Disappointed Yuri

Never in her whole life, Yuri ever felt this disappointed before. She stands there in the small living area, staring at Jessica with disbelief. In front of the ice princess, Kwon Jiyoon is currently scolding Yuri for taking her precious grandson away. Words spewed from the aristocrat's mouth aren't noble at all. To Yuri, they are borderline insulting.

"How dense are you?"

"You are a doctor. He's a patient. Why would you yank him out of a medical facility just like that? There's procedure to this. His injury is not a joke. "

"I let you into my house. I let you have dinner on my table. Haven't your parents taught you better?"

It's not those words that hurt her the most. It's Jessica's silence. Yuri wouldn't have had the courage to take Jiyong away if wasn't for Jessica's permission. The girl had been so helpful when Yuri asked her to get Jiyong out of her grandma's house. Now she just stands there like a minion of a tyrant, doesn't even try to calm the old woman down.

A few more words are thrown her way before Yuri snaps. Not one who loves to make a scene, Yuri walks away without words. She breezes past Jessica, doesn't even throw the girl a glance as her steps carry her to the door.

"Where are you going?" Kwon Jiyoon fumes. "I'm not finished with you yet!"

"But I am." Yuri simply leaves.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kim. Let me try once more."

"Call me Heechul. I've been in and out of this hospital so often almost everybody calls me by my first name. Let's add you to the list."

Yuri glances up, smiling at the old man laying on the bed. Getting a needle into the right vein is never a difficult task for Kwon Yuri but the remnant of anger from the previous day still lingers and it ruins her focus.

"Dr. Shim, please help." Yuri gives up.

"Just give it another try." Changmin looks up from the chessboard he's been playing with the patient. "I'm only a step away from beating this old man's ."

"You think?" Heechul moves a knight on the board with his free hand. "Checkmate."

"What? Come on. I thought you're going to hit me with that damned bishop!"

"Distraction, Max." The old man taps his temple with his index finger. "Distraction."

"Dr. Shim, please. I don't want to hurt Mr. Kim." Frustrated, Yuri stops feeling Mr. Kim's jugular for a vein and gives Changmin a begging look.

"Stop being so distracted and you'll be fine." Max smiles at Yuri.

"I am not distracted." Yuri tries to convince both Max and herself at once. "His vein is too frail."

"Oh, you're blaming this old man now? I'm hurt." Teasing, Heechul starts to rearrange the chess pieces on the board. "Another round, Max?"

"Wait. I need to play a good senior." Max comes to Yuri's side, holding her hand and guide it across the patient's pale skin. "Slow down, Yuri. Focus. Here."

Hating the fact that she has to be helped just to perform a simple task, Yuri tries to insert the needle once more. She takes a deep breath, trying to push Jessica's image out of her mind.

"Got it!" 

"Well done." Max gives Yuri's shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Focus is 99% of the job, Yuri. Remember that. Now go tunnel the line out."

"Done. Thank you, Dr. Shim." Yuri grins victoriously at Max when the job is done. Standing up, she connects the newly acquired line to an IV bag. "I'm sorry for the hassle Mr. Kim."

"It's fine. Just call me Heechul and play chess with me. I need a better opponent."

"Oh really? You think this girl is better than me?" Max slings a hand around Yuri's shoulder. "She can't even concentrate enough to put a central line."

At the tease, Yuri sticks her tongue out at Max before smiling at Heechul. "I don't know how to play chess, Heechul. You can teach me later. At the moment, I need to get your blood to the lab immediately."

"No." Jessica steps inside, staring coldly at Yuri and the arm hugging her shoulder. "You're on my service today, Yuri. Go prep Miss Park for her hysterectomy. "

"I switch with Sunny today, Dr. Jung." Yuri doesn't even in the mood to apologize. "I'm sure she will be able to prep Miss Park for you."

"I don't want Sunny and you can not switch service as you like it. The Rotation schedule is made for a reason."

"I have Dr. Shim's permission." Yuri inches closer to Changmin, completely expecting the fire in Jessica's eye. "We're having an intra-operative MRI scanning on Mr. Kim soon."

"I don't care. You-"

"Jess." Changmin unwraps his hand from around Yuri and comes to Jessica's side. "Let's take this outside."

"No. It's-"

"Outside, Jessica." Changmin sounds calm but his eyes show authority Yuri had never seen before. Easily, the junior attending leads the ice princess outside.

"I still remember the feeling of being this popular." Heechul scrunches his nose at Yuri. "Never got wedged between two good-looking doctors, though. It must be fun."

Yuri sighs, seriously wishing Heechul's comment won't soon be her reality. Changmin is everything she has been looking for in a man but Jessica is the warm feeling she likes to keep forever. The thought of the two of them fighting for her is fun but absurd. She doesn't need that kind of absurdity at the moment.

Shaking the thought off, Yuri walks outside to see what's going on between the two good-looking doctors. They have finished talking though. Max is grinning as he follows Jessica back into the room.

"I'm sorry for my inappropriate behavior earlier, Mr. Kim." Jessica comes to the bedside and bows deeply. "Dr. Shim and Yuri will continue with your treatment. I hope your surgery goes well."

"It's fine, Jessica. I know you. I know something is bothering you otherwise you'll be as sweet as cotton candy to this old man." Heechul extends his hand to Jessica who then puts her hand on his palm. Gently, Heechul pat's Jessica's hand with his other hand. "After ten years of waiting, Dr. Shim finally finds a way to remove the tumor in my brain so whatever that bothers you today, it will be resolved someday. Alright?"

Jessica nods.

"Now give this old man a good luck hug and go harass other interns. Yuri is mine for today."

Changmin snorts from his spot beside Yuri while Yuri is simply amazed by the sudden rises of a smile on Jessica's face.

"Good luck, Chul-ie." She gives the old man a hug followed by a kiss on the cheek before breezing out of the room.

"How?" Yuri turns her head to see Jessica disappears on the corner. "How did you guys tame that lioness so easily?"

Changmin shrugs. Heechul just grins.

"You need to stop."

"Okay." Yuri stops typing surgery information into the computer. She didn't get to stay away from Jessica for too long. As soon as Heechul's surgery was over, the ice princess dragged her into another set of boring charting duties.

"No. I meant stop ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you. I'm working." Yuri continues typing.

"You know what I meant."

Sighing, Yuri flips a paper in the folder on the table and reads it carefully. "Surgery record states that Miss Park had a sudden decrease of heartbeat ten minutes into the surgery but doesn't explain why. What should I type in?"

"I'm sorry, okay. Whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry." Jessica comes to Yuri's side of the desk with both hands on her hips. "Just stop ignoring me."

"Oh, wow. You don't even realize your wrongdoing?" Yuri mumbles under her breath, typing even faster.

"I'm not a mind reader, Kwon Yuri. So either you explain or I'll have you on scut duties for good."

"See, that's your problem, Ice Princess." Standing up, Yuri tries to challenge Jessica's eyes. It's hard. Yuri almost has no power over her beauty.  Her sharp stare makes Yuri weak in the knees. "You are so used to having your way you forget that people have feelings too."

"Yuri..."

"You can put me on scut duties as long as you like. I'm an intern anyway. But for now, I'm taking a thirty minutes break. After nearly ten hours of helping Max in the OR, I deserve it."

Yuri tries to walk calmly outside despite her racing heart, ignoring the burning stare she can feel behind her back. Upon reaching the corridor, she runs to find Taeyeon.

"Whoa, slow down." Taeyeon, who's heading to the operation rooms area, manages to step aside before impact. "What's going on?"

"I just stood against the ice princess."

"What?"

"I called Jessica Jung Ice Princess in front of her very face. I'm doomed."

"Really?" Shock registers on Taeyeon's face now. "I thought you guys are an item."

"We're not. Maybe we were but now we're not. I don't know. I ruined it. Oh, God. She's gonna kill me."

"Who's gonna kill you?" Sooyoung appears from the supply room behind them, a strawberry lollipop while carrying a big box of supply under her arm.

"Nevermind."

"It's fierce Jung, isn't it?" Suho slides into the scene pushing an ultrasound trolley. "If anyone can kill an intern in this hospital it's the ice princess. What did you do to her? I thought you are her favorite."

"Where are you guys going with this much supply anyway?" Yuri steers clear from the dangerous question. "Is there some hot surgery I do not know about?"

"Oh, yeah. This is the hottest surgery of the year." Suho grins proudly. "The three of us going to help the famous ob-gyn, Dr. Addison Montgomery, and the famous cardiologist, Dr. Preston Burke performing an in-utero surgery."

"Whoa? Why didn't I know about this?"

"I bet you also don't know who the patient is." Sooyoung grins.

"Taeyeon?" Yuri turns to her best friend. Information like this is usually shared between them immediately. Interning in this leading hospital means they have to try grabbing every opportunity before anyone else. Why didn't she hear this from Taeyeon first?

"I just found out  today and the patient is Hwang Stephanie." Taeyeon stares helplessly at Yuri. "Dr. Jung Yunho's wife."

Humiliated Taeyeon

"Why is she in my surgery room?"

It's one hell of contrast, the somber mood of the surgery room and the nail polish on the patient's toes. Taeyeon can't stop staring at the stark color of red, thinking of how her blood will splatter across the room if the patient's laser gaze can actually cut.

The toes owner, who was supposedly being put under a few seconds ago, is now sitting on the surgery bed. The patient is safe from the flimsy surgery cover she has over her torso but it feels like Taeyeon is the one who's stripping bare in the room. The embarrassment of being slapped by the patient two days ago can't be compared to this kind of public humiliation. Taeyeon can't even hold her head up anymore.

"This surgery is a rare opportunity to learn so I asked for the best interns." Dr. Montgomerry explains from the side of the bed. "It's Dr. Webber himself who recommended these three."

"I don't want her here." Yunho's wife now has her arm crossed above her bulging belly.

"I'll leave." Taeyeon finally finds her voice, stepping back.

"No." It's Dr. Burke, the seasonal cardiologist, who puts a hand behind Taeyeon's back. "She stays. I know your family is used to order people around, Mrs. Hwang but I need an intern I can trust to operate on your baby. If Dr. Webber chooses her, I choose her too."

"Yeah? Have you ever heard the term conflict of interest? My husband cheated with this particular intern, Dr. Burke. Will you take the responsibility if this dirty messes with the surgery?"

Everyone gasps. Taeyeon wishes she can sink into the floor.

"Exactly." The woman continues after a few seconds of no contest from Dr. Burke. "I don't want this intern anywhere near me or my baby."

There. Taeyeon would rather be slapped ten times more. Without words, she turns around to leave.

"No. Stay." It's Dr. Montgomery who speaks this time. "I'm the lead surgeon and I decide who stay and leave. I'm sure everyone involved in this surgery will hold the integrity of their profession above anything else."

"It's fine. I can leave." Taeyeon says weakly.

"Get back to your station, intern. The surgery has been postponed for too long. If Mrs. Hwang doesn't want you she can find another Obgyn too."

For Taeyeon, this is as confusing and as embarrassing as it can be. Yunho's wife looks like she's ready to breathe fire, exchanging glare with the Ob-gyn. When Taeyeon looks up she sees Yunho watching in the gallery with a mixed expression. Hatred grows in Taeyeon's heart as fast as determination. She's going to show Yunho and her wife how much of a kick- intern Kim Taeyeon is. Steadily, she walks back to her spot beside Dr. Burke.

"Can we proceed now, Mrs. Hwang?' Dr. Montgomery smiles at Taeyeon before focusing back on Yunho's wife. "No need to worry. Dr. Burke and I will make sure the surgery is done exactly as it should be."

The woman huffs, looking away. "Fine."

"Alright, everyone. Let's go."

Taeyeon has read about this before. She even had a quick study about the procedure the moment Dr. Webber informed her participation in this avant-garde surgery. Nothing can beat the real experience though. It throws her back to one rare happy moment in her childhood where she got to see a magician performs a trick. It's mesmerizing, to say the least.

Dr. Burke and Dr. Montgonery work together. Using a live image from the ultrasound they take turns guiding a needle through Yunho's wife abdomen, into the uterus and ultimately into the baby's heart. It's more than magic. It draws Taeyeon so much she momentarily forgets about whatever issue the mother of the baby has with her.

"We've got a decel." The slow beep of the monitor makes Taeyeon turns her head. She's in charge of monitoring the baby's heartbeat and right now the screen displays a deceleration of fetal heart rate. "Baby's heart rate is down to 68 now."

"Give me a moment." Dr. Burke intently watches the ultrasound image while carefully moving the guide in his hand.

"We don't have a moment, Preston." Dr. Montgomery already has her palm open. A nurse swiftly put a scalpel on top of it. "Any low than 60 I have to perform emergency cesarean and we don't want that. The baby won't survive."

"Sssh. Just a few seconds."

"65." Taeyeon announces, catching worried glances from almost everyone in the surgery room. Sooyoung has a suction ready in her hand while Suho fidgets on his feet beside the pediatrician.

"Preston Burke!" Dr. Montgomery yells.

"Got it! Got it! I just need to inflate it a bit more."

"Now!"

"Geez, Addison! Done!" Dr. Burke pulls the catheter out slowly. "How is the heart rate, Taeyeon?"

"60." It feels like her heart is the one who almost stops beating. Intently, Taeyeon watches the monitor. Praying for the heart rate to climb up seems not to work because the number doesn't change at all.

"It's not going up." Dr. Montgomery press at Yunho's wife's abdomen. The scalpel in her hand is poised to cut. " Selena, Sooyoung, we're opening her up. Dr. Oh gets your men ready, the baby is out in a minute."

"No, Addison. Wait." Dr. Burke holds Dr. Montgomery's arm. "It's 62 now."

"65. 68. 72." Taeyeon reads the number aloud. Her heart beats fast. Of all the occupants in this room, she's probably the one who has prayed the hardest for this surgery to succeed. She doesn't even want to imagine Yunho's wife's reaction if they failed to save the baby.

"80 and ups! We did it!" She jumps on her feet but stops upon realizing her place. "I meant you did it, Dr. Burke. You too, Dr. Montgomery. I'm just an intern. I'm sorry!"

"Nah. We all did it!" Dr. Burke beams proudly. "Thank you, everyone. I hope we learn something from the miracle we have performed today. Who wants to tell Yunho that his baby will be fine? I have a flight to catch. Addison?"

"You know I'd rather stay away from the Kwon and their trouble."

"I'll do it." Taeyeon looks up at Yunho in the gallery. The man looks like he's about to cry when Dr. Burke gives him a thumb up.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Montgomerry raises her eyebrows. "His wife just called you a ."

"I'm sure."

"How did it go?" As soon as Taeyeon steps out of the OR, Yuri asks her anxiously.

"Great. It went great."

"Where are you going?"

"To tell Yunho the good news."

"What? No. You stay away from him."

"No. His wife practically called me a in front of the whole OR. I need to come to him and put an end to this madness." Taeyeon doesn't want to wait for the elevator. She takes two flights of the stairs at once.

"What the ? His wife did what?" Following behind, Yuri sounds like she's about to throw a punch then and there.

"She also slapped me and called me his mistress two days ago."

", Taeyeon! Why didn't you tell me?"

Taeyeon doesn't have the chance to answer. They are already in front of the gallery. Yunho is at the door, looking helpless.

"Taeyeon, how was the surgery?"

"The aortic valvuloplasty went very well. Your baby experienced slight decel but her stat is currently at normal figures."

"Oh, God." Yunho lets out a long breath, holding his head with both hands. "I was so worried. They both are fine then?"

"As a doctor, I need to inform you that there are 48 hours watch periods where labor might occurs but seeing how good both your wife's and your baby's numbers are, there's only a small chance of that to happen. Weekly