Norman and Mitsuko arrived very quickly. Almost as soon as Heath had finished the admission procedures for May, they came panting into the Fuchsia City hospital Heath had told them about. Seeing their anxious faces, Heath felt terribly embarrassed. After all, to put it plainly, he bore some responsibility for this, though he really had never imagined May would be bitten by a tick. Besides, he could hardly examine May's body every day, could he? Her calf was a rather sensitive area to check, and Heath might be accused of being a creep if he examined it. He was fairly mindful of such issues himself, so naturally, he had not checked and had therefore failed to notice the tick.
"Mr. Heath, I wanted to ask about my daughter..." Norman was frantic. He had probably been on a plane earlier, which was why Heath's calls had not gone through. Now Heath could finally explain things to him. After a brief conversation, Norman's expression relaxed a little. Tick-borne illnesses might be relatively rare in some inland cities in Kanto, but they were not particularly uncommon in Petalburg City. After all, Petalburg City was by the sea, and some sailors got bitten by ticks on the islands. Though marine dengue fever sounded frightening, the chances of serious harm were actually very low.
"I'm so sorry for the trouble, Mr. Heath." Mitsuko had calmed down considerably as well, but the anxiety in her eyes still let Heath see that she was not as composed inside as she appeared. Heath hurriedly said that he was to blame, but Mitsuko did not agree. She knew that, as a man, Heath could not casually put his hands on his student to examine her every day. That would have made her angry instead. And since May herself had