Child!Haru x Nurse!Reader: Be Free

Christmas Entry for:
#GOR2014ChristmasComp

"Miss _________! You're back again!" A little boy whose name is Nagisa said. “I’m so excited for Christmas! You got me a present, right? You always give out the best presents ever!” You loved the small boy as you have taken care of him for 2 years. You were a nurse, you see. You would take care of the kids at the child hospital and you loved seeing all of their smiles whenever they saw you. And the little Nagisa had a kidney problem, definitely from all the sweets he ate. He would always beg you for sweets and made faces whenever your brought him the bitter medicine.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? I want to see my little boy, right? And the presents are always made by hand. I’ve been around you guys long enough to know what you would like," You chuckled, ruffling his hair. When you entered the playroom where all of the little patients were. Right now, there were 7 boys there and you could remember them since they have been in the hospital almost all their lives. There were: Makoto Tachibana, Rin Matsuoka, Rei Ryugazaki, Sousuke Yamazaki, Momotarou Mikoshiba, Nitori Aiichiro and Kisumi Shigino.

There was a cheer of voices that greeted you when you entered the room. They all rushed to you, trying to get your attention. You laughed and sat down, at their height level.

"Well hello to you too," you said. They all have their brightest smiles and hugged you affectionately.

For half of the day, you spent playing with the boys and you didn't notice the time fly.

"Nurse __________, can you come this way please," your co-worker and friend, (friend name) said. You nodded and stood up and walked with (friend) through the long hospital hallway.

"There's a new patient here. His name is Haruka Nanase, a 7 year old boy who suffers from leukaemia since birth. Can you take care you him? Since the children already have taken a liking to you," (friend) asked. You nodded.

At a room, you spot a small boy with jet black hair and blue eyes that reminded you of the clear ocean. That must be Haruka. He was staring at his dolphin plushie, holding its fins and moving it.

"Hello! You must be Haruka! My name is ________," You said cheerfully with a bright smile. He looks up and nods and looks back down. So he's the quiet one, isn't he? You took his hand and lead him to the others and told them to make him feel at home.

"Treat him nicely, okay?" You told them and they just smiled and nodded enthusiastically. They all introduced themselves to Haruka and he just said his name.

~Timeskip~

It has been a couple of months since Haru had been in the hospital. And you have been looking after him to see if he was getting the right medicine and seeing if the others treated him well. Everyone was treating him nicely and invited him to play with them. You could tell that he was happy, despite the stoic expression on his face.

"Haru? Haru?! Where are you?" You called out. You couldn't find him as he had disappeared when him and the other kids went to play hide-and-seek. Then you remembered something that you have learnt about him. You rushed over to the kiddie pool and saw Haru floating on top of the water. You laughed and held out your hand for him to take.

"Come on Haru, you know you can't stay in the water for too long. I promise you, when you get better, you can swim as much as you want and whenever you can. You can be free, Haru," you said. Haru took your hand and stepped out of the pool.

"I-I can't..." Haru whispered.

"Why not? You want to get better, right?" You asked.

"I can't... I'm going to die, aren't I, Nurse _________? I know my condition is getting worse and there's a low chance of me getting better," Haru said bluntly. You were shocked. It was true that his condition was getting worse but you knew he was strong enough to get through it.

"Don't say that, Haru. You are going to get better," you said. "Now come on inside. Everyone is worried about you since you just disappeared. We are just setting up the Christmas decorations! How about you put the star on the top?"

~Timeskip~

This was it. Haru's last medicine treatment. There was a 50-50 chance to determine if he lives or not. But the entire time he was here, you saw him grow stronger and stronger every day. If he lives, he can go back home as a Christmas present. It was Christmas Eve, after all.

"Miss _________?" You hear a voice behind you. It was (friend).

"Ah, hey (friend). What's up?" You asked.

"You've grown attached to the boy," she said. "I know you have spent so much time with him and the others but what would happen if he doesn't make it? Will you be able to handle it? Remember what happened when you first arrived here in the hospital?"

"Of course I remember," you said, sighing. "But... It's difficult not to since you will have to be with them all the time,"

"I know it's difficult. But he'll make it, I guarantee that. He wants to swim right? Then he'll get better and swim until he gets tired," (friend) said, happily.

You sat outside the room where Haru was currently getting treated. With you, sat the boys who were close friends with him. They all looked worried, as much as you felt.

"H-Haru-chan, will be alright, right? He said he'll eat sweets with me when he's done!" Nagisa said, tears threatening to spill. You nodded, ruffling his hair, not really sure what to say.

"Don't worry! Haru is a strong boy. He’s fine," Makoto said, trying to put a strong face on but was obviously failing.

Finally, after what seems like forever, the doctor came out of the room and you stood up instantly.

"Is he okay? He's going to make it, right?" You asked, relieved that it was over but worried for the worst. The doctor looked down and shook his head.

"He only has a bit to live. But he wishes to see you and the others," the doctor said, stepping to the side so you can go inside the room. You gasped and rushed inside.

Inside was Haru, hooked up to the drip and the heartbeat monitor next to him becoming very weak. Tears fell and you wiped them away quickly. Haru opened his eyes and saw you and the others next to him. He sighed in relief and said in a weak voice.

"Nurse __________, thank you," Haru said as his voice cracked. "You and the others gave me a happiness I could never achieve. Say... I'm very tired... When I wake up next, can we all go swimming? It would be amazing to have everyone to swim with me,"

You nodded. You looked around and saw the others crying softly.
“Haru… I made a present for you. It’s your Christmas present,” you said, handing him a present that you got from your bag. Haru took it gratefully. He opened it and inside was a dolphin plushie. “You remind me of a dolphin, very graceful in the water,” you said softly.

It was silent for a minute until Haru spoke again.

"Thank you everyone for being there for me... And at last... I'm free," Haru whispered as he closed his eyes and hugged the dolphin plushie weakly and the heartbeat monitor gave a frightening sound. This was it... He was gone forever... With that thought, that was when you broke into tears. The others gathered around you and cried too.

“N-Nurse _________? Why isn’t he waking up? He said he’ll eat sweets with me once he gets better!” Nagisa said, tugging on your arm.

But you couldn’t say anything.

This was the not the best Christmas you could ask for. But you knew he was in a much better place where he could be free from his sickness and where he can be around water for as long as he liked.

~Timeskip~

You were sitting at the Olympics, waiting for the relays to start. You saw a certain team and cheered. They have grown into such handsome young men.

You saw them as the ultimate team. With Makoto for backstroke, Nagisa for breaststroke, Rei for butterfly and Rin for freestyle. Next to you, sat Sousuke, Momo, Nitori and Kisumi, cheering with you.

You saw the team spot you and waved at you, giving you amazing smiles. You laughed and waved back.

Finally, it was time for the relay to start. The whistle blew and Makoto started. You and the rest, cheered as loudly as you could.

And you swore, swore that at the corner of your eye, was Haru cheering along with you.