Kyungsoo was amazed that just a handful of words could bring his entire world crashing down around him.

He didn't even care or really realize that it was Zho-gin that was, once again, using his wife's cell phone. The only thing that registered was that his reason for existence was injured. That sick, twisting feeling of terror rippled through his body as his adrenaline spiked. Somehow, though, he managed to keep a modicum of composure while standing in the middle of the ER.

"What happened? How bad is she hurt?" His voice was tremulous and low but clear enough to be heard.

"Her scooter hit a bad patch of loose rocks on a turn and she crashed, but it was near the drop off to the bank of the river. It was steep and she rolled down the hill and hit her head on a rock by the edge of the water. She was still unconcious when they took her in the ambulance. But they won't tell us anything now since we're not family. I'm so sorry, Keeunsoo. Everything was going perfectly until this." To his credit Jongin did sound truly remorseful but that did little to alleviate the frustration and utter fear that paralyzed Kyungsoo.

"She had on her helmet, though, right? Her head was protected." She had to be all right. He needed her to be okay. He needed to hear that she had her helmet on.

"I think at some point the chin strap broke and the helmet came off about halfway down the hill. There was a lot of blood, but it didn't take long for the ambulance to get to where we were."

"No, no, no," Kyungsoo groaned. "This can't be happening. Where are you? What hospital?" Kyungsoo's left hand raked through his hair as he walked stiffly to the reception area. He rummaged around the desk and grabbed a notepad and pen.

"Centre Hospitalier Antoine Gayraud. Carcassonne. You are coming, yes?"

"Yes, I'll be on a plane tonight. Where should I fly into?" Kyungsoo scribbled the name of the hospital on the benign piece of paper, nearly tearing a hole in it with the ferocity of his writing.

"Best to get a ticket all the way to Toulouse, then take the train to Carcassonne."

"Keep Naomi's cell phone. I'll call if I need more information."

"À bientôt."

Kyungsoo ended the phone call and immediately went in search of Dr. Zhang. He only had to say that Bella was injured and Dr. Z. was waving him out the door, telling him to take as long as he needed and that the ER would muddle through without him.

Only minutes after the call, Kyungsoo was running to his car and speeding home to hastily throw a change of clothing into a duffle bag. It wasn't until he was searching for his passport on the messy office desk that everything really hit him. In a fit of aggravation he swept his arms across the top of the desk scattering everything to the floor and letting out a primal scream before falling to his knees.

He needed help.

His brain was going in a hundred different directions and he couldn't think of what had to be done or in what order. He reached for his phone and dialed Mayu. If anyone could help him right now it would be her. He needed someone to anchor him, because at that moment he felt like he was being tossed in a violent storm of panic and confusion.

"Hey, little brother. What's up?" Mayu's voice was light and cheerful as always.

"Mayu, it's Naomi. She's been hurt. I need to get over there but I…I can't…I don't know what to do first. I…" Kyungsoo sniffled loudly and tried to squelch the sob that was building up in his chest, but it was too much.

"Oh my...crap..." Kyungsoo could hear Mayu taking a deep breath, no doubt trying to control her own reaction to such awful news. No one wants to hear that a loved one is hurt. "First things first, Kyungsoo, we need to get you on a plane." Much more successful than he had been, Mayu quickly shifted into command mode. "Have you found your passport? I think I remember Naomi telling me about putting them in the bottom left drawer, in the small fire safe. Check there first."

"Okay." Kyungsoo shuffled on his knees over to the desk and opened the drawer. He could hear Mayu tapping away on her computer in the background. After a moment of fidgeting with the lock on the safe, it popped open and there, lying on top of the life insurance policy information, was his passport. "Got it," he said breathlessly shoving the navy blue booklet into his pocket.

"I've got a few options for flights; do you know what city she's in?" Mayu asked with business-like efficiency. Kyungsoo relayed the information that Jongin had given him and started up his own computer.

First he checked his email Mayu had just sent him with all of his flight information. Next he Googled the hospital and tried to figure out how to contact them but even with the page translated into Korean, he still couldn't tell whom he should contact.

"Next, let's get in touch with the hospital and see if we can get an update on Naomi's condition." Again Mayu was tapping with hummingbird-like speed on her computer. "Got it. I'm going to do a three-way conference call, okay?"

Boggled by the efficiency with which his sister was operating he flopped back in the office chair and ran a hand roughly through his hair. "Let's just hope we get someone who speaks Korean or English," Kyungsoo grumbled.

"Oh, Kyungsoo, you forget. Je parle Français. That's the beauty of four years of high school French and two semesters in Paris."

Kyungsoo slapped his forehead in a classic DUH moment. He'd completely forgotten that Mayu spoke French. He attempted to wait patiently as Mayu set the call up with the hospital, but his leg was not cooperating. After letting it bounce uncontrollably for thirty seconds, he started pacing from the office to the living room to the bedroom and back.

As he walked past the dresser for the third time, he turned abruptly to Naomi's jewelry box.

Reverently, he plucked out the now-sparkling diamond engagement ring he'd had cleaned, and examined it carefully. The jeweler had checked the settings of the diamonds, steam cleaned the stones and points of attachment, and polished the platinum to a nearly-new shine.

Digging through his top drawer he found the black velvet box and placed the ring inside. Once the ring was safely tucked into his pocket, he scooped a few more items into his bag, glanced at his watch and resumed his pacing circuit. After what seemed like hours, Mayu finally brought him into the conference call.

"Bonjour, je m'appelle Mayu Do, je suis en ligne avec Kyungsoo Do, Nous appelons au sujet d'une patiente, Naomi Do."*1

Kyungsoo admired the ease with which Mayu seemed to navigate the conversation. After a few minutes of waiting on hold they were finally connected with one of the treating physicians.

"Allo? This is Docteur Girard. You are the husband of Naomi?" His French-English accent was thick and gravelly, but none of that registered with Kyungsoo. He was on a mission for information.

"Yes. Please. How is she? Is she still unconscious? How severe is her head injury? Are there any other injuries? Internal bleeding?" Kyungsoo was manic in his questioning of the only source of information he had in regards to Naomi's condition.

"S'il vous plaît, veuillez pardonner mon frère. Il est médecin urgentiste lui aussi et il est très inquiet pour sa femme."*2

"It's no problem. I would be going crazy in his shoes. Naomi is in fair condition. She had a superficial cut on her scalp about three centimeters long. We're still waiting on some blood tests. She was semi-conscious when the ambulance brought her in. She's resting now with the help of some sedatives, but everything is looking positive. I wish I could tell you more but that is all the information I have right now."

Kyungsoo blew out a long breath as his mind tried to comprehend the information the doctor had shared. He was going through his own protocol trying to think of anything that might be helpful for the doctor to know.

"She's taking anti-depressants." The declaration was abrupt, but there wasn't anything Kyungsoo could do about that. "She also had a concussion about six weeks ago, did they tell you that?"

"Her friends did tell us about the previous head injury, but thank you for telling me about the medication. Is she taking anything else?"

Kyungsoo dashed to the medicine cabinet looking for anything that might trigger his memory, but came up empty. "No, not that I can think of."

"Very well. If I can have your number so that I can contact you with any changes to Naomi's condition, that would be helpful."

Kyungsoo rattled off his and Mayu's phone numbers. "I'll be on a plane tonight, Doctor Girard. I'll be there tomorrow hopefully by mid-day. Please take care of my wife."

"We will do everything possible to make sure she is comfortable. Bon voyage, Monsieur Do." Doctor Girard's voice softened into kind understanding, reassuring Kyungsoo that Naomi would be okay.

After hanging up with the hospital, Mayu said, "I'll call mom and dad. Don't forget to put your toiletries in a plastic bag or they'll give you crap at the security check."

"Thank you, Mayu - for everything. How much do I owe you for the ticket?" He was pretty sure he would probably choke on whatever figure she told him, but that was inconsequential considering the circumstances.

"Don't worry about that now. We'll work it out when you get back home with my sister. Now go, or you're going to miss the flight and then you won't get to France until midnight tomorrow."

"Love you, sis."

"Love you too, little brother."

The whole trip seemed interminable. Never mind the fact that Mayu had managed to book a seat in first class on the flight from South Korea to Paris, it still took way too long. Kyungsoo was jittery and on edge, repelling almost all human contact besides the required pat-downs and scanning of boarding passes. The train ride from Toulouse to Carcassonne was even worse. He sat semi-reclined in the uncomfortable second-class seat, the hand in his pocket turning the ring box over and over in an attempt to distract his mind from worry.

His body was exhausted, but his mind would not allow any rest. He kept going over all of the things he wanted to say to Naomi face-to-face; how much he loved and missed her, how sorry he was for being so careless with their marriage, how much he worried about her while she was gone.

He wanted to share with her the changes he'd made in his own life and the things he learned from his parents about his childhood.

Really, he just wanted to tell his best friend everything she'd missed and he wanted to hear about everything that he'd missed. He was certain that she had plenty of her own stories to share and he craved reestablishing that bond like nothing he'd ever desired before – the connection between soul mates.

Kyungsoo had been studying the little SNCF regional map showing the route from Toulouse to Montpelier and beyond. As soon as the nasally voice announced they'd arrived in Carcassonne, he shot up out of his seat and bolted down the aisle. He tried not to appear like a pushy, obnoxious, Korean, but unfortunately that was exactly how he was behaving. He ignored what he presumed to be cusses in French as he pressed through the lobby – making a brief detour to the money exchange booth - to where taxis stood, waiting for their next fare.

He approached a stocky man, cigarette dangling from his lips and a bored expression painted on his face, leaning against a tiny subcompact car with a Taxi placard on the roof. Kyungsoo a small piece of paper – the name of the hospital scrawled on it - into the man's unoccupied hands.

"Do you speak English? Do you know this hospital?" Kyungsoo was brusque and insistent, immediately putting a scowl on the driver's face.

"I know zis hôpital. Montez. Allons-y." Kyungsoo tossed his duffle into the open trunk and proceeded to fold his six-foot-two frame into the tiny vehicle. He spent the next ten minutes with a death-grip on the handle of the door as the little car zigged and zagged through the city streets, the driver alternating slamming on the brakes and punching the gas, intermingled, of course, with wild gesticulations out the window and a barrage of what could only be extremely colorful language.

Kyungsoo squeezed out of the cab, retrieved his bag and paid the driver, who nearly ran over his toes as the tiny clown car peeled out of the parking area. Kyungsoo thought of a few colorful Korean phrases he could've hurled in the direction of the disappearing vehicle.

He quickly pushed through the entry doors and looked for some kind of desk with an official looking person. Kyungsoo approached the information desk and tried to smile. Her responding smile was pinched and came across just as forced as Kyungsoo's.

"Ma femme, Naomi Do? She's a patient?" Kyungsoo tapped his finger nervously on the top of the counter, earning a slightly irritated huff from the woman – Brigitte, according to her name tag.

Kyungsoo opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut as soon as Brigitte held up one skinny, threatening finger, silently warning him with the action to shush. She clicked and tapped on her computer and then looked up at Kyungsoo with wary eyes.

"Vouz avez une carte d'identité?" The speed at which those three – at least he was pretty sure it was three – words came out of Brigitte's mouth left him dumbfounded. He was completely at a loss as to how he should respond. She arched a sharply groomed eyebrow at him and then repeated with exaggerated slowness, "Carte d'iden-ti-té. Un Passport? Quelque chose avec un photo?"

"My passport! Uh… just a… here!" Kyungsoo the document toward the cranky Frenchwoman and resumed his nervous tapping. She looked at it for less than five seconds before handing it back to Kyungsoo with a curt nod. Brigitte scribbled a number on a scrap of paper then pointed forcefully first in one direction then a second. She then sat down, effectively dismissing him to try and follow her pantomimes. Freakin' French and their stupid mimes.

Kyungsoo bumbled his way around the corner and took the elevator to the third floor. Glancing at the paper Brigitte had shoved into his hand, he began chanting, "Three-oh-nine, three-oh-nine," as he walked down the hallway. He could feel his heart beat speed up as he passed room 305. His breath came out in short pants as he rushed past room 307. He was close to a nervous breakdown as he stopped short in front of the slightly-ajar door of room 309.

"Puis-je vous aider?" A soft voice called from behind him. He turned to find a petite woman in familiar hospital scrubs and white clogs looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

"Uh…ma femme is Naomi Do. She's in 309, right?"

"Ah you must be Keeunsoo!" The nurse's deep blue eyes sparkled with delight as she began nodding. "Yes, this is Naomi's room. She's resting right now but you can go in. She's been waiting for you."

Again Kyungsoo stood like a dummy but for entirely different reasons.

First of all, he could understand this woman. He was also struck by the contrast between the friendliness and warmth of this nurse compared with the callousness of Brigitte. Second of all, he was almost as nervous as the day he married Naomi.

"Is she…" Kyungsoo swallowed a lump down and took a deep breath, "Is she okay?"

"She will be. Allez." The nurse shooed him closer to the door and went to push it open for him.

"Have you been taking care of her?" Kyungsoo asked, stopping her from opening the door with a gentle hand on her arm.

She nodded.

"Thank you…?" Kyungsoo trailed off his thanks hoping she'd fill in the blank with her name.

"Danielle. And you are welcome. She is a sweet lady." With that Danielle nodded and pushed open the door.

Kyungsoo walked in as quietly as his sneakers allowed him and set his bag down next to a small armoire type thing. When he raised his eyes, he caught his first glimpse of Naomi in almost two months and he wanted to cry.

She seemed to be sleeping peacefully and the last thing he wanted to do was disrupt the rest her body needed to heal. Her pretty face was marred by a few scratches on her cheek and an angry bruise on her forehead. Her body was dwarfed in the hospital bed, making her look more injured than she probably was.

Her legs were covered by the blankets, so Kyungsoo couldn't tell if there were any injuries to her lower extremities. He traced up her leg to one of her hands. Both palms had bandages on them. She probably put out her hands to try and break her fall, he thought. He couldn't help but gently grasp the ends of her fingers, lightly over each fingernail with his thumb.

When he'd ascertained that she was really alive and mostly in one piece, he crumpled to his knees.

It was as if the stress of the last eighteen hours or so was the only thing keeping his bones solid.

As soon as he saw Naomi with his own eyes, he could let go. He rested his head on the edge of her bed, her fingers still carefully cradled in his hand, and shook with silent sobs of relief. His loose shoulders shook, his head hanging low, making no attempt to conceal or even wipe away his own tears.

It was only a moment later that he felt the soft pressure of Naomi's fingers squeezing back. His gaze snapped up to Naomi's watery eyes and his own tears spilled down his cheeks.

"Hey." Naomi's voice was rough and scratchy.

"Hey, yourself." Kyungsoo's voice was soft. He was already up and moving to the little table that held a cup with a bendy straw and a little pitcher of water. He topped off the cup with fresh water and brought the straw to Naomi's lips.

She hummed her thanks and nodded when she was done. Kyungsoo set the cup back down and rubbed his hands up and down on the sides of his pants. Very quickly the tension in the room began to grow and push out all the relief that he was feeling before.

"So, what…."

"I'm sorry…"

They both spoke at the same time but Kyungsoo deferred to his wife and allowed her to speak first.

"I'm sorry for this mess. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I should be on a stupid plane home right now. Just my ridiculous dumb luck…I should've known…I never should've gotten on the scooter." Naomi was getting more and more agitated with each word she spoke, alarming Kyungsoo when she hissed in pain and grabbed the side of her head.

"Hey, hey. It's not your fault. Don't get upset about it okay, hon? I know this isn't how you wanted your homecoming to be, but it's kind of out of our hands now, right?" Kyungsoo brushed the side of her hair and face, looking for any signs of other trauma or abnormalities.

She sniffed and nodded weakly.

"Were you being reckless or stupid when the crash happened?"

"No."

"Then it wasn't your fault. It could've happened to anyone. And before you say it, I know. It happened to you. But think of it this way: You get to see me a whole…" Kyungsoo looked down at his watch, "a whole eight hours earlier than if you'd gotten on the plane home." Kyungsoo grinned at his logical reasoning.

"Hmm. There is that." Naomi reached up and beckoned Kyungsoo closer to her. She lifted her hand and ran it across his stubbly cheek and whispered, "I missed you."

He cupped her face gently between his two hands and leaned his forehead to within a hair's breadth of hers and murmured with closed eyes, "I was so afraid I'd lost you." He let that statement meander and mingle through her thoughts however it would.

He didn't bother to label the time frame; whether he meant in general, after the Dr. Hanzo incident, or the most recent accident, didn't matter. He just wanted to acknowledge the feeling.

"I'm here. I promise not to leave again." Naomi lifted her face, bringing her lips a whisper away from his.

As their breathing mingled, the electricity and sense of longing and desire began to build. He closed the infinitesimal space between them and pressed his lips softly to hers, sealing their reunion.

The awkward, suffocating tension that had been present just moments ago was replaced by sweet relief and joy. Their kiss was slow and tender, but completely uninhibited. There were no more walls to knock down, no more feelings of shame or inadequacy, just pure love.

Kyungsoo couldn't remember when kissing his wife had felt so pure and so…well, just so perfect.

If it hadn't been for the gentle knock on her door, they probably would've continued kissing for the better part of the afternoon. Instead, a dark-haired gentleman in full doctor regalia came into the room and paused at the end of the bed, clipboard tucked under his arm.

Unembarrassed at being caught kissing his wife, Kyungsoo moved only slightly to the side to allow Naomi to address their interrupting visitor.

"Bonjour! I am Dr. Girard. I have been working with the Emergency doctors who treated you last night. How are you feeling, Naomi?"

"Mieux, mais pas super." The doctor kept eyeing Kyungsoo with an interested expression which Naomi must have seen. "Docteur Girard, je vous présente mon mari." Naomi's voice was clear and confident. Not quite as fast as Mayu or the desk lady, Brigitte, but it was amazing.

"It's good to meet you Keeunsoo. This is the first chance I have had to meet with Naomi while she was awake, so I'm glad you're here too." He was relaxed and genuine.

Kyungsoo already appreciated his bedside manner very much.

"I'm glad I was able to get here so quickly. So, what can you tell us about Naomi's injuries?"

"Well, like I said on the telephone, the cut to her head has been sutured," the doctor lifted a section of hair to reveal a little patch of baldness and a neat row of stitches.

"Now that Naomi is awake, she'll be able to help us with any other symptoms she's feeling. There was a little bit of spotting that we'll want to watch, but I can assure you the baby is fine. The abrasions on her hands should heal quickly, just little scrapes really. No broken bones, which is a miracle from the sound of her accident..."

The doctor kept rambling on and on about nonsense when really the only thing that mattered was what he'd said first. Kyungsoo, for the umpteenth time that day, was left speechless. It was Naomi that halted the physician's litany of meaningless words.

"Stop! What do you mean the baby is fine?"

A/N: I know. Another sort of cliffie. BUT it's a happy one right? I know there were many who guessed, and I did try to throw you off, but it's not uncommon to experience bleeding like that in the first few months. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this new development!

Translations:

À bientôt: See you soon

*1: Hi, I'm Mayu Do, I also have Kyungsoo Do here. We are calling about a patient, Naomi Do?

*2: Please forgive my brother. He's also an ER doctor and is very concerned about his wife.

Bon voyage: Good journey/trip

SNCF: Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, French National Railways.

hôpital. Montez. Allons-y: hospital. Get in. Let's go.

Ma femme, Naomi Do: My wife, Naomi Do

Vouz avez un carte d'identité? / Un Passport? Quelque chose avec un photo? : Do you have Identification? / A passport? Something with a photo?

Puis-je vous aider: Can I help you?

Allez: Go

Mieux, mais pas super: Better, but not great

Docteur Girard, je vous présente mon mari: Doctor Girard, this is my husband.