The Falling Petals...🌺

The-operation....

The next day was pretty much like the previous one. Dad, Hyungnim and I were at the hospital by 10:30 AM. Dong-in told us about the doctor's plan to operate on her thighs and jaw that very day. According to them, she was in a better condition now and thus they were going ahead with the surgery. We were asked to replace a jaw-plate at the hospital bank, as the doctors were going to use one while operating on her jaw. Moreover, we had to arrange four blood donors for replacement as approximately four units of blood was going to be used for her Operation.

I didn't know about this blood-replacement principle earlier. Dad told me that whenever a blood unit is used for a patient, the Same amount has to be replaced by the attendants of the patient, usually within twenty-four hours. It was not about getting some certified blood from a blood bank - what we needed was people who would donate their blood in this hospital's blood donation center.

'"So we are now supposed to search four donors whose blood group are A+ and are willing to give us blood in the next twenty-four hours?" I asked Dad. I knew that, in her entire family, only her Dad was A+ and everyone else was O+, even me.

"No, for replacement, donors can be of any blood group. The only condition is that an equivalent number of units needs to be donated. And we already have arranged the donors," Dong-in clarified.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Two of Sungwon's close friends, the admin from Dae's company and me."

"Even I can be a donor. We can ask one of Suungwon's friends to stay back," I said.

"Everybody is here by now and we should judiciously use persons from our family to donate blood. There can be worst- case scenarios any moment, where we might not find others to donate blood on time. Remember, if you donate blood now, you cant for the next 3 months," He had a point.

I just wished that the worst-case scenarios would not arrive.

"I will go with Sungwon's friends to the blood bank and after that I will leave for home. Need to have some food before donating blood," he said and went off.

My cell phone rang, then, I looked at my watch while taking the cell from my pocket. It was  11:00 and I knew this was moms call. She would ring me twice everyday to get an update about our discussions with the doctors,

"Hello mom," l said, moving out of the crowded hall. "Hello, Son. How are you?"

"I am fine, how is your backache? Any relief?"

"Its the same as before. It becomes troublesome at times, but i am fine. Any update on Dae's condition?"

I told her about the doctors decision to operate on Dae today and the blood replenishment thing. She expressed concern about the operation and I tried to comfort her, saying it was because Dae was better today that the doctors could take this decision, As usual, she also asked me about Dae's mother and rest of the family. Before hanging up, she consoled me, as always, saying that God is great and would take care of her.

"Yeah, I know she will be fine. You take care and I will call you again in the evening." With that, I hung up and moved back to the attendant-hall to locate Dad and Hyungnim.

"They are going to start the operation at 1:30," Dad told me.

"Do we need to do any thing else for the operation, apart from the donors and the jaw-plate replacement?" I asked,

"I asked but, according to the doctors, we don't need to do anything else at our end,"

The operation began on time, that afternoon. I was told that it was going to take at least three hours. We all were now sitting in a different waiting-hall on the D floor of the building. In front was a door with "OT" written on it and a red bulb above it which was switched on.

The anxiety and tire chill were back in me and I think it was the same with all of us. We were scarcely talking. Stranded between fear and hope, pacing up and down the waiting-hall. Time stood still. Minutes passed like hours, hours like days, And all along, there were our fears and hopes, battling with each other, winning and Losing different moments.

I stood at the window, watching the traffic outside and the weather which was changing drastically. All of a sudden it was getting dark. Black clouds hovered in the skies of Busan. It was going to rain heavily, I was still looking through the window when my phone rang. It was Jimin. I picked up his call,

"Hey! Jimin-ah".

"Hey! How is my brother doing and how is my sister-in-law now?"

"They are operating on the fractures in her thighs and jaw. Its going to take two more hours."

"But when I last called, you said the doctors were not going to operate on her so soon?"

"Yes, but this morning they said that she was in a better condition to be operated now.'

"That means she is improving."

"I hope so. I just want to see her well." I said in a low voice.

"Oh, come on, buddy. She is going to be absolutely fine. See, she has shown some improvement, that's why the doctors have gone ahead with the operation. Its just a matter of time and we will be enjoying at your engagement... What say?" he tried to console me and make me feel better.

"Yeah." I said. "I just need her so badly...every damn thought is shaking me inside and.. You know how madly I love her. I feel so lonely in this crowd just because I am not able to talk to her."

"I know dear. But take this as a challenge, as a test, and I am sure you will come out of it with flying colors, just think of the good time which is going to come after this hard time, when she will open her eyes and talk to you. "

I wished every single letter of what he said would come true, no matter what. I was about to ask him something when, all of a sudden, I started losing his voice, I could see water splashing on the window, a few inches from my nose. In no time, it had started raining heavily and all I could say was, "I can't hear you... Its raining heavily," before the phone got disconnected.

I looked out of the window to see people rushing into the hospital or to their vehicles. Seeing that rain, all of a sudden I had this unbearable urge to hear her voice. She used to enjoy the rain while talking to me and, maybe because of that, I too had developed a romantic tendency to talk to her when it rained. It was a long time since I had last heard her voice and I badly wanted to hear my beloved voice again.

I ran outside in that heavy rain. I searched for a cyber cafe and satisfied any urge by listening to the voice messages she left for me while I was abroad.

I was completely drenched from outside.

And from inside.