Early Light | Bungo Stray Dogs

Chapter 9

Dazai Tsuyuri

13 years old

No.

That can't be...Osamu told me that hospitals could save anything. They could bring a dead person back to life.

I blinked back angry tears. Why was everything bad happening to me? What had I ever done to deserve this living hell?

My brother's offer to commit double suicide suddenly seemed less impossible.

"We've done the best we could do." He gave me a brief, supposedly comforting smile. I didn't return it. "You'll be released from the hospital in a week. In the meantime, you'll get used to moving around in a wheelchair as we treat your injuries."

"Thank you." Osamu didn't look like he trusted the doctor as well. He turned to face me. "I have to go. I have work to do, and Boss will be waiting."

I remembered Mori-san and Elise. Would they still want me even if I couldn't walk? That disability would make me useless, even if my ability was powerful.

Would everyone throw me away, until no one remained to help me in life? Would Osamu still want me to work with him?

What would become of me, a useless, disabled thirteen-year-old?

A few days later

Over the past few days, I had gotten used to not having any feeling in my legs. Even tilting my head up a bit made me feel a sudden rush of dizziness, and it took a while for me to even sit up. Now, I could push myself up with my hands and stay upright without wanting to throw up.

Today, I would start moving around with a wheelchair.

The doctor, who I learned was called Akio-san, brought in the chair in the morning after the nurse had treated my injuries.

Before letting me get into the chair, Akio-san made me do my daily exercises, which included a lot of stretching my legs and sitting up.

"Are you ready?" He asked as I finished stretching.

I nodded, sitting back up. I stared at the black wheelchair, wondering how to get out of my bed.

"Pull your legs to the side of the bed," Akio-san instructed. I pushed away my covers and gripped my legs, heaving them over to the edge. Just that simple act made me breathless.

"Try to get your body into the chair first, then pull your legs down."

I didn't really understand what he wanted me to do, but I lifted myself into the chair clumsily, then grabbed my legs and dragged them off the bed.

For the first time since the accident, I was actually sitting in a chair.

"How does it feel?" Akio-san adjusted my legs so that I was more comfortable.

For the first time since the accident, I smiled.

"It feels amazing. Thank you, Akio-san."