Scars and Smiles

“Hey,” Toma said quietly.

“Toma! Don’t just hover there—come on in!” Carter’s voice carried that same warmth as always, even if it was a little weaker than usual.

Toma walked over, stopping a respectful distance from the bed. Carter shifted, pushing himself up into a more upright position with a visible effort.

“Sit here next to me,” Carter said, patting the bed.

Toma obliged, lowering himself carefully. “How are you, Inspector?”

“I’ve been better,” Carter admitted with a faint grin. “As soon as we got here, they rushed me into surgery. The side where that demon hit me is still killing me, but none of my organs were damaged. I got lucky… My left arm’s busted too. I hear Arlen managed to break both an arm and a leg… But you—you’re looking pretty good!”

The setting sun cast a warm glow across Carter’s bandaged body. To Toma, he looked less like an injured man than a true hero—a warrior who could face danger with a smile.

Someday, I want to be just like him…Toma thought, a faint smile spreading across his face.

“Thank you, Toma,” Carter said sincerely. “Without you two, I’d be dead. You’re both outstanding talents—better than I was at your age. You’ve got a bright future ahead.”

“I know! But Inspector, you don’t look so great yourself. With all those bandages, I can’t even see your tattoos!”

“That’s true.” Carter chuckled. “But with your fingers looking like that, I doubt you’ll be doing much writing at the academy for a while either.”

“That’s the least of my worries!”

“Any other injuries?”

“Seven broken fingers, six broken ribs,” Toma listed matter-of-factly.

Carter sighed. “I’m sorry… The Ice Division captain was right. It was irresponsible of me to let you join this mission. I only sent you to patrol the trains because I thought you’d be safe there while I dealt with the real threat myself. But that masked man… he had other plans.”

“Come on, Inspector! This was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure! Even with the injuries, I’m proud. Because of you, I learned more than I ever could have at the academy—and I got to be part of a real mission!”

Carter’s expression softened before he broke into a hearty laugh. “You’re great kids. I’m glad I got to know you.”

A knock at the door interrupted them. “I’ve brought your dinner!” a voice called from the other side.

“Come in!” Carter answered.

The door opened, revealing a slender young nurse with neatly tied brown hair, no older than twenty-five. Her warm brown eyes met Toma’s for a moment as she wheeled in a small table set for Carter’s meal.

“My, you’re looking especially lovely today,” Carter said with his usual charm.

She blushed slightly. “Do you really think so?”

“Of course! I’ve never seen such a charming, kind nurse as you.”

Toma immediately cut in. “Don’t believe him! I know the type—good-looking, popular guys who see a cute girl, promise her the world, and then leave her alone with the baby!”

The nurse huffed, crossing her arms. “Womanizer!” she said, turning away from Carter.

Toma scratched the back of his neck with a half-smile. “Well, I think I’ll be going now…”

“Goodbye, Toma!” Carter called after him. “And to you, my lady, I kiss your hand!”

Toma stepped toward the nurse, took her hand with exaggerated formality, and pressed a light kiss to it.

“What a gentleman,” she said with a hint of surprise.

Before leaving, Toma glanced back at Carter, stuck out his tongue, and made a mischievous face that clearly said, I win. Then he was gone.

Carter sighed, smiling faintly. “Please don’t be mad at me,” he told the nurse. “Besides… you’ll have to feed me. I can’t use one of my arms.”

The nurse sighed. “All right, let's get to it!”

***

Arlen was already waiting in the room, grinning.

“Toma, guess what? I just called Mom and Dad, and they said they’re coming to visit us tomorrow—together with your parents!”

“That’s great news!”

“Yeah… when I think about it, it’s been a long time since we were home.”

“I wonder how much my little sister has grown.”

Arlen looked at his friend with a smile.

“She’s probably grown a lot. Kids grow fast.”

As they talked, the door creaked open, and a nurse entered carrying their dinner tray. She was a blonde nurse, no older than twenty, with striking blue eyes and a similar height to theirs.

“My, you’re looking lovely today,” Toma greeted her with a teasing smile.

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re Toma Sorien?”

“I see my reputation precedes me,” he replied, smirking.

“I’m not interested in your silly compliments.” She shot back, glaring at him. “You skipped dinner earlier, so now I had to come back just for you.”

“Aw, don’t be so strict. Besides, my fingers are broken and I’m stuck in bed—wouldn’t it be better if you fed me?” Toma put on his most pitiful expression.

She sighed in defeat. “Fine. But open your mouth and don’t talk while you’re eating.”

“Okay!”

***

The next day

Toma strolled down the hallway with three pretty nurses at his side, including the blonde from the previous day.

“And in an unbelievable stroke of luck, my punch connected with the demon!” he exclaimed, acting out the motion.

“What happened then, Toma?” one of the nurses asked eagerly.

“Yes, please, continue!” another chimed in.

“That’s when the fight got really interesting—”

“Toma!”

The voice cut through his story. He froze. His mother stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her expression hardening as she took in the scene. “We came to visit you, and you’re busy charming these poor girls?!”

“Oh crap—Mom! I completely forgot you were coming today!”

“Care to explain yourself, son?”

“I was… telling the girls about my mission…”

“And? Shouldn’t you be letting them do their jobs?”

“They were just feeding me… and going to change my bandages…”

“I’ll change your bandages myself! And let me make one thing clear: no son of mine is going to have a harem. If you want a girl, find one nice young lady. Not three at once! I didn’t raise you like that!”

“Looks like in Toma’s case, his mom wears the pants,” one of the nurses teased, making the others giggle.

“Aw, Mom, you’re totally embarrassing me in front of them!”

“All right, girls, let's go. Toma can tell us the rest later. We have more important things to do.”

“Wait, don’t go!”

“Too late, son—they’ve already left. And from the looks of it, you’re feeling better. Instead of lounging around, you should be training. Don’t get soft on me!”

“Come on, Mom! You’ve already burned me enough today!”

“Don’t worry, Toma! There are plenty of fish in the sea!”

“Emion, you came too?” Toma looked over in surprise.

“Of course. Your mother and I are proud of your heroic deed. And don’t worry—I’ll teach you a few tricks about handling girls.”

“Toma big brother! Toma big brother!”

Toma turned just in time to catch a little girl barreling toward him. “Nira! Look at you—you’ve grown so much!”

“I made you a drawing!”

“Thank you! It’s beautiful! Is this… uh… a dog?”

“That’s you, Toma big brother!”

“Oh—of course!”

He sat on his bed and only then noticed Arlen’s parents standing nearby. “Ah, good day to the Keel family.”

“Hello, Toma. Congratulations on the mission,” Arlen’s father said warmly.

“Thank you.”

Toma’s mother crossed her arms again. “Now that we’re all here… would you mind explaining what possessed you to join such a dangerous mission? It’s risky even for a captain—let alone for two kids!”

“The inspector wanted to send us home, but we insisted on staying,” Arlen explained.

“The mission was far more dangerous than we expected,” Toma added.

“But we grew a lot stronger because of it,” Arlen continued.

“And it’s an experience we’ll never forget,” Toma finished.

“We’re all proud of you,” Toma’s mother said, her tone softening.

“Since the hospital’s far from our village, we’ll be staying nearby for a few days so we can keep visiting you,” Arlen’s mother said.

“We’ve checked into a hotel close by, so don’t worry—we’ll be back tomorrow,” Emion added.

“Now, tell us—what was the mission like?” Arlen’s mother prompted.

“A story! A story!” Nira cheered.

Toma grinned. “Alright—but it’s going to be long, so get ready.”

He and Arlen began recounting their mission while everyone listened eagerly.