sick boy [yoonmin]

-nine

The day had decided to turn dark. Clouds decorated the once beautiful blue sky and turned it into a gray and rainy day. The Park family found themselves in Seoul National University Hospital. After three hours in there, they hadn't gotten any news about their son, or his status. Mr. Park walked back and forth the waiting room, while Mrs. Park was sitting down, hands fidgeting from the nervousness.

The Min's had texted her as well, saying they wanted to come in and keep them company. Especially since their young son wanted to go see his friend. The parents couldn't deny their offer.

Another hour passed, before any sign of any nurses and doctors appeared. It was empty and quiet, only the sound of the droplets of water hitting the windows. Mr. Min stood by the window, eyes staring outside as he bit his nails.

Waiting and waiting and waiting, for like felt like years, the doors to the waiting room opened. Dr. Kim, followed by his nurse, entered the area. Mr. Park quickly walked towards him with a worried look, Mrs. Park not falling behind and standing next to her husband.

"Good news, he is stable for now," Jin said, taking off his glasses as he rested his back against the wall, next to Jimin's parents. Both had a distraught and tired faces. Though the doctor didn't look any better. Hair was a mess, eyes were puffy, probably had dark circles from the lack of sleep, and looked drained with the previous events. "Bad news is, I don't know what is causing things. His blood is showing elevated numbers of white blood cells, which are currently attacking everything in his body. He is not getting enough oxygen and his organs are struggling," he spoke carefully.

Mrs. Park was quick to hug her husband and cry on his shoulder. The loud and agonizing pain resounding through the walls of the small waiting room.

"I can do two different things," he scratched his forhead before closing his eyes, "either we treat him like we did last time, the whole dialysis process and the heavy drugs, putting him at risk of kidney failure or somehow something else backfiring at us, or I can try to start him up on a trial treatment," Jin explained.

"What is the treatment exactly?" Mr. Park asked, trying his best to stay composed on the current situation.

"We do the dialysis to lower the white blood cells, and instead of using various heavy drugs, we use one pill. It's a combination of an antibiotic with a chem treatment, like the ones used for cancer. It targets specifically the pathogen that is in his body. That is causing his body to go haywire. Since it's radioactive, it could also help mutate his cells to where it eventually fixes his immune system in a sense. It is a trial med, not in the market yet and has only been tested a handful of times."

"If that is the case, what are the chances of him getting better with the first option, versus the second?" the mother spoke, drying her tears and trying to straightened herself.

"From the research that I have done, going with the trial treatment, 8 out of 10 have improved and seemed to be doing well. Allowing themselves to go out if their bubble and not getting sick. Now, keep it mind this drug has been tested for only three years, and it has some side effects, like vomiting, loss of appetite, just like any chem drugs.  However, so far no one has had anything go wrong. If we do it the first way around, then we risk shutting down his organs faster than his immune system would," he looked at both of them. "It is your choice."

The parents stayed quiet, silence filling up the waiting room once more. Their thoughts consumed their heads. Looking at both alternatives, both of them sounded terrible. For a parent, making such decision was hard. Like many others they had taken before.

But they had to choose one. The one that would increase the chances of their son leaving the hospital alive and well. The one that would leave their son living the best life he possibly could.