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The door creaked open suddenly, and even if Shiho was warned about her upcoming visitor, she was still startled by the noise. An overwhelming scent of vanilla entered her nostrils, and she tried to focus her eyes on the approaching figure, struggling to focus for a bit.
After a few moments of her wincing slightly, her eyesight settled on someone sitting besides her bed, observing her silently.
Ann, she wanted to say, but the words couldn’t get out.
The look on her friend’s face seemed to contain a variety of emotions, and she couldn’t make out all of them, not in her current state at least. She sighed, she’s so good at reading Ann.
She wanted to touch her hand, to tell Ann everything was okay, to tell her she was sorry. Sorry for leaving her. Tears pricked in her eyes, but she didn’t have the energy to wipe them away.
“Shiho.” as if reading her mind, Ann put her hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile. The look was so intense that it gave Shiho chills, and it said, you have a lot to walk through right now, and I’ll be here through the entirety of it.
“I’m so glad you’re still here.” she squeezed her hand, not too tight so as not to hurt her.
And that’s when Shiho rolled her eyes unconsciously, allowing herself to rest, feeling the warmth on her palm.
The next time Ann visited, she brought a pen and pencil with her.
Shiho was surprised that Ann noticed her difficulty with speaking last time. Maybe she wasn’t the only one good at reading her friend.
She was sitting on the same spot as last time, only this time she dragged her seat a bit closer to Shiho’s bed.
“We don’t have to talk about anything if you’re not comfortable.” she said kindly. She was obviously struggling on how to approach this, but Shiho knew it was out of concern and deep caring on her part.
Thank you, she said, but her mouth wouldn’t open, no matter how hard she tried. She was clenching her teeth, when she was interrupted once again.
“Hey, you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. Here, I got you this.” she handed her the pencil and paper, along with a book so she could write on it comfortably.
She grabbed the pencil slowly, writing on the paper with messy handwriting. Her hands didn’t hurt as much as before, but it still took a toll on her to do so.
Thanks
She stared at her word for a few seconds, probably trying to comprehend her writing. “For what?” she asked, serious.
For being here for me. For not abandoning me, even though I
She went to scribble over that last part, but Ann was probably reading along as she was writing because she interrupted her immediately. “Hey. Don’t ever, ever say that. I don’t blame you for anything. This past year has been hell for you, I know that. If someone needs to be thanking you, it’s me.” her voice broke by the end of her sentence, and Shiho couldn’t find the power to write any more, not even a single letter.
“You don’t have to say anything. We’ve got time.”
They shared smiles, and Shiho felt very thankful. Ann was being so understanding, too understanding.
“Can I hug you?” she asked, trying not to be too pushy.
Shiho nodded slightly, and immediately felt two hands wrapping on her back. The smell of vanilla was heightened by the proximity, which Shiho preferred over the hospital’s antiseptic one. She sighed heavily, and she felt a burden fall off, even if temporarily.
Shiho felt reassurance, and despite hurting all over, she didn’t lose all hope.