A Demon's Lapse

Rosie opened the door and shouted with glee as her sister stood in the doorway. Nora hugged her and they jumped around. Rosie kissed her forehead and cried. Nora cried too. It was the afternoon so the blue light from the sky reflected into the living room, reminding Nora that she was back home. She just wanted to be held by her sister.

Rosie gently stroked Nora's hair as she rested her head in her lap on the sofa. The window across the room was open, letting in a gentle breeze. The sound of light traffic also seeped in. After sitting on the couch together for a while, Nora went to take a bath. She wanted to cleanse all the bad energy away. She sat in the tub watching the water ripple as she moved her hands to and fro. Her reflection became distorted, similar to how she was feeling. There were still so many unanswered questions about Kiyohira. It didn't matter, though. It was over. Her life would go back to normal.

In the following days, she tried to put the pieces of her life together. She explained to her employer that she had a family emergency and asked her not to let her go. Surprisingly, they were forgiving. Nora couldn't help but think about Kiyohira all the time. She thought that being back home would help her move on but she just felt miserable. Was she the only one who felt anything? Rosie had noticed that there was something off about her. She understood that she went through a whole ordeal and she didn't want to press her on it but she wanted to know if she was okay.

The diner was bustling since it was lunchtime. Nora had taken a bunch of orders, which she had done before, but right now it felt like it was her first day. Earlier, she accidentally mixed up two parties' orders for which she felt bad. She felt uncomfortable and restless. She felt chills and aches and took some medicine earlier in the day but it didn't seem to be enough. Maybe she should've called out sick. As she entered the kitchen to grab the orders, she rolled her shoulders to try to ease the tension. Four trays were ready for her to take out on the counter. On a normal day, this would've been a piece of cake but today she felt so unfocused and disoriented. Her arms fell limp sending dishes of food crashing onto the floor. Her vision blurred and went to black.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" said a familiar voice. An enormous headache welcomed Nora into consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes to see Rosie at her side.

"What happened? Where am I?" she mumbled.

"You're at the hospital. The diner called me and said you fainted. They brought you here and the doctors said you were severely dehydrated," Rosie explained. Nora looked around and saw her right arm covered in plastic tubes leading to different machinery and devices. The hospital had a dreary appearance with old-looking beige walls and off-pink curtains. Nora felt hot and still had bad chills.

Rosie handed her some pills and a cup of water, "Here, for the fever." Nora hated taking pills.

The doctor came into the room. She was a middle-aged woman with a gentle expression. She told them that Nora's dehydration had exacerbated a viral infection she had. She would have to stay for a couple of days to be monitored. After the doctor left, Rosie stepped out as well.

"I'll be back," said Rosie, opening and closing the curtains behind her.

Nora lay back down to rest her head on the pillow. She could still hear them both talking.

"Miss Ramirez, was your sister under any extreme stress lately," the doctor asked.

"We've had a tough past few weeks, I think she's just dealing with it all," Rosie responded. Nora's senses were depleting; it hurt to see and hear things. She just wanted to sleep. The medicine kicked in and she was able to rest.

She tossed and turned in her sleep. She was half-dreaming and half-delirious. Thoughts of Kiyohira flashed before her. She called out to him. She wanted him to be with her.

Rosie put her hand over her sister's forehead and felt her burning up. She dipped a rag into a small bucket of water, dabbing it on Nora's face to help her cool down. The medicine didn't seem to be working so she hoped this would do something. If not, she'd call the nurse. Seeing her little sister toss around in pain hurt her. She knew there was something that Nora wasn't telling her, something relating to what happened.

Nora trembled and muttered something. "-Hira, Kiyohira," she said as tears began to roll down her face.

Kiyohira?

Nora's condition worsened in the following days causing Rosie to worry more. She called out from work to be with her. The doctors weren't sure if she was going to make it since her condition. Rosie sobbed beside Nora. She grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Please don't leave me, sis." She heard her mumble that name again, the name of the man who put a hit on her. Why?

"Kiyo-Kiyohira, I-I want Kiyohira," Nora whispered, tearfully in her sleep. Rosie's eyes widened, realizing the situation. She repeated the same thing over and over for a while. Rosie felt the pain in her voice, for she, too, had been in that situation as well. A thought came to her. It was crazy but she had to do it. This was for Nora, it's the least she could do for her.

Walking over to her purse, she took out her phone and dialled the number from which Nora had called while she was away. Her hands were shaking.

"Who is this," asked a man.

"I am Rosario Ramirez, Nora's sister. I need to speak with Kiyohira Kimura."