Another Time, Another Kiss - Chapter 15

Kotoko stood outside the doctor’s office, hesitating a while before she placed her knuckle against the wooden door. “Come in.” Doctor Yamada responded. Slowly, with some difficulty, Kotoko lowered her hand and reached for the knob.

“Ohayou…” Kotoko greeted in a somehow shaky tone. Despite being an infamous clumsy lady in her circle of friends, her mother instinct was telling her that something bad was going to happen the moment she received a phone call from the doctor during the night before.

“Uchiyama-san...” Doctor Yamada edged forward. “Come, take a seat over here.”

“What is wrong with my daughter?” Kotoko quickly asked.

“As a matter of fact, I’ve good and bad news for you.” Doctor Yamada informed, looking a little apologetic. Both of them were quiet for a second with new worries scribbling through the fold of Kotoko’s forehead.

**

“Kotoko is pregnant.” Doctor Takashi Uchiyama announced the piece of good news to his best friend while they were inside the pantry.

“Pregnant?” Doctor Yamada was in fact shocked rather than happy for his friend upon hearing the news.

“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

“Do you think I should?” Doctor Yamada’s eyes widened. To discover that his best friend being so mindless…it was shocking, and he wondered if he wasn’t dreaming this whole thing.

“Why shouldn’t you?” Takashi said, smiling. “I am going to be a father!”

“I don’t suppose you know the consequence of this issue.” Yamada asked him, still stunned by his friend’s attitude towards the serious issue.

“Of course I know.” Takashi finally drew back his smile and stood there with his hands on his hips, thinking.

“Get Kotoko to abort it.” Yamada suggested. “…before it’s too late.”

Takashi’s face grew dark and serious.

“No way!”

“You have no choice!”

“You are a doctor and you should know what would happen to the child!” Yamada was trying hard to make his friend see the whole picture.

“I am not going to kill my own flesh and blood!” Takashi rebutted and his face was turning red with pure anguish.

“You’ve already done that!” Yamada reminded him aloud.

“I don’t know.” Takashi said, shaking his head. “I know it’s not going to be easy, but I really wanted to have my own children.”

“I am not going to kill my own child.” Takashi muttered and looked at his friend. “Don’t ever tell Kotoko about my condition.”

“But…”

“I am sure someone in the future will have a solution for this. Someone will be able to save my child.”

**

“Oh my God,” Kotoko cried out in tears. Her heart was pounding because she couldn’t believe a word from Doctor Yamada. Her stomach felt as if it was doing flip-flops and she had to touch it repeatedly, fearing that she might throw out anytime.

“Kotoko…”Doctor Yamada tried to calm her down but in vain for she seemed to be staring angrily at him, accusing him for the spurious revelation of her husband’s darkest secret.

“Kyoko is only having a serious flu and nothing more than that! Why are you telling me all these unrelated matters?” Nervous and shaky, Kotoko actually fell backwards when she tried to get off from her seat.

Doctor Yamada stared down at Kotoko, the feeling of guilt had nailed his feet to the floor and even the thought of taking a step forward seemed impossible.

“It’s only flu…not…not some illness that you…can’t even…give me a proper medical name!” Kotoko cried again, and struggled to get to her feet, but they just wouldn’t give in to her.

“Baka…”

A familiar word was heard from nowhere and it fell clumsily over Kotoko’s mind as she tried hard to develop some sensible answer. Doctor Yamada looked somewhat relief when he noticed a figure standing behind Kotoko.

“I will save her.”


To be continued…