Part 1: The Night of Tragedy
Location: Tokyo Global Hospital - 4th floor. Time: 6:00 pm.
Osamu stands in the corridor, pacing back and forth, rubbing his hands together, his eyes not leaving the operating room door. Suddenly, the door opens. The doctor comes out with heavy steps, carrying in his hands a small lump wrapped in white cotton. Osamu stops, his pupils dilate, and extends his trembling hands to receive the child. He raises it to his face, smells it, and his features turn into overwhelming, childish joy.
Osamu: (Whispering in amazement) "Here she is... Ritsu... Little Ritsu... You have finally arrived, my daughter."
He covers his face with the baby's blanket, then turns to the doctor with a bright smile that is not yet complete.
Osamu: "How's my wife? Tell her that Ritsu is a hero like her! Can I come in to see Aki now?"
The doctor lowers his head, his features hardening into funereal silence. The words came out of him with difficulty, as if they were daggers:
Doctor: "Mr. Osamu... The bleeding was very severe... We did everything we could, but your wife died."
The smile on Osamu's face freezes. His eyes widened in horror as if he had been struck by lightning. His breath catches, and the color drains from his face. He looks at the little girl in his hands, then at the door through which the doctor came out, as if he was waiting for it to be just a nightmare.
Osamu: (with a trembling voice) "She died?.. Impossible.. You promised me!"
Osamu pushes the door of the room forcefully with his body, storming in while hugging the baby tightly. Inside, there was absolute silence except for the sound of the heart machine, which issued a continuous ringing announcing the end. Aki lay on the bed, pale and quiet. Osamu approaches with faltering steps, collapsing next to her bed. He holds her cold hand and places it on top of baby Ritsu, who suddenly starts crying, as if saying goodbye to a mother whose embrace she will never know.
Osamu: (screaming with suppressed tears) "Aki! Look... Ritsu is here! Don't go away and leave me alone... open your eyes just once!"
He leans his head on her lifeless chest, and the cries of the infant girl mix with the sobs of the broken father, in a scene that combines the peak of life and the tragedy of death in one