Jaejoong took a detour to the men’s room to wash the signs of tears of his face and went to the private room Changmin was shifted to in the interim.

Yoochun had insisted for a separate room for Changmin. Jaejoong didn’t see what’s wrong with the fairly empty children’s ward but he was too exhausted to argue. He knew Yoochun just wanted to do something for Changmin so he didn’t feel like an useless uncle.

Jaejoong knocked on the door first to announce his arrival and opened the door. The sight inside broke his heart.

Doctor Shinhye was trying to do a routine check up on Changmin but the toddler refused to be touched by the unknown woman. Even in his weak condition he put up quite a fight. He clutched his blanket close to his body and didn’t let the doctor or Tan Ajhumma pry it away.

“Jaejoong! thank goodness you're here!” Tan Ajhumma cries in relief hoping Jaejoong can coax Changmin.

Snapped out of his trance, Jaejoong runs over to Changmin, replacing Tan Ajhumma beside the bed. “Minnie-ah…” Jaejoong said gently and Changmin opened his eyes. Seeing his mother, he felt safe and relaxed his body but didn’t relinquish the blanket yet. “baby, let the nice doctor check you ne… nothing’s going to happen. Umma is right here.” Jaejoong coaxed.

“No… go?” came the tiny whisper only Jaejoong could hear. Jaejoong was now past worrying about how feeble Changmin’s voice had become. It’s more heartbreaking that his son is worried his mother will disappear just like his father.

“n-no… I’ll never go anywhere without you.” Jaejoong manages to choke out thankfully audible only to Changmin before the doctor or Tan Ajhumma worry about him too. Now that Changmin is assured, Jaejoong is able to release the blanket from Changmin’s hold. He signals for the doctor to do her work.

Changmin is almost stoic letting the doctor flash the light in his eyes and mouth, then checking him with the stethoscope. He’s content just holding Jaejoong’s pinky finger with his tiny hand.

Tan Ajhumma’s hand was on Jaejoong’s shoulder in support while Jaejoong observed the doctor do her thing. He grimaced when the doctor put the IV drip needle in Changmin’s arm. he thought there’d be no more of that. Changmin whimpers slightly but Jaejoong’s hand his stomach comforts him. A few moments later, Changmin drifts to sleep.

“How long will he stay like this?” Jaejoong asks Shinhye.

Shinhye sighs and looks troubled. It hurts her to see such a small child in so much pain. “his condition is not improving. He’ll have to stay here for as long as it takes for him to get better.”

That made Jaejoong burst into tears. Changmin isn’t going to get better, not without his father. If Yunho has a grand plan or if Yunho really doesn’t want to have anything to do with them and Yoochun is making excuses for him, he’s not going to come here and Jaejoong can’t take Changmin to him. And so Jaejoong is running out of hope.

Tan Ajhumma hugs Jaejoong and speaks comforting words to him to no avail. Shinhye excuses her quietly, wanting to give Jaejoong some privacy. When she steps out of the room, she nearly collided with Heechul.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking…” Shinhye apologizes to the beautiful man.

“it’s okay…I just wanted to call Jaejoong to eat something.” Heechul says, “were you checking on Changmin? how is he doing now?”

Shinhye shakes her head woefully, “not as good as I hoped. He’ll have to stay longer.” And the doctor walks away looking depressed not even waiting for her friend’s response.

Heechul feels terribly sorry for Jaejoong and Changmin. He can’t imagine himself or Hana in their shoes. The thought of it kills him.

Taking a peek inside, Heechul sees Jaejoong sobbing against Tan Ajhumma’s shoulder. If only Changmin’s father is here, Heechul wondered. He can tell from the way Changmin wants Jaejoong near him that he’s afraid he’ll lose his mother like he can’t find his father. Sharp as he is, Heechul deduced that there’s some tension between Jaejoong and Changmin’s father. And that sudden uncle showing up earlier today knows something about Changmin’s father… for that matter even Hankyung.

That pissed off Heechul more than anything.

He can’t stand Changmin suffering any longer. Angrily, he stomps to where he knows the two men are and mentally prepared a speech to give them a peace of his mind.

Hankyung’s grandfather said that Changmin’s uncle was hungry after driving all the way down here. So he and Hankyung were at the small cafeteria of the hospital.

Heechul could see those two on a bench with their back to him. Plates with half-eaten food were kept to the side and both men were drinking vending machine coffee. From their body language, Heechul noticed their having some very intense discussion they don’t want others to overhear.

Feeling suspicion creep in his mind, Heechul quietly walked towards them and hid behind a pillar near their table. From this distance, he could hear them talk and the two were so into their conversation they didn’t notice the eavesdropper.

“I know it’s risky but he should’ve come.” Yoochun grits out.

“He was supposed to have made his move earlier. It wouldn’t have come to this otherwise.” Hankyung says woefully. “It’s difficult to catch that man’s wife when he’s always in parties surrounded by people.”  

“I still don’t know if we can trust him.”

“It’s Yunho-ssi we have to trust.”

“I just don’t know what to do. I feel useless. What was the point of me coming here?”

“I hear ya… but what else can we do… we have to worry about the little one but things could get real bad if Yunho came here.”

“true… ! I hate this dilemma.”

It was at that moment that Yoochun and Hankyung felt a stinging pain in their heads and they clutched their crown with matching groans.

“I can’t believe you fools!” Hankyung turns around and flinches on seeing Heechul with a menacing look. Oh that look never meant good!

“H-hee-”

“Shut up!” Heechul smacked Hankyung again and then glared at Yoochun, “You two… you know about Changmin’s father… it’s… it’s this Yunho person right?”

Yoochun and Hankyung exchanged looks both asking each other if they should say yay or nay. Neither could decide and Heechul felt a nerve throb.

“For god’s sake! Don’t you people have a heart? Do you take some sick pleasure watching that boy struggling to live?” Heechul yelled uncaring of the spectators. It was just a few of the cafeteria staff anyway. “ whatever is going on between Jaejoong and that Yunho. He should be here and you both know it.”

Hankyung stood up before Heechul attracted more attention. “Heechul, calm down. You don’t know anything about what’s going on?” he said in a low voice.

“Does it matter?” Heechul’s voice tones down but it’s still loud enough to sound scolding to the men, “does anything matter over his son’s life? Tell me Tan Hankyung, would anything matter if that was Hana over there?” that shushed Hankyung and he looked down guiltily. Heechul though was far from done. He looked at Yoochun who was standing now, almost fearful of the intimidating diva. “and you Mr I’m-Changmin’s-godfather, your godfatherly duty is to bring his father here. Your face does little for the child.”

Yoochun has this look that said ‘I know even if you don’t say it to my face’. Without a word, Yoochun stomps out of there leaving Heechul and Hankyung to stare at each other’s faces.

When Yoochun was gone, Heechul clicked his tongue and shook his head at Hankyung. “You and your stupid secret job…”

Yoochun found himself staring at the door of Changmin’s roof. He was afraid of going inside lest there was some bad news. He was there for over 10 minutes and the nurses and visitors passing by him were giving him weird looks. Conscious of them, Yoochun enters the room.

He closes the door gingerly and turned around. Changmin was the way he last saw him, sleeping on the bed with an IV connected to his small body. Jaejoong was alone, Tan Ajhumma having left at Jaejoong’s request a while ago.

Jaejoong looked so still. He was sitting beside the bed, his elbows propped on his knees and his face buried in his hands. Once in a while his shoulders moved because of a hiccup or sob.

“Jae…” Jaejoong looked up at Yoochun’s voice. Yoochun winced at his swollen eyes and pale face. “J-Jae… Yunho is going to fix things… I swear. And then he’s never going to leave you and Changmin again. you have to trust him. You’re lives are in danger and we can’t take any harsh steps.”

“I don’t care.” Yoochun took a step back at Jaejoong’s hoarse voice. “I don’t give a damn about myself. I don’t care abou