When they arrived at the hospital – Seungri was already rushed away from them – the ensuing wait turned out to be anticlimactically short. Seunghyun was convinced that he and his father would be left waiting and wondering for hours.

He was so certain that he would be pacing in frustration and glaring at the clock, that he even volunteered to be the one to phone and pick up his Ga In aunt from their home.

When he phone his aunt and she answered it, Seunghyun managed to inject some optimism into his voice when he spoke about his younger brother condition.

He had to. He had to get them thinking positively – or as positively as they possibly could – because they would be a part of Seungri's support structure and they all needed to be telling him the same thing: it was going to be hard, but he was going to be okay.

When he hung up the phone, Seunghyun glared at the clock for the first of what he was sure would be a hundred hours. He frowned as he stared at the red digital figures, realising that he hadn't taken note of the time they'd arrived.

It couldn't have been very long – no more than half an hour at the most – but he wanted a definite timeframe. He wanted to count the minutes and seconds. The longer it took, the more concerned he would become.

And then a voice called out the name 'Yang’ and the rest of it barely even registered. There might have been a brief wondering as to the coincidence of different ‘Yang’ being in the emergency room at that exact moment.

"Doctor?" Yang Hyunsuk's voice was hoarse and frightened.

And Seunghyun felt terror flood through him again. It was too soon; too soon for the doctor to have assessed, evaluated and treated his younger brother. Something might have gone wrong. Maybe there was an injury they weren't aware of; maybe Seungri had gone into shock; maybe he had found some way to finish what he'd clearly wanted to do back in the cell.

Seunghyun felt his father’s grip was crippling his right arm, he leant into him. His own hands were clenched into tight fists – and he was so wound up that he feared he might be drawing blood on his palms.

He couldn't move, couldn't speak – and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sympathetic looking lady doctor.

Then she smiled and said the words they had been longing to hear: "Your son is going to be alright."

The death-grip on Seunghyun's bicep loosened and he almost collapsed, being suddenly loosen of its support. It didn't matter. His relief was so profound that he could have collapsed to his knees and not cared.

His younger brother was going to be alright.

Physically.

The doctor knew nothing of Seungri's mental state; knew nothing of psychological torment or mental torture.

She didn't know what she was talking about.

He forced his attention back to the doctor when she started speaking again:

"I know how worried you must have been about your son, so I thought I should talk to you while my colleagues begin to treat him." The doctor’s eyes were soft and kind. "He had a concussion – quite bad one – but there's no evidence of a skull fracture or any swelling of his brain. He's dehydrated, a little undernourished and he has a number of cuts and bruises. He'll need an x-ray on his shoulder…"

"Alright?" Seunghyun was feeling sick as the doctor inform them series of Seungri’s catalogue of abuse. "You call that alright?"

"I said that he would be alright. And he will." The doctor replied in calm. She done her job for a long time and had received much worse reactions than the one she was facing now.

"Have you tested his blood?" Hyunsuk asked, tightly – wondering just how much the doctor actually knew; and hoping it was everything she needed to.

"We ran a standard screen, but the results aren't…"

"Who's with my brother now?" The thought hit Seunghyun like a thunderbolt. Seungri couldn't be left alone; his younger brother was already suicidal. He couldn't be left alone – not in a hospital; a place meant to heal, but which also house far too many drugs and sharp instruments: immeasurable ways someone might harm themselves, should they be determined to do so. Anger, born of terror, added harshness to his voice. "Who's with him?" he demanded again.

And then a frown did fleet across the doctor's features: "the medical team and two police officers. More people than should be in there."

Both father and son ignored the doctor implicit disapproval – and their shoulders drop in visible relief. It was the father who asked the next question:

"Can I see my son?"

But the doctor was shaking her head, before the words had even left Hyunsuk’s mouth: "I'm afraid there's a delay for x-ray." The doctor looked genuinely apologetic. "And I also have him booked for further tests."

"Doctor, please?" Hyunsuk was having a hard time caring about the technicalities and the implied cutbacks that were delaying on his son’s treatment. He just wanted to see his son.

"I'm sorry, but it might take a few hours before we can get your son properly admitted and able to receive visitors."

As the doctor excused herself, Hyunsuk let out a sigh. He didn't think he could wait for 'few hours'. He need to see his younger son. He didn't even want to talk to him; just look in on him and see that he really was safe and being cared for.

His son – Seungri – need to be with people who loved him. That was the only way he was ever going to recover. And the road to recovery didn't belong to him alone. They all had to walk it – and it had to start with one small step; one small step for each of them.

That first step, to Hyunsuk, was simply to look down on him; to cherish him and be grateful for his being returned to them. And maybe his presence – his love – might somehow reach his younger son and allow him to take his own first step.

Seunghyun heard the words 'few hours' and unknowingly followed his father's train of thought almost identically.

Seungri need them. He was never going to recover alone.

His baby brother need him.

He looked towards the closed medical room doors and wondered at his chances of success, should he attempt to sneak in. Then he wondered if it would even be worth the effort. After all, Seungri might have been moved already – whisked away to undergo the aforementioned x-rays and scans.

And then any possibility of sneaking anywhere was thwarted as a voice called out across the waiting room:

"Hyunsuk! Seunhyun!"

They turned simultaneously; both of them automatically opening their arms and capturing aunt Ga In in a warm embrace when she rushed towards them.

Seunghyun closed his eyes for a brief moment and, when he opened them again, he found himself looking directly at Jae Suk smile at him. Gently disentangling himself from his father and aunt, he offered Jae Suk a hug.

"How's Seungri?" Jae Suk asked.

"The doctor said he'll be okay." Seunghyun couldn't keep the unease out of his voice. They all knew Arashi's history and 'okay' was a long way removed from where Seungri was currently at.

Jae Suk nod his complete and utter understanding. "Hey, he's got one hell of a support structure going on. We're all going to be here for…"

"Jae Suk, thanks for coming." His father interrupted them, striding over and shaking his friend's hand.

"It was nothing." The words might have sounded like a cliché, but in Jae Suk's case they were utterly genuine.

Then Seunghyun frowned as he saw his father glance at his watch. They had only just been told that the wait would stretch into hours – there was no need to be worried about the time. Not yet, at least.

Hyunsuk was torn inside. He knew that Seungri was in the best of care, but that didn't make his decision any easier. Leaving the hospital now would feel like abandonment – whether his younger son was aware that he was gone or not.

And then there was Seunghyun. Getting past his elder son wasn't going to be an easy task, by any stretch of the imagination. But this was something he had to do. He glanced at his watch, trying to gauge how many hours 'some' might entail – and then realising that it didn't matter.

He'd be at Seungri's bedside the second he was allowed to be. In the meantime – there were steps he could be taking to help guide them on their road to recovery.

Nervously, he cleared his throat.

"The agents must be questioning Arashi now," he said, softly.

"I'll go." Jae Suk’s response was predictable – and it was appreciated. It was also rejected:

"No. I have to be there."

"Why, dad?" Seunghyun's protest was outraged. "Why? So he can taunt you some more? So he can just provoke you and hurt you some more? Dad!"

"Hyunsuk, let me…" Even Jae Suk tried to interfere.

"No! It has to be me." Hyunsuk raised his voice and his words were set in concrete. He would not be deter from what he was about to do. "I have to know what he did; what he said. I have to know what he did to Seungri…"

"Don't do this to yourself, my friend." It was Jae Suk who put forward the argument – which was also poised on Seunghyun's lips. "That psycopath won't tell you anything."

And Hyunsuk drew himself up to his full height, squared his shoulders – and his resolve was like a steel ball in his gut; melting into liquid fire in his veins.

"Yes he will," he vowed.

I have turn completely into a snail...huaaaaaa:O:O:O:O:O:O