Ryeowook you promised me that you’d always be by my side if that’s what I wanted so don’t you dare break that promise. Because if you do, I won’t forgive you.

Saranghae Kyuhyun.

The boy had been put on a ventilator and was connected to a machine that monitored his heart rate, pulse, and blood pressure.  The monitor beeped every few seconds and the ventilator made noises as the boy inhaled and exhaled. The ventilator made his face seem paler and thinner than usual.

Kyuhyun’s heart was filled with unease. What if Ryeowook just died without ever waking up? What if he never got to tell him how much he meant to him? A lump formed in his throat and heart beat quickened. He willed himself to calm down as the doctor spoke.

“Because of his head injury, several of his organs were compromised. I didn't tell you earlier because I had a smidgeon of hope that they would heal on their own as his overall condition improved. It seems they are starting to go. His lungs are failing; it's difficult for him to breathe on his own, so we put him on a ventilator to reduce the burden on his body.”

Kyuhyun felt like the room was spinning around him as the events of his own traumatic past played inhis mind. Had the nearby nurse not ran over to hold his body, he would have fainted on the floor.

He was too distracted to even notice the tears streaming down his cheeks until he absent mindedly touched his face and realized that it was wet. It took him a few moments to pull out of his thoughts and face the doctor again.

Now what?

The doctor answered in simple words “If he doesn't improve in a couple of days, he'll need a transplant.”

All Kyuhyun could do was pretend to be calm and nod at the doctor, he didn’t have to be told to know how hard it was to find a donor, especially a lung donor.

As the doctor quietly shuffled out the door, detecting that his presence was no longer wanted, Kyuhyun buried his face in his palms. The room grew silent except for the occasional muffled sniff.

Sleeping Ryeowook shifted slightly, it was more like a twitch than a shift but a shift more or less.

Kyuhyun ah, I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble. If only I could wake up…or even die right now, I wouldn’t be such a burden. It hurts me so much to see you cry like that, especially when I can’t give you a hug, so please don’t cry anymore.

Ryeowook, still comatose, silently shed a tear that went unnoticed.

For the next few days, Ryeowook's condition saw no improvement and the doctors were forced to add him to the hospital transplant waiting list.

Kyuhyun could only watch as the person he cared about most deteriorated in front of him. His cheeks had sunken in and his body weakened. After all, a ventilator only helped a person breathe, it did not treat illnesses so there was only so long that a person could survive with it.

He felt so useless. He couldn't do anything except hold the boy's hand and wet his lips with some water on a cotton swab every now and then. He hoped that the boy's time would not run out before lungs came.

He didn't know what he would do if ryeowook died just like that in front of him.

Kyuhyun rested his head on Ryeowook’s chest. The warmth soon made it hard to keep his eyes open as drowsiness hit him. He slowly drifted off, succumbing to the urge to sleep.

Ryeowook's mouth rose up into a crescent ever so slightly

Saranghae, nal gidalyeo

Authors note: Sorry it took me so long to update such a short chapter. I'll try to be quicker next time. Please feel free to leave comments. Thanks for reading my story!