SURPRISE!! ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR ALL OF YOU MY AWESOME READERS. ENJOY!

Surprised

Chapter 40

Taeng thanked his driver as soon as they arrived at the hospital. He hastily pushed the hospital door and rushed towards his father-in-law room. He repeatedly slamming his hand on the up button of the visitor’s lift. The ICU was on the fifth floor, but the lift was stuck on the tenth floor and still showed the up sign.

“Damn it.”

He ran to the emergency stairs instead. He couldn’t be calmly waiting for the lift to arrive. His head full of worry. He left the charity event earlier after he got the phone from Jessica, all crying and pleading for him to come quickly. At the same time he climbed up all those stairs, his phone started ringing inside his suit.

Adrenaline flooded his system, more than it already had. It ran right into his blood at full pelt like an intravenous drug. His heart was about to explode, and his eyes were wide. Even the fading hospital lights felt blinding for him now. Once he reached the destination floor, he ran out at full speed heading towards where Jessica’s father’s ICU was located.

Nearing the room, he saw Jessica standing outside the ICU along with Krystal.

“Taeng.”

Jessica called out to him in a shaky voice, tears streaming down her face. Taeng came to a halt once he reached them.

“W-what’s going on?” His breathing was shallow, and sweats were formed on his forehead from all the adrenaline rush.

Instead of answering, Jessica was bawling harder.

He turned to the younger sister. “What’s going on?” Taeng repeated as he brought Jessica into his embrace.

Krystal wiped her tears away and shook her head.

“Unnie was inside talking to him when suddenly she felt his finger moving on her hands and she saw his eyes opened for a bit.” The words were like a relief to him, but it immediately washed away as the younger woman continued. “But then…” her voice cracked.

Taeng hated it. Why would there was always a but in the end.

“We don’t know…” Jessica continued for her sister. She released her hug and cleared from all the crying. Taeng knew she was trying to be strong for her sister even though it was clearly hard for her. “His heart rate suddenly picked up and it was shooting up and down on the heart monitor. We were immediately asked to leave while the doctors and nurses all rushed in. They haven’t told us what exactly is going on.”

Krystal sniffled, “What if something---”

She couldn’t even finish her sentence before her sister cut her off. “Dad will be fine, Soojung-ah.”

“Your unnie is right. Your father will be okay. He is a strong man.” Taeng added as he saw the two sisters hugged each other for strength and comfort.

He sighed. Although he could say it firmly like that, but inside he didn’t know what to feel or what to do. The older man may not be his own family, but he respected him in so many ways. Also, he was Jessica’s father. He didn’t want Jessica to suffer if the worst happened.

He could only pray that his wife’s father was fighting.

Taeng didn’t know how long they were left hanging while they waited outside the room. His ears caught all the medical terms being thrown around from inside the ICU, but that sound was faint. So faint that it almost seemed peaceful from the outside. Only if there wasn’t gloomy atmosphere surrounding the three of them, no one will know there was something happened inside.

But then the door opened abruptly, revealing the doctor. Everyone crowded forward, hoping it was good news. And Taeng almost spilled his own tears when he heard the words.

“He’s awake.”

***

The doctor only allowed one person in at a time, so it wouldn’t burden Mr.Jung. Taeng and Krystal offered Jessica to be the first to get in. They both knew how much it meant for the older woman to see her father again. But the latter refused, instead asking Krystal and Taeng to get in first. She needed time. No matter how much she wanted to talk to her Dad again, she had to prepare herself.

After asking Jessica again for the nth time if it was really okay for her to get in first and was answered with ‘It’s fine, Soojung-ah. Dad will be happy to see you,’ Krystal let out a deep sigh and slowly pushed open the ICU door.

“He is awake, Sica.”

Jessica turned to her left, only to see Taeng glancing at her with a sincere smile. “Your father is awake, Sica.”

Jessica felt her eyes became teary just hearing the words. She nodded. “Yes, Taeng. He is awake. My father is actually awake.” She raised her hand up in front of her. “Look at how much my hand is shaking right now.” They smiled at each other, then Taeng pulled her into a tight hug.

“Yeah, he is, Sica. He is awake.”

Everyone was still in so much shock but were so relieved at the same time. It seemed like a miracle that Jung Yunho woke up after what happened to him.

They waited outside for almost 30 minutes, before Krystal finally came out of the room. She was crying so hard, but this time it was happy tears. Jessica knew it from how the end of her younger sister’s lips curved upwards when she approached her and hugged her.

“I’m so relieved, Unnie.”

Jessica the taller woman’s back. “Me too, Soojung-ah.”

Seeing her sister’s reaction, Jessica wanted to take back her words and barge into there and just have her alone time with her father already. But her heart chickened out. She wasn’t ready yet. So, she let it pass. “Taeng, you can go in now.”

Jessica was so anxious after Taeng got inside. Her palms were all sweaty. She closed her eyes and repeatedly chanted inside her heart ‘you can do it, Sica, you can do it’. Soon she would see her father again and talked to him.

“You’ll be okay, Unnie.” Krystal squeezed her sister’s hand, knowing how nervous she must be. When Jessica opened her eyes, she saw a reassuring smile from her younger sister. She nodded, feeling more lighthearted after getting the support and courage from Krystal.

Maybe it was because Jessica was so focused on trying to relax and not stress so much about her father, that’s why time passed so fast. Suddenly Taeng was already in front of her, tapping her shoulder to inform her that she could go into the room.

She took a deep breath and nodded.

Upon entering the room, she couldn’t help but let out a small gasp. Her father was indeed awake even though with the tube that helped him to breath still connected to his mouth. But he was awake. Eyes wide opened. His eyes were looking at her and his fingers were raised as if calling for her to come closer. She took steps forward closer to her father and gently held onto his hands. It was still cold.

“I’m here.”

The father moved his head a little, trying to form a nod, but Jessica understood what he was trying to convey. “It’s okay, Dad. I understand.” A genuine smile was shown on her face.

Maybe it was because how she called him Dad again; or because how she smiled to him; or because how she held his hand; or because she said she understood after all misunderstanding between them; or because it took him a breathing failure and a coma to have his daughter back that made him shed tears in front of her daughter for the second time in his life.

The tears she was previously trying to hold back suddenly comes bursting out with full force.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I’m really sorry.” She is too shameful to look at her own father. “I’m hurting you a lot.” She let go of his hands and sat down on the chair beside the bed, fully looking at her hands on her laps.

“I-I’m very s-sorry. I don’t know what you’ve been going through. You must have a really hard time.” She fidgeted with her fingers. “And I just have to add more burden to you. I’m selfish and stupid. I didn’t think how it probably hurt you too when I’m too busy hurting myself.”

Deep down inside her heart she already knew this. It was all her pride and ego that hurt herself. She was just like every other kid who crave for their parent’s love. That when it felt like his father’s turned his back on her, she felt hurt. When she was forced to choose between two people she loved the most, her father and Yul, it tortured her. Because why couldn’t she have both instead? When her father act like he didn’t care about her anymore, it broke her heart. Although now she knew it was not true, but she was too blind with her own ego back then.

That in order to feel less pain, she made a false believe within her mind. She believed she hate him. So, she wouldn’t feel more hurt.

Although she was proven wrong in the end. Because the more she hated his father, the more it hurt her inside just the same.

“I don’t deserve you. I’m s-sorry. I’m sorry, Dad.” Jessica hung her head low as the tears drenched her skirt.

If there is anyone to blame, Jessica without a doubt knew it was herself. She was the stubborn one. She never listened. And she was busy blaming other for the hurt she caused herself. She understood if there was no forgiveness for what she had done, especially to her father, to him who always loved her unconditionally.

She suddenly felt so dumb. How come she was being selfish again. How if her father actually didn’t want to see her at all. How if that look and hand gesture was totally opposite of what she was thinking. She was egoist.

She tried to hold back her tears and wiped some of it with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here. You must be sick of me. I’m sorry for bothering you.” She got up from her seat.

But that was exactly her problem. She made her own assumption and never listened.

Thankfully, her father despite being weak physically was much stronger emotionally. With little strength that he had, he lifted up his forearm. And that was enough to catch Jessica’s attention before she left the room.

“Dad?”

Jessica was confused what her father meant. After all, there was limited things that her father could do right now. She remembered what the doctor said. “Jessica-ssi, your father is still very weak. His movement will be very limited for now. Also, he still can’t breathe by himself and needs the ventilator to help him. And with the tube down his throat, he won’t be able to talk for the time being.”

She reminded herself to be patient. So, she waited.

The arm didn’t go down after a while as he kept his gaze at her. Jessica wasn’t sure what to do but she decided to follow her heart and moved closer towards her father. She held his hand and helped put it down. With little strength he had, that must be a lot of effort from him.

“Do you want me to be here?” Jessica asked softly.

It was difficult for her to decipher what his answer though. He was trying to move his head, but she couldn’t understand the movement. Was it a nod? Was it a shake?

“How about tapping your finger instead, Dad? One tap for a yes and two taps for a no. You can try.” Jessica looked at her father’s hand. He slowly tapped his finger once. “That’s a yes.” Then twice. “That’s a no.” It made her smile involuntarily.

Remember about the real question again, she cleared and asked again. “So, do you want me to be here, Dad?”

She felt her heart could burst out in any second waiting for his father’s answer. He tapped once. And when he didn’t move his finger again, a wide smile grew on her face.

“Really, Dad?”

This time, Jessica could see the corner of his lips curved upward, albeit slowly

“Can I…can I hug you, just a little bit?” It was beyond control, she just asked. She had to. She needed that after so long.

After getting one tap, Jessica couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She was careful not to hurt her father, but when she heard the beat of his heart again – the real one that wasn’t from the machine – she felt a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

She let go not long after. It could be uncomfortable for her sick father.

“You know that I am very sorry to you, right, Dad?”

Yes.

“Will…will…will you…” She was going to ask for forgiveness, but somehow, she held back. She didn’t deserve it.

But her father beat it.

One tap.

It startled her and as she looked at his face, she could see him smiling. And another tap.

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