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When I was younger, I used to think Evergreen trees could never die, because of their name. Later, I learned that it was because they never shed their leaves. Honestly, I liked my original reason better. It sounded way cooler to my kid self.

I was always interested in plants, especially Evergreens, from then on. I had a garden in my grandma's backyard, and we took care of the plants together. I planted one Evergreen tree in the corner of her backyard and took care of it daily. It was a hobby and a way for me and my grandma to bond for years. Lately, though, I slowly started losing interest in plants and gardening. Everyone thought it was strange since I loved gardening so much. But even if I started to gain interest again, I couldn't garden anymore since I got admitted to the hospital about a month ago. I don't think it was odd, though. Everyone loses interest in things eventually.

"Good morning Miss Min, How do you feel today?" My doctor, Dr. Kang, asked me. "Noticing anything different or unusual?"

I shrugged, "Well, I didn't wake up in my room, so I find that unusual." He sighed at my comment, "I feel the same as I always do. And since I always feel fine, I can be released."

He ignored me and wrote down a couple of notes on his clipboard, "What about last night? Were you able to sleep peacefully? Did you experience anything out of the ordinary?"

"I slept fine."

Dr. Kang tapped his pen on his chin, "Well, it's good you're feeling okay. I'll check up on you later in the afternoon, per usual." I nodded. He visited me quite often. Three times during the day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, then again at night before I fall asleep. When he isn't checking on me, I have a nurse coming in every once in a while to check how I'm feeling or my IV and whatnot. "Also, today is Monday, so your family is coming to visit you."

I furrowed my brows at his reminder. I loved my family, but they started treating me differently once I got admitted. They act like I'm a completely different person. Like I was an alien from space. It hurt to think they thought of me less simply because I was in a hospital bed. My younger brother has been the most stressful to deal with now. We used to be close, but now he can't even look me in the eyes, as if I betrayed him by coming here.

"You have a very caring family. They only want the best for you." Dr. Kang said as he opened the door, about to leave. He read my facial expressions so easily. "Speak of the devil," He smiled warmly as he stood in front of my grandma, mother, and brother.

"Good morning Dr. Kang." My mother mirrored his smile. "I hope my daughter hasn't been too difficult to deal with this morning."

"No need to worry. After all, she's still adjusting to the new setting. It's only natural for her to feel a little uneasy. She's been good this morning though." I heard him whisper something else, but I couldn't make out what he said. My mother just nodded at him as a response. They soon stepped out of the room together.

My grandma shuffled towards me and handed me a plate covered with plastic wrap, "I made you some cookies, topped with white chocolate." She grinned, "your favorite."

I took off the plastic wrap and took a bite out of one of the cookies, "Thank you, Nana. I hope you've been well." My grandma never really looked at me differently. She just saw me less often, which made her miss seeing her granddaughter. So, seeing me less just made her love for me grow. At least, that's what it looks like to me. I have no idea what she says about me to my mom.

"It's so quiet without you at home, Donny is always out! He's never home since you left!" My grandma sulked. I could just see him look out the window, avoiding the conversation and me.

We all sat silent until my mother walked back into my room, without Dr. Kang. She walked up to me, giving me a small smile. It soon turned into a frown once she glanced at my collarbone. "You've gotten so thin lately! Are you not eating full meals? You need to eat more! Look how pale you're getting." She caressed my cheek. "It's good Nana brought you cookies."

"I haven't had an appetite recently." I shrugged. The food here doesn't seem appetizing to me, so I barely eat from it. Dr. Kang had been encouraging me to eat more, he said it isn't good for my health.

Donny looked at me, noticing my pale skin and thin figure. All I could see was a worried look, but he didn't say anything, he just turned back. He never spoke whenever they visited. We used to always talk and laugh, now he's just silent when I see him.

My mom sighed, "I understand why Donny never visits, it's difficult seeing you like this."

My grandma held my hand, squeezing it. I just stared at my brother looking out the window. He stood there, never looking back.

✦

"What seems to be on your mind, Miss Min?" Dr. Kang sat on the chair beside my bed. He was doing several tests on me, "You've been staring at the wall this entire time. Usually, you tend to stare out the window instead."

I was surprised he noticed something so small, "I was just thinking..." I turned to look at him instead. He was examining the end of my forearm, where my arm would bend, tapping it with his thumb. He continued to touch around for a while.

"You aren't drinking enough water... I can't find your veins anywhere." He handed me the water bottle on the stand next to me. I took it from him and opened it. "Anyways, what's going through your head?"

"Uh... I was thinking about when my brother visited earlier." I chugged the water.

Dr. Kang was back to touching my arm once I finished the bottle, but he paused when I mentioned Donny. "When he visited with your mother...?" He looked like he was surprised, but he switched back to his usual expression quickly after. He continued to search for my vein, feeling around until he laid his thumb on a single spot.

"Yeah. Donny used to be comfortable around me, but now he's silent whenever he visits."

I couldn't read him at all now, "I see..." He prepped my arm with some alcohol, "Tell me, how was he like?" He inserted the syringe in the spot his thumb was on.

I winced a little, "Well... he used to be introverted as a kid, so I hung out with him a lot at home. Once he got older, he opened up more and made a bunch of friends."

Dr. Kang nodded as he put in a new syringe to draw more blood. "How old is he now?"

"Sixteen, I believe. He's a high schooler. There's a slight age gap between us."

"Yeah, you're close to my age. I noticed while looking at your file." He glanced at me with a smile. "Is his given name Donny?"

I shook my head, "His given name is Daewon, Donny is just a nickname." He took out the last syringe and placed a bandage on my arm.

"Well, it's good you're both still close even with the slight age gap." Dr. Kang cleaned up the area and packed everything. Once he finished he grabbed his clipboard, writing immediately. "That'll be all for tonight then. Make sure to rest well."

I nodded as I watched him grab all the tools he used and my blood, which were now in vials. "Oh, by the way. Your mother mentioned how you used to enjoy nature a lot before being admitted here. I'd like to show you our hospital courtyard. I think you'd like it there. It's a quiet and beautiful area."

"I didn't know the hospital had one."

Dr. Kang grinned. "Our hospital is quite big. You'll find a lot here."