Taemin

Urgh. What was this? Everything was heavy, his legs, he couldn’t even feel them. His stomach seemed to heave side to side like a disturbed ocean, rocking him, making his nauseas. His arms, he tried to move them, but they wouldn’t move, his fingers wouldn’t move either, his muscles. No what was wrong?

‘Lee Taemin. Welcome back.’

Trying to open his eyes, the young dancer used all his might just to look skywards, a man in a lab jacket hovered above him. With friendly, inviting eyes. But now, pain, everywhere, like electric currents! Coursing through him . . . His ribs, how could he breathe? Like bricks, millions of bricks were above him, crushing him, he gasped for breathe.  And his legs, had been numb as he awoke but now they felt like they were on fire, burning and breaking over and over, and the memories came back, Onew hyung, the pick-up, the crash, the sound of breaking glass, the thud as his own body hit the concrete.

He screamed in pain.

‘Get the morphine, he needs it quick!’

The seconds passed but as soon as the injection went into the cannula the pressure and pain that coursed around him body eased, replaced suddenly with the sickness. The doctor was fast, and the tinny silver-dish was in front of him in time to catch it all.

‘The sickness will settle: the nurses will give you some anti-sickness when you’re back in your room if the nausea hasn’t eased in an hour. Your going to be here a while Lee, please get used to the people around you.’

-x-

Being wheeled back away from theatre was a relief, not that Taemin knew where he was, or why. The heavy headedness was from the morphine pumping through his system, numbing everything, including his thoughts. He tried to remember back, and all he could remember was Onew’s voice screaming his name.

‘TAEMIN!’ A loud, snappy voice shouted, ‘Key, Key! Onew, Minho-! He’s back!’

Tilting his head to the side, Taemin looked out to four guys rising from seats in what was probably a waiting-room; the only face he could tell apart was the once serene face of the rapper, His long black hair tousled around his shoulders. His expression now seemed bewildered and full of anguish. They all followed behind his trolley, where he lay motionless and lost.

‘We are just behind you Taemin. Don’t worry. We’ll look after you.’ Minho’s voice called from behind. It was Minho. Minho was here, as long as Minho was here. And then Taemin fell asleep, drifting into a state of unconsciousness from the lead-like morphine.

Key

They had given a room to Taemin privately; one of the nurses must have recognised them all. That much had to be true, the manager must not of heard about all this already. He’d be in contact but there was little he could do at a time like this. They had stick together and look after Taemin. That much was all Onew could muster to say upon the situation. The leader hadn’t spoken to anyone since Key and Minho had turned up.

The room was. Dismal.

White walls, awful curtains drawn across a window that couldn’t open, a small television hung by a fixture and multiple uncomfortable chairs scattered the room and each of them littered them, filling them unsatisfactorily.

‘I thought he would be awake when they brought him back from surgery.’ Minho whispered. His head was again rested upon Key’s shoulder. He was utterly motionless, and had been for quite some time. He wouldn’t move, only his chest; breathing in and breathing out again.

‘The morphine is strong, too strong for his flail body, the nurse told us, he’s been asleep three or four hours now, he should wake up in a bit.’

As Key spoke, the boy on the bed, rustled, not much, but enough to knock his broken limbs, leaving him whimpering in pain. Jonghyun, who was already stood up, and Minho rushed to either of his sides. Grabbing his hands, Minho wouldn’t stop gazing into his eyes, whilst Jonghyun stared distantly, his mind elsewhere.

‘Taeminnah~’ Jonghyun sung, his shrill voice enthralling, and it relieved the distressed boy a little . . .

‘Jonggggg . . .’ He muttered, his breathe laboured and his eyes opening to look at them all individually. As if, recognising each of them, for the first time, ‘Key . . . Onew . . .’

Key watched for his benefit, the apprehension in Minho gaze as he desperately needed Taemin’s acceptance. The boy’s eye glittered as they stared into Minho’s. Why hadn’t Minho ever told Taemin, it was so ridiculously obvious the connection they both felt. So much more than the ‘brotherly love’ that Onew believed it to be when Key mentioned it once to him. So much more.

‘Minho, my Minho . . .’ Taemin whispered, his hand clinging back to Minho’s. The tallest out of them all smiled, his eyes watered in happiness.

If only he, himself, could feel that recognition, that love and devotion, even a little, even in a brotherly way. Any way is better than the hollow, empty longing he felt now. His eyes cast themselves over to the shortest of them all. His cutesy, effortless grin spread across his face, as he watched Minho pulled up a chair to comfort Taemin more. Jonghyun. Key hadn’t told anyone because none of them would understand. Minho would. Minho understood. He knew what it felt like to live side by side with the one you love, having to share everything, never leaving their side. Watching as they perform on stage, and loving every single thing they do, every note they sing, every note they danced, every joke they made. It was magical to just stand beside them and be part of the reason they were there. It was everything.

‘We should get back. Leave Taemin to recover without us hanging over him . . .’

‘We should stay.’ Jong interrupted, not even looking towards Key.

‘We need to tell the manager if he hasn’t yet been informed, make public announcements, sort out the fans so they know.’

‘The fans can wait, Taemin needs us.’

‘One of us will do, Minho can stay, he needs to recover, he needs medical attention we would only be in the way.’

Jong stared down at Key. He obviously didn’t want to leave the Maknae, and couldn’t see the effort Key was giving to get Minho some time with the boy alone.

‘Key’s right.’ Onew muttered, wiping his eyes on his sleeves before grabbing Jonghyun’s jacket and throwing it towards him. ‘We can sleep and sort things out and be back tomorrow. Minho can stay.’

‘But . . .’

‘Let’s go Jonghyun. We’ll catch the bus home; no one will be riding it this time of night. ’

Key pulled on his jacket and walked towards Minho whose hand was still entwined with Taemin’s. Key hugged him from the side.

‘Use this time well.’

‘Thank you.’ They whispered into each others ears inaudibly so that neither Onew, nor Jonghyun heard. Minho smiled, his eyes oozing concern and empathy.

‘We’ll be in tomorrow lunchtime. Sleep too won’t you?’ Onew mumbled, he seemed incoherent even though his sentences made complete sense. Onew needed to sleep more than all of them, though perhaps whenever he closed his eyes he would see the accident, replayed over and over. Key would stay up with him, if he needed it. They could drink black coffee and talk. Or they could just sit there, and Key would hold his hand whilst he tried to make sense of it all. Perhaps Jong would go out again. Perhaps he would leave and come back with a smile across his face. Perhaps Key would never be able to get through to Jonghyun. He put that thought out of mind.

Tomorrow would bring many things, Jong in his life, he knew for certain was not one of them.

Please comment and point out,

~Character flaws

~Spelling mistakes

~Lack of puncuations

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