Hi I don't own Itazura na kiss. Inspired by the Hannah Montana episode Hear Me Croak and lynsik19's fic It's Not Just About You Anymore. Based on the Playful Kiss YouTube edition. AU.
"I have no use for you as nurse of a wife, you can't give a simple shot" Seung Jo told me coldly before walking away hand in hand with He Ra while smiled back at me.
"No!" I fell to my knees sobbing uncontrollably, my heart shattering.
I'm nothing, I'm useless. Mom, please I really wish you were here, I really need you now" I cried.
A hand touched my shoulder and I looked up, and my jaw dropped.
" Mom?!" I couldn't believe it, my beautiful mother, who I haven't seen since I was 4 years old when she died of pneumonia. I jumped up and ran into her arms.
"Is it really you, Mom?" I studied the face that was a spitting image of mine, but ten years older than the age I am now.
She was wearing blue jeans, red shirt, her always beautiful, long charcoal hair in a ponytail behind her. She smiled at me and kissed my forehead.
"Yes honey, it's me you were having a nightmare and called me here" she said as she wiped my tears away. I shivered when heard familiar voice I almost thought I had forgotten rung through my ears.
The darkness that surrounded us turned into my room just minus Seung Jo, and we both sat on my bed.
"Now Ha Ni, what's on your mind" she asked seriously.
I sighed. "I'm afraid, Mom" I looked down.
"Of what?"
"I don't know how to properly give a simple shot, and if I can't do that, I can't be a nurse, then I'll be a terrible wife to Seung Jo." I was close to tears.
"Whatever gave you that idea, honey?" she lifted my chin with her finger. Looking up into her familiar eyes that I missed so much, I couldn't hold back my emotions.
"He said he that he had no intention of working with a nurse that can't give a shot." I stated leaning my head on her shoulder letting my tears fall.
"Honey, don't listen to him, I know you can do it" She told me.
"What makes you so sure?" I asked.
She kissed my forehead and walked me over to the to my desk and sat in one chair, while I sat in the other across from each other. She grabbed my needle of the desk and handed can to me.
She raised her sleeve and gives me her arm.
"Try on me, honey" I said encouragingly.
Shocked. "Really?"
" Go ahead, I'm 100% sure, this won't harm me sweetie." She me made laugh, but it still really hurt in my heart that she wasn't here with me anymore.
I got my tourniquet and tying it around her arm and tightened where it was not too tight or too loose. Then I flick at her arm to show me her veins. Once they became visible I picked up the needle.
Mom saw how nervous I must've looked. "Ha Ni, you're alright. Look at me."
I did what she said.
"Relax, take a deep breath." I did as she said.
"You ready?" She asked. I nodded.
"No, no, no. Don't close your eyes. Keep them on me. Good. Put the needle under my skin. Watch carefully. You did it."
I cheered, clapping. I removed the needle from her and put a bandage on her.
We tried it again on her other arm, and I got it right again. We repeated it two more times and successfully did it.
We both stood and she gave me a big hug.
"Thank you, Mommy."
"Your welcome Ha Ni, I told you just believe in yourself "
I noticed her eyes were starting to water.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"I'm so sorry honey, for not being there anymore. I've seen all the hardships you and your father went through. You don't know how much I wanted to be there."
I hugged her tight. "Mom, you didn't wanna get sick. Bad stuff just happens. I admit it's been hard without you, but the memories of you are what keeps Dad and I going, we miss you so much everyday." I was crying with her.
She pulled away and put her hands on my shoulders while looking deep into my eyes. "Ha Ni, don't you ever give up, you hear me. You fall, get back up. If it's too high, climb to the top. Don't ever let anyone tell you can't do it, because you can. I'm your mother, I know. My grades were just like yours in school, but I never gave up, so work hard and prove everyone wrong especially your husband. You're my bold, strong, smart, and beautiful daughter."
So much emotion was crashing through at once. "Thank you so much Mom."
She wiped her eyes and I did the same. "Your father did such a great job raising you. Also your grandmother. Tell your mother-in-law, Guem-hee, thank you so much for helping you with the things that I couldn't, I am so grateful for her. She treats you so much like her own."
"What about Seung Jo?" I noticed she forgot to mention him.
Her face got serious. "You married good man, honey. But, I don't appreciate him insulting you all the time and being cold towards you. You need to tell him off and put him in his place. You're not a dummy and you have brains."
"Thank you, Mommy" I hugged her tight.
"That's right, you are our Noah's snail." A familiar voice shocked me. I turned around.
"Grandma!" I ran up to her and she opened her arms.
"Your mother is right about everything, you can do anything you put your mind too." She told me.
"Thank you Mom and Grandma. I miss both of you so much." We did a group hug.
We all sat down and talked and laughed for what felt like forever.
"We have to go now. But we'll always be in your thoughts and your dreams."
"I wish you two were here, but I know that can never happen. But I know one day we'll all be together again."
"Goodbye baby." They said in unison their eyes tearing up.
Bye Mom and Grandma." My eyes tearing up too.
"Don't lose to Seung Jo!" They both said in unison, raising their fists up.
I returned the gesture. "I won't!"
Waking up…
As I opened my eyes I noticed I was in a hospital room in the with the lights off.
I looked down at my right hand saw an IV needle in it and found Seung Jo holding that same hand while laying his head down on the bed. I looked to the side and saw my dad sleeping on the pull-out couch in the corner of the room.
I sat up in the bed and sharp pain was shooting from my right side. A sharp cry came out me before I could stop it.
Seung Jo and my dad both jumped up in unison and saw that I was awake. My dad rushed to the bed and Seung Jo stood up.
"You feeling okay?" my husband asked running his fingers through my hair.
"What happened?" I asked my throat dry. My dad gave me a cup of water.
"You collapsed at the park yesterday from appendicitis and severe stomach ulcers. They just finished the surgery a few hours ago. Seung Jo told me you were upset about school and that you went out to clear your head. Thank God, Chris was jogging there when it happened. So, she called Bong Joon Gu after she had called an ambulance and then he called me." My dad said.
"Yeah, my mom wanted to stay but my dad had to be at work early in the morning, so he wouldn't be able to take Eun Jo to school."
"I'm going to get us some coffee." My dad told Seung Jo and I. He gave me a kiss on the forehead and walked out the room.
When he was gone, Seung Jo ran his fingers through my hair.
"How're you feeling?" Seung Jo asked.
"Sore and tired." I stated, leaning back against my pillow.
"I'm so sorry, Ha Ni." Seung Jo hung his head down, his body shaking.
Worriedly, I squeezed his hand. "What's wrong?"
"When I let you practice on me with the needle, and you kept messing up, I told you that you that the the school was right, a murderer should not be a nurse. You were so upset that you ran out of the house crying, and didn't go after you. And a few hours later, your dad called me."
After he said that the memories of yesterday came back to me. The hurt and anger from that time were rushing back to me in a rush.
I let go of his hand. "I remember now."
"Please, I'm so sorry. I never meant a word of it."
I crossed my arms. "Then why did you say it?" I said coldly.
"I don't know. It just slipped out." He looked at me pleadingly, tears running down his eyes.
I let out the words I always kept locked away. "I don't know how much longer I can take getting hurt by you. From you regretting bringing up marriage, to the honeymoon incident, your claim of not registering our marriage until I pass the nurse exam, and now this. I'm at the very edge."
"Please I'm sorry." He clapped his hands together at me together pleadingly looking into my eyes.
"You'll tell me that you're sorry and then you'll do something like this again. I'm not gonna stand for it this time. I've had enough. I mean it." I said fiercely looking up at him, my hand on my wedding ring, borderline ready to take it off and hand it back to him.
He suddenly dropped to his hands and knees with his head down sobbing, throwing me off guard.
"Please, I'll do anything you ask. Anything. Just please don't leave me. I need you. My life had no meaning before you came. You are my life. I'm so sorry for taking you for granted all the time. When I got the call that you were in the hospital, my world felt like it shattered forever. I thought I was gonna lose you. I love you so much, Ha Ni, just give me one more last chance, I beg of you. I promise I'll make for it for the rest of our lives. I love you more than anything in the world." He was still sniffling when he was finished talking.
I was shocked. I've never thought Seung Jo would drop to his knees for anyone, even me.
"One more chance. If you hurt me like that again, then we can't be together anymore."
He looks at me shocked when I repeat the same words he said to me on our honeymoon.
"It doesn't feel so good when your own words are used against you. That's how I felt that day and most of the time now." I said truthfully.
"I promise I won't blow it this time. I swear." He finally stood up took my hand in both of his.
"I'm gonna hold you to that." We both looked toward the door. There stood my dad with two cups of coffee in his hands.
"Sorry, didn't mean to overhear, but she's right Seung Jo. I've let it slide too much because you're my best friend's son. And I've also been guilty of putting her down and I hate myself for it. I've lost her mother, I'm not gonna lose her too. She's all I have left." My dad walked into room and set the coffee down on the table next to me.
Seung Jo bowed respectfully to my dad. "I'm sorry Father. I promised you, when I asked you for her hand in marriage, that I'll always take good care of her. And I failed you. I swear on my life, that I will do better." My dad nodded at Seung Jo.
He rubbed his hand through my hair. "I called your professors while you were in surgery. They said they'll let you make up your work when you're recovered."
"Thanks Daddy." I said appreciatively.
"You're welcome honey." He smiled.
"I understand if you don't believe me. But I want you to know that I believe you can be a great nurse." I looked at him unsure.
"Thank you Seung Jo. I'm gonna retake the test and gonna to give a shot right this time." I told him confidently.
"Are you confident you can do it?" Seung Jo asked.
I nodded smiled. "I made a promise to never give up. I am Noah's Snail after all."
As much as I would want to tell them that I spoke with my mom and grandma, I think I'm gonna keep that to myself for now. Or I might just tell Dad and my mother-in-law later. There are some things that Seung Jo doesn't deserve to know for right now.
They both smiled at me and kissed my head.
"I'm gonna go to that late night store across the street to get us something to eat." He walked out the door again.
A middle-aged nurse poked her head in the door and greeted us. We greeted her back as she walked through the door.
"I'm Nurse Soo, how are you feeling honey?" She asked while checking my stitches and my vitals.
"Just sore and tired." I stated.
"Well, the doctor's gonna come in to see you in a little bit, okay?" I nodded while smiling. She smiled back at me then left the room.
"Do you have a laptop?" He quickly reached down by my chair and saw he had my laptop bag.
"Sorry, I was borrowing yours because mine crashed while I was typing my reports after you left. I guess that was my instant karma." He looked in ashamed.
"It's fine, can you turn on Netflix? I wanna watch The Pirates of the Caribbean movies." He set the laptop on my food table and opened up Netflix and started the movie for me.
"Is it alright if I watch it with you?" My husbandl looked frightened as hell like it'll shatter him if I refused.
Why not?
"Okay."
I scooted over a little bit on the bed and so Seung Jo could sit on the bed next to me, then we both watch the hilarious Captain Jack Sparrow together.
Chapter 1 done.