The Measure of a Man { BTS Taehyung Series }

Chapter 8

"Tae! Tae, can you hear me? Are you awake?" Mari cracked open the door of the room where Tae lay on a comforter beside Chang-Min. He roused slightly and rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to focus. When he saw that Mari stood in the doorway, he got up quickly and went to her.

"I knew you would change your mind," he whispered with a grin.

"No, it's not that," Mari protested. "I'm so cold and I can't get warm no matter what I do. I didn't want to wake Auntie. I thought maybe you knew if they had an extra blanket somewhere."

"I think we've used them all. They're not really set up for company," said Tae with a wry smile.

"I don't know why I'm so cold," continued Mari. Her whole body trembled with violent chills. Tae ran into the room and grabbed his blanket and comforter.

"Here," he said, handing them to her.

"I can't take your blanket. Then you'll be cold," she protested.

Tae reached out and touched her forehead. He then touched his own. She didn't feel like she had a fever. He was puzzled as to why she was trembling so severely. He led her back to her room and lay his bedding on the floor beside hers.

"Let me hold you for a while. I'll warm you up," said Tae, taking her arm and leading her to the comforter. She lay down and he covered them both with the blankets. He rolled on his side, throwing one leg over her, and holding her tightly in his arms. She shook so violently that Tae held her closer, trying to keep her still. Her teeth chattered against the side of his head. "Do you feel like you have a fever?" he asked, attempting to confirm his belief that this incident was not fever related.

"No," Mari managed to say through the incessant chattering of her teeth.

"OK, just try to hold still," instructed Tae as he rubbed her back and arms to increase her circulation. "I'm here, baby. I'm right here," he whispered in her ear.

About half an hour later, her chills had finally subsided, and she felt some warmth return to her bones. She lay quietly, listening to Tae's breathing. He had fallen fast asleep. Sleep would escape Mari for the rest of the night, but at least, the bone-chilling cold feeling had left her.

When the dawn began to peek into the window, Mari stirred a bit and Tae opened one eye about half-way. Suddenly, both eyes flew open as he struggled to remember how he ended up waking up beside Mari. After a few seconds, the memory began to return to him. He squeezed her tightly and said, "How do you feel?"

Mari sat up. "I feel better. Actually, I never felt sick. I was just cold," she explained. "I get like that sometimes when I just can't warm up no matter what I do."

"So, this had happened before?" he questioned with concern on his face. "Why have you never told me?"

"I mean, I didn't think it was a big deal. I just get cold easily. It's just that last night, I was the coldest I've ever been. I think it might be from sleeping on the floor. I'm used to a bed. I'm not used to the cold floor. The cold seemed to migrate up through the comforter. Can it do that?" she asked.

"Yeah, the floor can get pretty cold sometimes," conceded Tae. "I'm OK sleeping on the floor. I did it a lot as a kid. I guess I'm kind of spoiled now, getting to sleep in a bed every night."

"When I visit my family in Mexico, I sometimes sleep in a hammock, but that's super comfortable," Mari replied.

"Mm. That sounds pretty great. When are you taking me to Mexico to meet your family?" he asked, grinning widely.

"One of these days, I suppose," she said noncommittedly.

"Listen, let's go into town and take you to the clinic for a little check-up," suggested Tae.

"I guess so. I'm not a huge fan of going to the doctor, but I haven't seen one since I got to Korea. So, I suppose it's a good idea," she conceded.

They hopped in the car and began to drive the dirt roads to a small clinic made entirely of cement. As they entered, Mari noticed the peeling paint on the walls and flickering of the halogen bulbs. A slight shiver ran up her spine.

Tae registered her and they sat on plastic chairs that were clearly meant for outdoor use. They waited for over an hour in the packed waiting room, amid the cries of sick children and the low moans of the elderly. Finally, a nurse called Mari to be examined. They went to a large room that was divided by several faded floral curtains.

A serious looking med student greeted them and proceeded to take Mari's pulse and temperature.

"Your temp is running a little low," commented the would-be doctor. "I think we need to take some blood," he continued. "I will return when I have the results of the blood tests," he said, dropping his clipboard to his side and sliding his pen into his shirt pocket.

As the nurse took her blood, Mari turned her head to the side to avoid watching. "I don't like looking when they take my blood," she explained to Tae who held her other hand tightly. Again, they waited for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, the med student returned, looking exhausted despite the day having just begun.

"Ms. Mari," he began. "What's your diet like?"

"I don't know. I guess it's OK," she said, looking a bit confused.

"Well, I'm going to guess that it's not that great," he sighed. "It appears that you have severe anemia. Have you been told you are anemic before?"

"I don't know, " she admitted. "I think I remember something about being anemic as a baby. My mom made me eat a lot of black beans. To this day, I can't even look at a bean without feeling a little sick," she said.

"Ah, well, your mom was on the right track. You need to be eating beans, leafy greens, and meat --- lots of meat," he said. "In addition, I will be prescribing an iron supplement that you must take daily. You should find that the extreme cold feeling should improve. You may find your energy level picking up as well."

As they left the clinic, Tae looked back at it, eyeing it critically. "It's kind of sad that they don't even have a real doctor in there yet. It's in pretty bad shape," he mused quietly.

Later, as they sat down to eat, Tae took the spinach from his japchae and lay it on Mari's plate with his chopsticks. The rest of the group had eaten hours earlier. So, Mari and Tae were alone. He reached across the table to grab a pork cutlet and place it on her plate.

"At this rate, I'm going to end up being 300 pounds," Mari protested.

"I don't care, as long as you are healthy," Tae assured her. "You scared me. I've never been this much in love," he admitted. "I didn't know it could be this scary."

"You never said you loved me before," Mari commented in a whisper.

"Well, I should have," he said, stroking her cheek. "When I woke up by your side this morning, I realized that I want this. I want us. I want quiet mornings and whole nights with you in my arms." His voice choked up as he took her into his arms. "You're it for me," he declared with conviction.

"Well, then," Mari said with a smile. "I guess I'd better stay healthy so I can keep up with you."

"You'd better," he warned. "You're a limited edition," Tae said, trailing kisses across her hairline.