Entering her little brother’s hospital room always broke Steph’s heart. It didn’t matter that she’d visited him often to get used to seeing him lying there; his sleeping body always brought tears to her eyes because he never woke up. It would have been fine if he had slept for a month or two, going on more than four pushed the limits of her sanity. But what killed her most was that more than a year had passed and he was still there on the bed lying down without opening his eyes. Taemin had always been a cheerful kid and she missed seeing him smile and joke around with her and Ray.

“I wish you would open your eyes,” steph whispered to her sleeping brother. “Please open your eyes,” she pleaded with tears forming in her eyes.

This was beginning to get unbearable for her. She hated hospitals ever since her brother became trapped in one. But most of all she hated herself for not being there for her brother, for allowing something like this to happen. Steph knew that if she had been present her brother would be running around enjoying being ten years old instead of being stuck here, unmoving.

As she stared at her brothers sleeping face she remembered that day clearly it always came to mind whenever she visited him. No matter how many times Ray told her she wasn’t at fault for what happened she couldn’t stop but think that it was especially when the memories invaded her mind as a ways to accuse her of her crimes.

[Flashback]

“Hey Ray can you tell Taemin that I’ll pick him up at the corner so he should wait for me there?” Steph relayed the message to Ray over the phone.

“Yeah I’ll tell him,” Ray replied. “Min your sister will pick you up at the corner.”

“Ok,” Steph heared Taemin say.

“Tell him if he wanders off I’ll kick his ,” Steph said.

“Not if you can’t catch me,” Taemin taunted.

Steph shook her head at her brother even though he couldn’t see her doing it. She was pretty sure he knew she was doing it since he began to chuckle on the other line.

“Give the phone back to Ray before she chops your hand off for taking the phone away from her,” Steph laughed.

“She would never do that,” Taemin protested. “She loved me too much.”

“Still give her the phone,” she said.

“Ok I’ll see you later,” he said. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” she answered back. “Make sure he behaves,” she told Ray before hanging up the phone.

Today was a special day because Steph was going to an important interview so she could get a job as an intern at a respected company. Being the guardian of her brother she needed a good job to be able to support them both. So getting this job was really important and she had to make sure that she didn’t do a bad job. After the interview the son’s owner asked her to accompany her to dinner and she graciously refused but he kept on insisting so she had no choice but to accept. She had a good time at dinner but began to freak out when she noticed the time. She was super late to pick up her brother and she needed to leave at that moment. She excused herself and left in a hurry to her car.

When she arrived at the corner she had told her brother to wait for her he wasn’t there. She took out her phone and called his cell phone but he didn’t pick up. Then she dialed the house phone and he didn’t get that one either so that meant he wasn’t home.

“But if he’s not home then where if he,” she wondered aloud.

She parked her car and then began to search for him on foot in the meantime she called Ray to make sure he wasn’t there.

“Hello,” Ray replied.

“Ray is Tae there?” Steph asked her.

“No,” Ray replied. “He left a while ago to meet you. Is he not with you?”

“No,” Steph replied with dread in her voice. “He isn’t at the corner and he isn’t answering the house phone of his cell phone.”

“Steph calm down I’m sure he’s fine,” Ray assured her. “Steph did you hear me?”

Steph had heard her but she had also heard a noise in front of her. It sounded like pounding and crying and she couldn’t help but feel the dread tightening around her. She began to walk faster as she neared the noise and her voice caught in her through when she saw what was in front of her.

“Ray call the cops,” Steph yelled into the phone before she ran to the three figures that were in the process of beating up her brother.

“Get the hell away from my brother!” she yelled at them as she kicked one in the chin.

She wasn’t experienced in fighting but at the time all she could think about was her little brother and the fact that she needed to protect him at all costs. Everything that happened next was a blur to her as she cradled her brother in her arms. She did know that the guys had left the second Ray arrived with people with her. When the cops showed up with the paramedics they tried to pry Taemin from her arms but she wouldn’t let go until Ray slapped her to snap her out of it. They also wanted to look at her because they guys had managed to hit her a couple times but she demanded that they took care of her brother before they worried about her. He was the priority at the moment her discomfort and injuries could wait until he was ok. The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever but what took longer was when they took her brother away and she had to wait for the doctor to come and tell her how her brother was fairing.

“Steph stop pacing,” Ray said from the couch.

“Can’t,” Steph replied.

“Try,” Ray told her as she stood up and grabbed her.

Ray pulled Steph to the couch and had her sit. But it didn’t last long as Steph shot up from the couch the second the doctor showed up.

“How’s my brother?” Steph demanded to know.

“His injuries aren’t as bad as they look,” the doctor began to say. “However…”

“What do you mean however?” Steph interrupted.

“Steph let him finish talking,” Ray commanded in a soothing tone even though her nerves were sky rocketing.

“Like I was saying his injuries aren’t bad and he will heal,” the doctor elaborated. “But the blow he received to the head has caused him to go into a coma.”

Steph froze at those words. Taemin being in a coma wasn’t something she was expecting and because she wasn’t expecting it she automatically thought the doctor was lying.

“You’re lying,” she glared.

“I’m sorry but it’s the truth,” the doctor said.

His words hit Steph like a bucket full of cold water to the face. She knew that if Ray hadn’t been holding her tight she would have fallen to the floor by now. The only words flowing to her mind were Taemin is in a coma. They repeated over and over until Steph knew it was her fault. If she had been there on time this would have never happened.

“Can I see him?” she asked with a robotic tone.

“Of course,” the doctor told her that he was in room 304.

When she reached the room all she did was stare at the doorknob. Ray was the one who opened the door so Steph could walk in and see her brother. Looking at her brother the thought that the doctor had lied to her crossed her mind again because Taemin looked exactly like he always did when he was sleeping. So in her mind she told herself that that was exactly what he was doing, sleeping. But when two weeks passed and he was still lying there without waking up or moving she knew that the doctor hadn’t lied and Taemin was really in a coma. She cried that day like she had never cried before and she hoped and prayed that he would wake up soon so she could tell him how sorry she was for failing him as a sister. She was truly and extremely sorry.

[End of flashback]

Steph sat there remembering that day and cried. She always cried when she remembered and she always prayed. All she wanted was for her brother to wake up, she didn’t care if he hated her or blamed her for what happened just as long as he was awake and running around again. Steph got closer to him and sat on the chair near his bed; she intertwined their fingers and began to tell him about her week. Taemin lay perfectly still as she told him about the world that she wished he could see for himself again.

Ok so I finished the chapter that was part of Ray’s present. I’m sorry if this chapter was sad but you guys were wondering about why Steph rejected Micky and why she was going to the hospital well here was the reason. Again HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAY!! ^o^ I hope you have and awesome day.