Stepping Stones (Jimin Park FanFiction)

Chapter Two; Less of More

Eun-Mi sat on the bench quietly in front of her mothers hospital room all night. The doctors told her "you should go home Eun-Mi" or "Eun-mi you can see her tomorrow". The doctors and nurses didn't understand that her mother was all that she had left. So in turn, she politely declined their offers and waited silently on the blue plush bench, all night, until 7:00am.

Mr.Lee was a kind man; Tall, Age marks, and salt and pepper hair. This man was a family friend, her mother's doctor. Eun-Mi entered the room, met with her mothers sleeping figure and a steady heart monitor. She was relieved, but something was wrong, her mother was alive, but far to still. "Miss Park, I would encourage you to take a seat..." Eun-Mi knew this pitiful tone far too well. Well enough to know that her mother was not just sleeping, but something was wrong.

She sat in a red velvet chair by her mothers bed, holding her cold, pale hand within her own small one. "Miss Park, I regret to inform you, and with utmost sincerity, Miss Park, your mother is in a coma. It-it was pain induced and there is a possibility of recovery yes, but there will be brain damage. Memory loss, lack of function, and she may be paralyzed in her left hip, right forearm, shoulders, and feet."

Eun-Mi felt them, the tears. She knew they were there, but she didn't try to stop them, silent sobs shaking her small figure. She would not be upset or angry towards the doctor, she was well aware that he was simply the message man. She knew very well that it was impressively difficult to break this news to anyone, young or old.

She remembered the time that she had to tell a young girl, of only seven, that her father had killed himself, she had to be the one to pull those terrible, scarring emotions from the girls chest, to traumatize and wreck the innocent girls peace. She knew that crushing feeling of guilt and pain, the suffocating feeling. It lasted her for days on end. But to Mr.Lee, she nodded and laid a hand on his shoulder, then wiped away his own tears.

"I understand, Mr. Lee, I am sorry that you had to break this catastrophic news." Tears poured from both of their eyes as he nodded and left the room without a word. Once alone with her mothers sleeping figure, her knees became jelly, her stomach twisting as she let heart strangling sounds erupt from her chest and consume her being. She did her best to muffle the sounds coming from her wet mouth and tear stained skin, by holding her face in her palms and in her sleeves.

Nothing would settle her, this sinking, drowning, hellbent feeling wouldn't let her rest. Her hands were the only thing keeping her off the chilled tile floors at the end of her mothers hospital bed.

Later, after she calmed down, she requested the day off. She took a taxi home, well aware that she was in no fine state to drive a vehicle. Once she arrived at home she broke the News to her brother, who in a fit of Anguish and rage blamed her and threw a hit at her. Blame, it was cast on her yet again, but she didn't mind. As cold and cruel as her brother was, she knew that somewhere under there, had to be some good.

She believed in him, it was just taking time. Then the thoughts hit her, maybe it was because of her? The thoughts weighed on her chest, after all, it was her birth that caused her father to leave and her family to disown her alone. Ah, yes. Her father had been out in the military for around five years, The day he returned home, his wife finally introduced him to their daughter. The woman tried to explain that she was unable to contact him no matter how hard she tried, and After a hard month of fighting and aggression,

He left them.

Her entire family was heart broken, torn to bits, they had all looked up to and adored her father. Eun-Mi loved her father, having heard stories of him being a hero and a kind man, but when he left, she took the blame yet again. Her entire family disowned her, even her brother. The only one who still cherished the small flickering candle in the girl was her mother. Her mother loved her with all of her heart, no matter how broken it was.