CHAPTER 21
The thick carpet of snow covered the streets of London; mid-January slipped by quickly. The air was freezing, and life outside took a slower pace. Most people preferred to stay in their cozy and warm homes if they could afford it, but Aidan returned to the hospital.
The nurses greeted him, already used to his visits.
“Good morning, Mr. Wilton.” One of the nurses led him into Min-Jun’s room and looked at the bouquet in his hand. “I’ll get some fresh water for the roses.”
“Thank you.” Aidan nodded and seated himself beside the bed. The roses he previously brought had already started to wither, and he dropped them into the bin. He put the fresh bouquet on the bedside table and took Min-Jun’s hand gently in his.
“Hey. It’s me again,” he said softly then leaned in to kiss Min-Jun’s forehead. When he did this for the first time, days ago, he hoped Min-Jun would open his eyes.
I miss you, my sleeping beauty.
He ran his fingers over Min-Jun’s motionless ones and sighed.
It’s been long… I hope you’ll be alright.
Aidan sat in silence and watched Min-Jun’s chest rising and falling. He held his hand, not wanting to ever let go. A few quiet minutes passed when the fingers underneath his twitched. Aidan directed his gaze on Min-Jun’s face and saw his brows furrow.
Aidan’s eyes widened, and he held his breath.
Min-Jun opened his eyes and blinked a few times, unaccustomed to daylight. Once his eyes were used to the change, he looked around, confused. His eyes landed on Aidan, and Min-Jun watched him as if he saw him for the first time.
Aidan said, “Good morning,” with a smile, but Min-Jun didn’t reply.
“I’m going to get the doctor,” Aidan got to his feet, feeling uncomfortable under Min-Jun’s empty stare.
His heart jumped happily behind his ribs, and he called the nurses, the doctors, everyone.
Luckily two nurses were close by and went after him into the room.
They surrounded Min-Jun, and after a while the doctor entered as well.
“Mr. Wilton, we’re going to check him now. Wait outside.”
Aidan nodded and stepped into the hallway, not sure what to do with himself.
***
Min-Jun’s world was spinning. He tried to lift his hand, but he was unable to move a muscle. He tried to speak but no words came out of his mouth. He felt so uncomfortable; he wanted to scream, and the throbbing pain in his head only intensified his suffering.
What is happening?
Nurses and doctors were around him, moving him from side to side like a doll.
Frustrated, Min-Jun tried to remember the events that brought him there but without success.
When the doctor pointed a flashlight into his eyes, Min-Jun wanted to back away, but he didn’t have the strength to do so. He only blinked helplessly.
Why can’t I move?
He heard the doctor talking to the nurses, but he didn’t understand what they were talking about. Eventually they all left, and his pain began to subside. His eyelids felt heavy, and his head drooped to the side.
***
“How is he, doctor?” Aidan asked when the doctor exited Min-Jun’s room.
“Disoriented and confused. But that’s only normal. We injected him with painkillers; it was noticeable that he was in pain. He wasn’t able to talk yet, which is common after waking up after so much time.”
“Will he be okay?”
“He woke up, which is positive news. We will continue to monitor him and will let you know tomorrow if his condition improves. For now, it’s best to stop the visits. We’ll let you know when you’ll be allowed to see him again.”
Aidan felt a creeping panic. “But why can’t I see him?”
“As I already said: He is confused and disoriented. He needs to come to his senses before we let anyone in, so his condition doesn’t worsen. His mother should be his first visitor, then we’ll introduce others close to him.”
Aidan relaxed a bit and said, knowing he had to obey the doctor’s instructions for Min-Jun’s own good, “I see… So, tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow if his condition improves. But it usually lasts a couple of days. I’ll update you on his condition anytime.”
“Thank you.”
On his drive home, Aidan’s phone rang. When he noticed it was Detective Miller calling him, he answered right away.
“Miller?”
“We got him.”
“Finally.” Aidan looked around. “I’m on my way to the station.”
He looked for a place to turn around and rushed to the police station as fast as he could. Once inside, he approached one of the police officers, “I came to see Cade Jenkinson.”
A police officer led Aidan to visiting rooms and Aidan seated himself on one of the chairs. He knew it would take them a few minutes until they bring Cade. Once Cade entered, accompanied by a police officer, Aidan jumped to his feet and without a second thought delivered a punch to Cade’s face.
It took the officer by surprise when Cade’s head flung to the side. He kept Cade from falling backwards and shouted, “You’re not allowed to do that!”
Cade pressed his cuffed hands to his face, hesitant to walk forward when Aidan pointed his finger into his chest. “You! You’re lucky I didn’t find you first.”
Another police officer grabbed Aidan’s shoulders. “You must not hit the suspect!”
Aidan glared at Cade, who stared back in silence.
“You’re not talking now, huh?” Aidan asked, wishing to punch him more.
“And what should I tell you?”
The blood boiled in Aidan’s veins. “You almost killed him.”
“I didn’t plan on hurting him that much.”
“That much? You ran him over with a car. A fucking car!”
Cade shook his head. “I… I stomped on the gas a little harder than I intended to. But I didn’t want to kill him or anything.”
Aidan looked at him in disbelief. “You… You fucking arsehole! You’re nuts!”
Cade frowned. “So are you. You were fucking that twink! Weren’t you?”
Aidan tried to free himself from the officer’s grip and punch Cade’s face again, but the officer’s grip was steely. “You’ll rot here,” Aidan added instead. “And I’ll take care of that.”
“Why are you so mad about it?” Cade asked. “Why do you care?”
Because Min-Jun is everything to me.
“You almost killed an innocent man.”
“An innocent man?” Cade laughed and shook his head.
Aidan clenched his fist, and the officer pulled him away from Cade. “You’re done, Cade. Remember that.”
The officer led Cade out of the room, and the hold on Aidan’s shoulders relented. Aidan pulled out of the man’s grip, fixed his clothes, and left.
***
For the next five days the nurses didn’t let Aidan into Min-Jun’s room.
Only Min-Jun’s mother was allowed to see him.
Aidan saw her come out of Min-Jun’s room this time too while he waited for the doctor to give him an update on Min-Jun’s condition.
She was always accompanied by a translator.
She didn’t speak English; Aidan took care of it all.
He paid for her plane ticket and her hotel stay.
Min-Jun’s mother didn’t know him, and Aidan didn’t introduce himself. He always stayed away when he came across her in the hospital, allowing Elena to do all the communication with Min-Jun’s mother instead.
Gaeul Han continued walking down the hallway; it seemed that her visit was over. Aidan waited for them to disappear behind the corner and approached a nurse.
“Will the doctor be here soon?”
“Yes. You can wait here. He’ll come when he finishes with a patient.”
Aidan paced the hallway, but his waiting didn’t last long. In the next few minutes, he saw the doctor approach him.
“Mr. Wilton?”
“How is Min-Jun today?”
“Better. His condition has improved drastically since you last saw him. He is already able to speak and is no longer confused. We’re slowly introducing him to solid food and helping him walk a little around the room.
He is still not able to walk by himself, but he should fully recover.
He needs the time, but he’s a real fighter. ”
Aidan smiled and his eyes lit at the news. “Can I finally see him?”
The doctor smiled back. “Follow me.”
Aidan was nervous and excited to face Min-Jun after all that time. He wondered how Min-Jun would react, although he knew Min-Jun might not want to see him.
They entered the room and Aidan saw Min-Jun in a semi-sitting position.
He looked out the window, and when he heard them enter, he turned his attention towards the door.
Min-Jun’s eyes locked with Aidan’s, and Aidan still couldn’t tell whether Min-Jun recognized him; Min-Jun just stared blankly at him.
The doctor stopped beside the bed. “Min-Jun, someone came to see you.”
“Good morning,” Aidan greeted him, but Min-Jun didn’t react.
“Do you recognize this man?” the doctor asked.
Min-Jun looked away, deep in thought. After a long few seconds, he directed his gaze back at the doctor.
“No. I don’t.” Aidan’s heart broke, and he did his best not to show it on his face.
He took a deep breath and thought to himself: This is normal.
He just needs more time to remember. But it hurt him that Min-Jun didn’t remember him.
“Some memories take longer to come back. This is nothing unusual,” the doctor reassured.
“Can some memories also remain forgotten?” Aidan asked, still looking at Min-Jun who didn’t look back at him again.
“In some cases that can also happen.” The doctor nodded, explaining, “But patients usually remember after some time.”
Aidan clenched his jaw and shoved his hands inside his pockets.
“Okay. I’m giving you a few minutes,” the doctor declared. “Maybe it will help to freshen the memory. Are you alright with that Mr. Han?”
Min-Jun shrugged without facing either of them.
“You know where the button is if you need it,” the doctor added and left the room.
“What do you want, sir?” Min-Jun asked without looking Aidan in the eyes.
Aidan pulled a chair closer to the bed and said, “I want to see how you’re doing. You may not remember me, but…” Aidan trailed off, not sure how to finish his thought.
“You’re right. I don’t remember you. So why don’t you just leave?”