Sixteen

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Chaerin rent a big apartment near the hospital, she nearly never sleep there just go back to change clothes and cook for Jiyong.

Today is the fourth day Jiyong at the hospital, Dr. Hong said he might be able to go to Seoul in couple days and continue the treatment there.

Chaerin enter her husband room brought some food he requested, Samgyetang, a healthy chicken soup.

“Ji?” she called him softly as she saw he still sleeping.

Usually Jiyong is a light sleeper, he would hear even the slightest sound but now he didn’t even move.

“Jiyong…” she tried to call him again, and when he didn’t react, she decided that he must be given some medicine that made him rest.

Chaerin called Dara and they talk about Jiyong’s condition and she also asked Dara about her preganincies, they were talking for almost an hour, and then she watched TV and playing some games on her phone.

Still, Jiyong hasn’t wake up.

“It already passed lunch time, is he alright?” she murmured.

Chaerin tried to killing the time with walking outside the room to the VIP lobby, and when she passes through the nurses station she drop by and asked them.

“Hi, I wanna ask you about my husband, is he consume a celestamine or a medicine that contained CTM? Because he was sleeping all morning and he hasn’t wake up till now.”

One of the nurse checked Jiyong’s record.

“His medicines is contained CTM to make him rest, ma’am. And as long as the monitor doesn’t show something unusual, he’s alright.” She smiled.

Chaerin nodded and the go back to Jiyong’s room.

Its 3.12 pm and jiyong is still sleeping, Chaerin called doctor Hong and he said he’ll be there soon.

3.54 pm and Dr. Hong hasn’t arrive, Chaerin started to feel anxious. She touch Jiyong’s forehead and he seems okay, he’s not burning like the days before, he seems calm and fine, but he shouldn’t sleep this long.

“Ji…” she called her again.

No response.

4.20 pm Dr. Hong arrived and immediately observes him. Dr. Hong talk to a nurse in Chinese that Chaerin couldn’t understand.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

Suddenly some nurses came and deftly moving Jiyong and his tools into another bed.

“W-what happened here?” she asked, “Where are you gonna take him?”

“Chaerin…” Dr. Hong paused

“What? Is everything okay?”

“Chae…” he tapped her shoulder, “there are some phase in dengue, it called the infected phase, the critical and the healing phase. I thought he passed the critical because yesterday he got another fever which indicate that the virus is being defeated, but yet today his body heat is decrease, I’m checking his thrombocyte again just now, the report hasn’t come but I hope we’ll have a good news. And now, I have to put him in ICU just to make sure he’s under supervision for 24 hours.”

Chaerin couldn’t hear anything anymore, she’s too devastated to listen to anymore words.

Dr. Hong walked towards the ICU leaving Chaerin who still holding her breath hearing such a bad news.

She ran to the ICU.

Chaerin saw Jiyong is being mounted with some advance medical tools. A tear streaming down her cheek, she wiped it right away and pull Dr. Hong.

“You said he was fine. But now what??? See that? See what happen to him now? Is that what you call fine??”

“Chaerin-ssi, you have to calm down first, we’ll do our best.” Dr. Hong hold her shoulder.

“Promise me he’ll be fine, Doc! Promise me!!” Chaerin raised her voice.

“I can only promise you that we will do our best for him, Chaerin-ssi. Now please leave, visitors are not allowed in the ICU.”

Chaerin grabbed her phone and call Dara but she didn’t pick up. She walked with her head down toward the room.

+

“Damnit!” Dara slam the car door and walked fast to her apartment elevator.

“There’s no need to be mad, we can’t do anything about it.” Youngbae followed her.

“She needs me there!” she was half scream.

Youngbae sighed.

Dara was so grumpy when she found out Chaerin called her several times but she couldn’t pick up because she was on a radio interview and later she found a message from Chaerin said that Jiyong is now at the ICU. Dara knew Chaerin must be so stressed out, anxious and fluster since she also alone there.

Then Dara decided to go to Chaerin just to be with her and calm her down but when she seek for a permit letter from her obstetrician, the doctor said she can’t fly in her first trimester because its bad for the baby.

“Do you want me to go there replacing you?’ Youngbae asked.

“She needs me not you!”

“Hey, Sandara. You can talk nicer.”

“Sorry.” She shrugged.

“I know you’re worried about her, but don’t pick me as your impingement.”

She sighed.

Youngbae threw himself to the couch, sometime he feels like it will never work out with Dara, she’s so temperamental and not as sweet as her appearance. Plus, the pregnancies made her so sensitive.

After Youngbae went home, Dara sat alone in her kitchen trying to call Chaerin but she didn’t pick up.

“I could’ve flew there if its not because of this!” sh