Hour Before Dawn

Chapter 17

"Good. Good job, Ye-jin," the nurse said as an encouragement. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

Ye-jin took slow deep breaths and opened her eyes while staying still on the edge of the bed.

"I think I'm okay," she answered quietly while getting a feel of how she felt overall. "I could feel the discomfort in the middle of my chest but it's mostly on my back and the chest tube sites. It hurts when the tubes are tugged in place when I move."

"That's totally expected," the nurse said to her. "Your incision is still fresh and you were in bed all day yesterday so your back is understandably hurting."

Ye-jin nodded at the nurse before looking at Bin who gave her a sweet smile and a nod, a gesture that meant he was proud of her.

"Good job," he mouthed, directing it to her, making her smile.

"Are you okay? Do you need some more time?"

"I'm ready to sit on the chair," she answered with a determined tone in her voice.

They helped her stand her up from the bed, with the nurses managing all the tubes and lines that were attached to her, and Ye-jin bit her lip as she slowly sat down. She leaned her head back on the chair and closed her eyes again, swallowing hard while trying to not think about her pain.

"Just breathe, okay? Relax in the chair for a little bit and keep hugging your pillow," the therapist said as they stepped away to make space for Bin who approached them.

"You did so well, Yejie," he said softly while his hand reached for her cheeks as he bent down to kiss her forehead. "Good job, babe."

Ye-jin continued to take slow deep breaths and felt her shoulders relax when she felt Bin's lips on her forehead. She opened her eyes and smile back at him.

"How's your pain, Ye-jin?"

"It's tolerable," she replied to the nurse. "Can I sit here for a while?"

"You sure can," the nurse smiled back. "Here, Bin, you can sit with her," she said as she pulled a chair closer for him.

"Thank you," Bin said before taking a seat in front of Ye-jin. "Are you okay?"

She gave him a weak smile before nodding her head. "I'm okay."

"Are you still in pain?" He asked while placing a hand on hers that was still on the pillow on her chest.

"It's there but I can handle it. It's nothing like the last time, so I'll be okay," she answered with a smile.

"That's good," Bin breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you up for your breathing exercises, babe? Do you want me to get the incentive spirometer?"

Ye-jin nodded and watched as he walked over to the table to get the incentive spirometer for her. He sat in front of her again and held it up to her mouth while she worked on her breathing exercise, both her hands still hugging the pillow on her chest.

The nurse couldn't help but smile to herself as the couple interacted beside her. She continued to write a note in her chart, leaving Ye-jin and Bin in their own bubble.

Throughout the morning, her team was in and out of her room doing their assessments on her and keeping her updated with her recovery. So far, she was well on her way to a quick and smooth one. The arterial line in her wrist and the pulmonary artery catheter in her neck were to be taken out that afternoon, leaving all the other ones to be removed the following day.

When her dad left after lunch, she was surprised to see Bin's sister walk into her room.

"Unnie?"