Begin Again

Sixteen

"Do you want me to bring you anything from home? A change of clothes or something? I'm sure her room has a shower where you can freshen up." Jimin asks.

"Yes, please. Get the basics. Shirt, pants, underwear, socks. And also my toiletry bag. Please don't forget my toothbrush and stuff."

"Got it. I'll be there soon then. Jungkook said that he would keep Su-min all day and return her this evening. So I'll be able to stay with you all day."

"Thanks Jimin. As always you have been my rock."

"Tsk! Duh!"

They end the call and Jin walks over to his mother's bed. She's been asleep but the doctor says she should wake up at any moment.

He grabs her hand and holds it between his. He kneels down and caresses his cheek with her palm. He can feel her heartbeat through her thin fingers.

"Eomma, I know you're missing Appa. But please don't leave us yet. I want you to stay with us for a very long time. Su-min loves spending time with you. And you know Jimin thinks of you as his own mother. We all need you..especially me." Jin sobs and lays his head on her bed.

The thought of going through the rest of his life without his mother is killing him.

He suddenly feels a hand on his head, threading fingers through his hair.

"Shhh... stop crying Jin-ah. I'm still here." His mother says barely above a whisper.

"Eomma! You're awake!" Jin jumps up and quickly hugs her. He then presses the button to call for help.

A couple of nurses run in followed by the doctor.

"Mrs. Kim, nice to see you awake." The doctor tells her.

They ask Jin to step aside and begin to check her vitals.

While Jin is standing by the wall observing the situation, Taehyung lightly taps on the door.

Jin walks over to open it and Jin smiles happily. "Tae, my eomma is awake. The doctor is checking her right now."

Tae hugs him and says, "That's wonderful news. I wanted to come check on you both before I head into work. Have you eaten anything today?''

Jin holds his hand and says, "Thank you. I'm just waiting on Jimin. He's coming by to bring me some clean clothes and stuff. I haven't eaten but I'm not really hungry right now. All I care about is my eomma. But don't worry. I will grab a bite to eat soon."

The doctor tells Jin's mother something before walking over to speak with Jin. Judging by the look on his face, he doesn't come with good news.

"Mr. Kim.. as I was checking your mother's heart. I detected an irregular and very weak heartbeat. I will need to perform an ECG test to determine if there may be an underlying heart condition. I know it may sound scary to family members but I assure you that it is painless. Once I know what we're dealing with I can treat her and hopefully she can return home to you soon."

Jin immediately held his breath once he heard the doctor explain the situation with his mother's heart. He was just so happy to see her open her eyes a few minutes ago. And now he's being told that he could still lose her. It wasn't until Taehyung squeezed his hand that he let out his breath and began to breathe regularly.

"Do you have any questions about the procedure Mr. Kim?"

"I.. uh.." Jin replied.

"I know it's hard to comprehend. But I need to perform the test as soon as possible. Is that ok with you?"

Jin nods, unable to speak. And the doctor looks at Taehyung in a questioning manner. So Tae tells him, "He's not good under pressure doctor. But he is trying to say he agrees to her treatment. Please, do what you need to do."