True Acceptance- A True Beauty Fanfic

40. Defense.

SUJIN POV

Her recovery period took two hours instead of one because there was no way to get her pain under control. Sujin learned the hard way that she apparently was immune to morphine, or at the very least- it took a near overdose to even touch her pain.

In the recovery room, she had woken up to someone calling her name, saying she needed to open her eyes and keep them open for a few moments. Her entire body was heavier than ever, like an oppositional force had been pushing her down into the bed. It made it hard to take a deep breath, much less move. Everything from her right hip bone, over to the left and up into her chest screamed with a heavy and hot pain.

Sujin wanted to say something, to tell the nurse that breathing hurt, or that everything in her felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. She wanted to say it felt like something went wrong. But all that came out was a very low and weak groan.

Tears spill from her eyes and roll down her cheeks, down her nose bridge, and puddle onto the sheet below her.

It took two hours. Two hours to get the pain under control. She didn't get back to her room until six forty five am. The sun was already coming up, spilling through the windows in the hallway as she was taken back to her hospital room.

She faded in between sleep and awake, she didn't remember much of this period. She felt Seojun take her hand, sometimes she felt him brush her hair back and kiss her forehead. He would speak to her, but she couldn't make out or focus on what he was saying, it was all one muddled lull. But his voice was a welcome comfort in the midst of what felt like a war being waged on her.

Nine am, she wakes up, the confusion from the meds wearing off. She looked over and saw Seojun, still wide awake, violently tapping at his phone.

"You look mad." She whispered, shocked at how raspy her voice sounded.

Seojun quickly shoved his phone into his pants pocket and leaned forward, face now soft again. He looked... Rough. His skin was red from rubbing his face constantly, his hair tangled and greasy, dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey baby girl." His index finger brushed her hair back again. Gosh, it felt so good. His touch was beyond gentle and careful, and his voice so caring.

"I heard the surgery had a few setbacks, but nothing that will cause issues to your health from now on." He says, "You were very swollen, your appendix ruptured, and the surgery had to be an open surgery because of the rupture, they couldn't do it laparoscopically."

She could hear his words, comprehend them, but she still felt confused. It had ruptured? She knew her stomach hurt, but there wasn't one defining pain where she would've thought it ruptured. It was awful blinding pain, but she didn't expect things to have been so bad.

"That means... There's going to be a big scar." She didn't care about scars, not really. In the grand scheme of things, she would rather have a large scar than die. But she hadn't planned on it being like this, she thought that maybe- just maybe it didn't rupture, and the surgery could be done laparoscopically to save herself from having a larger scar.

"Scars aren't that big of a deal." Seojun shrugged, his shoulders tense.

"What are you looking at on your phone?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." He said, "We can talk about it when you heal."

"Is it something bad?"

"No. Just work things stressing me out." He leaned down to kiss her again.

"I like when you're like this." Sujin muttered, then blushed and shook her head. Maybe she shouldn't say that, she shouldn't ask him to be like this more often. She liked the funny, sassy Seojun she knew, but she also loved this side, the caring side. She wanted to feel cared for right now.