Vengeful Desires

12-

snap snap

"Mrs. Wang..."

The doctor moved to snap his fingers again, but Hyun-woo's hand shot out, gripping the man's wrist firmly. "She's not a dog," he stated, tone clipped as he fixed Dr. Yi with a reproachful look.

The doctor's eyes widened momentarily before he composed himself with a deferential nod. "Of course sir, I do apologize." Carefully extracting his hand from Hyun-woo's grasp, he turned his attention back to Amirah.

Hyun-woo reached over and caressed his wife's hand gently. "Amirah."

Amirah blinked slowly, the harsh pastel lights of the doctor's office seeming to gradually bring her back to the present. She shifted in the uncomfortable plastic chair, the starched fabric of her hospital gown rustling faintly with the movement.

"Mrs. Wang? Mrs. Wang, are you with us?" Dr. Yi spoke again, his voice taking on a softer tone though the crease in his brow betrayed his concern as he studied her face intently.

Amirah felt her heart rate kick up a notch as her gaze flickered between Hyun-woo and the doctor. A bead of sweat trickled down her spine, contrasting sharply with the chill that raised goosebumps along her arms.

"I...yes, I'm sorry," she managed after a moment,
giving a small shake of her head, as if to physically dislodge the disquieting sense of disorientation. "What were you saying?"

Relief was evident on Dr. Yi's features as she focused back in on the conversation. Resettling himself in his chair, he steepled his fingers atop the desk before him, the picture of medical professionalism.

"As I was explaining, Mrs. Wang, the neurological tests we've run indicate some...abnormalities in your brain activity."

Amirah felt her breath catch in her throat at those ominous words. Brain abnormalities? What did that even mean in her case? Her eyes dropped instinctively to the desk calendar, its black numbers seeming to taunt her.

April 18th, 2019.

That date danced at the edges of her memory, whispers and fragments of half-recalled moments niggling at her consciousness. But she couldn't seize hold of the elusive recollections, like trying to grab fistfuls of water.

Dr.Yi made eye contact her for a moment. Glancing towards the calendar himself.

He then exchanged a loaded glance with Hyun-woo, who sat beside Amirah, his hand resting on her knee in a gesture of support that felt strangely hollow.

"Well, let's start again. We were discussing your diagnosis, Mrs. Wang. The severity of your postpartum depression and the need for inpatient treatment. The brain activities could explain the memory blanks."

Amirah's heart began to race, a cold sweat breaking out along her hairline. "Inpatient treatment?" she echoed, her voice sounding small and far away to her own ears. "But... but I can't leave Dami. He needs me."

Hyun-woo's fingers tightened on her knee, the pressure almost painful, as if preparing for an outburst. "Amirah, we've talked about this," he said, his tone low and urgent. "Dami needs you to get well. We all do."

She turned to him, searching his face for some sign of the love and understanding she so desperately craved.

But his eyes were shuttered, his expression carefully neutral - a mask she'd become all too familiar with in recent months.