A Morning Without Sion
Sion's event and hospitalization had gone off without a hitch, and it was now the second day of the weekend. Sunday, a day off. To maintain my routine of four and a half hours of deep sleep each night, I had to stick precisely to my schedule, so even on holidays, I rose at the usual time to greet the morning.
"Hm..."
As always, I got up, straightened the covers, washed my face, changed clothes, and sat at the table. Then I grasped the doorknob to the guest room, which until yesterday had housed Sion. We'd moved all her belongings and necessities to her hospital room or Serin's quarters, but there were still a few things left to sort.
"......"
For some reason, it felt like if I didn't open this door, she'd call out from inside, asking for help in my name. But I knew that was just sentimental nonsense. Sion wasn't in there anymore.
Click. I turned the knob and stepped inside. The neatly folded blanket she'd used caught my eye first. Impressive that she'd managed to fold it without being able to stand beside the bed. I pictured her sitting on the edge, struggling with her impaired body. She'd probably push the top blanket to one side, grab both corners, overlap them, and hold the end with one hand. Then stretch the other along the fabric to flatten it, fold it in half, and hoist it up high with a grunt... only to tumble backward from lifting it too enthusiastically.
She wouldn't actually fall over, right?
Did Sion fold the blanket while sitting and end up falling? Or manage it safely? Falling seemed more entertaining, so I wove that into my imaginings. She'd barely finish folding the top one and set it aside, then wrestle out the bottom sheet and start folding that—only to topple again... Nah, even with her balance issues, she wouldn't fall twice. But it was funnier that way, so why not?
After indulging in these visions of Sion for a good while, I gathered the now-unused blankets, stowed them back in the wardrobe, locked the window tight, removed the curtains to prevent dust buildup and packed them away, and cleared out the towels, wastebasket, basket, and other sundries from the room, returning them to their proper places. Things no one would use now that Sion was gone. The room had reverted to being empty once more—no one living there, nothing left behind.
"All tidy now."
Despite jumping into chores right after waking, it felt more leisurely than my usual mornings. Well, that made sense—Sion had been here. From the first morning after she moved in, when I found her collapsed on the floor, I'd checked on her every day, helped her into her wheelchair, shadowed her around the house to ensure she didn't fall or run into trouble or call for me. When she'd sneak workouts and end up with muscle pain that left her immobile, I'd stuck by her side all day, handling her needs...
Is there nothing else to do?
Come to think of it, what did I even do on days off before Sion? Organize charts, analyze data, draft manuals, training materials, curricula... Looking back, I was always working, even on rest days. Was I just too accustomed to the intern/resident grind from my past life?
Knock knock. The familiar sound signaling morning had arrived. Probably the Baker Wife with the bread.
"Good morning... Oh? Serin?"
"Good morning, Doctor."
I opened the door to find not the Baker Wife, but Serin standing there.
"You're early. The bread hasn't arrived yet."
"If it's bread you're after, I have it right here." Serin extended a cloth-covered basket, its contents still warm. A quick peek revealed our usual loaves, neatly arranged.
"The Baker Wife is getting on in years, so I've taken over delivering bread to your home."
"So... you stopped by the bakery on your way here?"
"Yes. This basket is for you, Doctor, and that one is for Sion." She nodded to the other basket tucked under her arm. I'd asked her to take bread for Sion when she returned home, but she'd beaten me to it, handling distribution herself.
"Well then, I'll be off..."
"Serin. Hold on."
"Yes?"
She paused, about to head back to the hospital. Wait... Why did I call her? I couldn't for the life of me remember why I'd stopped her. Had I done it on reflex? Should I just say never mind and send her off?
"Uh, is Sion... asleep?"
"No, I confirmed she's awake."
She'd even checked the hospital room en route. Her thoroughness was bottomless.
"So... you're heading back to her now?"
"Yes."
"I'll come with you."
"Understood. Shall we go?"
No questions asked—she simply turned and led the way. Truth be told, I was the most curious about my own motives. A purely impulsive decision. But hey, it was to see Sion. Wanting to check on her in that hospital room... no reason needed.
****
"Oh, even Director Hope is here?"
"Good morning, Sion. How's the hospital room? Sleep well?"
"So-so."
So-so, huh. Unrealistic to expect a refreshing first night in a new place.
"But what brings you here?"
"Well..."
She had to ask for a reason? Did visiting her really need one? Though... I was always busy. Maybe to her, I was an unwelcome guest. She'd put on quite the act with Mirei or Serin, sniffling about "all the awful things that happened while staying at the doctor's house... boo-hoo..." Was she happy to be out of my place?
"Recover's off cooldown, so I thought I'd make you walk."
"That won't be until the day after tomorrow. Weren't you checking every patient's cooldowns?"
Ugh. My excuse—a simple rehab skill that restores status damage—fell flat. It cost the caster almost nothing but imposed a cooldown on the recipient, and I managed them meticulously for all patients. After three weeks at the center, of course she'd know.
"Uh... that's not it. I mean..."
Why was I scrambling for excuses? Why fabricate a reason for being here?
"I came to see how you were doing."
Just say it straight. Why had that been so hard? It wasn't anything special—why resist admitting it? I was acting weird today.
"You could've led with that."
"Yeah."
"Want to share some bread?"
"Sure."
I handed her a still-warm loaf from the basket. The private room's bed caught the morning sun perfectly, splintering through her black hair into purple shards. At home, I'd thought it dull and frizzy... Serin's handiwork? A single day, and it gleamed like that—some special technique, no doubt.
"Nice and warm, as always."
"......"
Freshly baked bread wasn't just warm; it melted silkily, vanishing down your throat even in big bites. Like it warmed you from within. The heat lingered in your palm too. Hospital air gradually heating under the sun. Sion had once said she craved this bread every morning because it was "warm." I was starting to grasp what that warmth meant to her.
"Oh?"
"Good, right, Serin?"
"...Yes. A sensation I've never felt back in the Empire."
If even Serin was wide-eyed, the Baker family's bread might be more extraordinary than I'd realized.
"More importantly, Director Hope."
"Yes?"
"It's a holiday—what are your plans?"
"Hm..."
When Sion was home, caring for her was my holiday routine. She'd never seen my days off without her, so naturally she was curious.
"Haven't decided."
"I figured you had work even on days off."
Nailed it. Was I that predictable? Or had I drilled into her how busy I was? There was work, piles of it. The last three holidays went to her care, so it hadn't diminished. But today... I felt like seeing her instead. Without thinking...
"So no urgent tasks right now?"
"Well..."
There were. But so what? Work never ended.
"No. None."
Another lie. I seemed to lie to her a lot. But her response was a sunlit smile, as if it were the best news ever.
"Then today, with me..."
And the reason—
"Want to go out somewhere?"
Seemed she'd finally mustered the words.