CM’s POV

I could feel my blood boiling in rage at the sight that greeted me! Suman’s goons were all over MY Jaejoong trying to pin him down.  How dare they touch his body like that when I have not even laid a finger on him? Hey is that a hand on his ?? WHAT? NO! Just NO! That is MINE!!!

“What the hell do you think you’re doing bastards!!! Let go of him NOW if you know what’s good for you!” I yelled.

I glanced at that bastard Suman and could not help but notice the blood all over his face and shirt. I felt a burst of pride at what I am sure was my Joongie’s handiwork.  Even with both hands tied down he managed to go one up on that .

Suman’s goons immediately cowered away. Heh! Of course they would.  They don’t stand a chance against me, the great Shim Changmin, four times champion of the National Junior Judo League. I advanced menacingly towards them as I started to remove my blazer and tie.

“You! This is none of your business. Get lost before we beat the hell out of you! Get him you punks!” Suman shouted.

“N-no…so-sorry boss…You get him.  We don’t want to deal with his me-megasonic k-kick,” stuttered one of his goons.

“What?!! You cowards! There is only one of him and four of you! Get him!”

“N-n-no way b-boss! Did you s-see the door??? We d-don’t want to e-end up in hospital l-like Bobi.”

I smirked at that statement. Hah! He got that right.  One of the idiot goons who had tried to be funny with my sister had ended up in hospital because of that and rumours (in this case it was true though they never managed to pin it on me cos I’m too clever to get caught hahaha) sure spread like wildfire.  Who am I to stop them if it would be to my advantage like this? Hahaha.

Ok back to the business of saving my beautiful Joongie from their evil clutches. I glared at them as I grabbed a piece of stick conveniently lying innocuously near the door.  “You got that right! Now scram!”

I watched them scurry out the door like frightened mice. Now it’s just that stupid Suman and me.  He sure is an idiot! I glanced at Jaejoong lying on that bed, wide eyes looking at me in awe. Yeah, continue to look at me like that baby. Wait for me. I’ll just get rid of this annoyance real quick ok.

I looked at Suman who was stupidly trying to look brave even though I see the fear starting to crawl into his eyes and the slight trembling of his body. Huh! Not so great now that you’re left all alone huh bastard…

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

“Look Changmin, this has nothing to do with you okay.  You just go on your merry ‘kingka’ way and leave this to me.  I mean I’ve seen how he talks to you.  I’m sure you’ve got some beef with him too right? I’ll teach him a lesson for you too how about that? After all he’s just nothing. You can leave him with me,” he wheedled.

I glanced at my baby again, noting the agitation in his eyes at the asswipes’ words.  Nope! Not gonna happen fool.   I would never leave my precious baby with your ugly erted self.

I looked coldly back at Suman.  “Who do you think you are? Watch your mouth before I zip it up for you!” I hissed at him. “Jaejoong is NOT nothing.  He is everything! And he is mine! Now let him go and get lost if you know what’s good for you.”

I turned towards Jaejoong, noting the shocked look in his eyes at my words. I approached him to untie his wrists.

“What?” the word spilled from his beautiful mouth.  His already big eyes widened even more in wonder as he stared at me in confusion.

Freeing his wrists, I sat beside him on the bed, looking at his dear face.

“You heard me Jaejoong. You are mine and no one should lay a hand on you other than me,” I told him.

I slowly caressed one smooth pale cheek as I looked him in the eye.  In them I could see confusion and anxiety but there was also a spark of hope that gave me the courage to finally confess to him.  Just as I was about to lean forward to taste him for the very first time, he suddenly shoved me to the floor.  I was too shocked at his action to realize what was actually happening.

As I recovered my senses, I heard a loud whack.  We had forgotten about Suman and now he was standing over us, with the big stick I had put down in his hand and the stick was dripping with what looked like blood.

‘NOOOO!!!! Jaejoong!!!”

I jumped up and kicked the bastard hard in the chest with all the strength I could muster.  He screamed as his body was propelled across the room before crashing into the opposite wall and crumpling into a heap on the floor.

I rushed to Jaejoong’s prone body lying on the bed. “Jaejoong! Jaejoong!”  I tried to get him to wake up but there was no movement.  There was a lot of blood running down his temple. “Nooooo!! Jaejoong wake up!!” I screamed.

No...no…no…this could not be happening.  I have not properly confessed my love to him.  He needs to be alright.  He MUST be alright! I quickly but gently scooped him up in my arms and ran back towards the school.  A couple of kids who saw us ran up to me as I screamed at them to call the ambulance and to get the school nurse.

Even though the ambulance arrived quickly enough, Jaejoong still had lost a lot of blood.  I could not even consider the possibility of me losing him like this. No! He cannot leave me! I will not let him! I rode with him in the ambulance not letting go of him for even one second as I prayed to whatever god was out there to heed my prayer.  All the while I spoke and called out to him, hoping he could hear my pleas for him to wake up.

Unfortunately, until the last moment before he was wheeled into the emergency operating room, he was still unconscious.  As the nurses closed the door in my face, I finally gave in to my emotions as I sank to my knees and cried like I had never cried before.  I have never felt fear like this.  I cannot lose Jaejoong like this.

Everything seemed to pass in a daze for me as someone, a nurse I believe, led me to a chair, and when they started asking questions about Jaejoong’s family, I gave them our school information instead since I did not know anything about them.

I did not know how long I sat there until I felt a hand shaking my shoulder. 

“Changmin! Changmin!” a voice exclaimed, trying to get my attention.

I looked up to see Miss Song, looking anxious and worried for some reason.

“Miss Song! What are you doing here?” I asked, shocked at seeing her there.

“I heard about what happened to Jaejoong? Is he alright? We tried contacting his parents but they refused to come. So I’m here in their stead,” she told me looking sad.

“What? They refused to come? He’s their son for ’s sake!” I screamed.  I couldn’t believe my ears! What kind of ed up parents would not come when their son’s life is in danger??

“Yes. We did explain the situation to them but…” she just shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

“Look Miss S-,” before I could complete my sentence, one of the nurses stepped out of the OT.  We immediately rushed to her side.

“Nurse, how is he? Is he going to be alright?” I asked her anxiously.

“Um, are Mr Kim’s parents here?”

“No, they ah-uh they are not able to come, but I will be acting as his guardian. I am Song Ji Hyo, his homeroom teacher,” Miss Song spoke up.

“Ah, well, we need you to fill in some forms on his behalf.  If you would follow me?”

“Wait! Wait, Nurse…how…how is he?” I said as I grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Oh! The surgeons are working on him now.  Dr. Lee will come out in a while to explain his condition,” she said while ushering Miss Song away.

I felt utterly useless as I sat slumped in the chair awaiting news from the OT.  Miss Song had come back and was sitting quietly beside me, hands clasped together and eyes closed in prayer.  She seemed genuinely concerned about Jaejoong and my respect for this pretty teacher grew by leaps and bounds.

A few hours later, the OT door slid open and a middle-aged doctor stepped out, looking around. I quickly got to my feet, followed by Miss Song.  The doctor noticed our presence and strode up to us.

“Hi, I am Dr. Lee. Are you Kim Jaejoong’s guardian?” he asked Miss Song.

“Yes, doctor. How is his condition?” she asked, worry lines marring the smoothness of her forehead.

“Well, Mr Kim suffered two blows to his head.  The first one was to the back of his head which is not that serious.  It just left a big bump the size of an egg but we still need to monitor that in case of any concussions. The second one however, is much more serious.  He was hit hard at the spot just above his left ear which resulted in a little crack in his skull,” the doctor explained.

Both Miss Song and I gasped in horror at that piece of information.

“What does that mean for him doctor?” Miss Song asked, her voice trembling.

“Hmm…the crack to his skull should be able to heal completely as Mr Kim is still very young. However, he has to be very careful not to get hit on that side of the head for the next few months.  Of course he would get some blinding headaches on and off with that kind of head trauma. What I’m more concerned about is the possibility of him suffering a loss in hearing in that ear.”

“What?! You mean he may go deaf?” I asked in disbelief.

“There is that possibility, albeit a small one, but we will not know for sure until he wakes up.  We have tried to fix the damage to the best of our abilities.  If he can hear using that ear when he wakes up and of course with proper care and enough rest, Mr Kim will be able to pull through and the chance of a full recovery is pretty high. We’ll just have to pray for the best,” he smiled reassuringly at us.

“So can we see him now doctor?” I asked a bit impatiently.

“He is still in the recovery room and heavily sedated so he most probably will not wake for the next 24 to 48 hours.  My nurse will wheel him to the general ward soon so you can wait for him there.  If you do have any other questions do not hesitate to ask me or any of my nurses. Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said, turning to give some instructions to one of the nurses.

Miss Song heaved a sigh of relief and turned to me, “Changmin, why don’t you head on home.  I am sure you’re very tired. I can stay until they bring him to the ward.”

I shook my head as I protested, “No, Miss Song.  Jaejoong is my friend and my responsibility.  I need to be there for him. I n-need to stay beside him.”

“But Changmin, you are no use to him all worn out.  I am sure he would not want to see you like this when he wakes up too,” she tried to persuade me.

“No! I need to be there when he wakes up,” I insisted stubbornly.

Heaving a tired sigh, she pointed to the state of my clothes, “At least go home and get a change of clothes.  Your shirt is stained with blood. I am sure Jaejoong will not want to see his blood all over you.”

Looking down, I noticed for the first time the mess I am in.  The front of my shirt is badly wrinkled and there was more red than white on it.  I had to reluctantly agree with her and slowly nodded my head in agreement.  I decided to make a quick run home.  The faster I get home and change, the faster I can return to his side.  The doctor did say he would be out for at least the next 24 hours.  I will make sure the first face he sees when he wakes up is mine.

JJ’s POV

The throbbing pain in my head feels as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it and there was a sharp ringing in my left ear.  I groaned at the pain as I slowly blinked my eyes open.  I tried to lift my hand to touch my head but there was a hand clasped tightly around it and as soon as I moved it, the owner of the hand woke up.

“Jaejoong? You’re awake. You’re awake!” the familiar voice came.  I looked at the handsome face, a little crumpled from sleeping by my bedside, and could not help the feeling of warmth spreading across my chest at the gentle look I see there.  I tried to smile at him but the action caused a sharp twinge to the side of my head and the smile turned into a grimace.

Seeing my pained expression, Changmin quickly jumped to his feet and ran to the door shouting for the nurse.  The nurse quickly came to check on me.  Once done with her checks, she gave me some painkillers and informed us that she will page my doctor and let him know that I had woken up.

The minute she left the room, Changmin grabbed me in a tight hug, burying his face in my shoulder.  I was shocked to feel my shoulder getting wet as I realised that he was crying.

“Ch-Changmin? Are you alright?” I asked him softly, not wanting to aggravate the pain in my head.  He just squeezed me tighter as his cries grew louder until he was actually sobbing out loud.

Not knowing what to do, I just his back gently in an effort to calm him down.  I let him cry until he stopped on his own, hiccoughing once in a while.  “Hey, feeling better now?” I asked him again.

He nodded his head as he pushed away from me. Now that I had a closer look at his face I realized that he looked quite terrible.  He had dark circles under his eyes and due to his bout of tears, his eyes are red and puffy.   

“I’m so glad you’re up baby.  You were unconscious for three days.  The doctor said you would wake up after two but you slept for one day longer. God! Don’t make me worry like that. You don’t know how worried I was…still am in fact,” he stopped his rambling as he just stared into my eyes.

I looked back at him in wonder.  Am I hallucinating? Baby? He called me baby? Why? I continued to watch him as he lifted his hands and held my face in the palm of his hands and brought his forehead to rest gently against mine.  I could feel his breath brushing against my lips and I could not help wishing that he would place his lips against mine. I could feel him gently caressing the good side of my head as I closed my eyes, savouring the moment. 

The doctor appeared at that moment and Changmin had to leave while he did a thorough check on me.  Seeming satisfied with the results of his checks, he left after saying that he would talk to my guardian about my progress.

Guardian? Did…did my parents come to see me? I don’t know how to feel about that yet I could not help the spark of hope that flared at the thought of my parents coming to see me in my moment of need.

Changmin stepped in the room as soon as the doctor left, smiling beautifully despite his tiredness.  I looked at him, wondering if he knows…but if it were my parents where are they now?  As soon as he reached my side I decided to ask him.

“Changmin, the doctor said he would report my progress to my guardian. Did…did my parents come to see me?”

He immediately looked troubled and looked away for a moment, a myriad of emotions flashing on his face. And I suddenly knew the answer to that, looking down at my hands in my lap.  I could not help the burn spreading through my being at their blatant rejection as my tears slowly rolled down my cheek and dripped to my lap.

CM’s POV

“Changmin, the doctor said he would report my progress to my guardian. Did…did my parents come to see me?”

Ah! How do I break it to him? The flare of hope in his eyes troubled me greatly.  His bastard parents did not even bother to call the school to find out about their son’s health! I feel so angry at the heartless way they treated their own flesh and blood.  I turned back to my beloved and was shocked to see the tears running down his face.

“Baby!! No…don’t cry…they don’t deserve your tears.  No…don’t cry please,” I pleaded as I sat on the bed and hugged him close to my chest.  I could not bear to see him in so much pain.  Not only physical pain but emotional pain as well.

“Hic! I…Hic! I th-thought that at…at least they would be…Hic…be a little bit concerned about me,” he cried painfully as he gripped my body tightly.

“No sweetheart…please don’t be sad.  There are others who love you more than they ever would.  Please believe me,” I said as I gently caressed his head.

“But…but I am their s-son,” he whispered brokenly, voice full of despair.

I could do nothing but hold him close and comfort him as he continued to cry in my arms.

“Shhh….shhhh….don’t cry baby.  No one can love you more than me…I love you Jaejoong.  I love you so much and I have loved you for a very long time now,” I told him, hoping it would at least relieve some of his pain.  What a way to confess.  Definitely not what I had in mind but hey I think the situation calls for it.

He immediately stopped crying and pushed away a little from me to look into my eyes.

“Wh-what? What di-did you say?” he looked at me with his big teary eyes and I could not help the flash of joy as I saw the hope flaring in his beautiful eyes.

“You heard me, pabo…I said I love you…very much,” I smirked at him.  I could not help the swell of pride in my chest as I saw the awed look in his eyes.

“You…you love me? …Me? R-really?” he asked still disbelieving what he heard, sniffing cutely.

“What? You don’t believe me? How do you want me to prove it to you?” I smiled as I leaned in closer to his plump lips.

My dreams of tasting the plump juiciness of his lips was once again ruined by the appearance of Miss Song who rushed in and practically shoved me off the bed as she crushed Jaejoong to her chest.

“Jaejoong! I’m so glad you’re okay.  I rushed here as quickly as I could when the doctor called me,” she said.

Looking bewildered, Jaejoong stuttered out a greeting to the pretty teacher.

“M-miss S-Song…The doctor called you? Why would he do that?” he asked puzzled.

“Oh! Changmin didn’t tell you? Ah…you see I am acting as your umm…guardian for the moment since your parents ah…since your parents could not make it,” she said carefully, judging his reaction from her words.

“It’s okay Miss Song, you don’t have to sugar coat your words.  I know what kind of people my parents are,” he said bitterly.

“But, I really want to thank you for stepping in.  You didn’t have to you know…after all I am nothing but a trouble maker…but… I’m glad it’s you,” he continued, the tears starting to well up in his eyes again.

Miss Song smiled gently at him as she brushed away the tears rolling down his face again. “You are never the trouble maker in my eyes Jaejoong.  The others don’t see what I see and it’s their loss I say. I didn’t mind being into this role. In fact I was honoured to be appointed guardian for such a strong, intelligent and kind person such as you, even if it is just a temporary one,” she told him.

In response, Jaejoong just hugged her tightly, the tears still streaming down his face.

“Alright! Enough of this emo talk! I have some good news! The doctor reported to me on your progress and he told me that you are well on your road to recovery! Yay!” Miss Song exclaimed, pumping her hand in the air.

Miss Song is really something.  I looked at Jaejoong as Miss Song continued chattering happily away.  He looked happy and if he was happy then I am happy.  I am glad that he had a teacher like Miss Song to care for him.

Jaejoong was soon nodding off and Miss Song and I left the room to let him have his rest.  The minute we stepped into the hallway, Miss Song invited me to have some coffee with her to talk about Jaejoong’s progress.

“Changmin, the doctor had some good news to share.  Jaejoong seems to be healing really well and his hearing is not badly affected after all.  He will be experiencing sharp ringing in that ear for a while but the symptom will go away as he heals completely.  Anyway the doctor told me that he will need to stay in the hospital for at least a week until he is deemed fit to be discharged,” she started.

“I’m so glad to hear that Miss Song.  However, I detect a ‘but’ in there somewhere.  Is there anything that you are concerned about?” I asked looking at her now troubled face.

Steepling her fingers in front of her, she continued, “As you very well know, Jaejoong is staying on his own.  With a head injury like that, the doctor has informed me that he needs to be closely monitored for a while still.  In case anything were to happen, he needs to be sent to the hospital as soon as possible.  I am worried about his care as there is no one to look after him once he is discharged.  I can take him in but I don’t think he is amenable to that.”

“Oh if it is just that then you don’t have to worry Miss Song.  I will just ask him to stay with me.  I was going to anyway.  There will definitely not be a lack in the number of people looking after him at my place,” I told her.

“I really don’t want to impose on your hospitality but, if you can do that for him, that would be wonderful.  Of course we have to get your parents’ approval first as we can’t just drop this on them without any warning,” she said.

“No. It’s alright. I will talk to my parents myself.  You don’t have to worry yourself about it,” I told her. 

“No, no, no.  Whatever it is, I am still Jaejoong’s acting guardian and it is still my responsibility to talk to them about this since we will be imposing on their hospitality,” she protested.

“You don’t have to worry about getting my parents’ approval. I am sure they will be fine with it,” I tried to convince her.

“Still, it is better if I explain the situation to them as well,” she insisted.

I sighed, “Okay Misss Song, do what you see fit.”

She nodded her head and looked at the time, “Okay, I need to go now.  You will be staying with Jaejoong right?”

At my nod of agreement, she stood up, “Right, I have a lot of marking to do.  If there is anything that comes up do not hesitate to call me straight away alright? Oh and I will also be dropping by your place once in a while to check on him too.”

She waved goodbye and left, leaving me alone to my thoughts.  Well, my parents already knew about Jaejoong, (their son did go m.i.a for three days at any rate), and they also knew and accepted how I felt about the gorgeous boy (yeah, they are cool like that hehehe...) and they are looking forward to meeting him, so they would love to have him come stay with us. Now I only just need to convince one gorgeous being to come live with me while he’s recuperating.