Hemoptysis
Perfect Nurse
HyeSoo put her face up against the window, gaping at the world flying by. It had been just over a month and a half since she’d left the hospital.
After six and a half weeks of staring at white walls, she was surprised she wasn’t colorblind.
MinWoo watched his patient with loving eyes.
Perhaps a little too loving.
It was amazing to him what a little bit of deprivation could do to someone’s overall appreciation of the world.
HyeSoo was awestruck by the very same buildings she’d called dull and boring nearly every day before she was in the hospital.
Now, she appreciated the colorful splashes of green grass as they drove by suburban yards, and she adored the trees and flowers that the landscape held.
Abruptly, she turned back to look at MinWoo, catching his gaze.
She didn’t know how he’d done it, but her amazing nurse had actually convinced the hospital to let her go on a field trip- to the amusement park!
HyeSoo smiled gratefully at him, hoping he would understand how much she appreciated his efforts.
When they arrived at the park, HyeSoo hopped out of the cab like a bunny. Luckily, MinWoo was speedy enough to give her support before she toppled to the ground.
“Be careful, you are sick, you know,” MinWoo attempted to warn her, but HyeSoo wasn’t listening.
Her whole body was tingling with excitement. Within the next few minutes, she would finally be visiting an amusement park.
The two purchased their tickets and passed through the gates uneventfully. HyeSoo was hopping up and down in MinWoo’s protective arms. One was situated around her waist while the other was holding her hand.
They briefly poured over the map, looking at it until HyeSoo pointed to nearly every single violently moving roller coasted declaring, “I want to ride that one and that one and that one and-“
“You’re not riding any of those,” MinWoo warned, his voice more stern than he had intended.
HyeSoo’s broad smile faltered, “What?” MinWoo tried to avoid looking at her disappointed face. HyeSoo tugged at his hand, “Why?”
“The same reason you’ve never been to an amusement park before,” MinWo sighed and started leading her to the nearest stall game. “You have leukemia. Who knows what the roller coaster cart banging around can do to you.”
The two played all of the typical fair and amusement part games. Once they even almost won an actual prize. HyeSoo's mood was slowly improving. Finally, to give her a final boost, MinWoo gestured to a stand that was pretty much a cheap imitation of whack-a-mole- “whack-a-friend.”
HyeSoo was almost too enthusiastic as she hit her nurse on the head with the padded hammer.
After a while, HyeSoo's stomach began to growl. The two went to the closest food stand and ordered two ice cream cones. As they ate, HyeSoo's expression darkened once again.
"Can we really not go on any of the rides?" Hyesoo looked up at him disappointedly while her ice cream . MinWoo sighed. He'd thought that he'd successfully distracted her.
After glancing around for a moment MinWoo led her to the gentlest ride he could think of. "The ferris wheel seems safe." HyeSoo hesitated for a moment before giving him a bright smile.
"That sounds fun!"
The two boarded the ferris wheel together.
The sun was already beginning to set, making the view absolutely beautiful. Both parties marvelled at the scene and each other.
One saw the other as a good, needed friend, whereas the friend saw the other as something more, something unreachable- though he'd never admit it.
MinWoo noticed that once again HyeSoo seemed uncheerful. He resisted the urge to ask her rudely, for he was quickly growing somewhat annoyed with her mood swings. After calming himself, he murmured, "Are you okay?"
HyeSoo didn't respond immediately. She stared dazedly at the landscape until she finally registered what he had said. "Hmm?" her eyes darted to him. She thought for a moment and then smiled a bittersweet smile. "I'm fine. It's just... I always imagined I'd be with my boyfriend doing this sort of thing."
Sensing the touchy subject, MinWoo chose not to respond, and the two were silent for the remainder of the ride.
“Balloons!”
The two had only just gotten off of the ferris wheel, and HyeSoo already had her sights set on something new. A clown was tromping by with a cart, a ridiculously large bunch of balloons floating with him as he went.
HyeSoo looked at them longingly, once again not willing to as for one directly.
MinWoo was honestly deadbeat. He worked long hours, but he was always in a hospital walking calmly from place to place. If any part of him got exhausted, it would have to be somewhere in the mental category.
HyeSoo’s expression was just too much for him. He’d always been a big softy on the inside, but he never quite understood why this girl seemed to have such a large impact on him. So, with a sigh, he murmured, “Stay here,” and set off to go grab HyeSoo a balloon.
The crowd around the clown was thick and the waiting time was much longer than he had anticipated. When MinWoo successfully acquired a balloon, he returned to where he had left HyeSoo. To his dismay, she was no longer there.
Almost instantly he thought of the most worrying scenarios. Did she get tired of waiting and walk off? Had she gotten lost? What if someone took her? MinWoo’s heart plummeted. He should have just taken her with him!
Desperately, he scanned the crowd for the girl. Thankfully, she was wearing a brightly colored sundress, so she was easy to spot. She was at the very front of the line of the closest roller coaster. There was no way he could stop her now.
MinWoo watched his patient board the middle of the passenger cars nervously. A wave of relief rushed over him when HyeSoo was still smiling after the first big dip in the tracks. As the ride sped up, however, and the sharp turns ripped the girl from her seat and then slammed her back down, the girl’s smile was no longer visible.
MinWoo dashed to the exit line, explaining hurriedly that he needed to be at the unloading to help his “friend” off. When a worker fervently called that someone had collapsed, MinWoo managed to slip past the security in the panic.
“I’m a nurse, let me through!” MinWoo had never thought he would be proclaiming his occupation to the world, but it had been an act of desperation. Surprisingly, as soon as he said those words, the staff parted and let him through.
HyeSoo lay on the ground. She visibly pale and a trickle of blood rested on the corner of , but she was still smiling. When MinWoo was kneeling beside her taking her pulse, she chuckled a little bit, “Not the best idea I’ve ever had..” She wiped her face with her free hand, examining the blood on it afterwards, “Haha, looks like I actually did cough up a bit of blood today.”
MinWoo let out a sigh of relief when his tests came back reassuringly. She was going to be okay, no major damage was done- if he decided to put aside the bruises that would never heal. He was unable to laugh at her joke, however, knowing that it was a sign that her condition was indeed growing worse.
I haven't updated in forever! Sorry! I'm on summer break now, though, so next chapt will be out soon!
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