Yunho held a finger against his lips gesturing for Yoochun to not make any sound. He stepped closer to his friend and whispered, “let’s talk outside….”

Yoochun nodded and opened the door again. The sound of the slightly old door creaking a bit may not have been much to them but to a certain occupant of the room who has not had the privilege of deep slumber for days, it was enough to wake him up with a start.

Changmin could clearly see the back profile of his father there just a few feet away from him. he wanted to move but the wires attached to him and his mother holding him in one side didn’t allow him. And Yunho was going somewhere away again.

When the door closed and his father was no longer in sight, Changmin couldn’t take it and burst into tears. he was screaming now, more than he has been capable of since he fell ill and it effectively woke Jaejoong up.

“Minnie… Minnie-ah…” Jaejoong tried pacify his son who was now flailing and crying as if he’s great pain. “I’m right here baby. Umma’s right here.” Jaejoong brought him in his arms and rocked him wishing it will work.

Changmin’s voice did lower but the crying was far from ceasing. “A-Ap…Ah…” his voice was broken as he waved his hands to the door.

“what happened baby? What is it?” Jaejoong looked between his son and the door trying to come up with options that would explain Changmin’s behaviour.

“A-Ap…pah…pa! Ap…pa” Changmin’s frustration was palpable through his tears as he tried to get his mother to understand he just saw his father go away again.

Jaejoong for a moment fear Changmin has become delirious and hallucinating Yunho. Or he might’ve had a dream about Yunho. Until his eyes fell on the table near the door.

There was a bottle of water on the table Jaejoong had asked for earlier. It could’ve been Hankyung, Yoochun or a nurse who got it because they were in the room when Jaejoong asked for water and an extra blanket. What’s more curious is the bags on the table leaning on the wall.

Jaejoong had missed it in trying to pacify Changmin’s. now he feels like an idiot for missing something like this.

Right there, on the front of the plastic bag staring back at him is fancy orange, pink and white logo of Clover patisserie. Jaejoong remembers it well because he and Yunho joked about the gaudy colour combination for hours when they went to the opening.

Jaejoong tries to reason it must be Yoochun who bought it from Seoul but then he’s confused because Changmin can’t be lying.

While he’s deep in thought, Jaejoong’s hand feels a little rumble from Changmin’s stomach where his hand is sitting. That sound also brought his tears to an abrupt halt and the toddler blinked teary eyes at his mother as if asking ‘did that sound really come from me?’

Jaejoong had to chuckle. It’s been a while since Changmin has shown any appetite. He decided he’d ask Yoochun about the things from Clover later. Placing Changmin back on the bed, Jaejoong jogged over to the place with the bags. Opening the topmost box inside it, he felt a little nauseous seeing the obscene amount of cannolis, some crushed probably from the travelling. But he forgot his discomfort and pulled out the box, deciding he’d check the other box later.

“Minnie, look.” Jaejoong brandished one intact cannoli, “your favourite.”

“miyaaa~” Jaejoong thinks that translates to ‘my’. It’s been so long, even Changmin making grabby hands at the treat and little cat-like sounds seem a distant memory. Putting the box on the nearby chair, Jaejoong grabbed a napkin he found lying there and used it as a bib. And gave Changmin the cannoli, or rather, the boy grabbed it when it was within reach.

Changmin the custard filling first, the mouth of the tube pastry covering his mouth and nose that Jaejoong wondered if the napkin is enough. When the custard was over, he ate half the pastry and passed the other half of the empty shell to Jaejoong, demanding for another one.

“eat it all this time.” Jaejoong said, giving another cannoli to Changmin. In actuality, he doesn’t mind if Changmin ate all the custard filling leaving empty pastry shells as long as he ate. Jaejoong watched Changmin dip his fingers in the jam in the centre of the filling and his fingers, while he slowly munched on the half-eaten shell. He wonders just the sight of Yunho, whether he’s really there or not, was all that was needed to get