Through Muddy Water

Chapter 8: Day One Down

He found himself getting slightly dizzy as he watched his friend run around the room in a frenzy of motion, grabbing this and that and throwing it all into a bag in one jumbled mess.

“Do you need me to get anything for you?” WooBin offered tentatively while stepping back as YiJung practically bowled him over in the process of packing.

“Anyo, I got it. I just need-“  The rest of the response was lost to the nervousness.

Slightly bemused, but feeling guilty for that, WooBin watched him continue to take laps haphazardly for a few more seconds before deciding that it was time to intervene.“Yo, YiJung!” He threw out his arm as the man passed, stopping him in his tracks. Grasping YiJung’s sleeve firmly, he looked his friend in the eyes. “Slow down, everything’s going to be fine. Araso?”

The potter looked down, closing his eyes before taking a slow breath. Nodding, he relaxed a bit, and WooBin let go, turning his attention the task at hand.

“Good. Now, let’s take a look at what you have here.” He dumped the contents of the duffel across the bed, weeding through them and beginning to fold pieces of clothing. “You just need things for one night, right?”

“Yeah.”  YiJung seemed a bit calmer as he ran his fingers through his hair and joined in with the sorting. “Just a night.”

“Araso.” He nodded as they worked side by side.

Araso, YiJung. It’ll be alright.

***

He could already tell that this meeting was going take longer than he wanted it to and with each passing moment he found himself becoming more and more antsy.

Trying not to give away his anxiousness, JunPyo restricted the amount of times he glanced at his watch and instead tried to turn his attention to the presentation. It was nearing ten o’clock and YiJung had been slated to arrive at the hospital soon. If not for the importance of this conference, he would have cancelled it without hesitation. JiHoo’s words, although he did not agree with, still burned in his mind.

As he battled a complete lack of focus, Secretary Jung smoothly slid him a dossier. With his eyes still on the speaker, he opened it, glancing down just long enough to read the message. 9:45- YJ checked in, undergoing pre-treatment testing.

Drawing his pen he quickly scrawled a reply. Make sure the car is ready. That was all he needed to say, he trusted the secretary to have things prepared. In his twenty-five years, Mr. Jung had never once failed him. The man was the closest thing to a father he’d ever experienced growing up.

Lightly drumming his fingers on the table, he tried to ease back into the presentation as the clock on the wall ticked with obnoxious ferocity.

***

He was once again the patient and therefore, unable to escape being bombarded with medical terms, instructions, and procedures. YiJung sighed, listening to the nurse informing them that he was now to head upstairs for more preliminary tests.  At this rate, he wondered if and when they were ever going to get to the actual treatment. Thanking her politely he rose from the chair, collecting his jacket from the back of it. Beside him WooBin followed suit, letting him exit first.

The first thing he saw as he rounded the corner was the slender form of his friend, leaning against the counter with a chart spread before him.

“Oh, JiHoo’s here,” WooBin commented coming up behind YiJung. “That must mean that-“

He had already spotted her lingering nearby, nervously twisting her long locks around her finger. “GaEul.”

“YiJung!” Her face lit up as she ran to him and he eagerly opened her arms for an embrace that never came. Instead, she grew silent, stopping just short of throwing her arms around him. He wondered what was holding her back until she reached for his shirt collar, gently pulling it aside. He followed her gaze to his chest where the top few buttons were undone and her hand revealed his newly inserted central line.

“Does it hurt?” She asked quietly.

“Anyo.” He tenderly kissed her on the top of the head before buttoning his shirt to hide the line. “Please don’t worry GaEul, everything is alright. Araso?” Her reaction made him uneasy and he was not ready to cause any additional distress for either of them so early in the day.

Holding out his arm, he offered it to her with a smile. “Ga Ja.”

“Where?” She looked puzzled.

“Uh…” With all the anxiety from the morning, he was having a hard time keeping track of all the stops they had to make. “Upstairs next?” He looked at WooBin who held up a folder already b full of informational papers and leaflets and nodded.

“Yeah, upstairs.”

“Shall we head that way?” YiJung slipped his arm around hers before she could get another word in. He knew it would be best for him to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary- except this was not a normal day and here he was putting up a front already.

***

He’d only been on shift for a few hours and it was already chaos.

JiHoo frowned, staring at the stack of charts before him. He had really been hoping for a light day so that he could go down to the oncology ward and spend some time with YiJung. It was lucky enough that he had managed to stop by and wish him well at the beginning of the day, but he had been hoping to be there during the actual treatment.

There was a shrill alarm from down the call. Someone was coding and the sound of running feet down the hall signaled him to the arrival of several of his coworkers who rushed by, white coats trailing behind him. His attending waved at him to follow. He wasn’t allowed to think about YiJung any more, right now he had other things to take care of.

Mianhe YiJung, I’ll try again once things calm down.

***

 After what seemed an eternity, he was finally about to speak to an actual doctor who would hopefully be giving the go ahead for the treatment.

“Aneonghaseo,” the doctor greeted YiJung warmly.

“Aneonghaseao.”

“How are you feeling today? No cold or flu-like symptoms?”

“Anyo.”

 “Ok so no cough, chills, aches- good.” The doctor surveyed the chart quickly, “Everything looks good. Your blood counts are high enough and your vital signs look good so we can go ahead and start the chemotherapy today. I’m going to give you this to look over and sign.

The oncologist handed him the clipboard and a pen. YiJung stared at the first page, the words blurring together after the title. It was a strange feeling to see and hear the word chemotherapy being used with regards to his health. He tried not to, but all he could think about was the hell he would experience for the next few months if he signed that paper.

In his panic, he felt GaEul gave his hand a small, reassuring squeeze. “It’s alright,” she whispered to him.

Her voice gave him the courage to shake free of the nervousness long enough to sign his name at the bottom. The doctor nodded, saying something about sending a nurse in to get started but the blood rushing in his ears was so loud he didn’t catch it.

“Gwenchana?”

He exhaled leaning back uncomfortably, feeling WooBin’s hand on his shoulder and GaEul’s on his forearm. Shakily, he smiled at them both tentatively. “Gwenchana.”

WooBin smiled back. “Can I get you anything while we wait?” He was always so eager to help out. Loyalty was definitely one of WooBin’s strongest points.

“Anyo. I’m alright.”

“YiJung-ah,” GaEul piped up, reaching into her bag. “Do you want you ipod? I brought it in case you wanted it. Maybe it would help you to relax?”

Her thoughtfulness made him feel more at ease almost instantaneously. “I’ll probably listen later. I have you guys to keep me company right now.” He reached over, batting at her hair playfully. “Thanks.” He watched her wrinkle her nose in response, pulling away with a grin. It was good to hear her laugh, made everything seem a bit more normal. He knew his friends were just trying to be supportive, but he couldn’t figure out how to ask them to just act like it was a typical day when obviously it wasn’t.

There was a knock on the door and a nurse appeared a tray with various medical supplies. GaEul’s smiling face disappeared almost immediately, her amusement fading at the sight of the IV tubing and syringes.  YiJung felt his protective self sprang into action, eager to forget his problems and do something protective instead. He reached out and tapped her lightly on the arm.

“GaEul, go with WooBin for a minute,” he instructed firmly.

She shook her head quickly, still looking at the nurse with apprehension. The color had drained from her cheeks and the shimmer from her eyes was absent. It frightened him more than he expected, to see her so scared, but he would never let her know he was wavering inside. “I’ll be fine, I promise.” He hoped his voice was steady enough to convince her as he tucked her smooth hair behind her ear.

“I’m just going to set this up and then you can come right back.”  The nurse kindly added, accustomed to this sort of situation, no doubt.

 “Ya.” YiJung took GaEul’s delicate hand in his, caressing her slender fingers. “Everything’s going to be fine, araso?”

 She looked at him with glossy brown eyes and nodded but her demeanor was still very hesitant. Cautiously, WooBin stepped forward to put an arm around her shoulders. He nodded reassuringly to YiJung as he gently led her away.

Sighing, YiJung looked ahead at the blank wall. He was thankful for WooBin’s presence but frustrated that he couldn’t do much himself.

“Your friends seem very supportive.” The nurse commented as she spread out her tools.

“They are.”

“It helps to have people there for you. Friends, family, they all make the process a lot easier. It may be frustrating at first to be the center of all the attention, but they’re going to be a big help once they settle in.

He nodded, swallowing nervously as she put on her gloves.

“Araso, let’s talk about you. Are you ready to go?”

“I think so.”

She smiled warmly at his insecure reply. “It’s totally normal to be nervous. Everyone is on the first go-around. How’s that central line feeling? I just need you to undo the top few buttons for me.”

“Kind of strange,” he murmured while obeying her request.

“It takes a bit to get used to.” She gently extracted the line from beneath his collar. “They key is to take care of this really well or you can get a pretty serious infection. So if it becomes painful or you feel sick or anything out of the ordinary- please give us a call.”

He nodded, watching her twist a syringe onto the end of the tubing.

“This is just a flush to clear the line; it might feel strange going in.” He was grateful to see that she worked adeptly and efficiently, preparing a second as soon as the first was in. “Alright, now I’m going to push the anti-nausea medication. We always give this even if you feel fine because it takes a bit to kick in and it’s much better to be safe than sorry.”

Again he nodded, trying to keep all of the information he was receiving organized in his brain somehow.

“I know this is a lot to take in but you’ll get the hang of it. It’s a learning process and we’ll help teach you and your friends so don’t worry.  Do you have any questions?”

He was glad seemed to understand what was going on in his mind. “Anyo,” he mustered to reply.

“Alright.” She hung a black bag on the IV pole, stepping back casually. “You’re started.”

“That’s it?” He inquired in disbelief. As they talked, he hadn’t even registered that she had attached all the necessary tubing. Slowly, drip by drip the chemotherapy was already sliding down the IV and into the vein in his chest.

“That’s it. Now we just wait for the drip to finish. It takes about four or five hours unfortunately.  I’ll be stopping in to check on you and if you need anything at all, just hit your call button.”

He was pleasantly surprised at how easily the treatment was administered and found himself to be extremely thankful for such an understanding nurse.

“Kahmsamnidah.”

She smiled brightly back at him, the first person since the diagnosis to act so normally around him. “I’ll send your friends back in now.”

 ***

Trying not to watch each and every drip of the IV snake its way through the plastic IV tubing and into his chest, she kept her attention on the game they were playing.

GaEul studied YiJung’s face as he furrowed his brow in concentration.

“Are you thirsty?” She asked.

“Maybe a little, it’s okay though.” He looked up and ruffled her hair affectionately.

“Yo YiJung-ah. They said you should keep hydrated as much as possible.” WooBin interjected from several feet away where he had parked his chair to give the two their space. He put down his book, looking over at the potter. “Want me to get you something?”

“Anyo. Gwenchana.”

“I was going to go find a bathroom anyway.” WooBin stated, beginning to rise.

“Ah, it’s okay, I have some stuff here.” She piped up,bending down to rifle through the large bag she’d been toting around. When she sat up, she produced several bottles of juice. Tossing one if the bottles at WooBin who caught it easily with one hand and setting another aside for herself, she uncapped a third juice and handed it to YiJung. He accepted it gratefully, taking a few swallows. WooBin also drank from his bottle, stretching lazily as he set it down on the windowsill.

“Thanks.”

“Anyo, it’s nothing.”

“But… how did you know I liked this kind?”

“I just remembered. I also brought some snacks that you like.” As soon she spoke she felt the blood rush to her face and felt suddenly very shy. Years of being apart made it feel as if they were just starting to date again and she was still nervous around him.

“Chu GaEul, are you blushing?” He smiled at her, a genuine smile this time. It had been a few days since she’s seen that expression on his handsome face.

“Anyo!” She squirmed, ducking back down to pretend to dig in her bag again. Resurfacing she hid behind a book much to his amusement.

“Ya,” YiJung laughed, mouth wide with a grin. “Don’t I get to see your pretty face?”

“You’re flattery won’t win me over” She teased back, refusing to put it down. She could hear him laughing from behind the pages, a sound that took her way from this dull hospital room.

“Ya!” He tapped the front of the book, pushing it into her nose. Letting out a tiny squeak she dropped it on the floor before giving him an exasperated look. Behind her she heard WooBin stifle a chuckle.

YiJung froze, unsure of how to react. “GauEul… Mian-“ he began, his eyes questioning her. She knew he had a feeling she wasn’t serious but he was stuck wondering if she was okay. The look on his face was so cute however, that she couldn’t help but to giggle.

“Ya!” he whined playfully, “That’s not fair. Get over here you.” Still laughing, she retrieved the book and settled beside him once more.

“I’m still winning you know.” He grinned mischievously, taking another sip of juice.

She swatted at him with the book in reply. The sudden movement made him miss his mouth and left a trail of juice dribbling down his chin. It only took one look at each other before they dissolved into a fit of laughter again. When they caught their breaths once more, she leaned against his shoulder contentedly. The space felt warm and familiar.

Maybe everything will be okay after all.

***

Looking at his watch, his heart sank. He had no idea how it had become so late so quickly and he could feel the anger for the

The door was closed so he gently knocked before entering. Opening his mouth to speak, he stopped short at the sight of YiJung dozing on the bed, headphones threaded into his ears. Beside him, GaEul also slept, curled like a cat on the small hospital chair.

 “Oh JunPyo, you came.”

He jumped a little, startled at the sudden voice. He hadn’t noticed WooBin sitting quietly in the corner although it didn’t surprise him. Wherever YiJung was, WooBin was always sure to be close behind.

“How is he?” he asked tentatively. YiJung looked just like he usually did when he fell asleep on long trips, but the hospital bed made it hard to tell if that was wishful thinking or not. The prince’s smile however sent a wave of relief through his body.

“Well, day one down. He did really well, mostly he’s been bored. I think he fell asleep about an hour ago, slept right through the end of the treatment.” He paused to look over at the slumbering couple. “I don’t think either of them got very much rest last night.”

JunPyo nodded, he hadn’t either. Thinking about the diagnosis was no easier today then the day he found out. To make things worse, he was still feeling terrible for only showing up at the end of the day. “I know I’m late but-.”

“Yah,” Woobin have him a short smack on the arm. “You’re the head of Shinwah. The important thing is you came. JiHoo’s still tied up somewhere in the hospital but he called down earlier. And JanDi came by after lunch. It was only for a few hours but it was good she came. Normalcy is good for him so when you can come, you do.”

Despite the encouragement, he stared down at his shoes, mentally kicking himself for not calling or sending a message earlier. There was no possible way he could have postponed the meeting but he still felt guilty for not working something out.

“You going to stay?” WooBin asked casually. “If you hang out here, I can go get us something to eat. I don’t think anyone’s eaten since lunch.”

“Yeah, sure.” He shrugged off his coat, laying over the back of the chair neatly. “Go ahead, you must be ready for a break anyways.”

“Araso.” WooBin gave him a clap on the shoulder as he left with a smile. Sighing, JunPyo watched his two friends as they breathed in sync with one another. The two of them side by side made him think of how little he’d spoken to his own fiancée. Pulling out his phone he typed out a text.

Jagiya, mianhe. I went to the hospital to see YiJung, I’ll be home in a few hours. It’s been a long day and I can’t wait to see how the wedding plans are coming!  Saranghae.

As he hit send YiJung stirred, stretching his legs out and pulling the headphones from his ears. He opened his eyes, sitting up and looking around with a sleepy squint. “Ah JunPyo. When did you get here?” He dropped his voice, catching sight of GaEul.

“Not too long ago. I told WooBin to go out for a bit so he left to pick up some food. Are you hungry?”

“Maybe a little.”

“YiJung-ah.”

The potter looked at him, still in the process of waking up. “Bwoh?”

“Mianhe- that I wasn’t here this morning.”

“Hajima. It was work, you’re an important guy.”

“I know- I just-“

“JunPyo, gwenchana.  I didn’t want today to be a huge deal anyways, araso?” They looked at each other seriously for a few moments before finally cracking a smile.

“Araso. “ JunPyo nodded, looking about the room curiously. “You brought games?”

“GaEul did and wow did they come in handy today, its way more boring than you’d even imagine.” He slowly reached over her sleeping form to extract a game. “You want to play?”

“You’re on.”

***

He practically impaled the elevator button he pushed to so hard. He was hungry, dirty, tired and frustrated and his shift had just ended, leaving him with one thing on his mind.

JiHoo sighed, digging his hands deep into his pockets. It wasn’t as if he’d chosen to stay away all day, it was unavoidable, but still it bothered him. Thankfully one of the nurses, the one who always whispered about how attractive he was, had been slipping him updates all day and when he had given YiJung a call earlier the potter had seemed in good spirits.

The doors opened and he stepped onto the floor, shuddering a little at the dark words clearly labeling the wing as the oncology unit. YiJung’s room was simple enough to find, there were few places VIP patients were placed. He was sloppily preparing an apology speech when the door swung open before he could reach the handle to open it himself. All words escaped his mouth as JiHoo found himself unexpectedly face to face with not WooBin, not Gaeul, not YiJung, but…  JunPyo.

***

So I just realized I never really said anything about this story, etc.
I've got 13 chapters written and I am slowly adding to this site. I might just put them all up and catch it up to the other site I'm on. It's partially insipired by my experience with my grandfather's battle with cancer. He passed away two months ago and a lot of the friendship and strength of will parts are going to be relflective of his life.

Thanks so much for reading guys, so happy to already have 2 subscribers!
I'm new to the site but I'm sure I'll get better at navigating and getting to know you all soon ^-^