Taecyeon

"Ok Taecyeon-ssi?" the doctor called out.

"I'm Taecyeon." he stood up and made his way over to the doctor. Nichkhun and Jongup were right behind him. One of the men had a hand on his shoulder, but Taec was too intent on the doctor to look behind him to see who it was.

"I'm Doctor Kim. I'm the one who's been treating Minjun since he came into the ER." 

Taecyeon breathed out a sigh of relief. If Jun were dead, the doctor would have said he was Jun's doctor "How is he?" his hands twisted together, anxiety roiled through his gut.

"The next twelve hours are crucial. Minjun sustained a skull fracture. Due to the force of the impact, his brain is swelling. We're doing all we can to control this."

"I know that's what you're supposed to say, Seokjin. Now tell us what's really going on." Nichkhun wore a serious look on his face.

Seokjin met Nichkhun's gaze and sighed "It's still too early to tell, Nichkhun. Like I said we're doing everything we can to contain the swelling. I've paged the best neurologist on staff to come in and assess Minjun's condition, but haven't heard back from him yet. We have a few solutions left to try, but right now I'd say he's got a fifty-fifty shot of pulling through this."

"When can I see him?" Taecyeon's stomach was pitching like a rowboat on storm-tossed seas "He needs to hear my voice and know how much I love him."

The doctor nodded "We're in the process of moving him to ICU. I'll let you know when you can see him."

Taecyeon took a step forward "This man is the love of my life. He's just adopted his five-year-old niece whose mother died from cancer back in January. We can't lose him, Doc. Please save him. Save Jun." 

Seokjin set a hand on Taecyeon's shoulder "I promise you I'm doing everything humanly possible. I'm going back to see him now and will be back for you when he's settled."

Taec nodded and watched the doctor go back into the ER. Fifty-fifty odds weren't the best. On the other hand, it wasn't the worst news he could hear either.

"Seokjin was talking about Kim Namjoon. He's one of the best neurologists in the country. If he's coming in to consult on Jun's case, he's in very good hands."

Taecyeon broke down, tears pricked his eyes and he pulled Nichkhun into a tight hug "I love him so much, Khun, and I didn't tell him. I just walked out of his life because I was being petty and stupid. Now I might never be able to tell him how much I love him."

"Don't say that!" Narsha said from behind him "If you act like it's over, then Jun will too."

Taec turned around to face her. Narsha was holding Gain who had changed into fresh clothes "I don't know what to do."

"Of course you do." Narsha set a hand against the side of Taecyeon's face "You go up there and tell Jun how much you love him and that you're going to be there until he wakes up. Tell him funny stories from your time together. Read him his favorite books. Hold his hand and don't let go until he's awake and begging you to shut up!" 

Taec nodded. He could do that "Okay."

"I'm gonna take this little miss back to her house so we can pick up Blackie and some things for a sleepover."

"Thanks, Narsha. I really want to stay at the hospital with Jun." at least he wouldn't have to worry about Gain. He knew she'd be safe and coddled at Narsha and Kwanghee's house.

"NO!" Gain yelled "I don't wanna go!"

Taec and Narsha exchanged alarmed looks "How come you don't want to come home with Grams?" Narsha rubbed Gain's back.

"I don't want to ride in the car. What if we get in another accident?" fat teardrops rolled down Gain's cheeks.

He didn't think it was possible for his heart to break any more than it already had, but it did "It's okay, Gain. The bad man who hit Uncle Junnie's car can't hurt you again."

"What if there's another bad man?" a wave of fresh tears flowed down Gain's face.

Gain had a point. This was Seoul. There were bad, impatient, and aggressive drivers everywhere. Taec was at a loss for words. 

"Grams is the best driver in the world, honey." Nichkhun said "She won't let anything happen to you. Plus what about Blackie? She's home alone and scared. She needs you."

"I need Blackie too." tears rolled down Gain's face "I'm scared, Grams."

"I'm scared too, sugar plum, but we have to be strong for Uncle Junnie, right?"

Gain nodded miserably.

"Why don't we go get Blackie and then some lunch? How about a Happy Meal?"

Gain nodded, her little body relaxed against Narsha.

"I'll call the minute we have news." Taec pressed a kiss to Gain's head.

"Maybe text. I'm thinking an N-A-P is in order."

"That's a good plan, Narsha. Thank you so much for taking care of her." Taec kissed Narsha too. He'd come to think of Chansung's mother as his own over the last few days. He was so blessed to have Hwang Narsha in his life.

"Make sure you tell Jun how much you love him the very second you get up there. Tell him I love him too." 

"I will."

"Tell Uncle Junnie me and Blackie love him too." Gain leaned over to kiss Taecyeon.

Taec hugged them tight and watched as they headed toward the car.

"I'm coming with you, Narsha." Jongup called after them "Maybe I can help get Gain settled in the car."

"Nichkhun, Taecyeon?" Kim Seokjin popped his head into the waiting room "You're all set to head up to ICU to see Minjun."

"Jun." Taecyeon said "His name is Jun."

Seokjin squeezed Taecyeon's shoulder "Jun is settled into his room. Nichkhun can show you the way. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."

"I know with ICU, they only let family in to visit. We have a close circle of friends who are our family."

"They'll be allowed in no problem."

"Thanks, Seokjin." Nichkhun slapped a hand on the doctor's shoulder.

The doctor nodded as Nichkhun led Taecyeon past him and toward the elevator. 

Nichkhun pressed the button for the fourth floor "Just be prepared, okay? He's most likely going to be bruised and bandaged up and probably on life support."

"Okay, thanks for the warning. I didn't even think of that. I can still see him the way he looked that last day in Chungju when I walked away from him."

"Don't think like that, Taecyeon. You need to be strong and positive for him. That's what going to help him heal."

Taec could do that. He had to do that. Jun was counting on him and for once, he wasn't going to let him down "Nichkhun, you're going to need to be there for Ewon."

Nichkhun looked confused "Ewon?"

"He's one of Jun's best friends and he's alone here. He has no family and no one to lean on. You need to be his shoulder to cry on through this."

"I'm sure I'm not the right man for the job." Nichkhun looked down at his feet.

"Cut the , Nichkhun. We're about see Jun all banged to hell. He might not make it through this. Don't be a stupid like me and deny Ewon the comfort he needs. Now isn't the time to tell me you don't have feelings for him." 

Nichkhun sighed "Ewon is maddening, always saying inappropriate things. I just..."

"Just be there for him. Bring him pizza. Hug him. Spend the night watching old reruns of Moon That Embraces The Sun."

Nichkhun snorted "Ewon likes that show?"

"He loves it. Take care of him. Jun and Junho are all he has."

"Okay. I will."

The elevator pinged and the doors opened on the fourth floor. The tiles were faded with age but were clean. Taecyeon had never been to this part of the hospital before. It was quiet. Too quiet "This place is creepy."

"ICU isn't meant to be pretty." Nichkhun's voice was grim.

"Maybe it should be. Give people a warm, happy place to heal instead of this sterile environment."

Nichkhun held the door open for Taecyeon and then steered him toward the nurses' station.

"We're looking for Kim Minjun." 

"He's in room four, Doctor Horvejkul."

Nichkhun nodded his thanks and tugged Taecyeon toward the patient rooms.

Taecyeon took a deep breath and stepped into Jun's room. It was worse than he could have possibly imagined. Jun was hooked up to so many machines with tubes everywhere. Machines were beeping and his right leg was in a cast and elevated. Bandages covered his head "Sweet Jesus." Taecyeon whispered.

Nichkhun wrapped an arm around his shoulders "He's alive, Taec. Focus on that."

Taecyeon walked toward the bed "Jun, you lazy bum. Look at you laying in bed at lunchtime on a Friday. All you had to do was call me if you were interested in a little afternoon delight." Taec could feel tears stinging his eyes.

He took a seat in the blue chair near the bed and picked up Jun's limp hand. Thankfully it was warm "Gain's okay. She's with Narsha and is going to spend the night. She's safe Junnie. You kept her safe." Taecyeon lost the battle as his tears started to course down his cheeks.

"Nichkhun's here too. He says you've got the best doctors on your team. A real dream team." Taec laughed trying to rope his emotions back under control.

"I'm here Kim Minjun and I'm not going anywhere until you open those gorgeous dark eyes and tell me to leave. I love you, Jun. I've always loved you. I need you to wake up and tell me you love me too. I know you do, you stubborn bastard."

Nichkhun snorted from behind him "Smooth Taec. Real smooth." he stepped up to the other side of the bed and seemed to be studying the readouts of the various machines "They have him in a medically induced coma."

"What does that mean?"

"It gives his body a chance to heal in a pain-free setting. He can hear you talking, but he's not going to wake up while he's on those meds."

"Do you remember that time we went away to Jeju for a long weekend and it rained the entire time. We planned to go kayaking and take surfing lessons and all it did was pour." Taec laughed.

"What did you end up doing, besides each other?" Nichkhun pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the bed and held Jun's other hand.

"We went to museums." Taec rolled his eyes dramatically.

"God forbid you get a little culture."

"It was fun. We went to the Glass Castle in Jeju. After we took the tour, Jun decided he wanted to be a glass blower. I told him he should just stick to being a Taecyeon blower."

Nichkhun laughed "All class, man." 

Taec laughed along with Nichkhun "Jun was determined to learn how to blow glass, so he signed up for a class at the local community college. The class ran two nights a week for six weeks. Jun was so proud of himself, even though he came home with scrapes and burns. He kept telling me about this final project he was working on and how it was going to be a masterpiece."

"Was it a masterpiece?"

Taec snorted "The last night of the class you could invite friends or family to come to the grand unveiling. I was so excited to see his work, since it was all Jun had talked about for weeks. Each of the student projects were hidden under a drop cloth. You should have seen some of the things the students made. Bowls and vases. One girl made Christmas balls for the tree. Really amazing work. Then it was Jun's turn. He said that he'd put his whole heart into this design and that it was for the love of his life. I'd never been so nervous in my life waiting for him to lift up the cloth that covered it."

"Did you fall in love with it?"

Taec burst out laughing, shaking his head no "It was this mangled looking heap of glass. There were threads of colors running through it, but it didn't look like anything recognizable."

Nichkhun laughed along with him. 

"He was so damn proud of it though. You should have seen him beaming from ear to ear. When I got closer to it, I could see the beauty in it. I loved it because Jun made it for me. I told him I'd treasure it until my dying day."

"That's true love."

Taec nodded "Later that night. He told me that his masterpiece was , but that he loved me so much more for loving his work."

"That's so Jun." Nichkhun squeezed his hand "You gotta wake up, buddy. I'm thinking of taking a ceramics class that I think you'd love."

Taec rolled his eyes "Hell, Jun, if you wake up, I'll take it with you." please God, let him wake up. Let him be able to take that gaudy ceramics class.