CHAPTER 28

EFFECTS

To say that Jaehyun’s heart skipped a few beats when he heard his husband’s body dropped on the ground was an understatement. His face matched Taeyong’s paleness and his mind stopped working for a moment. 
 

“T-Taeyong,” was all he managed to say when his brain started working once again and he immediately scooped the unconscious man into his arms. He debated whether he was going to take him to the hospital or to their house, but the elevator continued to go up so he had no choice.
 

He had a hard time typing the password of their door and he was getting anxious. It's been a few minutes already and his husband still showed no sign of waking up. 
 

“Love,” he gently tapped his cheeks multiple times after he laid him in their bed. “Can you hear me? Open your eyes, please.” Anxiousness and worry were evident in his voice, he hoped Taeyong would at least show sign of consciousness, but there was nothing. That was when he decided to call Dr. Park.
 

“He’s not responding! What is happening? Why is my husband not waking up?” Jaehyun was already panicking and the doctor on the other line can feel his stress and she understood. As if she already knew that it was going to come, she prepared herself with the right words to say to the panicking husband.
 

“Jaehyun, relax,” she said, but Jaehyun shot back. 
 

“How can I relax? My husband dropped down unconscious and he’s not waking up. I’ve been trying to wake him up for the last twenty minutes already.”
 

Dr. Park sighed, she was so used to this kind of drama, especially from young couples who had their husband take the P2 shot. They were not ready for the after effects and she knew that it was only the icing on the cake. There was more to come and she had to brief her nephew about it.
 

“It’s normal, Jae, son. Taeyong losing his consciousness is one of the after-effects of the P2. If you were not busy staring at him when I was explaining the things that will definitely happen, then you would not panic like what you are doing right now.”
 

She heard him sigh over the phone, but she could still feel his tension. Jaehyun was far from relaxing.
 

“Will he be okay?” He asked, his voice sounded like a child, like waiting for a promised candy from his mother. 
 

Unknown to him, Dr. Park smiled and nodded as if he could see her. Jaehyun was always the cold child who used to play in their house with Johnny and the rest of their friends. He was always sporting a cold exterior, but his inner caring and protectiveness always come out whenever someone he loves was hurting. She shouldn’t be so surprised because they were talking about Taeyong after all. She knew Jaehyun was going to do anything just to keep him safe. 
 

“He’s going to be okay. Let him rest.” Finally, Dr. Park heard his sigh of relief. “The effects of the P2 will start to show and it will take its toll on your husband’s body. Allow him to rest and be at his side at all times. Don’t hesitate to call me anytime, though I doubt if you’d really hesitate.”
 

Jaehyun smiled at the last statement. It was true after all. He finally felt relieved even just for a moment. He said goodbye on the phone and contacted his brother, Taeil after. He asked him to run some errands and buy some groceries because Taeyong was not able to at the moment. He also filed his leave and told Johnny to send all documents that needed to be looked at. He was going to work at home for the coming days. There was no way he was going to leave Taeyong’s side in this situation.
 

Hell no.

True to the doctor’s words, Taeyong woke up and it was already dark outside. He blinked his eyes to adjust to their room’s lighting. When his vision cleared, he saw his husband lovingly staring at him.
 

“H-hey,” his voice was hoarse and he felt the difficulty to speak. As if on cue, his husband handed him a glass of cold water. He even assisted him in drinking it. The coolness of the liquid gave relief to his burning throat. He once again laid down and noticed that he was already in his pajamas while his husband was still in his suit. 
 

“Why are you still dressed that way? Are you going somewhere?”
 

Jaehyun just shook his head and answered his question, "Do you expect me to leave your side that long? It only took me 15 seconds to get that glass of water.”
 

Taeyong furrowed his brows, silently questioning why his husband looked so worried. He couldn’t remember anything that happened after they left the hospital.
 

“What happened? I’m okay. You can take your shower now,” he said but Jaehyun was still hesitant. His husband took his hand and kissed it. “Don’t do that again, love. Don’t you dare faint on me again. I was so worried. You were out for a few hours,” Jaehyun’s voice was somehow hoarse, probably from yelling.
 

Jaehyun’s statement gave Taeyong a headache, for he really couldn’t remember anything that happened. He didn’t ask any more questions because he didn’t want his husband to worry again. 
 

“I’m okay now.”
 

Jaehyun nodded and regrettably put down his husband’s hand and loosened his tie around his neck to prepare himself a cold shower. It was his way of relaxing his tensed muscles and with what happened, he felt like as if all the muscles on his body were tight.
 

Taeyong thought he was already okay and Jaehyun believed his words until his abdomen started to constrict. It felt like there were a thousand hands squeezing his belly. He handled the initial pain very well, but it worsened as time comes and within minutes, he started to sweat profusely. The pain was becoming unbearable. He tried to hold his screams and failed.

Both of his hands were pressed against his belly, hoping to minimize the pain but it had no use at all. Soon, he found himself writhing on the floor. He didn’t even feel that he fell from their bed already.
 

In seconds, Jaehyun came out from the bathroom with just a towel covering his lower half. He just finished his shower when he heard a loud thud and he immediately came out. The feeling of anxiousness that he felt before hit him like a bulldozer once again. He automatically ran to his husband's side. Taeyong was writhing in pain. Tearful whimpers reached Jaehyun's ears and his heart broke. His husband was experiencing excruciating pain and he felt useless once again. 
 

“Ah!” Taeyong held on his arms tightly like his life was depended on it. “It hurts,” he cried and Jaehyun could only kiss the top of his sweaty head, praying for the pain to subside soon.
 

“Shhh, love, hold on. I’m going to take you to the hospital,” he told him and took his phone to call Dr. Park once again. The doctor picked up after the first ring.
 

“What’s wrong?”
 

“My husband is in pain,” he started and Dr. Park felt the pain in his voice. 
 

“Tell me what is happening?”
 

“H-He said his abdomen is constricting. I will take him to the hospital.”
 

“Jaehyun, no,” the doctor said and it made Jaehyun frown.
 

“What? Then what do you expect me to do with my husband? He’s in pain. Do you hear me? He’s in ing pain!”
 

Dr. Park sighed. She knew Jaehyun very well and she knew that when the guy started to curse, it meant that he was angry. He couldn’t do anything about it and she knew that her next words will make him angrier. She readied her ears and continued, “I cannot do anything about it even if you take him here.”
 

“What are you saying? So you want me to just sit and watch while my husband writhes in pain?”
 

“Give him a hot compress and I’m afraid that’s all you can do,” she slowly said, as calmly as possible, hoping Jaehyun won’t go ballistic on her. She could also hear Taeyong’s whimpers over the phone and she also felt bad.
 

“Are you crazy? He’s in pain and you want me to give him a hot compress?”
 

“Jaehyun, we can’t give him any medicine because the P2 is taking effect. Taeyong would be in much worse pain if we give him anything to relieve that pain. Any drugs won’t be effective as long as P2 is taking effect. I’m sorry that he’s in pain, it’s part of the process and the only thing that I can promise is that it will pass soon. You have to be strong for him. Calm down, Jae, it won’t help if your husband will see you in that state.”
 

“I hate this. Why does he have to suffer this much?” Jaehyun’s voice lowered down and Dr. Park felt his defeat over her words. 
 

“Do as I say, son. It will relieve his pain, trust me on this.” She didn’t see him nod, but she knew he did and the line went dead. Those kind of calls were the ones she always gets every time a new couple decided to take the P2 so she was really used to it and she was a self-proclaimed expert when it comes to handling weary husbands. So far, Jaehyun was still easy on her. She gave him a few more days before the younger was going to lose his cool and she was already prepared for that.

“Does it make you feel better, love?” Jaehyun asked as he gently dabbed the hot compress on Taeyong’s abdomen. His husband was sat between his legs and his back was on his chest. Jaehyun was leaning against the headboard of their bed for support. Taeyong’s breaths were deep and that indicated that he was still in pain, but he still nodded to him.
 

“It’s almost gone,” he said, but that didn’t give Jaehyun the slightest relief. There was more to come. He knew it and it was just the beginning. He wasn’t sure if he was able to handle Taeyong in much worse state and for a moment, he regretted his decision of signing the CMA. 
 

Taeyong was able to sleep in his arms that night, but only for a few hours. His abdomen started acting up again and it made the couple awake all night because of it.
 

Jaehyun thanked the heaven because for a few minutes, Taeyong fell asleep the next morning and Jaehyun took the opportunity to prepare breakfast for him and for Haechan. His movements were swift because he was in a hurry. He didn’t want his husband to wake up without him by his side. Dr. Park told Jaehyun not to leave him and he was going to do just that. He didn’t even have the time to go to Haechan’s place so he just called him to come over so he could have his breakfast. The younger came as soon as he heard Taeyong’s condition.
 

“How is he?” Haechan whispered, not wanting to wake his brother up. He found Jaehyun in the kitchen, arranging the dining table as quietly as he can.
 

“Bad, he didn’t sleep a wink last night,” Haechan saw the distress on Jaehyun’s face and it matched his.
 

“You look like you didn’t, too.”
 

Jaehyun’s side lips curled into a tired smile. “How can I sleep if he’s in pain?”
 

That moment, Haechan saw how genuine Jaehyun’s love for Taeyong. He doubted him at the start, but as time went by, Jaehyun proved him wrong. Those details made Haechan’s heart swell with acceptance, knowing that his hyung found the right person to spend the rest of his life with.
 

If only Winwin saw the same.
 

Haechan immediately dismissed any thoughts about Winwin. Taeyong was his priority as of the moment and he decided to skip school to help his Jaehyun hyung to take care of him. Jaehyun quickly dismissed the idea, though. 
 

“Don’t skip school. I’ll take care of your brother. You can see him in the afternoon,” Jaehyun said with authority that Haechan couldn’t contradict. He wanted to protest, but only one look from brother-in-law made him think twice so he just ate his breakfast that he prepared. 
 

They talked while eating their breakfast. It was more about his brother and Jaehyun asked about his school with great care not to mention Mark. The mood was light until Jaehyun heard Taeyong’s cries from their room. Both of them abruptly stood but Jaehyun told him to go to school and he was going to be the one to take care of Taeyong. Haechan’s face was full of worry and Jaehyun understood, but he couldn’t let him skip school. All the younger could do was to follow his orders. With heavy feet, he walked out that house and went to school.

That whole day was full of pain for Taeyong and concern for Jaehyun. Taeyong was slipping in and out of consciousness and for a moment, Jaehyun preferred him unconscious if that was the only way for him to not feel pain.  His husband couldn’t even eat anything. He always ended up throwing up everything Jaehyun fed him, solids or even water. Dr. Park came and her presence didn’t even do anything to relieve the pain Taeyong was having.
 

It continued for three days and Jaehyun started to break down. His lack of nutrition and sleep was taking its toll on him already. He refused to eat if Taeyong didn’t want to eat anything.  Taeil and Haechan coaxed him to take a rest and sleep for a while, but he protested. He wanted to take care of his husband and no one was going to stop him.
 

Taeyong became worse. The abdominal pains disappeared only to appear again after a few minutes. Standing and even sitting became so hard to do. Jaehyun had to lean Taeyong's back on his chest so  Haechan or Taeil could feed him. His body could only take liquids so his husband juiced fruits and vegetables just so he could have nutrients in his body. It was not enough, though. He still lost a concerning amount of weight that Jaehyun hissed in anger when he carried him into the bathroom to take a bath. His skin also became sensitive to temperature. He couldn’t take too hot and cold showers.

Jaehyun had to make sure the temperature was just right so he won't be complaining that it was too hot or cold because his skin couldn't take it.
 

Jaehyun suffered with him. He won't eat and sleep unless his husband did. Taeyong became clingy and he wanted him by his side all the time, so he didn’t have the time to check on some important documents of the company. Taeil and Johnny took over for him, for which he was grateful. During evenings, there were times when Taeyong was shaking because it was too cold, even if the heaters were on. There were also moments when he didn’t want any blanket over him because he felt too hot. Jaehyun had to suffer the cold of the full blast air condition because his husband felt hot and then sweat profusely because the heater was too hot and Taeyong felt cold. With everything, Jaehyun did everything without a single complaint. He gladly took care of his husband and told everyone who told him to rest that whatever he was feeling, it won't even match a quarter of what Taeyong was feeling. 
 

His friends, Dr. Park and Haechan found a new level of respect for him.
 

On the fourth day after Taeyong took the P2, Ten insisted on visiting his friend after Johnny told him about what was happening. He cried when he saw the almost lifeless figure on the bed. Ten took his hand and told Taeyong that he was there for him. Taeyong answered with a smile for it was difficult for him to talk.
 

“Can you get me everything on this list, quick?” He then faced Jaehyun, who was startled at the sudden attention the Thai gave him and handed him a piece of paper.
 

“Huh?” Jaehyun was just too tired to even comprehend what he said and Ten understood so he handed the list to his lover.
 

“Babe, get this for me, please. I will make a tea that will make Taeyong feel better.”
Jaehyun snapped out of his trance when he heard what Ten said and immediately pushed Johnny out of their door to get whatever on that list. Ten shook his head in amusement.
 

“Let’s change his clothes, he’s drenched already. Just give him a cotton shirt and sweatpants and please open your blinds. He needs sunlight,” Ten fired like a soldier in the middle of a war. Jaehyun obeyed like a lost puppy. Even in his confused state, he understood why Johnny was so whipped. Ten was so commanding that even a president of a country would bow down in a single command.
 

True to his words, the little sunlight coming from the glass window of their room gave a little color on Taeyong’s cheeks. 
Johnny came back with everything on the list, not missing a single one or his head was going to be chopped off by his lover and friend. 
 

Ten immediately prepared the tea and in a matter of minutes, after he forced Taeyong to drink it, the latter felt better and was able to sit on the bed all by himself. 
 

Jaehyun smiled in relief and Johnny felt proud of Ten. The big guy surprised him with a deep kiss on the lips that earned them a pillow thrown by Jaehyun. Taeyong laughed at their antics and Jaehyun’s fears and anxiety lessen. Ten really knew what he was doing and the husband was thankful. Taeyong was able to eat solid food even just for a small amount and it still gave him enough strength to stand on his own. He told Jaehyun that he wanted to walk and his husband gladly helped him walked out of their bedroom and into the living room. Jaehyun checked the air and once he found it clean, he opened the glass window and the fresh air cleared all of their lungs. Taeyong felt even better.
 

“You seems like an expert on this field,” Johnny whispered on Ten’s ears as while he was back hugging him. It was an innocent statement coming from a proud lover but Ten tensed at it. Johnny felt it but decided not to comment on it. 
 

“I-I’ve watched a lot of movies about it,” he lied. Johnny accepted his reason. He sighed in relief.

***
 

“Papa, are we going to see kind uncle?” Kun asked his father as they entered the familiar elevator that will carry them to Taeyong.
 

“We will see uncle Taeyong so I want you to behave, okay?” Kun nodded with a pout. He wanted to see his uncle Taeyong and also the kind uncle. It's been so long since they last saw each other and he missed him so bad. He wanted the kind uncle to carry him on his shoulders once again and ask for his name.  The kind uncle told him his name already, but because of the excitement he felt when they went to the Gyeongbokgung palace before, he forgot what his name was. He asked his father to bring him to Haechannie and not to the daycare but he was told that Haechannie was busy with his studies so he couldn’t take care of him. He felt bad. He only became excited once again when his Papa told him they will see his uncle Taeyong, it was his chance to see the kind uncle once again.  He hoped that the kind uncle and his Papa would meet so they could be friends. He told his Papa about the kind uncle, but he was also too busy to take him seriously. 
 

Kun excitedly ran out of the elevator to ring uncle Taeyong’s doorbell.

***
 

It was the first time, since their wedding that Doyoung met Jaehyun. The young dad was still skeptical about him, knowing the antics that he pulled to his friend. It was the other way around for his son, though. The kid immediately raised his arms for Jaehyun to carry him the moment he opened the door for them. The man gladly took the kid into his arms and fired him questions about his kind uncle.
 

Doyoung found Taeyong sitting on a couch in the living room together with Ten and Johnny. Ten told him about Taeyong’s situation and he prepared his own version of remedy tea that helped him when he took the P2. The Jung couple thanked him and Jaehyun took the hot Thermos jar he was carrying so Taeyong could have some of it.
 

Once again, it proved to be effective because Taeyong didn’t feel any abdominal pain since he took the teas his two friends prepared for him. Doyoung and Ten promised to make more for him and Jaehyun almost teared up in gratitude, but of course, he didn’t let them see it. Only Johnny noticed and the big guy knew better and not to talk. He just shook his head at his friend’s reaction.
 

Johnny and Ten said their goodbyes to the couple and the latter told them they will be back the next day. Kun sang in front of them after the couple left. The little kid was gifted with a mesmerizing voice at his young age and everyone that listened relaxed.  Even Jaehyun forgot about his tiredness for a while. Taeyong fell asleep even before the kid could finish his second song, so Doyoung helped Jaehyun carry him back to their bedroom. They bid their goodbyes afterward and the little Kun was sad to go. He wasn’t able to see the kind uncle. Doyoung assured him that they will be back, but that didn’t make the kid happy. His smiled faded and his steps became heavy as Jaehyun walked them out the door. 
 

Jaehyun was about to open the front door for them when someone opened it from the outside. A huge smiled formed on Kun’s face the moment he saw who it was.
 

“Uncle!” He happily yelled and hugged the guy’s long legs.
 

Doyoung, on the other hand, was thunderstricken. He suddenly lost his grip on the empty Thermos jar he was holding the moment he recognized who it was.  The thing shattered on the tiled floor. 
 

His reaction was mirrored by the man outside the door and for a moment, time stood still.

aejae22

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Hello.

Sorry for the late update.

I had a hard time writing this chapter. I can't seem to put the scenarios in my head into words that's why it took me this long. 

Sorry.

I know you're wondering what happened to the other couples.

They're next.

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Thanks.