A New Role

“There you are!” a nurse says entering the room. Tomoko is still asleep in your arms. “Akasuki had us searching all over for you. Dr. Yamada is in labor.” You’re still waking up, so the news takes a second to register. You’re about to be an uncle. You don’t want to leave Tomoko’s side, but you have to go. You slip out from under her, she stirs and part of you hopes she wakes so you can talk to her before you go. She stays asleep and you don’t have the heart to wake her up just to say bye.

You leave your number on a scrap of paper next to the bed. With a short message, “Sorry I had to go, my sister’s having a baby.” You’re about to follow the nurse, when you stop for a second to leave your name with the message.

The nurse leads you through the hallways and up an elevator. You enter the room she guided you to. “And that’s your Uncle Ren, he loves you even if he wanted to go missing on your birthday,” Akasuki says talking to the baby in her arms only glancing at you as you entered the room. Akasuki’s legs are in casts, and she’s in a wheelchair. You quickly cover the distance, leaning over your sister’s shoulder you get your first look at your niece. “Chikako Yamada,” she says knowing what you were about to ask.

“Do Mom and Dad know?” you ask staring at your sleeping niece’s face.

“Unlike you they were easy to get a hold of. They’ll be here soon, same with Iyasu’s family.”

“Sorry I left my phone in my room-”

“We know. We found your phone long before we found you,” Akasuki interrupts.

“Sorry. I went on a snack run and ran into Tomoko on my way back.” She gives you a knowing glance. “Ha, I know. How are your legs?”

“Absolutely mangled, luckily this hospital is outfitted with the best equipment on the market,” Akasuki takes the opportunity to pat herself on the back. You get a chance to hold your niece before everyone starts showing up.

Your parents bring a wave of emotions. On the one hand they were obviously worried about their two children being caught up in a national disaster, which directly conflicted with their excitement over becoming grandparents. With Iyasu’s family showing up, the hospital room started to feel cramped with both families filtering in. Plus Tasukeko showed up and released a bouquet of balloons from her hammerspace, which certainly didn’t help.

Your phone buzzes. It’s Tomoko.

[I tried to check if you were still in the hospital.]

[I can’t believe I have to ask this.]

[Are you here?]

Knowing what she’s been through, you can feel her pain through the messages.

[I’m here. Why don’t you come to room 478 and meet my niece? Fair warning though there are a lot of people up here.]

You keep checking your phone, slightly worried about your hero. No reply. You consider making a “coffee run” to go check on her. But that’s when you spot the green haired woman standing in the doorway. You skirt around the room full of family members. “You made it,” you say hugging the oddly somber hero. You’re still not used to her not bouncing around. You hold your hand out, and pull her behind you when she grabs it.

Tasukeko passes your niece to Tomoko. You stare at the green haired hero holding your newborn niece. You tried to tell yourself that you were over her. That you couldn’t waste the rest of your life chasing the heroic connection. But standing here, watching her hold Chikako, you can’t help but imagine your own life with her. Your own emerald haired child running around the house you share with her. This was it, you knew that you needed to hold on to her this time. No letting work get in the way. The office is destroyed so you’ll have a few months during reconstruction.

“So Uncle Boss, am I still getting paid during the rebuild?” Tasukeko asks leaning against the windowsill next to you.

You give her the slightest glance, “Yes, everyone will still be paid. We’ve got excellent Collateral Damage Insurance. A lot of the business side will be put on hold, but I assume my sister won’t wait for the rebuild to get the engineers back on projects.”

“Ah, the boss lady’s work ethic thwarts my paid vacation,” she laughs. “So the Pussycat is back, huh? How long will this last?”

“Yea, she’s back. And I’m never letting go,” you answer before leaving Tasukeko’s side as Chikako is passed back into Iyasu’s arms.

Before long, the room is cleared of visitors, leaving the new mothers alone with their child. The doctors give you another exam before clearing you for discharge. Before leaving the hospital, you decide to check on Tomoko. “I’ve been cleared,” she says as you enter the room. “They have plenty of more tests to run, but I don’t have to stay in the hospital for those.” She zips her bag and bats her big yellow eyes at you. “Especially if I was staying somewhere nearby,” she winks.

“Well I might know a place not to far from here,” you say grabbing her bag. She loops her arm with yours, resting her head on your shoulder as the two of you leave together.