Unending Damage

"Are you Rie Minami?" the doctor asked. He wore a lowered face mask and scrubs.

I nodded. We both stood in the middle of the hospital corridor.

"Please take a seat."

He signaled at the chair standing next to a water dispenser.

Oh, no.

My whole body trembled as I did. I could barely stand, so I would've needed to sit down anyway.

"Ms. Minami, the knife was removed from Mr. Tetsuya's abdomen successfully."

All of the weight on me was lifted at once and a shaking breath came out of my mouth as I bent forward on the chair.

He's fine.

"However, it damaged a small section of the walls near the bottom of his large intestine."

I looked up at him again. "What?"