CHAPTER 19
The door flung open without warning. From his position on the floor, Aidan turned to the source of sound and frowned when he saw Elena cross her hands in the doorway.
“What did you do to him?” she asked.
“I just sent him home.” Aidan looked away. “Why did you bring him here in the first place?” He cradled his throbbing head.
“You need help.”
“I don’t.”
Elena came closer, but Aidan didn’t look up.
“Aidan, what’s going on?”
“Don’t stick your nose into things that don’t concern you, Elena.”
Elena didn’t back away as he expected. She released a heavy sigh and sat near him on the edge of the bed.
“You can kindly leave my room.”
“I lost someone too. Long ago,” she added out of blue.
Aidan frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re hurt. I know.”
Aidan rolled his eyes. “Just stop. I’m not in the mood for some bullshit.”
“Long ago… I gave up on my boy.”
Aidan’s brows furrowed.
“And I am very, very sorry.” Elena’s voice wavered. Her hand ended on his shoulder, and Aidan shot her a glare.
“He was just three and a half years old.”
Aidan froze.
“I… This… This is why I can’t bear to see you like this.” She sniffed.
What the fuck is she talking about?
The sadness on her face kept him from lashing out. Aidan thought about pushing her out of the room, but he just found himself staring back at her.
Elena ran her hand through his hair, and Aidan pulled away like he was burned.
“Get out.”
No. That can’t be.
“Aidan, I–”
“Get out of the room and out of this house.”
Aidan couldn’t listen to it.
“I… I didn’t mean to–”
“I don’t give a fuck! Get out.” He climbed up on the bed.
“I know it’s not the right moment, but–”
“Get. Out.”
The tears rolled down Elena’s face and her voice trembled as she shook, “A-Aidan… I…” but she moved away from the bed when she finished: “I’m your mother. I’m sorry for everything.”
Aidan’s eyes popped out of its sockets when he had it confirmed.
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry…”
He looked at her face, her blue eyes, her blonde hair. The shock painted his face, then his eyes narrowed, and he shouted, “Get the fuck out!”
Elena retreated from the room, and Aidan stared at the closed door in disbelief.
That’s impossible… What she’s saying is impossible. She can’t be my mother… I… She… She’s not my mother.
He covered his face with his hands.
My mother is who knows where.
***
Aidan stared at the ceiling when he heard knocking.
“Leave me fuck alone!” his shout echoed through the
room.
The knob rattled, but the door remained closed.
“Aidan, I have something to tell you,” Elena said on the other side, her voice muffled by the barrier.
“You should really think twice about talking to me.”
“It’s urgent.”
“I don’t give a shit.”
“It’s about Min-Jun.”
Hearing the name Aidan tensed. Since he didn’t reply, Elena added, “He’s in the hospital.”
“What?” Aidan pushed himself into a sitting position.
“I got a call from the police.”
Aidan jumped to his feet and opened the door. “Did they say what happened?”
“Just that he got run over by a car. It was a hit and run so they’re investigating.”
“Which hospital?”
***
Aidan rushed inside the hospital; Elena barely kept her pace with him. He stopped at the first counter and asked the nurse, “In which room is Min-Jun Han?”
The nurse gave him a confused look and asked, “And you are?”
Shit. What should I say? She wouldn’t be willing to give me this information just like that.
Aidan’s brain worked at full speed, and he knew he had to answer quickly so as not to make the nurse suspicious of him.
“I’m his fiancé,” he answered without hesitation, looking at her with a grave expression. Elena just looked at him sideways but said nothing.
“Give me a second.” The nurse looked at her computer screen and with a few clicks found the information. She looked back at him and said, “He’s on the second floor, room 202. When you exit the elevator, go to the right. But you need to ask the doctor if he’ll allow you to see him.”
Bold of you to assume I’ll use the elevator.
Aidan felt his body tense as he thanked her and left. Since he didn’t want to waste time, he chose to use the stairs. He ran all the way up and had trouble catching his breath once he entered the hallway. Elena lagged behind him, but Aidan’s prime concern was finding the right door.
I hope you’re okay… Please be okay… Aidan repeated it over and over again like a mantra. Various questions swirled in his mind, but he couldn’t allow himself to ponder about anything for too long. He needed to make sure Min-Jun was okay.
“What are you looking for, sir?” a nurse who walked in his direction asked.
“Room 202.”
“You are looking for Mr. Han, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m sorry, but no one is allowed in his room right now.”
“Why not? Is he okay?”
“He is still in a critical state. Are you his relative?”
“I’m his fiancé.”
“Okay. Wait here in the hallway. I’ll tell the doctor that you are here. He will talk to you as soon as he can.”
With that, the nurse left, and Aidan remained standing in the place. His world spun and suddenly he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. At that moment Elena caught up with him and asked, “What did she say?”
“I need to talk to the doctor.”
“Yeah, well, the other nurse already told us that might be necessary.”
Aidan remained silent, so Elena pressed a hand to his back and pushed him forward. “Let’s sit here and wait.”
***
Waiting seemed like an eternity. It passed only about twenty minutes, and Aidan checked his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time.
“You need to calm down,” Elena said, glancing at his jittering leg.
“That’s easy to say.” Aidan looked around the hall, expecting to spot a white coat coming their way.
Since those were the first words they spoke to each other after they sat down in the plastic chairs, Aidan tried his best not to think about what Elena had said to him earlier that day. His main concern was Min-Jun’s well-being.
Fuck. We should be in my bed, fucking, or sleeping from exhaustion. Not in the hospital, dammit!
Aidan lowered his head in his hands and released a heavy sigh.
What happened? Who did this to you? Was it an accident or did you jump under the car?
While he stared at his shoes, he heard footsteps and raised his head.
“You are Mr. Han’s fiancé, right?” an old man dressed all in white asked.
Aidan rose to his feet. “Um, yeah. That’s right.”
“Come with me.”
The doctor led Aidan a safe distance from everyone present in the hallway and spoke, “Your fiancé is still in a coma, but I can let you see him for a few minutes.”
“Will he be okay?”
“I’m telling you this with a heavy heart, but you need to prepare for the worst. He suffered a severe head injury, and there is a slim chance he’ll survive.”
This news hit Aidan like a ton of bricks. His eyes went wide and his body stiffened. “He what–?”
“We have done everything in our power. Now only time will tell how his body will react to the injury. He would be–”
Aidan swallowed hard. The doctor’s words echoed in his head, but he felt as his brain was unable to process the information, like it was fighting against it. He stared at the older man and opened his mouth, unable to utter a word.
“Follow me,” the doctor added, but Aidan didn’t hear a word he had said in the meantime.
Aidan followed quietly and entered after the doctor. As soon as Aidan’s eyes landed on Min-Jun’s sleeping body, his heart shattered into million pieces.
This can’t be. I must be dreaming. There’s no way…
Lying like that in the hospital bed, Min-Jun looked like a fragile doll that would break if someone came too close or made a wrong move.
His head was half covered in bandages, a mask attached to his face to help him breathe, a cannula in the back of his left hand, and a beeping monitor on his right side.
His skin was so pale it almost matched the sheets.
No… This can’t be real. This is not him! It must be some kind of mistake.
Aidan held his breath when the doctor added, “I’m giving you five minutes.”
Aidan nodded; his eyes glued on Min-Jun’s unmoving body. He looked around for the single chair in the room and pulled it noiselessly closer to seat himself.
Oh, Min-Jun… How did it come to this?
His breath stuck in his throat as the feeling of regret and guilt overwhelmed him. He scanned his pale face, still hoping it was someone else instead of Min-Jun; it was hard to accept it was really him.
Aidan bit his lips as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. “It’s my fault… God, this is all my fault.”
I shouldn’t have let you go. Fuck. This could easily have been prevented.
He covered his eyes with his hand.
“I’m so sorry, Min-Jun. I’m so sorry,” he whispered, and muffled sobs echoed through the room.
Why you? You didn’t deserve this. It should be me instead of you.
Aidan’s heart squeezed and his throat tightened.
You made me feel alive, and finally awakened in me a real desire to live… And now you’re slipping away, and it’s my fucking fault.
Aidan stretched Min-Jun's arm and touched his fingers.
If only I could turn back time.
While he looked at Min-Jun’s face, the door opened and the nurse said, “Time’s up. You can visit him again tomorrow.”
If he survives until tomorrow, Aidan thought bitterly, but didn’t want to argue. Only when they exited the room did he ask, “Why can’t I see him more often? Like in another hour or two?”
“That’s not possible, sir. It’s not good for the patient.”
Aidan bit his lips.
“You can go home to rest. Come back tomorrow.”
“But what if he dies in the meantime?” Aidan snapped.
Elena appeared by his side and put a hand on his back. “Being here all the time won’t change anything,” she said.
“But I want to be with him.”
“I’m sorry. But we can’t do anything about it,” the nurse reminded him.
Aidan slumped in the chair, defeated. He dipped his head in his hands and released a heavy sigh. Elena only sat quietly beside him and traveled her hand up and down his back.