Fate's Little Bell

Chapter 23

I was lying awake in bed worrying about the fact that Jeongguk hadn't texted me to tell me he'd gotten back okay. Tossing and turning, I could feel the frothing pit of anxiety within me start to simmer.

    Calm down, Jane, calm down, I chanted to myself, trying to slow my panicked, ragged breathing. You're freaking out over nothing.

    Rolling over, I grabbed my phone from my nightstand, checking it desperately for a message from him. I'd already texted him about twenty times in the two hours since he'd left and now I sent another. My brain was rotating through images of every possible bad thing I could think of and I kept trying to insist to myself that he was probably just driving still or that he'd gotten back and fallen asleep. Or that he was out doing something he didn't want me to know about.

    Finally, I decided to text Namjoon. Surely he could tell me what was going on.

    "Hi Namjoon," I typed. "I know it's late, but can you please let me know if Jeongguk got back okay? He hasn't been answering my texts so I'm starting to get a little worried."

    I read it over and sent it. After about a minute of staring impatiently at my phone, he responded.

    "Hey! I'm on my way back to the hotel now, but when I get there I'll let you know. Have you tried calling him? He's probably just driving right now."

    Biting my lip, I started typing. "Ok. And yes, I've called him at least five times. He didn't pick up. And I really hope he's driving, but he's been gone around two hours already so shouldn't he be back?"

    Groaning quietly, I wiped my eyes as my concern, helplessness, and frustration overwhelmed me. Jeongguk, I swear, if you're okay, I'm gonna kill you for making me worry this much.

    As I waited for Namjoon to respond, my phone started buzzing with an incoming call. I sat up excitedly, seeing that it was from Jeongguk.

    "Hi! Oh my gosh, I was so worried! Why didn't you answer my texts?" I gushed upon answering him. On the other end of the line there was silence except for his breathing. "Jeongguk? Are you there?"

    "Hi, I'm sorry this is Irene," a pretty feminine voice said. "I'm calling from the New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital—"

    "Oh my God! Is he okay?" I jumped out of bed and turned the light on, bouncing around anxiously from foot to foot.

    "Ah, there was a... bit of an accident."

    My stomach plummeted. "What?"

    "Don't worry, he'll be well taken care of. Are you... his girlfriend?"

    "Yes," I mumbled, wiping at my eyes.

    "Do you know how to get in contact with his family?"

    "No. But I know someone who does. Should I give you his number? Or should I just call him? I— I don't know—"

    "Call him. Tell him to come as soon as he can."

    "Oh okay. I will."

    She hung up and I quickly called Namjoon. He picked up on the second ring.

    "Hi. So Jeongguk's in the hospital and they want you to come—"

    "Woah. Slow down. What happened?" Namjoon's voice was even and calm, the complete opposite of mine.

    I took a breath and started over. "He's in the hospital. They want you to come right away."

    He exhaled heavily. "Do you know which hospital he's at?"