The world tilted.
Kana stood frozen, eyes wide as she stared at the woman before her. The sounds of laughter, chatter and distant music around them, all faded into a muffled haze.
Her heart pounded as fragments of memories slammed into her like waves.
Her mother brushing her hair while singing softly.
A kiss on the forehead.
A whispered, "I'll be right back."
The cold realization that she never came back.
She was drowning in them now.
Nurses pulling the curtains shut, lonely birthdays with store-bought cupcakes, watching kids outside the hospital window and wondering what she did wrong.
And now, here she was… the woman Kana had dreamed about confronting for years… right in front of her.
John, seeing the whole spectacle unfold before his eyes, was filled with anxiety and shock as he remembered Kana telling him how her mother once denied even knowing her.
Her mother, too, stood frozen in shock as she stared at her daughter, just as Kana began to speak.
Kana (voice trembling): Mom... Why… Why did you leave me?
Her voice cracked open, fragile and shaking.
Kana: I waited. I waited every day… but you never came. I thought maybe I did something wrong. I thought maybe I wasn't enough. But I called and you... (pauses) Why? Why did you leave me?
The woman's face softened, but then the words that came out of her mouth dropped like a dagger into Kana's memory.
Mother: I'm sorry, but… I don't know who you are.
Kana staggered back a step as if she had been slapped.
Kana: Wha… what?
Her mother turned and looked away avoiding eye contact with her and then spoke again.
Mother: I… I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't know who you are.
Everything in Kana's expression collapsed, the hope. The strength, the happiness she had felt throughout the days and the belief that even pain she has been going through had an explanation.
John: Kana?!
He stepped forward rushing through the crowd, as his voice rose in panic.
Kana stumbled, clutching her chest, her breathing turning shallow and erratic as everything began to blur around her.
Kana: No… no, no, this isn't happening…
Her knees buckled.
John: Kana!
He darted in just in time to catch her, gently lowering her to the ground as her eyes rolled back.
The others heard the commotion and turned.
Rose: Oh my God—Kana?!
Jane (already rushing over): Move! John, lay her flat. Support her head.
She was already beside them, her voice calm but urgent.
Jane: Misa, get my medical bag from the backpack, front pocket. Now!!
Misa scrambled, nodding without hesitation.
Jane knelt beside Kana, checking her pulse, then placing two fingers against her neck.
Jane: Rapid pulse. Shallow breathing. She's in shock.
John (desperate): She just collapsed… she looked like she couldn't breathe—
Jane: It's okay, I've got her. (to Kana, gently) Kana, it's me, Jane. You're safe, I'm right here.
Misa handed her the bag, and Jane swiftly pulled out a small oxygen canister and mask, adjusting it over Kana's mouth and nose.
Jane: She's had an emotional overload. It triggered a collapse, possibly cardiac strain from the stress. But she's breathing, and I'm stabilizing her now.
Liam: Should we call an ambulance?
Jane: No… not yet. She's responding. Give me one minute.
John stayed kneeling, gripping Kana's hand tightly as if afraid she'd slip away. Rose and Liam stood nearby, watching in shock, while Misa tapped her feet nervously, her body tense.
A crowd began to gather around them as Jane continued to monitor Kana's condition, steady and focused despite the numerous eyes that were around them.
John (softly): Hang on, Kana. Please…
After a few seconds, Kana's fingers twitched in his.
Jane exhaled slowly.
Jane: She's coming back.
Her voice was low and steady as she adjusted the oxygen mask again. The group remained locked in focus, the world standing still all except for one figure.
Kana's mother, the woman whose presence had triggered the collapse, stood frozen, her eyes wide in disbelief and something else: fear.
Then she turned and ran, forcing her way through the crowd, catching the attention of John and the others as well as the crowd.
John: (noticing) Wait—what the hell?!
But she was already pushing past bystanders, disappearing into the crowd.
Rose: That… that was her, wasn't it? Kana's mom?
Liam: And she just… left?
Misa: (in disbelief) Again…
John looked down at Kana, still unconscious but breathing easier now, her chest slowly rising and falling beneath Jane's careful hands.
His fists clenched as the memory of Kana's mother denying her flashed again in his mind, stirring frustration and anger.
John: (quietly, to himself) Why? Why did it have to be today? Everything was perfect until...
Jane stayed composed, checking Kana's vitals again before glancing up at him.
Jane: She's stable for now. But we need to get her somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe. I suggest we go back now.
John nodded, though his eyes remained fixed in the direction Kana's mother had disappeared.
The others agreed as they gently lifted Kana, ready to return her to the hospital.
*****
Kana stood in a hospital hallway & the lights above flickered like candle flames, and the floor stretched endlessly in both directions, wrapped in a quiet atmosphere too thick to breathe through. All the doors were locked, and every window was blacked out.
She took a step forward and began to walk.
Her bare feet made no sound. Her hospital gown dragged slightly on the ground. In her chest, the dull ache still lingered, the shock of seeing her.
Her mother.
As she walked, she began to look around, wondering where she was.
Kana: What is this place?
As she passed one of the doors, it suddenly opened slowly, and she heard her own voice, a younger version, crying.
Young Kana (voice): You said you'd come back.
Kana froze.
Young Kana (voice): You said you wouldn't leave and… yet… and yet…
She pressed her hand to the door. It was cold. The crying continued, then cut off sharply, replaced by nothing.
She staggered back. And suddenly, the hallway changed. The lights dimmed to a soft orange, like a sunset trying to hold on and the ground beneath her cracked like glass, and a faint wind swept in.
She turned — and saw herself, at age 14.
Pale and fragile.
Hooked to her IV drip, sitting alone in a hospital bed that sat in the middle of nothing. The younger Kana looked up and saw the older Kana staring at her, then spoke...
Young Kana: You were still waiting for Mom to come back, weren't you? Even when you knew that wasn't going to happen. Yet you held on to hope, didn't you?
Kana blinked back tears.
Kana: No… I moved on. I did. I have people now. I'm not— I'm not that little girl anymore who wanted Mom!
The younger version stood, approaching.
Young Kana: But you still wonder why she left. If you did something wrong. If maybe you were too much. Or not enough. Just admit it, a part of you still wants to be accepted by your mother after everything she's done to you.
Kana stood there in shock, then shook her head in denial.
Kana: That's not true!! I— I have friends now who care about me!!! There's no reason for me to worry or even care about her at all!! I've moved on!!
The younger Kana shook her head.
Young Kana: Then why did her presence scare you?
The world shifted again. The younger Kana faded, and then a silhouette of her mother appeared in front of her. Memories both old and recent from Yukimura Brilliant Park began to replay in her head, sending Kana into a spiral of emotions.
She began to scream and beg for everything to stop as the image of her mother began to terrify her. Suddenly, all the faces of her friends began to look like her mother in her mind, and Kana could do nothing but fall to her knees and cry relentlessly.
Kana (trembling): I'm scared… I'm so scared…
But then, the noise and the images suddenly vanished, replaced by abrupt silence.
Kana raised her head as she began to sense someone standing in front of her. And when she looked up, her eyes met John's.
Or rather, just the idea of him, a silhouette of warm light standing across the cracked glass floor. His hand was reaching out to her, and just before she could touch him…
******
The steady beep of a heart monitor pulled Kana gently back to the world.
She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the soft moonlight spilling through the hospital blinds. The ceiling above her was familiar, sterile white, humming faintly with electricity, but this time, it didn't feel suffocating.
Her fingers twitched under the blanket and then she noticed her hand wasn't alone.
Jane, still in her nurse's uniform, had fallen asleep with her head resting gently on Kana's bedside, her hand lightly wrapped around Kana's. There was a half-open novel by her elbow and an untouched cup of hospital coffee on the tray.
Kana smiled faintly.
Kana: Jane...
She turned her gaze to the window, eyes distant as she realized the moon had already taken its place in the dark night sky.
The dream still clung to her like mist, the empty hallway, her younger self, John's silhouette.
Kana's throat tightened as the thought of her mother flashed through her mind again. Just then, Jane stirred awake and, seeing Kana's eyes open, immediately hugged her.
Jane: Kana!!! You're awake!!!
Kana: Big sis...
Jane: Oh my gosh, I was so worried. I already did everything I was supposed to do, but I wasn't sure when you'd wake up. I'm really glad you're okay.
As Kana listened to Jane's voice, her thoughts suddenly turned to her friends.
Kana: W... What about everyone else? Where'd they go to spend the night?
Jane: Oh... Misa offered to let Rose sleep over at her place, and Dr. Kennedy decided to let John and Liam stay at his place for the night since it was too late to catch a train home.
Kana heaved a sigh and continued to stare out the window.
Kana: I see.
Jane still held Kana's hand gently, then spoke again.
Jane: So... Do you want to talk about it? What happened at the park?
Kana's mind involuntarily flashed back to that moment and she flinched in shock. Jane noticed immediately, gently tightening her grip on Kana's hand.
Kana: No, I don't want to.