Chapter 132: Toma’s Memories (7)
The night felt longer than anyone could remember. The bright lights above the operating room continued shining as everyone waited in silence.
Nathan stood beside Aiden with his arms folded. Across from them, Toma’s parents sat on the waiting room chairs.
Toma’s mother couldn’t stop shaking. Every few minutes, she looked toward the operating room doors before lowering her head again. "...Please be safe..." she whispered quietly.
Toma’s father remained silent. His fingers were tightly interlocked as he stared at the floor.
No one spoke. Even the nurses passing through the hallway seemed quieter than usual. The only sound was the ticking of the large clock hanging on the wall.
Each second felt like an eternity.
Aiden sat beside Nathan. He hadn’t eaten anything. He simply stared at the glowing "Surgery in Progress" sign. "...She’s going to wake up..." he quietly repeated to himself.
Nathan looked at the boy. He gently placed a hand on Aiden’s shoulder. "She’ll keep her promise."
Aiden nodded, although worry still filled his eyes.
Another hour passed.
Finally... The red operating light switched off.
Click.
Everyone immediately stood up. The operating room doors slowly opened. A doctor stepped outside, removing his surgical mask. The expressions on everyone’s faces immediately became tense.
Toma’s mother rushed forward first. "Doctor! My daughter! How is she?"
Toma’s father followed. "Is she alright?"
Nathan and Aiden also walked over.
The doctor looked at each of them before giving a small smile. "You can all relax."
Everyone froze.
"The surgery was successful."
Relief instantly spread across the hallway.
"She is out of danger."
Toma’s mother covered her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Thank goodness..." Her legs nearly gave out before her husband supported her.
The doctor continued, "However..."
Everyone became serious again.
"She is still unconscious. The injury to her head was significant enough that her brain needs time to recover."
Toma’s father asked nervously, "When will she wake up?"
"If everything continues normally..." the doctor answered, "She should regain consciousness sometime tomorrow." He added, "Of course, we’ll continue monitoring her throughout the night."
Nathan nodded. "Thank you, Doctor."
The doctor smiled politely. "She’s a strong child. Now we simply wait."
...
Late that night...
Toma was transferred into a private hospital room. Machines quietly monitored her condition. Her breathing remained calm. Her head was carefully bandaged. A nurse adjusted her blanket before quietly leaving the room.
Outside...
Aiden sat on a chair. He refused to leave.
Nathan handed him a bottle of water. "You should rest."
Aiden slowly shook his head. "I want to be here..."
Nathan didn’t argue. Instead, he sat beside him.
The hallway once again became quiet.
...
Morning arrived. Golden sunlight entered through the hospital windows. Birds chirped outside.
Inside Toma’s room... The heart monitor continued its steady rhythm.
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
A nurse entered for her routine check. She checked the monitor. Everything looked stable. As she prepared to leave...She noticed something.
A finger moved.
"Hm?" She looked closer.
Another movement.
Then... Toma’s eyelashes trembled. Very slowly... Her eyes began opening.
The nurse smiled. "Miss Toma?"
Toma blinked several times. Everything looked blurry. Bright lights, white ceiling, strange smells. "...Where..." she whispered weakly.
The nurse immediately pressed the emergency call button. "Doctor! She’s awake!"
Within moments, the doctor hurried inside. After a quick examination, he smiled. "Excellent." He looked toward the nurse. "Inform her family immediately."
"Yes, Doctor."
...
Outside... The waiting room doors suddenly opened.
The nurse hurried toward them. "Mr.Nathan."
"Mr. and Mrs.Toma."
Everyone immediately stood.
"She’s awake."
For a brief second... No one moved.
Then....
"What?!" Toma’s mother burst into tears.
Nathan smiled with relief.
Aiden’s eyes lit up. "She’s awake!"
The group quickly followed the nurse toward the room. When they entered... Toma looked toward them. Her face appeared pale but peaceful.
Her mother rushed to her bedside. "My dear..." She gently held Toma’s hand. Tears continued falling. "You scared us so much."
Toma blinked. "...Mom?"
"I’m here."
Her father smiled warmly. "We’re both here."
Nathan stood nearby while Aiden quietly peeked from behind him.
Toma looked at everyone. Then smiled faintly. "...Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
Her mother gently stroked her hair. "Are you alright?"
"My head feels..." Toma lightly touched the bandage. "...a little heavy."
The doctor nodded. "That’s expected. You’ve been through a serious injury."
Toma looked confused. "Injury?"
Her mother hesitated. Then softly asked, "Dear... Do you remember what happened?"
Toma blinked. "...What happened?"
"The bad men. Did they hurt you?" Toma’s mom asked.
For several seconds...
Toma simply stared. "...Bad men?"
Everyone exchanged worried looks.
Toma frowned. "What bad men? I don’t understand." She closed her eyes, trying to think. "...Yesterday....I..." Suddenly.... "Aah..." She grabbed her head. A sharp pain shot through her temples. Her face twisted. "My head... It hurts..."
The monitor began beeping faster.
The doctor immediately stepped forward. "That’s enough." He gently stopped everyone. "No more questions."
Toma slowly relaxed as the pain faded.
The doctor gave her a reassuring smile. "You don’t need to remember anything right now. You should simply rest."
Toma nodded weakly. "...Okay."
The doctor asked the family to step outside for a moment. Once everyone entered the hallway... His expression became serious. "It appears the injury has affected her recent memory."
Toma’s mother looked frightened. "...What does that mean?"
The doctor folded his hands. "She seems to have temporarily forgotten the recent incident."
Her father immediately asked, "Will she remember?"
"Possibly. But we cannot predict when. It may return naturally. It may take weeks. It may take months." He paused before continuing. "The important thing is... Do not pressure her."
Everyone listened carefully.
"If you repeatedly ask her to remember, it could place unnecessary stress on her recovering brain. In the worst case... It may worsen her condition."
Silence filled the hallway.
Toma’s mother lowered her head. "So... We shouldn’t tell her?"
The doctor nodded. "Not for now. Allow her brain to recover first. If the memories return naturally, that’s the safest outcome."
Nathan thanked the doctor. "We understand."
The doctor smiled. "She’s physically stable. That’s the most important part."
After he left... Everyone remained quiet.
Toma’s mother wiped away another tear. "I never imagined she’d forget everything..."
Her husband sighed deeply. "At least... She’s alive."
Nathan nodded. "That’s what matters most."
Just then...
Aiden slowly walked toward them. He looked up at Toma’s parents. "...Will she be okay?"
Toma’s father smiled gently. "We hope so." Then he crouched to Aiden’s height. "Aidi..."
The little boy looked up.
"I need to ask you something."
Aiden nodded.
"If Toma asks about yesterday... Please don’t tell her."
Aiden blinked. "But..."
Toma’s mother gently held his shoulder. "We don’t want her to suffer. The doctor said remembering too soon could be dangerous. So please... Don’t mention the kidnapping. Don’t mention the bad men. And don’t mention what happened in that warehouse."
Aiden looked through the hospital room window. He saw Toma quietly looking outside, completely unaware of everything she had gone through. He remembered her frightened face. Her cries for help, the ropes, the gun, everything. He slowly lowered his head. "...I promise."
Toma’s parents smiled sadly. "Thank you."
Nathan looked proudly at his son.
Aiden had made a difficult promise. One he intended to keep.
Inside the hospital room... Toma watched the clouds drifting peacefully across the blue sky. She couldn’t understand why everyone looked so relieved to see her awake. Nor could she remember why her head hurt so much.
....
The doctor gave Toma one final check before leaving the room. "She’ll need plenty of rest. Keep conversations short, and don’t let her become emotionally overwhelmed."
"We understand, Doctor," Toma’s father replied.
After the doctor left, the room became quiet again.
Nathan looked at Toma’s parents. "You both haven’t eaten anything since yesterday."
Toma’s mother shook her head. "I don’t feel hungry."
"You still need your strength," Nathan said gently. "If you collapse, who will take care of Toma?"
Toma’s father nodded. "He’s right."
Nathan looked at Aiden. "Aiden, why don’t we get something for everyone?"
The boy looked at Toma. "...Can I stay for just a little longer?"
Nathan smiled. "Five minutes."
Aiden nodded happily.
Nathan quietly stepped outside with Toma’s parents, giving the two children some time alone.
The hospital room became peaceful. Soft sunlight streamed through the window, filling the room with warmth.
Aiden slowly walked toward Toma’s bed. "Hi..."
Toma smiled faintly. "Hi, Aidi."
"I’m glad you’re awake."
"So am I." She looked at him curiously. "Everyone has been acting really strange."
Aiden froze for a moment, remembering the promise he had made. He forced a small smile. "The doctors said you got hurt and needed surgery."
Toma gently touched the bandage on her head. "It still hurts a little."
"You should rest."
She nodded. Then she tilted her head. "...Did we play yesterday?"
Aiden’s heart skipped a beat. He looked down for a second before answering. "I don’t think so."
"Oh..." She seemed disappointed. "I had a feeling I forgot something important."
Aiden’s fingers tightened slightly. He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her how brave she had been. How she had protected those important files. How she had survived. But he remembered the doctor’s warning.
And the promise.
Instead, he simply smiled. "When you get better... We’ll make new memories together."
Toma’s face brightened. "Really?"
"Really."
She held out her little finger. "Pinky promise?"
Aiden couldn’t help smiling. He hooked his little finger with hers. "Pinky promise."
The two children laughed softly.
Outside the room, Nathan had quietly returned. He had witnessed the entire conversation through the small glass window. A gentle smile appeared on his face.
Toma’s father stood beside him. "Thank you... for everything."
Nathan shook his head. "No thanks are needed. I only did what anyone should do."
Toma’s father lowered his head. "You saved our daughter."
Nathan looked through the window at the two children talking happily. "No..." He smiled proudly. "My son did."
For the first time in two days, the heavy atmosphere around the hospital began to lift.
Inside the room, Toma and Aiden continued chatting about school, games and their favourite ice cream flavours, completely avoiding the painful memories that had been locked away.
Neither of them noticed that, somewhere deep within Toma’s subconscious, faint fragments of that terrible day still remained waiting silently for the moment they would resurface.
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