Hospital - 3
Hana stared quietly at the girl's face.
What she hadn't seen when the girl had fainted and fallen asleep at the observation deck came into view now.
The girl was terribly emaciated.
She had felt it when washed at the business hotel or when hugged on the way to the hospital, but she was even more frail than she had realized.
Her wrists were so thin they could be held between thumb and forefinger, and her ankles, though uninjured, looked anything but healthy.
With a body like that, it was no wonder she had fainted the moment she stepped onto the observation deck.
The ends of her hair were rough and dry.
Although there was plenty of volume, the strands were thin as threads and snapped easily with the slightest touch.
And her lips were deathly pale.
Even though she hadn't been exerting herself physically, her lips were bloodless.
Was she simply enduring the pain by lying there?
Hana gently rubbed the girl's lips and recalled the words she had wanted to say.
“Fish.”
Meat, but white fish.
Honestly, it had been quite a while since she hadn't eaten home-cooked meals.
If it was takeout from outside, no problem, but since it was made at home, the smell would be strong anyway.
No, she hadn't made anything at home to begin with.
While working at a company where overtime and weekend shifts were mandatory for almost a week, how could she cook?
But she had to.
It wasn't just because of the girl.
After all, she was going to rest at home for a while, and she couldn't handle everything with takeout.
Let alone the bank account breaking, her body couldn't endure it.
Recently, healthy lunch boxes had come out, but they weren't all that great.
She'd have to check the intestines.
Thinking this, Hana stroked the girl's eye corners, and the girl blinked dazedly at the touch, then looked at Hana.
The girl trembled greatly, like when she woke up on Hana's bed.
“U-uh… yeah.”
But unlike this morning, she didn't try to run away.
She was looking around anxiously, but she didn't avoid the touch.
“Woke up?”
“U-uh, yeah.”
“How's your ankle? Still hurts?”
“No, it's fine.”
Seeing this, Hana smiled softly, stroked the girl's cheek, and checked her ankle.
The leg was firmly wrapped in a splint.
Hana watched the girl wiggle her toes, extended her hand, and the girl stared at the hand quietly before being supported to stand up.
“Good, you can walk?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding her head, the girl kept some distance.
Hana held the girl's hand and slowly moved towards the parking lot.
The girl was still limping, and Hana walked slowly matching the girl's steps.
“The medicine, I'll take it. You can rest in the car for a bit. If you're tired, I'll warm the seat.”
“U-uh, yeah.”
“There's no water in the middle, so drink it comfortably if you're thirsty.”
“Yeah.”
The girl spoke with a mix of casual and polite speech.
The girl, who had been fidgeting while looking at Hana, blinked when she saw the car.
“Ah, ahahaha, I bought it on impulse because everyone said something when I rode a small car.”
The girl stared blankly at the car for a long time.
Hana awkwardly smiled at the sight and made an excuse.
Honestly, since she lived alone, a pickup truck felt a bit overkill.
Moreover, it was a somewhat impulsive purchase, so Hana was even more embarrassed and made excuses.
But the girl didn't have a surprised look like Hana expected; her eyes sparkled.
“Waaaaaaa……!”
The pickup truck was the car she had always wanted to ride when she was a boy.
It wasn't a dream car or anything, but the girl didn't hide her joy at riding such a car.
Hana blinked at the girl's reaction.
She couldn't understand it, but it made sense.
After all, she used to be a boy, so she might like trucks.
“U, uhm.”
...But still, the girl who had avoided holding hands now let Hana support her waist without saying a word, so it was a bit...
“Then, I'll go run some errands?”
“Yeah!”
“Puhut.”
Well, since she liked it, it was fine?
It was much better than the girl who kept fidgeting because she didn't like it.
Thinking this, Hana went to the pharmacy to get the medicine instead.
And the Hana who bought water at the convenience store greeted the girl and opened the door.
“Ah, you.”
But the girl had fallen asleep in the meantime.
Was it because the painkiller's effect was still there, or had she not fully woken up?
Hana hesitated for a moment, then lightly tapped the girl's shoulder.
“Rin, are you still sleepy?”
“U, uhn, no...”
The girl was forcing herself to sit up while half-asleep.
Hana covered the seat with a blanket for the girl and suggested going home if she was too sleepy.
“But if you're okay, shall we go shopping together? I have nothing to eat at home right now.”
“Yeah...”
“Yeah, drink some water and try to hold on a bit?”
The girl nodded her head and fastened her seatbelt, and Hana slowly drove the car to the large supermarket.
It had been a really long time since she had come to this kind of supermarket.
When she first got a job at the company, she used to come often.
She had started living alone, and she wanted to show off on SNS while following YouTube recipes.
But she couldn't go home from work, and she kept throwing away vegetables and meat, so her visits gradually decreased.
Even if she went sometimes, she bought a lot of frozen stuff and alcohol.
But now, after a long time, she was going to buy fresh things.
How unfamiliar it felt, Hana stared blankly in the parking lot for a moment after parking the car, unable to feel real.
“Want to get out?”
She snapped out of it after hearing the CM song of the supermarket.
Hana, who had come to her senses with the nostalgic song she hadn't heard in a long time, got out of the car first, and supported the slowly lowering girl by turning her body back.
Then, with the girl, she pulled a cart and went underground, and in the meantime, she was surprised at the quite high prices.
“Surprisingly expensive.”
“Wow.”
“Since unnie came here after 3 years, that's why.”
When the girl made a face, Hana awkwardly smiled and brought up the story from when she lived alone.
The story about following YouTube recipes and making eggs or something.
But because she thought about money, the girl didn't lift her head while following Hana, so Hana walked even slower and silently put fish in the shopping cart.
“74,300 won. Do you have a points card?”
“No. Ah, can you give me a quantity-based bag?”
“Large one?”
“Yeah, please give me a 20L one.”
The girl was still bowing her head when they returned to the truck after shopping.
Hana said that if they went home like this, she might disappear somewhere, so she told her to save money carefully.
It was okay to spend money without thinking for about a year.
But even with those words, the girl kept her head down for a long time, so Hana thought it was no use saying more here and went home.
When the girl approached with the suitcase at home, Hana clenched her fist.
What if she said she was leaving?
Like going to the observation deck, she might go somewhere and get hurt?
With all sorts of anxious thoughts, Hana stared at the girl with a clenched fist.
Fortunately, the girl opened the suitcase and took out a notebook from inside and handed it to Hana.
“This, this...”
“Huh?”
Since the suitcase was opened, she wasn't leaving.
With that realization, Hana felt her tension release and opened the notebook the girl handed her.
A notebook filled with messy numbers.
Because of tear stains or smudges, Hana couldn't understand at first glance and read the notebook several times before realizing it was a ledger.
It was too much money to say she had collected it as part-time jobs.
The level where she could barely save it after paying only for rent and essentials?
Hana was surprised at the numbers and looked at the girl, and the girl fidgeted and spoke.
“Money... food, hospital! Keluk, u, yeah.”
The pronunciation was messy like when she told the doctor, mixing up words.
Seeing the girl who was flustered and stammering, Hana was surprised.
“This, this, for you to use?”
“Yeah. Ah, th, yes.”
The girl who had been switching between casual and polite speech fidgeted and handed over the bankbook, and Hana blinked at the girl's action and then took a deep breath and looked at the girl.
The girl was bowing her head with her hair as a curtain, but looking at the girl who was checking the situation.
“Then, shall I take half of the food expenses?”
...Let's use it.
It was a bit hesitant because it was using the money saved by a younger sister who was 6 years old, but she thought it was the right thing to do.
She didn't know why she had offered first, but she wanted to take responsibility.
“So, the hospital bill is this much, and the food bill is exactly half, so this much! I'll add the money later?”
“Yeah, I'll, do that.”
Hana took out A4 paper and organized the money the girl had spent today.
The food expenses from the supermarket were half because they were shared, and the money from the hospital was all.
Then, the girl opened her eyes wide and nodded vigorously, and when the girl smiled again, Hana completely let go and stroked her head.
“Then, shall we eat something soon?”
“Yeah.”
The girl had slightly avoided the touch, but nodded her head and looked at Hana.
Hana asked the girl to wipe the table with a wet tissue, and the girl, limping, started wiping the table diligently as requested by Hana.