Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 12

“I’m hurting, it hurts… but I have to get through this. If I can’t even do this, I won’t be able to do anything! Naou has done so much for me… and yet I… Ah, it still hurts… it hurts so much, it hurts!!!”

“Zion!”

The tremors in my hand had somehow spread throughout Zion’s entire body.

With his eyes already losing focus, I gripped Zion’s convulsing shoulders to check his condition.

“Ah, ah…!”

How could this happen… Is it a seizure due to trauma?

We weren’t talking about the war; we were discussing practicing driving a wheelchair, and it escalated to this?

I had to respond differently than when he had a seizure from the trauma related to Iris.

Back then, it was a situation filled with grief and guilt, so it was okay to leave him be.

But a seizure induced by trauma related to physical pain was something that needed to be stopped immediately; it was dangerous.

Normally, dealing with someone suffering from trauma-induced seizures would be extremely difficult, but fortunately, this is a fantasy world.

It can be as simple as…

“Sleep.”

I could calm him down by putting him to sleep.

Sleep is a curse-based spell that induces slumber. It has no offensive power or practicality, so it often gets deprioritized, but I had nearly mastered this skill.

“It hurts, it hurts…”

“What?”

What? Even though I cast Sleep at nearly max level, nothing changed for Zion.

Is he completely immune to curses? Is it because he’s a hero?

“Gasp, gasp…”

Zion was still showing signs of panic. If mental spells wouldn’t work, I had no choice but to soothe him the usual way.

“Zion. Pull yourself together. It doesn’t hurt.”

When dealing with someone having a panic attack, the first thing I mustn’t do is panic myself. I need to calm him down quietly without raising my voice.

If the person beside him panics or becomes anxious, the patient will only absorb that negative energy and amplify their emotions.

“We don’t need to practice anymore. Just get out of there.”

I pulled my hand from Zion’s shoulder, wrapped it around his waist, and lifted him into my arms.

I was separating him from the wheelchair, which was presumably the source of his anxiety.

Since Zion’s body was weak, he easily leaned against me, stretching his arms over my shoulders as he began to rely on me completely.

“Ha, ha, ha…”

“It doesn’t hurt, so just relax. Breathe easy.”

I gently patted Zion’s back as he nestled into my embrace.

I could feel his chest rise and fall with each breath he took.

“How are you? You’re not hurting at all, right? So trust me. I’ll definitely help you get better.”

“……….”

I had to keep talking in a calm voice to reassure him.

Although I might not be the person Zion primarily relies on, it’s only natural for someone in such a weak state to want to lean on anyone.

As I continued to speak, thankfully, his breath began to slow down gradually.

“Hoop,先生…”

“Are you starting to calm down? If you’re feeling calmer, take a deeper breath. Let’s completely relax. I’ll help you breathe, so breathe with me. Huuu… haaa… huuu… haaaa…”

“Haaaa…”

For a moment, we took deep breaths together, working to fully calm Zion down.

With him in my arms, we repeatedly inhaled and exhaled in sync.

Every time we inhaled, our chests pressed close together, making it a bit difficult to breathe, but we took large breaths together, and after some time, I lifted my hand from his back to check his pulse by placing it on his neck.

‘I wonder if this is okay.’

His heartbeat felt a little high, but it was slowly decreasing. It seemed he was beginning to stabilize and escape from the panic state.

“Zion. I’m going to sit you up now. It’s okay, right?”

“Just a bit more, just a bit more…”

“What?”

“Huuhh… haaa…”

Though Zion’s arms were weak, I could still feel them wrap around me just a little.

Caught off guard by this unexpected situation, I lost sync with my breathing, but Zion was still taking deep breaths on his own.

“…….”

I decided to just wait quietly while holding him.

Every time I lifted Zion, I couldn’t help but feel just how surprisingly light he was.

His body seemed nearly devoid of muscles, almost just bones. But at the same time, there was something warm and alive, with the warmth of blood flowing through his veins that I could easily feel against my skin.

“Put me down now.”

Just as I began to feel a bit dizzy from the silence stretching on, Zion finally asked to be let down, and I seated her back in her wheelchair.

“I just showed you a shameful sight.”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re calmer now.”

It seemed I needed to adjust my understanding of Zion’s condition a bit.

I had thought that since he was a hero, even if his body was wrecked, his mental state would be strong. I also thought that experiencing trauma related to Iris’s death was inevitable, but this was different.

From a discussion about practicing wheelchair driving to a panic induced by trauma.

If the pressure control had failed and he had been thrown from the wheelchair to crash against a wall, that would indeed be enough physical pain to cause trauma. Just imagining it is horrifying…

But this issue seemed like it needed a more fundamental approach.

‘Amid the things Zion said earlier, there was certainly something like, “If I can’t even do this, then I’m nothing.” If there’s a reason he was desperately clinging to the wheelchair while in pain…’

“Please don’t misunderstand.”

While I was deep in thought, Zion suddenly spoke up.

“Huh? What misunderstanding?”

“Uh, um… I…”

Zion lowered her gaze, fiddling with her fingers.

“I didn’t mean it in any special way when I asked to be hugged more…”

Asked to be hugged more?

Oh, right, it must be about when I said, “Just a bit more” earlier.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been close to someone like this… ha ha, humans are warm. I thought maybe I’d feel better if I held on a bit longer…”

“Zion.”

“Y-Yes?!”

It was surprising to see someone who had just been suffering from a panic attack due to trauma worry about such trivial matters.

I needed to correct my perception of Zion’s condition as well as Zion’s perception of me.

“When you were in a panic, I lifted you out of the wheelchair to separate you from it. What do you think about that action?”

“What do you mean by that…”

Zion, looking somewhat embarrassed, tilted her head as if she didn’t quite understand.

“Was it an appropriate medical action?”

“Yes.”

“Zion, if I had thought of you in that way, I wouldn’t have been able to handle things as I did earlier. I know you’ve been loved by everyone, but…”

She was beautiful, brave, good, strong, and wonderful above all.

But wait, I know she’s been loved, but…

“Hold on a minute, Zion. Does that mean there have been people who saw you as a romantic interest?”

“Of course, right?”

“Of course? That’s quite a bit of self-esteem you have.”

“I also thought so at first. It must have all been in my head.”

This story’s original novel had no romantic subplots or even anything resembling affection!

What kind of elements exist in this world that weren’t expressed in the novel?

“By the way, Hanamana always says, ‘It’s definitely wrong because it’s Hanamana, but that person looks like they’re seeing Zion in a weird way…’ and she’s never been wrong. Those types always confess around the time they’re leaving. Every time, Iris would blast them off and chase them away. What on earth were they thinking…”

I pondered if there was anyone among the characters in the novel who could have behaved that way, but none came to mind.

In fact, it had been over 20 years since I last read that novel, so I couldn’t remember any characters other than the main hero party.

“Speaking of which, you were one of my companions, Hoop sensei, so you didn’t know anything about this?”

“Well… that didn’t happen while I was traveling with you.”

“Um, so it seems just having guys in the party can lead to that kind of situation, huh? Are men more cowardly than I thought?”

Is that even something that can be called cowardly?

Thinking about it, the notion of thinking ‘Let’s make a move since there are only women in the party’ does undoubtedly feel cowardly.

But the important thing is that wasn’t what’s key right now, so I had to make it clear to Zion.

“Anyway, Zion. I know you’re charming, but if you think I’m seeing you in that way, that would be a problem.”

I really wasn’t looking at her that way, and it truly would pose a problem, so I stated this firmly, but I couldn’t shake the guilt creeping in the back of my mind.

Zion probably couldn’t imagine how I was looking at her.

“I’m a doctor, and my only job is to help you recover. But if you can’t even say you want a hug because you’re worried about me misunderstanding, how will we proceed with the treatment? Of course, such interactions won’t happen often, but… do you understand what I mean?”

In the future, there would be physical contact during rehabilitation sessions to correct postures or check muscle mass, and since I’d need to take care of her until Serin arrived at the kingdom, if Zion were to misunderstand and refuse all that, it would be a disastrous situation.

“……”

Having said this much, she must understand me now.

Perhaps because I sounded slightly scolding, Zion lowered her head like a kid who just got reprimanded, clasping her hands in her lap and fidgeting with her fingers.

“I understand. I’m sorry for saying unnecessary things.”

“It’s fine as long as you understand. Anyway, I’m glad. We were almost in big trouble.”

“That… I’m sorry. And thank you.”

“Please refrain from such expressions of gratitude. Zion. I’m a doctor, and you’re a patient. Being sick isn’t something to apologize for, and my care isn’t something to be grateful for in that manner. If you say thank you every time we go through a treatment, nothing will progress.”

“……”

Am I being too hard on Zion? But considering we have two years of treatment ahead, it was crucial to clarify our attitudes toward each other.

On top of that, I got to see Zion looking like a sulking child.

Seeing the normally righteous, strong figure of Zion pouting like a child was a rare treat that only I could witness.

“Anyway, let’s get going now. I’ve never been late during the three years of running this center, but today will be the first.”

“Uh, um…”

“Am I going to hear another apology?”

“Yes…”

“Okay, Zion. Repeat after me: ‘Being sick isn’t wrong.'”

“Being sick isn’t wrong.”

“Good job. Let’s really get going this time.”

Zion nodded silently.

Unexpected incidents had caused us to be a bit late, and I imagined the center must be a bit chaotic now.

But more than that…

‘What has Zion been doing for the past three years after the conclusion?’

The events that occurred after the conclusion were triggers for the panic attacks.

All I had seen of Zion’s story was up through the end of the novel.

How did the events after that impact Zion’s mental state?

In any case, the morning commotion full of panic and misunderstandings came to an end, and it was time to head to the center and start the rehabilitation treatment properly.