Donghae leaned against the whitewashed tiles of the hospital walls lifelessly, staring at the clock hanging on the opposite wall and cursing the time for crawling so slowly. His tear ducts were already all dried up and the only evidence that he’d somehow showed some emotion for the past five hours were the evident swollen eyes and reddened nose.

Next to him, Sungmin shifted on Kyuhyun’s lap, his mouth slightly open as he began to drool. Kyuhyun was also likewise asleep on the waiting chairs, and gentle snores were escaping his lips. His head was actually leaning against Donghae’s shoulders as he slept on. One hand was placed on top of Sungmin’s tummy, while the other was lost in the sleeping man’s hair. Donghae couldn’t blame them for falling asleep because it was already nearing dawn, and they were all thoroughly exhausted. Under normal circumstances Donghae would have ignored their intimate moments together although technically both officers were only best friends, but this time the inspector couldn’t help feeling rather envious of the two. How long had it been since he last held someone in his arms, or was held by someone else instead? He had been alone for far too long already, and he felt a sense of wanting to belong to someone. He didn’t want to fly solo anymore.

The emergency red light above the operating theatre room was still on. When they brought in the bloodied ex-officer with the knife still embedded in his body, the doctors and surgeons dared not be too hopeful because Hyukjae’s life was already hanging on a very thin line.

“His condition does not look optimistic at all,” one of the doctors had said. “Please don’t get your hopes too high, inspector. In fact, I would actually ask you to be prepared mentally for the worst that could happen. I’m sorry.”

Donghae cried.

For the first time in seven years, Donghae broke down and just let everything out. Sobs shook his body violently as he fell on his knees to the floor, pleading desperately for Hyukjae to be safe. At this point Donghae didn’t care if Hyukjae would hate him for all of this, as long as the elder was alive and breathing. The doctor had looked at him pitifully before joining the other doctors in the operating room. Sungmin and Kyuhyun stood behind the sobbing man, exchanging hesitant glances between one another before trying to comfort him, but Donghae was inconsolable. Guilt and shame engulfed him completely, drowning him in remorse. He knew everything was his fault if Hyukjae didn’t make it.

If only he had listened to him from the start, he wouldn’t have wasted time arresting Zhoumi instead.

If only he had acted upon Hyukjae’s instinct, he would have further questioned the jogger and found him suspicious.

If only he hadn’t let Hyukjae resign, Hyukjae wouldn’t have been exposed to danger.

If only he had arrived two minutes earlier, Hyukjae wouldn’t be in there now, fighting for his life.

If only he had accepted Hyukjae’s proposal years ago, none of this would have happened.

Donghae calmed down nearly three hours later, and that was only because he ran out of tears to cry. Hyukjae still wasn’t out of the operating room yet, and the inspector was starting to lose hope.

Maybe Hyukjae was gone for good.

~ * ~ * ~

“HYUKJAE!!!!” Donghae screamed, witnessing in horror the knife plunging right through the elder’s chest. Siwon whipped around in panic, realizing that he had just been caught red-handed. Eyes widened in terror, he backed away from the motionless officer on the floor.

“It-it wasn’t my fault!!” Siwon said fearfully, when several officers barged in. “H-he attacked me first a-and I only fought back because h-he had a knife!!”

“Stop moving and put your arms above your head!!” Sungmin hollered, cocking his gun and resting his forefinger in the trigger. A few others followed his lead and pointed their guns at Siwon. “Any false moves from you and we won’t hesitate to shoot.”

Seeing that he was absolutely outnumbered, Siwon threw away his innocent pretence knowing they wouldn’t buy it any longer. “How did you even know?” he asked, not wanting to give up yet. He took a few steps back, eyeing each officer that followed his movements with their guns. “This was the perfect setup. None of you were supposed to even know until I was out of here.”

“I said stop moving!! Hands on your head, now!!!”

Siwon hit the back of the wall before learning that there was no escape. He glared hatefully at the army of invading officers as he reached subtly for a lighter in his back pocket. If he couldn’t make it out of here alive, then nobody else would, too.

A gunshot rang throughout the wooden hut and immediately there was a hole in the wall, right next to Siwon’s face. Sungmin stared over his smoking gun barrel at the paralyzed man flat against the wall. “If you still refuse to co-operate then I’ll aim again, but this time I won’t miss.”

Siwon immediately surrendered and it wasn’t long before a pair of cuffs restricted his wrists. “You’re arrested on the account of attempted murder, Choi Siwon,” Sungmin continued. “Read him his rights.”

Meanwhile, Donghae immediately dove towards the bloody mess on the floor and cradled Hyukjae’s head, not minding at all the blood smearing all over his