LOVE ME NOT || Bang Chan Soulmate au

25. Just Breathe

     "It's a good thing your friend brought you in when he did."

     I winced as Dr. Kim gingerly scrubbed at the skin under my nose, carefully trying to get rid of the dried blood. My nose was still bleeding when Jeongin finally got me through the front door, having parked his car as close to the entrance as he could while still being legal. It took the doctors almost 15 minutes to stop the nosebleed, and by then the blood had soaked through the towel and started dripping onto my shirt. What would Chan say if he found out I got blood on black shirt number 143?? The horror!

     Jeongin held my hand in his, squeezing it every so often in an act of comfort, though I felt like he was doing it more for him than me. I honestly thought he would sit outside, but he only really left for a few minutes to wash his hands clean. I also expected him to be freaking out about all of this, but he was strangely....silent, the only thing showing me his distress his hand in mine.

     It was actually kind of weird how calm he seemed.

     I flinched as Dr. Kim started on my nose, making him pause for a moment before continuing. The whole area of my face was sore, and I bet it was red even under all the blood. Jeongin squeezed my hand again.

Dr. Kim carefully wiped at the blood, one eyebrow raising as he opened his mouth to speak. "It's always concerning when a patient's nosebleed persists after a few minutes, Hanahaki side effect or otherwise," he said. "They can be a sign of stress or a signal that something is wrong in the body. I'm afraid in your case it seems to be both."

"I do have..." I paused for a second as his hand passed in front of my mouth, "...exams coming up."

     "Bleeding from the nose is also a prominent sign of an advanced case of the Hanahaki disease," came the doctor's next comment, and I couldn't help but quickly pull away.

     I stared at the doctor with wide eyes as his hand hold the cloth lowered at my absence. "Advanced?" I whispered.

"I knew it wasn't good," Jeongin murmured.

My hand tightened on his.

Gently, almost like he wasn't fully aware of what he was doing, Jeongin squeezed my hand back.

     "How...advanced...is it?"

Dr. Kim sighed, taking off his glasses and setting them on the table at his side. "There are five stages to the Hanahaki disease," he explained, counting on his fingers as he continued. "The first stage is simple. Small coughs and a few budding petals here and there. The second stage adds difficulty breathing. Because the petals are getting larger, they affect the amount of air you intake and the quality that air is. Coughing happens more frequently because allergens on the flowers themselves set it off. Stage three is where the other side effects start to present themselves. Exhaustion, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and other symptoms are the most prevalent. Stage three is also the longest phase your body passes through as the symptoms continuously worsen. Stage four is where the body starts to shut itself down—"

     "My body's shutting down??" I interrupted.

     "Yes," Dr Kim answered. "It is why the disease is so deadly. Organs and bodily functions start to slowly shut down. There's increased fatigue, pain across your body and soulmark, and most prominently blood when you cough. The problem is—" The doctor paused, pinching the bridge of his nose before meeting my eyes. "I don't believe you are in stage four any longer."

     "So what's wrong? Why am I...?" My question trailed off as I recognized the look in his eyes.

     It was the same look he gave my father so long ago, a few weeks before he died.