Shin Hye was 9 months pregnant.  Her records showed 8 months.  There was only a small chance it would be discovered that her son would be full term and not pre-mature.  Ying Oppa told her it was really not a problem at this point in time.  He would be the delivery physician and no one would really pay attention.  Shin Hye was packed and ready to go.  She was pre-registered at Seoul General.  She only hoped she could go as long as possible so no questions came up concerning her son’s gestational age.  She really didn’t want to deal with any news media speculations.

She had finally decided on a name.  She took everyone’s suggestions and thought about it.  She might have cheated slightly when she chose the name.   Once upon a time when Min Ho and she talked about children he had mentioned the name Luo.  He liked that name.  She could never tell Min Ho about his son so she did something else to connect them secretly.  Of course he would bear Ying Oppa’s last name.  There was no way around that one.  But she chose Luo because Min Ho liked it and she chose Min for Min Ho himself.   She wanted him to be connected even if it was secretly.  Her son’s official name would be Li Luo Min.  Zhi Oppa and she had started calling him Luo Min already.  Sometimes Zhi Oppa called him Prince Luo Min.  She giggled at the Prince and then fussed at Zhi Oppa.  “Don’t give Luo Min a big head thinking he is someone special over all others.  Of course he is special but I want him to grow up normally.  I do not want a spoiled brat, Zhi Oppa.”

Shin Hye had been lucky during her pregnancy.  She had only gained 25 pounds.  She had lost weight during the first trimester due to stress but she had taken care of herself and she had eaten healthy foods.  Zhi Oppa had been the major factor in making sure she ate and exercised correctly.  She was ready for a natural birth.  She was scared but also looking forward to it.  The nursery was ready and the Grandmothers were ready.  She would have to fight to care for her baby.  With the grandmothers, Zhi Oppa and Ying Oppa she could imagine herself waiting in line to hold Luo Min. 

Shin Hye had been more tired than normal lately.  She was having trouble sleeping and for the first time in months she had dreamed of Min Ho.  She knew it was her guilt but it was not something she could control.  She tried to keep positive thoughts only.  Sometimes it was hard.  One day she had been watching TV while folding clothes.  Min Ho’s latest drama came on and she could not stop herself from watching.  It became her guilty pleasure to watch his drama when no one was around.   She allowed herself those 2 days a week to watch him.  He was so handsome.  She felt like it was a dream that she had ever been his girlfriend.  It seemed more like a dream that she was carrying his son.  Those thoughts were only allowed out in the open during the time his drama was on TV. 

Shin Hye had turned the TV off and finished placing clothes in bedrooms.  She went into Ying Oppa’s room and started straightening his desk up.  She bent down to place a book onto the bottom shelf of the bookcase.  She felt a pain in her stomach.  Great she thought another something to add to the list of pregnancy woes.  She thought perhaps she should go back to the living area in case she felt worse.  Ying Oppa had told her before if she had any pains at all to go downstairs because the stairs to the bedrooms might present a problem if she should go into labor. 

Shin Hye had another pain and made her way to the stairs.  She called Ying Oppa to tell him.  He told her Zhi Oppa was on the way home.  She should go downstairs and lie down on the sofa.  Zhi would bring her to the hospital.  He would be waiting on them.  She had another pain while talking to Ying Oppa.  She dropped the phone and squatted down.  Ohhh, this hurts.  She picked her phone back up and Ying Oppa was saying her name.  She told him she was fine but had dropped the phone because the pain was sharper than she expected.  “Shin Hye?” Ying Oppa was saying, “Shin Hye, Zhi is in the drive and I am on the other line with him.  Please sit down until he gets inside the house.”  Ying was talking to Zhi who had just entered the house and was making his way toward Shin Hye. 

Zhi looked up at Shin Hye who was at the top step of the stairs.  It was obvious she was in pain.  Her face was pale and she had slumped forward.  “Shin Hye can you stand?  I will help you get down the stairs.  Ying has called for a taxi which should be here in 5 minutes.  Come on Shin Hye, stand up now.”  Zhi was trying to coach Shin Hye to stand.  She stood slowly but could not stand up straight.  Zhi walked back down the steps to talk to Ying.  “Ying she looks bad.  Her skin is pale and she feels clammy.  Yes as soon as the taxi gets here.”

Zhi got off the phone and went back up the steps.  He bent down and picked Shin Hye up.  She wasn’t really heavy but a pregnant Shin Hye was heavier than he thought.  He made it slowly down the steps because it was difficult to pack her going downward.  He got to the bottom of the steps and put Shin Hye down.  She was slightly.  Suddenly she bent double and moaned loudly.  She was definitely in pain and was not responding to his voice.  The door bell rang and he went to answer hoping it was the taxi.  The young man at the door seemed quite strong so Zhi asked if he could help him get his friend to the cab.  The young man came in took one look and said, “Holy crap, that’s Park Shin Hye!  Is she ok?”

 Zhi told him yes it was Shin Hye.  She was his friend Dr. Li’s wife and he was there to take her to the hospital.  He told him she was in distress but he couldn’t carry her.  The young man looked down at Zhi and strode over and picked her up.  He looked at Zhi and said, “Come on man.  It’s Park Shin Hye.  Let’s get her to the hospital.  Hey man, lock the door behind you.”  And with that he went out the door and placed her in the backseat.  Zhi got in and told him to go to the emergency entrance of Seoul General. 

They made it in a harrowing 10 minutes.  Zhi was physically ill from the ride.  The young man was proud of himself so Zhi gave him a tip.  He thanked the cab driver and the young man told him, “No sweat man.  She is my favorite actress.”  He did a 2 finger salute and left.  Zhi shook his head and followed Shin Hye into the hospital.

Ying had met them at the taxi with orderlies and a stretcher.  She was already registered and on her way to the emergency exam.  Ying was Dr. Li in this instance and all business.  Shin Hye had been hooked up to oxygen and her vitals were being checked.  Dr. Gau came rushing into the exam room and asked, “How is Shin Hye?”

Dr. Li was worried.  There was no reason for Shin Hye to have collapsed.  He began a meticulous search of her body with the help of Dr. Gau.  There was no physical evidence of anything wrong until the young female nursing assistant started taking Shin Hye’s outer clothes off to place a gown on her.  She gasped and said, “Dr. Li look at this.”

Shin Hye was bleeding profusely.  Dr. Li ordered an immediate ultrasound.  Within minutes the equipment and the technician was there and Shin Hye was being prepped for the scan.  She was unconscious and Dr. Li was more than worried.  Dr. Gau took over the scan.  As she moved the transducer around Shin Hye’s abdomen the problem became obvious.  Dr. Gau looked at Dr. Li and said, “Ying Ye, I think we have a major problem.  Let’s contact surgery and get her there stat.”

Ying Ye knew it was a problem when he saw the scan.  It was something he would think about later but right now the life of his wife and son was in danger.  He had to act quickly.  A team of neonatal specialists and birth defect specialists were on their way to the delivery/surgery room.   Shin Hye was in surgery and Ying Ye was on his way to prep for surgery.  He was one of the top specialists in his field in obstetrics and gynecology and even though it was not recommended that one perform surgery on their loved one, he was the best hope they had right now.

Zhi Qiang was on the phone calling Shin Hye’s parents and Ying Ye’s parents.  He didn’t know how serious it was but Ying had stopped on his way to surgery and asked him to call the parents.  He told him she was in crisis and he wasn’t sure he could save both of them.  Zhi was as scared as he had ever been.

It had been 4 long hours.  The news media always manages to find out what is going on.  The news feed simply reported that Park Shin Hye actress and wife of Li Ying Ye was in emergency surgery and her unborn son was in crisis.  Oddly enough no one reported the reason for the crisis. 

Ying Ye had removed Luo Min and handed him over to the specialist.  He couldn’t stop to go with his son.  He had to finish with Shin Hye.  He had just placed the last stitch and her vital signs were good.  She was still out but her color was good and she was breathing on her own.  He looked at Dr. Gau and asked she would take over so he could check on Luo Min.  She nodded and patted his arm telling him to go.  She said, “Go Ying Ye.  I will take care of Shin Hye like she is my daughter.”

Ying Ye striped his surgical gown and mask off and left surgery to go down the hall to where Luo Min had been taken.  He saw his parents and Shin Hye’s parents.  He couldn’t tell them much.  He stopped long enough to say, “Shin Hye is out of danger but Luo Min is critical.  I will come back when I can.”  He left as the parents held hands and prayed.

Luo Min was suffering from a con diaphragmatic hernia or CDH.  It was a con malformation of the diaphragm.  The malformation of the diaphragm was allowing the abdominal organs to push into the proper lung formation.  Ying Ye knew it was a life-threatening pathology in infants and a major cause of death due to complications.  Right at that moment he was in severe respiratory distress.  He was being prepped for immediate surgery.  Dr. Li was approached by one of the staff and asked to sign a release form for the surgery.  With a shaking hand he signed the consent form.  Dr. Balchea was Korean’s top neonatologist.  His success rate was high.  Dr. Balchea stopped by Dr. Li and asked if he wanted to be present during surgery as an observer.  Dr. Li answered yes and he went along with Dr. Balchea to suit up. 

Little Luo Min had been in surgery for 3 hours.  His mother had been in surgery for a total of 4 hours so Luo Min had been in surgery a total of over 6/7 hours.  His birth weight was low partially due to the birth defect but the surgical team had decided that most of his low birth weight was due to his pre-mature status.  Dr. Li actually felt guilty toward Luo Min.

Luo Min was in the neo-natal ICU.  He had been diagnosed with Morgagni hernia.  Dr. Balchea was explaining to Dr. Li that he would need to get a family history soon to add to Luo Min’s records.  He explained that Morgagni hernia is a rare anterior defect of the diaphragm and passed genetically.  It accounted for only 2% of all CDH cases.  Ying Ye had watched as Dr. Balchea did an orogastric tube placement and secured the airway.  He was immediately placed on a ventilator.  For now it was like a baby heart-lung bypass.  A cannula had been inserted into his carotid artery allowing the blood to exit the body and go through the ECMO circuit.   He would require extra blood volume and hefty doses of blood thinners to keep the circuit running without clots forming.  An oscillating ventilator was being used to keep some air in his lungs so that they would not collapse while they were not being used.  Dr. Balchea had made an incision in Luo Min’s abdomen.  The hernia required a patch so he sliced and folded over a section of abdominal muscle and secured it to the existing piece of diaphragm.  The bowel, liver and stomach had been moved back into place.  The heart and lungs would move back into position on their own now that the other organs had been moved out of the way.  He didn’t completely close the incision allowing for swelling and drainage to decrease before completing the closure. 

Li Luo Min was placed on the critical list.  His chances of surviving were only 60% but that was better than none.  After his talk with Dr. Balchea he went to check on Luo Min who was hooked up to so many machines you could barely see his tiny body.  He checked the chart by Luo Min.  There was little that could be done now except pray and keep a close watch on him.  Ying Ye placed his hand on top of Luo Min’s incubator and said a prayer.  Luo Min was his son no matter what anyone said.

Ying Ye met his parents and Shin Hye’s parents in his office.   Zhi Qiang had taken them there until Ying Ye could talk to them.  Shin Hye had been moved to a bed in the intensive care unit.  She was still out.  His surgical team had managed to wake her temporarily but she was sleeping now.  He wanted her to get as much sleep as possible before he had to tell her about Luo Min.

Ying Ye did not tell the parents everything but he did tell them Luo Min was beautiful and that he looked like him.  He told them Luo Min had a better than 50% chance of survival.  He had come through the surgery with flying colors and was in an incubator now.  He would be checking on him through the night.  He asked both sets of parents to go home until tomorrow when he would require some help.  He told them Shin Hye would be asleep till early morning at least.  She was in quarantine temporarily until she woke on her own.  He would let them know when she woke up and let them know when they could visit her.  The parents agreed to follow his wishes and wait for his call. 

Ying Ye kept extra clothes in his office and taking a set he went to the intern’s quarters to shower and change.  When he finished he went to check on Shin Hye and then Luo Min.  It would be a long night.

Lee Min Ho’s sister was visiting a friend who had given birth that morning to a beautiful baby girl.  Yun Kyung was chatting away with her friend when one of the nurses came into the room with medicine.   She was talking to another nurse who was walking with her.  They were discussing Dr. Li and Shin Hye.  One nurse was talking about the surgery Shin Hye’s son had just had.  The other nurse was saying something along the lines of how rare the condition was of Shin Hye’s baby. The other nurse asked what the condition was and the answering nurse said, “Well I know it is a rare con condition that is usually passed from the father to son.  It can skip a generation and evidently it skipped Dr. Li.  It is so rare that Dr. Balchea will probably write a paper about it.  Let’s see it is called….ummm, ah yes, Morgagni hernia.”

The other nurse was saying poor baby Li and how she hoped Shin Hye and her baby recovered quickly.  They left the room but Yun Kyung thought how odd - that is the same con condition oppa has and what a small world it was.

She almost forgot about it.  But Min Ho Oppa came for dinner the next day.  She was busy picking up some things from the table when Min Ho plopped down.  He was listless and Yun Kyung wanted to get a conversation started and she wanted to get Min Ho’s opinion on Shin Hye.  She knew they were friends so she thought she would ask him if he knew about the baby’s condition.

“Oppa?  Are you busy?  Oppa, I know you are a longtime friend of Park Shin Hye so I was wondering if you knew anything about her son’s condition?  Did you know he had the same genetic abnormality you do?  How small is the world that someone we know or sort of know has such a rare condition?  Wow, can you imagine?  Hey do you think you are related to her husband since you both look alike and apparently have the same rare genetic birth defect?”

Min Ho was trying to follow what she was saying.  Shin Hye’s son had the same rare genetic birth defect as him?  Maybe he was related to the Li guy.  He mumbled something at her and left the room.  He came home to clear his mind and the first thing he hears is about Shin Hye.  What bad luck he had.  He went to his bedroom and plopped down on his bed and went to sleep.

Shin Hye had woke up and the first person she saw was Ying Oppa.  “Ying Oppa“ she croaked.  He went to her and gave held a cup of water for her to drink.  She thanked him.  “Oppa, where is Luo Min?  Why won’t the nurses tell me about him?  They keep saying wait for your husband.  Ying Oppa please tell me what is going on.”

So he sat on the side of her bed and explained everything that had happened.  “Shin Hye I am sorry.  If I had taken another ultrasound in your last month we might have been better prepared.”

Shin Hye took his hand and told him not to feel that way. “Ying Oppa, you saved us.  You saved me and you saved Luo Min.  I can never repay you.  Thank you Ying Oppa.”  They talked about Luo Min’s condition and how he was right that moment.   She was asking when she could see him.  Ying Ye told her as soon as she was out of danger he would take her in a wheelchair to see him.  He told her he wanted her to talk to Luo Min.  He thought her voice would be an important recovery tool for Luo Min.  She asked what constituted her being out of danger.  He told her when her vital signs were normal.  She vowed she would be able to see her precious son that day.

Ying Ye called Shin Hye’s parents and handed her the phone.  She chatted for a minute and told her Eomma not to come yet because she was up to company but could she come the next day?  Of course her Mother agreed.

Ying Ye called his parents and spoke to them.  He told them Shin Hye was off the danger list but still weak.  She could handle visitors the next day.  He suggested she call Shin Hye’s parents and come by at the same time.  She told him they had delayed going back to Shanghai till Shin Hye was out of danger and they could see their grandson.  She told him she would see them tomorrow.

Shin Hye spent a day doing as she was told without argument.  Her vital signs were normal or very close to normal.  She was still very weak and she hurt where she had received stitches.  But she was on the road to recovery.  Ying Ye could see how hard she was trying.  That evening he brought a wheelchair and helped her arrange herself in the chair to go down the hall to the neo-natal unit.  When they reached the visitor area Zhi Oppa was waiting.  He had been crying.  He rushed over and gently hugged her.  He told her how afraid he had been for her and little Luo Min.  He told her he couldn’t see Luo Min up close but could see him from the window.  Ying Oppa wheeled her over to the window.  She saw the tiny body hooked up to all the machines.  She saw the tiny body lying helplessly inside the incubator.  Her heart caught and she started to cry.  Ying Oppa squatted down beside her and simply held her hands.  She cried softly for a few minutes then said, “I won’t do that again.  Now what can I do to help Luo Min?”

Ying Oppa and Zhi Oppa looked across her head and smiled.  She was back and ready to fight.

Ying Oppa said, “Starting tomorrow we will work with Dr. Balchea to begin to help our son.  Tonight I want you to get some rest and a nurse will help you take a shower tomorrow so that you can touch Luo Min. Alright?”

Shin Hye nodded and told him she would be ready.  He took her back to her bed, helped her get back in bed and left to take care of patients.  As he left he told her he would be back later that day so he wanted her to follow the staff’s instructions.

The next morning Shin Hye was eager to take the shower and go to Luo Min.  Her arms felt empty.  There was so much to do and learn.  She had planned on feeding Luo Min so the nursing staff was teaching her how to pump and they would use her milk to feed Luo Min.  She was doing everything she was told.  She was anxious to see Luo Min.  Finally, Ying Ye came and helped her into the wheel chair.  He wheeled her to the Neo-natal ICU.  They went into a small sterile room and he put his gown and mask on and then helped her put her put a gown and mask on.  He told her to take a few deep breaths to help her lessen the anxiety.  He buzzed the door and one of the nurses let them in.  She was out of the chair and walking slowly toward the incubator.   One of the nurses brought a chair over for Shin Hye to sit on.  She eased herself down and looked at the little boy lying so quietly.  She looked at Ying Ye and said, “Oppa, is he going to be alright?”

Ying Oppa put his hand on her head and said, “Yes he will.  He is a fighter just like his Eomma.  Now Li Luo Min’s Eomma please talk to your son and tell him how much you love him.”

Shin Hye spent an hour talking to Luo Min with her soft and sweet voice.  Ying Oppa touched her arm and said, “Shin Hye, 5 more minutes.”  She nodded.

Shin Hye looked at her son and started humming.  She then began to sing in a low soft voice.  The staff stopped and listened.  It was a song full of love and longing.  Little Luo Min moved his arms in a reaching motion.  Dr. Balchea was standing just inside the room and noted the reaction of his patient to his mother’s voice.  He nodded his head satisfied that his patient had a positive reaction to his mother’s voice.  He later wrote in his research paper that medicine was powerful but there was no stronger medicine than a mother’s voice.

Days passed and Shin Hye was discharged.  Little Luo Min got stronger.  His incision was finally closed up.  He would be in the hospital a few more weeks but he had made amazing strides toward recovery.  He was moving and responding to both Shin Hye and Ying Ye.  He followed Ying Ye’s voice with his eyes and was calm when Ying Ye was talking.  But when Shin Hye was in the room whether she spoke or not he was aware of her.  Perhaps he recognized her scent but he would respond with coos and gurgles every time she entered the room.  She had been allowed to stay longer with him since he had been moved to a different room.  He had been removed from critical to danger to serious quickly.  He was now out of danger and would be allowed to go home in another month.  Shin Hye couldn’t wait.  Time flew and it was the day to take Luo Min home.  The parents would be at their house waiting on Luo Min’s homecoming.  Shin Hye was nervous for some reason.  It would be a test of her resolve in front of Ying Ye’s parents.  But her worries were for nothing.  Everything went smoothly and little Luo Min was fascinated by all he heard and saw.  Shin Hye felt blessed.

The days passed quickly and in 3 weeks it would be her one year anniversary with Ying Ye.  Time was passing quickly.  Luo Min was really growing.  He would be 4 months old a few days after her anniversary.  She wanted to buy a special outfit for him to wear to the anniversary party.  She decided to go by herself to shop.  She knew where she wanted to go and since she was not in the acting world any longer she wouldn’t have as many problems with fans.  She didn’t tell Ying Oppa her plans because it was a surprise.  She drove to Lotte World.  It was crowded as usual.  She looked forward to the days when Luo Min would be old enough to go to amusement parks with her.  She smiled at the thoughts.  Little Luo Min was cooing and gooing at everything.  He was such a sweet baby.  Shin Hye parked and acting like there was nothing out of the ordinary when she stepped out of the elevator and walked into the store.  No one was paying attention because no one expected to see her with a baby on her hip.  It was a taste of freedom that she always wanted.  She worked her way to the baby department.  She found what she was looking for and measuring carefully she chose the size that would fit him.  She wasn’t big on buying a lot of toys but she decided she would buy one stuffed animal to commemorate the occasion.  Luo Min’s eyes were drawn to a small piggy and she laughed to see him cooing over a piggy.  She thought back to her days during YAB and her piggy rabbit stuffed animal.  She would have to get her piggy rabbit from home for Luo Min.  She was playing with him when she noticed the dimples and how he smiled.  When he smiled he was a little Lee Min Ho.  He had his dark hair and his eyes.  The eyes were the most like Min Ho.  Ying Ye’s eyes were different than Min Ho’s.  It was true they bore a remarkable resemblance to each other but the eyes were completely different.  Little Luo Min had his father’s eyes.  In fact when he laughed he was Min Ho’s mini-me.  No one had mentioned it so far but then they had not been compared.  Mother Li thought Luo Min’s eyes were like Shin Hye’s.  As long as no one saw Min Ho and Luo Min together then the resemblance would not be noticed.  People would continue to say his eyes were like Shin Hye’s.  Shin Hye was working her way out of the store by going through less populated areas.  It was a trick she had used many times before.  It was a bit more difficult with a giggling and squirming baby boy.  She had parked in the basement parking garage.  It was for VIP’s but she had no trouble being Li Ying Ye’s wife.  The manager of the garage recognized her and he knew who she was married to.  He gave her a parking pass and waved her on.  She had just stepped on the elevator and the doors were closing.  She was talking to her squirmy son and praising his attempts at talking.  Well she thought cooing and gooing were attempts at talking.  She laughed her signature laugh and the elevator stopped at the next level going down.  She had bent down to pick up Luo Min’s toy when someone stepped onto the elevator and pressed the basement button again.  She was totally into cooing back at Luo Min when she felt the atmosphere change.  She turned and looked into the eyes of Min Ho.

“Well who do we have here?  Ah yes, my ex-girlfriend.  And I suppose this is your husband’s son? “

Shin Hye quickly turned Luo Min to face away from Min Ho.  She did not want him to get a really close look.  “Min Ho ssi, how are you?”  She said hoping the next 4 floors would pass quickly.  He looked at her and she was radiant.  She looked happy not too happy to see him it seemed but she was in her element.  He could tell from the way she was talking when he stepped on that she was happy.  He sighed to himself and thought just let it go.  Too much time has passed and she has moved on.  He said, “Shin Hye, let’s just forget the past shall we?  We don’t have to be around each other but let’s just say we are old friends and say hello when we meet.”  He waited for a reply and could not figure why she was absolutely terrified.  If she wasn’t inside a moving elevator he had a feeling she would bolt.

There was a horrible grinding sound and the elevator ground to a halt.  It threw her forward and Luo Min came out of her arms.  Min Ho saw it happening in slow motion and grabbed Luo Min.  He turned Luo Min around so he could hand him back and found himself staring into a set of eyes that were so identical to his that he was speechless.  He looked at the baby with a more critical eye.  He was in fact staring at a perfect duplicate of himself.  His voice would not come out try as he might to speak.  He cleared his throat and in a deadly quiet voice said, “Shin Hye, what is going on? I know your husband resembles me but not like this.  Shin Hye?” Her name was a question and he looked into her eyes, “Shin Hye, first I find out your son has a rare genetic condition that is so rare only 1 or 2 % of the population has it.  I thought it odd that your husband and I both had it.  Now I see a baby who looks exactly like me.  Shin Hye who is this baby’s father?”