This is the third segment in my story Copper.
“Well, Sora, her legs and her right arm are the most burned. If we can’t save the nerve functions, we will need to amputate those limbs.”
“But- she wouldn’t be able to walk! Or write! Or-”
“It’s the best we can do,” Dr. Suzuki said apologetically. “I don’t usually see burns this bad.”
“And her family?”
“They got out of the building first, and only sustained minor burns. They are being treated right now.”
“Is… is there any other way to save her?” Sora asked. “I mean… it would be terrible for her to live the rest of her life in a chair.”
“We must amputate,” Dr. Suzuki told him seriously. There is no other way.”
Suddenly, Sora’s panicked mind lit up. “Dr. Suzuki, my uncle is coming now to see Akane. Is it possible that he could talk to you about his latest project? We just finished it.”
“Oh, really? What is it?”
“A robot. Well, parts of a robot, anyways. Would there be a way that we could attach parts of the robot to her body?”
Dr. Suzuki thought for a bit, then shook his head. “That’s impossible. We don’t have that kind of technology.”
“That’s what I was saying this afternoon,” Sora said. “Dr. Suzuki, talk to my uncle about it. He’s a master clockmaker, he knows how machines work, and with your medical expertise, I’m sure you could work something out so you could replace her limbs with the robot parts!”
“That is… unlikely to the extreme,” Dr. Suzuki said. “But I’ll talk to your uncle, if you really want.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Sora said sincerely. He sat down next to the screen blocking Akane’s bed from view to wait tensely for his uncle. In about ten minutes, Kunio came bursting in.
“Sora, are you alright?” Kunio asked him.
“I’m fine,” Sora said. “Could you talk to Dr. Suzuki for me, though?”
“Ah, this must be the infamous Kunio Nakahara!” Dr. Suzuki came out from behind the screen and shook Kunio’s hand. “Sora has told me about your work on robots.”
“Really?” Kunio gave an irritated sideways glance at Sora and looked back at the doctor.
“If you’d want to help, I would appreciate that we talk in private,” Dr. Suzuki said. “Akane is in a dilemma, and if we don’t do something fast, she could either die or lose both legs and an arm.”
“I see,” Kunio said. Dr. Suzuki lead Kunio out of the room.
They must have been outside for more than ten minutes. Sora anxiously paced around, asking random nurses if he could help Akane’s condition, but they just shook their heads. “But you can’t just leave her like that, you need to do something!” he kept saying.
Finally, Kunio and Dr. Suzuki came back in. “Sora, get back to the workshop and get the robot parts,” his uncle ordered.
“You can do it? You can save her?”
“We will try,” Dr. Suzuki said, “but Sora, don’t get your hopes up. I’ve never tried something like this before with any of my patients.”
“Sora, quickly!” Kunio said sharply. “Get my tools as well.” Sora nodded and bolted outside.
Back at the workshop, Sora gathered all the parts together, along with Kunio’s tools, but could barely hold them all. He grabbed a burlap bag that he thought used to hold potatoes and delivered them to the hospital in this way. The doctor had just started the operation when he got there. “Ah, Sora, good. Hand them to me,” Kunio said. He went behind the screen shielding Akane’s bed from view, where, Sora assumed, they were undergoing the surgery.
Sora sat down next to the screen, waiting for them to make a sound. Sometimes he would hear a knife slipping into flesh, sometimes there was the clank of metal followed by Kunio’s cursing, and sometimes somebody would mutter something, but that was all. Minutes turned into hours. By the time Dr. Suzuki came from behind the screen, the sun had risen and Sora hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. His eyes were sore, and his body too. “Well?” he croaked.
Dr. Suzuki had bloodstained hands, an ominous sign. “It was successful, as far as we can tell. But we will need to wait for her to wake up to see if she can move.”
Sora let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness!”
“But Sora, I don’t want you to get your hopes up,” Dr. Suzuki said simply.
Kunio came out a moment later, fighting back a yawn. “Nephew, you owe me,” Kunio said wearily. “Akane Kato is a very, very lucky girl.”
“Can I see her?”
“Go right ahead.”
Sora looked inside the screen. Akane had apparently been knocked out, so she was still asleep. One of her arms was shining with copper-toned metal plates, and so were her legs. But the rest of her seemed to be alright, albeit some minor burns.
“Sora, I’m going back to the workshop. I’ll need to start on those customer orders, and maybe take a quick nap too,” Kunio said. “Are you coming?”
“I’ll stay here,” Sora said.
“Are you sure? You look like you could use some sleep.”
Sora smiled. “Sure, I’m tired. But I’ll stay here and see if Akane is alright.”
“I understand. See you soon.” Kunio exited the hospital, leaving Sora to sigh with a mixture of anxiety and relief.
“Well, Sora, her legs and her right arm are the most burned. If we can’t save the nerve functions, we will need to amputate those limbs.”
“But- she wouldn’t be able to walk! Or write! Or-”
“It’s the best we can do,” Dr. Suzuki said apologetically. “I don’t usually see burns this bad.”
“And her family?”
“They got out of the building first, and only sustained minor burns. They are being treated right now.”
“Is… is there any other way to save her?” Sora asked. “I mean… it would be terrible for her to live the rest of her life in a chair.”
“We must amputate,” Dr. Suzuki told him seriously. There is no other way.”
Suddenly, Sora’s panicked mind lit up. “Dr. Suzuki, my uncle is coming now to see Akane. Is it possible that he could talk to you about his latest project? We just finished it.”
“Oh, really? What is it?”
“A robot. Well, parts of a robot, anyways. Would there be a way that we could attach parts of the robot to her body?”
Dr. Suzuki thought for a bit, then shook his head. “That’s impossible. We don’t have that kind of technology.”
“That’s what I was saying this afternoon,” Sora said. “Dr. Suzuki, talk to my uncle about it. He’s a master clockmaker, he knows how machines work, and with your medical expertise, I’m sure you could work something out so you could replace her limbs with the robot parts!”
“That is… unlikely to the extreme,” Dr. Suzuki said. “But I’ll talk to your uncle, if you really want.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Sora said sincerely. He sat down next to the screen blocking Akane’s bed from view to wait tensely for his uncle. In about ten minutes, Kunio came bursting in.
“Sora, are you alright?” Kunio asked him.
“I’m fine,” Sora said. “Could you talk to Dr. Suzuki for me, though?”
“Ah, this must be the infamous Kunio Nakahara!” Dr. Suzuki came out from behind the screen and shook Kunio’s hand. “Sora has told me about your work on robots.”
“Really?” Kunio gave an irritated sideways glance at Sora and looked back at the doctor.
“If you’d want to help, I would appreciate that we talk in private,” Dr. Suzuki said. “Akane is in a dilemma, and if we don’t do something fast, she could either die or lose both legs and an arm.”
“I see,” Kunio said. Dr. Suzuki lead Kunio out of the room.
They must have been outside for more than ten minutes. Sora anxiously paced around, asking random nurses if he could help Akane’s condition, but they just shook their heads. “But you can’t just leave her like that, you need to do something!” he kept saying.
Finally, Kunio and Dr. Suzuki came back in. “Sora, get back to the workshop and get the robot parts,” his uncle ordered.
“You can do it? You can save her?”
“We will try,” Dr. Suzuki said, “but Sora, don’t get your hopes up. I’ve never tried something like this before with any of my patients.”
“Sora, quickly!” Kunio said sharply. “Get my tools as well.” Sora nodded and bolted outside.
Back at the workshop, Sora gathered all the parts together, along with Kunio’s tools, but could barely hold them all. He grabbed a burlap bag that he thought used to hold potatoes and delivered them to the hospital in this way. The doctor had just started the operation when he got there. “Ah, Sora, good. Hand them to me,” Kunio said. He went behind the screen shielding Akane’s bed from view, where, Sora assumed, they were undergoing the surgery.
Sora sat down next to the screen, waiting for them to make a sound. Sometimes he would hear a knife slipping into flesh, sometimes there was the clank of metal followed by Kunio’s cursing, and sometimes somebody would mutter something, but that was all. Minutes turned into hours. By the time Dr. Suzuki came from behind the screen, the sun had risen and Sora hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. His eyes were sore, and his body too. “Well?” he croaked.
Dr. Suzuki had bloodstained hands, an ominous sign. “It was successful, as far as we can tell. But we will need to wait for her to wake up to see if she can move.”
Sora let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness!”
“But Sora, I don’t want you to get your hopes up,” Dr. Suzuki said simply.
Kunio came out a moment later, fighting back a yawn. “Nephew, you owe me,” Kunio said wearily. “Akane Kato is a very, very lucky girl.”
“Can I see her?”
“Go right ahead.”
Sora looked inside the screen. Akane had apparently been knocked out, so she was still asleep. One of her arms was shining with copper-toned metal plates, and so were her legs. But the rest of her seemed to be alright, albeit some minor burns.
“Sora, I’m going back to the workshop. I’ll need to start on those customer orders, and maybe take a quick nap too,” Kunio said. “Are you coming?”
“I’ll stay here,” Sora said.
“Are you sure? You look like you could use some sleep.”
Sora smiled. “Sure, I’m tired. But I’ll stay here and see if Akane is alright.”
“I understand. See you soon.” Kunio exited the hospital, leaving Sora to sigh with a mixture of anxiety and relief.