As Soo Ryeon eased into consciousness following surgery, her first awareness was of pain—hot, searing pain that enveloped her stomach and abdomen. She could hear voices in the room, and feel movement around her, but she couldn't focus on anything but the pain. Her throat felt like she'd swallowed razor blades. She whimpered, her mouth dropping into a frown, and almost immediately, the bed dipped as someone sat beside her. Tender fingers stroked her face, and she felt warm breath on her cheek.

"Soo Ryeon? Sweetheart, it's Logan. I'm here. Surgery's done… you're in your room. Can you hear me, baby?" His fingers slid into her palm. "Squeeze my hand, Soo Ryeon."

It seemed to take a tremendous amount of effort, but she finally twitched her fingers enough to let him know that she could hear him. His sigh of relief was audible even through the fog of anesthesia, and a moment later she felt a cool cloth laid on her forehead.

"I love you, sweetheart," he told her huskily. "So, so much. I was worried about you."

She whimpered again, unable to voice the questions that took shape in her mind. Her skin felt hot and prickly, and she welcomed the relief of the wet cloth as Logan carefully swabbed her face, neck, chest, and arms.

"Does that feel good?" he asked solicitously. She managed a nod, and he retreated into the small bathroom, wet the cloth again, and returned to continue his task. "You had an allergic reaction to one of the medications they gave you during surgery," he explained. "I noticed the rash as soon as I saw you in recovery."

"P-pain," she croaked.

His big hand cupped her cheek. "They'll give you some pain meds once they're sure your reaction is under control. Try to rest, okay?" Another small nod. "Good girl. I'll be here with you when you wake up." His lips brushed her forehead. "I love you, baby."

Soo Ryeon told herself that she should reply to his endearment, but her body rebelled, dragging her back into unconsciousness before she could form the words.

...~«ώ»~...

When she woke again, though, Logan wasn't there. As she stirred, a man's hand grasped hers, but she knew immediately that it wasn't Logan's. It didn't feel right, and there was no gold band on the fourth finger. She forced an eyelid open to see Yoon Cheol sitting beside her.

"Hey, Soo Ryeon, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"L-Logan?" she forced out, suddenly afraid that he was gone.

"He'll be back in a few minutes," Yoon Cheol reassured her with a squeeze of her hand. "He hasn't eaten all day, so Yoon Hee practically dragged him out of here to go get something from the cafeteria."

A small smile quirked the corners of her mouth. Yoon Hee wasn't one to take 'no' for an answer.

"How do you feel?" Yoon Cheol repeated.

"Nauseous," she told him weakly.

He stood and went into the small bathroom to retrieve a basin for her. "Logan said you had a nasty reaction to one of the drugs they gave you during surgery."

"Which one?" she wondered.

"There's no way to know for sure," he answered. "They gave you several… It could have been any of them."

She nodded, allowing her eyes to drift closed again. It didn't particularly matter to her right then. Her head swam, and she reached for the basin, pulling it under her chin as her stomach churned. Yoon Cheol understood and raised her into a sitting position, circling his arm around her shoulders to hold her steady. She cringed as pain lanced through her abdomen at the change in position, and her stomach seized the opportunity to reverse itself just as Logan and Yoon Hee walked into the room. Logan rushed to her side, circling the bed to sit opposite Yoon Cheol and stroking a hand over her matted hair. Yoon Hee retrieved a glass of water and a wet cloth from the bathroom, and as soon as Soo Ryeon finished and Yoon Cheol laid her back down, Logan swabbed her face. Yoon Cheol went to empty the basin, and Yoon Hee left the room to check with the floor nurse about when Soo Ryeon's next dose of medicine was due.

Soo Ryeon looked up miserably at Logan, immediately seeing the lines of worry that creased his face. "I'm okay, Logan," she told him softly.

He forced a smile. "Hey, which one of us is the doctor here?"

Yoon Cheol returned to her side. "Yeah, Soo Ryeon, I'd say you're outnumbered."

"But I'm the one who's had surgery…" Suddenly she realized that she hadn't been told the outcome of the surgery. She looked up at Logan, her eyes wide. "Logan, is it…? Did Dr. Goo…?"

"I'm going to go see what Yoon Hee's up to," Yoon Cheol announced, leaving the room and pulling the door shut behind him. Logan picked up Soo Ryeon's hand and raised it to his lips.

"Logan, just tell me," she insisted. "Did she take it out?"

He looked at her seriously before a grin appeared. "She didn't take it out. You still have your uterus."

It was the answer she'd been hoping for, but she was still surprised to hear it. "Really?" she asked.

"Really," he nodded. "She removed the tumors, but there's no way to know whether the scar tissue will prevent a pregnancy from implanting."

"But she thinks we can get pregnant?" she asked breathlessly.

"We're sure going to give it our best shot," he affirmed. "But first we need to get you healed up and back on your feet. You'll have vaginal bleeding for a week to ten days from the surgery, so no sex allowed until that stops." She pouted adorably, and he leaned down to kiss her, sucking gently on her protruding bottom lip. "Don't worry, baby, I'll make sure it's worth the wait."

Her eyes flared with heat for a moment. "You're always worth the wait, Logan," she murmured. Her eyelids started to droop again, and when she fell asleep, it was with a knowing smile on her lips.

...~«ώ»~...

Soo Ryeon drifted in and out of consciousness for the remainder of the day. Her stomach eventually settled, and the rash from her allergic reaction began to fade. Late the next evening, Logan sat next to her bed and watched her sleep. He'd called his parents to update them, and he smiled as he glanced over to see the beautiful flower arrangement they'd sent for their daughter-in-law. He'd also left another message for Yeo Hee, letting her know that the surgery was over and had apparently been successful, but much to his disappointment, she hadn't called back.

Beside him, Soo Ryeon stirred, and he reached over to brush her hair away from her face. His touch coaxed her eyelids open, and she managed a small smile for him. She looked more coherent than she had the previous day, and he grinned down at her.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she answered before glancing around the room. "What time is it?"

"Why, do you have somewhere to go?" he teased.

"No, I just… wondered…" She trailed off. "Are you supposed to work tomorrow?"

"A short shift," he told her.

"You should go home and get some rest," she replied.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" He was joking, but she sighed in irritation.

"No, I'm not trying to get rid of you, Logan," she said tersely. "I'm just saying that if you stay here all night, you'll be dead on your feet tomorrow."

"Hey, hey, sweetheart, I was just kidding," he soothed.

She dropped her head remorsefully. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just… ready for all this to be over." She waved her hand vaguely toward the medical equipment surrounding her, and Logan caught it, lacing their fingers together.

"It's okay, Soo Ryeon," he answered. "You've been through a lot, and you're allowed to get frustrated once in awhile. The hard part is over. Soon we'll be back home and this will all be behind us."

She smiled up at him. "Thanks, Logan. You're wonderful."

He winked at her. "I have to be to deserve you."

She blushed cutely. "Stop it."

"I only speak the truth," he insisted lightly, bringing her hand to his lips for a kiss.

"I'd like one of those here, please," she teased, pointing to her lips.

"As you wish, my love." He stood and leaned over her, settling his lips gently on hers. They kissed sweetly for a minute before separating with matching smiles on their faces.

"Mmm," she hummed.

"My thoughts exactly," he agreed.

Her eyes suddenly widened as she remembered something. "Logan, we have to figure out what song we're going to sing for Ms. Da Mi's retirement show! It's only a couple of weeks away!"

He laughed heartily as he hovered over her. "How on earth did we go from kissing to Ms. Da Mi?"

She blushed again. "I wasn't thinking about Ms. Da Mi. I was thinking about you, and us singing together again. There was always something magical when we sang together."

"That's true," he conceded, settling back into his seat without relinquishing his hold on her hand. "Let's see… We could do something from Twinkle Towne. That was the first show we did together. How about 'Breaking Free'?" He smiled nostalgically at her. "I kissed you for the first time when we sang that song at our callback."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "On the cheek. I don't think that counts."

"Hey, give me some credit," he argued. "A real first kiss shouldn't take place in front of an auditorium full of people."

She giggled. "But a gym full of people is okay?"

He feigned hurt. "Hey, I was excited. Heat of the moment. Triple victory. And if Ji Gun hadn't interrupted us…"

"I'm glad he did," Soo Ryeon interjected softly.

"What?" Logan gaped. "Why?"

"Because when our first kiss actually happened, it was quiet and romantic, and we were alone," she explained with a warm smile.

He smiled back at her. "Ah yes, you make an excellent point."

"What about 'What I've Been Looking For'? I always thought that song fit us well in the early stages of our relationship," she said.

"That's a good one," he nodded. "We could also do something from the Midsummer's Night show at Lava Springs. It wasn't technically a school show, but all of us were in it, and if I remember correctly, Ms. Da Mi was in the audience."

"Of course she was in the audience," Soo Ryeon replied with an eye roll. "Gyo Jin always made sure Ms. Da Mi was there to see her perform."

"We could do 'You are the Music in Me'," Logan went on. "Sang Ah wrote that song for us, and we never got to perform it."

"Yeah, thanks to Gyo Jin," she answered with a touch of bitterness.

"I didn't perform it with her either," he pointed out.

"Okay, fine, that's on the 'maybe' list," she conceded. "Along with 'Everyday.' Everybody liked that one."

"Agreed," he nodded. "What about the Senior Year musical? What was our duet? 'Just Wanna Be With You.' That's a good one." She snickered, grasping her side. "Why is that funny?"

"It's not," she giggled. "I was just picturing all of us trying to do the prom number now. That would be a disaster!"

"If nothing else, it'd be a good way for me to round up some new Ortho patients," he chuckled.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed. "Although I'm not sure you could handle the choreography any better than our friends."

"Hey, I'm in shape!" he argued.

"Do you remember how sore we were after we learned that dance?" she reminded him. "And we didn't even use it in the final show."

"Yeah, that was a shame," he answered. "That was some of Gyu Jin and Sang Ah's best work. But you're right—it was hard work. I vote that we stick to a ballad."

"Sounds good to me." A yawn pulled at her face, and Logan glanced at his watch, surprised at how late it was.

"I think that's my cue to leave so you can get some rest," he told her. "I'll be back first thing in the morning." He stood and leaned over her again, claiming her lips in a soft kiss. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too," she murmured, her eyelids already growing heavy again. "Good night."

...~«ώ»~...

Soo Ryeon was released from the hospital on Wednesday, and after his shift ended, Logan took her home and got her settled. Her recovery was slow but sure, and being home definitely bolstered her spirits. She continued to deal with pain, fatigue, and occasional nausea, but Logan had been right—the hard part seemed to be over.

When Logan came home from work on Friday, he found his wife reclining on the sofa with her laptop on her lap and papers scattered across the coffee table. She smiled up at him, and he leaned over the back of the couch to give her a kiss.

"How was your day?" he asked as he circled the couch to sit beside her, pulling her slender legs across his lap.

"Fine," she answered. "My mom called."

"Oh? How's mom doing?"

"Okay. She wanted to know how I was doing after surgery."

Logan held up his hands in surrender. "Sweetie, I know you didn't want me to call her, but…"

She halted him with a finger on his lips. "It's fine, Logan. I would've told her today if she hadn't already known about it."

He frowned slightly. "I called her on Monday. Why is she just now calling back?"

"She's been in London all week," she answered. "She got your messages when she got home."

His frown deepened. "Don't you find it a little strange that your mom leaves home for days, sometimes weeks, at a time without letting you know? What if there was an emergency? We'd have no way to reach her."

Her eyes narrowed, and her voice held a warning tone. "If we needed to reach her in an emergency, we could contact the company. But she's a grown woman, Logan, and she's free to come and go as she pleases."

"She comes and goes as she pleases for business," he returned pointedly. "For personal reasons, like visiting her daughter, I don't think that's true."

Her voice rose. "She's busy, Logan. Let it go."

"Okay, okay," he consented, uninterested in arguing again over Yeo Hee's priorities. He glanced at the papers on the table. "What are you working on?"

Relieved at the change in topic, she handed him a sheaf of papers from the arm of the couch. "Seo Jin thought it would be neat to make a booklet for the reunion that has bios of everyone in our class. You know, where they went to college, what they do for a living, spouses, kids, et cetera. That way we don't spend half the evening answering questions about what we've been doing since graduation. It's actually a really good idea."

Logan made an effort not to sigh. "Seo Jin thought it would be neat… but you're the one doing it."

She glanced up at him. "She's swamped with the Primary elections coming up next week."

"You just had surgery," he countered.

"It's not overly taxing to sit and type on my laptop," she pointed out. "I rest when I get tired."

He realized that the papers spread across the coffee table were information sheets. "Seo Jin had everyone send their information to you." It was not a question, but a statement.

She faltered, realizing that it did seem as though Seo Jin was taking advantage of her. "Yes. But really, Logan, I don't mind. It's actually pretty interesting to read what everyone's been up to."

She gestured to the papers he'd let fall on his lap, and he picked them up to flip through the pages. There were neatly typed paragraphs for each member of their class, listed in alphabetical order. She resumed her typing as he scanned the lines in search of familiar names. He slid his arm around Soo Ryeon as he read about his friends and teammates.

Dong Pil Yoo graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Food Science. He works as a sous chef at Iago's Restaurant in Greenwich Village, New York City. Dong Pil and his fiancée, Mari, plan to marry in October. Their daughter Jeni is 6 months old.

Logan Lee is an alumnus of Hanyang University and Yonsei University Medical School. He is a second-year resident at the Yonsei University Severance Hospital, with specialties in Sports Medicine and Orthopedics. Logan lives in Seoul with his wife Shim Soo Ryeon.

Seo Ji Gun graduated from the University of Daegu with a degree in Physical Education. He is a P.E. teacher and assistant basketball coach at Gyeongsan High School. He and his wife Cheon Seo Jin reside in Gyeongsan with their 11-month-old son.

Gyu Jin Lee graduated from Juilliard with a degree in Dance. He is a sought-after choreographer in the New York theater circuit, and has written and produced a number of musicals with his wife, composer Sang Ah Go. They reside in New York City with their daughters Mina (4½) and Ah Ri (2).

Cheon Seo Jin attended Chung Ang University University to study political science. She works as a public affairs consultant at the firm of Waters & Wade. She lives in Gyeongsan with her husband Ji Gun and their 11-month-old son.

Soo Ryeon Shim earned undergraduate and graduate law degrees from Seoul National University University. She is an Associate Professor at Korea University School of Law, and resides in Seoul with her husband Logan Lee.

Sang Ah Go attended Juilliard to study Music Composition. She has won a number of awards for her compositions, and was selected, along with her husband Gyu Jin, for Juilliard's prestigious Composers and Choreographers Feature Concert. She and Gyu Jin live in New York City with their daughters Mina (4½) and Ah Ri (2).

"Wow, sweetie, this is really good," he complimented before flipping through the pages again. "What, nothing about Gyo Jin?"

He felt her tense for a moment before she pulled out a pink piece of paper from the stack beside her. While most of their classmates had sent a few simple sentences about their lives, Gyo Jin's bio was a full page long. Logan whistled as he took it from Soo Ryeon's hand.

"I haven't figured out how to condense it," she explained, and as Logan read over it, he could see why. Gyo Jin, or rather, Gyo Jin's agent, had listed every role in every production she'd been involved in for the past ten years. After attending Daegu University, she'd spent several years in New York City, just as Gyu Jin had told Soo Ryeon. Most surprising, however, was that she was currently appearing in a show in Las Vegas. The description of the role was noticeably vague, but Logan guessed that it involved a lot of pink.

"Wow, she's doing theater in Vegas?" he noted. "I didn't see that one coming."

Soo Ryeon snorted. "You know Gyo Jin, always full of surprises." She added under her breath, "Or at least, full of something."

"Come on, babe, I'm sure she's changed since high school," Logan commented diplomatically.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," she replied. "She's not married, but she's made sure to let everyone know that she's bringing her 'entourage' to the reunion. And since it's at Lava Springs, there's not much we can do about it." She looked at him earnestly. "She'd better stay away from you, though."

He chuckled and stroked his thumb across her cheek. "Soo Ryeon, it doesn't matter whether she comes after me or not. My heart belongs to you. I made a lifelong commitment to you. And I'm going to the reunion with the most beautiful woman in our class on my arm."

She smiled back at him. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just don't trust her, but maybe she really has changed. We'll see." Her gaze returned to her computer screen, but she looked up again when Logan grabbed a pencil from the coffee table and made several notations on the papers in his hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused.

"I'm revising my bio," he told her with a wink. "The facts are all there, but there are a few details that you left out." He wrote some more, and then proudly handed her the top sheet and sat back as she read the revised version:

Logan Lee is an alumnus of Hanyang University and Yonsei University Medical School. He is a second-year resident at the Yonsei University Severance Hospital, with specialties in Sports Medicine and Orthopedics. Logan lives in Seoul with the love of his life, Soo Ryeon. Every morning he pinches himself to make sure he is really married to such an incredible woman, and every night he goes to sleep with a smile on his face, holding his wife in his arms.

She blushed deeply. "Logan, I can't use this. People will think I wrote it."

"No way," he countered. "You would never write something like that about yourself. You're way too modest. I, on the other hand, have no problem telling the world what a lucky man I am. But if you prefer, we'll keep this version just between us."

"I think that'd be best," she answered shyly before raising her hands to touch his face. "Thank you, Logan. You're an amazing man, and a wonderful husband. I'm the one that's lucky."

He could've argued that point—he was already forming a protest in his mind—but it evaporated when she leaned forward to kiss him. He pulled back just long enough to move her laptop from her lap to the coffee table, and then gently pulled her into his lap. His arms encircled her, his lips descended on hers, and he sighed with deep contentment. He thought about the last line he'd added to his bio: 'holding his wife in his arms.' He wouldn't want it any other way.