"Which side?" The lady asked calmly on the other side of the line and I looked down at Baekhyun who was holding onto my hand, squeezing it so hard I barely could feel my fingers anymore. I tried to help him lie down with his back on the grass but when I accidentally touched the side of his waist, he cried so loud I quickly removed my hands, shaking in terror, sure that I'd just hurt him even more.

"Right!" I cried out to the receiver. "It's the right side. Please, hurry up!"

The lady informed me about an ambulance coming to us and I hang up. Kneeling next to Baekhyun, I looked in panic at him. His breathing was shallow and quick as he kept his eyes shut, teeth gritted to ease the pain. His forehead was clammy from the sweat and I carefully shoved away the wet strands of hair with my shaky fingers.

"They're on the way," I whispered, afraid to speak louder as if it would cause Baekhyun even more pain. He swallowed hard before his eyes opened slowly and he forced a smile. How could he grin at me in a situation like this?

"I'm sorry," he muttered between the breaths. "We'll have to postpone the Opera."

For a moment I felt as if someone slapped me in the face. It was partly my fault Baekhyun was here, at the park, instead of spending time at home. He'd wanted to help me get used to the crowds I was so afraid of and the Opera was that 'first small step' he'd mentioned before. I had no bloody idea why it was so important to him to get me out of the constant circle of fear and regret I was running in but at that moment I felt like an for constantly refusing the help I was offered, not only by Baekhyun but also Sooyoung.

"I'm fine with that," I quickly assured him, trying to deaden the sudden remorse. "It's not like I wanted to go there anyway."

Baekhyun closed his eyes again but the smile reminded still on his lips. "You hate me so much, don't you?"

It caused another squeeze of my poor heart already tussling like an angry bird in my chest.

I didn't know why he asked that so suddenly but, what was even more surprising, I couldn't agree less. Of course he was frustrating, probably the most annoying person I had met in my entire life but saying that I hated this man was definitely an exaggeration. I wasn't pleased with the way he kept bothering me but there was always something nice and comforting in his company. Maybe that's why I didn't even think of changing my locker in the first place, knowing it would've saved me so much trouble.

As I opened my mouth to deny it, the loud sound of the ambulance siren shot through the air, making my body relax after the constant fear wrapped around every muscle in me. Just then I finally sat on the ground, letting out the breath I was holding for so long.

"They're here," I said, more to myself than to Baekhyun. At that moment I needed the assurance more than he.

* * * * *

I didn't know how long I'd waited alone at the hospital before Baekhyun's parents had come rushing inside but it'd been past nine when they'd finally appeared. I would always remember the terrified look on his mother's face as she looked around, trying to find someone who could provide her with information about her son. I knew straight away she was Baekhyun's mother - the resemblance was uncanny. Besides, the cute little Baekbeom was with her.

The boy saw me sitting in the hallway soon after he entered the hospital and immediately ran to me, ditching his parents at the reception. I didn't know if it was the situation and overwhelming emotions forcing us to do so but we ended up in a tight hug.

"What happened?" Baekbeom asked and my heart sank immediately after hearing his wobbling voice. I wanted to assure him that everything was okay but I didn't have a clue on what was going on with Baekhyun. They'd taken him straight to the operating room, ordering me to stay here and wait.

I took a deep, shaky breath, wrapping my arms tighter around the boy hugging me. "I don't know. We have to wait."

Swallowing hard, I looked up to see a man walking in my direction - Baekhyun's father. He had his jacket inside out and his hair was a mess telling me he was rushing here, leaving everything he'd been doing to find out what'd happened to his son. Under other circumstances I would find it funny but my heart crumbled in gratefulness as I realized how much he cared about his son. God, the whole situation was making a mess of emotions out of me.

Baekhyun's father was a tall man, maybe even head taller than Baekhyun himself, but they had the same eyes and nose. I smiled at him when he stopped right before me.

"Are you Baekhyun's friend?" He asked with friendly tone of his voice, glancing for a second at his young son still attached to me like a small koala bear. I nodded, trying to bow which was quite hard with Baekbeom's weight glued to my body.

"We're in the same English classes," I explained as Baekbeom finally decided to leave my sweatshirt alone, having it stretched out enough to his satisfaction.

"I see," the man said, heaving a sigh and his son clung to him this time. Who would've thought Baekbeom was such a cuddly? His father embraced him with one arm before he looked back up at me. "Do you know what happened?"

I shook my head no, wrapping my arms around myself in a comforting manner, remembering the events from one hour ago. I wanted to explain how Baekhyun had just suddenly crouched down in pain and how I'd called the ambulance shortly after but then the white door on our left opened and the same nurse that had taken Baekhyun inside came out. Soon after, a man in a white gown followed after her, looking around.

Not wasting any second, I ran to him and Baekhyun's family did the same. I was the first one to speak, almost throwing myself at the surprised doctor. "How's Baekhyun? What happened to him?"

"It's Appendicitis," the doctor explained, taking off the mask covering his mouth as we gathered around him. "He waited too long and the appendix ruptured."

I swallowed loud, listening to the doctor. Poor Baekhyun must've been in pain since the morning. What's more, he was running around to find his little brother which could've made his condition even worse. I glanced quickly at Baekbeom who was standing between Baekhyun's father and mother. He was chewing on his bottom lip nervously, probably feeling guilty for the unexpected turn of events.

"Is he going to be fine?" Baekhyun's mother asked the question we all had at the back of our heads and the doctor smiled down at her.

"We removed it so there's no need to worry." He looked down at his watch. "He should wake up in about thirty minutes so it would be good if someone was there with him."

Baekhyun's mother nodded before she disappeared with the doctor, leaving me alone with Baekbeom and his father. We looked at each other and when the information finally sank