He could tell by the way she said his name that something was wrong. It was cautious, quiet, and muttered with a sharp exhale, so unlike her usual way of calling to him. It had no annoyed bite to it, no exasperated sigh afterwards. It was spoken in a heated way that indicated good times to be had. It was odd enough that he gave a pause and looked up from his book. 

"Dara?" His eyes locked with hers from across the kitchen table and he noticed how wide they were. How frightened. The fine hair on the back of his neck stood on end and his stomach dropped like its weighed with rocks. The book gave an audible thud as it was quickly discarded. "Whats wrong?" 

A trembling hand raises up from under the table and his gaze drifted from her face, his heart skipping a beat. Her hand was red and sticky with blood. "The baby...." 

He didnt need to be a doctor to know that to was far too early for this to be happening. She still had eight weeks left. He cussed and jumped into action, pulling her up from her chair and tugging her towards their door to their car. "Just..... hold on. Its going to be alright." He told her, trying to put as much confidence into the words as he could. 

Dara shook her head as if to dispute his assurance. "Its too soon." There was an edge to her voice and she scrunched up her face, gritting her teeth and holding onto her stomach. "Jaejoong, its too soon." She said after the contraction subsided. "I cant....."

He grabbed his keys and carefully seated her on the car. "I know, love." He drives away from their house to the hospital. 

One moment they were ushered inside the best and modern hospital all over Korea. They made their way across the room to the welcoming desk leaving tiny blood splatters along on the white floor in their wake. The nurse behind the desk hadnt even had the time to ask a question before he calmly, or as calmly as he could, said. "My wife is going into a premature labor." 

The staff went to work immediately, whisking her away down the hall leaving Jaejoong to frantically chase after them. He was trying so hard not to loose his composure. He had to trust the doctors to know what to do. He knew premature births were risky, and the survival rates weren't good as they should be, but he didnt want to go down that rabbit hole until he had to. 

An oxygen mask was strapped to her face and he could see her breath fogged up against it. There were tears in her eyes and her hands keep travelling to the swell of her stomach. Her fear was tangible, it hung heavy in the air around them and he could almost taste it in his tongue. It tasted like copper. It tasted like blood. 

Her hand shot out, searching for his and he took it, running along them as she squeezed. She tried to tell him something but the nurse told her not to speak. "You'll be okay. The baby will be okay. Its going to be alright." He repeated over and over, he needed her to believe it. He needed to believe it. 

They wheeled her into a sterile room that was even more intimidating and started hooking her up to things. Medical machines, he noted. One of the machines beeped along with Dara's heartbeat and a moment later a faster one joined in. 

Everything was happening so fast. He'd always been boastful about his ability to remain calm in all situation, he could face millions of his fans in a stage without working up a sweat, and when he found out he's going to be a father, he was rather happy. Excited even. But what was happening now had thrown him for a loop. His brain could hardly keep up with the information he was processing and he found himself pulling at his hair as he anxiously waiting for then to fully assess the situation. 

"How far along is she?" The doctor asked.

"Thirty-two weeks, sir." The nurse answered

Jaejoong tore his eyes away from his wife's face and tried to pay attention to what was being said. 

"We wont be able to stop the labor. She's already 8cm dilated." An old doctor with gray hair and crooked nose told the younger nurse with brown hair beside him. "The baby's heart rate is steady for now. We'll see if she can continue to labor on her own for a while but I need someone to go get a room ready for the infant. I wont take any chances with it not being on full term." 

There was a flurry and movements and suddenly there were only two nurses in the room with them. He turned to one of them. "Would you get a message for someone to me? I dont.... I dont want to leave her alone." 

The nurse smiled. "Ofcourse. Who would you like to contact?" 

"Cl, er, Lee Chaerin. She should be in YG office right now. Tell her, her friend Dara is in labor and we request her presence as soon as possible." 

She wrote the information down and disappeared. 

He pulled up a chair and sat down, just watching the rise and fall of his wife's chest. "Jaejoong." Her voice sounded weak but she's smiling up at him, the mask no longer covering . "We're  having a baby." 

"Yes." He agreed, brushing her hair off from her sweaty face. "We are. Soon now, love." 

"I cant believe it. Our lives are about to change forever." 

Again he agreed with her and held her hand when another contraction hits. He remained by her side, her hair, whispering encouragement and kissing her temple as the minute dragged on. Then, on a particular hard one, he heard an uptick on the monitor. "What does that mean?" He asked the concerned nurse standing beside the machine. 

She didnt answer him, instead, he called for the doctor. 

He felt Dara pulling her hand. "Something is wrong."

The doctor rushed in and when the next contraction hit went into overdrive. "Tell them I need an operation room stat. We need to prep the patient." 

"Operation?" He asked. "Is she okay? Why does she needs an operation?"

"Everytime your wife has a contraction your baby's heart rate goes up, Mr. Kim. This happens sometimes but the best course of action is to deliver the baby via caesarean section." The doctor might have seen the concern on his face because he continued. "While there are always risks involved, it is a very common procedure."

Jaejoong found that the doctors words didnt relieved him.

Time passes quickly after that. Within minutes they were pulling him to the sides and handing him a pair of light medi-robes and shoving him into a different, brighter room when he was finished. Dara was already prepped and waiting when he practically slid to the side of her bed. Her breath was shallow and he couldn't see her shiny brown hair he'd learned to love so much because it was trapped beneath a cap. 

Anxiety thrummed inside of him. He wasnt really comfortable with all this, the fact that they were about to slice the abdomen of his wife to yank out his child was more than a panic worthy. He tried to focus on her face when they said they were beginning. Their hands was entwined once more but this time it felt as if she was the one comforting him. 

He needed to do something, anything to keep his mind clear from worry, so he started talking. "You're doing great, so great. I love you so much. Im so proud of you." He continued repeating those short, calm sentences. "You're doing wonderful love. We're almost there. We're almost at the finish line, yeah?" 

Dara's brown eyes filled with tears. "We're about to be parents. You're about to be a dad." 

He kissed her temple and muttered. "Hopefully I dont screw up too bad." 

She shook her head. "Never."

 A tiny cry broke them from their sweet nothings and they both looked up as the doctor announced. "Congratulations Mom and Dad. You do have a very beautiful daughter!" 

A strange feeling rose up inside of him, sweeping away all the worry and anxiety. It was as if his body couldnt contain such emotion. Love. Joy. Pride. Contentment. The feelings put all those words to shame. She was so small but her cries were loud and he cries with her. "She's....." he choked on his words. "She's perfect!" 

Dara sobbed next to him when the baby was placed on her arms. "Hello, love. Im so glad to finally meet you." She kisses the baby's face despite all the bodily fluid that still coated her. "Eomma loves you so much. So very much, Jihyo."

Jaejoong smiled. The name fits her perfectly.

"We need to take her for a moment to make sure everything is alright." One of the nurses said, interrupting the happy family and holding out her hands to take her. "We'll bring her back as soon as we can." 

"Right. Yes, ofcourse." She gave Jihyo to the nurse  and her head back down. They were still working, stitching her up or something, so all they could so was wait.