Trouble with the Curve

Chapter One | First Impressions

Less than 10 feet away from entering the room, I am brought to a halt as an alarm and a heart-breaking scream fill the air. A thin woman sprints down the hall and shoves me out of the way as she runs past me and enters the room next to where San Mirae and my mother are. I watch in disbelief as the petite woman starts barking orders to the other staff members who come running as she hovers over the lifeless body of a young boy.

"Bu Taeyang!" A woman sobs. "My boy!"

The pure panic and pain in her voice sends a shiver down my spine as the mother of the boy who wasn't breathing screams out the insurmountable pain she's feeling. The woman who was obviously in charge of the situation sends a look to her teammates, shaking her head, causing my stomach to drop as the woman's sobs become even more frenzied.

"NO! Help him!"

Taking off her mask, the nurse walks over to the mother who is crumpled on the ground sobbing and wraps her arms around her, whispering something into the woman's ears. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but some level of comfort must have been exchanged between the two as they latch onto each other and share in their mutual grief.

Tears prick my eyes as the nurse helps the woman to her feet so she can go sit with the boy on the bed and hold his hand as the medical team calls for a medical examiner to claim the body.

I watch in the background as the nurse moves silently around the room, subtly directing team members to give the grieving mother space and find myself glued to her figure as she continues to work in respectful silence.

"Son, come here," the sudden intrusion of my mother's voice causes me to look up from the disturbing scene and over to the woman who gave me life.

A solemn look covers her face and she waves me over from my place plastered against the wall of the hallway.

"We shouldn't be here for this. Come into San Mirae's room and help me distract her."

I swallow the knot in my throat and nod, deciding that my mother certainly knew best in this case. Following her lead, I go into San Mirae's room and close the door, sitting in one of the chairs against the wall.

"San Mirae, you've met my son Ryan Jae before, haven't you?"

The pale, thin child simply nods but doesn't make eye contact with me. She's staring dejectedly at the wall that she shares with the boy in the other room, the muffled sobs of his mother creating a haunting background noise for us.

"Bu Taeyang died, didn't he?" She asks.

My eyes are wide as I look over at my mother who is now openly crying.

"Yes, he did."

My mother's response is accented by the click of the doorknob and a woman entering the room with the three of us. I look up and realize that the woman who had been comforting Bu Taeyang's mother had joined our somber gathering and was focused solely on San Mirae.

"Am I going to die like he did?"

I had seen a lot of things in my life. I had seen injuries and harm in my military service, I had seen pain and hurt in my friends who had left behind their partners and spouses, I had experienced pain and heartbreak in my career, but there was nothing quite as hurtful as hearing a girl no older than 10 ask if she would be next to lose her life at such a young age.

Tongue tied; I look at my mother unsure of how to respond. She shakes her head and nods to the nurse who had joined us.

"San Mirae, look at me."

San Mirae takes her eyes off the adjoining wall and I see that there is no fear or tears in her gaze, but rather a look of ferocity.

"You are not allowed to die as long as I live, do you understand?"