Breathing was just a rhythm. An annoying sound that interrupted the blackness.

Slowly, the soundtrack increased, little flitters of pain accompanying each huff and puff like a harmony.

Then cue the faint beeping.

Then cue the starchy stiff cotton that was underneath him, that was on top of him, that was encasing him. It felt fresh, clean and safe. He just knew that this wasn’t his bed. Hotels felt like this. Was he in a hotel?

Something moved. Where? He tried to concentrate, trying to remember what this all was, who he was. What has happening?

He finally narrowed it down to his hand. Something was running across his hand. Maybe someone was running something across his hand? Something was attached to his finger too.

He took a deep breath and was surprised at how tight he felt.

A flicker. White? A flicker again. So hard to open…

“I think he’s waking up,” a voice said very far away, sounding like he was shouting through water.

“Taemin? Taemin, can you hear me?” said another. He imagined this is what goldfish heard when people were speaking, voices rippling in and out from loudness and distorting…

He forced his eyes to open, determined to see who was speaking.

White. Person? A face! A face with blonde hair, and pink? And the face looked very worried.

“Baby, can you hear me?” the person asked, looking like he was going to cry. “Oh my god Taemin…”

Taemin gave a little smile. He was feeling much better already. He was going to say yes but something nagged him. Something he had to do. He frowned.

“What’s wrong? Does something hurt?” asked the person frantically, his hand on Taemin’s knee silently giving him comfort.

“I think you should call the nurse Kibum-“

Aah yes. That was it.

“……..who….are you…?” he whispered hoarsely, each word on a separate breath.

Key froze, his mouth open. The members who were gathered in Taemin’s bedside halted too, staring at Taemin with identical expressions of horror.

No, no, no, no, it couldn’t be, it couldn’t, no, no, no-

“Pppppppssssssssyyyyyyyycccccchhhhhhhh,” drew out Taemin lazily in a whisper. “Gotcha, Key hyung…..”

Key and the rest of SHINee didn’t move for a couple of seconds.

“YOU LITTLE !” screamed Key. “If you weren’t in hospital I would’ve put you in one! How can you scare us like that?”

Taemin smiled lazily and closed his eyes as he scratched his head.

“Careful, careful,” clamoured the rest of SHINee as he felt something on his head.

“What is this,” he mumbled, clumsily the something.

“It’s a bandage Taeminnie, don’t touch it please,” said Minho.

“There’s bandages on my hands too,” he said drowsily, frowning as he caught sight of his hands. “And a needle…and this thing,” he said, waving his right index finger feebly that the thing was attached to.

“Taemin-shii, it’s good to see you awake,” said a new voice breaking into the room that sounded bright and happy.

Taemin looked up to see a woman in a white coat and some nurses close the door behind them. He took a shuddering breath and Key came closer to Taemin’s head. Taemin realised he still hadn’t sat up this whole time. Should he?

“My name is Doctor Park, and I’m one of your attending physicians. I’m just going to check your eyes for a bit, is that okay?”

Taemin supposed it was, and let the woman shine a torch into his eyes and did as he was told, moving his eyes back and forth at her command. That thing was running across his hand again, but this time he realised it was Key’s thumb, his hand being held in Key’s larger one.

“Well done Taemin, that was excellent. Now can you answer some questions for me? It’s okay if you don’t know the answers, okay?”

Taemin nodded weakly.

“Can you tell me what your full name is?” the doctor smiled.

“Lee Taemin,” said Taemin easily.

“Great. Can you tell me when your birthday is?” she said after writing something on her clipboard.

“July 18^th, 1993.”

“Good boy. Now, can you tell me what month and year you think it is?”

“Um…. is it August? In 2013?” questioned Taemin, looking at her uncertainly.

“It is Taemin, don’t worry. Now can you tell me who these people here are and their relationship to you?”

“Um… this one next to my head is Key hyung….the one next to him is…Jinki hyung….the taller one is Minho hyung.. and Jonghyun hyung. We’re in a band called SHINee with SM Entertainment. Have you heard of us noona?”

“Taemin,” hissed Jonghyun as the doctor laughed. “Don’t worry Jonghyun sshi, Taemin has a lot of happy drugs in him at the moment. I have heard of you Taemin, I like your music very much.”

“Next time, next time you should come to the concert and ask the fans questions and make them all answer at the same time so you can’t hear the answer,” giggled Taemin as the doctor and the rest of SHINee laughed.

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. Does anything hurt, Taemin?”

“No. You are very nice, noona.”

“Thank you Taemin. Now another question- where are we Taemin?”

“Hospital.”

“Good. And do you remember why?”

“Because I hit my h-h-hippopotamus. H-h-hat. H-h-hen.”

“Taeminnie?” questioned Onew.

“No. No. That’s not it,” frowned Taemin as the doctor peered at him. “I know this word. They’re all wrong. I didn’t want to say those. I wanted to say h-heat. Hedwig? Heel!”

Taemin saw Minho frown and his sense of panic rose. He knew this word! He knew it! What was wrong with him? He knew it!! Something started beeping loudly on his side and it hurt his ear and a nurse started to move.

“Are-“ started Onew before the doctor shushed him.

“Taemin, it’s okay.”

“I know this word! I know it!” Taemin protested, frustrated tears welling in his eyes. “I know it!”

“I know Taemin, calm down, it’s okay,” the doctor soothed, resting a hand on Taemin’s shoulder. “It’s nothing to be worried about, okay?”

Taemin jumped as a nurse touched his chest, letting out a squeak of protest but letting it die down as the nurse started rubbing his chest gently but firmly, and he realised that his breaths had been coming out hard and fast. He was so tired all of a sudden. He blinked to try keep his eyelids up but it was hard, he wanted to close his eyes.

“You’re tired, Taemin,” said the doctor. “It’s okay. I’ll leave you to rest, arrasso?”

“Key hyung?” asked Taemin, locking eyes with his boyfriend that he hadn’t acknowledged so far. “I’m tired,” he whispered.

“I know sweetheart, I know,” said Key sadly, draping an arm over Taemin as the nurse moved away. “Why don’t you go to sleep for a bit, jagi?”

“I’m tired,” Taemin repeated softer, his eyes closing and sighing choppily. “Tired.”

Taemin felt Key smooth his hair back and kiss his forehead before it became nothing again.

A/N I think some of you thought he was dead! But he’s not, arasso? ^_^ He just hit his head when he fell. I’m sorry I didn’t update this for so long! I honestly did not know what to do with Taemin :/

Next chapter you will find out more about Taemin’s injuries, the physical and mental!

Please tell me what you think! Any idols you think would be good as Taemin’s possible future speech therapist and doctor?? Preferably male hahahaha. I’m going to make this story slightly AU, so the other idol groups can or cannot exist. Who would you like to be your doctor (excluding SHINee and the good Dr. Choi who is going to be in that drama soon)? I would say mine would have to be Joon from MBLAQ :D I’d be a fake hypochondriac for him if he was my doctor :D’

Also I don’t like the title “Free Fall” anymore. Any suggestions? :(