Chapter 25

Silence filled the room as Yunho, Taeyeon & Changmin listen to Dr. Shim’s words when he left the three of them stood like statue. Yuri had surprised everyone. They had almost lost her in the emergency room but she had manage to pull through but this victory didn’t bring any comfort. Changmin recalled his father’s words & it cause him to go weak in the knee. Yuri’s heart was collapsing & without a heart transplant Yuri’s chances of survival was slim. Her life was coming to an end & it was hard for Changmin to accept it. There was nothing anyone could do but to pray & hold onto hope. Changmin focus on Yunho as he had never seen his friend like this, so lost & full of sorrow & knew that Yunho was screaming with pain inside. Changmin wanted to help him & comfort him but he knew that his words wouldn’t bring any comfort. Changmin felt so hopeless as no comforting words would heal Yunho’s pain, only Yuri could bring him comfort, take away his pain. Changmin prayed that she would make it through the night for he knew that if she died Yunho would die with her. He had witness their love & knew that they couldn’t survive without each other.

Taeyeon knelt beside Yuri’s bed & reach out to touch Yuri’s cheek. The coldness sent chills up her spine as pain & guilt seep through her, “Yuri.” Taeyeon whispered her sister’s name, as she grab Yuri’s hand in hers, "Please forgive me? Please wake up & tell me you forgive me? Don’t punish me with your silence." Taeyeon pleaded, & squeezed her sister’s hands. Changmin went to Taeyeon & pulled her up to comfort her, "Hush Taeyeon, she loves you & wouldn’t hold this against you so don’t blame yourself. Yuri wouldn’t want you, too." Changmin told her, as he wrap his arms around her & let her cry into his chest, "Changmin Oppa, I have to call my parents. We have to let them know." Taeyeon said, once her tears died down. Changmin knew that Taeyeon was right. They couldn’t hide it from her parents any longer. Yuri could leave them any time tonight & this fact causes Changmin’s own tears to flow. Changmin turn to look at Yuri’s pale face & pleaded with her to wait for his return then he lead Taeyeon outside to call her parents.

Yunho lifted Yuri’s cold hands to his lips & kissed it. Yunho closed his eyes, forcing the tears back. Inside his head was in stark contrast to the outward calm. Panic, fear, love, hope & despair warred passionately within him. Yunho knew that Yuri’s life hung by a thread as fine as cobweb. It was a miracle that she had survived. Deep within the secret recesses of his mind, Yunho knew that she was dying but he didn’t want to acknowledge it. Despite his tightly close lids, the tears escaped & slid down his cheeks. Yunho whispered his magic words of love & hope, pouring them over her like gentle rain. As he sat next to her, he convinced himself that they were connected by an invisible thread that could never be broken. It had drawn them together in the beginning. It was fragile at the moment but it would grow stronger until it became a cord & eventually, with the passion of their love for each other, it would become a cable.

Yunho stubbornly refused to entertain negative thoughts, knowing they would snap his strength & debilitate him. Yuri meant everything to him & he wanted to pass his strenght onto her, wanted to take away her pain. Yunho’s pain was building so high that it tore at his heart. He wanted to scream out as the pain was threatening to explode within him, "Yuri, don’t leave me here alone. Don’t leave me to face life alone. I need you here with me. Please live for me? I want to hear your voice, your sweet laughter that is like music to my ear. My heart aches for your gentle touch so don’t let our love end like this? We have waste so much time avoiding our feelings, fighting our love so please live for me? Give me the chance to show you how much I love you?" Yunho pulled her into his arms & cling to her as if his life depended on it. Why was life toying with him? Why had they brought them together then crudely tore them apart? What had he done that has cause life to punish him so?

Changmin turn to stare up at the sky. There was so many star out tonight that he wondered which one would be Yuri’s, "Do you believe that every star represents a person?" Changmin asked Taeyeon, without looking at her. Taeyeon looked up & stared at the stars, "I have never really thought about it. Do you think its true?" Taeyeon asked him, looking back at him. Changmin let out a sigh, "Its what I believe." He told her, still staring up at the night sky, "You love her, don’t you?" Taeyeon’s question causes Changmin to turn to look down at her, "Yes." Changmin didn’t know why he admitted his feelings to Taeyeon but once he said it, he felt the weight being lifted from his shoulder. He had kept this secret for so long & it felt wonderful to let it out. Taeyeon reach out & took Changmin’s hand in hers. She saw the pain in his eyes. It must pain him a great deal to keep his feelings hidden. In this moment, Taeyeon lost her heart to him. She realize that she love the man who was sitting beside her. She was surprised by the sudden realization. Thinking back, she realize that what she had felt for Yunho wasn’t love. What she felt for him was nothing more than a challenge. Taeyeon let out a sigh. It was too late to amend her mistake. Taeyeon prayed that Yuri would forgive her.

"Does she know?" Taeyeon asked him. Changmin pulled his hand away from her & ran it through his hair, "No, & I want to keep it that way." Changmin said, turning back to stare up at the stars, "Oppa, why don’t you tell her? I can see how much it hurts you to bottle up your feelings. You should let her know how you feel before its too late." Taeyeon didn’t know how she manage to say those words without bursting into tears, "Taeyeon, I don’t want to cause them anymore pain. Don’t you see that confessing my feelings will only bring pain. She doesn’t love me, she loves Yunho & there’s no place in her heart for me. I maybe hurting but the pain I feel is nothing compare to the pain Yunho is suffering from right now. I will never let myself come in between them." Changmin tore his eyes away from the stars & covered his face with his hand. Taeyeon reach out & wrap her arms around Changmin. She knew his pain as she was feeling it too, "Oh Oppa, how painful for you to make this great sacrifice." Tears escape from her eyes as she held onto him.

"Taeyeon!" Mrs. Kim called out to her daughter. Taeyeon let go of Changmin & ran to her parents. She threw her arms around her mother & cried, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Taeyeon cried, "What happen?" Her father asked her. She saw the pain on his face, "Its all my fault. I didn’t realize how weak she was. I was angry & pushed her. She...She fell. I didn’t mean to hurt her. Please believe me? I never meant to hurt your daughter. I understand if you won’t forgive me & want me out of your life. I know my action is unforgivable." Taeyeon cried, letting go of her mother & stepping back. Mrs. Kim grab Taeyeon back into her arms as tears began to fall from her eyes, "Taeyeon, how could we not want you in our life? Your my daughter. I carried you for nine months. You were our miracle baby." Taeyeon pulled away from her mother & stared up at her in disbelief, "Taeyeon, you misunderstood what you heard. Before I had you, I thought I wouldn’t be able to have a child of my own. Your father & I tried on countless of occasion & it was hopeless. I wanted a child desperately so your father & I decided to adopt a child but not long after we adopted Yuri, you came a long. We should have told you this long ago but we were afraid the news would devastated Yuri & afraid it will affect Yuri’s health." "Yuri is adopted?" Changmin’s voice broke the long silence that had fallen on them, "Yes, your father knows about this too, Changmin. Its a secret we have tried to keep for a long time now but I guess its time to let it out." Mr. Kim said, putting his arms around his wife’s shoulder, "Oh, god. We can’t tell her. It would break her heart. I don’t want to cause her anymore pain. She’s suffering enough & she’s too weak to deal with this." Taeyeon said, looking at them all. They all nodded in agreement & without saying a word, Changmin lead everyone back inside the hospital. Taeyeon held onto her parents hands as they silently strolled over to Yuri’s room & felt her mother's trembling hand. Taeyeon understood now why Yuri had kept her ill condition from them. She didn’t want to bring them the grief & pain. Taeyeon wanted to turn her parents around but she didn’t as they were already grip with grief & there would be no preventing it now that it had engulf them. Yunho force himself to leave Yuri’s side for her parents. Mr. Kim’s eyes filled with tears as he approach his daughter. She was so pale just like the first time he had brought her here. Mrs. Kim rushed over to her daughter’s side & began to weep. Her weeping turned into uncontrolled sobbing. Taeyeon approach her mother & tried to comfort her. She lead her distraught mother away from the bed & seated her onto the sofa near the window, "Oh god, please watch over my daughter? Please wrap her up in your protective arms & give her life? I beg of you to save her. Please don’t take her from us?" Mr. Kim gently his daughter’s cold cheeks. Yunho could no longer stand the pain that was building inside of him & ran out the room & didn’t stop until he was standing outside in the dark night. It was only then that Yunho free himself of his pain. He scream out with all his might, releasing the pain & grief that had tore at his heart.

Yunho sank to the ground & slammed his fist into the ground as tears of anguish flow down his cheeks, "Why?!" Yunho scream, up at the sky, "Why are you torturing us like this?! Why lead us to each other, then to tear us apart?! What have we done to deserve this punishment?! Punish me, take me, take my life & let her live! Please, I beg of you?! Don’t take her! Don’t take her! I don’t want to lose her!" Yunho’s cries were swallow up by the night wind. Yunho lowered his head to the ground as he felt so utterly lost & hopeless. Changmin stood on the steps & watch his friend cried out with pain. Changmin turn up to the sky & prayed that Yunho’s word had reach god's ear. Slowly, he walked over to Yunho & knelt down beside him. He pulled Yunho into his arms, seeing that it was the only thing he could do. Rain started to pour down upon them but they didn’t move but welcome it for it soothed their anguish. Changmin took it as a sign. Had god heard Yunho’s plead? Was god crying with them?

Memories flash through Yunho’s mind. The storm kiss he & Yuri had shared came vividly to his mind & he ached for her touch, to taste her sweetness & to feel the warm softness of her body. Yunho’s tears mingled with the raindrop & pain seized him again, as he recall the coldness of Yuri’s touch, the warmth in her was now replace with coldness, her rosy cheeks now white as the sheet she was lying on. Yunho pulled away from Changmin & stood up & ran back inside. He rushed over to Yuri & picked her up in his arms & carried her out. Taeyeon & her parents watch him. They tried to stop him but he didn’t put her back down. They gave up & followed him as he carried her outside into the rain. Changmin had just reach the front entrance of the hospital when Yunho step out with Yuri in his arms, "Where are you going Yunho?" Changmin asked him, but Yunho didn’t stop nor answered him but kept walking. Changmin turn to look at Taeyeon for an answer but he saw her wide eyes stare after Yunho. Changmin turn back to Yunho who was now sitting on the grass with his arms wrap around Yuri’s fragile body.

Yunho cradled Yuri in his arms. He didn’t shield the rain from her but let it fall down on her. He didn’t know why he had carried her out here. It was just something he felt. It was like the rain was speaking to him, "Yuri, do you feel the rain? Listen to them, they are singing to you." Yunho tighten his hold on her & lowered his head & kiss her lips. The moment his lips touch hers, he was transported back to the forest. Memories flashed around inside his head, their first meeting, their first kiss, their passionate love before the fire, it was as if he was strolling down his own memory lane. Yunho knew that she was seeing what he was seeing, knew that every memory that flash in his mind she was living them, too. Yunho felt a hands touching his face & open his eyes. Tears of relief filled his eyes as he felt her lips part for him & he dived in to taste her. Yunho felt the coldness leave her as warmth return to her. Deep inside, Yunho scream out with joy. Yuri had return to him. Changmin, Taeyeon & her parents couldn’t believe their eyes. Yunho’s kiss had somehow brought Yuri back from death door. This was the miracle they had all been waiting for as tears of joy flowed down their cheeks.