Part 12

DESTINY

It's been 12 hours since the birth, Kihyun is lying on his side with Hyunwoo sitting next to his bed. He woke up like an hour ago with cramping in his lower abdomen. The thought of having another baby inside him almost sends him to a panic attack. Minhyuk comes to check on him and apparently, he was just having afterbirth pain. It's a good indicator. The cramping means his uterus is shrinking back to its pre-pregnancy size. Hyunwoo occasionally rubs his back gently to ease the discomforts and Kihyun is grateful that Hyunwoo is always beside him since the labour started. Kihyun can't imagine if he had to go through all of this alone. Somehow, after going through labour and delivery himself, it helps him to understand why his parents are so disappointed in him since birth. They were expecting a normal son but he comes out with a surprise element. Not like he is disappointed at his children birth surprise. It's just like he can understand how his parents are feeling. 

"What are you thinking?" Hyunwoo whispers. 

"Nothing" Kihyun replied as he held the surgeon hands tighter. "Have you seen him?" 

"I did. The nurse let me do the kangaroo care. He's so small" 

"I used to complain how heavy he is when he was inside me, but holding him...he didn't feel that heavy at all" 

Hyunwoo knows Kihyun is about to say something about their daughter so he decided to change the topic before it happened. "He looks like you" 

"It's too early to say that. Our son is not even a day old" Kihyun replied as he laughed a little. Hissed in pain when another cramping come.  "I'm sorry about our daughter"

"Stop saying sorry about things we can't control, Kihyun" Hyunwoo pat Kihyun head gently. "You have already done your best. You have done well" he planted a kiss on Kihyun forehead. 

Kihyun just smiles weakly. 

Jooheon and Minhyuk walk into the ward.

Hyunwoo helps Kihyun to sit up and let Kihyun lean to him for support. His hand is wrapped around Kihyun waist. 

"Just tell me the truth. I'm ready" Kihyun said.

Jooheon sighed heavily as he moves closer to the bed. "Do you remember what I tell you in the delivery room?" he receives a nod. "As I told you earlier, after conducting a few tests...my friend and I have come to the conclusion that she does suffer from a brain injury" 

"From the birth?" Kihyun asked. His voice shakes a little from trying to control his emotion. 

"Some of it is caused from her birth complication, but most of it started way back in the womb. For now, we are monitoring her brain activity. If she didn't show any reaction in the next few hours, we had to announce her as brain death" Jooheon says carefully.

"I guess you want to know if I want to donate her organs. I've read about how to deal with brain death patient procedure once in my case" Kihyun remain calm. "I'm not sure if it's applicable to an infant" he added.

Jooheon replied with a soft 'yes'.

"Can I see her?" Kihyun asked.

"You are still weak from the birth...."

"Then, can her father see her?" Kihyun cuts Jooheon off.

"Kihyun..." Minhyuk comes forward. "There's still hope" he added.

"You know what is the hardest part of being a criminal litigator?" the three doctors just keep their silence. "You can get ambushed in the middle of trial. Sometimes the prosecutors brought up evidence that you never know existed and it could kill your entire defence. It happens to me so many times at the beginning of my career. So, I make it a habit to always be prepared " he added.

"Of course" Minhyuk replied, understand the implied message in the sentence.

"You should go see her," Kihyun says as he looks at Hyunwoo. "At least one of us should be with her" he continues before Hyunwoo says anything back. 

Hyunwoo nodded. He helps Kihyun lie on the bed before leaving with his friends. 

"Should we ask Hyungwon to talk to him?" Jooheon asks as they are heading to the NICU. "He's too calm. I'm worried" he added. 

"Maybe tomorrow" Hyunwoo and Minhyuk answered simultaneously. 

"He needs some time to process all of this" Minhyuk added. 

The three of them stop in front of the NICU. They can see Changkyun is attending to the baby girl diligently from the glass wall. The NICU is the only ward in the entire hospital, where the wall is wholly made from glass. The transparency lets the babies' parents watch the little angels from the outside. 

"Remember the accident victim with a steel in his head last week?"

Both Hyunwoo and Minhyuk nodded.

"Changkyun spends the whole week planning a surgery for him and just done operating like hours ago"

"He comes straight away here after that?" Minhyuk gasped. "I'm sure he is going to pass out soon" he added.

"He mentally names all his patients after his sister. If my daughter dies, Changkyun is going to be broken all over again" Hyunwoo sound concerned. 

"He what?" Minhyuk and Jooheon sound surprise. 

"He told me that maybe naming my patients after Dasom is going to help me to move on. There is no way he will come up with that advice without trying it first" Hyunwoo explains. 

"I told the nurse to not page him" Jooheon sound frustrated. He walks into the NICU and the other two trailing close from behind, confused at Jooheon reaction.

Changkyun was busy updating the baby girl chart that he didn't even realize the three doctors is walking towards him. When he put down the chart, he suddenly feels dizzy. Luckily, Hyunwoo is fast to catch him before he lost his balance and hit the ventilation device next to him.

"Thanks," Changkyun said without taking a proper look at his saviour.

"Are you okay, Dr. Im?" Jooheon asked.

Changkyun shakes his head a little, trying to get rid of the dizziness.  

"I think you should sit down," Hyunwoo says as he massages the young man's shoulder.

"I didn't see you coming" Changkyun replied instead.

"You should take a rest," Minhyuk said. 

"I'm fine" Changkyun leave to the supply room and come back with a blanket. 

"You can ask the nurse to do that" Jooheon said as he helps Changkyun to put the blanket over the baby body. "Her temperature keeps dropping" he sounds upset. At this rate, there is nothing much they can do for the baby. Other than trying to make her comfortable.

"Nuna has the exact same birthmark on her ankle" Changkyun hold the baby left leg for the other three to see clearly. "One time...Kihyun jokes with me that he will pray diligently so he will give birth to Nuna reincarnation, I told him that's impossible. Then, Kihyun told me this 'if God let me survives the cruise explosion, He can make anything. He actually gives birth to a baby girl. It's such a shame that we can't see her grow up though"

The other three just stares at Changkyun sympathetically. Though Changkyun look liked he already move on from his sister's death they know the young man is still hurting. 

"She makes some improvement earlier and then she just stops," Changkyun told them about the baby's progress. 

A beeping sound. Jooheon instantly gets into the action. So, does Changkyun. Minhyuk holds Hyunwoo as they step back to let the duo work. A doctor is not supposed to treat their own family and Minhyuk just make sure Hyunwoo didn't break the rule. 

"We should let Kihyun see her. She's stabled again, but I don't know for how long" Jooheon said. 

After a while, a nurse shows up with Kihyun in the wheelchair. Minhyuk speed checks his patient to make sure Kihyun is fit enough to stand before letting the exhausted man stand up from the wheelchair. Some patients experience blood spilt when they stand up not long after they give birth. Minhyuk is just preventing that from happening. Hyunwoo assists Kihyun to walk closer to the baby bassinet. 

Kihyun smiles as he takes the first look at his 15 hours old daughter. He reaches out to hold his baby's hand. Cold. 

"She's leaving us" Hyunwoo whispers. 

"Is she still fits for the organ donation?" Kihyun asks. 

Minhyuk and Jooheon look at each other. Changkyun just stands still with his hand cross in front of him, putting on his poker face. 

"She's a daughter of a surgeon. I believe she would be glad to help others. Just like you help your patients" Kihyun continue.

"You don't really have to do that" Hyunwoo replied. 

"Let's do that. It gives me comfort to know that a part of her is still alive somewhere out there" Kihyun starts tearing. "I'm sure there is a reason why she is sent to us like this. I don't know what that is but it feels like the right thing to do"

Hyunwoo hugs Kihyun tight. He kissed Kihyun's head to give the small man comfort. He then mouthed 'Kihyun consented to the organ donation' to Jooheon.

"I will go get the paperwork done" Jooheon left the NICU instantly.

"Do you want to hold her?" Changkyun asks. 

Kihyun looks at the young man as he dries his tears. 

"You can hold her while waiting," Changkyun said. 

Even though Kihyun didn't answer yet, Minhyuk is already bringing the wheelchair closer. Hyunwoo spontaneously helps Kihyun to sit down in the wheelchair. While Changkyun lifted up the baby girl carefully and put her in her parents embrace. Hyunwoo kneels next to Kihyun as both Minhyuk and Changkyun left them alone. 

"She's beautiful" Kihyun whisper. 

"She's perfect" Hyunwoo gently rub his finger on his daughter's face.

"We should name her before we let her go" Kihyun plays with the baby tiny finger. 

"What do you have for her?" Hyunwoo asks. 

Kihyun turns to look at Changkyun who is standing outside the NICU with Hyungwon. Minhyuk is nowhere to be seen. The psychiatrist and the neurosurgeon seem like they are in the middle of a serious conversation.

Hyunwoo looks up when he did not receive any reply and he can see the answer clearly on Kihyun face. 

"Are you sure?" Hyunwoo asked, forcing Kihyun to look at him again. 

"Both of you never got to say a proper goodbye" 

"But..."

"Sohn Dasom" Kihyun stopped Hyunwoo from saying anything. "It's a beautiful name. I like it, really" 

Hyunwoo smiles as he tries to stop his tears. But, his emotion gets to the top of his self-control and he just burst into tears. Kihyun used his free hand to pull Hyunwoo into a hug. He kisses Hyunwoo's forehead to silence his own cry. 

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hazhatt #1
Chapter 98: male population is increasing thanks to hyunwoo and kihyun
yellowtulip123 #2
Chapter 98: aaaaa kinda sad when the baby was not a girl, but the last sentence really make it up haha. finally dasom is back. thank youuu for the update
Sunflower_Heart
#3
Chapter 98: Yeay!!? The baby is here!!!
hazhatt #4
Chapter 97: Thank you for the updates XD
Sunflower_Heart
#5
Chapter 97: I'm so happy while reading this chapter. Thank you so much for your update
Neny_haneul
#6
Chapter 96: thank you for the update!! another baby is coming yeayy 😁
yellowtulip123 #7
Chapter 96: omg omgg there's an update and is the baby girl's coming??? thank youuu so much for the update. really need to re-read again so i remember the feel haha anyway thank youu so much for coming backk
Grabila #8
Chapter 96: Can't believe it that there is an update in 2023! Welp yaye I missed it and very happy you're back
Sunflower_Heart
#9
Chapter 96: Yeay you're back with new update.

Yeay too for the new baby
Yha-mhine #10
So touching.. ❤