Re: Picking up the Pieces- A H&K Xmas Special (Updated 12/17
Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 12:23 pm
Christmas Eve is upon us, and with it, the conclusion of my little jaunt into… whatever this was. Enjoyable, hopefully.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Six: Because One Did Survive
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Hanako asked me, “I don’t want her to feel pressured.”
“It should be fine,” I stated, “outta all the schools I showed her, Yamaku has the best curriculum, most accepting student body, best counseling services, and she’ll get a grant if she decides to pursue physical therapy.”
Not that they’d let her work with the students in such a capacity, but assistant to an athletic team’s captain wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Hanako nodded and turned to face the psych ward, now icy and covered with a thin layer of snow, “Makes sense. She should also s-see what she’d be getting into.”
“That’s a rather cynical line of thinking,” Miya said on my other side.
Hanako sighed and nodded, “I don’t like it much, either, but it’s the truth.”
Miya shifted the tub of cookies she was holding to one hand so she could reach over and pat Hanako on the shoulder, “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
Hanako glanced at me, “Kenji said I was the best one to talk to her. I agree.”
“Best get to it, then,” I said.
“That’s the spirit!” Miya chirped.
I chuckled at Miya’s enthusiasm before leading us inside the psych ward.
The idea that Hanako was doing this as some sort of display to the types of things a student at Yamaku would have to see on a daily basis made me feel like shit, but it was something we both felt needed to be done. With her long hair pulled back and no hat, Hanako’s facial scars were as plain as day. I didn’t expect Soon-hee to be bothered by them, but it was something we had to think about.
At least we didn’t have any problems once we were inside the building. A woman in a suit with a briefcase and another woman holding a plastic tub filled with cookies following a guy in a suit and fedora wearing a gold and red scarf, holding a large brown bag tends to make for an odd sight, but I wasn’t surprised when no one acknowledged our presence. Everyone was far too immersed in their own minds to pay us any heed.
Despite my normal pessimism, the depressing pall I normally associated with the place seemed to have abated in the wake of all the Christmas decorations. With the holiday itself less than a week away, the amount of visitors was starting to increase, so the lobby was a bit busier than usual. The season seemed to animate the patients and staff a bit more, too. If only they could be less trapped within themselves all year round.
We signed in, our bags were checked, and we made our way to Soon-hee’s room. We had considered meeting at an office or something, but I figured she’d be more comfortable in her own home, such as it was. I wasn’t too thrilled about Miya coming along, but trying to dissuade my wife from a course of action is like trying to stop the tide. Hanako, like me, I think, had taken this situation a bit too close to heart, previous remarks aside.
Being an orphan and victim of PTSD herself, it made sense that she had taken a personal interest in the girl’s wellbeing. As for Miya… There are some things even I won’t put down on paper. Not yet. Suffice to say she had her own family problems growing up–there’s a reason she was raised by her grandmother.
Soon-hee had added some decorations to her door –a couple red and green cardboard spheres with ornament designs stenciled on them. I smirked at the decorations and knocked on the door.
“Soon-hee,” I called through the door, “It’s me, and my wife, and the woman from the Board I mentioned.”
“Okay,” she said.
The door clicked and opened, and I stepped inside, removing my hat as I did so. As I did I noticed that Soon-hee wasn’t alone; Koizumi and Miss Sorami were also present, as was a low, wooden table with a white sheet over it.
Koizumi was sitting by the desk, while Miss Sorami was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaving the table available for the four of us. Once I stepped aside so the other two could enter, I noticed that a tea set and some plates were on the table.
“I got a heated table!” Soon-hee declared.
“The heating system in this building is pretty finicky,” Koizumi stated, “Maintenance really hates working on this building. I also figured you’d want some proper tea for once.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“That works out great,” Miya stated as she walked in, “Oh, I’m Setou Miya, everyone. Kenji’s wife. I brought cookies.”
The door closed lightly and I glanced at Hanako, who had entered the room, “Hello, I’m Nakai Hanako.”
“She’s the Director of Public Relations on the Yamaku Foundation Board of Directors,” Miya added.
Hanako smirked and remarked, “The position is mostly honorary. The school’s administration just wanted to use my fame as PR for the school.”
And if Lilly wasn’t the Chairperson of the Board, Hanako would probably have told them to shove it.
No one gave Hanako’s scars a second glance, which didn’t surprise me; working in a hospital tends to numb you to such things, and Soon-hee had seen an alien turn a gang into cat meat, after all. One potential issue out of the way, at least.
Soon-hee bowed in greeting and said, “Hello, Mrs. Nakai, Mrs. Setou. I’m Kim Soon-hee, and this is my therapist Miss Sorami, and one of the nurses, Koizumi.”
“Certainly crowded in here, isn’t it?” Miss Sorami remarked.
“Least it’s warm,” Soon-hee stated.
“Yep,” Miya chirped, “So let’s have a seat and get some tea. Who wants cookies?”
Everyone raised their hand, so Miya sat first, prying the container open and examining its contents while Hanako and Soon-hee set ourselves down. I placed myself on the young woman’s left, with Miya on her right and Hanako across from her. Koizumi was behind Soon-hee at the desk, and Miss Sorami behind me. Once I had eased myself down, I hefted my bag next to Soon-hee. As I did so, I grinned and said, “Here you go. Merry Christmas!”
Grinning sheepishly and flushing lightly, she took the bag with a mumbled thanks and placed it by her bed, apparently too embarrassed to look at it at the moment.
“Okay,” Miya declared, “I have madeleines, snickerdoodles, and sugar cookies. Oh, and some double chocolate chunk cookies. Oh, and for you, Miss Kim,” Miya pulled a small box from the container and handed it to her, “a chocolate orange.”
“Thank you,” Soon-hee said. She took the box and spent a few moments examining it before placing it by my present, “Would you like me to serve the tea?”
“Sure, thanks! Who wants what cookie? Wait, looks like I managed to make enough so everyone can have two of each anyway. Never mind, then. Good thing I brought lots of napkins.”
I smirked and glanced at Hanako, who was rifling through the papers in her briefcase. As she did so, I noticed she was smirking, too.
By the time Miya had sorted and handed out all the cookies, Hanako had finished working through her papers. Soon-hee was clearly nervous, though the tea and snacks seemed to be helping to keep her relatively calm. Most likely figuring she was most at ease while eating, Hanako closed her case and fiddled with her papers one last time before looking to Soon-hee.
“Kenji tells me you’d like to know a bit more about Yamaku High School, is that right?” she asked.
Soon-hee nodded, “He said as far as private high schools go, it’s the best fit for me.”
“Based on what I’ve read through, it may very well be,” Hanako stated, “So, if I may, I’d like to talk to you a bit as a former student.”
Soon-hee tilted her head and nodded while gnawing through a cookie.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Six: Because One Did Survive
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Hanako asked me, “I don’t want her to feel pressured.”
“It should be fine,” I stated, “outta all the schools I showed her, Yamaku has the best curriculum, most accepting student body, best counseling services, and she’ll get a grant if she decides to pursue physical therapy.”
Not that they’d let her work with the students in such a capacity, but assistant to an athletic team’s captain wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Hanako nodded and turned to face the psych ward, now icy and covered with a thin layer of snow, “Makes sense. She should also s-see what she’d be getting into.”
“That’s a rather cynical line of thinking,” Miya said on my other side.
Hanako sighed and nodded, “I don’t like it much, either, but it’s the truth.”
Miya shifted the tub of cookies she was holding to one hand so she could reach over and pat Hanako on the shoulder, “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
Hanako glanced at me, “Kenji said I was the best one to talk to her. I agree.”
“Best get to it, then,” I said.
“That’s the spirit!” Miya chirped.
I chuckled at Miya’s enthusiasm before leading us inside the psych ward.
The idea that Hanako was doing this as some sort of display to the types of things a student at Yamaku would have to see on a daily basis made me feel like shit, but it was something we both felt needed to be done. With her long hair pulled back and no hat, Hanako’s facial scars were as plain as day. I didn’t expect Soon-hee to be bothered by them, but it was something we had to think about.
At least we didn’t have any problems once we were inside the building. A woman in a suit with a briefcase and another woman holding a plastic tub filled with cookies following a guy in a suit and fedora wearing a gold and red scarf, holding a large brown bag tends to make for an odd sight, but I wasn’t surprised when no one acknowledged our presence. Everyone was far too immersed in their own minds to pay us any heed.
Despite my normal pessimism, the depressing pall I normally associated with the place seemed to have abated in the wake of all the Christmas decorations. With the holiday itself less than a week away, the amount of visitors was starting to increase, so the lobby was a bit busier than usual. The season seemed to animate the patients and staff a bit more, too. If only they could be less trapped within themselves all year round.
We signed in, our bags were checked, and we made our way to Soon-hee’s room. We had considered meeting at an office or something, but I figured she’d be more comfortable in her own home, such as it was. I wasn’t too thrilled about Miya coming along, but trying to dissuade my wife from a course of action is like trying to stop the tide. Hanako, like me, I think, had taken this situation a bit too close to heart, previous remarks aside.
Being an orphan and victim of PTSD herself, it made sense that she had taken a personal interest in the girl’s wellbeing. As for Miya… There are some things even I won’t put down on paper. Not yet. Suffice to say she had her own family problems growing up–there’s a reason she was raised by her grandmother.
Soon-hee had added some decorations to her door –a couple red and green cardboard spheres with ornament designs stenciled on them. I smirked at the decorations and knocked on the door.
“Soon-hee,” I called through the door, “It’s me, and my wife, and the woman from the Board I mentioned.”
“Okay,” she said.
The door clicked and opened, and I stepped inside, removing my hat as I did so. As I did I noticed that Soon-hee wasn’t alone; Koizumi and Miss Sorami were also present, as was a low, wooden table with a white sheet over it.
Koizumi was sitting by the desk, while Miss Sorami was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaving the table available for the four of us. Once I stepped aside so the other two could enter, I noticed that a tea set and some plates were on the table.
“I got a heated table!” Soon-hee declared.
“The heating system in this building is pretty finicky,” Koizumi stated, “Maintenance really hates working on this building. I also figured you’d want some proper tea for once.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“That works out great,” Miya stated as she walked in, “Oh, I’m Setou Miya, everyone. Kenji’s wife. I brought cookies.”
The door closed lightly and I glanced at Hanako, who had entered the room, “Hello, I’m Nakai Hanako.”
“She’s the Director of Public Relations on the Yamaku Foundation Board of Directors,” Miya added.
Hanako smirked and remarked, “The position is mostly honorary. The school’s administration just wanted to use my fame as PR for the school.”
And if Lilly wasn’t the Chairperson of the Board, Hanako would probably have told them to shove it.
No one gave Hanako’s scars a second glance, which didn’t surprise me; working in a hospital tends to numb you to such things, and Soon-hee had seen an alien turn a gang into cat meat, after all. One potential issue out of the way, at least.
Soon-hee bowed in greeting and said, “Hello, Mrs. Nakai, Mrs. Setou. I’m Kim Soon-hee, and this is my therapist Miss Sorami, and one of the nurses, Koizumi.”
“Certainly crowded in here, isn’t it?” Miss Sorami remarked.
“Least it’s warm,” Soon-hee stated.
“Yep,” Miya chirped, “So let’s have a seat and get some tea. Who wants cookies?”
Everyone raised their hand, so Miya sat first, prying the container open and examining its contents while Hanako and Soon-hee set ourselves down. I placed myself on the young woman’s left, with Miya on her right and Hanako across from her. Koizumi was behind Soon-hee at the desk, and Miss Sorami behind me. Once I had eased myself down, I hefted my bag next to Soon-hee. As I did so, I grinned and said, “Here you go. Merry Christmas!”
Grinning sheepishly and flushing lightly, she took the bag with a mumbled thanks and placed it by her bed, apparently too embarrassed to look at it at the moment.
“Okay,” Miya declared, “I have madeleines, snickerdoodles, and sugar cookies. Oh, and some double chocolate chunk cookies. Oh, and for you, Miss Kim,” Miya pulled a small box from the container and handed it to her, “a chocolate orange.”
“Thank you,” Soon-hee said. She took the box and spent a few moments examining it before placing it by my present, “Would you like me to serve the tea?”
“Sure, thanks! Who wants what cookie? Wait, looks like I managed to make enough so everyone can have two of each anyway. Never mind, then. Good thing I brought lots of napkins.”
I smirked and glanced at Hanako, who was rifling through the papers in her briefcase. As she did so, I noticed she was smirking, too.
By the time Miya had sorted and handed out all the cookies, Hanako had finished working through her papers. Soon-hee was clearly nervous, though the tea and snacks seemed to be helping to keep her relatively calm. Most likely figuring she was most at ease while eating, Hanako closed her case and fiddled with her papers one last time before looking to Soon-hee.
“Kenji tells me you’d like to know a bit more about Yamaku High School, is that right?” she asked.
Soon-hee nodded, “He said as far as private high schools go, it’s the best fit for me.”
“Based on what I’ve read through, it may very well be,” Hanako stated, “So, if I may, I’d like to talk to you a bit as a former student.”
Soon-hee tilted her head and nodded while gnawing through a cookie.
