Pregnant.

A coldness settled over her body.

This couldn't be happening to her.  Not now.  Not on top of everything else.  She saw disappointment and a hint of something else in Dr. Park's eyes.

It was pity.

"C-can I see that please?" Amina bitterly choked out.

With a shaky grip, Amina took the clipboard and quickly glanced through the toxicology results, her brows puckering together as her eyes skimmed across the page.  Her lips pressed shut in self-disgust and her brown eyes grew hard as she tried to fend off the truth. She flipped to the next page and found results from more blood work that supported everything Dr. Park had stated.  She swallowed a painful invisible lump in . A numbness began to form inside. Amina handed the report back. "Kamsahamnida," she said in a dull voice.

Dr. Park pulled out a notepad from her lab coat and scribbled something on it.  She pulled out her smart phone and checked her contacts, before continuing her note. "This is a good friend of mine, Jang Ji-sun.  She practices Obstetrics and Gynecology here in the west wing.  This is her office number." She tore off the paper and handed it to Amina.  "With it being Saturday, I'll tell her to expect your call first thing Monday morning, arasso?"

Left with no choice, Amina took the paper and gave a short nod.  Her eyes remained downcast.

Dr. Park let out a short sigh.  "Until you've scheduled your first prenatal examination with Ji-sun and your next round of blood work comes clean, I'm discharging you from my employ."

Amina snapped her head up, open in disbelief.  "Wae? That's not fair! You wouldn't ask this of anyone else."

Dr. Park snatched the clipboard and stood up.  "That's correct.  Normally I would allow you to come back and work, but you're exhibiting behavior that's uncharacteristic of yourself.  My main concern is for you to get off those sleeping pills.  A clean blood work... then you can come back."

"B-but... that could take up to thirty days for that medicine to cycle out!" Amina protested.

"Then you better quit now!"  She gave Amina one last reprimand look and then glanced over at Youngbae.  "Youngbae-sshi, make sure she rests tonight."

Amina jerked her head to the side.  She had forgotten he was still there.  His eyes were steady on hers.  She couldn't bear to look at him.  She turned her head away instead.

"Yeh," Youngbae replied, standing up.  "Is there anything we need to do for her head injury?"

"I heard she hit the concrete floor pretty hard, but other than that, there was nothing broken or fractured.  It will be sore for a couple of days."  Dr. Park smiled kindly at Youngbae.  "You can apply ice if you'd like if you see any swelling.  But it will eventually bruise and turn color until it completely heals.  She may be nauseous, but that's normal.  I would recommend no strenuous activity the rest of the evening."

She glanced over at Amina's profile and stepped closer to Youngbae.

"Actually, I would prefer she rest up an entire week, if possible.  And she needs to eat."  She called out to Amina, her tone hinted with strained patience.  "Amina-yah... please eat.  You look like you're going to fall over."

Amina heard the plea and became annoyed.  She jerked her chin up and away, ignoring them both completely.

"She used to be such a good child," tsked Dr. Park teasingly at Youngbae.  She handed him her card.  "Call me, if you have any questions or concerns."

Youngbae walked Dr. Park out of the examination room.  "Yeh.  I will do that.  Umm... Dr. Park," Youngbae paused.  They were outside in the hallway.

Dr. Park waited patiently for him to continue.

He pressed his lips together, uncertain where to begin.  "The pregnancy."  He looked into her eyes.  "Will you be informing her mother?  I just... didn't know, since you were close to her mother and knowing Amina's relationship with her..."  His voice died out.

A small smile formed on Dr. Park's mouth.  "Amina knows that whatever goes on between me and her is confidential.  Her mother and I may be close, but it's the bond with Amina that I hold dear.  I would not compromise it, especially when I know the situation between those two.  So.... no, I won't be saying anything."  She drew her eyebrows together.  "Why is this concerning to you?"

"Because I've seen that Amina's been through a lot lately.  The last thing she needs is her mother's reprimand on top of it."  Youngbae hung his head for a moment, his eyes brooding. 

Dr. Park nodded.  "I will leave the 'honor' to Amina.  I won't even ask if she's informed her mother or not. Just as I won't ask her who the father of her child is."  She waited until Youngbae raised his gaze.  Her eyes became steely. "But whomever he is better understand his responsibility now.  I expect him to come forward and be a man and raise this child as his own."

"Of course I will."  The heated words slipped out of his mouth before he could take them back.  Youngbae felt his ears turn red as heat crept up his cheeks.

She had figured as much, but Dr. Park's eyes still widen marginally at Youngbae's easy admission.  The embarrassed look on his face amused her.  With a hint of humor in her eyes, she gave him a small nod.  "Please take care of her for me..."

Youngbae nodded and bowed as he watched her walk away.  

When he returned to the room, Amina was still seated on the bed, faced away.  She appeared lost in thought, her face no longer defiant.  She didn't even seem to hear his approach until he was nearly in front of her.  He stepped into her range of view and saw her flinch slightly.  "Are you ready to leave?" Youngbae asked.

Amina gave him a disinterested look but proceeded to move.  Gingerly, she scooted off the bed and stood up.  It took her a few seconds before she let go of the side of the bed, but she didn't ask for his help as she started to walk around the room.  She was still dressed in her baby blue scrubs, her hair pulled back in a low ponytail.  She was searching for something.

"What are you looking for?"

She moved her head slightly in his direction upon hearing the sound of his voice, but continued to ignore him.  Finally, she just left the room.

He rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and sent a quick prayer for patience before quickly following her out into the hallway.  He walked silently behind until Amina entered the employee's lounge.  With a sigh, he waited for her outside.

Eventually, she re-emerged with a black hoodie and backpack in tow.  And it was like that - all the way until they got to his car.  The constant silent treatment.  When they buckled in, he turned towards her.  "Where to?"

She was quiet for one second too long.  He snapped.  "If you don't tell me where to go, I'm just going to take you-"

"Itaewon."

"Itaewon?"

"Neh."  Amina kept her eyes forward as she told him the two main street intersections closest to her apartment complex.

Youngbae raised his eyebrows as a look of shocked disbelief swept across his face.  She lived only a few blocks away from infamous Hooker Hill, the red light district.  It was no place for someone like to her to live.  He fired up his engine and glared at her profile.  "You couldn't pick a better place to live?" he barked out.

He didn't wait for a response that he knew would never come. He took off and drove in silent anger.

"Which one?" he asked.

"Stop here, it's fine."

Youngbae pulled into an empty parking slot on the side of the road.  He cut off the engine and started unbuckling his seat belt, much to her dismay.

Amina unbuckled her seatbelt and let out a small sigh.  She really didn't want him to see this.  She was sure Youngbae had some choice words for her after all that he had heard about her today.  The last thing she wanted was for another item to be added to that list.  Amina ped her backpack and pulled out a black baseball cap and secured it low over her head as best as she could, considering the bandage.  Next, she dug out her keys and tucked the keyring in the middle of her finger and pulled out her can of pepper spray.  She zipped the hoodie jacket all the way up to her chin and exited the car.

Youngbae eyed the can of pepper spray in her hand as he followed her out.  She was putting on her backpack and securing it to her body. "Do you know how to even work that thing?" he nodded to the can as he came around to her side.

Amina looked down.  "Do you want me to try it on you first?"  She started walking.

"Hmph."  Youngbae followed her in the dark streets.  He had no idea which building she was going, but he was glad she at least kept her head down to the ground and kept up a brisk pace.  "I can't believe you live here," he muttered.

"You know," she called back.  "There's no need for you to walk me home.  I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, I can see that," he replied sarcastically.  His feet ate up the distance between them until they were brushing shoulder to shoulder.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you... when you get back and find your car stolen."

He remained quiet.

A small smile tugged at her lips.

He glanced over and noticed.  "You're evil." 

She grinned and quickly lowered her head once more.

It was that smile.  He couldn't see her eyes beyond the rim of the cap but that smile... it jumpstarted his heart and made it ache for her.

Amina turned off the main sidewalk and led them down a small path towards an older brick complex building.  He glanced up and could see they were nearing the place as she slowed down and walked underneath an overhang.  She punched in a code outside the building that buzzed them in.  He followed her as she took the closest stairwell up.  They started climbing.

They reached the start of the third floor before she finally paused and gripped the side rail. Youngbae went up a couple of steps and peered into her face.  "How much further?"

Amina raised her eyes, her breathing uneven.  She didn't realize how tired she was.  "Sixth floor."

He raised a brow.  "We couldn't have taken the elevator?"

"It's broken."

He twisted his lips bitterly.  "Why am I not surprised?"  Youngbae took the keys and pepper spray out of her hand.  Kneeling beside her, he showed her his back. "Get on..."

She hesitated.  But exhaustion won this time around.  Amina took one st