Chapter 120 - Just Wait

With a tense expression, Ned grabbed onto the doorknob and twisted it open.

With a faint creaking sound, the door opened.

And Mildred was there laying on the bed, still sleeping. She looked so peaceful but...

...sleeping for so long must be a bad thing.

Ned furrowed his brows and heaved a deep sigh.

"I... I might be jumping to conclusions as it's only the first day, but she could be in a coma."

I blinked a few times.

"...What will happen to her then?"

Ned walked over to the side of Mildred's bed, as did I.

Ned rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"If Mildred is in a coma... that might mean she will die."

My fingers twitched. It felt as though a cold, like a bucket of water was poured onto me.

"W-What do you mean?"

Ned rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger for a few moments.

"It depends if she really is in a coma, and what kind of coma she is in."

He proceeded to put his hand just above Mildred's nose and mouth. After a few moments, he let out a soft sigh of relief.

"At the very least, she is still breathing."

I gasped.

"Why would Mildred stop breathing?"

Ned shrugged his shoulders.

"Most people in a coma can't breathe by themselves. Thankfully, that isn't the case here."

I furrowed my brows.

"A coma can stop you from breathing?"

Ned scratched the side of his head.

"Well, I don't really know the specifics, but that's just how it is. Basically, their consciousness disappears so they're just sleeping for a really long time."

I leaned in a little closer to Mildred.

"So... if she can breathe, is she ok?"

Ned closed his eyes and held his forehead.

"Not really. There's no real way for her to eat or drink food..."

My hands began to tremble ever so slightly.

"What if we help her?"

Ned frowned.

"...Although we can pour water into her mouth, she has to swallow in the end. If she doesn't, she will just breathe the water in. That will only worsen the situation, if anything."

I slowly lifted my trembling hand up to my head to rub my knuckle against my temple.

"Is Mildred really going to..."

Ned held his chin tightly and furrowed his brows.

"It just... doesn't make sense though. You helped her before any major injury could form on her head, so why is she in a coma?"

I pressed my lips together.

"...Um, I didn't."

Ned raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I let out a soft sigh.

"By the time I got there, the back of her head caved in. The only reason she's even alive now is that I casted a healing spell."

Ned blinked a few times.

"Oh... right, you could do that."

I leaned in a little closer to Mildred.

"Is there any hope of her surviving?"

Ned smiled sadly.

"The only thing we can hope for is that she wakes up early, before she dies of dehydration or starvation."

My eyes drifted to Mildred's expressionless face.

...She seemed so peaceful.

But it sounded like death was just waiting around the corner for her.

I took a deep breath.

"Is there... any way to wake her up? Maybe if we shake her a little bit?"

Ned shrugged his shoulders.

"From what I've heard, people hardly respond to anything when they are in a coma. Apparently, the only thing that kinda works is talking around them."

He slowly turned his head to look at Mildred.

"Although it is infrequent, they can still sorta hear things."

Ned blinked a few times.

"...At least, that's what the doctors told me."

I turned to Ned.

"Um, what are the types of things I should say? Or does it even matter?"

Ned shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"My only guess would be reassuring things, or like a wake up call."

A soft chuckle escaped me.

"Like Erin's?"

Ned rolled his eyes.

"The only thing that'll do is make people want to go to sleep more."

A small smile formed on his face.

We stared at Mildred for a few moments more, in silence.

Eventually, Ned sighed.

"Anyways... it's probably about time to go eat. Do you want to help out with the cooking?"

I swallowed uncomfortably.

"I just... want to spend a little more time here. I will be down later."

Ned looked at me for a moment before nodding.

"Alright."

He walked out and began closing the door.

Before it fully shut, Ned cleared his throat.

"Don't forget about the real world."

Then shut the door.

I didn't really understand what Ned meant, but I just took it as well wishes.

It was almost silent, except for the faint breathing coming from Mildred. After a few moments of standing there awkwardly, I decided to bring over a chair next to the bed and sat on it.

I clasped my hands together and hunched over slightly, looking at Mildred's face.

But my gaze was aimless.

Simply because it didn't feel like I was looking at Mildred. It was as though I was trying to look at a faint reflection in a still pond.

Yet, no matter how long I looked, I just couldn't make out the blurry image.

I slowly closed my eyes and lowered my head.

"...Hey, Mildred."

She didn't respond, as expected.

I rubbed my temple with my knuckle.

"When I think about it, you're probably confused by how I treat you."

I let out a faint chuckle.

"Almost like we were long-time friends or something."

The corner of my lip turned up.

"I'm not sure if my actions are a little too forward to you, but they are real."

I sighed softly.

"You see, I've actually met you before, though you don't remember it."

A small smile formed on my face.

"I was a mess, in pretty much every way."

I scratched my cheek with my index finger.

"But... you didn't seem to mind that about me. When I think back on it, I can't help but find it a little crazy that you were willing to talk so much with someone as weird as me."

My lungs forced in a deep breath.

"You were the one that helped me up to my feet. The one that showed me that things weren't hopeless, no matter how weak and pathetic I was."

I brushed back my hair with my hand.

"That I could actually change my future."

A smirk formed on my face.

"And... I did exactly that."

I scratched the back of my head.

"Though, it's not nearly enough. After walking forward for so long, I've only realized the journey was far longer than I could possibly imagine."

My eyelid twitched.

"In time, I may even find the path forward was much longer than I could've ever expected."

I clenched my fists.

"But I'm going to walk down this path, for as long as it takes. It may be a little naive to say when I've only started, but I intend on seeing this through."

I slowly opened my eyes.

"Because you were the one that showed me this path."

A bitter smile formed on my face.

"In the end, while you helped me so much, I'm powerless to do anything for you."

I tilted my head to the side.

"Maybe... it was a mistake to say all those things to you."

My vision got a little blurry.

"I'm not really sure about that, or anything else, to be honest."

I held up my chin with my palm.

"But when I really think about it, I end up realizing how self-centered that outlook was."

A soft sigh escaped me.

"You were the one that made the decision to quit alcohol. Even if part of the reason was my actions, that fact remains. It is clear to me now, that kind of choice was hard to make and even harder to stick to."

I smiled warmly.

"...You must've been so strong to make a choice like that. Not just that either, but even living your life. You told me before that hope was what made us go forward when everything seemed so hard."

A tear cascaded down my cheek.

"But even to hope, is already so hard. You've told me how your life went before. That you let the rivers of time carry you away. It must've been many long years, yet you've been hoping all the same."

I smiled with a bit of shame.

"Whenever you comforted me, you also opened up about how hard it was for you. But I never really thought about it."

I laughed bitterly.

"I've hardly even experienced an entire year. My experiences must be laughable to you... like I was some child that finally saw the light for what it was."

My eyes drifted to the window.

"I regret not comforting you those times. I was so ignorant... and still am."

A smile formed on my face.

"But I will be strong just like you."

My eyes narrowed.

"....Just wait for me."