Broken Bones (Suzu extra)

Broken Bones
Note: this story contains spoilers for Act 3 of my Suzu pseudo-route, from 3-8 onward.
-A day in the life of [REDACTED]


The automatic doors slide open, and a small boy walks into the lobby of the hospital. His steps are hesitant at first, but they grow in confidence and speed once he reaches the carpet that extends from the entrance to the front desk. He carries a thick book in one hand and only the slightest hint of a limp in his stride as he reaches the information desk.

The woman behind the counter leans over the top so she can see him.  “Well good morning.” She says, smiling brightly. “Are you here by yourself?”

The boy nods, smiling back despite the dark, tired lines around his eyes. “Dad is parking the car but he said I can go in first if I'm careful.”

“That sounds like good advice.” The receptionist glances down at her computer. “It looks like she's in room 243 today. Do you want me to have someone take you there?”

“That's okay.” He replies, looking around for a moment before setting off again. “I think I know the way by now, thanks.”

Even as he says it, his pace begins to grow unsteady as he steps off the carpet, and slows down entirely once he rounds the first corner. The boy grips the wall-mounted railing tightly with his free hand, eyes narrowed in determination as he navigates through the now familiar halls of the hospital. Just as he's about to reach the first elevator, he suddenly topples forward and spends the next few minutes lying, unmoving, on the tile floor. Luckily it was only a short nap and his arms were positioned to help cushion against the fall, so after a little while he picks himself up, wipes sleep from his eyes, and continues forward with only a few minor scrapes to show for it.

Reaching the elevator, he presses the button for the second floor before sinking down to sit in the corner. Another nap wouldn't be such a bad idea right now, but he wants to get there before his father catches up with him, he wants to do it himself. The doors open and he staggers back to his feet, ignoring the hardness of the cool tile floor as he begins to walk faster and with more confidence towards the room marked 243.

To the nurses in the wing, he's a familiar sight. The girl inside had been gazing blankly out the window, but turns her head as the door opens. From the redness of her eyes, she looks like she's been crying recently, but her face lights up upon seeing him enter.

“Seiji.” She wipes her eyes, sitting up weakly. Her sea-green hair has a ponytail jutting out of one side, her left arm is shrouded by a thick cast.

“Good morning, Suki.” The boy says, hiding the book behind his back as he steps over to the bed. All memories of his tumble on the way here and any trace of the lingering aches or fatigue that follow him are buried and forgotten.

“Is it morning?” She glances at the clock hanging on the wall, squinting a bit, but he laughs. It can be hard to tell, for them.

“Does it really matter?” He smiles warmly and she looks back, her bright green eyes staring into his. She wants to return that smile, but her arm... she looks down, frowning at the plaster shackle.

“They say I have to wear this for six weeks, Seiji.” She grimaces. Even with the pain medication, it's ugly, and it's bulky.

“It looks fine.” He replies, as if reading her thoughts. He walks to stand next to the bed, his smile never wavering, there isn't a single trace of the boy who struggled to make it here in one piece. Even at eleven years old, his voice is firm and comforting, the result of years of practice and determination.

He gently runs his hand over her cast. “Blue looks good on you anyway. You look like a kamen rider.”

“Really?” She perks up. He nods.

“Really. Your secret weakness is stairs.” He says with a wink. She grins for a moment, but it fades.

“It's not really that secret.” Her gaze sinks to the bed, she looks like she might start crying again. “The whole class saw it, we, we were headed to gym class and--”

“I know. But guess what?” She looks up.

“Once you get to sixth grade, you'll be able to get out of gym class like me. Then, you'll have to find other ways to stay in shape.” He winks again.

The girl in the bed lets out a tiny laugh. “You mean... you mean like fighting bad guys?”

“Something like that, Suki. Now scoot over.” He moves to climb into the bed next to her and she makes room, hugging him tightly after he gets settled in.

“You're going to be fine.” He whispers, gently patting her hair with one hand while still hiding the book in the other. Oh, right, the book, he had almost forgotten about it.

“Hey, hey.” She looks like she might be falling asleep on him, but he shakes her awake. “I got you something.”

“Hm?” The girl tries to rub her eyes with both hands, but one arm doesn't bend that way anymore, so instead she looks over at him, blinking heavily. He pulls the book from behind his back, offering it to her.

“Assorted Works of William Shakespeare...” She takes it in both hands as best as she can, opening it carefully. On the inside cover is an inscription in pen, which she reads aloud.

“To Suki,” Her expression brightens at the familiar nickname. “May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, and then bring you straight back to me.”

Her brother laughs. “I don't know what half those words mean,” he says, pretending to be embarrassed. “but I know you like his work, so I thought. Next time you wake up, and I'm not here.”

She looks up, into his eyes, and he stares back as he continues. “I didn't want you to be alone.”

It takes her a few long moments to respond. Even though she knows that he's one of the few people she can always break down in front of, she still doesn't want to. She doesn't want to have to break down, to feel like she needs to. She doesn't want to fall asleep at the top of staircases and wake up needing a cast for six weeks either, but at least she has her friends and family. At least she has him. And now she has this, too, and...

“Thanks, Seiji.” Ten year old Suzu Suzuki says, wiping her watering eyes as best as she can.

“Anything for you.” He replies softly. He leans forward and plants a gentle kiss on her forehead, which brings a smile to her face and a pang of deep satisfaction to his heart.

“So you got a big bed this time.” He says, smiling back. “Comfortable, too.”

“Yup!” Her mood has recovered completely now. “Much better than the beds on the third floor.”

“Yeah, I hate those.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head, which prompts a giggle from the girl sitting next to him. He looks around again, suddenly feeling very tired.

“This one might be a little too nice, though...” He yawns, stretching his arms out before sliding down to lay beside her.

“Maybe we can take it home with us.” She says, carefully setting the book aside before laying next to him. The air in the hospital room is cool, but he always has a way of keeping the bed nice and warm.

“Maybe.” He whispers, but his eyes are closed. With the last of his strength he puts his arm around her but then he's gone, and she's quick to follow. The sunlight that filters through the window paints the two siblings in a warm orange glow as they hold on to eachother, fast asleep.

A man enters the room after speaking with the nurses, they assure him that his daughter will be able to come home tonight. He watches the children with something between pride and some small, repressed sadness, like any helpless father would. Even though they spend so much of their time sleeping anyway, he doesn't want to wake them. So instead, he picks up the red book from the table next to the bed and takes a seat, idly paging through sonnets and plays. Some time later, when the two in the bed begin to stir, he pulls a pamphlet from his pocket and wedges it between the pages as a bookmark. It's something he had gotten some time back but never really looked at until today, a brochure for a school that promises that neither of his children will ever have to be alone.








“Broken Bones” is a song by Aqualung.