her back to the room. But before he let her in, he turned and began to speak, "Ray has to go through surgery. I don't want him to die or lose his emotions."

[Name] noticed the pleading determination in Norman's piercing blue eyes and it was more than enough to know what he was asking of her. She nodded. Norman steps aside and opens the door. He doesn't follow and instead tells [Name] that he's heading home.

"Please," he looks at his friend with a sad gaze, "I— I know we all want Ray to live. Help him get the best outcome.. for all our sakes."

And with that, Norman leaves. Silence and regret envelops [Name] as she makes her way towards Ray's unmoving form. She then sinks into the seat next to the bed, tears immediately pouring down her cheeks. Beeping monitors and choked sobs filled the room. For hours into the night, she weeped on his near-lifeless form. He was barely breathing as it is. The girl suffered through an immense amount of guilt and her heart twisted at what could possibly go wrong. She didn't ask for this to happen, nobody did. What she can do now is try to make things right.

"I don't know if you can hear me," she began. "But I know apologizing will do nothing to ease your pain."

Silence. Steady beeping. Slow breathing.

"Still, I— you don't know how really sorry I am. I didn't mean for this to happen to you, Ray."

And for a while, she tried speaking to Ray. As far as she knew, he was almost in an unconscious state all throughout the week. The doctors kept the flowers at bay but the need for Ray to have the surgery as soon as possible was apparent. Since Isabella, Ray's mother — may God rest her soul, couldn't have come to sign the forms, Ray's uncle had come in her stead to give consent by proxy. While the adults sorted out the paperwork and such, [Name] and Norman find themselves having yet another talk, this time in the cafeteria. Ray was being prepped for the surgery and [Name] had recounted to Norman what she'd been doing in Ray's room for the past few days. She says she's been mostly crying and throwing in the occasional apology. Norman could only assume she's been babbling and tripping over herself while trying to make amends with an unconscious Ray.