The recordings she had watched with Amy helped Lily finally pull herself together. The next thing she did was visit Hina.
Looking at the girl, Lily smiled tenderly and asked:
"You love him, don't you?"
When this question was asked, Hina's face turned bright red, but she nodded and, smiling sadly, replied:
"Yes... You know, I believe he'll wake up. But maybe I won't be here anymore."
"Why do you say that?"
"When there are people you care about and who care about you, dying is very scary. Not only because you don't want to leave them, but also because you won't be there to take care of them."
"Ray and I are very alike. My mother didn't know how to choose men either. It ended with him killing her, and I was left alone. It's sad that I had to get cancer to find someone I could trust again."
"He really loves you. But he's very scared. The very thought of becoming a father and leaving you and the child behind terrifies him. He saw how hard it was for his mother, and he really doesn't want you to go through the same. That's why he ran from this for so long."
"You know... I'm starting to get jealous," Lily said jokingly.
"Sister, there's no need for that. He sees me only as a child, and I don't think I'll have time to change that."
"Ray and I are two people who always thought we were ready for death. But it turned out we weren't."
"Please give him this letter," Hina said, pulling out an envelope and handing it to Lily. "I'm sure he'll be fine, but I don't think I'll be able to give it to him myself. There's something in there for you too, so I don't mind if you read it as well."
They talked for several hours before Lily left.
After meeting with Hina and watching the video recordings, the girls pulled themselves together and, taking turns caring for Ray, decided that no matter how it ended, they would be together.
Amy had hoped that her son's coma would be the last shock of this stage of her life. But her hopes were not fulfilled. A week later, she was informed of Hina's death. This hit Amy hard. Only the presence of Lily and Rosie helped her cope.
Since the little one had no one, and Amy had been planning to adopt her, they took charge of the funeral arrangements.
"And how are we going to tell him about this when he wakes up?" Lily asked.
"I think he was prepared for such an outcome, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt him. All we can do is just be there, helping him cope," Amy replied with clear pain in her voice. It was evident that although they had been prepared for such an outcome, the girl's death had still been a heavy blow.
When Ray opened his eyes again, his vision was very blurry. A white veil covered his sight. But the gentle voice of his beloved, who sat beside him and gently squeezed his hand, calmed his mind. Noticing he was awake, the girl excitedly ran for the doctor.
After the doctor arrived, strange questions followed: "What's your name?", "How old are you?" Ray answered these without trouble. But when the doctor began testing his vision, the situation became more complicated.
"The truth is, my eyesight started deteriorating badly several months ago," Ray said. "But after those monkeys attacked me, the result became much worse. Right now, everything I see is covered in a white haze. I can still distinguish the outlines of objects and people's faces, but it's very difficult."
Hearing these words, Lily became very upset. Only the fact that Ray had just come out of a coma kept the girl from breaking down.
After a full examination, the doctor said:
"There is a risk that this attack triggered the progression of the consequences of your head injury. I can't say for sure, but there is a significant risk that this will also accelerate the loss of vision."