"Jonghyun remains adamant that his mother died pushing him out of the way of the car." He said. Jinki nodded, still not understanding. "Did you ever wonder if there was more to the story than just a sweet boy with a sweet mother who were victims of fate?"

 

"Are you saying my son isn't as he appears?" Jinki asked, narrowing his eyes and sounding defensive. The doctor shook his head.

 

"Jonghyun is just as kind as he seems." Dr. Park said, holding up his hands. "But his mind..originally, I read the review his psychologist gave of him. His personality was slightly separated into three sections of age. That's not correct. He only has one personality, but some areas of it are over and under developed. Have you ever seen a child who didn't get enough love? They become distant, and they don't have any interest in making friends. They put up barriers. Jonghyun isn't a normal case. Someone obviously tried to nurture him after the neglect, and that's why-"

 

"What are you talking about?" Jinki cut in. The doctor sighed.

 

"I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself." He said, then pointed to the photo of the dead woman. "If you asked Jonghyun, he would say this is his mother."

 

"Are you saying she isn't?" Jinki asked.

 

"She's too young to be. She was only ten years older than him." The doctor explained. "It's physically impossible."

 

"Then who's his mother?" Jinki asked. The other male tapped the mug shot. "She's in jail? For what?"

 

"Killing him." He replied, tapping the photo of the man. Jinki's eyes widened.

 

"Who is he?" He asked, and the doctor sighed again.

 

"Jonghyun's father." He said. "It took a lot of searching for me to find all of this. I'm not surprised you didn't know, he keeps that secret well. I'm not even sure he knows it. His parents were terrible to him, there were abuse allegations all the time. It was his sister that took care of him. She's the only reason he's able to function in our society."

 

"So what happened?" Jinki asked. The doctor looked at the papers in front of him.

 

"From what I've gathered, Jonghyun's sister took care of him the majority of the time. She would protect him and make sure he was taken care of. When he was really young, maybe three or four, his mother caught his father cheating, and stabbed him with a kitchen knife." The doctor said. "His sister took him and went into hiding before the police arrived. I believe she told him they would be separated if they turned themselves in, and that bad things would happen to him. That's why he was afraid of getting caught. That's why he ran when she died."

 

"Even if all of this is true, what does that mean as far as his treatment?" Jinki asked. The doctor shook his head.

 

"It means that if he trusts you and the other boys you care for as much as he seems to, he'll work through everything on his own, at his own pace." The doctor said. "I'm not sure he even remembers his mother. For all I know, he could truly believe his sister was his mother, and so he doesn't realize he isn't telling the truth. He's being as honest as he can be, given his knowledge."

 

"So nothing changes?" Jinki asked. The doctor shrugged.

 

"It's hard to say. As I was saying earlier, his sister tried to offer him the love his parents wouldn't give him. So, I think that he has those neglect barriers, but they're weaker. Built more on fear than anger. It's easier to get through to him, but when you do get through to him, he becomes instantly attached. If this is true, it would explain why he's been so closed off in therapy. He doesn't want to be here, and it's really doing him no good. He just has to stay until the weight is gained. He's mourning his sister in his own way, but he's getting through it." The doctor explained. "The reality is, he's uncomfortable here. He wants to go home, and we're doing our best to get him there. He's attached. I'm not sure if it's to one of you in specific, or all of you, but he wants to be where he's comfortable. Given time, he'll even out and be fine. He's resilient. He'll be just fine."

 

"Then why did you tell me all of this?" Jinki asked. Doctor Park shook his head.

 

"So you would understand that the boy you're calling your son will be more work than you thought." He said. Jinki's jaw set in a hard form.

 

"I'm not calling him anything he isn't. And loving a child should never be referred to as work." Jinki said. The doctor smiled.

 

"I'm glad to hear it." He said.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jonghyun sat awkwardly in his chair, unsure of what to do or say. He wanted to be closer to his friends, the people he cared about, but suddenly he was just as shy and awkward as he had been during that first week with them. He bit his lip, tapping his leg with his thumb in an off-beat rhythm as he contemplated what he should do. Finally, Kibum spoke up.

 

"Who was that guy who took Jinki?" He asked. Jonghyun looked over at him.

 

"My doctor. He plans my meals and does my weigh ins." Jonghyun said, looking uncomfortable. "He's a therapist too."

 

"You don't like him?" Taemin asked. Jonghyun shrugged.

 

"I don't like it here. I would rather be at home." He said. "I want to be closer to you guys, but instead I'm stuck here. I know it will help me get better, but I don't want to be here anymore."

 

"You never wanted to be here." Minho pointed out, getting up from his seat. "And as for being closer to us, we're here right now. We can spend some time together before we have to leave."

 

Minho wrapped his strong arms around Jonghyun's waist and lifted him from the seat, then turned and when back to the couch. He helped Jonghyun sit beside Taemin, then took a seat on the other side of him. The eldest boy grinned widely, wrapping his good arm around Taemin, brushing his fingers against Key in the process, then halting and grabbing Key's shirt, pulling him into the lopsided hug. Key laughed, reaching around Taemin to squeeze Jonghyun, then releasing both boys. Jonghyun leaned back on Minho, allowing his casted hand to rest on his thigh, and his good arm to wrap around his own stomach. The physical touch was an immense comfort, and Jonghyun felt his eyes sliding closed as he absorbed the fact that he was once more in Minho's arms. He felt like he could fall asleep this way, happily with his family, but then Key spoke up.

 

"I think you two need to talk." He said, and Jonghyun's eyes flew open.

 

They needed to talk. But now?

 

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I was half asleep when I came up with this, but the idea woke me up so much that I had to write it. Like. Immediately.

 

So, here you are.