Chapter 7
It's madness in our little room, nurses are trying to calm me down, i'm hysterical, shouting, crying and have been for over an hour. Namjoon has rushed back and is talking to a Doctor, but is ashen and clearly very worried. The police are here too, the hospital called them immediately. They are taking statements from the staff trying to figure out how someone could get into my room unnoticed and steal a newborn and walk right back out again. "We can give her a sedative if you think it might help?" I hear the Doctor say. "That's not necessary, I think in the circumstances her reaction is fair. She will calm down when she is ready. In the meantime why don't you explain to me how your staff let this happen? My Daughter has been kidnapped from this hospital and no one has any answers!" Namjoon is strong and determined, although I can see he is in pain too.
I call him over to me and he is immediately at my side. I bury my face into his chest and he hugs me so tightly. He whispers in my ear that everything is going to be ok and that the police will find her, and I so wish I could think like that but I'm not so optimistic. I'm calmer now just being held by him and I think he feels better because I am not screaming anymore.
The main detective who is heading up the task force ushers everyone out of the room and sits down alongside us. "We are going to do everything we can to ensure the safe return of your Daughter. We need to try and establish a motive for this. It could well be a ransom situation. Obviously there are many people who are aware of your wealth Mr Kim, but it could also be a kidnapping by a troubled woman desperate for a child. Usually in cases of ransoms we would hear quite quickly from the perpetrator setting out their terms. Just to make sure every angle is covered though we have people checking the CCTV footage of the hospital and surrounding areas. We also have people taking witness statements, checking staffing, details of any patients that may have discharged themselves early and so on". His tone is calm and collected, and his demeanour matches but his face has hidden emotion. I think perhaps he truly feels for us.
"Ok, thank you. Can we go home and wait for news? I don't think being here will help either of us and it won't be long before the story gets leaked and this place is swamped with reporters" Namjoon replies to him. He nods his head and advises he will let the staff know we are to leave.
I pack up my stuff and the few bits still there for Jangmi. This isn't right. I should be leaving with my Husband and my baby, not just the 2 of us. Where is she? Who has her? Why do they have her? I pray that whoever does have her are taking care of her. Just then I remember that I had stored some breast milk in the fridge for her. I'd pumped about 6 bottles worth and we hadn't used any of it yet. I should get it frozen. I go to the fridge and it's not there. The only people that knew about that was Namjoon, me and our nurse. Come to think of it I haven't seen her since last night.
"Where is the nurse that has been looking after us?" I ask Namjoon. He looks at me confused as to why I'm asking him with my head in the fridge. "The breast milk she made me express is gone. She was the only one that knew about it!" I shout. "It's her! She has Jangmi!"
Detective Choi goes out to the nurses station and asks a question and we then see a flurry of people checking lists and staffing charts. Thinking about it now, she was always watching, always to hand, had kept a log of Jangmi's feeding pattern, encouraged Namjoon to go home that night and leave us alone. Why would she do this?
A policeman comes into the room and tells us we need to leave now. The story has been broken like we feared and there will be a mass of reporters arriving soon so we need to get out of the hospital before it becomes too crazy. We are escorted down to the parking garage and bundled into a car and driven out of the hospital and back towards the house. We need to be there in case we are contacted for a ransom.
When we get back there are reporters outside the gates. We have been given a dark blanket and they tell us to put it over our heads to stop them getting a photo or footage of us. It's bad enough having to go through this let alone now having media attention thrust at us all. The only good thing about the story being out is it may make people hyper vigilant to anyone acting strange with a new born baby girl.
We pull up outside the house and are rushed in where all the boys and Lori are waiting along with Namjoon's parents and Sister. Lori immediately grabs me and pulls me into a huge hug, I buckle and fall to the floor, sobbing hard. She falls with me but wraps herself around me and just lets me cry in her embrace. Jimin comes to my other side and also holds me, trying his best to show me his support. Namjoon's Mum hugs him and sits him down. She asks what we know, and he explains about my breakthrough in the hospital with the nurse, and the possible reasons for Jangmi being taken and that it's just a waiting game now. The whole house is shaken. No one really knowing what to do or say to us.