Pete's POV:
We reached back and I saw the paramedics vehicle parked outside the medical building. I got out of car and rushed towards it to check for Can. My heart was thumping in my chest and I felt like my legs were about to give up. When I arrived, I saw the stretcher being taken inside the building and the little figure lay on it without any motion. Tin was beside him all the time, silently looking for everything that was happening.
I rushed inside the building following the trail of the people who were heading in front of me with fast pace. And then, they disappeared behind the doors and Tin was held back from going inside. He protested, tried to shove the people away but the guards were strong enough to hold him back. I can see him slowly crumbling into pieces.
I rushed towards him trying to comfort him. As I approached, I can see his shoulder shaking and little muffled sobs were heard. I gestured the guards to leave and sat down beside him. I rubbed his back trying to calm him down. "Tin, he will be fine." I tried to assure.
He didn't say a word but began to cry some more. I have never seen him so lost. Just then, Ae approached us and saw Tin's condition. His gaze dancing between the door of operation theater' and Tin. He didn't say a word but sat down on the other side of the Tin. I can sense the gloomy mood that was lingering around all of us.
Seconds, minutes and hours passed by but we still sat in the same place waiting for the doctor to inform us about Can. After what felt like eternity, the door was finally opened and the doctor walked out. I held my breathe as Tin and Ae rushed towards him to inquire about Can.
"How is he?" Tin asked. "He is fine. Nothing to worry about. We have successfully removed the bullet from his body and right now he is unconscious but you can see him when he comes to his senses. But make sure not to disturb him much. You can go one person at time." The doctor replied.
I can see both of them sighing in relief while I let out a deep exhale. Then, Can was brought out from the operation theater and shifted into another room. I thought it was better to let Tin be with Can since he was worried to death. I stepped forward when Ae was about to go inside the room and held his hand.
"Let Tin go inside first." I told him. He looked confused but nevertheless thought of trusting me. He stepped aside and allowed Tin to go inside the room. Tin thanked me as he slipped inside the room and closed the door.
"May I know the reason why you stopped me?" Ae questioned. "You didn't see anything?" I asked. I couldn't stop myself anymore. "What??" Ae was still confused. "Ae, Tin loves Can and Can too loves Tin. Don't act on impulse and listen to me first. They had been in a relationship for quite sometime and Can wanted to tell you but he was afraid that you might hurt Tin. Ae, you need to know that Tin means a lot to Can and also, he doesn't want to leave you. Today, Tin tried to protect me when the person aimed the gun at me but then, Can dived in front of us taking the bullet on himself. Ae, please... Let them be together." I pleaded. Right now, I was ready to do anything for Can because he had saved my life. And they both deserved happiness.
"Pete, I am not against him being with Tin but why didn't he tell me before?" Ae questioned. "Think about what would have happened if he did. If he had told you earlier, you would have either killed Tin or made him leave Can. And he was afraid of it. Ae, we have each other, don't you think Can too should be happy? Besides, Tin is the right ones for him. No one will love Can more than him." I tried to explain.
"I am not against him my love. I will never hurt Tin because I can see that he is really someone I can trust. But what disappoints me is the fact that Can was scared that I might hurt Tin. I might be tough for others but he is my brother, how can I hurt his feelings?" Ae's voice had turned soft and I can feel that his thoughts have trailed far away.
"Ae, it's not always easy to tell the other person about how you feel. But now that you know, you can speak to him and clear the things with him." I suggested. "I surely will." Ae replied. We had just finished talking when the door to Can's room opened and happy looking Tin walked out. "He is awake!!" Tin stated.
Ae immediately left his seat and rushed inside the room. I too followed him. When I got inside, I saw Ae talking to Can about something. "You should take care of yourself and you are not allowed to work till you are perfectly fine." Ae deadpanned.
"Come on Ae... It's just a bullet. You are pretending as if am disabled." Can complained. "I don't want to hear a single word. This are my orders and you will stay in here till you feel better and Tin will be looking after you." Ae ordered. Can's face lit up with smile upon the mention of Tin's name.
"But I am still wondering who was the one behind the attack." Can spoke thoughtfully. "It was Max." Ae informed. "WHAT?" Can almost shouted at the top of his voice. I have heard this name for the first time but something about Can's expression told that he was shocked beyond limits when he heard that name.
"That traitor!! How could he?" Can was now gritting his teeth and I can see the pulse rate on the heart rate monitor was turning uneven. It's not good to excite him in this state so I stepped forward. "Can, you should take rest. Don't stress yourself, it will delay your recovery." I pointed out. He then closed his eyes and soon, I can see him breathing calmly.
"Thank you for saving Pete's life." Even though it sounded plain, the tone itself had many emotions. Anyone hearing Ae will surely understand how much it meant to him to see me back again safely. "How can I let you get hurt? You are my brother and Pete means everything to you. So I have to take care of him." Can spoke as if it was something minor.
"You too mean a lot to me. You are my brother so don't think that I am not worried about you." Ae replied. Their conversation slowly turned to normal ones and the tension between us got eased out. After spending some time with Can, we decided to leave the room to allow Can to have some rest and since he is talkative, he would be least bothered about taking rest.
I turned around in order to head in the direction of the door when I felt that my head has suddenly started to spin and even before I could speak a word or call for Ae, everything turned dark and I was lost into the darkness.
The next time I opened my eyes, I saw a white wall in front of me. I tried to remember what had happened and could only remember that I had gone to see Can and then fainted while we were preparing to leave. I turned my head a little bit and found Ae sitting beside the bed on the stool. His face had a worried expression.
I felt as if my head was a little lighter and it was then I realized that I was actually having headache. "Pete, are you okay?" Ae asked while getting up from the stool and reaching his hand to check my temperature.
"I am fine khrab Ae..." I replied. "No... You are not... You threw up in morning then you felt dizzy. And now, you fainted again. I can't take the risk so I already spoke to doctor about it and he had asked the nurse to do some tests. The results will be out soon." Ae informed.
Shit!!! He will come to know about my pregnancy and it won't be a surprise anymore. "Ae, it must be because of stress but I am fine now. Let's get going. I need to have something because I am feeling hungry." I said trying to find a way to get out of this place before the doctor walks in and ruins my plan.
"No!! I am not leaving without having the test results in my hands." Ae deadpanned. "Are you hiding something?" Ae added while looking at me suspiciously. Pete, this is the time. Say it before the doctor does that for you.
"A-Ae... I need to tell you something." I finally said. "Hmm... I am listening." He said while giving all his attention to me. "Ae, I.... I am preg-" "Congratulations!!! You are going to be father." I was cut off right when I was about to say the word by the doctor who just entered the room. I felt betrayed when he informed Ae that I was pregnant.
"What?" Ae was more than surprised. "Yes... he is pregnant. He felt unconscious because he was lacking some necessary fluids. I have informed the nurse to run an IV so that he will feel better." The doctor informed.
"Thank you doctor.... Thank you very much..." Ae said in a happy tone and the doctor soon turned around to leave. He walked out of the room and Ae's attention got diverted to me. I was feeling more than guilty for having not told Ae about my pregnancy by myself. Why did he have to find out from doctor?
"You don't look happy with the news." Ae said making me snap out of my thoughts. "I am not happy that he was the one who told you about it." I complained. "It's aright sweetheart... You didn't knew but now be happy. We are going to be parents." Ae said while smiling widely and pinching my cheeks. "I knew...." I admitted making Ae retrieve his hand and look at me with confused face.
"What do you mean?" he questioned. "I found out in morning that I was pregnant and then thought about surprising you. That's why we went to the mall to buy some stuff and plan a small surprise for you." I replied. I was feeling very guilty for hiding this news from him. Then, it crossed my mind, I had unconsciously risked the life of my unborn baby. The thought itself brought goose bump over my body and my hands got trailed to the belly the very next second.
I was scared for my baby, scared that people wanted to hurt it. A tear rolled down my cheek as I thought about the incident in the mall. I would have lost the little bubble inside me. Then I felt two palms placed on either side of my face.
Ae began to wipe off the tears from my cheeks and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Love, don't be scared, I will protect you and our baby. I won't let anything hurt either of you." Ae assured in his gentle tone.
The next moment, I hugged him tightly and began to cry. "I am scared Ae... I am scared.... They tried to hurt our baby... they...." I couldn't speak further as the memory of the man pointing his gun at my belly kept repeating in my head. I remembered the fear I felt when the aim was shifted from me to my baby.
Ae pulled away from me and looked at me with concern. "What do you mean?" he inquired. And then it struck me, except me, Can and Tin, nobody knew about my pregnancy than how come that guy came to know that I was carrying a baby????