Next To Me

Chapter 31: as Bright as the Sun

~Revised 06/04/24~

Everything was bright.

Through the cracks of heavy eyelids, nothing was visible except light. As if the sun had taken a vacation inside a small hospital room, it bathed everything in its warm brilliance, reflecting off every surface of the room.

Hesitant eyes opened themselves by a sliver; the light instantly consuming their vision. A sharp pain was immediately sent into [Y/n]'s head. The girl winced. A throb ensued behind her eyes, making the pain ten times worse. As if her brain had a heartbeat and just ran a marathon, [Y/n] swore she could feel the heavy pain of her brain swelling inside her skull.

Her eyes tried once again to open, still only by a crack. [Y/n] forced herself to keep them slightly open for at least five seconds, to let them adjust to whatever bright light she was bathing in. A sharp pain shot through her head, feeling like thunder cracking through her skull.

Slowly but surely, her vision began to adjust. She was first able to make out the two bumps her feet made underneath her bedsheet. Opening her eyes more, she noticed a small cart with various miscellaneous objects at the foot of her bed. Sitting proudly on top was a large beautiful bouquet of sunflowers, red roses, and white hydrangeas, all bundled together in a simple brown wrap. The wall she was facing was blank, the only decoration being a small TV mounted to the wall. The large window next to her provided the majority of the blinding light. She cringed away from it, as it was still too bright for her sensitive eyes.

[Y/n] inhaled a deep breath as she slowly opened her eyes completely. Blinking the sleep away, she became more aware of her body. Her head was laid on a soft pillow, but her neck and back ached as if she had never moved them before. She felt the largest kink at the bottom of her neck, just below her shoulders. Several different coloured blankets lay over her legs, entrapping her in a soft and heavy warmth. [Y/n] stared blankly at her arms, which rested over the blankets. A large intravenous tube was taped down into her right arm and connected to a bag hanging on a stand beside her bed. A monitor was clamped down on one of her fingers. Several nerve-sensing pads were attached to the skin along her chest, all connecting back to several monitors on the wall behind her bed. She blinked as she stared at her glowing skin. It was only a faint glow, but it was still there.

[Y/n]'s mind felt blank as it slowly took in information from her current environment and registered it. Turning her head to the right, her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the overwhelming number of flower bouquets decorating her room. They covered every inch of counter space and spilled over onto the floor. The room was practically covered in different colours and shapes of flowers and leaves, each one sparking joy in [Y/n]'s chest. She noticed some had cards lying on or next to them, all addressed to her.

[Y/n] felt her chest tighten as she thought of who brought them to her. She didn't know so many people cared about her like that.

The sound of a doorknob opening pulled [Y/n] out of her thoughts and toward the door to her room. She watched it slowly open and a tired-looking Aizawa walked in. His head was wrapped in bandages, but everything else about him looked perfectly fine. The dark bags under his eyes made him look as if he hadn't slept in weeks.

He stared at the ground as he entered, not noticing the awake female across the room. Closing the door with the back of his foot, he leaned down to read a small card sticking out of a newly appeared flower bouquet. His demeanour made [Y/n] think this wasn't his first visit to her room as he entered so casually and comfortably.

Standing back up he sipped his coffee and turned toward her bed. He froze mid-sip as he stared in disbelief at [Y/n], awake, alert, and blinking back at him. Her teacher took a step back, his eyes still locked on her. He pressed a small green button on the side of the wall and spoke into it.