Woo Bin was always the center of attention when he went somewhere, even if he took a backseat to the other three when they were all together. Now was the same. He walked through the maternity ward like he owned the place instead of Goo Jun Pyo. He smiled at some of the ladies and nodded at the men who were there with their wives. He should be doing that, but Eri usually did checkups in between work and didn't tell him when they were.
He passed by a couple as they were on their way out with their newborn. Shortly that would be him. He would be taking his family out of the hospital to start a new life with them. That scene left an impression in his heart as he continued on his quest.
He stopped by the nurses' station to ask for directions. A flash of a smile and he was told everything he wanted to know. He continued down the hallway until he came to the correct door. He knocked and waited for the voice to let him in.
Kyu Lee was pleasantly surprised to see Woo Bin in her doorway. She hadn't seen him in about eight months when he suddenly appeared at the hospital. She was taken back to the day she had met him in a club. He had been so charismatic she had fallen for him immediately. But he had been a playboy and she didn't like that lifestyle. But it didn't kill the emotions.
She stood and walked over to him. When she reached for him, he grabbed her wrists and held them to her sides. The look he gave her was not inviting in the least bit.
"I'm not here to renew our relationship. I'm here as a warning," he said.
She frowned at him then stepped back, crossing her arms across her chest. "A warning? What kind of warning?"
"Eri lived her entire life in silence even though she has hearing aids. Emotions were not a concern for her. We've all been trying to get her to tell us when she's upset or angry or in pain, but it's hard. I don't need you coming in and screwing it all up because you still have feelings for me. You need to remember you broke up with me."
She was surprised. "Were you ever this frank?"
"I found someone who wants me not for me looks or my money. So she has her own limitations she has to work through. I accept that about her just like she accepts my past. Now I'm asking you nicely to stop making passes at me. She doesn't like it."
"Why won't she tell me herself?"
"She doesn't know you. Even if she did, she still wouldn't tell you. Plus I already told you. Emotions are new to her. None of us are sure when she's going to lose her temper or slide back into stoicism. I don't want anyone messing with it." He took a deep breath when it looked like she didn't care. "If you don't stop, I will change her doctor. You may be the best OB/GYN, but I will go to another doctor so fast it will make your head spin. Leave me alone."
Kyu Lee was in shock as he turned and stormed out. Since when did he become such a family man? She remembered vividly that he said he never wanted to get married. He had said girls were way too complicated for him to get married. Now he had a girlfriend and a baby on the way. Life was too funny sometimes.
She sighed and went back to work but halfway through an idea came to her. She pulled Eri's file out and read through it. Sure enough there wasn't a place that asked for food allergies, just medicine. Yoon Ji Hoo had been right. If she had prescribed any supplements such as fish oil or krill oil, Eri or the baby or both could have died. She sent an email to admission asking for a revision in the form.
She needed to go check on patients in the recovery rooms so she tossed on her lab coat and walked out of her office. A couple of the ladies were asleep when she walked into the rooms. She checked everything without waking them and charted it. The ones who wanted to talk were awake and very active. She cautioned them about taking it easy then went on her way.
After everyone was taken care of, she went up a floor to pediatrics. Eri was right there as she stepped off the elevator. She was standing by the nurses' station talking to one of the nurses. She nodded every now and then as the woman spoke to her. Kyu Lee couldn't tell if she was actually paying attention or if she was bored with it. The woman never smiled.
Eri turned and went to one of the units. Kyu Lee could hear the child respond warmly to his or her doctor. She didn't stay long as she checked vitals and made sure her patient was well taken care of. When she came out, she made eye contact with the other doctor. Like she expected, the expectant woman's face didn't change. The nurse at the desk looked over and her face changed instantly. Obviously Eri talked to her the most. She motioned the cardio doctor over. It was obvious Eri didn't want to go but she did anyway.
"Are you wearing your hearing aids?" Kyu Lee asked immediately.
"I have to at work even though I want to take them out and hide from people like you." Eri was quick and to the point. "What do you want?"
"I sent in a change for the admission paperwork. The new forms should be ready in a couple of days."
"You came all this way to tell me that?" The surgeon seemed a little miffed. "You should have made a notation in your files like I do. A couple of my patients in the past were allergic to morphine and a component of anesthesia. Instead of fully sending them under, I used a local. They still reacted to it but it was much less severe and manageable than full anesthesia. Another patient was allergic to carrots but the information didn't get handed down to nutrition and they put carrots in soup they served. Every allergy my patients have is fully documented. Whether or not the people under me look at the files I submit is not my issue. So I can fully say if a patient dies due to an allergy it isn't my fault because it was written there in black and white."
That was the most Eri had said to any doctor outside of the OR. Being around F4 had changed her. This was the angriest she had been. And yet still no emotion showed on that slightly scarred face. There was nothing more aggravating than that. She could at least put a little bit of emotion behind her words.
"I actually came here to see if you were all right. You said your feet were swelling because you had been on them at work. You can ease that by eating oranges and tangerines. Many women say those helped them the most," Kyu Lee said.
Eri sighed just as Ji Hoo walked up. "I told you the other day she can't eat citrus fruits. Last time I checked tangerines and oranges were citrus fruits," he said. He turned his attention to his friend. "Are you okay? Your feet aren't bothering you?"
The surgeon shook her head. "Not at the moment. Instead of my normal coffee, Hoon made a strawberry banana smoothie with wheat germ. It was interesting but I feel fine at the moment."
"When do you get off? You left before me this morning."
"I met Yi Jeong for breakfast. And I get off at six."
"Wait for me. I'll be done about six-thirty. I don't have to go to the clinic tonight since it's being renovated. I'll walk you home." Kyu Lee watched her but couldn't see any change. Apparently she made an expression that Ji Hoo read instantly. "Last time I asked you to wait and you didn't, you ended up with this," he ran his face along the little white scar along her jaw, "and four cracked ribs. This time wait for me."
"Fine, fine. I'll wait, but you're buying dinner tonight."
Ji Hoo smiled. "Woo Bin working late again?" She nodded. "All right. Tell me what you want when I get off." He cast something close to a sneer Kyu Lee's way as he made his way down the hall.
Eri said her pleasantries and went about her business. Kyu Lee watched for a bit as she sat down and went over some things with the nurse. She didn't look up once after she put her head down.
There was no point in saying anything more because she wasn't going to get an answer. She went on about her business, making sure the nurses under her were okay and didn't need anything.
She replayed everything over in her head. For a disabled foreigner, Eri had a good head on her shoulders. When she spoke, she was clear and direct. It didn't matter if she was emotionless.
How could someone be so expressionless when she spoke to someone else? Normal people showed what they were feeling on their faces. That woman didn't. She barely spoke to anyone, and everyone thought she was stuck up. Somehow certain people were able to pick up what she was feeling even though she showed nothing. None of it made sense so she continued without thinking too much about it.
Six o'clock rolled around and she stretched to ease her tense shoulders. Time to clock out. She walked to the front and pulled out her time card. Pushing it through the censor, it clocked her out. She relinquished her spot to the next doctor and strode out.
As she got to the front of the building, she saw Eri sitting on one of the benches in the shade. She was relaxed, something no one had ever seen before. She was looking out over the street.
Kyu Lee was about to go talk to her but stopped the instant someone crossed the sidewalk and headed straight for Eri. He was shorter than Ji Hoo and on the handsome side. He smiled as soon as he saw her and sat right beside her. He knew sign language she noticed as he started talking to her. She answered him and went about her business. He waited with her.
She didn't know how long she stood there watching the duo, but thirty minutes must have past because she heard Ji Hoo saying goodbye to some of his colleagues. They made eye contact as soon as she turned around. Ji Hoo looked over her shoulder, his face becoming a mask instantly.
"Are you following her now?" he asked.
"Who is that?" she asked in return.
He took a closer look. "That a friend of ours. She's closest to him aside from Woo Bin. She tells him everything. Now if you're done asking useless questions that are none of your concern, I'm hungry."
He walked past her straight to his friends. She watched as he touched Eri first before rounding the bench. The other guy helped her up and they walked across the street to a waiting car. She wondered why things were so great between the three of them when everyone else thought she was so stuck up she didn't have any friends. Maybe things weren't as complicated as everyone made them out to be.