A/N: WOW GUYS. I'm kinda sorta back. I want to write more, but I'm actually super busy so just try and bear/bare with me. Wow. And my English is because I'm learning Korean, Spanish, and a little bits of Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and German. It's literally messing up my native langage? Like how right? Haha. Yeah. So I really want to finish this story, but I also want to experiment with my newest fic, as well as make my friend happy and finish another fic LOL. So that's already 3, and I can barely handle updating a single chapter in under a month. BUT I WILL TRY OK. THATS THE POINT. EFFORT. Ok I'm writing too much crap. Bye. 

"Is this normal procedure? What happened to her?!"

"I can assure you everything is fine and under control," he stated with visibly practiced calmness. "You may wait for her in the ICU waiting room. I'm terribly sorry, but I have another patient to tend to."

"Wait! Doctor!" With that, he had already disappeared despite their pleadings.

The second oldest daughter was still highly upset and didn't allow herself a brief pause to sit down. "Excuse me," she asked someone at the nearest desk, "where can we find the ICU waiting room?"

The worker promptly answered, "You just walk straight down that way, turn right at the first hallway, take the elevator up to the second floor, and make a left. You won't miss it."

"Thanks," she responded without looking back for even a second, almost appearing like she wasn't even thankful.

The other two immediately rose from their seats and quietly followed. Inside the elevator, everyone was too anxious to speak, so there was complete silence. The middle daughter was the first one out of the elevator, and the first to reach the double doors of the ICU waiting room. The locked doors caught her off guard, but her more patient father found a simple solution.

After he pressed a button on the wall, a woman's voice emitted from a small built-in speaker, "Yes, hello. Who are you visiting today?"

"My wife, Bang Junghee," he answered.

"How many?"

"Pardon?" He legitimately didn't understand the question.

"How many are visiting her today, sir?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Three. There's three of us," he clarified.

"Relation?"

"I'm her husband, and also our two daughters are here."

"One moment please."

Within seconds, an attractive, young nursing assistant opened the door and escorted them inside to a group of available seats.

"Would you happen to know when we can visit our mother?" the eldest daughter asked.

"Mrs. Bang?"

"Yes," she replied in anticipation

"I'm sorry, but she can't have any visitors until after recovery, which should be over in roughly... an hour and a half."

The middle sister impulsively threw her hands into the air, sighed obnoxiously, and shamelessly let her arms audibly pound her armrests.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience," the assistant offered.

"No, no. It's fine," the other sister assured, then shot her younger sister a stern face. "We're fine."

The nurse then gave a quick nod and went about her business.

"I'm going to text Minsoo," the younger daughter eventually announced quietly, after a long awkward silence.

"He doesn't have a phone," her father corrected.

"Why not?" she questioned with a clear sign of annoyance.

"I took it from him," he stated monotonously.

"Why?" she challenged, even more annoyed at his flat response.

"I am forcing him to reevaluate his decisions and the path he is setting for himself," he explained.

"What does that even mean?!" she almost shouted.

"Lower your voice," he demanded. "I do not have to explain myself to you."

Ignoring his parental headship, she continued, "How is anyone supposed to contact him in case of emergency?! Did you even stop and think about that?!"

"Now, you listen here--"

"Dad! Eunji! Please!" the eldest child interjected. "There are other people in this waiting room who are also stressed about their friends and family. The last thing they want to hear is a bickering family that just arrived a minute ago. Now, Eunji, isn't there someone else you could text on his behalf?"

"I'll text Daniel," Eunji mumbled.

Eunji's sister suggested, "Also, try texting the staff, or the manager - or something - in case he can't read it right away either."

The Bang family then followed suit with the other visitors and sat quietly. Although her impatience was eating her alive, Eunji managed to contain herself in her seat for over an hour.

The same nursing assistant as before broke the silence as she spoke into a speaker, "Yes, hello. Who are you visiting today? ... How many? ... Relation? ... Okay, just a moment please." She opened the door, allowing CAP inside.

"Minsoo!" his oldest sister called, and immediately ran to him and gave him a hug, releasing some pent up anxiety.

He held on until she released before asking his father, "How's Mom?"

His father just sat there and glared, blatantly ignoring the question.

Noticing the petty tension, Eunji spoke up, "We don't know yet; we're waiting here to find out."

"Oh--"

"Mr. Bang?" a registered nurse unknowingly interrupted.

"Yes?" he answered and stood up, along with the rest of the family.

"Your wife is now able to see visitors, but we only permit two at a time."

"Um," he hesitated as he looked at his three children and contemplated who wanted to go first, who should go first, and who should go with whom.

Passively hiding her irritation at his indecisiveness, the nurse forced a smile and informed him where his wife was located, and asked them to go when they were ready. With that, she turned around and left.

"Me and Soorin will go first," Eunji directed. "Minsoo is never around so it's not like he should be the first to see Mom."

"Eunji, for once, can you please try not to be so obnoxious?!" Soorin empathized with her younger brother's hurt feelings. She knew he wanted to be more involved with his family. "I don't think mom should be dealing with your attitude as soon as she wakes up. And personally, I don't really feel like dealing with you right now either. Dad, you probably shouldn't go with Minsoo, so would you like to come with me first?"

Her father simply nodded and walked with her to his wife's room.  The two remaining children just sat together and waited.

"What's with you and Dad this time?" Eunji blurted.

CAP sighed, "There's this... girl... And--"

"I take it Dad doesn't like her."

"Because she's not Korean," he explained.

"Oh?" Eunji was a little surprised. "Where's she from? Japan? China?"

"Well, she's American..." he began.

"At least she's not black, right?" she joked. Noticing his serious face, she immediately questioned, "You're dating one of those crazy black girls?!"

"She's not--" CAP stopped, becoming aware that he was raising his voice. "One: I'm not dating her. Two: she's not crazy, dangerous, ghetto, or anything like that. She's a decent person, just like anyone else."

Still very unsure about the situation, she admitted, "You do usually like likable girls, so... Well, I'd have to meet her first before I go ahead and make any decisions."

He chuckled and retorted sarcastically, "Thanks, because I really need your approval."

"You're welcome, little brother," she teased.

Just then, Soorin and her father returned informing them their mother is still asleep. Without hesitation, the two headed over to see her.

There she was. Her neck was covered in bandages. Monitors and IV bags were on either side of the bed. She groaned once, and then slowly opened her eyes.

"Mom?" CAP worriedly called, gently gripping her arm.

"Kids," she slurred slowly, with a smile. She reached to give them a hug with one arm.

"Mom, what happened to your eyes?" Eunji asked, noticing how abnormally small her pupils looked. Instinctively, her mother reached up to touch her face close to her eyes. Eunji noted that she only used one arm to reach up and pat under both eyes, the same one arm she used to hug with earlier.

"Mom," she asked, "can you lift your left arm?"

Mrs. Bang lifted her left arm visibly slower than she had with her right.

"C-can you try to make a fist?" CAP nervously suggested. His face instantly became pale as she saw his mother struggle to barely even make a cup shape with her hand.

"What happened to her during the surgery?!" Eunji suddenly snapped to other woman in the room. "This isn't supposed to happen. Where is the doctor?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but Doctor Seo is very busy. I can assure you she is recovering very well," the nurse stated, attempting to sound reassuring. However, Eunji read straight through her face and saw that she was hiding something.

"Look," Eunji started. "This was supposed to be a simple surgery. She was supposed to be released shortly after. Not only has that been delayed, but you people moved her to this unit. Her pupils are constricted and she has left-sided weakness. Textbook symptoms. Yes, I am currently enrolled in medical school." She noticed how close she was standing to the nurse, only because her brother softly pulled her backward a bit. "Now, would you like to tell me what happened during the surgery?"

After an empathetic sigh, the nurse only replied, "I'm sincerely sorry, but I really cannot disclose that information with you. You could... I don't know if I-- You know what? Yes. You can have your mother request an operative report. If she can't write, most likely her husband would have to fill it out. As a citizen of this country, she's entitled to her own medical reports, even detailed documentation of the operation."

Forgetting to acknowledge her gratitude, Eunji asked, "How soon can we get the report?"

"To be completely honest, I don't actually know. No one here has ever informed a patient of the option of receiving an operative report, so I'm kind of new to the process myself. It would be realistic for you to expect it in a few weeks."

"Weeks?!" Eunji shouted.

"Eunji, don't disturb Mom," CAP pleaded.

"Anything that has to go directly through administration always takes longer. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Before Eunji could protest, CAP intervened, "Thank you for all your help. We will just go and ask for a... one of those reports."

"Operative report," she politely corrected. "Just ask for me if you have any more questions."

"What is your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Kim Soojae. Nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure," he smiled.