18 | Sick

 

***

 

Earlier...

 

Seohyun didn't end the call with Jessica as she dropped it unconsciously. She hold her chest and closed her eyes tight while enduring the pain. Seconds later, she's breathing unevenly. She her heels and walk to the entrance door of the church but stopped midway when she saw everyone is having a good time. 

 

'My pill.' She remembers placing it in her handbag but she's hesitating to go out there and shock everyone with her situation. Especially the kids. So she turns on her heels back and looks for a different door. She found it near the end of the church. 

 

While massaging her chest, she walked to it in a hurry while doing her best not to pass out as her visions are getting blurry. She might find a pharmacy in the town, so she quietly left the church, passing the parking lot in a hurry. 

 

-

 

Yoong reached the end of the town when the rain has started to slow down. "Seohyun-ah!" He saw Seohyun from the distance, sitting on the ground under the tree. He hurriedly runs to her and noticed how pale she looks like. "What happened?!" He got concerned as he checks on every part of her body.

 

"I... I had a pa... nic attack." Says Seohyun breathlessly. "I forgot... To bring it. So... I look for any... Pharmacy... But... Couldn't." 

 

"Chincha? And right now too?" Yoong exclaimed. He checks on her heart by pressing his ear on his chest and it's beating so fast. She might go into cardiac arrest if she won't able to breathe normally again. "Aish." He quickly took his phone and called one of his colleagues. "I need-"

 

"It's hard to breathe... Yoong." Seohyun holds his shoulders for support. Despite the cold weather, he is eating as hell. Her chest is in a panic that she's closing her eyes so tight.

 

"I need you guys here! Uh, we are this oak tree. Bring an ambo bag and ask if anyone brought a panic attack pill. Hurry!" He shouted furiously then hang up. "They're coming. For now, look at me."

 

Seohyun opens her eyes weakly. 

 

"I want you to keep looking at me as you take a deep breath in using your nose..." Yoong inhaled so deeply. After seven seconds. "Exhale in your mouth." And he exhaled.

 

Seohyun complied. She keeps her eyes on the doe-eyed as she performed it together with him.

 

"You're doing it, right baby." Yoong said and continue to inhale deeply again.

 

"My chest... It's... Still in pain. And... It's still... Hard to breathe." Seohyun shares after he complied with him. "Help." Her tears are falling, she couldn't hold them back. "I want to... Live." She ask, desperately.

 

Yoong was about to ask what she was more experiencing when his colleagues finally came with the medical kit. "Stay with me okay." He hastily checks on her heartbeats again using the stethoscope and her lungs. "This isn't good." He muttered while another doctor is helping her to breathe with the ambo bag. "She has to go to the hospital for further examination. "Did anyone call the ambulance?"

 

"No one, Doctor Im. But we can bring her to the car. I called one of the nurses to drive here." 

 

"Good."

 

Seohyun holds his hand while breathing almost normally now. "My world... "

 

"Yes?" 

 

"It's... It's..." Before she knows it, she passed out.

 

"Aish." Yoong caught her on time. "Keep giving her oxygen." He instructed as he hold her in his arms. His heartfelt like going to ripped watching her face. And what he heard from the stethoscope seems like her lungs have some damage that she might undergo surgery.

 

Moments later, the car reached them. He carefully carried her with the help of another doctor. And instead of making her sit, they lay her down. "We can reach Eunha in thirty minutes, right?"

 

"Yes, Doctor Im. If you speed up and use siren." His colleague said while keeping on giving Seohyun the oxygen.

 

"We don't have sirens." He is flustered. 

 

"Just use your phone, Doctor Im."

 

"That won't be used. Honking continuously will do." Yoong hastily drives them off while the other doctors returned to the church to follow them.

 

Meanwhile, Sunny was informed by the doctors and he brought Woojin to the car immediately, leaving the kids confused and concerned.

 

"What's happening, Noona?" Woojin is scared. He can hear a continuous honk from another car ahead of them and it looked like his father is doing it.

 

"I don't know, Woojin. But we have to stay calm, we can't do anything right if we are scared." Sunny said as a matter of fact. However, she's only calm outside, inside, her heart is racing.

 

-

 

"I need a pulmonologist!" Yoong announced so loud the moment they arrive in front of the ER. He helps the nurses to transfer Seohyun to the stretcher and pushes it with him as they enter the Emergency Room. He stepped aside and let a Pulmonologist immediately check on the young singer using their equipment. He didn't leave, he is watching closely.

 

"He needs surgery right away.  There's a blood clot in her lungs." The doctor told him which made him nod and let them bring Seohyun to the operating room. 

 

"Yoong!" Sunny called him just as he was about to enter the room but the door closes in front him. "What happened?"

 

Yoong turned and exhaled loudly. "Seohyun, she had a panic attack. Don't know what happened and she was able to reach the town but I hope the surgery will be a success." He picks up his son and kisses his cheek.

 

"Omma's sick?" Woojin pouted sadly.

 

"Yeah, but she'll be fine." He holds his son close as he started to walk back and forth.

 

Sunny sighs, sitting on the bench. "She'll probably get an infection, it rained so much."

 

"I know right?" Yoong muttered and he stopped walking, so he could put Woojin down and took his seat next to Sunny. "She looks so happy earlier and then... it turned out like this." He let out a sad exhale. He can't stop thinking over her face when he asks for help. It's a painful image that crushes his heart.

 

"Did you call Jessica or any of her relatives?"

 

"Omo, I didn't." He hastily took his phone out and called the blonde. "Noona-"

 

[Is she with you? What happened? I think I heard her breathing.]

 

"Her panic attack once again happened. She's in surgery right now because the doctor found a blood clot. It was the result of her long panic attack." Yoong explained in detail. "Mianhe, I came a bit late."

 

[Ugh, I was afraid to call her earlier because she might go into a panic attack. And it really happened.]

 

"Wae? Why did you call her?"

 

[I called to tell her about her apartment being taken by the bank. It wasn't fully paid yet that they can do that. Maybe because of the recent news about her, they took it from her. Also, she learned about her father being treated by private doctors right now at home. She didn't take it well.]

 

"Her father is sick?" He's stunned to learn it.

 

Sunny raised her eyebrows while Woojin is watching the door by the operating room, waiting patiently for it will open.

 

[He had a relapse with his lung cancer. Seohyun know about this since last year but didn't expect the relapse will come too soon.]

 

'No wonder he visited me yesterday.' He thought in mind, feeling sorry for the old man. "He had lung cancer while his daughter has a blood clot right now. Oh God, I hope she won't get cancer."

 

[I'm praying for that because his grandpa died with that too.]

 

"Aish." He smacks his forehead unconsciously. "Thanks for the information, Noona."

 

[I'll come later.]

 

"Yes." He ended the call and looked at Sunny with a frown. 

 

"Appa, how many hours does surgery takes?" Woojin wonders.

 

"About five to ten hours, depending on the damage, Woojin-ah." Yoong answered his innocent son.

 

"Chincha? So we're going to sleep here?"

 

"Looks like, but you're sleeping at home. I'm bringing you home later." 

 

"I'll look after him, Yoong, just stay here until the surgery ends." Sunny offered, rubbing his back gently. "It'll be fine."

 

Yoong nodded gently, gazes set back to the operating. 'Please be okay, Seohyun-ssi.' He hopes everything will be fine.

 

-

 

It's 2 am in the morning yet, Yoong is still outside the ICU. He was forbidden to enter since it's still a fresh surgery and she's on life support. Even though the operation was a success, her lungs are still weak and she needs a life support machine to help her breathe. He predicts, she will be out of it in 3 days. But if she doesn't get better, it could last for more days. If she doesn't wake up within the next couple of days, she might get into a coma and she will be on life support forever. Which he thinks is impossible to happen.  

 

He's just glad there are no signs of cancer cells being active, he won't take it if they found it. And her heart is okay after he checked it.

 

"You're really a doctor, you can last even at this hour." Jessica approached him, handing him a hot coffee.

 

"I might change my schedule so I can look after her." said Yoong as he smiled briefly to take the coffee.

 

"Aigoo, just when she plans to spend her hiatus happier, this has to happen." Said Jessica, sadly. She hopes she's in her place rather. 

 

"She's too stressed recently, she even drank a lot. It didn't help her lungs. She really needs to stop drinking now." Yoong said casually. He wanted to forbid her once she woke up. 

 

"It easily triggers her panic attack, wasn't it?"

 

"Yes, with her fragile lungs, it's really not a surprise this happened."

 

"She doesn't have this panic attack before though. You know that."

 

"I know, and I'm sorry for that on behalf of my late girlfriend." He doesn't want to mention her name anymore. It will just make him feel more so sorry.

 

"Poor Seohyun." Jessica sighs as she takes a sip of her coffee.

 

"And I doubt she will have what her family has." He shares softly. "You see, she's type A. Her mother is A, which means she will not inherit it." And he explains further.

 

"Oh is that so?"

 

"I could be wrong too. But In most cases, if the person's blood type has the same type as someone who has a history with it, they get it eventually."

 

Jessica nodded in understanding. "Wow, I learned new things." She smiled in the process.

 

"So you don't have to worry." Yoong smiled back, taking a sip of his coffee. He let out an exhale afterward.

 

"Why don't you return to your work now? I'll be here until the sun rises." Jessica suggested. She saw him yawning earlier. 

 

"You should go to her ward. A nurse is nearby to check on her." He however assured her.

 

"But I want to stay here."

 

"I'm leaving later."

 

"Then me too."

 

Yoong chuckled in disbelief. "Does Yul know about this, Noona?"

 

"Yup. And he will be here later when the sun rises." Jessica instantly replied. "I'm her manager so I should stay and look after her."

 

"But I'm the boyfriend and-"

 

"Yah, I know her before you." She interrupted, earning a surprised look from the doe-eyed.

 

"I know but I'm also a doctor if something happens to her without me around, I can't forgive myself. And I can help her right away." Yoong also reminded his profession. It made Jessica speechless.

 

"You two leave. We're here to do that." One of the nurses butted to their conversation, amused at their bickering.

 

"Nurse Son is right. Doctor Im, you should take a nap. We'll call you right away if there's an improvement." And another nurse agreed.

 

Embarrassed, Yoong sighs in defeat and bowed a little. "Yes." He sheepishly smiled as he walks away.

 

Jessica smiled and bowed at the nurses too. She caught up with the doe-eyed and hit his back. "I was just kidding earlier. Don't take it seriously."

 

"It's okay, Noona. I understand. We're both really just concerned for her." Yoong is flattered it's not only him who wants to look after Seohyun. Her father can't do it and her mother is taking care of him. 

 

"Well." Jessica smiled, shrugging her shoulders and taking a sip of her coffee. Instead of going home, she headed straight to the private ward that was waiting for Seohyun.

 

Yoong on the other hand headed straight to the doctor's rooms, where they could sleep comfortably on the bed.

 

-

 

The sun is up and Yoong had been sleeping for more than 8 hours when he heard his name being called from the speaker in his room. He jolted up and quickly took his white lab blazer, wearing it in a hurry while running to the ER. A woman in her thirties is lying on the stretcher with chest pooling with blood. The woman is unconscious.

 

He checks the heart through their machine and finds the cause of it.

 

"Any available operating room?"

 

"There's none, Doctor Im." The nurse informed him.

 

"What?! We can't transfer her to another hospital. She needs an instant surgery right now." He exclaimed, startling some of the nurses.

 

"But there's none, Doctor Im. We can't perform it, can we?" 

 

Yoong grumbles, staring back at the woman. He checks her heart again and there's no chance she'll survive if they hand her to a different hospital at the moment. "I'm doing the surgery. Get the tools ready." 

 

"Um, I'm afraid the head won't allow us." The nurse got some concerns.

 

"Then are we going to just watch her die?"

 

"It's not always our responsibility to save every life, though." the nurse countered him, which made him frustrated. He grabs the stretcher and pushes it out of the ER when a doctor blocks him.

 

"I know you want to save every life coming to this ER as much as possible, Doctor Im. But the hospital can't do anything about this. We are full and we can't risk patients' lives just for her. Bring her back to the rescuer, now!" 

 

Yoong tightly holds the stretcher while glaring at the older doctor. He is upset and mad. He wanted to talk back but those words are just true. "Aish." So he casually brought the woman back to the rescuer. "Please bring her nearer. She needs immediate surgery." 

 

"Yes, thank you, Doctor Im." The rescuer took the woman back to the ambulance and sirens were again as they drives off.

 

Yoong frustratingly kicks the ground and ruffles his hair. It's always like that when he has to return someone from the ER. He hates it so much but he just hopes the woman will make it.

 

"Hey." Sunny called him softly, which made him exhale loudly as he face her. "You okay?" She saw what happened and handed him banana milk.

 

"Just another patient that needs to be transferred. Woojin, how is he?" He asks as he drinks the milk, helping him calm down slowly.

 

"He's fine. He asks about you and Seohyun right when he wakes up." Sunny shares as they walk back inside the hospital.

 

"Thanks, Noona." He smiled briefly. 

 

"How's Seohyun?"

 

"I haven't heard about her. I run right away to the ER when I heard my name." He sighs deeply and bows to some nurses that bowed at him too.

 

"Did you sleep at dawn?" Sunny exclaimed.

 

"Her surgery lasted seven hours. I have to look after her for a few hours." Yoong explained himself. "Jessica I think stayed over."

 

"Chincha? Whoa, that's ho