︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Minho POV: 

It's a Friday evening, and I'm thrilled because it's my first weekend off since returning to training. I haven't been home much lately, only popping in during the afternoons to feed the cats.

It feels like a I'd be a miracle to talk properly to Hana, considering I haven't since that Monday. It's not like she's ignoring me or anything, I see her at dinner, she eats- nibbles on her food- and she's been retreating to her room, barely speaking. Seungmin and Jeongin have mentioned that she hasn't been in touch with them much either, and when they do manage to reach her, her responses are minimal.

But I did see her in the morning, around 10pm. She looked utterly exhausted, and given how tired I've been too, I didn't want to push either of us to talk. But unexpectedly, it was her who spoke up first, asking me to drive her to the hospital.

"Do you want me to pick you up too?"
I asked her on the way.

"I'll catch the bus. It's just that there's no bus at 10am to the hospital, hence why I'm asking you to drive me."

"What happened to your car?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just didn't feel like driving."

"Okay, weird. But this way I get to see where you work."

"Yeah, I've never mentioned it before, have I?"

"Nope. So, where should I stop?"

"Just outside that gate. Thank you. Bye"
She seemed in a hurry, quickly gathering her things.

"Yeah, bye."

"Hana, wait"
I called her before she walked away.

She stopped and looked back.
 "Yeah?"

"Just call or text me when you're done. It's Friday, and I'll finish training earlier.
 I can pick you up."

She nodded and gave a small wave before heading inside. I watched until she disappeared from view. It was odd—no, it was more than odd. She seemed jittery and even more fragile than usual.

At 7 p.m., I'm lounging on the couch, scrolling through my phone when Seungmin calls.

"Oh Seungmin-ah, what's up?"

"Minho hyung, are you home"

"Yeah, I'm home. Why?"

"Hana's home, right?"

"No, no she's not. Why is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. Jeongin called her about half an hour ago, and she didn't pick up. I told him to wait since she said she'd be at her internship all day, so she must be busy. But she should have been done with work a while ago."

"I actually drove her there today morning. She said she didn't feel like driving so i agreed."

"So you're telling me she doesn't have a car right now?"

"Not exactly. She mentioned she'd take the bus, but I asked her to call me when she was done so i could pick her up."

"Okay, that's definitely strange. If she's not picking up and she should have been done by now, something might be off." 

"I know. I'm calling her now,"
I said, hanging up and immediately dialing Hana's number. The call went straight to voicemail.
I tried again, and the result was the same.

"I can't reach her," I told Seungmin when I called him back. 

"What do we do? I dont-"

Seungmin's voice broke, he sounded like he was panicking.

"Seungmin-ah, calm down. It's Hana we're talking about. Maybe she got caught up in work and left her phone somewhere. "

Seungmin took a shaky breath.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll keep trying her phone."

"I'll drive to the hospital, if it makes you feel better."

"I'll come too, I'm leaving now."

"Seungmin, no don't. How about this, you and Jeongin come over here."
I suggested, wanting to avoid any unnecessary panic if Hana was indeed just at work.

"Fine, But you go."

"You know the code, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember the code."

"I'm staying on the line, Don't hang up."
 I grabbed my keys and headed out

"By the way, I don't understand."
I interrupt the silence as i start my car.

"You don't understand what?"

"Why you're so worried. I mean, she's at work."

"It's not just about her being at work. Something feels off, and she hasn't been herself lately. I just want to make sure everything's okay."

He wasn't lying. Honestly, I was worried too, but I was trying to downplay it.
Not all of us can panic. Someone has to stay composed.

While staying on the line, I ring Hana's phone again. Again, it goes straight to voicemail.

"Seungmin, are you still dialing her?"

"Of course I am. I mean, I'm driving, Jeongin's dialing her."

"Jeongin-ah, Give it five minutes before you call her again."

I heard a faint "Okay," from him likely because the phone was away from Jeongin.

"Goddamn, fucking traffic."
I grumbled.

"Hyung, we're going up to your house."

"Good thing you reached. Now go up and relax. I'm sure everything is okay."

I dial Hana once more before telling Jeongin to continue. This time the call does not go to voicemail.

"Seungmin, someone picked up, I'll call you back."

"Oka—" I hung up before he could finish.

"Hello? Hana? Where have you been?"
I pick up the call as I pulled my car aside in the yellow line.

"Good Evening, this is Hana's colleague. Assuming from the caller ID, you're her roommate?"

"She's still at the hospital?"

"Yes, we just found her phone; she must have dropped it."

"Had she lost her phone?"
I asked, hoping that was all there was to the story.

"Not exactly, she collapsed during the rounds, it's been 2 hours since then."

My heart sank as I processed the information.
"Collapsed? Is she okay? What happened?"

"I'm afraid I don't have many details at the moment," the colleague said gently.
"We're still assessing her condition. I'm sorry, I know this must be very worrying for you."

"Is anyone of her family there?"

"She asked us not contact them so we had to comply."

"Now that I know she's there, I want to come. Would that be okay?"

"Of course, you're welcome to come. We actually need someone to sign the discharge papers, too,"  the colleague said reassuringly. "Just come through the ER's entrance; that's where she's being treated."

I ended the call and quickly shifted into gear, my heart pounding as I rejoined the flow of traffic. Remarkably, the once-choked streets began to clear, as if the universe was conspiring to help me reach Hana. Within five minutes, I pulled into the hospital parking lot, barely pausing before leaping out of the car and sprinting toward the entrance.

I speed walk towards a sliding door marked in bold red letters: "EMERGENCY." As I slip through the door, my eyes scan the area urgently, searching for the nurse's station.
I barely register the bustling atmosphere of the emergency room as I speed toward the nurse's station. The sound of beeping monitors and distant conversations blur together into a chaotic symphony of urgency.

"Excuse me!" I call out, trying to catch the attention of a nurse.
"I'm here for Hana—Choi Hana. I was told she collapsed and is being treated here."

A nurse, her name tag reading 'Haneul Park,' looks up from her paperwork with a concerned expression. "Yes, Choi Hana. Follow me"

The kind nurse leads me down a row of beds, the fluorescent lights casting a stark glow on the sterile walls. We arrive at a bed with the curtains drawn completely around it.

"She's asleep right now. We've administered one out of two bottles of IV fluids. She was quite weak when she arrived. We also took some of her blood, with her consent, once she was awake."

"Is her blood work back?"

"It will be soon. I'll get them to put a rush on it."

I stare at the drawn curtain, not sure if i should step inside.

"You can go in now. One of the doctors will be here soon to check on her again."
She says before she leaves.

I leave a text to the group chat, downplaying it as much as i can.

Boxer and 2 Singers

Minho, Seungmin and Jeongin

Minho:
She dropped her phone
Stay home for as long as you want
I'll bring her home soon

Delivered: 8:20pm

Seen: 8:20pm

Seungmin:
Okay, that means she's okay, right?

Delivered: 8:20pm

Seen: 8:20pm

Jeongin:
Be back soon

Delivered: 8:20pm

Seen: 8:20pm

Minho:
We'll talk when we get back

Delivered: 8:21pm

Seen: 8:21pm

After sending the message, I slip my phone back into my pocket and take a deep breath before entering the curtained-off area. 

She looks quite peaceful, but her face is pale and tired. As she sleeps, it twists my heart to see her like this. It's a weird feeling, It hurts to see her so vulnerable.
 Seungmin told me to look out for her, and I didn't.

I gently pull a chair closer to her bedside and sit down, trying to steady my emotions. I reach out and lightly brush a strand of hair from her face, trying to soothe the tension I see etched in her features. It's clear she's been pushing herself too hard, and now she's paying the price. The guilt weighs heavily on me—if only I'd noticed sooner, if only I'd been more proactive. Only if she wasn't so stubborn. Only if I didn't take what she told me to heart, I'd know.

She stirs slightly as I gently pat her head. Her eyes flutter open, and she blinks groggily, struggling to focus on me.

"Minho?"
she murmurs, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, it's me."
I said smiling at her.

"What—how did you know I'm here?"
she asks, her voice still faint.

"I didn't know exactly," I reply with a gentle smile. 
"One of your colleagues picked up when we were spamming your phones with calls and he told us what was going on."

"We?"

"Seungmin and Jeongin too. You scared them."

"Sure did-"
She tries to sit up but winces in discomfort.

"Go back to sleep, wake up once the doctor's here."

"No, it's okay."

"What even happened? I knew there was something wrong, i just didn't want to push on the matter."

"I'm okay, just a bit of a scare. I collapsed during my rounds."

"Why didn't you let them call your parents or even one of us?"

Hana avoids my gaze, looking at the IV drip instead.
"Oh, it's almost over."

"Don't change the topic, Hana. You still have another bottle to go anyway, so we're stuck here. You're not avoiding anything."

"I didn't want to be a burden. It would unnecessarily worry you and them."

"Where do you get these ideas ? Hana, You're not a burden. You need to take care of yourself. We all care about you, and it's okay to ask for help."

She doesn't look up to me, rather fidgets with her hands. I hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching. A doctor, likely here for the follow-up check, is on their way.

"We're talking about this."

I rise from the chair, taking a deep breath as two of them enter. As she examines the IV drip and checks Hana's vitals, she occasionally glances up at us.

"Your blood work is back. And.."
She stops to think before she continues,
"... it's not looking good. I'd like to ask a few questions before I make a final diagnosis, I'm sure you already are aware them, Intern Hana."

She nods at the comment directed towards her.

"Now we can have this conversation in private- or with him here."
 she was directing a comment towards me.

No one's POV:

As much as she didn't want him or anyone to stand here and listen to everything she's been going through and everything she's doing wrong and get exposed, she also wanted someone to be there for her.

"I can go if you want, Hana. I just want you to be honest, if not with us but at least with them."
Minho volunteered.

"Since you're already here, just stay."
I replied.

"Alright," the doctor said, settling into a chair with a reassuring nod.
"We'll proceed with him here then."

"When was the last time you ate a proper meal?"

Minho's mind raced. Yes, she was eating dinner with him, but he couldn't really vouch for the amount she ate to be a "proper meal". And he had no idea about her having lunch, leaving breakfast which was a known fact that she didn't. He wanted to speak for her, but that was wrong. It needed to come from her. She needed to tell the truth. 

"I can't remember," Hana stuttered, her voice trembling.
"I don't... I can't eat much."

"You don't or you can't?"
The doctor asked softly.

"I can't."

"Tell me more."

"If I eat, I end up puking. And if I don't, then obviously that doesn't happen."

Minho's eyes go wide open. He'd never noticed. Maybe he overlooked, she did complain of being nauseous during dinner last Monday. But he continues to listen.

"And even when I'm hungry, as soon as I see food, my appetite turns into nausea and the thought of eating disgusts me."

"Are you on any medication? Apart from supplements if you do, as you know, those don't count."

"No, I don't. Except-"

"Except?"

"Sleeping pills. I can't seem to sleep without them last few weeks, so I've had them almost every night."

"That should explain the unsolicited nausea. Sleeping pill tend to have side effects, you should've stopped them."

"But i can't sleep without them. And if i don't sleep, i can't work or study. I can't let that happen."

"You should've sought help sooner. Now that it's come to this, recovery will be more challenging and take longer. Your iron and hemoglobin levels are 3 points lower than the normal range, which indicates anemia. "

"How long?"
Minho beat Hana to the question, his voice a little hoarse since he spoke so suddenly.

The doctor paused, calculating.
"Given the symptoms and their duration, I'd estimate it could take anywhere from three to four  months for a complete recovery. This timeline includes addressing your physical symptoms, adjusting your medication, and working through the underlying issues. But she should be back on her feet within 2-4 days of medicine."

Hana's gaze fell to her lap, and Minho placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Hana looked up, eyes filled with a mix of hope and apprehension.
"Will I need a lot time off from work and university?"

"If you sleep, eat and drink well, take your medicines on time, you'll be better quickly. But you have to stay strong for that. You may lag behind a little, but it'll be worth it. Your health will be better and with that, you'll catch up just fine. You're a brilliant student, I've heard lot about from your lead residents."

The compliment seems to light her face up, just a little bit. She craved that validation.

"Thank you. I'll try to get better."

"Your IV drip is almost done," the doctor said, standing up.
"I'll send someone in about ten minutes to remove it." As the doctor made her way to the door, she gently pulled the curtain closed behind her.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶