“I ran into Jo, who recognized me and the bag.”
Before Yuna can say anything, Jo starts handing coffee and tea out to everyone. Yuna takes a cup but doesn’t drink it. I decline, since Jo wasn’t expecting me and I don’t want to take somebody else’s drink.
Yuna makes the introductions, gesturing at everyone. I notice everyone’s a couple, except for her.
“And Tony and Ivy are in there.” She sounds like she’s restraining herself from running in to join them. She turns to the group. “Everyone, this is my boss, Declan Winters.”
Evie says, “You are absolutely hotter than in that Pushing His Buttons show.”
“She’s a big fan,” Nate says with a teasing smile for his wife. “We only watched it about two hundred times.”
“Thank you.” Relief fl
oods through me at the way they treat me like a person, rather than some star to fawn over, with phones shoved in my face for selfies to be uploaded on all their social media accounts. Some even demand I take pictures until they get one they like.
“A great show with a great lead should definitely be enjoyed more than once.” Pascal winks.
“Well…yeah,” I say. “Why not, right?”
Everyone settles down, and I decide to sit with Yuna, since I don’t want her to be by herself when everyone else seems paired up. She deserves her own personal man to give her all the support she needs, just like her friends.
I find that I like this group. Lots of polite friendliness, peppered with a bit of anxious excitement. The two pregnant women—Evie and Jo—murmur over some photos on their phones. Probably maternity stuff. The men occasionally answer business calls. The only person who seems nervous is Yuna.
“It’s going to be fine,” I say. “The doctors know what they’re doing.”
“I know, but… It’s taking a really long time. She’s having twins. So you’d think they’d come out faster and more easily, right? Twins are supposed to be smaller than a single baby.” She’s frowning.
I don’t like the lines between her eyebrows. Or the obvious worry in her eyes. “Well… Maybe the twins can’t decide who should come out first. It’s definitely possible.”
She gives me an exasperated look. “They’re babies. They’re not ‘deciding’ anything.”
“Babies are just miniature adults,” Edgar says in an attempt to soothe Yuna. “Who knows what they can do?”
She hugs herself. “I still don’t like it.”
“How early is she?” I ask, trying to distract her.
“Three weeks.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound too early.” Or at least not early enough to be a concern. But what do I know? I’m sure Google will say it’s a symptom of brain tumor. I’m going to have to make sure Yuna doesn’t use her phone to start researching it. “What did the doctors say?”
“Nothing. Nobody’s around to tell us anything.” Yuna’s lips tighten. “It sucks. I mean, American hospitals are nice, but it sure isn’t convenient. If this were Korea, the chief of the medical staff would be answering my questions.”
“Really?” I ask. “They don’t care about privacy?”
“They do, but my family sponsors a major hospital, so every time we have a problem, we go there. My sister-in-law had her baby there. We have an entire wing dedicated for our use. If Ivy were in Korea, we’d have the chief of staff and chief of all relevant departments, including pediatrics, ready to assist and answer all our questions. But here, I can’t even find a doctor who can answer all my questions! And where’s the pediatrician?”
“The twins aren’t out yet,” I say. Yuna’s being a bit unreasonable about that point, but she’s upset, and I’m not arguing with an upset woman.
“But they will be soon.” She exhales forcefully, like she’s trying to get rid of all her apprehension and annoyance in one long breath.
Her fists are tight and resting on her knees. I put a hand on one of them. “Yuna, seriously. This is the twenty-first century. This is a modern hospital with experienced medical staff. I’m sure Ivy and Tony chose this place because it’s the best.”
“I know, but…” She sighs. “I feel like something could happen.” Her voice is low and taut. “It happened before. I thought she was going to be fine because she was just going home for the summer, but then…she disappeared.”
I don’t probe. It’s obvious that whatever story is there is very painful for her. So I take her hand, which is cool to the touch, and warm it. “She isn’t going to disappear. We’re all out here, keeping her safe. I’ll stand guard with you, too. Make sure nothing happens to Ivy.”
Yuna pulls her head up to look at me. Her eyes shine like I just told her I’d slay a dragon and turn it into shish kebab for her. “Thanks, but you don’t have to. I know you’re busy. You have a meeting with Tim at three, right? About another role he thought could work?”