He puts a hand over her mouth. Shutting her up in an instant. Their faces are very close. The atmosphere around them suddenly seems too hot. The two look into each other's eyes. And they appear to be conversing on forbidden topics.
"Are you crazy or what?!"the man says in a whisper which however exudes a certain annoyance. "It's late at night, we're in the hospital, you certainly can't scream like that." His teeth are gritted."Of course if you didn't sneak up behind me every time in silence, too, I wouldn't need to yell," she said, under her breath, but letting her fury in that regard transpire.
"Well, tomorrow morning you are free to go home. Do you want me to stay with you or would you prefer to call your friend to come and be with you?"
In the meantime, he carefully picks her up and lays her down on the bed in the hospital room, tucking her in and making sure she is comfortable. He even goes the extra mile to give her a glass of water and make sure she is hydrated.
The atmosphere for Kate seemed almost surreal, having someone take care of her with such a tenderness and care is a rarity in her life. She watches his face, carefully scanning it with her eyes, as if she wanted to remember every single detail of his face. She can feel the warmth radiating from him, and it makes her feel safe and secure.
"Please stay. Just this once. I don't want to be alone."she asks, taking a piece of his white shirt sleeve between her thumb and forefinger.
Her eyes search deep into him, as if daring him to refuse her request.
He smiles and says, "Yes, of course. I'll stay here with you until morning. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He sits down on the edge of the bed and takes her hand in his. "I'm here for you, whatever you need."
The next morning Kate is getting dressed in the room, while a few corridors away from her hospital room Jin consults with his assistant."That woman is so fragile and yet so strong. I have an irrepressible desire to protect her.""Sir.?" the assistant looks at him with a confused look."Why don't you do it then, you know, I could send one of our men to check on her day and night. That way you can rest easy, knowing that if anything happens, they can alert you immediately"
Jin reflects. "Okay, send Key to watch, and tell him I want a detailed report every night on her day"
He then says at the end."Ok I'll take care of it" the assistant walks away with the phone to give his boss orders.
Kate walks out of the hospital, minding her ankle, and hails a cab. The day is sunny, there is no cloud in the sky. It's only ten in the morning, but Kate can't wait to take a shower as soon as she arrives within the private walls of her home. As soon as it's clear enough for her to be able to stand on it without pain.
She gets in the backseat, and says a quiet thank you to the driver for his patience. "To the 7th district, please. Thank you." She takes a deep breath and holds onto the seat. When the car starts moving, she closes her eyes with relief. Her life has been hellish, and it will have to get worse before it gets better.
There are things that need to be taken care of, before everything else goes up in smoke, and the sooner the better, considering the state of Kate. Everything in her life seems to be chaotic.
The car comes to a stop. There is an empty parking space nearby, and Kate thanks the driver once again and steps outside. There is a bench with a little park space near the entrance to the palace where her flat is, and a few minutes later, she sits down at one end of it and takes a deep breath. A cool breeze blows through her hair, lifting some loose strands from her forehead. She closes her eyes for a second. It feels good to finally be able to breathe properly.
After what seems like forever, she opens her eyes and looks around. It isn't crowded yet, so she decides to get herself a cup of coffee from a little shop on the corner of the street. She walks towards it slowly. It's still early, but the sun is shining down brightly on all of them.
Her eyes wander over to the playground area. Some people are already sitting around and chatting happily while playing on their devices. A couple of kids are playing catch with a ball, others are trying to balance on imaginary threads, or chasing each other, screaming.
Kate shakes her head slightly and turns around. That reminds her of someone she should call. Sophie, who is probably tapping her foot on the floor, moving back and forth wherever she is.
Kate sighs and pulls out her phone. She scrolls through her contacts and finds Sophie's number in the first list. She presses the green button, waiting for the other woman to pick up. She listens to the rings until Sophie picks up.
"Hello? Kate? Is everything alright?"
Kate smiles. "Hi, Sophie. Yes, I'm fine, everything is fine." She pauses to think about how best to explain the situation, but her friend doesn't give her much time.
"So then tell me, what happened? Did you break anything? Do you need help cleaning your flat? Oh god, do you need to move to another apartment immediately? No wait, I didn't hear from you yesterday, what happened to you?"
Kate chuckles and shakes her head. "No, why would you think such a thing? Don't worry about any of those things. Everything is alright. Well apart from the fact that I met him again, while I was going to my doctor's appointment and seems like I fainted yesterday day"Kate says, lowering her voice more and more, almost expecting a rebuke, as if from a mother more than a friend.
"What?!"Sophie screams. "But that's not important right now, anyway, what's important is that I am alright and that I need to talk to you about something."
Sophie's eyebrows furrow in concern. "Well, what is it? If it's serious, why don't we meet up this afternoon, at my flat or yours?"" Sophie suggests. "We can make plans and figure out how to deal with whatever problem you might face."
"Okay, that sounds good," Kate agrees. "I will see you later, at my place is better, so I don't have to strain more than necessary my poor ankle."
They hang up and Kate puts away her phone. She walks to her place. She unlocks the door and enters.
Her apartment is pretty small compared to most girls' flats. It's nothing fancy – just four rooms and the kitchen and living room, along with the bathroom. But it's still enough for her.
*Jin what are doing to me?*
And with the continuous thought of Jin in mind, Kate enters the shower, finally being able to relax under the gentle touch of hot water.