SEPARATION ANXIETY

"Grandmother!" When Freida checked on her grandmother, she was overjoyed to discover that she was once again conscious.

As soon as Freida entered the isolated room for the wounded evacuees, she immediately kneeled beside her grandmother and began stroking her forehead over and over while she kept on kissing her cheeks out of great relief.

"Oh! Thank Goodness, you're safe, Grandmother. Thanks, God," She continued to mumble to herself while fighting back the tears that were appearing to spill from her eyes once more. She had no choice but to put on a brave front in the presence of her grandmother.

As she put her hand on Freida's cheek, her grandmother then asked about her granddaughter, saying, "Freida, are you alright, my child?"

She couldn't believe that her grandmother would even ask her condition first, despite the fact that she had gotten herself into such a state, and the corner of her eyes began to swell up with tears because of her grandmother. Her grandmother was a truly selfless person, just like her mother and father before they passed away.

"Don't worry about me, grandmother. I am all well. Please have some more rest. You will be needing a lot of that." She gave her grandmother a peck on the cheek before helping her into bed and tucking the sheets around her. After that, she flashed a smile at her grandmother as she sat down on a monoblock next to the medical bed that her grandmother was in.

Freida was startled when she turned around and saw a medical volunteer approaching from behind her. She conveyed no emotion as she told Freida, "Your other companion is in the other wing with other patients and casualties that were severely injured upon arriving here." She did this while maintaining a neutral expression on her face.

Before getting up to check on Boran, Freida gave her sleeping grandmother a quick glance over her shoulder.

As she moved closer to the east wing of the evacuation center, she began to feel a rising sense of apprehension throughout her entire body. Freida was immediately confronted with a large number of injured patients the moment she stepped through the door. There were some of them that were fatal, and there were others that were just too much for life, so death took them away in an instant.

Her eyes darted all over the place in search of Boran until she finally spotted him at the farthest end of the wing.

"Boran?" She didn't waste any time and called out for him straight away, but he didn't answer. Finally, Freida broke down and cried because she couldn't hold back her emotions. Seeing Boran in such a state caused Freida to feel responsible for what had happened to him. Boran wouldn't be lying in this bed unconscious and covered with wounds all over his body if he hadn't crossed the road when he did earlier, the thought went through her head. His head appeared to have taken a significant blow, and judging by the bandages on his other arm and left leg, it appeared that he may even have fractured bones.

"Is he your boyfriend?" As Freida turned to look at the medical volunteer who was currently assessing Boran's vital signs, the tears in her eyes stopped flowing. For a brief moment, her question had her somewhat taken aback.

She found it awkward, but it would be even more awkward if she didn't clarify it, "Oh, no, he's a friend of mine," Freida responded awkwardly. Even when she tried, she was unable to look directly into her eyes.

The medical volunteer seemed to understand, but she decided not to inquire any further about the matter. Instead, she shared with her, "He is a strong young man. Nobody would normally survive such an impact, but this boy managed to hang on to life."

There were still some traces of tears on Freida's cheeks, and she had to wipe them away immediately before she uttered the question, "Will he be okay?"

"His vital signs appear to be stable for the time being, but we will continue to monitor him. It is of the utmost importance that he be taken to the hospital as soon as the storm has passed in order for the medical staff there to be able to attend to his needs. The medical ward in this facility does not have all of the necessary medical equipment for your friend to make a full recovery. In addition, the injury to his head required additional examination in case there were any blood clots that could lead to a more serious diagnosis."

"I understand."

"Uh…for now, could you please provide us with the contact information of your friend's immediate family? We need to inform them about your friend. They will also need to sign a consent to transfer the patient to the hospital as soon as possible."

Freida jotted down the information about Boran's guardians. She was able to recall having them due to the fact that he frequently used their telephone line in their home to discuss their joint thesis project.

The violent onslaught brought on by the storm continued for the next hour. And as soon as the strong winds subsided, the majority of the patients who were being treated in the isolation ward began to be moved to the hospital that was located the closest to them one at a time.

Right at that moment, Boran's mother and father made their way through the door. When his mother saw Boran in his current condition, she was overcome with emotion and began to cry. She cried so hard that everyone thought she was going to pass out from the emotional strain. And when Boran's mother saw Freida at the corner, she went straight to her.

"What happened to Boran, Freida? Tell me, what happened to my son?"

Freida was left completely unable to articulate her thoughts. She felt ashamed because she knew she and her grandmother were to blame for Boran's poor condition. She was so embarrassed by the situation that she couldn't even bring herself to say it in front of Boran's mother..

"Freida, I have a question for you. Answer me please!" Boran's mother's pleadings were ignored as Freida was being restrained by her conscience while her eyes were pinned towards the ground. She was still unable to meet her eyes directly..

Suddenly, Boran's father suddenly took control of the situation and removed his wife from it, telling her, "Honey, let it go. Freida must also be in a state of shock at this point."

Boran's mother stopped pursuing Freida for answers as she and her husband moved closer to Boran's side once more. Meanwhile, Freida continued to be tortured by her conscience. Especially after having witnessed Boran's mother sobbing uncontrollably while her husband gently stroked her back in an attempt to calm her down and comfort her.

Freida was reaching her breaking point and could no longer cope with the situation. Because of this, she exited the isolation ward as soon as she could. She needed to get away from the sights that not only tormented her on the inside but also brought on her anxiety. She needed to be somewhere else. Simply looking at that picture caused her chest to tighten up, which made it difficult for her to breathe normally. She can imagine how it must have been for Boran's mother in that situation.

She knows it best. Storms took their toll on her, too, as she was one of their victims. A storm was the direct cause of her becoming an orphan over the course of a single night. And because there was another storm, she ran the risk of being abandoned and becoming an orphan once more tonight. Her separation anxiety was triggered, but it was more complex than the typical normal thing that people knew about separation anxiety. Because in her situation, being separated in this way meant that there was no longer any possibility of ever seeing the people you cared about again.

Freida did not give careful consideration to the question of where she would go, and as a result, she found herself at the back door of the evacuation center, which no one was watching. It seems as though the armed medical professional who was guarding the back door took a short break.

After a moment's pause, Freida bolted for the door and exited the building. Even though the strong winds have completely died down, there is still a chilly breeze blowing outside, and some scattered raindrops can be seen here and there. Freida went outside, but she made sure not to get wet by staying under the roof the whole time.

She did not stop crying as she stood there, and tears began to roll down her cheeks once more.

Given that no one would be there to witness her breakdown, the location was ideal for her to vent all of her emotions. Freida was finally able to let go of the burdens, heartaches, and heavy feelings that she had been suppressing within her for so long. She needed to be able to let go of the burdens that had been putting so much weight on her back, and being by herself was exactly what she needed at this time to do that.

With the exception of the ambient noises from nature, the area outside the evacuation center has been noticeably quieter and less crowded. But this tranquility was abruptly taken away from Freida once more when a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to her called out to her and said, "There you are, I have been looking for you."

When she turned around to check on the familiar male voice, her eyes widened in shock when she saw that the one who was speaking in the familiar male voice was none other than Boran.