If You

Don't Forget

Jiyong tapped his fingers impatiently on the table and held back a sigh. Normally he loved long fan meets, but Emily's doctor appointment was in an hour and the line was still impossibly long. Get it together, he told himself sternly. These fans have waited a long time to meet you.

It was always amazing to him that people around the world not only listened to his music, but actually wanted to come and meet him, regardless of expense or time or even travel. It touched him how far some people would go just to shake his hand or take a picture, and he felt guilty for wanting to get away from them.

Until his phone buzzed with the appointment reminder.

Thirty minutes! I'll never make it! he thought wildly. He smiled for a picture, then made desperate eye contact with Seong Do. Emily's gonna kill me.

******

Emily checked her watch again and tried not to feel forlorn as she leaned against the wall. He's never gonna make it, she thought disappointedly.

Seon Tuk stood a discreet distance away, but Emily waved him over. "Call a cab for the hospital, please," she said quietly.

Outside the hotel Seon Tuk hailed a cab and Emily gave one last hopeful glance at the door, but Jiyong still didn't appear. It's just a doctor's appointment, it doesn't matter, she told herself, but even as she thought it she knew she didn't believe it. Jiyong would already miss so many special moments after he left, and now it seemed that he would miss this one too. Pull yourself together, she ordered herself as they pulled up to the hospital, even as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital towered above the square like a cathedral, making Emily feel incredibly small, the she felt a light tap on her arm and saw Seon Tuk holding out a Kleenex. "Thanks," she said, taking the tissue. "Where did you get this?"

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a packet of tissues. "One of the other bodyguards said his wife cried her entire pregnancy, so I thought it best to come prepared," he replied.

Emily smiled and nodded. "Thanks," she whispered.

They went in the main entrance and were directed to the fifth floor, where they found a spacious waiting room with blue-gray walls and a water feature burbling in one corner. The splashing water grated on Emily's nerves, but she ignored it as she signed in.

"Mrs. Kwon," the nurse called. Emily stood up alone and handed Seon Tuk her purse. "Your husband's welcome to come with you," the nurse added, looking hopefully at Seon Tuk.

"He's not my husband," Emily said, a little more harshly than she intended, but Seon Tuk just nodded gravely and picked up an interior design magazine.

"Follow me, please," the nurse said, looking embarrassed as she motioned Emily through.

Emily allowed her to take her vitals, then she laid back on the table and stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't shake how alone she felt and more tears leaked down her face. This is how it's going to be, she realized. Me alone in here and a company bodyguard waiting outside.

The door opened and a thin female doctor came in. "What's the matter, chickie?" she crooned, her voice soft and concerned. She looked about fifty and had a motherly face, which comforted Emily a little. "I'm sorry," she managed, trying to swipe the tears away.

"Pregnancy hormones can be a real pain," the doctor said, handing her a tissue, "but you're not the first patient to cry on that table and you certainly won't be the last."

She checked Emily's chart. "Mrs. Kwon, I presume, or do you prefer Emily?"

"Emily's fine," Emily replied.

"I'm Dr. Martha Chadwick," the doctor said, "and according to this file you last saw a doctor in New York City?"

Emily nodded.

"That's quite a lot of traveling you've been doing," Dr. Chadwick commented.

"It's... work-related," Emily said.

Dr. Chadwick nodded. "Of course. Your vitals look good, so I'd like to try and listen to your baby's heartbeat. It's still rather early, but we can give it a go."

She pulled out what looked like a walkie talkie with a microphone attached, then brought over a tube of KY jelly. "We keep this in a warmer, so you don't have to worry about cold goop on your belly," she teased.

There was a rush of voices outside and Dr. Chadwick paused. "Sounds like an altercation," she commented. "You'd be surprised how many arguments happen in this office."

The voices got more intense, then there was a shout of indignation and rapidly approaching footsteps. Before either of them could move the door opened and Jiyong burst into the room.

Emily sat up instantly. "Jiyong? How did you-"

"I left the fan meet early," he panted. "I decided to come straight here instead of going back to the hotel."

"You cannot just charge in here!" the nurse exclaimed hotly, coming up behind him.

"And this is?" Dr. Chadwick asked.

Emily felt more tears brimming, but they were happy ones now. "This is my husband," she said proudly.

Jiyong smiled at her and gave the doctor a bow. "I apologize for being late, I was detained at work," he said, joining Emily at the table.

Dr. Chadwick waved the nurse away and closed the door again. "You're just in time," she said, lifting Emily's shirt and exposing her belly. She squeezed a large dollop of jelly onto Emily's skin, then placed the microphone on it and began moving it across her stomach. They all waited silently as she worked, then like a fanfare a rapid beat began pulsing through the little speaker.

"There it is!" the doctor announced. "That's your baby's heartbeat, and it's a strong one!"

Emily thought it was the sweetest sound she had ever heard. "Our baby has a heartbeat," she whispered.

She felt Jiyong's hand clasp hers tightly and he planted a kiss on her head. "Isn't it amazing?" he said wonderingly.

"I can record it and send you a tape if you like," Dr. Chadwick offered.

"Yes please," they said in unison.