Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 130

Knock, knock.

The sound of a vibrant knocking on the door.

Today was a day for guests.

“Yes, I’m coming~”

I felt a bit unwell, so Hop Harvey was going to answer first, but I waved him off and went to greet the guest myself.

After all, to Hop, everyone must seem like a stranger.

And this particular guest was someone coming to see me, so it made sense to welcome her personally.

“Welcome, Hanamana.”

The person who arrived was none other than Hanamana.

She mentioned she had to deliver some important news about Hop’s condition, even though she was busy with work at the Rehabilitation Center.

“It’s been a while, Zion… Huh?”

Hanamana opened the door and saw me, then her eyes dropped as she covered her mouth with a shocked expression.

“Zion, your belly…”

“Hehe, can you tell I’m showing now?”

Four months pregnant.

While I wasn’t enormous, I was definitely starting to show. It got to the point where I had to buy special clothes.

“…….”

Hanamana stared wide-eyed, unable to say anything.

I figured she was processing various thoughts.

I had many thoughts about this baby myself.

Could Hop really accept this child as his own?

Would this child grow up wounded by his attitude or state?

And what about me… could I handle this situation well? Would I be able to endure it?

Thinking about these things felt like a weight crushing my chest, but—

“It’s okay to congratulate me, you know.”

I decided to embrace the joy of it.

After all, this was a child I desperately wanted.

Seeing me smile, Hanamana seemed to release her breath in a tiny sigh of relief.

“Congratulations, Zion.”

“Yeah, thanks. Come on in.”

As we entered, Hop Harvey was in the living room and greeted me.

“Welcome. That, um, your name is…”

“I’m Hanamana. Hanamana Cherrybell.”

“Oh, right. Ms. Hanamana. Please make yourself comfortable.”

They awkwardly bowed their heads at each other, acknowledging one another.

I couldn’t help but smile, reminiscing about Hanamana being scolded by Hop back when she was his junior in rehabilitation, though it made me feel a bit bittersweet.

If I kept having these negative thoughts, it wouldn’t be good for the baby, but those painful feelings arose in my mind uninvited, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

“I need to talk to you for a bit.”

“Then I’ll head upstairs.”

“Will you? Thanks, Doctor.”

With a nod and a smile, the doctor went upstairs to his room filled with collectibles from his rehabilitation days.

He’d probably spend time surrounded by all kinds of broken items, gazing at them.

“Um… what did Hop say about this?”

“About the child?”

“Yeah.”

“He was a little confused at first, but now it seems like he genuinely thinks of the baby as his own. Honestly, I feel like the pregnancy has made him really considerate and caring.”

“That’s a relief.”

I almost let slip the thought that ‘I don’t feel love from him anymore,’ but I managed to hold it back.

The fact that I couldn’t share my pain with anyone made it all the more tormenting.

No, I couldn’t even tell myself that I was hurting.

I should be spending happy days with my loved one in the world I saved, but inside, I was trapped in sorrow, pain, and sadness, desperately fooling myself into believing I had to be happy.

My feelings were rotting away inside.

Every day felt like I was enduring without any hope—what would happen when the baby arrives?

Would the doctor love the child if he didn’t love me?

Could I even love the child, feeling the way I do?

Could this baby grow up healthy under such a troubled parent?

And our tiny, frail, pure baby… would the doctor break her…?

“Zion?”

*Gasp!*

What… what was I just thinking?

How could I think like that!

I felt disgusting and creeped out by myself—it was unbearable.

*Gulp, gulp…!*

My chest tightened, and I found it hard to breathe.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and sank down, clutching my chest.

“Zion! Get a hold of yourself!”

Hanamana rushed to support me and embraced me.

Tears began to spill from my eyes, and Hanamana rested my face against her chest, stroking my back.

“It’s okay. You’ll be fine, Zion. While I can’t promise to fix everything, I came to share some helpful words.”

I didn’t quite understand what Hanamana was saying, but at that moment, I had nothing to lean on—her warmth felt comforting.

Though small, Hanamana was a strong and reliable companion, and I hugged her tightly to feel her warmth.

“Hanamana.”

“Speak, Zion. I’m right here.”

Those were the words a rehabilitation expert always said to a patient in a panic.

Would I never hear those words in Hop’s voice again?

“Is it okay if I cry a little?”

“Of course. You can cry as much as you need.”

“Thank you. Thank you, Hanamana.”

All the sorrow I hadn’t been able to share came rushing out, and tears spilled forth.

“Uff….”

Just hearing “It’s okay to do that” was enough.

“Ugh, waaaaaah…”

As I sobbed into her, Hanamana held me warmly.

In the midst of it all, I worried if my cries could be heard by the doctor upstairs.

I couldn’t express my honest feelings to Hanamana, but just being held by her brought me comfort.

After all, Hanamana probably knew that it was impossible for her to truly understand my situation and comfort me.

So for now, this was enough.

I could cry now, and somehow, I would have to go forward.

I had to take responsibility for the doctor and our child… it was all on me.

“Feeling a bit calmer now?”

It took quite a while, but eventually, she asked if I was okay.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

I wiped my tears and stood up, facing Hanamana again.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded, finally ready for the main topic.

“Zion, do you remember why I came? I wrote it in the letter?”

“Yeah. You said there was something important to tell me about the doctor?”

“Exactly. It’s about this.”

Hanamana took out a book from her bag.

It looked like a spellbook made from parchment.

“What’s this?”

“This is the spellbook for the Recover spell. It was created by the doctor.”

“The Recover?”

If I recalled correctly, the Recover was the rehabilitation magic that the doctor always used.

Why does Hanamana have it…?

“That means…!”

“You caught on quickly. I assume you heard it from the doctor. I should have told you right away when I heard about his memory loss…”

This magic not only heals the patient’s body but was also a ‘memory rehabilitation magic’ that could help a person who lost their memory regain it.

Only those with an aptitude for time magic could learn the Recover, but even if someone lost their memory, their aptitude wouldn’t disappear.

If I could teach this magic to the doctor…!

“I wanted to do some more research and help him regain his memory quickly, but I suppose that was too ambitious for Hanamana. That’s why I brought this, hoping rehabilitation could start as soon as possible. I’m sorry, Zion.”

“It’s okay. No need to apologize, Hanamana. Thank you so much for bringing this. This means the doctor’s memory can return, right?”

“Well… I can’t make any promises about that.”

“…What?”

I had spoken with eager hope, but Hanamana remained composed.

“Memory rehabilitation is a theory the doctor came up with and succeeded once, but for him, it would be almost like gambling. I believe there must have been clinical trials since he went back in time multiple times, but whether it could work on the same person twice is anyone’s guess. We’re left with no choice but to try this.”

There was no other method besides this, so we’d just have to give it a shot, but no guarantees.

But…

“That’s enough.”

I felt a rush of lightness and warmth.

“So far, I haven’t been able to do anything.”

A tiny glimmer of hope.

Just the mere possibility that the doctor might regain his memory felt like I could endure all future sadness and pain.

“Then please let the doctor learn this spell. And… you should know it will be a long rehabilitation.”

“I suppose it will. How long do you think?”

“After the doctor lost his memory due to the Great Regression, it took almost five years to regain it. Of course, he’d probably been researching rehabilitation medicine and using Recover even before the establishment of the Rehabilitation Center, so it could take even longer.”

“Five years…”

“But because I recently traveled to all the rehabilitation centers around the world and have experience in using Recover to shorten rehabilitation times, we’ll probably proceed the same way this time. With the number of times Recover is used, I’d estimate around two years, but it could take longer since it’s the second time around. As I mentioned, there’s always a chance his memory might never return.”

“…….”

Recover as a means of memory rehabilitation.

I had to give it my all to help Hop successfully rehabilitate.

It was the opposite of when we first met.

I couldn’t know how long this would take or if it would end in success, but…

“Understood. Thank you, Hanamana.”

For now, that was enough hope for me.

I hope the doctor… can safely complete his memory rehabilitation.