Chapter Text
"Mikey, grandpa had a stroke. Do you really not plan on visiting?" A female's voice spoke with worry into her phone.
A deep sigh was heard on the other side of the phone."How bad was it?" The voice asked.
"Mikey! I told you it was bad! Grandpa can't even eat without someone's help!" The woman answered angered.
A deep breath was heard."You didn't tell me it was that bad. You should've told me sooner, I would've been there already to help take care of him!" Mikey's voice lashed out.
Emma let out a frustrated sigh,"Mikey grandpa had his stroke around two weeks ago. Learn to pick up your fucking phone and answer."
"You didn't even call me two weeks ago!"
"Mikey I sent you a fucking message! Check your texts."
". . ."
"Are you going to visit grandpa or not?" Her voice spoke, breaking the awkward silence that existed just a few moments ago.
"Of course I am. That old man raised me, I have to pay him back for everything he's done for me, ya know?" Mikey's voice sounded sincere and quiet.
"I wish I could take care of him as well." Her voice mumbled, catching Mikey off guard.
"What do you mean your not taking care of him Emma?" Mikey's voice sounded rough and confused.
Emma let out a sigh before she spoke,"Mikey, I had my daughter a week before grandpa had his stoke. I'm in recovery, me and Ken are busy with our daughter. It's hard she's our first kid you know, we're trying to get a hang of this parent thing. . . I'm not able to take care of grandpa. I'm sleep deprived and very busy, grandpa got really hurt." She finished with a shakey sigh anda few sniffles. She was all emotional.
There was silence on the line, Emma thought that the call had lost connection. Darn these international calls. "Mik-" "Who's taking care of grandpa then?" Mikey asked, not letting her finish whatever she was going to say.
"I hired a personal nurse to take care of him." She responded.
Mikey let out a sigh before he let out a light hearted laugh,"I thought you placed him in a retirement home or something like that. If you did, you would have pissed me off." Mikey spoke seriously at the end. He scared Emma with the sudden mood change.
"I could never do that!"
There was a little laugh, followed by a brief moment of comfortable silence. "So, are you really coming?" Emma questioned one more time.
"Of course I am." Emma knew Mikey had some sort of small smile on the his face. "Alright then doofus, I'll see you soon. My baby just woke up and Ken is at work."
"I'll see you soon Emma, take care." The call ended.
A neat cream colored bedroom with dark brown wooden furniture is where grandpa Sano rested in bed. He rested comfortably with multiple white pillows around him and a matching white fluffy comforter covering his legs. The room was brightened by the big windows that let in natural sunlight.
Two lights knocks were heard on the door. "Mansaku-san, I'm back." A soft voice spoke as he walked into the room holding a tray with some fruit in it.
"Grandpa, I've brought you a snack." He spoke as he came closer to Mansaku, or grandpa Sano's, bedside. "Your granddaughter Emma brought you these. She knows how much you love strawberries."
"E-. .ma?" The old man slurred.
"Yes Emma, do you want me to feed you some?" He spoke calmly with a small smile. Grandpa Sano nodded his head and Takemichi picked up a sliced in half strawberry. He brought it up to grandpa's Sano's mouth and his eyes light up.
"They're good right?" He smiled. Mansaku hummed as a response. "I'm glad you liked them." He said as he picked up another strawberry piece.
When grandpa Sano suffered from a stroke. He lost feeling in his arms, the doctor explained that during time and therapy, Mansaku would regain the sense. Grandpa Sano's stroke was not pretty, especially the aftermath. He can't speak as well as he used you or move around without getting exhausted. He even can't walk across the room without having shortness of breath or having to take a break. If that wasn't enough, specialist and doctors said he had the mental age of a child.
The personal nurse picked up a moist cloth off the tray and wiped grandpa Sano's mouth area. "There, now we're all clean." Mansaku smiled. "Do you want to play a game Mansaku-san?"
Grandpa Sano nodded happily. The nurse couldn't help but to smile back,"Alright let's see if you can beat me." He reached out for a set of flash cards in a box that rested on the nightstand. Takemichi sat next to Mansaku on the bed.
"Alright, if you get five if these correct then you win and get a bit more dessert for tonight as a prize. If I win then you have to do two more flashcards alright?" He explained with a smile as he pulled some cards out. Grandpa Sano agreed with a smile.
"Mansaku-san, what is this?" There was an image displayed of a house on the flashcard.
He watched as the old man thought,"I. . Isa cas- ..tel? No no, . . is a hōm" He slowly slurred out.
"Good job!" He smiled brightly, Mansaku felt proud of himself. "It's a home, a house. One point to you! Now what's this?" An image of a light switch was shown.
"Ust,.. L . . ight- wich."
"Correct, Light switch." He heard grandpa Sano slowly mutter the words, light switch, trying to pronounce it correctly.
"You're doing so well Mansaku-san. There's only three more to go." A picture of a dog was displayed on this card.
Grandpa Sano stared hard at the photo, he was trying to recall what this was. "Me-. .ow?" "no.. ono" "w.-an wa..n?" He was clearly confused and tying his best.
"Good job! I'm so proud of you, dogs go wan wan. That's another point for you" Japanese was the language Mansaku was raised using. So it made sense that dogs would bark wan wan instead of woof woof. Grandpa Sano smiled along with Takemichi.
"Just two more, you can do it!" A picture of a shirt.
"Ch. .. urt." He mumbled out. The sound "sh" was particularly hard for Mansaku to pronounce. It was like a lisp.
"Sh-ir-t, now you try." He asked with a smile.
"Ch-..ir-t" He muttered out slowly and full of hesitation.
"Good job, we just got to perfect the "sh" but your doing so well. Just one more and you win." A picture of a door.
"Do. .-or!" Grandpa Sano quickly answered. It was his favorite word, he could pronounce it correctly and it always gave him an easy win.
"You did amazing Mansaku-san! I'm so proud of you!" The nurse cheered with a smile, he kept himself from being to loud so he wouldn't scare or alarm grandpa Sano. Takemichi reached down to give him a hug. "You'll get your prize at dinner alright." The grandfather responded with a nod and a smile.
The sound of the doorbell made both the caretaker and grandpa Sano jump slightly. "Don't worry, everything is okay." He spoke before he pulled away from the hug. "I'm going to go check the door. I'll be back soon." With a hum of approval of Mansaku, Takemichi walked out the room to check the door. The front door was just down the hallway, since Mansaku-san had a room on the first floor.
He walked up to the door. He quickly checked himself in a mirror nearby, he looked fine. And with that he opened the door to be greeted with a pair of black eyes, that resembled Mansaku's slightly.
"Hello."
"Uh, Hi." The stranger greeted. The caretaker stared at him up and down. A white turtle neck, black pants, and an opened gray trench coat. He wore jewelery and had shoulder long messy blond hair. He didn't fail to notice the black sleek suitcase his hand was resting on.
"I'm Manjiro Sano." He introduced himself as. The nurse's eyes opened slightly, this was a relative of Mansaku-san? He thought it was just Emma, Izana, and Shinichiro.
"Hanagaki Takemichi. I'm your grandfather's personal nurse." The nurse introduced himself.
Manjiro's stuck his hand out to be shaken. "I don't do handshakes. They're disgusting, I don't know where your hands have been."Takemichi looked at Mikey with a look of disgust.
"My bad." Mikey quickly apologized as he moved his hand away.
"It's alright, it's just I'm not a big fan of germs. I take care of your grandfather so I do have to keep my hands clean at all times. I can't have him getting sick, his immune system is pretty delicate at the moment. Sorry I'm rambling aren't I? Just come inside." Embarrassed, Takemichi moved away from the doorway to let Manjiro enter the house.
Mikey smiled,"It's alright. I'm glad you take taking care of my grandpa so seriously. It truly means a lot."
The nurse, Takemichi, smiled,"Do you want to see your grandfather?" He asked as he quickly closed the door.
"Yes please." The way he said it reminded Takemichi of a child.
"Alright then."
The two of them walked down the hallway, they left the suitcase near the front door. They finally met with a wooden door. Takemichi knocked twice before he walked inside with Mikey following behind him. "Mansaku-san, you have a special visitor."
Grandpa Sano who laid in bed slowly sat up and faced the two of them. Mansaku's expression looked puzzled as the two people came closer to his bedside. As soon as the recognition hit him, he smiled so brightly. "Mik-.. ey"
"Yeah, it's me Mikey grandpa." Manjiro spoke with a small smile as he came closer to his grandfather.
Mansaku cupped Mikey's cheeks and began to tear up. It's been so long since he had seen his grandson. Mikey held his grandfather's frail wrinkly hands. Mikey just realized how much he ached for his grandfather's comforting touch. Mikey just realized how much he had missed him. Mikey just realized how homesick he actually was.
Takemichi quietly walked out the room, not making a sound. He didn't want to interfere with their small reunion. Takemichi walked down the hallway twords the kitchen as he pulled his phone out to dial a number. As the phone rang he walked into the kitchen.
"Hello?"
Takemichi placed his phone on the counter top. "Hello there Emma. I just wanted to let you know that your relative Manjiro has arrived to the house." He spoke as he opened the fridge and grabbed his ingredients.
"He did!" She sounded relieved.
"Yes, he's safe and talking to Mansaku-san at the moment." He placed down his ingredients on the counter top before he washed his hands.
"Oh that's amazing. We'll come visit later tonight. Is that alright?" She asked.
Takemichi let out a laugh."Emma, why are you asking. Of Course it's alright, make sure to come on an empty stomach so you can eat up well."
"Alright, I can hear you chopping away already. I'll let you work then. See you tonight." She spoke and hung up. Takemichi's phone turned off and he began to prepare dinner.