THE BABY MILL [[{SHINee}]]

THE BABY MILL [[34]] CROWNING

            A damp cloth pressed to Onew’s stomach, hiding the stretch marks from sight temporarily. Already another embryo was settling in the uterus floating in his abdomen like a jelly fish. A tiny cell combining with multiple strands of DNA nestled in the padded bed of his body. And it would grow in there and steal Onew’s comfort to make itself feel better.

            Another torture ride that basic medicine wouldn’t be able to fix.

            Unlike the other boys, who he knew were suffering tremendously in isolation with darkness molesting them physically and mentally. He knew the secrets of the institution. Like how there was a tangled mess of a situation with the power circuits thanks to an eruption in the plumbing from the storm that had raged for a week. Being Dr. Park’s pet had its perks (if one didn’t think of all the disadvantages it seemed fun).

            “Are you feeling ill?” the doctor asked, pressing a separate cloth to his forehead. His thinning hair was pushed away from his face, spread on his pillow to leave the pasty skin open for observation.

            Lips shut, Onew stared at the ceiling, refusing to acknowledge his question. He was sick at heart and the cancer was spreading through his body. Dr. Park had done it again. Used his magic sperm to start another life. Onew wondered how long it would take for him to realize that to grow a child and give it air to live you had to sustain the life of the one nurturing it or all would be lost.

            “Your fever has gone down…”

            Alone in the room his voice echoed in the space. Not a single machine blipped in the distance. The IV that usually hung by his head seemingly forgotten with the power outage. With that, all the heat escaped Onew so one second he was a mountain of blankets and the next he was sweating through his clothes. It was from the hormones… He knew the feeling well enough. An expert in the field of unnatural pregnancy, Onew had known of the coming mutant before Dr. Park had picked up on the symptoms.

            “Once the power comes back I want to give you a full examination. And when your blood work comes back we’ll be able to know for sure,” Dr. Park murmured.

            A sickeningly content smile floated to his face. The corners of his mouth pushed his bloated child cheeks, mounting dimples in his skin like a trophy for his pride. Creases ran to the crow’s feet rimming his bright eyes lost somewhere out in the future.

            It disgusted Onew. Stuck in his cocoon he hoped to grow some wings and fly off so he wouldn’t have to deal with the venom giving fuel their relationship. It hurt to be trapped here and be constantly reminded that nothing could be retrieved from the past.

            Carried off by his reverie, Dr. Park continued to dab at Onew, not caring of the silent treatment he was receiving.

            Make it end, Onew pleaded. He wasn’t sure who would hear his prayer, but hopefully someone would answer.

            Something…

            The door opened, sending a hopeful gush through Onew. Could it be that his prayers had been heard? Hushed silence pillowed Onew, erasing his dread temporarily till the face of Dr. Park’s assistant obscured his fantasy. Rocks settled deep in his stomach again, weighing him down so he could sink out of the real world.

            “What is it?” Dr. Park asked. His hand retreated from Onew’s forehead, never going far, however, his knuckles brushed Onew’s bare side, the heat in his body doing little to calm his savage emotions.

            With a stiff back robed by a freshly pressed lab coat the woman stood. Like all the other times he’d seen her she was with a clipboard in hand. Her hair was pulled back into a neat bun, tightening the wrinkles new and old around her thin lips and eyes. It seemed like things had been too hectic lately for her to be able to take an appointment with her cosmetic surgeon.

            “A carrier is in need of assistance; false contractions amongst other things listed here,” she passed the clipboard over, “needing diagnosis.”

            The doctor spent mere seconds scanning the papers, moving them close to the only light source. Thick brows matted he asked, “Have you ordered the preliminary procedures?”

            “Positive.”

            It wouldn’t be long now before duty called Dr. Park away from his personal affairs. Though the line between personal life and work had camouflaged itself skilfully… For the doctor it would be a nuance in his plans; for Onew it would be the break he needed. Being so close to the man had him constantly on edge, sucking his energy out of to the point where his eyes danced images that weren’t even there.

            Predictably, the body contact was sliced, air residing in its place. Onew let loose the breath he hadn’t known to be holding. He survived through the tender caressing of his cheek, anxiously awaiting the doctor’s leave.

            He hardly had to wait…

            The door was shutting. Creaking to a close to entomb Onew in his coffin. A shrivelling carcass was what he was… With the devil’s spawn strengthening off the last morsels of his life inhabiting him. He’d be nothing but that… Maybe even a little less…