Free! - Sink to the Bottom

(1) Chapter 13: Sleeping Beauty

Makoto Tachibana

We're waiting... and waiting... and waiting.

I'm honestly quite worried about Haruka. He seemed really nervous for his surgery, but now he's doing it anyway. Probably because Nagisa kind of let it slip that we were the ones who paid his medical bills.

I wonder if everything's going okay in there.

"Are you okay, Mako?" Nagisa asks. "You look... pale."

I look at Nagisa and shrug. "Just a little worried, that's all."

"You don't have to be worried," Nagisa says and he looks at Rei and Rin. "Right?"

Rei nods. "Haru's fine. Nothing to worry about."

I look at Rin, he's been acting a little different today. I think he's just developed a fear of people having surgeries. He told us a few days ago that Sousuke might need surgery for his shoulder, and now Haruka.

"A better question might be," I gesture at Rin. "are you okay, Rin?"

Rin looks up, his cheeks are a pink-ish red and I'm almost sure I see tears in his eyes. He immediately looks away and says, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Are you... crying?" Rei asks. I only now realize that Rei probably has never seen Rin's emotional side.

Rin snickers nervously. "No!"

It's clear Rin is in fact crying, but he's too tough to admit it. Nagisa chuckles. Just when he opens his mouth to say something, a doctor walks towards us.

"The surgery went well," he says and it's like someone just told me that we just set a global record. Nagisa shrieks happily and hugs both me and Rei. When I look at Rin, I see that there's a smile on his face too. And happy tears are running over his cheeks.

"Before you get too excited," the doctor says in a serious voice. "This surgery is just to make sure that there's not more damage done to his spine. We can't assure that it'll improve his control over the lower body."

I look down at my feet. He's right, that's why we also paid a part for the aquatic therapy. We will make sure that Haruka can do what he likes.

"How is he now?" Rin asks.

"He's still asleep, but he can wake up every moment," the doctor replies. "If you promise to be calm and silent I'll let you wait for him to wake up in his room."

We all nod at the same time. That'd be perfect. That way, Haruka won't be alone when he wakes up.

The doctor guides us to a quiet and dark room. Haruka's bed is standing in the room, surrounded by a long curtain.

I sit down on a chair closest to Haruka's head. His hair is a lot messier than normally. I have to admit, the tousled hair is a good look on Haruka. He's laying on his back and his mouth is slightly opened. He looks calm, like he's been in no fear during the surgery.

I'm just glad that everything went well. I just hope Haruka won't be in much pain when he wakes up. I don't want him to suffer.

I swallow away the lump in my throat.

Why does it hurt so much to see Haruka how he is now? I shake away the thought, I should just be glad that he's got a change now.