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Jin turned towards his wife.  “Is there anything that will stem this tide?”

They’d been up all day yesterday until late in the night, attending to patients.  And the first knock had sounded this morning before daybreak.  It seemed that Eunbyeol’s services were suddenly in great demand.  Practically every mother in the village had visited her doorstep to report each cough her child had expressed that day.  It was clear that fear was running rampant.  

Eunbyeol had seen more children in one day than she’d cared for in three years.  No one seemed to be following her instructions about quarantining.  She’d had to send Jin outside to encourage the families to stand ten feet apart, with their backs to each other, so that her patients didn’t expose one another to a contagion.  She was beyond frustrated.  

Jin had finally shut the door at midnight and told everyone to return in the morning.  Then he had ushered his exhausted wife to bed.  After insisting she eat some more kimchi rice.  He really must go fishing. They needed something to eat besides rice.  He hadn’t been able to shop in the village as intended yesterday.  The patients had begun to line up as soon as the rice merchant departed their house.

It didn’t appear that he’d get a chance to go shopping today either.  He sighed.  He just wanted to make sure that Eunie didn’t make herself sick by working herself to the point of exhaustion.  It appeared that he had married her just in time to protect her from all these selfish people.  They were clearly – and understandably – panicking.  But he didn’t want Eunie to pay the price for their fear.  So he determined to stay with her all day today.  Besides, who was going to cook her food if he left?

Around lunchtime, his eomma suddenly appeared.  Carrying a hot pot brimful with steaming meat and dumplings.  Jin collected the pot from her weary arms and bussed her soundly on the cheek.

“God bless you, Eomma!  Thank you so much for cooking for us!”

His mother glanced at the long line of people waiting to see the medicine woman.  “Goodness, Jin!  This is unbelievable!”  She looked up at him.  “Do you need me to stay and help?”

His face melted in relief.  “That would be wonderful.”  He glanced down at the pot.  “But honestly, the most help you could offer you already have.  I’m starving, and I bet Eunie is too!  We are going to take a lunch break.  I’m going to insist upon it.  Maybe Eunie can give you instructions for dealing with the patients for a few minutes while she eats.”

He carried the pot to the kitchen while his eomma ventured outside to meet with her daughter-in-law.  The doctor.  Of whom she was extremely proud today.  And about whom she was quite worried.  Thankfully, Jin was here to take care of her.  And so was his mother.