INK~~ SKZ FF

Chapter 40

The blinding haze of lights flooded her eyes as they fluttered open. Her vision was blurry as she tried to adjust to the world around her. There was a slight itch of pain that lingered in her neck. The realization of what happened comes back to her as she moves her arm to touch the sensitive wound that was on her neck.

With her sudden movement, everyone in the room shot up from their seats and came over to check up on Jieun. The concerned look on their faces made Jieun smile as she felt the love radiating from them.

"How are you feeling sweetie?" her mother asked as she grazed her hand down the side of Jieun's face.

Raising her hands, Jieun signed to them. "I feel alright."

She didn't know if her surgery was a success or not. Not being able to speak for years, the thought scared her. What if the surgery wasn't a success? If she tried to talk,  everything would have been a waste.

There was a knock at the door as Dr. Kang walked inside. He was pleased to see her awake.

"Your surgery was a success. It is going to take some time before you're able to fully start talking again, but I'm sure you're able to make some noises now, but you'll go to speech therapy. They'll help you be able to format words again," he informed.

Everyone was looking at her with eager eyes, wanting her to try to make some sound to prove that the surgery went as planned. The whole room was silent, waiting for Jieun to try to talk.

Opening her mouth, she could feel her heartbeat racing. Her nerves were trying to overtake her as she built herself up.

Finally, a little croak sound came out of her mouth. It was the first sound that she's been able to make in years. Tears were pricking her eyes as everyone in the room started to cheer for her. Jieun was engulfed in a layer of hugs from everyone.

From not being able to make any kind of noise for years, the fact that she was able to make the small peep meant so much to her.

"It is wonderful that you're able to make a little sound, but it is best not to try to do much more since you're still in recovery. Once you go to your speech therapy, you'll go through a lot more exercises that will get you talking once again."

Glancing over at Changbin, she could feel the loving gaze of the male. Something inside of her just told her that the male would be there every step of the way and she couldn't be more excited. It was going to be a long and rough journey, but once it was all over, the whole experience would be worth it. She will be about to talk and communicate with everyone once again.

~~~~~~

Recovering isn't an easy process. It was definitely a slow and complicated working process. Not being able to speak for several years had weakened her vocal cords which had made the healing take longer than normal.

The doctor had just finished doing her final test and imaging to clear her for going home. They checked the newly built up scar tissue to make sure that none of the new forming tissue would end up with the same results as last time.

Luckily, since Jieun was determined to recover as fast as possible, she was in total clear to return home. There were now appointments scheduled for her first speech therapy sessions and things she could work on while at home to make her vocal cords grow stronger.

"She'll be able to pick up her prescription downstairs and then you'll be able to head home," the nurse informed them as Jieun packed the last of her things in her bag.

Looking around at the now plain white hospital room, Jieun would finally be able to leave and rest comfortably in her own home. She couldn't wait to get back and see Kimchi again to have the fluffy cat snuggle up next to her.

"Are you ready to go?" Beom asked her as she took her hand.

Nodding her head, she followed the female out of the room as they walked down the white hallways. A few of the nurses that took care of her waved as she passed by. Even Dr. Kang appeared to send his farewells one last time.

They went down the elevator and walked over to the little pharmacy that they had on the ground floor. There were a few prescription medications for Jieun to take for her throat and vocal cords to heal nicely and not have the same tragic ending as last time.

There were a couple of times that Jieun tried to use her voice to see if there was a difference in the pain that was there right after the surgery versus it having some healing time. Surprisingly, with the few times she's tried it, her voice sounded better each time. It was making her hopes rise and she couldn't wait to get started on her road to returning her voice back again.

Her first appointment would be in a few days. She didn't know what to expect when it came to what procedures they'll take in order to start using her voice, but Jieun was ready for it.

Jieun's parents were waiting outside for them in their car. Since none of them drove, they wanted to be the ones to take her home so she wouldn't have to walk to the subway and have to wait before getting back to their apartment.

"I can't believe that you'll be starting your therapy so soon," her mother mentioned.

"I know, I can't wait to know the sound of her voice once again," Beom chipped in.

"Just know, sweetheart, that it isn't going to be perfect right away," her father said. "It is going to be a stressful process, but if you continue to push through then you'll be talking in no time."

Jieun was eager to start it now, but she couldn't put too much strain on her voice before it was ready. It was best to allow everything to heal properly and then whoever will be helping her will give her the best plan of action.

"I bet Jieun will have no problem regaining her voice back," Beom nudged her.

"I just can't wait to get started," Jieun signed to her.

It won't be for too long before she won't need sign language anymore. She would still practice it if she were to meet any people who couldn't speak or hear. It might also be kind of nice if she needed to talk to her friends or family without someone else overhearing.

She remembered hating to learn it since it was hard to try and remember all the gestures and movements that would match the correct phrases and sentences. It was a long and tiring process when she was younger as she was still in denial about losing her voice. But she picked herself up and pushed through and is grateful to have learned the language and can still use it in the future.

Arriving home, Yin was waiting at the door as Jieun came rushing back into her home. It felt nice to finally be back.

Kimchi came running out of her room, meowing her greetings to Jieun. She rubbed her head against her legs before Jieun picked up the fluffy cat and gave her little kisses on her head.

"I still don't understand how that cat only loves you," Yin pouted next to her.

Ignoring her comment, Jieun dragged her things back into her room and started to unpack all of her belongings. She told her parents a quick goodbye as they asked her to keep them updated about her therapy.

A text from her phone caught her attention as Changbin asked if she came back home today.

I just got back.

That's great. I can't wait to hear that lovely voice as you start your therapy.

Me too.

Jieun kept thinking about the time before she went into surgery. They haven't had the time to be together since then in order to talk about it. She didn't know when they would be able to, but she would plan to meet up with the male and express her true feelings towards the male.

For now, that would have to wait. The one thing that was on her mind at the moment was to focus on regaining her voice back.