THE RESTLESS AUTUMN (completed) (a full-length novel)

Twin Confessions

Chapter 13

Eun-jung woke up to a continuous moan. Momentarily blinded by the morning sunlight, she spotted Euna in bed with a slight hand movement, eyes bound in bandage, one knee covered in a cast. Eun-jung sprung up, stumbling to her feet to get to her side. The severity of Euna's condition was harder to look up close. It was the kind of atrociousness Eun-jung thought could only happen in movies. Slowly Euna raised one hand to her face but Eun-jung intercepted. Instead, she whispered to her ear, "Everything will be okay." She spread a blanket over Euna, the same piece she was knitting last night when she had gotten a call from a stranger. The voice belonging to a doctor sounded deep and calm, but the news he brought had left her shaken and limped. She lost track on the number of times she had prayed that evening and only managed to breathe freely after Euna was wheeled out of the operating room.

 "Seung-jin," whispered Euna in her faintest voice, struggling not to wince.

Eun-jung squeezed her hand and whispered, "Hush. She's with Father Vincent." With a little strength left, Euna tightened her grip on Eun-jung and murmured, "Hide-her."

"She's safe," Eun-jung answered. She sniffed a bit, wiping her eyes dry with the other hand. "You'll be safe, too. We'll move far away where they can't find you." Euna loosened her hold on Eun-jung but their hands remained clasped together. Except for the sound of the air-conditioning system, everything else in the room had returned to a quiet state.

Barely an hour later, a gray-haired eye surgeon appeared by the door and motioned to Eun-jung to follow him outside the room. The first thing she did was asked about Euna's eyesight.

"Both eyes suffered from massive injuries," the doctor started. "We tried saving it but the damage was tremendous. We don't have any other option left. She'll have to undergo eye transplant to regain her eyesight."

"Eye transplant?"

"We'll need to find the right donor. If everything goes well, she'll be able to see again."

Eun-jung was speechless for the rest of the morning. Her mind scrambled for ways on how to break the news to Euna. Moreover, she was dreading the idea of telling Tae-woo about his sister's condition.

A much younger doctor came out of the lift later that day. Tall and lean, a smart dresser even under a white coat. He looked in his 30s. He had a gentle look in his eyes, the kind that was nurturing and healing even to the most tattered souls. By word of mouth, his amiability apart from being a reputable bone surgeon had drawn more patients to him than any other doctor in his department.

He reached room 318 and found Eun-jung by the door, finishing a cup of coffee. Wearing a warm smile, the doctor introduced himself, "I'm Doctor Son Jae-gun. I'm the orthopedist-in-charge."

Eun-jung quickly lowered her coffee cup after recognizing the voice. Quickly she bowed and asked, "Were you the one who called last night?"

The doctor nodded. "I found her last night sprawling on the street. Her attackers had fled before I could see their faces. I'm sorry."

"Thank you for saving her life. I can't imagine what could've happened if you didn't arrive on time."

He smiled again, causing creases to appear on the sides of his mouth. "I did what any person would do under such circumstance."  Peering inside, the doctor asked, "Is she awake?"

Eun-jung nodded. "She has spoken a few words."

"Good." Dr. Son entered the room, followed by Eun-jung. He examined the patient's breathing. Next he studied the chart, scribbled on the list and handed it to the nurse on duty. Turning to Eun-jung he said, "She's going to be fine. I'll send a therapist to work on her knee. She'll be up on her feet again in a few weeks' time."