Chapter 9. 5 – Aiko’s First Hospital Visit

Aiko sat in the waiting room with both hands resting over her stomach. The hospital smelled faintly of antiseptic and something metallic. Every beep of the machines behind the reception desk made her pulse jump a little.

Yuji sat beside her, tapping his foot without realizing. His work uniform still clung to him—he had rushed straight from his shift, apologizing three times for being late even though he wasn’t.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

Aiko nodded, though her shoulders were tense. “Just… nervous.”

“The doctor said it’s a routine checkup,” Yuji said. “Nothing scary.”

“I know.” She looked down. “Still feels scary.”

Yuji squeezed her hand. She squeezed back.

Around them, mothers chatted, children laughed, a nurse announced someone’s name. Ordinary sounds—yet Aiko felt out of place, as if she were trespassing in a world she wasn’t prepared for.

When a nurse finally called, “Hoshizora Aiko-san,” Aiko stood so fast she almost tripped. Yuji steadied her.

“Let’s go,” he whispered.

---

Inside the examination room, the fluorescent lights hummed above them. The doctor, a calm woman in her forties, reviewed the paperwork.

“So,” she said kindly, “first pregnancy?”

Aiko nodded.

“Any nausea?”

“A lot…”

“Fatigue?”

“Yes.”

“Back pain?”

“A little.”

“Appetite changes?”

“A lot.”

The doctor smiled like she had heard it a thousand times. “All normal. Your body is working hard.”

Aiko relaxed a little at that.

But when she lay down on the examination bed and the doctor prepared the equipment for an early ultrasound, her heartbeat sped up again.

The cool gel on her stomach made her flinch.

Yuji stood by her head, fingers brushing her wrist. “I’m right here,” he said softly.

She nodded, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

The doctor moved the probe gently. The screen flickered. Static. Shadows. Strange shapes.

Aiko’s breath caught.

Yuji’s hand tensed around hers.

Then—a small, blinking dot appeared.

A steady, pulsing light.

“There,” the doctor said, voice warm. “That’s your baby’s heartbeat.”

Aiko’s eyes widened. “That tiny thing…?”

“That tiny thing is working very hard to grow,” the doctor said. “You’re about six weeks along.”

Aiko covered her mouth, eyes trembling. Her throat tightened so fast she couldn’t breathe for a moment.

Yuji stared at the screen as if it were something holy.

“That’s our baby?” he whispered.

Aiko nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks before she could stop them. Yuji gently wiped one away with his thumb.

The sight wasn’t clear, the image barely more than a blur… but it made everything real.

Scary.

Beautiful.

Real.

The doctor continued speaking—things about nutrition, rest, follow-up visits—but Aiko could barely hear. All she could focus on was that tiny pulse.

She wasn’t alone anymore.

Not ever again.

---

After the exam, they stepped outside the hospital. The air was crisp and cool. Aiko inhaled deeply, trying to steady her emotions.

Yuji carried the small envelope with her ultrasound picture. He held it carefully, like it might crumble if he gripped too hard.

“You okay?” he asked.

Aiko nodded slowly. “I think… seeing it made everything less frightening.”

Yuji smiled. “Same.”

She looked at him, really looked. His uniform was wrinkled. His hair messy. His hands rough from work. But the way he held the envelope—softly, with quiet awe—made her heart warm.

“Yuji,” she whispered, “I’m glad you came with me.”

He scratched his cheek. “Of course I’d come. I want to be part of everything. Every appointment. Every milestone. Even the boring paperwork ones.”

A small laugh escaped her.

They walked toward the bus stop, their steps slow, almost synchronized.

Halfway there, Aiko stopped.

Yuji turned. “What’s wrong?”

Aiko held out her hand. “Can I… hold it for a moment?”

“The picture?” he asked.

She nodded.

He placed the envelope in her hands. Aiko opened it carefully and slid out the ultrasound print. The small heartbeat was faint on the paper, but it made her chest tighten with a soft ache.

“This is our baby,” she whispered.

Yuji stood beside her. “Yeah.”

She looked at him, eyes warm. “Thank you for being here.”

“You’re my wife,” he said simply. “And that’s our child. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Her throat tightened again—different from fear this time.

Aiko slipped her arm through his.

The street was noisy, cars passing, people moving around them. But for a moment it felt like they were standing inside a quiet bubble. Just the two of them. And the soft echo of a heartbeat still ringing in her mind.

A small life.

A new beginning.

A future they had to fight for.

Aiko touched her stomach lightly.

“I’ll do my best,” she whispered.

Yuji looked at her. “We both will.”

And together, they kept walking—toward a future neither of them fully understood, but both were willing to face step by step.