010

Woohyun nervously swallows when the door to his hospital room opens and Sunggyu comes marching in, with a scowl on his tired-looking face. He can tell that his boyfriend is not happy with him and he could also tell that he’s going to get an earful of scolding from him.

“Gyu-gyu,” Woohyun tries, smiling as Sunggyu arrives beside his bed.

“Don’t Gyu-gyu me, you stubborn brat,” Sunggyu snaps.

Woohyun sinks back into the white pillows and pouts while mumbling, “I’m sorry. But I’m really fine now…”

Sunggyu frowns and narrows his already small eyes at his short lover.

“Yes, you’re fine now. But you do realize that things could’ve been so much worse if your staff didn’t see you in time, do you?!” Sunggyu scolds, voice getting a little louder with every word.

“Don’t yell at me. It wasn’t even that bad. I just passed out so don’t blow this out of proportion, Sunggyu,” Woohyun says.

“I’m blowing this out of proportion?!” Sunggyu fumes, trying very hard to keep himself from shouting too loudly. “Woohyun, stop acting like this is nothing! I talked to the nurses and they told me that the babies could’ve been born too early! That complications were just narrowly avoided because you were brought here on time! That you could’ve lost one of the triplets! It’s not just a simple case of fainting!”

By the time Sunggyu is done, he is breathing heavily, eyes tearing up in both anger and frustration.

“Now, tell me I’m blowing this out of proportion!”

“But I’m fine now, aren’t I?! I was brought in time so-”

“God, Woohyun! Why are you so stubborn?!”

Sunggyu’s shoulders start shaking as he drops down on the chair beside the bed. He clutches Woohyun’s hands and leans his head on his stomach where their babies are. He could feel the warmth radiating from Woohyun and the small flutters of tiny movements from the lives inside the womb, making Sunggyu sob even more.

“I could’ve lost you, Woohyun. You and this little family we have are the best things in my life right now. What would I do if I lose you?” Sunggyu sobs.

Between the two of them, Woohyun is the crybaby. He literally cries at everything, even the smallest of things while Sunggyu is the complete opposite. Sunggyu almost never cries and the few times Woohyun saw him cry could be counted using one hand so seeing him sobbing because of what happened makes Woohyun extremely guilty. He doesn’t know that their babies already have this kind of effect on his boyfriend.

“Gyu-gyu, I’m sorry…” Woohyun whispers, trying to sit down to comfort his boyfriend.

Sunggyu stops him and gently lays him back down, shaking his head.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for being not responsible enough. I was so caught up with myself like always, I should’ve taken care of you better instead,” Sunggyu says.

“No, no, no, don’t blame yourself. I was the stubborn one. If only I obeyed you and just rested at home, that wouldn’t have happened,” Woohyun says.

“I’m sorry,” Sunggyu says as he wipes away his tears.

“I’m sorry too, Gyu-gyu,” Woohyun says, a tear trailing down his cheek.

Sunggyu leans down to give Woohyun quick kiss on his lips before hugging him while they whisper apologies and sweet nothings to each other. They’re too lost in their own little world that they do not notice the door suddenly opening and Dr. Byun hesitantly entering.

“I hope this doesn’t escalate to something else,” she says, breaking apart Woohyun and Sunggyu.

“Dr. Byun!” Sunggyu says, blushing profusely.

“Until the triplets are safely born, please,  please, do not engage in any ual activities,” Dr. Byun says.

The petite doctor takes a few steps further into the room so she’s close enough to the couple who looks embarrassed beyond words. She gives them a tiny smirk before her face becomes stoic and strict once again. Sunggyu straightens up while Woohyun sinks back into his pillow, knowing that Dr. Byun is here to give them, especially Woohyun, more reminders (and probably a bit more scolding).

“Right,” she starts, “the pregnancy has been relatively healthy until today when Woohyun-shi decided to force himself to run about in his restaurant despite being only a couple of months shy from his due date.”

Woohyun mumbles another apology and Sunggyu squeezes his hand comfortingly.  

“You should be doing minimal physical exertions by this time. While exercising in moderation is good, being in a stressful environment that requires you to stand on long periods of time is a completely different story,” Dr. Byun scolds.

“And you, Kim Sunggyu!”

Sunggyu winces when she says his full name and sharply turns to him. Dr. Byun is extremely intimidating despite her short stature.

“How could you let Woohyun-shi subject himself to such conditions? I believe I emphasized  enough in our last appointment that he should be looked after vigilantly to avoid any complications. Do you mind explaining yourself?”

“It’s not his fault, Dr. Byun. Sunggyu doesn’t let a day pass by when he does not pursue me to just stay at home and rest. It’s me who insisted so stubbornly to keep working,” Woohyun interjects.

Dr. Byun stares at them and shakes her head in disappointment. The couple feels like they’re suddenly back to being high school students and Dr. Byun is the principal. They really feel like they’re being scolded.

“You’re both at fault, then,” Dr. Byun concludes.

“We are,” Sunggyu whispers.

At this, Dr. Byun’s disappointed expression softens up and turns into genuine concern towards the two of them. She clutches Woohyun’s folder of records in her hand and remembers why she came here in the first place.

“I’m going to be unfiltered now and say that we were so close in losing one of the babies a while ago. You said the last thing you remember is passing out, correct?” Dr. Byun says.

Woohyun nods.

“The impact of your fall after that caused an abruption in the placenta.”

Dr. Byun pauses when Sunggyu gasps in horror. Woohyun on the other hand doesn’t completely understand what that is but based on the sound of the term and on his boyfriend’s reaction, he’s guessing that it’s pretty bad.

“Luckily, the abruption is only partial which is why there was no need to deliver them prematurely. But I’m putting you in total bedrest, Woohyun-shi. Total. Bed. Rest. Any incident similar to this, you and the triplets might not be so lucky anymore.”

Woohyun’s bottom lip starts to tremble as he realizes how fatal things could have been if he wasn’t brought in on time. Now, he’s feeling like such a negligent parent to their babies.

“Please, don’t be stubborn and listen to Sunggyu-shi. It’s for your own well-being as well as the triplets’.”

A lone tear trails down Woohyun’s cheek as he remains silent.

“Do you understand, Woohyun-shi?” Dr. Byun says.

“Y-Yes, Dr. Byun. Thank you…for...for saving our babies,” Woohyun says.

Dr. Byun reaches out and gives a comforting pat on Woohyun’s shoulder before she smiles, “Of course. But please don’t waste our hard work and be a good boy from now on.”

She wishes them a goodnight before walking out of the hospital room. After she gently shuts the door behind her, Woohyun’s floodgates open and the waterworks begin. He is repeatedly apologizing to Sunggyu in between hiccups. Pregnant hormones sure are making him even more of a crybaby than usual.

“They’re not even born yet and I’m already failing at being a daddy. I’m so sorry, Sunggyu. I’m sorry for hurting them,” Woohyun sobs.

Sunggyu holds him in his arms and says, “What happened earlier was the very thing that I’m always afraid of, Woohyun-ah. That was the reason why I kept insisting for you to just be safe in the confines of our home. Anything can happen in a blink of an eye.”

“I know, I know. I’m horrible. I’m so sorry!”

“Shh, my love. I’m not blaming you. You’re fine...our babies are fine and that’s all that matters right now,” Sunggyu hushes. “But I hope you learned your lesson.”

Of course, Woohyun did learn his lesson already. If he still doesn’t after that huge scare, he might need some whacking in the head.

♡

Just like what Dr. Byun asked him to do, Woohyun is in total bed rest. He’s finally taking the doctor’s order very seriously and he is not the only one. Sunggyu is also taking this very seriously--if not literally. Since Woohyun got discharged from the hospital on Thursday, Sunggyu has never let the younger do anything but lie on the bed. Of course, except for the times he needs to do his businesses in the bathroom. Woohyun is forbidden to cook so for the past three days, they’ve been solely living off of Sunggyu’s mediocre cooking. They surely both miss the amazing dishes Woohyun produces out of nowhere but since Sunggyu deems that cooking is a very tedious task, they have to live with it for now.

Oh, Sunggyu has also forbidden Woohyun from lounging on their couch since he thinks that the journey from their bedroom to the living room might tire Woohyun out. So this also means that when Woohyun is thirsty, Sunggyu will be the one to get water for him. Contrary to what people might think, Woohyun is enjoying the pampering and the attention he’s getting out of his bed rest because it means that he gets to spend the whole day with Sunggyu. When Woohyun asked why he’s not going to the hospital or the university, Sunggyu said that he’s on leave.

The pregnant one accepted it with no questions asked but now that he’s on the phone with none other than Dr. Lee Chaerin herself, Woohyun found out the truth.

“Oh, good morning, Dr. Lee! I’m Woohyun, Sunggyu’s boyfriend. He’s just taking a shower at the moment. Do you want to leave a message or should I just tell him to call you back?” Woohyun cheerfully says.

“Oh, good morning, Woohyun-shi! The team and I are just really worried since Sunggyu didn’t show up twice in a row already. This never happened before so I took it upon myself to check up on him. Is he sick perhaps?” Dr. Lee says.

Isn’t Gyu-gyu on leave?

“He’s not sick. He’s perfectly fine,” Woohyun says, trying to still sound cheerful despite his confusion.

“That’s really good to hear! Can you please tell him that even though he missed the briefing sessions, we’re still expecting him to come on Monday for the experiment? It’s vital that I hear from Sunggyu himself, so I hope he could call back within the day,” Dr. Lee says.

“A-Alright, I’ll tell him to call you back as soon as he finishes showering,” Woohyun says.

“Thank you so much, Woohyun-shi. I hope everything’s going well with your pregnancy! Have a nice day!”

The line goes dead and as if on cue, their bathroom door opens right after. Sunggyu steps out, wearing a fresh set of comfy clothes while lazily running a towel through his wet hair. He looks up and sees Woohyun holding on to his phone so he frowns in confusion.

“Did mom call?” Sunggyu probes.

“No, that was Dr. Lee Chaerin calling because she’s wondering why you’ve been failing to show up at the university,” Woohyun says.

“Oh…” is the only thing Sunggyu can say when Woohyun is staring at him with narrowed eyes.

“You told me you could take care of me here because you’re on leave, Gyu-gyu,” Woohyun says.

“Okay, I lied. I’m sorry,” Sunggyu admits.

“I suppose you’re also not on leave at the hospital?” Woohyun says.

“No, but it doesn’t matter since they’re about to kick me out of the internship program, anyway.”

“Are you kidding?! Then why are you still here? Go dress up and show up at the hospital! Ask them not to kick you out!” Woohyun bursts out.

Sunggyu shakes his head and calmly takes the phone from Woohyun, checking if there are messages.

“What did Dr. Lee say?” Sunggyu asks.

“Sunggyu, get ready to go to the hospital. You can’t just let yourself be kicked out of that program. You’ve worked so hard for that.”

“And leave you alone here? I can just start over in the summer.”

Sunggyu walks around, nonchalantly tidying up the room while the younger looks at him disbelievingly. Woohyun stands up and waddles to his boyfriend with an intent to convince him to not give up on the internship program.

“Gyu-gyu,” Woohyun begins, standing behind where Sunggyu is folding up discarded clothes.

“Why are you standing up? Go back to bed, Woohyun-ah,” Sunggyu says.

“If I’m correct, you only have a month left for the program, right?” Woohyun says.

“Could we drop this, please?”

“No, this is your future we’re talking about. This is also our future.”

“Woohyun…”

“Keep showing up at the hospital, okay? The babies won’t be born in a month but in the summer, they’ll be bouncing around the house and that’s when I’ll need your help more,” Woohyun says.

Sunggyu turns around to look at him. He has a point but the older just doesn’t want to spend a moment away from Woohyun. The incident the other day has been traumatizing enough and Sunggyu is scared that a repeat of it will happen if he leaves Woohyun’s side. Sunggyu lets out a sigh and moves closer, hand resting atop Woohyun’s huge baby bump.

“But I’m scared to leave you alone,” Sunggyu says.

“I can just call mom over here. She’ll be glad to help. Just don’t give this up, okay? You’ve worked so hard for this for so long. You’ve sacrificed so much to just give it up when you’re almost done,” Woohyun says.

Sunggyu looks at him for a beat longer and sees Woohyun’s beautiful eyes filled with sincerity. Even though it’s hard to leave Woohyun alone again, he knows that continuing the internship is the right thing to do.

“Okay, I’ll go today,” Sunggyu says in a soft voice and is rewarded with an approving smile from Woohyun.

    “By the way, Dr. Lee called. She says she wants to hear from you within the day,” Woohyun says, suddenly remembering the call.

“About that…”

“If you’re thinking of ditching that too, Gyu-gyu, don’t. I’m not going to let you.”

“But--”

Sunggyu’s protest is cut off by Woohyun thumping him on the forehead.

“Don’t be such an idiot, Kim Sunggyu. You have to become a successful doctor and be rich, okay? Raising triplets would be extremely expensive! Do you hear me?!” Woohyun yells.

“Alright, alright! I’m sorry! I’ll call Dr. Lee right now.”

Woohyun chuckles as he watches Sunggyu go out of the room while tapping away on his phone and mumbling something about violent pregnant people.

♡

 

“Baby shopping! I’m taking you baby shopping, Woohyun hyung!”

Woohyun is sitting on the couch, munching on a bowl of cereals, and Lee Sungjong is standing in the middle of the living room with his bony arms outstretched after his grand announcement. A red pillow is thrown at him and Sungjong glares at Sungyeol who is seated next to Woohyun.

“Do you want to get us killed by Sunggyu hyung? We’re not even supposed to let him stay in the living room and you want to take him out baby shopping?” Sungyeol says, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, right…”

Sungjong pouts and his energy obviously depletes as he falls back on the other couch with a sigh.

“But it’s so boring here,” Sungjong complains.

“Sorry, Sungjong-ah. I would also like to go baby shopping with you but it’s not like I could even move much. Just look at my disgusting body,” Woohyun says, gesturing at his giant eight-month-old triplet baby bump.

“Did you and Sunggyu hyung even had the time to buy the necessities?” Sungyeol asks.

“Yeah, we have the basic sets of baby clothes and the baby bottles. We’ll just buy the diapers after they’re born,” Woohyun replies.

“No, you should buy the nappies before they’re born so it won’t be a hassle anymore! How about the cribs? The strollers? Baby monitor? Oh, you also have to buy the necessities for when you bathe them,” Sungyeol lists down.

“What? We have to bathe the babies? Aren’t they going to catch a cold?” Woohyun says.

“Of course, you’ll just wash them with warm water! Are you just going to let them stink?” Sungyeol says.

“Right,” Woohyun says.

“Did you prepare the baby room already?” Sungyeol says.

“What?”

“The baby room!”

Woohyun’s eyes wander and land on the door next to their bedroom. That’s supposed to be the baby room but he knows that beyond the door, the room is nowhere near ready. Sungyeol follows his eyes and with a sigh, he stands up and opens the door.

“Woohyun hyung! The triplets are going to be here really soon and their room is still in this state?!” Sungyeol gasps.

Sungjong follows him and gapes over Sungyeol’s shoulder. The white paint on the walls is already chipping and aside from the moving boxes collecting dust, the room is completely bare. Suddenly, a rodent runs out of the room, making Sungyeol scream his dolphin scream while Sungjong jumps behind the couch for cover.

“This room needs to be thoroughly cleaned and decorated!” Sungyeol exclaims.

“I’ll ask Gyu later when he gets home,” Woohyun says, biting his lower lip.

Sungjong shakes his head and looks at his hyungs with a mischievous smile. Just then, Mrs. Nam emerges from the kitchen with a tray of refreshments for them.

“So what are you boys up to?” she asks, sitting next to Woohyun.

“Mrs. Nam, Sungyeol hyung and I were just about to go out,” Sungjong says, linking arms with Sungyeol.

“We were?” Sungyeol frowns.

“Oh, are you going home already?” Mrs. Nam says.

“No, we’re just going to buy supplies so we could clean and decorate the baby room already!” Sungjong declares.

Hearing this, Sungyeol brightens up. He clasps his hands together and nods at what Sungjong said.

“Yeah, we’ll be back in a couple of hours! Do you want any food or drink from the mall, Woohyun hyung?” Sungyeol says.

Woohyun doesn’t answer and Sungyeol interprets this as him not wanting anything, so Sungjong and him start making their way to the door with their jackets.

“Wait!” Woohyun calls out.

Mrs. Nam, Sungjong and Sungyeol simultaneously turn their heads to him. Woohyun’s eyes are opened so wide that they look like they’re going to bulge out of their sockets as he looks down on the space he’s sitting on.

“I think my water just broke.”

Author’s Notes: The triplets are coming~ I can't think of where the story will go anymore so this might come to an end soon! Unless you guys want to see something specifically ^_^ let me know in the comments! Thank you for the support and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!