45. Kim JinJong is Born

My surgery was scheduled for 11 am on Sunday. We reached the hospital two hours earlier to settle into the room and have ample time for my prep. We were given a VIP suite by the hospital to accommodate for the camera crew that would be filming my stay. I joked with the doctor that my value was going up with every pregnancy.

Puppy was very nervous, as was I but didn’t show. He held my hand all the time till I had to leave for prep. The procedure was explained to both of us again. I would be given general anesthesia and after the baby was delivered, they would try a new procedure for removal of placenta. Oxytocin would be directly injected into my abdominal wall and they would wait for the placenta to detach itself from the abdominal wall. How long that took was anybody’s guess, but they expected it to take no longer than two hours after baby’s delivery. I would then be shifted to post-op recovery room till I regained consciousness and then moved back to my room. If everything was normal, the baby would be brought to my room for a short time but would remain in NICU till the next day.

I nodded as this routine was known to me except the oxytocin part. Puppy began asking the doctor thousand questions about my safety and painless surgery. Doctor assured him that the only pain I would feel would be from his separation. Everyone present laughed at that.

By everyone I meant everyone. There was umma, imo, appa, Kibum, Taemin, Heechul, Soo, uncle, puppy’s father and my aunt Hee Young. Doctor joked that it was good I had the VIP room or else the walls would’ve exploded. The camera captured everyone’s expressions. Imo, Kibum and Heechul had made sure puppy and I were dressed in our best casuals.

I touched puppy’s ring finger tracing our rings that he wore. Linking our little fingers briefly, we watched everyone talking to each other. I texted him.

Don’t worry jagi. I promise 2 b safe. Love u

Love u 2 yeobo. Remember I can’t live without u

I will b bak soon. Promise. Kiss our byong for me 2

Wil do. Kiss 2 u 2

Kiss. Do ask nurse to put him on your chest like I showed u

Will do. Will miss u yeobo

Crazy puppy

Always for u

“Hey you two are just a foot away this time,” imo laughingly admonished us.

“Naughty boys,” Heechul called out with a wink.

Everyone looked at us curiously and we blushed. Puppy took my phone from me and put both in his pocket. Nurse came with my change of clothes. I went to the bathroom to change. Puppy insisted on going with me to help me. Once back on the bed, they strapped the fetal monitor on my tummy. Baby’s heart rate was good.

Very soon, I was taken to the surgical unit for prepping. Puppy went with me holding my hand till the unit doors, when he was asked to wait in the waiting lounge. As I was prepped and moved to the operation theatre, I worried about my puppy, but I also knew that he would be kept busy once our byong was in the NICU. I smiled and joked with the camera crew to keep my nervousness at bay. This crew would be recording the events of the surgery. For the actual details of the surgery, there was another camera. Once the doctor gave the go ahead, I was given anesthesia and soon lost consciousness.

Imo told me later that it was only our families in the waiting room. Puppy and Heechul were pacing the whole time in the waiting lounge. Kibum, umma and aunt Hee Young were loudly gossiping till the nurse asked them to tone down their volume. Appa and Tae were doing business over the phone, appa throwing a few choice abuses over the phone earning the same nurse to frown at him. Tae was moving fast all over the waiting lounge screaming at top of his voice at an office worker who had called to ask for leave on Monday. Same nurse told him to keep his voice down or she’d ask him to leave.

Imo, uncle and Soo were betting on the hairiness of byong and what body part would resemble who. Soon everyone joined their betting and every part of our byong had 50 wons bet on it. All except puppy who couldn’t believe the craziness of our families. Kibum and Heechul got even the nurse to bet 10 wons. Aunt Hee Young was made the banker and noted down everyone’s choices. Teamin had hedged on the side of experience and announced to all that both Kai and Minx resembled their fathers completely, he was absolutely sure that byong would resemble only Jonghyun.

It was an hour after their waiting began that our byong was wheeled out for everyone to catch a glimpse of, enroute to the NICU. Puppy took one look at his son and burst into tears, crying loudly.

Through his crying, he introduced everyone to Kim JinJong.

Everyone went to the NICU with the baby, uncle and puppy stayed in the waiting room. Uncle hugged puppy and got him to calm down by telling him that his swollen teary eyes would scare me when I regained consciousness. Puppy called Minx and Jiyeon who were left under the care of Mrs Oh. Minx wanted to meet the baby and puppy promised she could in the evening.

Another half hour passed before the doctor came out and informed them that my surgery was successful and I was in the recovery room. I would be shifted to my room in about 30 to 45 minutes time. Puppy began to cry in relief and uncle took him to the NICU to make him stop the waterworks.

He found Heechul standing with his nose pressed to the NICU window. Everyone else had seen enough newborns to not have similar reaction. They were there because it was better than having anxiety attacks in the waiting room and do more crazy things. Umma latched onto puppy’s arm immediately to know the update on me. When he nodded she kissed his cheek in relief.

Just like I had told him, the nurse gave him permission to enter the NICU. Our byong was the only baby there. After sterilizing his hands, he was allowed to hold our son. He had practiced with the dolls till he was a pro at it. He asked the nurse and opened his shirt to put our son on his upper chest. Feeling the warm fragile body of our son resting on his chest, puppy smiled through his tears.

He repeatedly kissed our son’s head for both of us. He ran his finger down his cheek, traced his fingers and toes. He closed his eyes and just absorbed the moment for as long as the nurse permitted him. Before he left our son, he brought him to the window for our families to have their first good look at Kim JinJong.

Heechul saw it through the NICU window and filled up the gaps in imo’s narrative. When puppy came out of the NICU he was speechless with feeling. He rushed to uncle and imo and hugged them whispering ‘thank you’ repeatedly. Imo hugged him and dried his tears while uncle patted his head and back trying to calm him down. I could understand puppy well. In the years that we had been living with imo and uncle they had become our parents in our hearts and mind.  

Puppy received congratulations and hugs from all. Uncle and Taemin went to get coffee for everyone who had started migrating to the room, leaving only Heechul, puppy and his father near the NICU. Heechul again pressed his nose to the window, looking longingly at byong. Puppy and his father shared a few private moments together.

I regained consciousness in the recovery room and the nurse smiled at me. I hopefully smiled back at her and asked about my baby. She informed he was born perfect and healthy and was in the NICU. I thanked her and answered her routine post-op questions. I was beginning to feel pain so she injected a pain killer. I asked if it would put me to sleep and was happy to know it wouldn’t. That meant I would soon meet my baby.

Camera followed my every breath in the recovery room and when I was shifted into my room it captured my extended family’s happy reactions. Puppy silently slipped my ring onto my finger and standing beside me he linked our fingers together. He watched as each family member hugged me and wished me speedy recovery and happy parenthood to both of us. That small link between our fingers spoke volumes to me.

When everyone was talking to each other again, my puppy bent down and whispered only for my ears, “How are you feeling yeobo?”

I whispered back, “I am fine jagi. Love you. How’s our byong?”

“I love you so much yeobo. Our byong is the most beautiful boy ever born. Thank you, thank you yeobo. Are you in pain?”

“No, they gave me injection for it. Did you have to wait long for me?”

“Eternity yeobo. Every second was like a lifetime. No more babies. I don’t think my heart can survive the strain.”

“Silly puppy.”

“Always for you.”

Imo interrupted us yet again, “Hey you two, stop whispering. It’s rude we are also here.”

Soo tried to hush her, “Umma let them have a private moment. You don’t have to know everything you know. God, you are so nosy.”

Puppy called out to her, “Thanks Soo, we’ll return the favor by gagging imo when it’s your turn.”

Soo blushed beet red while there was laughter and giggles all around. Puppy continued, “I mean it. We’ll gag anyone you want.”

“Gag yourself first oppa. God, this is so embarrassing.” She returned.

“Aww Soo come here and give us a hug. You can gag us all you want but you love us and you know it. Come here baby sis,” Puppy opened his arms for her.

She came to us, kissed my cheek and held my hand. Then she hugged puppy and began crying. I rubbed her hand with my thumb while puppy tried to calm her down by letting her know that I was all fine and there was nothing to worry.

She kissed my cheek again, “I was so worried oppa. What is it that you both have going between the two of you? A couple of years ago Jjong oppa scared me by getting shot with a long hospital stay, and now you Jinki oppa. Both of you stay out of hospitals for the rest of your lives, do you hear me? I cannot take the strain of it. My hair will turn grey before time. I am sure a few have already turned grey today.”

“Aww Soo, let me check your head. Hey, you are right. I can see a whole bunch that has turned grey at the back of your head.” Puppy to stop her tears.

“What? I have grey hair? Oh no. I am not even twenty. Umma I have grey hair.” She wailed to imo.

“Silly girl he is just teasing you.” Imo tried to calm her.

Puppy got his hair pulled by Soo for his teasing. He tugged her ponytail. She pulled his hair with both hands making him softly yelp. Only then she was satisfied with her revenge and let his hair go. He hugged her immediately and kissed her cheek. “Baby sis, you will always be beautiful even with grey hair. Don’t worry we will gift you dozens of hair colors on your every birthday and no one will know your secret except us.”  

“Jinki oppa tell him to stop.”

“Puppy don’t tease Soo.” I loyally whispered with a smile.

“Aww tokki let me have some fun.”

“Puppy oppa I am going to extract ultimate revenge. I will nickname JinJong as Byong.”

“He is already called byong by everyone Soo.”

“But the whole world didn’t know till now.” She smirked pointing to the camera that was recording everything. She turned towards the camera and seriously announced, “This is to let you all know that today at 12:05 pm Jinki oppa and Jjong oppa became proud parents of a bouncing baby boy weighing 5.6 pounds. His official name is Kim JinJong but we have decided to lovingly call him Byong, short for baby dragon. Their little family is now a complete zoo with a dragon aka puppy, a tokki, a minx and a byong.” She made a bow at the end of her announcement.

Everyone clapped and the filming crew promised her it wouldn’t get edited. Puppy and I stared at her open mouthed.

“Baby sis you are one dangerous girl. Should we really let you lose on the unsuspecting world?”

“Puppy don’t make me laugh please.” I pleaded with them.

Soo hugged us again before imo herded her out of the room. They had to go pick up Minx and Jiyeon. Uncle left with them. They would be back later in the evening with the girls. After that one by one everyone said their byes. Umma would be back again to stay the night with puppy.

I think no one realized that I was left alone with puppy. Everyone assumed Heechul would stay back but he wisely went home to give us some private time. Puppy pulled the curtain to shield the bed from view of anyone entering the room.  

He immediately kissed me all over my face, and then softly kissed me again and again whispering words of love and thanks. He stopped only to check my surgery site which had a thick padding of gauze. He linked our fingers and began kissing me again. We whispered our love and our joy to be together again. We heard the door open and separated.

The nurse brought in our son. Byong had been checked and declared completely healthy and did not require any extended NICU stay. He was allowed to move in with us as soon as possible. The nurse had brought him for his first feed. Doctor had gone by his previous experience with me and decided to let me feed the baby the same day.

Puppy picked up Byong and the nursed moved my bed so I was sitting up comfortably. She wiped my and surrounding area and puppy handed over the baby to me, keeping his hands in place to support baby’s weight. I knew what I had to do and pressed my to check if I was producing any milk this time. Soon a thick drop of colostrum appeared. I grinned at puppy. The nurse was new and just looked in shock at me. Maybe she’d expected failure and was just humoring the doctor.

With my finger tip wetted with colostrum I tickled Byong’s lips and when he opened them, I put his mouth to my chest. His instincts took over and he began ling. I asked puppy to tickle his soles to keep him awake explaining that Minx used to fall asleep after every few the first time. Despite all our efforts he soon fell asleep and refused to wake up. I nodded at puppy. I knew he wouldn’t drink more than a couple of spoonfuls. His little tummy must be full. I put him on my chest with puppy’s help and gently patted his back till he gave a small burp.

The nurse looked on in amazement. I informed her that I had a nearly six-year-old daughter who was born in the same hospital through similar procedure. I knew my way around babies and feeding. We requested that the baby be left with us for a few minutes before being taken back to the NICU. She nodded and left the three of us alone.

Puppy immediately kissed me again and then kissed Byong’s head resting on my chest. He helped me shift him till I was holding him in my left arm supported by my chest. We gazed at him in wonder. Our baby.

Byong was hairless with only a few downy hair on his head. He had puppy’s ears and hands. His legs and feet were different. That must be from the donor girl. I teased puppy, “Jagi he would be tall. His legs are not on you.”

“Thank god for small favors.”

His lips looked like mine but we couldn’t be sure. His face was round but I wanted him to have a face like his father. I thought I had too round a face. His features could very well change as he grew up.

I handed over sleeping Byong to puppy and asked for my bed to be lowered. Puppy held the baby in one arm like a pro and moved my bed till I was comfortable again. He began crooning a lullaby and I fell asleep looking at both of them.

The day was one of the happiest in my life.