Every day since Seunghyun had heard Jiyong say his name, the rapper had talked to him more than in the first months. He knew Ji could hear him, saw that his brain responded to his voice. And everyday Dr. Dobbs told Seunghyun that his brain was becoming more active. Jiyong’s parents spent a lot of time talking to him as well, telling him news about Dami or talking about his pets.

Seunghyun was able to sleep through the night easier and he was able to talk to his lover without feeling a wave of emotion try to drown him. It had been two weeks with his hope growing everyday. Two weeks at Jiyong’s side, with new energy and determined to find something he could talk about that would maybe stick in Jiyong’s memory when he awoke.

Seunghyun was sitting next to the hospital bed, watching the orange cast from the sunset bounce off the walls.

“I wish you could see the colors from the sunset right now. It’s making your room bright orange.” The rapper turned around and looked out the window. He smiled and stood up to take a photo. “I’ll show you this when you wake up.”

He snapped the photo and looked at the folder he’d made of things he wanted to show his lover. It contained photos of new artwork he’d discovered, sunsets, the animals, some shots of his parents, and some headline screenshots that Seunghyun knew would interest Jiyong.

He sat back in the chair. He turned his camera back on and took a picture of Ji. He looked peaceful and beautiful the way the dying sunlight hit his face. Seunghyun the lamp next to him and picked up the book he’d been reading to Jiyong and his glasses.

He was reading him a random poetry book he'd found in the gift shop. There were quite a few poems that Seunghyun enjoyed, and he hoped Jiyong was enjoying them too.

Seunghyun cleared his throat as he opened the book to were he'd folded a page corner.

**“If I thought for just one moment that this would be my last breath,

I'd tell you I'll love you forever, even beyond death.

If I thought for just one moment that your face would be the last I’d see,

I'd take a million pictures and save them just for me.

If I thought for just one moment that your voice would be the last I'd hear,

I'd listen attentively and promise not to shed a tear.

If I thought for just one moment that your touch would be the last I'd feel,

I'd embrace you and know that this has all been real.

If I thought for just one moment that my heart would beat its last beat,

I'd thank the Lord for allowing us to meet.”**

Seunghyun smiled as he finished the poem. “That poem is oddly perfect right now, isn't it Ji Ji?” he said quietly.

He kept reading for a while until he reached the end of the book. He folded his hands over the book and looked at his lover.

He fell asleep watching over Jiyong.

               ^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

The air was filled with a steady beep, loud and clear. Jiyong opened his eyes to see a white tiled ceiling. He felt tubes and needles in his arms. He felt a tightness in his chest, the stirrings of panic until he turned his head and saw Seunghyun asleep in the chair beside him, glasses askew on his face and a book in his hands. The fear he'd begun to feel melted away because as long as Seunghyun was with him, he was alright. He looked around the room a bit more, trying to find a clock or calendar. Not seeing the latter, he squinted at the clock. “1:47 am.”

He looked back to the elder and smiled. “Seunghyun?”

The rapper sighed and turned his head.

“Seung?”

Seunghyun opened his eyes slowly, before bolting up out of the chair, causing the book to thud to the floor.

“Ji, are you actually awake?!” The tattooed man smiled and Seunghyun felt tears sting his eyes.

“I never thought I'd see you smile again.”  

Jiyong sat up in the bed and reached out for his lovers hands. Seunghyun sat on the edge of the bed, holding onto Ji’s hands tightly.

“Seunghyun, what month is it?”

“November.” He replied quietly.

Jiyong’s smile faltered. “It's been that long?”

Seunghyun nodded. “It was really touch and go at the beginning. You almost died so many times. During surgery and the days that followed. Something went wrong with the hospitals blood, so they took it from me, even though it violated protocol since they hadn't tested my blood prior to that.  And about two weeks ago, they were going to take you off life support because they hadn't seen any signs that you were still here.”

Ji looked at their joined hands. “Why didn't they? Doctors don't usually change their mind about a patient once they've decided to pull the plug.”

“I was saying goodbye, I was the last person in here. You said my name. Hell, they all thought I was crazy, but I knew, I knew I heard you. I begged them to check the monitors, and when they did they saw a spike in your brain activity.”

“Your parents said they didn't want you taken off the machines anymore and your doctor, Dr. Dobbs agreed that that wasn't the right decision. I've been reading to you and talking to you a lot more every day the last two weeks, hoping you'd wake up.”

Ji smiled again. “What did you read me?”

The elder smiled too. “Poetry mostly. Also, I found a copy of The Hobbit in the gift shop, dusty and forgotten at the back of the book shelf, so I read that too. I read you articles about local art exhibits and fashion stuff that I thought you’d’ve read on your own. I talked to you about the animals and your parents and sister, told you about my nephew’s recent antics.”

“I love you. I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this.”

Seunghyun leaned forward and kissed Jiyong’s forehead. “I love you too. I wouldn't be anywhere but by your side. I'm just happy you're awake. Although, I think I should probably get a nurse.”

Jiyong looked around his bed for a moment before spotting the small remote with a call button. He pressed the button.

A nurse came into the room quickly before stopping short and staring.

“He's awake! I have to go get Dr. Dobbs!” She left the room as quickly as she'd ran in.

“Her being so surprised really drove home the point that it was really bad.”

Dobbs ran into the room, followed by the nurse. “I’ll be damned! How are you feeling?”

Jiyong shrugged. “Like I took a really long nap.”

Dobbs walked closer to the bed and plucked the clipboard from the bed rail. “There’s going to be a few things we’ll need to test to make sure you're alright. I can check a few things right now, like your memory, motor skills, and if you can walk on your own.”

“I might not be able to walk?”

The doctor nodded solemnly. With the extent of your injuries, it's amazing that you're awake at all. Being able to understand and communicate this well is a very good sign. Since walking is a big concern, let's check that first. Seunghyun, would you help him stay upright once he's standing. He hasn't walked in a while, so his legs will be weak.”

The rapper nodded and stood up. Jiyong shoved the thin hospital blanket off his legs. He turned and slowly put his legs over the edge of the bed. Seunghyun reached out and helped him get to the floor. Jiyong stood for a moment, his legs shaking slightly.

“You ok Ji Ji?”

The younger laughed. “Yeah. My legs just feel kind of tingly.”

“That’s normal. Try to take a step forward.”

Jiyong clasped onto the elder’s forearms for balance. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“That's good! See if you can take a few more steps.”

Jiyong put his other foot forward, his legs still shaking, but holding him up. Seunghyun helped him walk a few feet.

“Excellent! Let's get you back into the bed and we’ll test your memory.”

Jiyong turned around and shakily walked back to the bed.

“So, as basic memory tests go, do you know who you are?”

“Kwon Jiyong.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“Not the exact hospital, but I know we’re still in Solana Beach, I can see the beach out the window.”

The doctor wrote on the clipboard. “Very good. Do you know what happened the day you were hurt?”

Jiyong scrunched his eyebrows together. “I know I met with our boss. On my way to meet Seunghyun and our friends for lunch some guys jumped me. They were hitting and kicking me. When someone yelled at them to stop, I was able to get away. I ran as fast as I could. When I saw them,” he gestured at his lover. “I called out for Seunghyun. There was loud bangs and then pain, searing, white hot pain. In my back and my neck. Everything started to get fuzzy, the last thing I saw was Seunghyun running towards me. They shot me didn't they?”

He looked at the doctor. “Yes, four times. Two of the bullets pierced right through you. One shattered on impact and damaged your heart and lungs, and that's when we lost you on the table. You were gone for two and a half minutes. It's why we were worried you wouldn't wake up. A few days later, for whatever reason, some of the sutures in your chest tore and you began to lose a lot of blood. If it wouldn’t have been for your fiancé giving you blood, you would have died that day. It broke protocol for the nurse to do a transfusion when we hadn't tested Seunghyun’s blood, but in that situation, we had to take the risk and we ran blood work afterwards. His blood was completely fine, like he said, so we allowed another direct transfusion later that day. Your memory seems fine, which indicates that you got very lucky, you stood and walked, as well. This is better than anyone could have hoped for. You should get some rest, you'll probably still be here for the remainder of the week while we check on everything.”

Jiyong nodded and laid back.

“If you'd like, we can have a nurse remove the catheter?”

“Yeah, it would probably be good if I have to get up and get my legs used to working again anyway.”

Dr. Dobbs nodded and left the room.

“I'm gonna go into the hall and call everyone.”

“Ok. I'll be here, getting a tube pulled out of my bladder.”

Seunghyun snorted. “Nice.”

Jiyong smiled at him. Seunghyun smiled back, before turning and walking out of the room, passing the nurse Dobbs had sent. He pulled his phone from his pocket and saw the time. It was nearly 3 am. He dialed the house, knowing the ringing would wake everyone up.

**Poem Seunghyun read to Ji is “If I Thought” by Dana Schwartz. I wanted something sweet and when I found this poem, it just felt right to choose it. Idk if it's ever been published into a book, but if not, just pretend :)

I picked Solana Beach CA as where they live because it's on the smaller side and has art galleries and restaurants by the beach. Seems like a place both Seunghyun and Jiyong would enjoy.