Empathy: A TGSC Short

Edogawa

Tokyo, Japan
August 2015

“This is horrible,” A muttered.

“It really is.” Touta and A watched as the rest of their assigned group apprehended and dragged the criminals to the car. To the side was an ambulance about to take off back to the hospital. It had been one of their usual nights out – assigned on a sudden scene, taking part, and then watching as the events died down from there.

One of their co-workers caught Touta’s eye and made a gesture. The Japanese blinked and looked to where the other had pointed, and he immediately grabbed A’s hand in response. She blinked. “Touta?”

“Come with me,” he urged. A could only nod as he brought her to a bench, where a small child sat wrapped in a blanket and hugging her knees. One of the attending nurses was trying to coax her into talk. Touta tapped her shoulder and upon seeing him, launched into talk which A strained to understand.

She could see how the twosome’s facial expressions and body language worked, however. The young nurse looked tired, almost sheepish. Her hands moved jerkily and she kept glancing at the small child, and A caught a few stumbles and stammers in her voice. From the looks and sounds of it, she was fairly new and didn’t quite know what to do.

Touta’s brow was quirked and his voice was low, calm. She could tell that it was his ‘calming’ voice. He tended to use that whenever speaking to someone either stressed or panicked; it usually worked in his favor. He seemed to coax the nurse into telling what was wrong, to which the other did. His face melted into one of concern upon hearing what the young lady had to say.

Eventually the nurse walked off and A immediately asked what was wrong. Touta sighed.

“Ayaka is daughter of the victims,” he answered quietly. “Her mother died just now and her father needs critical care. They’re trying to get her to the hospital but she won’t budge. She’s just staying on the bench,” A’s green eyes fell to her, “And not responding to anyone. The nurse asked if we could take care of it because the mother needs to be examined and the father cared to immediately.”

“You said yes.”

He looked a little guilty but nodded. “We have to. The rest of the team’s on investigating what happened and apprehending the criminals. As much as it stings you on the inside,” he added, “She needs us.”

A tried not to think of what he added, nodding anyway. “Alright. Let’s try our hand at this.” She exhaled and soon followed Touta to the bench, the older man getting on his knee and gently touching the child’s back, coaxing her softly. She visibly cringed at his touch and he took his hand away, still asking her how she was. A could tell that she gave a shrug.

“How old is she?”

“Seven.”

At the lack of reply, he sighed and slowly stood back up. A silently sat down herself, Ayaka still not moving or making an effort to look at the other.

“Ayaka?”

No reply. A swallowed and momentarily hoped that her Japanese was still up to par. “…would you like to talk?”

That was when she looked up, seeing A. The latter waited for the child to say and do nothing.

To her surprise, Ayaka latched onto her and buried her face into her side. Touta watched as A’s face shifted from shock to worry, but upon feeling the smaller child shake, her form relaxed slightly and her arm wrapped itself around the girl carefully, inviting her to cling tighter.

Touta stood and A merely sat there, the two of them listening as the Ayaka exhausted her tears into the female’s shirt.

* * * * *

It wasn’t obvious, but A had a soft side to her.

Despite her mild crankiness and dry tone, there was someone softer and more caring beneath the surface. In a way, Touta was strangely reminded of his eldest sister who doted on him and the rest of his siblings.

The more tender side would appear on occasion; when the energy was down and someone was feeling under the weather, she would constantly offer the person a medicine or ask if they wanted coffee. Unlike Peters and Mack who surprised from time to time, A observed and responded quickly if she noticed something was wrong.

It was a blessing. She had a first aid kit in her office and extra snacks in her bag. Peters took snacks, Mack needed bandages, and Touta would ask for aspirin when the long workdays would get tough.

Alongside that, she was also someone who anyone could easily talk to. If Touta was great at giving advice and nuggets of wisdom, A listened. She listened, gave her input, and listened more. Contrary to due belief, it worked just as well. She learned secrets and kept them tucked away, never telling another soul what she had learned.

On other times, she could relate. She understood Peters’ drive to be better, Mack’s want to put out topnotch work, and immediately emphasized with Touta when he shared his fear of disappointing the rest of them. She understood and was able to make them feel that they were never quite alone.

She didn’t know, but the rest of them appreciated her for that.

* * * * *

A had to sit in the back of the car while Touta drove.

Ayaka was resting in A’s lap, the latter gently running her fingers through her hair and humming to keep the girl sleeping. Touta had left the radio off and was merely listening to his co-worker hum.

Despite the fact that Ayaka had minimal injuries, they still had to bring her to the hospital where she could rest for the night. They had been assured that Ayaka would be cared to in the morning, and all they had to do was bring her there safely.

The car stopped in the middle of traffic and A stopped humming.

“She’ll be okay, right?”

“She will. They’re looking for her relatives right now…while her father recovers, she’ll stay with them.” He glanced at her from the mirror, “Are you alright?”

A looked back at Ayaka, who was still sleeping. “…she’ll be okay.”

It was silent once more; A eventually started to hum once Touta began to drive once again. The sound of her voice filled the vehicle and he sighed quietly, letting a smile climb to his lips as he drove to the hospital.

At the end of it, A pressed a gentle kiss on Ayaka’s forehead and watched as she was wheeled off. The girl waved goodbye before disappearing into the glass doors, Touta watching as A slowly took her eyes off the twin doors.

“Okay?”

“I’m fine,” she replied softly. “She just reminded me of myself, you know?” Touta put a hand on her shoulder and she pushed a smile onto her face.

“You turned out okay.”

“I know.” She exhaled, “I hope she will be, too.”