Apollo’s Heart

Chapter 100

As soon as she opened her eyes, she yanked on her cannula. The force backfired, the needle poked her vein, blood gushed out. Her frail hand was dyed crimson in no time.

A panic-stricken Jin-ho yelled for the nurses. Since Yuri had only just been purged of alcohol and toxins, even slight bleeding was extremely detrimental, it could even harm the heart. Time was of the essence, the nurses held her hands, stopping her from moving about, as the doctor instantly grabbed a vile of tranquilizer and held up the syringe. At the sight of the needle, the terrified and agitated girl’s eyes glistened, so much that the man holding it turned anxious.

“No, no, no, no needles, please no!”

Her ear-piercing shriek stunned the nurses, but the seasoned staff only gripped her firmly. But a frenetic Yuri would have none of it, tugging her hand to wrest free, shoving the vital sign monitor, and pushing Jin-ho away. Her skinny body was so potent that the nurses struggled to calm her down.

After a long hustle, the nurses were ultimately able to subdue her, pinning her onto the bed. With super speed, Jin-ho quickly injected the ready syringe into her vein. She shook her head in rejection, as she burst into tears.

“Please, please stop, please-”

The drug took immediate effect, her wails eventually died down, and she closed her eyes seemingly at peace. Her limp body looked even more fragile as if it would shatter with just a light breeze.

Jin-ho let out a deep sigh as if he had just won an arduous battle. He then asked the nurses to tidy up the chaotic room.

“Wha-what is this overreaction~” Jin-ho murmured to himself as he sank his face in his palms. The fear, hatred, fury, and instability reflected in the woman’s eyes at the sight of the needle was too stressful even in hindsight. As a doctor had seen his fair share of people with a fear of needles, but this girl’s was beyond extreme.

Jin-ho pulled up his glasses and exhaled audibly. He gazed at the wan form on the bed, monitoring her diligently. He couldn’t afford a lapse of judgment at this stage, not just because he feared Tae-jun’s demonic aura, but also because he was a sincere doctor.

After some waiting, with his heart in his mouth, the vital signs gradually turned stable again. It was only now that he noticed how bony Yuri’s arm was. Because of this, they had to administer the intravenous through her hand instead of the wrist.

⸙

“What’s wrong with her wrist?”

When Jin-ho came back after discussing some matters regarding Yuri with the vice president, Tae-jun was already back in the room. Did he deal with that mandatory meeting well before he came back here so quickly?

Tae-jun had long noticed the doctor’s arrival but still locked his eyes on the pale woman.

“She had a seizure in the middle.”

“A seizure?” He turned his body in surprise.

Jin-ho was intimidated by Tae-jun’s expression. The man who was always apathetic portrayed a strong feeling of concern on his face.

“…She’s mentally very unstable. Did something happen?”

Tae-jun did not reply instead turned his head towards Yuri again. Jin-ho could sense an aura of both fury and ambivalence from the man. Was he furious because he was ambivalent, or was he ambivalent because he was furious? The emotions behind his straight facade seemed to be boiling wildly inside him.

“Leave, I want some peace.” He sounded hostile but also sincere.

Jin-ho thought it best not to provoke the man and quietly left the room. It was the only room in the VIP area so things were super quiet here. As he stepped out, he found  Jin-wook waiting for him in the hallway. He beckoned the doctor.

“Bro.”

This was how Jin-ho usually called Jin-wook. Because of their age gap, Jin-wook seemed more like a father than a brother to the other. Well, he did take care of him instead of their deceased parents, so it was reasonable to think that way.

“How’s the condition?” he asked solemnly.

“Who are we talking about? Tae-jun or the girl?” Jin-wook replied gravely.

“The girl.”

“We’ve detoxified the drug. She had a seizure in the middle of it, but she’s doing much better now. Her health has overall weakened. She needs more examinations done.”

“She had a seizure?” Jin-wook was surprised.

“She went berserk at the sight of the needle. I’m not a psychology major, but I assume it’s a typical reaction of PTSD patients. It was serious actually. I think it’s due to her memory loss. You had a hard time from it back in the day too. You even had to quit your job as a police officer.” The man reminded his older brother as he gazed at him and let out a sigh.