Chapter 5; Here He Came
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"Sunbae wake up." My sleepy head heard her moaning voice.
"What's wrong Ga Eul-yang?" I asked her with a mumbling voice and I didn't want to open my eyes from my deep sleep. What time is it now? I think I just closed my eyes few minutes ago so it's impossible that the morning had come.
"My stomach hurt."
"You want me to accompany you to toilet?" My body still didn't want to move.
"No, not that kind of hurt. I think Yul Jin is coming."
"Who's that?"
"Yah! Can you just wake up now!" She screamed her lungs out at me while she whacked my head with her pillow. "I said that YOUR son is coming and my stomach hurt because of the contraction idiot." And she called me idiot.
"What?" Now I'm fully awaked and realised that her night gown was already drenched. Her water broke and that was the prominent sign for her to deliver soon. "Okay let's go to the toilet I mean hospital now!" I then sprinted to the closet to take the 'emergency bag' that contained Yul Jin's and Ga Eul's cloths, diapers, milk powder and a baby blanket.
I helped her to walk to my car and within seconds we reached the hospital. I didn't have time to think about the traffic violations that I've committed or how many pictures of my car have been snapped by the roadside speed cameras to reach to the hospital this fast because all I can think about was Ga Eul's moaning in pain.
When I reached the emergency department, I can see a few staffs were already waiting for us at the entrance. I've called Ji Hoo before coming to his hospital and I'm not surprise to be given this VVIP treatment from his staffs.
They pushed Ga Eul into one of the triage rooms for preliminary check-ups and I waited outside.
"Yi Jeong-ah, how's Ga eul." I saw Ji Hoo jogged slowly to me.
"I don't know yet, she's in there for check-ups." I pointed to him to the room. "I'm sorry Ji Hoo for making you to come in the middle of the night. I know you really 'value' your sleep." I chuckled a little after I said that.
"Hey, although my sleep is very valuable but it can never be compare to you and by the way, I'm here as your friend not as Ga Eul's doctor."
"What do you mean?"
"It's the hospital policy. We (doctor) are not allowed to handle cases that involved our own family or friends except if it's really needed. But don't worry; I've passed Ga Eul's case to one of the best obstetrician in Korea and you are lucky because she's working here."
"Thanks Ji Hoo, you don't need to do that and you don't need to come here too."
"I'm glad to be here because at least I can see a very rare scene now." I arched my brows to ask him for further explanation.
"Who can ever think that the great So Yi Jeong will go to a public place with only wearing flip-flops, a pyjama bottom and a white singlet with a messy bedhead hair?" I looked at myself and just realised that I'm not dressed in 'proper' attire. I immediately tried to comb my hair using my fingers and I felt my face hot maybe I'm blushing?
"Don't worry Yi Jeong-ah, I think women will drool more seeing you like this." And Ji Hoo laughed his heart out.
Suddenly the door to the room open and they pushed Ga Eul's stretcher out from the room. I immediately reach out for her hand and squeezed it tightly to show her my support. They pushed her to a private labour room and the doctor called me.
"Mr So, your wife I mean Miss Chu's cervix have already dilated to 8cm wide so all we need to do now is to wait until it dilate to 10cm wide to proceed with the delivery process. We'll monitor her contraction and your baby's heart rate with this CTG (cardiotocogram) machine" She pointed me to a small machine beside Ga Eul.
"For how long we have to wait doctor?"
"Depends on the patient, some only takes less than 30 minutes and sometimes can take up to two hours."
"You mean she has to endure the pain for two hours more?" It pains me when I think that she was in this condition because of me.
"Yes. Of course she can take analgesic drugs or gas but I'm not recommended that. Only if she really can't tolerate with the pain then I'll prescribe the drugs."
"It's okay Yi Jeong-sunbae, I think I can hold the pain but please stay with me." I'm amused with her braveness and that makes me respected her more.
"I'll never leave you Ga Eul-yang." I squeezed her hand again and kissed her forehead lightly. I tried to calm her and we did the breathing techniques together.
One hour and eighteen minutes later, Ga Eul's cervix finally dilated until 10cm wide and the doctor gave orders to nurses to prepare for the delivery.
"Push Miss Chu." The doctor instructed Ga Eul and she tried her best to push harder. Sweats already accumulated on her forehead and she unintentionally squeezed my hand tightly until I can't feel my blood flowing to my fingertips.
"Arghhhhh! It hurt sunbae."
"I know Ga Eul-yang." I caressed her hair softly. "Okay one last push. Take your deep breath." I saw her inhaled deeply. "Now push Ga Eul-yang!"
"Arghhhhhhhhh!" She screamed as loud as she can and her screaming accompanied with a loud wailed from the baby.
"Congratulation Mr So, Miss Chu. You have a healthy little boy here. You can cut his umbilical cord Mr So."
I went to cut his umbilical cord and I saw him, he was so tiny and his voice so small although he wailed his lungs out. The nurse wanted to hand him to me but I immediately refused and asked the nurse to bring him straight to Ga Eul.
I just standing beside them and saw Ga Eul with a glowing face tried to calm him down. I wanted really badly to hug her and kissed her smiling lips, to thank her for enduring all the pain for nine month just to bring him to the world, to tell her that she looks exquisitely amazing today, and also I want to hold that delicate human being in my arms. But I felt that all my muscles went numb and my mouth cannot be open because I gritted my teeth so tightly. I hate myself for being coward, I'm afraid to feel happy because a jerk like me had no right to be happy. Maybe I didn't deserve them at all.
Slowly I walked away to went outside the room and saw all my friends and Jan Di were already waited at the corridor.
"How's Ga Eul sunbae?" Jan Di immediately asked me.
"Both of them are fine and thanks guys for coming."
Jan Di instantaneously went inside Ga Eul's room to meet her and left me with my friends.
"Yo my man, how's your feel. I can't believe that you've become a father now." I smiled warily at Woo Bin as I saw him gave me a teasing smile.
"I don't know Woo Bin-ah, I don't know what to feel. Happy? Afraid? I don't know." There was no point to cover anything from them. I felt so stupid right now because I can't label my own feelings.
"Come on, let's have a cup of coffee, it's been a long day right Yi Jeong-ah." Ji Hoo snaked his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to the cafeteria.
"Yah! I want to see baby Yul Jin first."
"Just come with us Jun Pyo, don't use Yul Jin to cling on your wife."
"I really mean it; I want to see Yul Jin …" Jun Pyo can't finish his word as Woo Bin pulled him to come with us.
"I think I want to be a father too." Woo Bin suddenly blurted out.
"Why? I'm the one who supposed to be a father first because I'm the only one who's married here." Speaking of the leader who always wanted to be the first of everything. I think he must felt detested at me right now because I cut his opportunity to become the first father among us.
"Because I noticed that all the nurses and female doctors only laid their eyes on Yi Jeong. I noticed that they even drooling when looking at him."
"Woo Bin-ah, you're wrong. They drool because Yi Jeong is wearing a sexy singlet that showed his well-built body, and his messy bedhead hair makes them dreaming about waking up next to our Yi Jeong." They all bursting into laugh after hearing Ji Hoo's teased.
"So do you mean if I wearing a singlet, all the ladies will drool at me too?"
"I don't think it's apt to your case Jun Pyo because I'm very sure that your tigress wife won't let you step outside your gate wearing that singlet alive." I can't help myself from laughing after I heard Woo Bin's words. Jun Pyo's face turned to red as he silently agreed with Woo Bin.
I knew what they were trying to do. They tried to cheer me up with their teasing and mocking with one another. They really know how to light up my mood, only with them I found happiness but that was before I met Chu Ga Eul. Should I be happy with her after all bad things I done to her?
After a while Jan Di came to us in the cafeteria. She said that Ga Eul and Yul Jin need to rest so she left her at her room and Yul Jin was move to the paediatric department. I asked them to go home to rest and they can visit again tomorrow.
I went back to her room and saw her already asleep. She must be tired and she looks peacefully while sleeping. I'm tired too and I decided to go home to take a quick sleep and to change my extra-attention cloth. Before I go, I chastely kissed her forehead and lips and adjust the light to make the room slightly dimmer.
When I walked through the silent corridor, my eyes saw a signage that guided to the paediatric department. Automatically my feet followed that signage until I reach to a place called a 'nursery'. There, behind a glass wall I saw few babies sleeping serenely in their bassinet and my eyes wondered around to find a familiar face.
Then I spotted him and without thinking I tried to reach him and caress him but all I can feel was that cold glass wall.
"Are your baby one of those?" Someone said it from my back. I immediately turned my face to look at the owner of that voice, it was a middle age nurse and she looked suspiciously at me.
"Yes. There he is." I pointed at him from behind the wall.
"Do you want to see him?"
"Can I?"
"Of course you can unless you're not his father." I felt that this nurse didn't trust me at all because she still drilling those suspicious eyes on me. What's wrong with my face? Is this face was not belong to a 'father'?
"I'm his father!" I said to her in more convincing voice.
"Then wear the medical gown first and you can go inside. I don't want you to spread any virus from your dirty body to these unscathed little babies." I took the gown from the nurse much to my dismay and followed her to the room.
I just stand beside his bassinet and watched his sleeping form. He was wrapped by the blue blanket that I bought last month.
"Well what are you waiting for." I stared back at the nurse with a confusing look. Then she continued; "Don't you want to hold him?"
"NO! I might hurt him or fracture his bone. I don't know how to hold a new born baby plus he looks so soft and fragile."
"To begin a long journey you have to brave yourself to take the first step first. If you don't know how then learn." She took Yul Jin from his bassinet and wanted to hand Yul Jin to me. I hesitated at first but I braved myself to accept him.
"Watch out for his neck, support his neck with one of your hand and hold his body with your other hand." She instructed me step by step and I followed her words diligently. As soon as I have him in my arms I felt a sudden jolt spread throughout my body and I can't take my eyes from him. Was it what they called the 'bond'? A bond that sutured by blood?
"There you go, it's easy right." I heard that nurse spoke to me and I just nodded without breaking my eyes contact at him. Then the nurse left me alone with Yul Jin. Instinctively I knew how to hold him with only one arm. I caressed his chubby cheeks and comb his hair with my fingers. His skin and his hair were so soft and I can't help to nuzzle my nose at his body and inhaled his sweet scent deeply. He reacted at my touch but he was so sleepy to wake up.
Mine. He is mine and I can't describe my feelings while holding him right now. There was no doubt that I'm so happy to finally meet him, my heart wanted to burst because it was overload by happiness. To think that I actually wanted to erase him from my life before made me cursed myself.
Suddenly a dropped of water fell on his face and he suddenly winced a smiled. Where that water came from? I look up at the ceiling but there was no sign of water leaking from it. Then I felt that water running through my cheeks and I realised that the water coming from me.
I'm crying! I'm crying? It was my tears but why I didn't realise it? I blinked my eyes a few times to swallow back the tears but my effort went into vain. It was like trying to stop a river flowing from a ruptured dam. I held him closer to me and tighten my embraced as I gave him butterfly kisses all over his face and body with my tears still flowing out uncontrollably.
He can't take it anymore and that too much disturbance from me finally makes him open up his eyes. He yawned his mouth as wide as he can and he wriggled his body softly. I loosen the blanket and he immediately shot out one of his arm from the confinement. I reached out to hold his hand, it was so tiny that I can hold it with only two fingers.
He was staring at me while I'm playing with his hand. I smiled at him and I inhaled deeply to introduce myself.
"Annyeong Yul Jin-ah. My name is SO…YI…JEONG and I'm your appa...