Come Back Home

6

AT THE HOSPITAL – IN BEOMGYU'S ROOM - WINTER'S POV

"No..." Beomgyu sadly shakes his head, before turning to us like he's about to cry.

"You just woke up, buddy..." I say with a smile, in my most reassuring voice. "You have to give your body some time..." I add, squeezing his hand to comfort him, while discreetly grabbing Rina's with my other hand.

I have no idea if time will change anything but I'm not ready to accept any other outcome, and above all, I don't want hope to be taken away from my son.

"Your mother is right..." Dr. Collins says but I can't tell if he means it or if he simply doesn't want us to panic just yet. "Let's see if other parts of your legs are already awake...Can you feel this?" He asks, touching the left foot this time.

"Yes!" Beomgyu says in an enthusiastic voice, opening wide his hopeful eyes and I finally release the breath I was holding in.

"Okay, that's excellent!" Dr. Collins comments in an encouraging voice. "And here...?" He says, touching the sole of his right foot again. I can see that he's pressing harder this time.

'Please, God...Take mine if you want but please, please make his legs work...' I silently pray. 'Besides, if you don't, Halmeoni will be on your back day and night...You know how relentless she can be! She will probably contact the Pope and all the churches in the world to pray for a miracle...Whereas if you give me a sign right now, to let me know that my son will be okay, I won't even have to tell her about this. So...do we have a deal?'

"I feel some tickling..." My boy answers and I exhale in relief, raising my eyes toward the ceiling in gratitude. 'Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!'

"Alright..." The doctor says, scribbling on his notepad. "You're doing great, Beomgyu!" He nods with a smile.

"This is Rita..." He adds, pointing at his colleague. "She's our very best nurse and she'll take good care of you while I talk to your moms, ok? We'll be back in a few minutes."

"See you in a bit, buddy..." I smile at him, bringing his hand to my lips while Karina kisses his forehead.

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A FEW MINUTES LATER – JUST OUTSIDE BEOMGYU'S ROOM

"So...it's too early to make a real diagnosis, but I just wanted to say that the first tests are very encouraging. He has already regained some feelings in both legs, which is a significant improvement compared to when he was brought in. At this stage, his right leg seems weaker than the left one, but we have to wait and see if it persists. I recommend starting physiotherapy tomorrow and we'll reassess in a few days."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Collins..." I nod in gratitude.

"Of course." He replies. "I'll give you a moment..." He adds, before walking away.

Karina and I silently look at each other, both of us sighing as if a huge weight had been lifted off our chest. She smiles timidly at me and I immediately pull her into a tight hug.

"I've never been this scared in my entire life..." I confess as she hugs me back.

"I know...I was terrified too..."

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LATER THAT DAY (EARLY EVENING) – AT THE HOSPITAL

I'm leaning against the doorframe of Beomgyu's room, watching him interact with Minji and Taehyun, when Karina gets back.

"Hi!" She whispers, stopping right next to me, to avoid interrupting the kids' discussion.

"Look at them..." I say, nodding towards our children as they are laughing. They might have only 10 minutes together, as Beomgyu needs to rest, but I can tell that they all really needed this.