Chapter 118 - Aftermath (1/2)

The doctor had just finished his check-up on Shun when Shun's mother and father reached the hospital.

They ran to the coach, just as he was about to get an initial report on Shun.

Shun's dad called out to him,

Dad: ”Coach, Koetsuji-san!”

Coach looked to the side to see Shun's parents walking towards him. He turned to the doctor and said.

Coach: ”They are the parents.”

The doctor nodded and waited for Shun's parents to arrive and catch their breath.

Shun's mom immediately asked the doctor about Shun.

Mom: ”Doctor, how is Shun? Why did he collapse?”

The doctor looked at the worried mother and smiled to calm her down and ease her worries.

Doctor: ”Please don't worry about your son, he collapsed due to exhaustion and side-effect of an Adrenaline rush.

We have not done any tests, but from what the coach explained to me and from what I saw, your son exhausted himself while playing, but the adrenaline rush masked the fatigue, and he kept playing.

So, when the adrenaline rush ended, he ended up collapsing.

You can take him home in the evening. He needs to eat and rest well, and he will be back to normal in a few days.

He is sleeping now, but we will wake him up in an hour or two, to feed him.”

With that, the coach and Shun's father went to the reception to complete formalities, and Shun's mother entered the room.

She felt a weight lift off her c.h.e.s.t when she saw Shun sleeping in the room. Seeing Shun with her own eyes filled Shun's mother with relief.

She pulled a chair, set it beside Shun's bed, and silently looked at her son as he slept.

Shun slept for two hours before waking up to see his parents at his bedside.

He squinted from the light in the room. He felt tiredness to the core of his bone.

Shun g.r.o.a.n.e.d, which alerted his parents that he woke up.

Shun's mother immediately got up from her seat and moved closer to her son. She grabbed his hand and asked.

Mom: ”Shun, how are you feeling?”

Shun looked at the worried face of his mother, and even though he was in no mood to smile, he did it for his mother.

A small smile appeared on his face as he clenched his mother's hand and said.

Shun: ”...Hey, mom. I am fine, just a little tired and maybe a little hungry.”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Shun didn't speak much that day.

He only opened his mouth to speak when he was spoken to first.

That day Shun went to sleep early.

He laid in his bed, and the game played inside his bed.

The second half of the third-quarter flashed inside his mind, him running around the court to catch up to Akashi's passes stuck in his mind like gum to a shoe.

Shun: 'If only I didn't play less aggressively back then. Maybe I could have played in the fourth quarter.

I had slowed down the games' speed when we had a fifteen point lead maybe then I could have played in the fourth quarter.

Only if I had devoted more time to endurance, maybe then I could have played in the fourth quarter.

Only if I was a little more sturdy, maybe then I could have played in the fourth quarter.'

Shun decided that he didn't want to think about the game, and the best way to achieve that was to go to sleep.

Shun closed his eyes and slipped to the domain of Morpheous.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

When Shun woke up in the morning, he was thankful that he didn't get any dreams.

Shun sat on his bed. His eyes were attracted to his first-year jersey that he had hung on his wall.

He looked at the black-purple jersey with number thirteen printed on it.