Healing (KTH, featuring KNJ)

Chapter 52

Within an hour it was clear that not only did Taehyung know, but almost everyone else knew too. She was being bombarded with congratulatory texts from all of the guys in the band and Namjoon's parents. And Taehyung's mother had come in to tell Clara that she'd already been in contact with the company dietician regarding her meals so they could ensure they were appropriate for her nutritional needs carrying twins.

"Oh, uh, ok" was all Clara could think to respond. Everything was moving so quickly. But mostly she was trying to manage her overwhelming feeling of disappointment while everyone around her seemed so excited. Taehyung already knew. Really everyone knew. Her very brief daydreams of how she would tell Taehyung, and how they would tell everyone else together were long gone. And while she knew it would be fine, she was having a hard time not feeling emotional about the whole situation.

Clara only had about another hour to wallow in self-pity before Taehyung's mom returned. "It's time to get you out of bed and get these babies fed." Clara nodded and started to slide out from under her covers to join Mrs. Kim in the kitchen.

Just a few minutes later Mrs. Kim set down a small bowl of vegetables and a bowl of warm soup along with a side of rice. "I know you said that you don't prefer bitter green vegetables, but they are really good for the babies' health so you should start eating more of them. I've asked the dietician to start adding them to your meals more regularly."

"Oh, ok" Clara replied. Honestly the idea of eating bitter greens right now made her nausea return, but she'd try her best. Clara had learned as a child to eat her least favorite part of her meal first, so she started by choking down the bowl of vegetables which was heavy on her least favorite flavors. As she was finishing her last bite she quickly excused herself from the table, feeling all of the food coming back up. She had made it to her bathroom on time, closing all the doors behind her to ensure privacy, and in only a few seconds had lost the entire bowl of vegetables she'd been eating. Rinsing her mouth and patting a bit of water on her face to make herself presentable, she returned to the kitchen to finish her meal.

It was clear her mother-in-law was none the wiser and Clara didn't really want to start a confrontation.

"Now that you're done eating, I want to make sure you take a shower and get dressed in real clothes. Sometimes returning to our regular activities can help make us feel better. Let's get you back on your way to being fully recovered, ok? Also I think Taehyung would be happy if he knew you were keeping yourself up."

Clara really just wanted to take a nap but agreed anyway. Getting dressed really wasn't that big of an ask. So she exhaustedly showered and put on some clothes, planning to return to her bed afterward. But she was interrupted again by Taehyung's mom.

"Clara dear, why don't you come to the living room. One of the things you need to do before the babies arrive is to sew their first outfit. This is very important in our family and the community where Taehyung was raised. It must be done by hand so it can take a while, particularly for new sewers. Since you need to make two, this will take even more time so we should get started now. I've already selected the fabric for one, but I'll go pick out fabric for a second also."

Taehyung's mother then proceeded to show Clara how to sew the outfits. Clara had never picked up a needle and thread in her life, something Taehyung's mother was quick to point out was probably because she wasn't Korean. All Koreans grow up learning to sew in school.

Clara didn't make much progress that day. In fact Taehyung's mother had undone her work several times now and told her to start over. She told Clara stories about how the soon to be grandmother's would show off the outfits to their friends to demonstrate how well prepared their children were to have children of their own. So it really needed to be perfect.

After nearly two hours of frustration trying to even get the first seam stitched, Clara was exhausted. "Mrs. Kim, if it's ok I'd like to lay down and take a nap for a bit. I'm starting to feel quite tired."

"Ok dear, but I do think we should put you on a better napping schedule, that will help you start to get back into more regular sleep patterns which will help you feel better. I have some ideas about what an appropriate sleep schedule might look like but we can talk about them at dinner tonight."

"Ok" Clara responded, really just so exhausted she wanted to collapse into the bed, close her eyes, and never wake up again.

Clara felt like she had hardly fallen asleep when she was woken for dinner. She was hoping to make a quick appearance and then fall back into bed, but Mrs. Kim insisted she stay for the whole meal because "it was good for the babies if she participated in stimulating conversations, not to mention Clara's Korean really should be improved so the babies would have the best start for learning to speak". But most of the conversation revolved around Taehyung's parents discussing ideas for names for the babies that they were going to recommend to Taehyung. Taehyung's mother heated up the dietician's meals for Clara, but also insisted that she eat some of the main dinner too. Clara found it far too spicy for her tastes, even if she wasn't pregnant. But Mrs. Kim told her it was important for her to eat more variety, including spicy foods, because it would ensure the babies weren't picky. Honestly Clara really had eaten and stayed awake for long enough, but she couldn't find a polite way to leave.

After the meal finished she was asked to just help clear the table and then she could go and rest. Clara was feeling a bit weak with exhaustion, and before long there was the sound of breaking pottery as Clara accidentally dropped her plate on the way to the kitchen. Mr. Kim arrived first to see what had happened and he found Clara frozen, unsure what to do.

"Oh my, those dishes were from Taehyung's grandmother. I know he'll be disappointed to see one broken as you know he and his grandmother were very close. I always sensed he hoped to eventually give them to his children. Now that you are having twins we'll need to make extra sure we don't break any more or there may not be enough."

Clara was tearing up at this point. "I'm sorry" she whispered while staring at the floor. Mr. Kim carefully ushered her away from the sharp pieces and told her to go ahead and rest. Clara thanked him and then quickly scurried to her room, trying to avoid truly crying until she was behind closed doors. Quickly slipping into her pajamas she didn't even have the energy to wash up before she crawled all the way under the covers and began to really allow her exhaustion to wash over here.

"Only a few more days. I can do this for Taehyung. He'll be so happy."