*knock**knock*
M/n looked away from S/n and at the door to his hospital room "Hey."
"Hey, Hanji..." he replied, his voice low and sort of raspy.
She sat down in the seat beside him. "How's the little munchkin doing?"
"He's doing fine... The doctors said he just needs to rest after all that shock..."
"I can't even imagine what's going through your head right now..."
M/n chuckled dryly. "Yeah..."
She pat his back. "He's lucky, you know...? If you hadn't gotten there when you did--"
"If I hadn't left...", he interrupted.
'What?"
"If I hadn't left...then this never would've happened. It's my fault..."
"Come on, M/n. You can't blame yourself for everything--"
"I'm his father, Hanji. It's my responsibility to look after him. And I...I let this happen. He's blaming himself when it's really my fault."
Hanji listened to M/n's words, his slightly trembling voice making her heart squeeze in pain. Despite how she annoyed him sometimes at work or was too loud, she still cared very deeply for her friend. "It was nobody's fault... You can't control every little thing, M/n... These things just...happen. Even if we don't want them to. S/n's lucky to have a father like you. You care so much about him and make sure he's happy... Even if it means you have to sacrifice something to make that happen. At the very least...you're doing so much more than his mother ever has."
"You wanna know the crazy part...?"
"Hmm?"
"I always thought that I would be enough for S/n to grow up with... That he didn't need a second parent because I would be there to care for him... To watch him fly out of the nest and make something of himself... I didn't need anyone's help to do that... I was thinking that while I was tucking him into bed one night and...it surprised me... Maybe I was just thinking out loud, but...he said it himself... That he didn't need anyone else in his life as long as he had me... He even begged me... Asking me to never leave him."
M/n looked back over at S/n, feeling the boy grip onto his hand a little tighter. "How could I leave him, Hanji...? How could I ever leave such a kind-hearted kid behind? I could never bring myself to do that...No matter what, I could never give S/n up. Not to anyone..."
Hanji smiled. "That's just like you to say."
Before they could continue talking, they were interrupted by more knocking. The door opened to reveal M/n's parents and Misaki, worried looks on their faces. Hanji stood up from her chair and turned to M/n. "Well, I'll see you later. Call me if you need anything."
"Sure thing... Say hi to Erwin for me."
"I'll be sure to do that."
She turned to leave, bowing her head a little at their family. "Thank you for stopping by to see him, Hanji."
"It's no trouble at all, Mrs. L/n. Have a nice day."
"To you as well."
They watched as the door closed behind her. "M/n, honey, I'm so sorry...! I wasn't careful...!"
M/n stood up and hugged his mother, feeling her tears stain the towel he was wrapped in. He shut his eyes tightly, tears trailing down his own face. "It's not your fault..." he muttered, clenching his teeth. "It's not your fault, mom..."
"My poor baby...! I'm so sorry...!"
Mitch also joined the hug, repeating apologies. Misaki covered her mouth, crying silently to herself. "Pa...pa?"
M/n turned to the small boy, who sat up, seeing them all crying. "Please don't cry... I'm okay."
S/n reached out towards his father with his small, delicate hands. M/n walked over and hugged him tightly, his parents and sister joining in. They cried in each other's arms until knocking broke through the air. A man dressed in a white coat walked in. They all wiped their tears and looked at him.
"Good news, Mr. L/n. S/n will be discharged as soon as we give him one last checkup."
As soon as he said that, a nurse walked in. They watched as they checked on S/n, asking him a few questions before he wrote something down on a clipboard. "He's fine now. You're free to go now."
"Thank you so much, doctor."
"It's what I do. Please, take care of yourselves now."
The doctor and the nurse dismissed themselves. "Here. I brought extra changes of clothes from your house."
"Thank you, Mom. S/n."
The boy turned to look up at him, his eyes red and puffy from crying. M/n helped him off the hospital bed, not wanting to carry him as his clothes were still damp. He took him into the bathroom attached to the room and handed him his change of clothes. "Here you go. Can you do it?"
"Yes, Papa."
The little boy undressed out of the hospital gown and slipped on his briefs and pants. He struggled a bit with his shirt, so M/n helped him out. "Stick your head through here."
He pulled the collar over his head and stood back up, watching the little boy put on his socks and shoes. "Wait outside with Auntie, Grandma, and Grandpa, okay? I'll be right out."
"Okay."
He opened the door and closed it behind him. M/n sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket, throwing it on the counter. It didn't work anymore seeing as it sustained plenty of water damage. But, it was just something small compared to having saved S/n. He changed out of his damp clothes and into his fresh change. He tidied up his hair a bit and left the bathroom.
"Let's grab something to eat before we go home."
"I'll pay."
"Huh? But--"
"It's the least I can do, M/n."
"Thanks, Mitch..."
The family filed out of the hospital room and walked down the hall. Just as they were leaving, the doctor called out to M/n. "I'll catch up," he told his parents before walking over to the doctor. "Is something wrong?"
"I want to express some concerns that I thought would be a little hard to mention with your son in the room."
"What is it?"
"I hope this isn't the case, but it happens... This could potentially become a traumatizing experience for S/n. Perhaps it'll develop a fear of the ocean in him. If it happens, and I hope it doesn't, it would be best that he consult with a therapist."
"I see..."
"Please, don't beat yourself up about it, Mr. L/n. We can't control everything. Fortunately, the best outcome for the situation occurred. Your son's life was spared. I believe it wasn't just your fast reflexes and parental instincts. Rather...it wasn't his time to go yet. Look more on the bright side. Others aren't so lucky."
"I guess you're right about that."
"Anyway, please take care of yourself and S/n. If you have any concerns with anything about his condition, don't hesitate to drop by."
"Thank you again, doctor. I appreciate it."
"It's no trouble. Have a good day."
M/n waved and parted ways with him before heading over to his family. He scooped S/n into his arms, holding him as if he were going to fade away if he let go.
When he put it like that, I guess I really was lucky. Others, who have gone through similar things, have lost their loved ones. At least I can say that I can hold my son again.