You Never Walk Alone

Chapter 39: Dull/Dead

"Oh gosh, how'd this happen to these boys?" A nurse asked as she saw seven gurneys getting wheeled across the hallway and into a hospital room.

"T-they are my nephews...Their parents were abusive..." Da-hee answered as she sat down in the waiting room.

The nurse frowned a bit, cases like these were always very emotionally draining.

"Since when are they enduring the abuse?" The nurse asked.

"Well, the youngest one has been since before he could even speak properly..." Ae-cha replied, a few tears collecting in her eyes.

The nurse sighed, the world was just too cruel to some.

-

"How are they??" Da-hee asked frantically as she saw the doctor walk out of the boys' hospital room.

"Their condition is...A bit concerning, first, I need you to kindly list all of the abuse they have gone through so that we can figure out how they have acquired various injuries." The doctor spoke.

"T-they u-um...were hit by a belt, a bat and then they were also...uhm...r-raped..." Da-hee said, fighting back tears.

"I see. That explains a lot of their injuries, then." The doctor nodded before scribbling some things down on his clipboard, "Please have a seat." He gestured.

Da-hee and Ae-cha sat down, waiting for the doctor to tell them the condition of their nephews.

"Well, to start off, the open wounds made from the belt have been stitched up but the wounds were slightly infected so we are giving the boys anti-biotics via IV, them, all seven of them are suffering from either one or two broken ribs, and the parts punctured their lungs as well, we were able to fix them up, but they did develop fibrosis in the lungs, meaning that their lung tissues have been scarred, due to this, they may experience chronic shortness of breath, other than that, one of them has a broken ankle, and there are several other bruises but they aren't dangerous for their health. As for blood loss, we've given them some blood from our blood bank. We will keep them overnight for observation but then they can be discharged and taken back home." The doctor explained.

"Okay, thank you, sir." The two women spoke together, bowing.

The doctor bowed back and left.

-

"It's just so unfair, eonnie." Ae-cha spoke as they entered the boys' hospital room, sitting down in chairs and carding through the hair of the boys.

"I know, Ae-cha, but he's gotten more money and power over the police and judicial department, and I know he's using that power to escape from the law, but I can't do anything..." Da-hee sighed.

"Why not? Why must they continue to suffer like this?" Ae-cha asked, "It's absolutely heart breaking to see them like this, and now, they might as well suffer throughout their lives, they've gotten breathing problems now, it's not going to be easy for them, especially when they are so active in dancing, singing, rapping and playing sports..."

"I know, we should've been more careful, we should've taken them away from that house immediately after Namra married him." Da-hee replied.

"Don't blame yourself eonnie, you were also struggling at that time." Ae-cha assured.

"Yeah, but only if I had sorted all of that stuff out soone-"

"Eonnie. No one blames you, not me, not the boys, no one, got it? Rather, we're happy that you divorced that man, he was nothing but a control freak." Ae-cha said, "Now, don't live in the past and focus on the present."