Charles sat next to Emi's bed as she slept. She slept more comfortably with the medication running through her system. Her breathing at a consistent pace. Her arms moving to adjust to a comfortable position.
Charles tried to hold her hand, but the sensation was still too much for Emi. She pushed it away as soon as he made contact. After each attempt, he mustered up the courage to talk to her, "Em, it's me, C. Charles. I hope you can recognize me soon. I am here for you, just like we have always been since we were kids. Let me tell you, this is even worse than you going to Korea and missing prom." He let out a little shrug, just realizing what he said. There was not much he could do. He wanted to embrace her. He wanted to help her. But she did not want any of that. Charles cried as she continued to stir in her sleep.
Without even realizing it, Charles had fallen asleep after his tears dried. He felt Emi's hand caressing his hair. He turned his head to face hers. With the padding on her eyes, he could not tell if she was asleep or awake and just staring into the darkness of the eye covering. Emi stopped caressing his head and tried to take off the padding around her eyes and ears. "Hey Em, maybe we should wait until the doctor can examine your senses before you take those off." Before he could even finish his sentence, Emi had pulled off all the padding.
Charles finally took a good look at Emi's face. It was more recognizable with a few scratches to her face, but her eyes looked lost and tired. She stared off to the side as he looked at her. "Em, what do you need?"
She continued to stare off and did not speak. A nurse came to check in on Emi as she could not check on her when Charles was sleeping. "Hello Ms. Kim. Is your sight and hearing not as overwhelming as before?"
Emi barely nodded. "I would like to take you to the bathroom and freshen you up a bit. I have a wheelchair ready for you." Emi gave a weak nod and let the nurse position her to get into the wheelchair. Charles sat on the other side of the bed, watching Emi being helped. As the nurse moved Emi's leg on to the wheelchair leg support, Emi finally let out a sound. She whimpered at the pain of the first movement of her leg. Charles stood up and asked if the nurse could be a bit more gentle with Emi. The nurse explained that since her leg was in the same position for long period and still recovering that there would be pain, but could give her some medications to lessen it.
After a few minutes in the bathroom, Emi was cleaned up and assisted back into the bed. Letting out a moan of pain, Emi quickened her breathing to prevent herself from crying. Charles immediately pulled her into the bed and the nurse placed her injured leg back into the same spot as it was in before. Emi fell back asleep.
It was like this for the next few days. Her being woken up by the nursing staff or Charles to go to the bathroom or get observed or tested. After each event, she fell right back to sleep, letting out a whimper or groan in her sleep. Those were the only sounds anyone could get from her.
Her usual visitors came when she was asleep. Stewart, Carly, and Evan brought Charles and Suk Yong as much as they could, always asking Emi if she wanted something specific. She never gave them a response, but they still added something to their food delivery just for her. Lia and Kai came with fresh clothes for Charles as he did not leave the hospital for a week, except to shower.
*
*
It was over three weeks since Emi was brought to the hospital. Auntie Suk Yong had to go back home to Kansas. Charles, luckily, was finished with filming for his show for the season and prioritized helping Emi with her recovery.
Doctor Lucas gave a thorough examination of Emi before the discharge papers were handed to Charles.
Charles' main concern was her lack of speech and verbalization. Doctor Lucas reminded him that she went through an entire day of explosions and chaos as well as additional days of laying immobile in what was literally a ditch, not knowing if she was going to be found. "I can't promise you a certain time when she will speak again, but don't think this is the end. From her examination and her responsiveness to the treatments, she has been fighting the hardest. She isn't done yet." Doctor Lucas pat Charles' shoulder, reminding him that Emi's medical team in Toronto had been briefed and were ready to help with Emi's recovery and therapy when they arrived.
Emi was no longer wheelchair bound, but Charles preferred that their travel just include a wheelchair. The last thing he wanted was for Emi to fall to the floor and injure herself after progress had been made.
Lia and Kai were already back home in Toronto, preparing Emi's house and Pabu for the next phase of her recovery. The siblings were also in constant meetings with now Emi's larger legal team, the filming company's executives, and the safety inspector to go over the next steps with their negotiations, if they were to be called that.
The flight back to Toronto was more of Emi sleeping and attempting to get items or do tasks on her own. Charles found it difficult to not assist her, but he knew that even with Emi this way, her independence would jump out in all her actions. The more he tried to help her, the more she would be frustrated with herself.
*
*
Finally arriving at her home, Charles had brought in all their luggage. Emi shakily got up from the wheelchair and took her crutches to walk through that front door herself.
It felt good to be home. Emi took in the smell of her lavender diffuser that was set by Lia, who knew that would be the first thing she wanted to smell. Walking over the threshold, she did not lift her crutch high enough and it caught on the rise door pane. She stumbled into the entry way catching herself on the wall. Pabu came running to the entry way excited, but also gently approaching Emi as she steadied herself.
The crash of Emi's crutch had Charles running into the doorway and holding her arm as she straightened herself up. "Em, are you okay?"
She nodded as Pabu tried to lift her crutch up. She pet Pabu and made her way to her bedroom, closing the door on Charles. He listened in along with Pabu at her door. He could hear her nearly quiet cries. As much as he wanted to open the door, this was the first time, in almost a month, Emi could be alone. No doctors or nurses hovering over her, constant visitors or check ins with anyone.
"Come on, Pabu. Let's let your mom be alone for a bit. I think she needs some time to herself." Charles led Pabu to the kitchen to fill his bowl with food. Charles got to work on cooking dinner, hoping there was something easy to make , as he was just as exhausted with traveling.
After an hour of cooking, Charles had finally put together some bibimbap with two bowls of kimchi on the side. "She needs more of home." He set the food down on the counter where Pabu could not reach and started to clean the dishes he used to lessen the load of cleaning later on.
Suddenly, Pabu began barking and scratching at Emi's bedroom door. "Pabu, what's up? Why are you barking at your mom's door?" Charles listened in to hear Emi's shower going. He could still hear her somewhat quiet cries, but with Pabu continuously barking, he felt it best to enter her room.
Her bedroom was spacious and still clean from the last time they were here. The room was filled with steam though as Emi left her bathroom door open. He slowly approached the bathroom door and heard Emi, "Help."
Charles ran in and found her on the floor with her eyes closed. "Shit, Em!" He grabbed a towel and wrapped her in it and slowly adjusted her body, seeing that she landed on her injured leg. Once she was in an upright position, Charles carried her to the bed. Pabu was whimpering at Emi's state. Charles looked for obvious signs of blood and bruising, which he found none.
Charles handed Emi some loose fitting clothes and helped her get dressed. As he assisted her in putting her injured leg into her joggers, she began to cry. Not her past month of holding it back her tears and keeping it together. Her face sunk into her hands and her tears flowed. She was trying to take in as much air as she was letting out with each cry. Charles immediately sat next to her and took her into his arms. "Charles, help me." Charles began to cry with her.
"Emi." There the two of them sat crying in one another's arms.
YOU ARE READING
Threads and Strings
Fanfic"I know there will be more people in your life that will be become more than someone you pass by." As a speech pathologist working with little kids, Emi Kim had been through enough in her 24 years of life that could have broke her, especially in 201...
