CHAPTER 3

Yonghwa looked at her stunned, utterly at a loss, "Uh." He began, "Your name is Seohyun Jung. You are in Seoul Medical Center Hospital. You were in a car accident earlier today. My name is Jung Yonghwa, I'm your husband. Don't you remember me, at all?"Yonghwa asked, unsure if he could contain the fear that gnawed at his gut.

"No."Seohyun cried harder, "I don't know you." She dragged her hand away from him, covering her face, shaking her head. Crying obviously caused her pain, as she wrapped her arms around her mid-section. She seemed to have trouble catching her breath.

Yonghwa reached for her in an attempt to calm her down and she shrunk horrified, back against the bed. Her lack of memory frightened him, but her outright rejection hurtled. He stood up, bewildered before bolting out of the door in search of the doctor.

"I need a doctor down here!" He yelled, from the doorway, "Room 614!" He yelled, looking over his shoulder to check the room number.

He heard running footsteps. 2 nurses and Dr. Kwon were heading his way. They immediately took in the situation and went to work. An oxygen mask was placed on Seohyun’s face and a sedative was put in her IV.

Yonghwa stood near the doorway as Dr. Kwon ordered follow up drugs. When he'd completed his orders he looked at a few of the monitors and wrote something on her chart. Taking one last look at his patient, he turned to a worried Yonghwa.

"My office is just around the corner." He said, opening the door for Yonghwa to pass. Seated behind his desk he spoke again, "Mind telling me what happened in there?" His face lacked expression, but Yonghwa thought he detected mild accusation in his tone.

"She woke up and asked me who I was."Yonghwa started, "Who she was. She was panicking. I was trying to calm her down. I held her hand and told her she had been in an accident and I told her, her name and my name. I told her that I was her husband and she just…freaked out."Yonghwa got up from his chair agitated, "She was terrified, and when I tried to help her she started hyperventilating!"Yonghwa's voice was getting louder, and he found himself consciously fighting for control.

Taking a deep breath, he shot the doctor an apologetic glance, "I'm sorry, this is hard." Then, taking another deep breath, he continued, "That was when I called for help. I didn't know what else to do."

Dr. Kwon sat scratching her chin, "Your reaction is understandable under the circumstances, Mr. Jung, but after a shock of this nature it is not out of the realm of possibility for there to be some memory loss. Give her some time. In most cases memory returns in a few hours or days. Normally dealing with family triggers it. Does she have any other family in the area? It's possible that the combination of you and another close family member will trigger her memory."

Yonghwa listened intently to the doctor's words, "Her mother is on the way." He said hopefully, "She has a brother in Japan. I think she has a lot of cousin’s someplace."

The doctor raised a hand, "We’ll see how it goes with her mother. It really should be just fine, Mr. Jung."

~

Mrs. Seo entered her daughter's hospital room. The banks of machines lining one side of her daughter’s bed reminded her sharply of a time not so long ago when her husband, Seung HyunSeo, had been in a similar situation. Pushing the uncomfortable thoughts away, she stepped towards her son-in-law who sat hunched in a chair near the bed. It was obvious that he hadn’t heard her enter.

She touched his shoulder softly and offered him the wrapped parcel of food she'd brought. She was sure he hadn't eaten.

Yonghwa looked forlornly up at her and a weak smile crossed his lips, "Hello, Mrs. Seo." He whispered, standing up. He allowed her to envelope him in a warm hug before leading her out of the room.

"There's something you should know." He said once they were in the hallway. He quickly told her the facts concerning Seohyun’s amnesia and what little he knew about the accident and about the baby they had lost. Yonghwa was having a difficult time dealing with the situation without her breaking down. When Yonghwa finished speaking, his voice waver, Mrs. Seo reached out for his hand.