deciphered

midnight streets IV

"In the meantime, let him adjust to his surroundings. If he still has trouble remembering, then we'll do an MRI scan on his brain."

Your visit with Iwaizumi was everything but ordinary.

You were overwhelmed with joy, knowing that your dear cousin had finally awoken from his deep slumber, but the constant thought of permanent amnesia had you ridden with fear, doubt, and hopelessness—feelings that you would have never thought to experience on the day Iwaizumi returned. A large obtrusion lodged in the middle of your throat, bringing your body to sweat as you tried to force a gulp down to rid the looming feeling.

Although Dr. Takeda had reassured you that everything was just going to be a positive recovery from there on, you still had your doubts—in fact, life already taught you that valuable lesson; always expect the unexpected as anything could happen.

Once noon had struck, you parted ways with Iwaizumi and said farewell to Dr. Takeda and the nurses tending to his care. You left knowing he didn't know who you were, which ached a part of you that was looking forward to the sweet and caring reunion you had imagined in your mind. Perhaps someday it would happen, but today was not that day.

You pressed the descending button to the elevator before taking a step back to recollect your thoughts and feelings which left you shivering the entire visit. Although his awakening was one of the most cathartic processes you have ever experienced, the whole morning felt oneiric to you—first, Oikawa showing up to your door after months in prison, and finally your cousin waking up from his coma right in front of your eyes. It almost felt surreal.

You clutched the strap of your bag with both of your hands, shaking in place while the elevator doors opened, noticing a tall man in a black hoodie was already inside the elevator. He wore a black mask and covered the majority of his face with the oversized hood over his head, but what caught your attention was his stark yellow-green eyes. The man gazed at you for a brief second before stepping off, zooming right past you in the same direction you came from.

You looked over your shoulder before stepping into the empty elevator, wondering to yourself if you knew the man. Soon, the doors closed and you descended to the lobby floor, making a quick note to yourself to grab a quick drink from the vending machines before heading home.

When you approached the lobby and the elevator doors opened, you were immediately greeted by one of the front desk women and Dr. Ono, another doctor working alongside Dr. Takeda to care for Iwaizumi.

"Hello," you greeted them both with a smile, walking over to the front desk station.

Dr. Ono was Dr. Takeda's attending, so she knew just as much as him in the updates of Iwaizumi's recovery. Over the months you were able to become close with her as well, although she wasn't as involved in the hands-on care as she was with the paperwork and executive decisions.

"Well, that seems exciting! Hajime has awoken," Dr. Ono enthusiastically stated, leaning on the front desk counter while holding a clipboard. You were surprised at how fast information spread—yet you didn't notice that he had awoken hours ago, and you assumed in the meantime, the news had already spread to her and the woman behind the desk.

"Yeah, I'm so relieved," you exhaled, resting your hands atop the counter as well. "I was afraid he was never going to wake up."

Dr. Ono shot you back a warm smile, confidence exuding in her stance. "Well, we can only hope for the best that his memory will recover."

"Oh, we actually have something concerning to inform you about," the woman behind the front desk mentioned, pulling up something from the monitor in front of her. You prayed that it wasn't related to any healthcare co-pay issues, or even worse—they caught you on surveillance stealing a sandwich from the hospital market.