“Joonmyeon!  Suho!”  Luhan screams as he enters XOXO’s office, finding the said person taking care of the accounting.

“What is it, Luhan?”  Joonmyeon asks, annoyed.

“I finally got it!  I… I love him, Joonmyeon!  I love him! I love Minseok!”  Luhan exclaims, causing Joonmyeon to stop what he’s doing and look up at his childhood friend.

“Holy…”  Joonmyeon says, unbelieving.  “You actually… oh my god.”

“You’ve been telling me all along.  That’s what Zitao meant when he said that I was being an idiot.  I have to go see him, Joonmyeon!  I need to tell him!”  Luhan exclaims, flailing his arms around him.  Suddenly, Taemin enters the room, carrying a basket of flowers.

“Luhan, Minseok came in a while ago and ordered these flowers.”  Taemin says, gesturing to the basket.

“Who are they for?”  Luhan asks, suddenly feeling very weird.

“You.”  Taemin replies, handing Luhan the basket and then walking out of the room.  He and Joonmyeon look at the contents, and Joonmyeon gasps once he realizes what Minseok is trying to say.

“What is it, Suho?”  Luhan asks.

“Luhan, he’s saying goodbye!”  Joonmyeon screams.  Luhan’s eyes go wide at the realization that he might be losing his chance at happiness.

“We…I gotta find him, Suho.  We gotta find him!”  Luhan exclaims.  Just then, Taemin once again walks in, phone in hand.

“Do you guys know where Minseok is?  I’m supposed to call him when I’ve made the delivery but I can’t reach him.”  Taemin says.

“Well, his shift’s over for today, so he’s probably at home now.”  Joonmyeon says before looking at Luhan.  Luhan nods in return and the three of them lock down the store before going in Luhan’s SUV and heading towards Minseok’s apartment.

“Don’t worry, Luhan, we’re almost there.”  Joonmyeon says, driving the car.  Luhan is extremely anxious, he’s afraid of losing this last chance with Minseok.  He’s the only one that can make me happy, please don’t let it be too late for me to gain his forgiveness.

“Okay, we’re here!”  Joonmyeon says and the three of them get out of the car.  It’s snowing, covering the streets with the white slush.

“Where do we go?”  Taemin asks.

“I remember going through the back door when I went here.  I think Minseok uses that route because it’s closer to his room.”  Luhan replies, already heading for the direction of the back door.  Taemin and Joonmyeon follow closely behind him.  Luhan just turned around the corner when he sees it, immediately stopping him in his tracks.

There’s an unconscious body laying face down on the ground.  There was already a light patch of snow covering him, but he was still visible.  Luhan suddenly feels something twist in his gut so he steps forward, running towards the body.  Upon closer inspection, he can see that the body—boy—has a head injury, and that he’s wearing a familiar coat.  Too familiar, actually, causing Luhan to increase his pace.  He gasps when he realizes who it is.

“No.”  He whispers, finally reaching the boy.  The boy’s eyes are closed, dried blood caked on the side of his face and lips, which have already turned blue.  Luhan drops to his knees and turns the boy over, his heart stopping its beating when the face finally came to view properly.  “Not again.”

“God, no, please.  Please, not now.  Oh god, please.”  Luhan says as he stares down at the angelic face.  “Minseok.”  He calls, but gets no response.  Joonmyeon and Taemin finally catch up with him, and he hears the two gasp from behind him.

“Ohmygod.”  Taemin says.

Joonmyeon gets down on his knees and removes a glove, touching the side of Minseok’s face.  “Minseok.  Wake up, man, wake up.”  He calls, but then again, no response.

Luhan’s crying now, holding tightly on Minseok’s arm.  “Minseok, please.”

“, Luhan!  We have to get him to a hospital now!”  Joonmyeon says, the icy coldness of the younger boy’s face finally registering in his head, before he and Taemin run back to the SUV.  Luhan’s carries Minseok’s unconscious body, whispering, “Wake up, come on.  Please, Minseok, please,” over and over again.  He finally reaches the SUV and places Minseok on the back seat.

“You have to remove his damp clothing, Luhan.  Do you still have the blanket in here?”  Taemin asks as Joonmyeon turns on the heater and speeds away towards the hospital.

“Y- yeah.”  Luhan manages to reply.  He removes Minseok’s damp clothing, now noticing how cold the boy is.  He locates the blanket and wraps it tight around the two of them, hoping to warm up the younger boy.

“Minseok, I’m sorry.  Please hang on.”  Luhan pleads to the unconscious boy, hugging him tightly.  He starts kissing Minseok’s face, hoping to wake the other boy, but no avail.  He finally gives up, a hysterical sob escaping his lips.

“We’re almost there, Minseok, we’re almost there.  Just, hang on, okay?!”  Taemin says, now crying too.  They reach the hospital in five minutes, and Luhan rushes Minseok to the ER.

“Someone, help!  Please help him!”  He screams to no one in particular, still clutching Minseok’s body tightly.  Nurses and doctors take Minseok away from him and place him on a gurney, before wheeling him away.

“Sir, you can’t follow.”  A nurse tells Luhan as he begins to follow the gurney.  Joonmyeon and Taemin arrive, both of them panting.

“But…”  Luhan begins to argue but Joonmyeon just holds him back.

“Come on, Luhan.  Let’s just go to the waiting room.  Let them do their jobs.”  Joonmyeon says.

“But Minseok…”  Luhan pleads, eyes swimming with tears.

“Don’t worry, Luhan, he’s going to be okay.”  Joonmyeon says, trying his best to comfort Luhan.  “Jinki’s working on him so…”

They’re currently at the hospital’s waiting room, sitting down on one of the benches.  Luhan’s just staring at the linoleum floor, not really caring about anything else besides Minseok.  Joonmyeon just came back from the vending machine down the corridor, and Taemin’s out calling everyone and telling them about what happened.

It’s been two hours since they arrived.  Lee Jinki, Luhan’s other uncle, was called when they realized who their patient was.  Luhan can’t take the image of Minseok’s bleeding and unconscious body out of his mind.  It’s haunting him, telling him that it’s his fault.

“It’s my fault, Suho.”  Luhan finally whispers.

“It isn’t.  Minseok’s just a victim of some random attack here.”  Joonmyeon replies.

“If I didn’t get drunk that night, he would still be living with me; safe.”  Luhan replies, and that statement renders Joonmyeon silent.  Taemin comes back, his face wet with tears.

“I just called everyone but there’s a slight blizzard so they can’t really make it yet.  But they promised to come in as soon as they can.  You okay, Luhan?”  Taemin says.

“What do you think?”  Luhan replies, voice filled with venom.  He can’t cry anymore, his pain has been replaced by anger, anger at himself.  I could’ve done something.  Please, ohmygod, don’t take him away from me.

They spend another half hour waiting before Lee seonseang-nim finally emerges to meet them.

“Luhan.”  Lee seonseang-nim calls and the three of them immediately stand up.

“Jinki!  How is he?  Is he okay?”  Luhan asks, holding onto his uncle’s shoulders.

“Luhan,” Jinki begins and Luhan’s heart suddenly clenches from the tone of his uncle’s voice.  “Minseok is alive but…”

“But?”  Luhan urges.

“He’s lapsed into a coma.”  Jinki finishes and Luhan’s heart just stops.

“No.”  Luhan whispers before completely breaking down, slumping to his uncle’s feet.

“C- can we see him?”  Joonmyeon asks, now crying too.

“Yes, I’ll have to explain to you what happened to him too.”  Jinki replies before he helps Luhan to get up and leads them to Minseok’s room.  They go up a few floors before they stop, walking straight down a corridor.  Some nurses and other doctors greet them as they pass, all of them wearing sullen expressions.  They finally stop in front of the door to room 326.

“We tried to make it as homey as possible since he might be staying in there for quite some time.”  Jinki explains before opening the door, revealing the room.  The room was simple; the walls were light green, a window in one side, there’s a TV mounted in front of the bed, and then, there’s the bed.  One wouldn’t think that it’s a hospital bed once one sees it, if it weren’t for the presence of the many machines surrounding it.  The pillow looks very fluffy and the sheets and blanket were light blue. 

Luhan steps forward and sits on the chair beside the bed, taking Minseok’s condition before him.  Minseok’s asleep, an oxygen mask covering his face.  He’s really skinny and really pale, as if the person on the bed is not him at all.  His chest is exposed, and there are tubes and wires running from all parts of his body.  Luhan takes note of two distinct tubes—catheters—attached to his chest and somewhere hidden under the blanket.  His hands are both placed on top of his stomach, unmoving.  His breathing is steady, much like the sounds of the heart monitor in the background.  His face is slightly facing to the left, exposing his head injury.  There’s a stitch on his right temple, and a big ugly bruise around it.  Despite all this, Luhan still finds Minseok so angelic.

“He suffered from a minor contusion, so that shouldn’t be much of a worry.  The main problem is what happened after he got hit.”  Jinki begins, stepping beside Minseok’s bed to check his vitals.

“Why?  What happened?”  Luhan asks, voice small, eyes still focused on Minseok’s sleeping face.

“He suffered from severe hypothermia, meaning, his body temperature dropped below 28 degrees Celsius.  He’s really lucky you got him in here in time, one more minute of being exposed to the cold and it would’ve been too late.  He was already in ventricular fibrillation, a type of cardiac arrest, when I came in and we almost lost him.  The coma he’s in is also an effect of the severe hypothermia, just like the v-fib.”  Jinki replies, and Luhan instinctively focuses his attention to the catheter attached to Minseok’s chest.  “Also, he’s dehydrated and malnourished.  The stress is also a major factor for the coma, it’s probably his body’s way of telling him to take a break.”

“We’re currently using active core rewarming techniques to return his temperature back to normal.  We’re using intravenous warmed fluids, infusing warm liquids into his bladder, and irrigating warm solutions into his chest.  He doesn’t really need an oxygen mask since his breathing is just okay, but since we’re giving him warm humidified air, the mask is advised.  We’re going to change it to a nasal cannula once we get his temp back to normal, though, as a way of increasing his oxygen intake.”

“When would that be?”  Joonmyeon asks.

“No one knows, it depends on how much he’s willing to fight with us.”  Jinki replies.  “And also his stamina.”

“When will he wake up?”  Luhan asks.

“We don’t know for sure, Luhan.  I’m sorry; I wish I could do more for you.”  Jinki replies before excusing himself from the room.  The three just stay there, frozen and staring at the unconscious boy.  Luhan then leans in kisses Minseok on the cheek before whispering to his ear.

“Minseok, wake up soon, okay?  It’s just a week ‘til Christmas and we still have to go to Changmin’s party.  You’ll be there, right?”  Luhan begins, tears once again streaming down his face.

“Luhan, we have to go.  Visiting hours are almost over.”  Joonmyeon says, voice breaking.

“I’ll never leave him and you know it, Suho.”  Luhan replies, voice fierce.  He’s not going to leave Minseok now, especially since he really needs Luhan. 

“Okay.  We don’t really have anywhere to go to if there’s a slight blizzard outside.”  Joonmyeon replies, shrugging before he and Taemin go out to talk to Jinki.  Luhan runs a hand through Minseok’s hair before once again leaning in to whisper.

“I love you, Minseok, and this time I really mean it.  Believe me, Min, I mean it.  And I’m sorry too, okay?  So please, wake up.”  Luhan pleads, placing his head on the pillow beside Minseok’s. 

Luhan’s awoken by hands grabbing onto his shoulders, and a punch to his face.

“What the hell, Lu?”  Chanyeol asks, keeping his voice as low as possible but still getting his message across.  Luhan just stares at Chanyeol, hand nursing his cheek.  Minseok’s still sleeping soundly beside him, oblivious to the ruckus that’s happening around him.

“First you hurt him and then now this?  What the is your problem?”  Chanyeol asks, eyes filled with anger and hurt. 

That’s when Luhan breaks down; crying and bawling like a kid, leaving Chanyeol and the rest of Minseok’s visitors speechless.

“I don’t know anymore, Park.  I love him, I really do, but I messed up big time.  I’m sorry, I really am, please, let me be with him.”  Luhan sobs, forgetting that everyone’s in the room.

“Luhan.” Sehun says from beside Chanyeol.  Luhan looks up and sees everyone, and suddenly feels very ashamed.

“I’m really sorry for the way I’ve acted towards everyone.  I’ve been really stupid, but I hope you can forgive me and let me stay with Minseok.”  Luhan says, looking at Chanyeol in the eyes.

“Minseok wouldn’t want this, you know.”  Jongdae replies from beside Yifan, near the window.

“Yeah.”  Chanyeol whispers before hugging Luhan.  “I’m sorry, too.  I’m just worried about my best friend.”  Chanyeol admits before finally crying.  Luhan doesn’t really know what happened, but within two minutes he’s engulfed in a bear hug, hand still holding onto Minseok’s.

“Don’t worry, Luhan.  Minseok’s a fighter; he’s going to make it.  Just don’t lose faith in him, okay?”  Chanyeol says after they all let go of Luhan.

“Hey, Luhan.”  Luhan hears someone say and he looks up from the book that he’s reading.

“Changmin.”  Luhan greets as Changmin enters the room.

“How’s he doing?”  Changmin asks, nodding his head towards Minseok.

“Still the same.  Jinki said his temp’s starting to return to normal, though.”  Luhan replies.

“I brought you this from the bakery.  Oh, and Kyungsoo wanted you to have this.”  Changmin says, gesturing to a basket of rolls and a Tupperware filled with soup.

“Thanks.  Have you talked to Jinki?”  Luhan asks, placing the food on the table near the couch.

“Yeah, but just in passing.  He was pretty busy.”  Changmin replies.  “You know when he’s gonna wake up?”

“Nope.  It all depends on him, they say.”  Luhan replies, going back to his seat.

“Hey, Luhan, can I ask you something?”  Changmin asks and Luhan nods.  “Do you think you can help me in the bakery?  It’s kind of stressing lately, with all the Christmas rush and stuff.”

“But Minseok…”

“You don’t have to be in all day.  Just come in when you want to.”

“O- okay.”  Luhan replies.  “I just want to be here every night.”

“I guess I’ll tell Minho to go here so that you can tell him what you need, then.”  Changmin says with a slight smile.

“Yeah, thanks again, Changmin.”  Luhan replies.

“It’s nothing, man.  Take care of Minseok, okay?”  Changmin asks and Luhan nods once again.  “I have to go, I still have to watch over the damn restaurant.”  Changmin finishes before he exits the room.

Luhan is once again left alone with Minseok and he takes this chance to hold onto the younger boy’s hand once again.  “I never really told you, but Yixing was cheating on me with that guy Kim Kibum.  Not that it’s important anymore but… just so you know.  He also asked me to choose, you or him, and I chose you.  I’ll always choose you, no matter what.  I guess it’s always been like that, but I never realized it even though everyone else did.  Yeah, I mean, I’ve always been stupid.  I’m really sorry for everything; I swear everything’s going to get better after this so… wake up soon, okay?”  Luhan says before he kisses Minseok’s forehead and returns to reading his book.

A/N:

PLEASE DON'T KILL MEEEEEEEE (´-﹏-`)

My apologies, but it had to be done.  I am in no way knowledgeable, much less an expert, in the field of medicine.  All of the medical jargon and diagnosis used in this chapter and will be used the succeeding chapters were all taken from library and online research, so I apologize for the mistakes.  Also, this story has 24 chapters and epilogue, so there will be 25 chapters in total; however, I am still deciding whether or not I will include the epilogue.

Once again, all sorts of comments are welcome.  I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter (and was not too bored with all the jargon /sigh it's so hard to be a researcher sometimes /sigh)!!