Hospital
Risk and Retaliations
Aria's phone lit up and started vibrating. Jay had been sitting on the sofa reading her book. She was bgoing to completely ignore it because she was at the best part but the damn thing kept vibrating. Jay threw her book on the sofa and checked her phone to see the time. It was one thirty in the morning. She marched over to Aria's bed snatched up her phone and slide her finger on the screen to answer not bothering to look at the caller id.
"Hello?!" She answered impatiently.
"Ah, yubuseyo? Aria?" A deep male voice asked on the other side of the line asked. Jay's eyes narrowed.
"Who is this?" She asked.
"It's Woohyun do I have the wrong number?" He asked innocently. Jay's lips smacked shut and firmed a thin line. Why was he calling so late?
"Not this is Aria's phone. She's asleep. This is Jay. I'm her roommate too." She said this as more of a warning to him than a statement.
"Oh I'm really sorry. Then I'll talk to her tomorrow. Good night Jay." He said her name as if trying too hard to flatter her. Jay cringed.
With a curt goodnight she set her friend's phone to charge. She glared down at Aria's phone. She really had a bad feeling about that guy. She hoped Aria didn't pursue anything with him. As she went back to the sofa she started to cough violently. She was practically hacking. She went to their mini fridge and gulped down some cold water. For a moment she stayed there breathing hard trying to catch her breath and until she was sure she could at least walk to her bed. When she stood to walk her legs were shaking, she climbed into bed and shut her eyes hoping that she could sleep.
Aria was the first one to wake up the next morning. She stretched out and looked around then she checked her phone. Woohyun left her a text message.
Good morning, beautiful ;)
A smile spread across her lips. That same smile disappeared when she heard coughing fromthe other side of the room. She looked over and saw Jay sitting up dressed and looking through her Korean note book on her lap her inhaler in her hand her hands shaking.
"How many times have you taken that." Aria asked standing up and walked over to her. Jay looked up her eyes were watery. She wasn't crying but they were just watering. She had a pen in her hand and Aria saw it was basically vibrating. She frowned. "Too many." She whispered. She checked her temperature. She was too hot. "Does your chest hurt?" Aria asked. Jay nodded slightly. "You should have woken me up! Jay why didn't you say something?!" She said frustrated.
Aria gently laid Jay down on the bed and put the covers over her. Jay didn't talk and she wasn't surprised. When she was this sick she wasn't able to talk. It was impossible. Aria got dressed then got Jay out of bed. She rushed outside to try to catch the early morning bus. It was about 6 in the morning which was their usual wake up time their classes didn't start until around 8:30 but Jay would usually do her stretches while Aria worked out.
They were able to catch a bus and sit in the very front. Sadly Jay was wheezing horribly throughout the whole ride. Aria was only hoping they got to the hospital before she got worse. They arrived at the hospital in good time and went straight to the emergency room. There were a couple doctors who weren't busy and were immediately able to take care of Jay. An hour later one of the doctors came out to see Aria. She was pacing back and forth near the reception desk.
"Aria?" Asked the doctor. Aria whirled around tears in her eyes.
"Is she ok?" She asked. The doctor smiled kindly.
"She is." He responded putting a hand on her shoulder. "She needs to come see me twice a week from now on. Her medication isn't working. She needs stronger doses and it might affect her daily activities so she needs to be back here every week."
"What do you mean her medication didn't work?" Aria's voice was growing high and shrill. If Jay's medication didn't work it was a matter of life and death. She could die. Aria wasn't prepared fort that.
"I need you to calm down." He said. "You can trust me remember?" Aria nodded absentminded. "Come, let's go see her."
Jay had been coming to see him for a couple months now. He was really kind and generous to them. He had strongly opposed Jay studying dance because of the strain it would place on Jay's body and heart. But Jay wouldn't listen. This was something she has wanted for so long she wouldn't give it up even if her body broke down. Aria wanted her to quit too but she wouldn't listen.
They got to Jay's hospital room and Aria stopped for a moment. She looked at the name tag at the side of the door. It said 'Cha Jae Hwa.' For a moment Aria felt like they were back in America. Jay used to be in the hospital every month back home. That was their playground. Jay and Aria would find all kinds of games to play because Aria would be the only one visiting her everyday. Jay had four brothers and sisters. Three older siblings and one younger. Her mother and father were divorced and only one of her older siblings came to visit her often. Aria felt like they were back to those times again, only the two of them hoping that Jay would live another day. She entered the room first and the doctor came behind her. Jay was asleep. There was a needle in her arm that led to a tube which led to a bag of blood. A mask was on her race giving her air to breath. Aria closed her eyes to keep from crying.
"Why isn't her medication working?" Aria asked again. The doctor nodded.
"I'm not too sure as to why. Her condition maybe getting worse from the change of climate. Then it can also be a combination of the dancing and stress. I asked her before giving her anesthesia if she had recorded her medication intake in the chart we gave her. She said she had. I asked if she took her medication yesterday morning she said she had."
"She told me she had forgotten to take it yesterday morning." Aria said getting confused.
"From the questions I asked her she checked the chart last night. She had taken them that morning. It seems like her body didn't react to it. It's too used to that dosage. She had an episode yesterday didn't she?" He inquired
"Yes." Aria nodded.
"She needs a stronger dosage. Much stronger. If this continues she's going to have to quit dancing. Her health will deteriorate faster if this continues to happen."
"But she doesn't want to quit. Aside from me, her step brother and little sister, dancing is all she has." She whispered shaking her head. "She can't quit."
"Aria I understand. But she's going to have to stop if this continues. She's a stubborn one but something needs to stop." He said his voice honestly concerned. Jay started to cough uncontrollably. Some machines started going haywire. The doctor cursed under his breath. "Go back to school Aria. Come pick her up later tonight. If worse comes to worse she's going to have to stay her a week."
Once he said that he was at Jay's side. He pressed a button and a couple nurses came in and surrounded Jay until Aria could no longer see her friend. She stumbled out of the hospital room and leaned against the wall. She slide down and curled up into a little ball and let her tears fall. She had a feeling that she wasn't getting worse because of only the dancing. Something was wrong. Aria silently cried as nurses rushed in and out of Jay's room.
"Jae Hwa...." Aria murmured using Jay's real name for the first time in months. "God....please be ok."
Sadly the doctor forced her to go back to school. Before actually going to any of her classes she went to Jay's professors to explain her not being in class. She couldn't go to all of them immediately because it was conflicting with her classes so she went to her Korean class after going to some of Jay's instructors. She was late and honestly couldn't care less. Kim gysunim was up on the white bored. He glanced at her and she looked back at him then proceeded to the empty seat which was beside Taeil. He was going to say something rude when he saw the look on her face and he stayed quite. The lesson continued.
Taeil sent side ways glances at her. He wanted to know what had happened to that annoyingly cheerful person he had met yesterday. It was really bothering him. He tore a piece of paper from his notebook and scribbled something on it before passing it to her. She looked at him then opened the paper. A small smile cracked on her lips at his failed attempt to be smooth. She directed the smile to him but he didn't notice it.
'What's up?' He had written. Now he was pretending to lay attention to the lesson when he actually had his earbuds in his ear.
'Pay attention.' She wrote then passed it to him. He opened it then gave her a glare before crumpling up the paper and shoving it in his pocket.
They said nothing to each other for the rest of the lesson. Jong Woon kept looking around the room not really concentrating on what he was saying which led him to make a lot of mistakes. Jay wasn't in her seat. He had deemed her the type of girl who was always in school on time and sitting in the front. But she wasn't there at all. When the lesson was over most of the class rushed out to their next lecture. Aria stayed seated and watched everyone leave. Taeil stood up and noticed she hadn't moved.
"Hey don't you have another class?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her.
"I'll leave in a bit." She responded sending him a thankful smile. "Thanks for worrying."
Suddenly Taeil got really irritated with her. He pushed his chair in and kicked the leg of her chair making it wobble so that she almost fell out of it.
"Jerk what was that for?!" She shouted at him standing up and glaring at him.
"Because you annoy me." He responded cooly. Another smile replaced the frown she had directed at him.
"Really now?" She asked sweetly. He cringed.
"Stop that." He said backing away.
"What are you talking about?" Her voice was going higher and she seemed to be coating it with one layer of sugar after another. It was pissing him off. "Your really sweet ya' know. Worrying about me. Maybe we should be friends. What do you think? We could be like batman and robin! Or like the Wonder Twins! I like the Wonder Twins idea. Jay and I could be the twins and you could be the monkey!" She giggled at how ridiculous this all sounded.
"Listen, baby girl I'm not one of your imaginary friends. Go play superhero with them not me." He said a sickeningly sweet smile gracing his thick lips. Aria's stomach knotted but kept her smile in place.
"Jerk." She said.
"Brat." He responded.
"Idiot." She retaliated.
"Stupid!" He said his smile breaking. He could call her a lot of other names but was sure she couldn't handle it.
"Great comeback." She said sarcastically rolling her eyes.
"Ahem." Someone coughed in front of the classroom. Kim gysunim was standing there arms crossed, eyebrow raised and trying to contain his laughter. His eyes were on Taeil. "Sorry to interrupt you...um...interesting discussion but don't you two have some classes to get to?"
"Right." Taeil said going back to glaring at Aria.
"Oh Kim gysunim!" Aria said shoving Taeil out the way and going to him. Taeil glared at her back but walked down behind her. "About Jay..."she stayed silent for a moment biting her lip. Taeil was about to walk out but turned back hearing the unexpected silence.
"Yes, Aria-ssi?" Kim gysunim urged. Aria sighed.
"Jay is in the hosipital." She said her previous depression setting in. "I took her early this morning she isn't-"
Then suddenly her phone started ringing. It was in her backpack so she had to dig inside to get it. She looked at the caller ID and hesitated.
"Answer it. It's getting annoying." Taeil said rolling his eyes. She had the cutest chipmunk song as her ringtone. She took a deep breath and answered it.
"Ah Yubuseyo? Aria?" Came the voice of the doctor.
"Yes." She responded her tone flat. Taeil glanced at his teacher expecting an answer but only got a shrug.
"I'm sorry Aria but Jae Hwa hasn't woken up yet." He said. Aria in a breath and held it. "We need to run some more tests as well. I decided to keep her in the hospital for two weeks. This way she can get used to the stronger dosage of medication and it won't interfere with her daily activities. Alright?"
"Yes. Ok. I understand." She responded then she ended the call. She looked away from both men and held her phone in her hand so tight it was like she would break it. Jong Woon came from around his desk and held her shoulders.
"Hey what's wrong? Who was that?" He asked but Aria only shoved his hands from her shoulders and rubbed at her face.
"Jay is being hospitalized for two weeks." She whispered zipping up her bag angrily. "Two weeks!" She faced him and her eyes were blood shot. "I need to go back to our dorm and get her things."
"No. Go back to class." Jong Woon replied shaking his head.
"Why am I going back to class when Jay needs me?" Aria asked fed up. "Jay is in the hospital! Do you get that?! The hospital!"
"And they're taking good care of her there. You don't need to rush back. Finish your classes. Calm down and I'll take you to the hospital later."he said softly. Aria bit her lip but then finally after a couple of minutes of deliberating she nodded.
"Ok. Fine." She said. "I'll go to class. But I finish late today."
"That's fine. I'm finishing work pretty late. It might be night time at that point so please be patient." He urged her. She nodded. "Good so please go to class. Taeil I need to talk to you."
Taeil watched as Aria left. A war was raging in his mind. What the hell was going on? This wasn't the same girl he met yesterday cheerful and happy. She looked like the person who would smile no matter what. If she wasn't like that then something had to be really wrong. The door closed and he turned to Jong Woon who for some reason had a little smile on his lips.
"What?" Taeil asked speaking to him informally. Jong Woon walked over and smacked him on the head. "Ow," he muttered rubbing the back of his head.
"You never learn." Jong Woon said shaking his head. "But I need you to keep an eye on Aria."
"Hell no." Taeil responded earning him another hit. "She's an annoying! She's always smiling and too sweet! Her voice is high and squeaky! She makes me sick."
"I don't really care how you feel at this point. She's worried about Jay and isn't thinking straight. She'll go to the hospital even if I told her not to." He said with a frown.
"What's going on anyways? That girl was perfectly fine when we met yesterday." Taeil asked confused.
"She wasn't. After class I saw Aria forcing her to take an inhaler. I think she may have had an asthma attack between last night and this morning." Jong Woon looked at the paper work on his desk. He was feeling restless so he started fixing the papers. Taeil watched him knowing this to be a sign of him being worried.
"Ugh fine I'll look after her." Taeil said shaking his head. "I better be getting something in return."
"A good conscience." Jong Woon said still fixing the papers.
"Not even close." Taeil responded. "I'll see you later tonight." He said leaving him to his own devices. When the door closed he stopped fixing the papers and ran his hands through his hair.
"Why am I so worried?" He asked himself with a sigh.
As the day went on Aria could not concentrate on her classes at all. She was just too worried about Jay. She went from class to class not paying attention to anything that was being said. When she walked through the halls she frequently bumped into people yet she smiled, apologized, bowed and went on her way. But in all reality all she wanted to curse them out for being in her way. Her lunch break was even more unbearable. It seemed as if time was ticking by at snail space just to torture her and she honestly could not take it. By the time her last class ended she was in such a pissy mood that the next person who talked to her she would blow up at them.
She headed over to the room where she had her Korean class. She suspected that Kim gysunim would probably be in the same room. When she opened the door she didn't just find her professor but Taeil. She didn't show her displeasure but continued on like normal
"Kim gysunim." She said completely ignoring Taeil.
Jong Woon was looking through some paperwork. There was a neat stack on one side of the desk and another messy one and another. He looked up at her but only smiled going back to the messy stack of papers. She put her bag beside his desk and looked over the messy stack of papers. It was a mix of quiz papers, syllabuses, instructions among other things.
"He's out of it." Taeil said. "He's usually a lot faster and a lot more organized."
"Is he now." Aria whispered glancing at Taeil fleetingly. "Here I'll help." She pushed Jong Woon's hands away from the messy stack.
"Don't worry I'll have it done soon. Just sit down and relax." Jong Woon said kindly. Aria shook her head.
"Two people are better than one. The more I help you the faster we can get this done." She replied already separating quiz papers.
Jong Woon silently agreed even though he really wanted to do this himself he really was out of it. He was always very protective of his students. It was upsetting to him when they were absent, injured or upset. It was just how he was. So this one girl being hospitalized really distracted him. Taeil watched as she made quick work of the messy stack of papers. She bit her lips and wiggled her nose as she concentrated. It was adorable but just that thought irritated him so he buried it in the back of his mind. She wasn't cute. She was annoying, childish and a goody two shoes that he could not stand. They were done by five thirty. Several neat stacks sat on the desk one for whatever had been in the messy stack beforehand. Not much conversation flowed between them at this point.
Aria went back to her dorm to grab Jay's medication, chart, cloths, books, toiletries and whatever else she was going to need for her stay. Once she got that the three of them piled into Jong Woon's car and headed to the hospital. Taeil sat in the passenger seat while Aria was in the back. She was quietly staring out the window as cars and buildings passed by. Her mind was racing about the same speed. She just hoped that Jay was alright.
Jong Woon parked the car and Aria jumped out. She sped walked to the hospital entrance. She signed them in and went to Jay's room. For a moment she stopped to see the room ID. It was changed to Jay Liu instead if Cha Jae Hwa. She looked behind her. Jong Woon and Taeil were right behind her.
"I'll go in first." She told them. "Jay can be a little sensitive when it comes to visits." Then she went inside.
"Visits?" Asked Taeil. Jong Woon shrugged his shoulders.
"This might not be the first time she's been in the hospital." He assumed. Taeil nodded and so they waited.
Jay had been bored out of her mind for half the day. She had woken up around twelve with her memory of this morning scattered in bits and pieces. Her doctor had to tell her what happened so that she could remember. After that all she did was sit around staring at the wall. She had none of her books to read and nothing to study.
She was a worried though. She hadn't been in the hospital for a year. What had happened? She only had one dance class. It had been their first day of school. But her doctor hadn't told her anything yet. Only that Aria had brought her early this morning in the middle of an asthma attack.
Jay put her head against her pillow and closed her eyes. She had been so excited to go to her first class. She had planned to get to class early. She wanted to put a pretty bow in her hair, a cute dress with black leggings. She wasn't one for make up but she would have put on a little mascara and colored lip glass. She wanted her professor to think she looked cute. They had only met yesterday but she really wanted him to think she looked cute, now she would have to wait a while to even worry about looking cute. Her health was more important now. It was a bit disappointing maybe could concentrate on both. She sighed. Then she heard the door open. The moment she spotted the person a wide smiled spread on her lips.
"Ary!!" She shouted completely delighted. The depressing thoughts that were in her head dispersing
"Hi there kiddo." Aria replied. Jay frowned.
"You're so lucky I'm in this bed." Jay said shaking her bed head. "I would have knocked you over the head already you little brat." Aria laughed and so did Jay until she started coughing. Aria was immediately by her side patting her back lightly.
"Don't force yourself ok?" Aria said a look if worry crossing her features. Jay nodded and smiled.
"Don't worry I won't." She put a hand to her chest massaging it. "I just forgot his hard it is to laugh when I feel like this. It's been a while."
"Yeah it has." Aria said biting her lip. "Well I brought some people who were really worried about you. Do you want to see them?"
"Yeah sure!" Jay said nodding vigorously. Who would have wanted to visit her? They had only just started school.
Aria nodded her lips still clenched between her teeth. She turned to open the door. Jay furrowed her eyebrows. Aria wasn't usually so quite.
"Ary, what's wron-" she was about to ask what was wrong but when she saw the next person clamped shut for a couple seconds. When she opened her lips again was bone dry."K-Kim gysunim..."she whispered her lips. He smiled
"How are you feeling?" He asked concern evident in his voice.
"A-A lot better thank you." She replied in a whisper. She tried to look him in the eye but wasn't able to. Her face would get too hot and she just had to look away. He was really good looking. Then she remembered her hair was in a mess. She tired to comb it with her fingers. He smiled and held her hand in two of his own. He brought it back down and patted them gently. Jay stared at him eyes wide her face growing hotter by the second. He was really close to her.
"That's a relief." He said quietly squeezing her hands a kind smile on his lips. He found it adorable that she was so worried about her hair in front of him. It made him realize she was very aware of him. "I was kind of shocked when Aria told me you were hospitalized." He confessed. "Two weeks is a long time."
"Two weeks?" She said looking up at him then at Aria. His smile faded. She didn't know that she was staying so long. A small irritating buzz began in his head. Why hadn't anyone told her?
Jay gave Aria a shocked and confused expression. The doctor hadn't told her she would be staying that long. But once that brief moment of communication passed Jay quickly masked her shock with a small smile.
"It is a while." She said dismissing the issue as if it didn't matter. She glanced to the side and spotted another person. "Oh hi Taeil." Jay said waving at Taeil who stood by the door.
"Hi what's up? Are you alright?" He asked.
"I'm fine. I guess they have to run a couple of tests." She replied not actually knowing why she was staying so long. Jong Woon's lips seemed to be set in a frown.
Someone knocked at the door but didn't wait for anyone to say come in. It was Jay's doctor. He smiled brightly at all of them. Jong Woon was still frowning. The doctor came over and put a hand on Jay's head.
"How are you doing, Jae Hw-“ he was about to say her real name but he recieved a death glare from Jay making him stop. He didn't know exactly why she disliked her real name but he didn't want his patient upset with him so he did what she wanted. "Jay." He corrected himself. Jong Woon and Taeil looked curiously between the two but Jay's glare had turned into an eye smile.
"I'm great." She said with a little cough.
"Hmmm," he murmured checking the chart at the foot of the bed. He nodded pleased. "Yes it seems everything is in order. I'll have a nurse check on you later tonight." He went to pat her head but she immediately moved away so he opted for her shoulder. She was a very picky patient. "I'll be here first thing tomorrow morning to give you the details."
Jay knew he had the details already. He didn't want to upset her. That would throw off the progress she had made and put her back in square one. She knew all of this but couldn't help but be frustrated.
"See you tomorrow." She said with a pleasant smile. Jong Woon stood up abruptly startling Jay a bit. He quickly apologized and turned to the doctor.
"Can I speak with you?" Jong Woon asked.
"Sure. Let's step outside." He responded with a small nod.
When they stepped outside the door closed behind Jong Woon. He took a deep breath and looked at the doctor.
"What's wrong with her." He asked not wavering in his stare. The doctor raised an eyebrow.
"Are you a family member or guardian?" He asked back crossing his arms showing his unwillingness to share any information with him. "I've never seen you with Jay or Aria during her visits this summer."
"I'm one of her professors at her university. "
"That doesn't mean I have to share any information with you." The doctor responded. Jong Woon's frown deepened. He was being difficult.
"It's important for me to know her condition so I can determine how it will affect her school work. She's a university student. Missing two weeks of classes puts her very far behind. If she can study here it would help a lot." He explained even though in all truth he came up with this one the top of his head. But once he thought about it he really did need to know these things.
"Hm..." The doctor contemplated it for a bit. "Well...." He sighed and nodded. "I'm surprised we didn't detect any of this before. But it might have been because her system was suppressing it." He looked down at his notes. "She had an asthma attack this morning because her medication stopped working. Her body is too used to it so it developed an immunity to the medicine. She's doing well right now but if something upsets her it might trigger another attack. We want her to stay as neutral as possible since she's so fragile at the moment. Fragile yet doing well." He heaved another sigh and massaged his forehead. "A combination of the change of climate and strain on the heart is to blame." His eyes settled back on Jung Woon. "You're a professor of hers. Urge her to quit dancing. It's only making matters worse. She won't quit. She won't even listen to Aria. She wants to dance but her heart is too weak for that. She can die before she gets to finish college." But then a weary smile crossed his features. "Knowing her she won't even let that be a problem. Good luck with that one." He said patting Jong Woon on his shoulder.
As he left Jong Woon just stood there in complete disbelief. If he hadn't seen Aria force that inhaler into Jay's mouth yesterday he would have never guessed that she was sick. If the doctor hadn't explained it to him just now he would have never believed just how far her sickness went nor would he have known just how stubborn she was. It didn't make sense in his mind why she would keep dancing, keep straining out her heart so much. He took a deep breath. Being upset wouldn't help anything. She just needed to concentrate on getting better. He turned around and cracked the door open.
"Psst." He whispered. Aria's ears perked up at the sound and she turned to go to the door. Jay was talking to Taeil about soccer which Aria had no interest in so she was bored out of her mind. Jong Woon waved her over and she left the two talking. "I need your help with something." He said with a small smile.
"Anything that gets me away from those two." She replied with a sigh. He patted her head.
"Tell me Jay's favorite color." He said.
"Pink why?" She replied without a second thought. She didn't have to think about it. That was something she knew off the top of her head.
"Can you keep a secret?" He asked a bit jokingly. She nodded her expression still bored. "I'm buying her something. A get well gift. I came here empty handed and flowers die easily. I want to get her something that keeps her company."
"That's so sweet!" Aria exploded her eyes coming back to life. A wide grin spread across her lips. "She didn't mind that you didn't come with nothing but Kim gysunim that's really sweet!"
"Shhhhhhh!!" Jong Woon put a hand over hurriedly. He looked over her shoulder. Luckily Jay and Taeil were still engrossed in their conversation. "Aria promise me you won't say a word." He said his voice dropping loser than a whisper. She nodded and he could feel her grin still in place. "I'll be back in about 20 to 30 minutes." He took his hand from and started to walk away. He glanced back a bit concerned that she wasn't going to keep her word. But she had already gone back inside.
He got into his car and drove to the nearest mall. Buying something from the hospital was probably what most people would do but if he bought it from there he would feel bad. He wanted something special that he could pick out with a good variety of other selections. A sick person got lonely easily because they are always in the hospital. If they were given something unique it would make them happier. It's a sign that the other person thought about you.
It still amazed him that Jay was such a sick fragile girl. Anyone who saw her would think just the opposite. She was just so energetic. The more astonishing fact was that she was pursuing a degree in dance. He just couldn't understand how she could bare the strain she was causing her body and still continue. Someone like that being confined to a hospital bed not knowing what exactly happened would be frustrated and sad.
He parked his car in a near by mall and jumped out sprinting to the entrance. The mall was closing soon so he had to hurry. The problem was that he didn't know where to start. He went into a couple stores but didn't find anything he thought she would like. He saw a Hallmark store and decided to go inside. He asked the sales associate if they had any pink stuffed animals. The person led him to a whole section of multicolored animals and a frown set on Jong Woon's lips.
"This is all you have?" He asked looking at the young girl who was helping him. She have him a lazy gaze.
"Yup." She replied looking at her manicured nails. He sighed.
"Listen one of my students is in the hospital. You don't have anything a bit more.....I don't know unique?" He asked a bit desperate. She gave him another lazy look.
"You can build a stuffed animal for them if you want. But the store is about to close." She checked her watch. "In ten minutes." She didn't say anything else a clear indication that she wanted him to leave.
"I'll give you a tip the same amount of the bear if you stay open and help me." He said taking out his wallet and showing her. Suddenly her eyes lit up.
"Take your time then." She said. "I'll go lock the doors." She went to her desk and locked the glass doors of the store.
She came back and showed him the options he had for an animal. He didn't like that the girl changed her mind so quickly when it came to money but it wasn't the time to deal with that. He just wanted to give Jay something meaningful that would help her throughout her hospital stay.
"Well you have a bear, tiger, bird, pig or rabbit." She said pointing to some pictures on a wall. "There's also a couple that we have mixed like a pig rabbit and bear rabbit. The bear and the rabbit are our most popular ones."
"I'll take the big rabbit." He said immediately dismissing the most popular one. He wanted something for her that no one else would have. The girl gave him a strange look but nodded.
"Now the fabric. We have cotton, synthetic, silk which is only about twenty percent mixed with cotton-"
"How long will it last." he asked already making up his mind.
"Not too sure the labeling says a couple years. It lasts longer than the other two."
"I'll take that one." He said.
"Alright." She took the softest of the pig rabbit stuffed animals. "So the ears are like that of a rabbit with a pigs nose. Do you want to add any cloths?"
"A dress." He said looking over a section of miniature animals cloths. He frowned. "Actually never mind. Put a white bow on her neck with a gold bracelet on her right wrist and a gold beret on one of the ears." He took the small accessories and handed me to her.
The girl raised her eyebrow at him but did what he requested. Everyone usually put cloths on the stuffed animals they bought. It was strange to find a person let alone a guy pick things out like this. Other people left it to her so she wasn't too used to this. When she was done he looked at the stuffed animal and nodded satisfied. She wrapped it up for him in a box and he paid her for the bear and her promised tip. She didn't think he would actually give it to her but when he did she had no complaints.
He was on the road before she even finished closing up the store. Back at the hospital Jay was falling asleep. Her conversation with Taeil had ended and there had been silence for a long time. Taeil and Aria sat on opposite sides of the bed and they didn't speak to each other. Aria laid beside her friend and they just watched a movie. Jay once in a while looked between Taeil and Aria but never said anything. She had a hunch that all she would do was make a fight so she kept quite. Which was why she was dozing off. Aria was just hopping Jong Woon would get there before Jay fell asleep. Taeil glanced at the two girls who were just about asleep. He didn't know why but watching the both of them made him feel calm. Like they belonged beside each other and that everything would be alright. Then his eyes settled on Aria. Her eyelids half closed, her lips parted she looked pretty even if she was half asleep. He shook his head and went back to watching the movie. Suddenly Aria yawned and sat up.
"Let me brush your hair." She said getting up and walking to the bag she brought full of Jay's bag.
"Ary I'm sleepy." Jay complained going under the sheets.
"Come on, if I don't brush it I know you won't. You have that IV in your arm. You don't want your hair all messy when you wake up tomorrow." She pulled the sheets off if her friend. "Come on get up."
Taeil snickered in amusement. It was kind of strange seeing Aria so commanding. Jay sat up pouting ruffling her already messed up hair. Aria hit Jay's head with the her brush. Then she sat behind her friend and started combing out the knots. Taeil watched as Jay's hair became longer than before. Because her hair was curved in a cute bob it looked shorter than it really was, it gave people the illusion that her hair was short when in all reality her hair brushed the tops of her shoulders.
"Your hair is pretty." Taeil said smiling at Jay. She gave him a shy smile.
"T-Thanks." She replied.
"Watch it Jay he might be up to something." Aria said glaring at him.
"Baby Girl I'm not like you." Taeil replied with a smile. Jay giggled.
"Don't call me that." Aria spat out.
"Is it a problem, Baby Girl?" He asked sweetly.
"Shut up!" She replied. Jay couldn't contain her laughter. "Jay be quite before I cut your hair."
"You don't have any scissors!" Jay said moving away a bit.
"I'll find a pair." Aria threatened.
"Oppa! She's trying to cut my hair!" Jay complained to Taeil pouting.
"Don't worry I'll stop her. She won't have the chance." Taeil replied taking her hand drawing her close to him. He hugged her close.
"O-Oppa...thanks!" She replied hugging him back. Aria stared wide eyed.
"What? Jealous?" He asked with a playful smirk on his lips. Aria looked to the side.
"N-No...not even close." She replied flustered. Why was her heart beating so fast?
There was a light knock on the door. Jay giggled a come in. Jong Woon opened the door and was a little stunned at the scene before him. Jay was all wrapped up in Taeil's arms while Aria attempted to hit him with the back if he brush in her hands. Jong Woon cleared his throat and Jay looked up a big contagious smile on her lips. Jong Woon's heart skipped a beat. She had a beautiful smile.
"I'm I interrupting something?" He asked covering up his moment of confusion.
"No!" Jay replied laughing some more. "Ary is just being jealous."
"I am not!" Aria shouted trying to hit Taeil on the head. "Stop putting weird things in her head, Taeil!"
"I haven't done anything!" He said avoid the back of the brush and avoiding the brush.
"Opp-" Jay chocked a bit and starting coughing. All playing stopped. Aria patted her back gently while Taeil looked on worriedly. It was scary that one second she was happy and the next it looked like she was going to have another attack.
"You ok?" Aria asked when Jay's cough subsided.
"I'm fine." Jay responded one of her eyes watering because she was coughing so hard. She wiped the water away and gave her a smile.
The door opened wide and a nurse stood there. She hadn't bothered to knock. She had heard the coughing outside and came inside worried. She frowned seeing the three people.
"Jay needs to rest." She said with a firm tone. "Visiting hours are over so I need you guys to leave."
"Give me ten more minutes." Jong Woon asked. He gave her a pleading gaze. She was about to say no when he eyed the gift he had left by the door. She saw it but her frown was still in place but the wrinkles on her forehead relaxed.
"Ten minutes." She said a lot less firm than before. He gave Jong Woon a serious look. "I mean it."
Jong Woon gave her his thanks with a slight head bow. She left and he turned to Taeil and Aria. Aria was trying to keep the smile from her lips. Taeil eyed her and rolled his eyes but said nothing.
"Let me talk to her alone. I'll be done soon so just wait for me outside." He said jerking his head to the side.
"But-" Taeil said about to protest but Aria kicked him.
"Ok! Come on Taeil!" She said grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the room.
"What the hell! Get off! Yah!" Taeil shouted trying to get her to let go.
Once she got him out she slammed the door shut. They stood outside their arms linked. When they realized it they quickly got away from each other. They faced the opposite direction from each other an awkward silence settling between them.
Inside Jay was trying to crawl back under her covers. Jong Woon came to her side and lifted the covers while she settled herself underneath them. Her head against the pillow. He put the covers right under her arms then sat down on the bed the gift box by his foot. She yawned then smiled at him.
"Thanks for brining Ary." She said closing her eyes. "I know she gets really worried about me. Having someone to get her to me and back calmed her down a bit."
"No problem." He whispered. She yawned again. It had been a busy day for her and she wasn't in the best health. "You need to sleep." He said. She nodded in agreement her smile faltering. He bent down to pick up the gift box. "I got something for you." Her eyes widened and went from the box to his face.
"You didn't have to...." She said trying to sit up but he pushed her back down gently.
"Just stay down." He said. "It's ok I'll open it for you." He didn't want her doing anything else for the night. He placed the box back on the floor and took out the stuffed animal.
"Ahh, it's pink!" Was the first thing she said. He chuckled seeing her eyes light up at the color. He handed it to her and she took it in her hands gingerly. "It's so soft." She said its head. Then she giggled a bit. "Is it a pig rabbit?" She asked.
"It is." He responded smiling.
"My favorite animal is a rabbit." She said tearing up a bit. Then she felt a tear go down her cheek and she tired to wipe it away. The only other person who had given her gifts was Aria and her step brother. It made her happy that Jong Woon and Taeil came to visit her. She was just happy she wasn't alone. But she was still scared that she wouldn't get out of the bed, she was frustrated that she didn't know what was wrong with her. "T-Thanks...." She said burying her face in the stuffed animals stomach.
"Hey...." He said trying to pull the toy away. She shook her head and left the toy there. "Jay." He put his hand on top of her own. She was shaking. He scooted closer to her and pried her fingers from the stuffed animal. When he succeeded he put it on the other side of him.
"I'm scared." She said trying to hide her face again. He held her chin with his left hand and wiped her tears away with his other hand. "Stop! Gysunim!"
"Why are you scared?" He asked wiping more tears away. "Aria is here for you. So am I and Taeil. We're all here. You don't have to be scared."
"I know...I know that but....." She hiccuped and the heart monitor started to pick up abnormal heart patterns. She was experiencing too many highs and lows emotionally. She needed to sleep.
"You're going to be ok." He whispered giving her back the stuffed animal. With the cuff of his dress shirt he patted her cheeks drying them. "I'll leave my number with you. You can call me anytime. Call Aria too." He started to hum. "You don't have to be scared. Alright?"
She nodded not wanting him to we his shirt anymore. He hummed to her some more and her eyelids started to get heavy. For that moment she felt safe. Having this man here, reassuring her that she was going to be alright and taking care of her made her feel overwhelmingly happy and safe. She wanted to ask him why he was here, why he was so worried when they had only met yesterday but she couldn't. She was too sleepy. His voice was making her sleepy and she wanted to hear more than his humming.
"Sing...please..." She asked her words slurred. A small smile cracked his lips.
"I'm saying this because I'm sorry. I'm saying this because your crying..." He sang softly touching her forehead being careful not to touch her hair. "I'm saying this because I'm running out of breath," his voice was soothing her. Lulling her to sleep like a lullaby even if the lyrics were sad it wrapped around her like a warm blanket. She was sure even half asleep that she was in love with his voice. "Word that my foolish heart is rushing out. I try to hold it in. To block it. I cover my mouth with my hands a but," His fingers outlined touching it's corners. "The words 'I love you' remain as if it's written in my heart." His hands went down her arm then touched the blanket under her arms. He lifted them so it covered everything under her chin. She turned to the side cuddling with the stuffed animal. His smile became soft, sweet and caring watching as her lips parted allowing her to breath more relaxed. Her face seemed at peace as she feel asleep. He hoped that his voice would stay with her. "I'll walk slowly. One step. Two step. You're footsteps are so familiar to me. One step. Two step." He turned the tv off and the lamp beside her bed. He stood up and gazed down at her, she really was a beautiful girl. "You're getting farther disappearing little by little with heavy footsteps." After the last line he sang he left the room and closed the door.
🐷🐰Song: Gray Paper by Super Junior's Yesung (Kim Jong Woon)🐷🐰
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