There she was, Medusa, clicking her high heels on the floor like she owned the building. With every step she took, she exuded confidence. I found myself admiring her and dreading her at the same time. I don’t think I even own that many pairs of heels and if it weren’t for this job, I’d just wear sneakers all day long. I was so different from her. My shift was over, so I resumed gathering my things at a quicker pace, hoping to successfully avoid her. I could overhear her conversation with the receptionist.

“What do you mean he’s not here? That son of a won’t answer my calls. That only happens when he’s at work!” She was causing a ruckus, despite the fact her outburst wouldn’t change anything.

“I’m sorry, miss, he already left a few hours ago.”

“Then you call him! He’ll answer if he thinks something’s wrong at the office,” she said that with a scoff and a glare.

The receptionist was slowly running out of patience, but she had no other choice than to call Jongin. Even so, there was still no sign of him. This only drove Medusa over the edge. After a bunch of incoherent cuss words, I could hear something about divorce papers.

“I need them signed already! Why is he taking so long?”

“I’m sorry, miss, there’s nothing I can do.” This was the closest thing she could say to “please leave now”.

I swear I could hear her growling as she turned and left. Luckily, the receptionist hadn’t been turned to stone. Missing my change to leave quicker, I just waited for her to go ahead and be out of sight before leaving too.

It was already dark outside. When I left the building, I stopped for a few seconds and gazed up at the sky. I got excited noticing Cassiopeia shining brightly, but it seemed like that night the Queen was set on bringing me misfortune. The brief pause was enough for me to hear wailing and whimpering just a few steps behind. Turning around, I was facing Medusa once more, but this time she was the one desperately leaning against a wall. Taking a closer look, I noticed her water had broken. Her voice was cracking and she was slightly stuttering, but even so her tone wasn’t any less obnoxious.

“Stop staring and call a freaking ambulance!”

Was I staring again, or was it just that I made her feel uncomfortable, being the only one to see her this vulnerable at that moment? Part of me wanted to leave just because of the way she demanded my help. I was the only one around. I could easily just turn my back on her if I wanted. It wasn’t so difficult to ask nicely for something. She could’ve at least realized she had to treat others better, especially in moments like this. I scolded myself for being so insensitive and called a cab that arrived surprisingly fast. Slowly, I helped her reach it and took her to the hospital.

It was probably the most unpleasant car ride I had ever experienced, which says a lot. As someone living with anxiety, being in a cab made me feel tense. As someone who also strongly disliked being around Medusa, the proximity of this situation was amplifying my discomfort. I grabbed hold of her hand helping her get inside and she hadn’t let go until we reached the hospital. I could feel she was scared and her grip confirmed that. Squeezing my hand with every contraction, she also began to lean on me more and more.

It felt like forever until we were actually there. She left me her bag in one hand and her phone in the other before quickly being taken to a delivery room and I couldn’t bring myself to leave her alone. Instead, I ended up waiting outside holding her things. I sat down in the waiting room.

The baby that was about to be delivered was Jongin’s as well, but I still couldn’t grasp that notion completely. Were they really going to get a divorce? What would happen to the poor child? Even if I tried to focus on some of those questions, my mind was blank. I couldn’t keep track of the same thought for longer than ten seconds. I was too shocked over the abruptness of the events.

Suddenly, a ringtone flooded the room, drowning out all of the other sounds. It took me a while before realizing Medusa’s phone was vibrating in my hand. I looked at the screen as the simple song kept playing loudly. Jongin. He was calling. I had no idea what to do. I couldn’t answer, could I? How would I explain that I had her phone? Before making up my mind to do anything, it stopped ringing.

I sighed relieved and sat back in my chair, waiting for it all to be over. Soon enough I became aware of the fact that this was going to take a really long time and I wasn’t the person supposed to be here, in this room. The ringtone began chiming again.

“Answer your freaking phone!” Someone almost shouted, glaring at me. The pressure of having a loved one in a critical condition could easily make someone irritable. I apologized and went with the flow, answering the call.

“Hello?” No response came from the other end, so I figured he must’ve been surprised hearing my voice. “Your wife’s in labor. She’s at the hospital.”

“Which hospital?” He pulled himself together just enough to ask. After I replied, he said he’d come over as soon as he could.

I hung up and put the phone in her bag. Once he arrived, I could finally go home and put all of this behind me. Confronting him was as awkward as the phone call. I explained why I was there and handed him her things. Our hands touched briefly and I could feel him lingering. He had such a strange look in his eyes that I couldn’t read it out. In the end, I just left, without many words being spoken between us. I realized I had begun crying on the way just when I got home.