New Line: A Fresh Step   von Xanderionas
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                             Kapitel 4: Chapter 4
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A little over a month after her surgery, Hifumi was finally given tentative
permission to leave the hospital. It had cost her a lot of energy to argue her
case, but eventually they had relented. 
“However,” the doctor said while finishing up the paperwork, “I will not
have you unsupervised. Sudden backlashes may still occur at this point in time.
Your bones may have begun fusing thanks to the wires, but your heart is a
different matter entirely should anything get infected. Therefore, I need
somebody to watch over you daily for the next month. If no incidents occur, then
I will not push the possibility of another surgery. I implore you to not return
to work however until at least another month has passed. We cannot have you
collapsing again.”
His words were harsh, but truthful. The stinging in her chest had stopped, but
her body still felt much weaker than usual, the lack of exercise surely the
cause for it. Hence, she had not complained. Her recovery had been astounding
nevertheless, the nurses complimenting her for healing so well.
“Then...who will be supervising me? A nurse?”
To her surprise, the doctor smiled and shook his head.
“That will not be necessary. An agency who we have contact with sent out an
intern to supervise you. Their skills are more than enough to handle your
situation and have been checked by us. They have also been made aware of your
medication and can help you make sure you stick through it.”
“An intern?” Hifumi wondered loudly to herself, “Where are they?”
“They’re waiting for you outside the entrance with a car to take you home.
Your belongings have been brought to them so that you can avoid lifting
anything. No need to worry about sudden developments, we have established direct
contact at all times between your caretaker and me so that if anything should
happen, we can act as soon as possible.”
Hifumi felt herself blush a bit at the care she was being given. 
“T-thank you for all your help.”
“Nothing to mention, Ms. Takimoto. I instead wish you a good day and a healthy
recovery. Remember what I said and take your medication. Also, don’t forget to
come back once every week so we can track your healing progress.”
She nodded firmly, in her handbag several prescription tablets for her to take
daily. She felt a bit burdened by the sheer amount, but she knew it was for her
safety. She bowed gingerly before the doctor and exited the office, sauntering
along the long corridor on the ground floor. She still felt unstable while
walking, thus she eventually moved to the side and grabbed the railing that was
expressly built for people like her. She knew that she was no longer the same,
the foreign organ in her chest along with the numerous metal wires proof of it.
The x-ray she had seen originally horrified her, to be carrying so much metal
within an organic body. Yet with each step, she felt more and more alive,
feeling herself slowly regain her humanity. Her journey through the reception
area was slow with the amount of people crowding her, but Hifumi managed to hold
it together until she finally exited through the main door. The sun shone
vividly, illuminating everything in lush yellow and warming her body. She gently
stretched and basked in the sunshine, before noticing her phone buzz in her
pocket. She saw Anders’ being the recipient and immediately opened his
message:
-	So, your big day. Have you been released already?
-	Yep. They gave me my medication and a lot of warnings, but they let me go.
-	That’s great! So who’s picking you up? Your mother?
-	No, she’s on duty today and can’t come. The doctor said I needed a
caretaker for the next few weeks and that one was waiting for me outside.
-	I see. Do you know who’s taking you?
-	I haven’t found out yet. They said an agency had sent out an intern to help
me for the next month. I haven’t met them yet.
-	Isn’t it a beautiful day outside?
She was slightly surprised by the change in topic, but answered regardless:
-	Yes, it is. I’m glad to be back outside again.
-	Good, then you might want to spare a second to look to your left.
“What?” she said out loud, before turning in the direction he stated. She
nearly yelled in surprise as she saw none other than Anders standing before her,
his large stature covering an impressive amount of ground in shadow. He was
dressed in a casual outfit this time, lacking the suit he usually always wore.
Somehow, the change was pleasing for Hifumi, who was however more concerned with
his immediate presence:
“Wh-why are you here? I thought…”
-	That I was off working my part-time job? True, I was doing that, but they gave
me a special assignment.
“W-what assignment?”
Hifumi was so shocked by his presence that she didn’t realize she was speaking
directly with him. Her heartbeat somehow remained relaxed despite how close he
was.
-	Because they thought I had worked enough to be entrusted with a proper job.
“A j-job?”
-	Yep. I’m now a caretaker. In training at least.
“A caretaker? That…” Hifumi’s eyes turned into saucers as the pieces
fell into place, “So you’re who they were t-talking about?”
-	That’s right. I got a volunteer job here in the hospital to learn how to
treat patients like you. I begged the doctor to let me do this and he relented.
After the month was over, he said I had learned the essentials and gave me
permission to assist you with your recovery.
“W-wait! So you’re r-really coming to take care of me?”
-	That’s right. Did I surprise you?
The grin he gave made her nearly lose control over her breathing. She put a hand
over her chest as she sensed her heartbeat rise, panic slowly seeping into her
mind. Almost straight away however, she felt a pair of hands grab her by the
shoulders, looking up to see Anders’ face frighteningly close to her own. His
concern was clear as day, quickly guiding her to a nearby bench to sit down. A
piece of paper slid before her eyes, a single word on it:
Breathe
Taking his advice, she forced herself to begin the breathing routine she had
been maintaining with him for the last month. It took several minutes, but she
soon managed to bring her heart rate back to normal, sweating slightly under
both the sun and stress. Once she felt calm enough to think clearly, she glanced
up at Anders, who still looked deathly concerned. She raised a hand and formed a
weak thumbs up to indicate she was better, which only softened his expression
slightly. 
“I-I’m alright now. Just the shock.”
It was clear he wasn’t satisfied by that, regret suddenly taking his
expression as he looked away with what she sensed was shame.
“Wh-what is it?”
He grabbed his notebook and wrote something down, before erasing and rewriting
it. Eventually, he produced something he could show her:
-	I’m sorry for shocking you like that. I didn’t tell you because I wanted
to surprise you. But I completely forgot to consider your current state. Please,
forgive me.
The sheer regret he expressed in his face was enough to remove the last of
Hifumi’s panic and instead replace it with concern. She grabbed the notebook
and began writing herself:
-	It’s alright. I was just not expecting it. I didn’t expect anything, to be
honest.
-	Why that?
-	I was surprised at how considerate the hospital had been and how much support
they were offering without me requesting it. I never thought that you would
start working here just for my sake. Why did you do it?
-	I told you the day you first woke up. I felt guilty for what I had caused by
my departure, so I decided to make it up to you.
-	By training to help me recover?
-	Of course. I can’t express enough how sorry I am for bringing you into this
situation. 
-	I told you, I’m not holding you responsible. I was at fault for pushing
myself.
-	Regardless, I felt terrible. Are you better now?
-	Yes, thank you. Your breathing routine really helps.
That was Hifumi’s honest opinion. There had been some bad spells in the
hospital during her stay, spasms and pain that she couldn’t fight back
against. When they occurred, the nurses immediately administered painkillers,
though what Hifumi found calmed her down quicker was doing the routine. She knew
that, had she not learned it, her nights in the hospital could have become a lot
worse.
-	I’m glad. Come on, let’s get you home. I’m sure you’re looking forward
to it, right?
-	Yes, I am. It’s probably dusty by this point.
-	I overheard something about that. Your mother hasn’t told you, but she’s
been cleaning your apartment for you while you’ve been gone.
-	What?
Hifumi wondered to herself just what her mother was thinking, taking time from
her busy schedule just to do that. It didn’t remove the gratefulness in her
heart, but she knew she had to be cross with her.
-	Don’t be too annoyed with her. She likely just didn’t want to have nothing
to do either while waiting for you to get better. Come on, let’s go. You need
to lie down and hot weather is no good for fresh patients.
She answered with a nod, allowing Anders to guide her by putting his hand on her
shoulder. Had this contact happened over a month ago, she’d have likely yelled
by now. Yet, Anders had slowly gotten closer to her, only ever initiating
contact after the third week. At this point, she could deal with him doing this
much, even if it still unnerved her. He made sure to never exceed his limits,
always asking in advance at first. Her saving grace had been the breathing
routine, performing it every time in advance so that she didn’t immediately
relapse. 
He guided her to a small, surely second-hand car and opened the door for her.
She gave a small smile and sat herself down, him quick on entering and getting
the car running. Before she could give him her address, he slipped a note
showing he already knew where to go and that she should rest. Thankful for his
consideration, she eased into the comfortable seat and watched the scenery
change as he drove away from the hospital, his driving smooth and relaxed as he
took the corners with extra consideration. The recent excitement caused her eyes
to grow heavy, leaning further into her seat and slowly falling asleep. Before
she did though, she let a few words escape into the car:
“Thank you.”
Anders of course didn’t answer, allowing her to descend into a comfortable
dream where she was surrounded by flowers and billowing grass. Her thoughts
became translucent and free as she played around in her imagination. She had no
idea how long she was in there, but eventually she felt a hand rock her gently.
Squinting as the sunlight struck her directly, she looked to see her apartment
complex beside her. Anders was already outside the car, ready to help her out.
She smiled in appreciation but managed to get up by herself, the nap having
helped regain some of her energy. They took their time heading up to her
apartment, Hifumi forced to be carried up as the doctor has explicitly warned
her not to climb stairs yet. It shamed her slightly, apart from the sheer
embarrassment of being in Anders’ arms. Once they reached her door, she
unlocked it and took the first few steps inside her apartment.
True to Anders’ word, the foyer was clean and polished, her inside shoes
orderly placed against the corner without a speck of dust to be found anywhere.
Hifumi reminded herself to thank Mom next time she talked with her before
switching her shoes. As she moved down the corridor, she caught how Anders stood
at the entrance still, rubbing the back of his head with a slightly nervous
expression. She wondered what it was about, before connecting the dots.
“You can… enter… it’s fine…”
He gave a sigh of relief, dropping his shoes and crossing the foyer with her. As
she opened the door to her living room, she was again astounded to see
everything clean, almost sparkling. 
“Mom... you overdid it…” she murmured, sensing her exhaustion catch up
with her again. Anders supported her by the shoulder, bringing her to the sofa
and letting her lie down with a pillow under her head. As she relaxed her body,
she watched him write in his notebook again:
-	Well, that’s the worst part over. For now, get some more rest. I’ll have a
look whether I can’t buy something for us to eat. 
He flashed another smile and moved to stand, only to be held back by Hifumi’s
hand grasping at his shirt. He glanced down in surprise, Hifumi barely able to
keep it together long enough to press out:
“Please... don’t leave... wait until I fall asleep…”
He raised an eyebrow, making her assume he didn’t understand, and elaborated:
“Having you here… calms me down... so please stay…”
Her energy spent, she relaxed her grip again and sank deeper into the sofa,
sleep already looming dangerously close over her. She barely put up a fight
against it, when she suddenly noticed a warmth in her hand. She raised her
eyelids as much as she could, just barely able to catch sight of her hand being
enveloped by a larger, more rugged one. The moment she realized what was
happening, her heart began to flutter, only not due to her condition this time.

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