What is love? (Mina's Story | Michaeng)

17. Hospital

I had lost all my wits. Is she breathing? Yes, she was. I'm so glad the girls were with me. Jihyo didn't waste time to call an ambulance. The younger girls informed Chaeyoung's parents.
I couldn't stop my tears from falling. The younger girls were crying too. Jihyo was the one comforting us.

The paramedics rushed Chaeyoung to the ER. We sat at the waiting area, waiting for the grown-ups to show up. Chaeyoung's dad arrived in dishevelled hair and her mom was behind her husband sobbing. Dahyun and Tzuyu ran up to them and hugged them, sobbing too. Her dad took over the situation and did the necessary paperwork. I was much calmer because their presence gave us feeling of security.

"Is Chaeyoung's guardian here?" the nurse called.

"Yes, how's she?" both her parents urgently rushed to the nurse.

"She was experiencing from physiological shock that's why she's unconscious. But nothing to worry about; she was still in the early stage. She's safe now. She needs to take a CT scan. Please take this reference to the desk and fill a form. We are moving her right now," the nurse handed them a paper. Her father took it and rushed to fill the necessary form.

Meanwhile, they moved out Chaeyoung for the laboratory to take her CT scan. She was administered with oxygen mask and IV injected into her.

Who could do such a horrible thing to her? My throat and lips were dry. I was imagining all the terrible things that could have happened if we didn't find Chaeyoung.

"Where is she? Where's my baby?" an elderly man in suit asked Chaeyoung's mother. There was another man behind him. He looked in his forties. A teen boy was also following them.

"They took her to take a CT scan, father," Chaeyoung's mother answered.

"That's Chaeyoung's grandfather, uncle and cousin," Dahyun told me and Jihyo. We bowed and greeted them.

"Have you girls had lunch?" Chaeyoung's mother asked. We shook our heads. "Dahyun, take this and go feed yourself and go home," she gave money to Dahyun. The later took it and we went to find  restaurant to eat.

"Let's go home," Jihyo said after we ate.

"Let's go in the hospital just once and ask her condition before we head home," I said. They agreed and we returned to the hospital.

There was a crowd outside Chaeyoung's room. "Who are these people?" I thought out loud.

"These are the Sons. Chaeyoung is the first and only girl in the Son family in the last three generations. They dote on her. Those are her uncles, aunts and cousins. And the old man in white shirt is her grandfather's brother," Dahyun explained.

"Chaeyoung is also the youngest in the family. She is so loved. They could literally kill for her," Tzuyu added. It was both cool and intimidating. I mentally counted the crowd, 4 uncles, 2 of the aunts and 9 cousins, all boys. And of course her parents and the two grandpas. What about Mary? She mentioned of a cousin by the name Mary. Maybe she is from the maternal side, I thought. They huddled around the doctor who came out of Chaeyoung's room.

"She has multiple fracture on her left arm and on her right leg. She's going to wear cast for a month. She's gonna have to bed rest. All her wounds are treated too. The bruises will disappear gradually. You don't need to worry. She will be fine. Please go home," the doctor assured them, more like he wanted the crowd to disappear.

Slowly the crowd of Sons left in twos and threes. Finally, it was just her parents and an uncle. We got a chance to peep at Chaeyoung who was sleeping peacefully under the influence of medication.