❝NOTASINGLEWORDWASSAID❞

The next morning came, and the fresh scent of the visitor prior to her dad was still lingering in the room.  The taste of Jinki's lips still rested on Vickie's, perfectly mindful of the fact that it was the fourth best kiss she has ever received.  The first one was back in the bar, and the next two were back in the airport on Vickie's travel back to Taiwan.  She was in a trance.

"Vickie."  Wu Zheng called out.  The girl didn't budge.  She kept on staring up across the room, her back against the backboard of her bed, smiling.

"Vickie Song!"  Wu Zheng's voice boomed.

Vickie blinked then turned to her father.  "W- What is it?"

Wu Zheng placed his cup of noodles on the table next to the couch.  "You've been zoning out.  Mind to tell me what's going on?"

Vickie shook her head.  "Nothing.  Nothing's going on."

Wu Zheng raised his eyebrows.  "Oh, really?"

Suddenly, a nurse entered the room.  "Mister Song?  Doctor Choi wants to see you."

There was a short silence in the room.  They all knew that it had something to do with Vickie's treatment.  Wu Zheng nodded his head, then the nurse left.  He turned his head to look at Vickie.  She was back to staring at the wall across her bed, but her lips formed a straight line.  Wu Zheng left the room.

About three minutes of walking was all it took for Wu Zheng to reach Doctor Choi's office, with the assistance of the previous nurse, of course.  He hesitated, but knocked on the door anyway, thinking that he had better figure out the reason why Doctor Choi wanted to have a word with him.

"Come in."  A deep voice softly shouted from the inside.  Wu Zheng opened the door.

"Doctor Choi?  You wanted to talk to me?"  Wu Zheng asked.

"Ah, yes."  Doctor Choi stood up from his chair and bowed as Wu Zheng did as well.  After a few seconds they stood back up straight, Doctor Choi's hand pointing to a chair in front of his mahogany marble table.  "Have a seat, please."

Wu Zheng rested into the plush seat, waiting patiently for Choi to begin talking.

"I called for this brief meeting to discuss the treatment of your daughter, Vickie."  Doctor Choi clasped his hands on the table, a black folder underneath his clasped hands.  "My co-doctors and I, who will be performing the operations on your daughter, have done various researches about your daughter's leukemia."  Doctor Choi sighed heavily, "I have a good news, and a bad news.  Which one would you like to hear first?"

Sweat beads trailed down Wu Zheng's temple.  He looked straight into the doctor's eyes, "Good news first, please."

Doctor Choi slowly nodded his head.  "Alright.  Well, the good news is the radiation therapy and the stem-cell transplant will only take us at least, approximately, three days.  That will mean your daughter would only have to stay in this hospital for several weeks, not exceeding six, again, approximately."

The same quietness some minutes before surrounded the room.  Wu Zheng has not taken his sight away from the doctor, "And... the bad news?"

The exhale Doctor Choi made had Wu Zheng quivering a little in his seat.  "You know the precautions doctors take in operations, Mister Song, and the precautions are doubled when it involves major diseases like cancer.  There are side effects, Mister Song, and one is...  Your daughter is a grown lady, and someday she is going to have children of her own.  Her treatment may affect her fertility."

Wu Zheng had to avoid Doctor Choi for a minute.  Vickie can't have kids?  he thought.  As the father of the patient, the impact of the bad news on him was less powerful, but he was sure he would love to have miniature Vickie's running around her daughter's family's house someday.  He dreamt of hearing his name accompanied by "Grandpa" or "Grandfather".  If Vickie found out about the side effect, she will be terribly devastated.

Doctor Choi noticed Wu Zheng's silent anxiety.  "Although, as you probably have noted, I did not say 'surely', but I said 'may'.  It is only a prediction, Mister Song, and by God's grace I know that Vickie will be all right.  From her previous records, she seems like a very strong woman.  She will endure this, that's what I'm very sure of.  We're going to be focusing on the operations as of now; we'll worry about the side effects later."

"Yes, yes, I- I agree."  Wu Zheng nodded his head rapidly.  He looked into Doctor Choi's eyes once again.  "Is there anything else?"

"For now, all I need you to do is to sign these."  Doctor Choi unclasped his hands and gave the black folder to Wu Zheng.  The latter accepted the folder, opening it and beginning to flip through the pages.  "Those are the papers that state you allow us, Samsung Medical Center, to perform the treatment on your daughter.  And if anything goes wrong, we'll be responsible for anything.  Please sign the empty lines where your name is written underneath."

Simultaneously, Doctor Choi handed a pen to Wu Zheng.  He clicked the button at the top and began signing the papers, making sure there was no line he disagreed with on each.  When he was finished, he gave the pen and the folder back to Doctor Choi, standing up.

"Thank you, Doctor Choi."  Wu Zheng bowed as the doctor did so as well.

Doctor Choi extended his arm out to Wu Zheng.  "Thank you for choosing Samsung Medical Center, Mister Song.  We will do our best.  Good night and God bless you and your daughter."

Wu Zheng shook his hand.  "Same to you, Doctor Choi.  Thank you very much."

Doctor Choi gave him a small smile, then Wu Zheng left.  How was he supposed to explain what they had talked about to Vickie?  Especially about that distinct side effect.  There were more.  He wasn't anywhere near ready to explain to her anything at all, and he felt horrible inside.

"What did you and Doctor Choi talk about?"  Vickie welcomed his dad, straightening up her back as she sat on her bed, letting go of her book she had gotten from the drawer next to her bed.

Wu Zheng closed the door silently, letting it creak for a little.  "Your treatment will start tomorrow."

Vickie nodded her head slowly, resuming back on her reading.  "Nothing more?"

"Nothing.  Nothing more."  Wu Zheng said, sitting back down on the couch.

The cold noodles entered Wu Zheng's system, just as his lie did the same thing.  It was for the best, he thought.  Hopefully it was for the best.

I'M SERIOUSLY LIKE, DISLIKING MYSELF RIGHT NOW.

LIKE WHEN I WAS RESEARCHING ABOUT LEUKEMIA QUITE A WHILE AGO (LIKE, WEEKS), I HAD NO IDEA FERTILITY COULD BE AFFECTED.

I'M SAD NOW.

IT'S ONEW'S BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!  OMG GUISE I WROTE A LETTER TO HIM AND BASICALLY CRIED ON THE INSIDE.  IT'S SO DEPRESSING SO YEAH.

AND 27 PEOPLE GOT SHOT IN CONNECTICUT TODAY.  REST IN PEACE, THOSE PEOPLE.  20 OF THEM WERE CHILDREN, OKAY?  THEY WERE 5-10 YEARS OLD.  THE FACT THAT THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR JUST MAKES ME SAD.  

THIS DAY IS BOTH BEAUTIFUL AND SAD.

THANK YOU GUYS FOR READING.