Chapter 24: Stay with me

            KANA

Everything’s messed up. Everyone knows I’m sick and Chanyeol’s not answering his phone. I’m going insane right before I die. I hear my door open and I see Soah come in. “Honey..” I walk to her direction and hold her.

“Mommy, are you really badly sick?”

“Soah…”

“Mommy will not leave like Daddy right?” Tears started to flow from me and I quickly wipe them away. I shake my head in repeat and kissed Soah.

“Mommy is so sorry Soah. Mommy is…” I sob harder. All I know that I’m good at is leaving people behind and hurting them. I’m even hurting my own daughter right now. “Ah…” I wince in pain as my heart started to throb again.

“Mommy!” Soah exclaimed. “Uncle Yoo Han!! Mommy is…” Voices started to fade from my hearing as I sink to the floor.

“Soah..” I called until I black out.

- - - - - - - - - - 

            CHANYEOL

I wince as the lights on my room open. Baekhyun comes in and sighs ruffling his hair. I held the soju bottle and chugged everything inside. I scoffed when I get nothing from it. I threw the bottle and sighed. “Are you done?” He asks and picked the bottle placing it in the trash.

“Go away.” I reply.

He laughs and grabbed my collar making me stand. “Are you planning on killing yourself too?!”

“YES! I’M GOING TO DIE TOO! I’M GOING WITH HER!”

He threw me back to the floor and walks to the kitchen. He comes back with a knife on his hand and placed it on mine. “Go. Go ahead. Stab yourself! KILL YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!”

“Sh*t! Damn it!” I yelled and threw the knife away. I pulled my hair making myself feel the pain.

Feel it.

Feel it Park Chanyeol.

Feel the damn pain!

“That won’t help to take away her being sick Chanyeol! You think you’re the only one having a hard time taking it in too?! How do you think Soah took it?! How do you think a seven year old girl took the news saying her mother is terminally ill and dying huh?!” He punches me as he yelled at me. I fell on the floor and saw my reflection at the mirror as I stand. I’m bleeding.

I laughed and walked to him again. “Then how do you expect me to take it too? HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT ME TO BE STRONG IN FRONT OF HER WHEN SHE FAINTS SO EASILY?!”

“Shut that mouth of yours!” He yelled and punches me again. “Ah!! You’re so frustrating!”

I scoffed and I heard my phone ring. I looked at it. It’s Soah. I grabbed it quickly and answered it. “Soah? Hello?!”

“Uncle… help me… They took mommy inside.. they say she’s fine but… I’m scared…”

I stood up. She fainted again. I searched my car keys from all of the mess inside my room. “What are you doing now huh?” Baekhyun asked and I pushed him aside rushing in finding my car keys.

“Uncle will be there. Wait for me okay? Don’t move and go anywhere Soah.”

“Mm…” I hang up. Soah’s sobbing hard. Kana was brought to the hospital. I can’t find my car keys. What more?

“I asked what the hell are you doing?!”

“OH MOVE IT! DAMN IT!” I yelled in frustration. I found my keys on the floor and grab it. “They’re at the hospital. Kana got an attack again for crying out loud!” Baekhyun’s eyes widen and snatched my keys from me.

“I’ll drive you slowpoke.” I laughed and we rushed to the hospital where Kana was brought. “Go ahead and find Soah. I’ll park the car.” I nod and got off the car running inside the emergency room.

“Is there someone who was just brought in just now? She’s a doctor here.”

“Oh you mean Doctor Byun?” the nurse replied and I nod. “She was rushed to the Operating Room.” I shut my eyes closed in worry.

“H..How about her daughter? Where is she?”

“Soah? She’s right there.” My eyes followed the direction where the nurse is pointing and I run to Soah.

“Soah.”

“Uncle!” She runs to me and I carried her. “Mommy is…”

I hugged her as tight as I can and rubbed her back. “Shh.. it will be okay princess. It will.”

“Where is she?!” Baekhyun came back huffing and panting.

“She was brought inside.” He looks to me and shifted at the Operating Room and groans.

We waited for two hours until Yoo Han comes out. We rushed to him and waited for him to talk. He was about to when he noticed Soah. “Hey little girl.” He smiles and carried her.

“How is mommy? Is mommy going to be okay?”

“She’s fine now but she has to rest.”

“Can I see mommy?”

“Sure.” He puts her down and asks the nurse to take her wherever Kana is right now. He sighs and looks back at us.

“How is she?” Baekhyun asks.

“She’s fine now but,”

But.

He just said but. That means contrast to what he said just now. “But what?” I asked.

“Kana will be needing another transplant.” Yoo Mi walks in as she removes her mask. “But she refuses to have one when she discovers the possibility of it hindering her to wake up again is sixty percent.”

“Sixty? H.. How is it sixty? Shouldn’t it be at least two or three?”

“She had her first transplant at fifty Chanyeol. Her body barely made it on the first surgery which is why she went on coma for years.” She replied.

“So, what can we do for my sister?”

“We can’t do anything without her and the guardian’s permission Baekhyun.”

“Just find her a possible donor. Tell them that Baekhyun! You’re a guardian of hers! Just… Just don’t let Kana die.. please…”

“She can still die undergoing the surgery.” Baekhyun said.

“Then are we not doing anything?!” I yelled.

“Calm yourself Chanyeol! Your whining won’t help Kana!”

“You are the one who should-”

“Just..” Baekhyun cut us off. “Just find a suitable donor and we’ll see what we can do next. I’ll talk it over with her.”

“Alright.” Yoo Mi replied. “I’ll be back. Kana’s at her usual room you can go there.”

“Thank you.” He replied.

We took the elevator up and walked to room 507. We walked in and saw Kana. There’s a lot placed in her especially the machine that I hate the most. That was placed on her when she was still on coma. I have given the impression that that thing is only for people who are in critical conditions and seeing it on her right now doesn’t fix my impression to that frustrating machine.

“You’re here?” Meilee approaches us and places the covers on Soah. She’s lying next to Kana. I walk to her and kissed her forehead. “She cried herself to sleep when Kana won’t wake up with her call.” I took the chair near Soah and stare at her.

“I’m sorry Soah. I should’ve let this happen. It’s all my fault…” I hugged her tight and kissed her in repeat. I hear them leave the room silently. I watched over them for an hour… no. I don’t think it’s only for an hour. Nighttime came and both of them still haven’t waked up. I am starting to have another impression that sleeping is contagious. I suddenly felt sleepy so I lay my head next to Soah and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

- - - - - - - - - - 

            KANA

I hear beeping sounds as I open my eyes. I look around the room and realized the situation I am in. Looking around, I felt something, rather, someone beside me. “Soah…” I held her cheeks as she sleeps. She stayed here with me and… “Chanyeol…” He’s sleeping beside Soah. They must’ve watched over me. I smile and reach over Chanyeol touching his hair. He flinched at my action and sits up.

“Kana!”

“Hey.” I replied. He looks thinner than the last time we went to the beach with Soah.

“Are you okay? How do you feel?” He asked with a husky voice. I held him and he looks at me in worry.

“I’m sorry…” He shakes his head in repeat and kisses my hand.

“If you really are then you will get better..”

I nod.

I lie.

I can’t get better.

I can only get worse.

I sit up and we notice the door open. Mom and Dad came in. Chanyeol lets my hand go as they walk to me. I don’t want him to let go of my hand. I want him to hold it.

“Kana honey…” Mom hugs me as she cries and I chuckled.

“Mom I’m fine. Don’t be too loud or Soah will wake up.” I replied. She sits on the bed and looks at me.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” She asks with her shaky voice.

“Because you’ll be like this.”

“Yoo Han said you can still get the surgery and get better-” Dad says.

“I’m not doing it.”

“Kana-”

I look at Soah and I pull the covers on for her. She must be cold looking at her all curled up. “I won’t risk the chances that I have in spending it with Soah Dad. I’ll only be by her side.”

I’ll only spend my remaining time with Soah. With her and only hers.

- - - - - - - - - - 

            YOO HAN

I walk my way back to Kana’s room when I saw Chanyeol. He’s staring at another patient as the girl plays with her mother. I walk closer to him and watched the kid with him.

“She’s a patient with a brain tumor. She’s getting her surgery tomorrow.” He noticed my voice and looks at me.

“Will she be okay during and after the surgery?”

“She will be.”

“Good for her.”

“I know.” I reply as we both lean on the wall in front of Kana’s room. I offer him a can of beer that I have in my hand and he looks back at me.

“Are you seriously drinking on your shift?” He asked showing me the beer.

“How I wish I am so that I can be suspended so that I can watch after her but sadly, my shift ended twenty eight minutes ago.”

“That’s precise.” He opens the can and started drinking.

“Stay with her.” I say. He stops and stands in front of me.

“You, what’s with you and beers that makes you weird?” I laughed and started drinking.

“I know she wants to go to you but she can’t because of Soah.”

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“The reason why she left you is because my parents threatened her with marriage. They wanted Mr. Byun and our company tied up for better connections-”

“And he can do that through marriage.” He cuts me off and finished it for me.

“You guessed it. I guess you know business too.”

“You seriously don’t know who you’re talking with right now.”

I smile and continue. “Conditions of her not marrying me would be Soah being taken away from her which is why she’s doing it.” I stand in front of him and continue talking. “I know she still loves you and whatever decision she chooses, she wanted to spend her time with you and Soah. You both are the people that she needed the most right now.”

He stands straight and smiles back at me. “Hey.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re beginning to sound like a true doctor to me right now.”