Yo Han took a deep breath and entered the room they put Ba Reum in. His arm was already in a cast, held in a sling around his neck, and his leg was secured in a brace. He seemed to be more lucid now, able to sit upright in the hospital bed.
"Yo Han," he said with a smile when he saw the man enter the room.
"Ba Reum," Yo Han answered back, not able to smile at him, and sat on the visitor chair, something he would normally never do with a patient.
"I see that you already got a cast on," he said, trying to delay the inevitable.
"Yes, the nurse said it was broken. My ankle has a small fracture, but the brace should do." Yo Han nodded and swallowed dryly. He always hated to deliver bad news, but this was even worse.
"We have seen something else on the imaging," Yo Han said, trying to look Ba Reum in the eye. He could feel a cold sweat break out.
"Another fracture?" Ba Reum asked and Yo Han shook his head.
"No, not that. But we were concerned that you hit your head, and we took a scan of your brain," he took in a deep breath, "there is a malignant process going on in your brain."
Ba Reum's eyes widened a bit, looking at Yo Han, who could not make himself look away from his friend. Yo Han could feel the colour drain a bit further from his own face.
"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do." Yo han said faintly, having difficulty with suppressing his own feelings. He was waiting for Ba Reum's reaction of denial or disbelief.
"I know." Ba Reum said, and Yo Han looked at him with wide eyes.
"You know?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes, I do. It's going to be okay." Ba Reum said, and Yo Han looked at him incredulously.
"It's not going to be okay. It's terminal, Ba Reum. You're my friend and you'll not be okay." He said and to his amazement he could feel tears running from his face. Ba Reum took his hand in his left one, moving stiffly.
"It's going to be okay. This thing in my head, that is the reason why I went to you, to tell you about our parents."
"But you are going to die."
"Yes," Ba Reum said looking Yo Han in the eye, his gaze calm and steady. Yo Han understood in that moment that Ba Reum was at peace with that information. Then a thought entered his mind.
"Do you friends know? Chi Kook and Dong Koo." He saw a pained look on Ba Reum's face and some hesitation and Yo Han was sure he hadn't told his friends.
"Why haven't you told anyone." He asked incredulous.
"I didn't want to ruin my time with them." Yo Han stared in shock by this admission, "and you can't tell them either. Patient confidentiality" Ba Reum said.
"No I can't tell anyone, but as your doctor, I advise you to confide in them. Ba Reum, they'll want to help you." Yo Han said, but Ba Reum still asked him to stay silent about that.
"Well, at least let yourself be treated. I haven't found anything in your files about any treatment. What do you take?" Yo Han said, taking lead of his friend's treatment. He was still feeling very emotional about it, but these kinds of questions helped him to focus his mind. He would make sure that his friend wouldn't suffer when not needed.
"Me? I have some Paracetamol and some herbal medications." Yo Han blinked at the man.
"And..." he asked.
"That's it. I have some herbal stomach soother's as well." Ba Reum added as an afterthought.
"But, the pain... I mean," Yo Han was at a loss for words. Ba Reum admitted that these days the medications seem to barely take the edge off, and Yo Han immediately started to prescribe a real treatment, scolding Ba Reum for not seeing a competent doctor earlier.
YOU ARE READING
Mouse - Rewind
أدب الهواةThe profiler asked Ba Reum that if he could go to the past to save his victims, would he do it. For Ba Reum there was no doubt in his mind. He would. There was just a catch: he would have to kill his past self and he would still be dying in a year. ...
