Mingi fixed his pink scrubs over his rounded belly before he sat down at the stool behind the secretary's counter. His feet appreciated the chance to rest after he had been on them for four hours already. He was halfway through his shift in the emergency room and while it hadn't been the busiest day, he had spent a lot of time with the patients that had come in because they had mostly been children. It was the beginning of summer and school was out, and with children having more time to play outside in the heat, they were more prone to injury, heatstroke, and dehydration. He had already treated two kids this morning, a seven-year-old and a four-year-old that had spent a bit too long in the sun and hadn't drank enough water. Luckily they had been brought in before things got too serious and they were able to get proper treatment including IVs and ways to lower body temperature. Children were his vice and considering he had his own four-year-old son, he felt a connection with these children and a sympathy he hadn't had before having children was ever-present. Being pregnant with his second son increased that sentiment tenfold. He loved children immensely and he was blessed enough to work with them all day. 

He had just finished up with one patient, another toddler that had come in with cramping muscles and cold sweats, early signs of heatstroke. Mingi had done everything he could and in the end, he had gotten the little girl comfortable enough to leave the emergency room with specific instructions on recovery for her parents. The whole visit he had asked her to call him Nurse Mingi and it had taken until she was being carried out with a sugar-free er (courtesy of Mingi) for her to say a very weak and gentle, "Thank you, Nurse Mingi." It was a moment that Mingi felt satisfied with his job, hoping she was going to be okay and wouldn't need to come in again for any further complications. He was happy. 

Mingi was looking over patient charts so he was doing something with his time. He flexed his toes in the comfort of his shoes to stretch, one hand held behind his back and rubbing at his muscles to help ease the strain he felt and the other cupped under his baby bump, feeling his son kick and move around. He had made it hard to stick his patients earlier with how much he had been moving. Mingi jolted with every movement his son gave and he had eventually needed one of the on-hand phlebotomists to assist in the IVs. It had been humiliating at first since Mingi was handling other parents' children, but he had played it off professionally in the end. While he wasn't busy at the moment, he reveled in feeling his son kick and move in hopes that he would tire himself out so later patients would receive a better experience with him. This baby wasn't nearly as active as Jeongyu had been, but he was still a little fighter and could kick Mingi awake at the worst of times in the night but Mingi couldn't even be mad at him. 

He was twenty-five weeks and one day along and Yunho and Jeongyu never let him forget it. Not with Yunho announcing every week how far along he was and then having Jeongyu recite the same number in hopes that he would say it all day. Four-year-olds were like parrots and would repeat something they heard once several times throughout the day. Last week, he had remembered every day to say 'twenty-four' and it had thrown him for a loop when he was corrected to say 'twenty-five' yesterday. Still, it had not stopped him from saying 'twenty-five' once prompted by Yunho as they said goodbye to Mingi. Rolled eyes ensued and Mingi had left the house with a smile on his lips. His boys were silly, but he loved them immensely. 

Imagining his son now, four years old and 110 centimeters tall, he was perfect. His height had been inherited from his parents and he was proud of it when it came to his preschool class. He was the tallest in his class and it had been an exciting revelation for him when they had all been measured by his teacher for a learning activity. Mingi remembered coming home one day for him to run right up to him and yell about how tall he is. Jeongyu had been so cute and ecstatic and it had lit Mingi's heart ablaze with adoration for his son. His loud voice and huge smile, perfectly exact to Yunho's. It was almost like he could hear his voice now among the sterile sounds of the hospital emergency room. 

But why was he hearing his cries? When he thought of his son, he thought of his joyful laugh and his inquisitive voice asking how and why things worked the way they did. Crying was never something he liked to hear in general, nor was it something he heard often, so why was he imagining it when he was at work on a good day? It was getting louder too, and closer, as though it was in the room with him. Curiosity and confusion inspiring his movements, Mingi glanced up towards the entrance of the emergency room lobby where he was hearing the cries of his son and it was like he was having an out of body experience. What he faced was a nurse that was on duty and outside the entrance to help those who needed it upon arrival. Then his husband. Then lowering his glance, his son in a wheelchair. Crying, red faced, and wet cheeked. The cries he had been hearing now made sense and they were much louder when he could see his son, and much more painful. 

His body worked on autopilot as he bolted from his chair, nearly losing balance with a baby in his belly throwing off his balance. This was his first instinct anyway when it came to emergencies (since he was in the emergency room) but this was his son and his maternal drive to care for him was almost animalistic, wanting nothing more than to rip him from that chair and hold him close to his chest and kiss whatever was hurting better. But the nurse side of him knew to give Jeongyu his space and find out what was really wrong before acting on impulse. There was another on-duty nurse who was rushing to attend to Jeongyu but Mingi waved her off, almost claiming him as his. He reached his side in record speed and was immediately asking questions. 

"What happened?" Mingi asked as he walked along the wheelchair his son was sitting in. He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular and was rather searching for any answer explaining why his baby boy was crying hysterically. He didn't expect a response from Jeongyu himself, but he was depending on Yunho or the nurse. The nurse could deliver details on the vitals and possible injury based on years of study but Yunho could deliver the story that leads up to Jeongyu’s apparent injury. 

Eventually, Yunho came to his senses and collected his thoughts for clear delivery. Yunho was nothing but apologetic even though it wasn't his fault and it took just about one thousand apologies before he finally answered his husband, "I didn't actually see it and I didn't hear it from Jeongyu himself, but Jongho told me he fell out of a tree," his voice was a little shaky, obvious that the events had an effect on him to some extent, "Wooyoung and San came over and the kids were playing outside and climbing the tree in the front yard," he paused, watching as Mingi and the other nurse gingerly lifted Jeongyu onto a stretcher, careful not to jostle him too much. His brows then furrowed and his voice dropped in anger, "I'm sure Jongho pushed him from the branches, the lower ones still, but I'm sure of it," his tone was adamant, entirely sure of himself. Jongho isn't the most gentle kid, that was fact, but Mingi doubted he would actually go far enough to push his best friend from the tree, "Next time I looked out the window, Jeongyu was on the ground and crying, holding his leg while Jongho was still in the tree." 

That caught Mingi's attention the most, "Baby, does your leg hurt?" he asked his son who was still crying, immediately going to check Jeongyu's feet with care. He was a bit distressed to find that his son wasn't wearing shoes and instead his soles were covered in a thin layer of dirt, obvious that he had been outside without his proper footwear on. It was a rule in their house to wear shoes when they go outside and to find that his son hadn't had him frowning, but there were bigger things to worry about. And if it did happen to be his foot that was hurt then it was a good thing that his shoes were already off, “Jeongyu, I need you to tell me what hurts, okay? So I can help you and make it better," he was on his knees by the stretcher and face level with Jeongyu, hoping it would encourage him to speak up. 

“Mommy,” Jeongyu cried, absolutely shattering Mingi’s anxious heart. He reached out and clung to Mingi's neck, nearly clobbering him and knocking him over. It was enough to knock Mingi's pink scrubs cap back and nearly off his head and while it was part of his dress code, he couldn't care less. All he wanted to do was hold his baby, "It hurts," he hiccupped as he cried into Mingi's neck. 

"What hurts, Gyugyu? Tell Mommy so I can make it better," he was reluctant to hold him back due to the fear that he could hurt his son more. All Mingi can do is calm his baby boy and try to make him feel better with words of affirmation and attempt to keep his distance. 

"My foot."

"Where, love? Point and show me."

Jeongyu was slow to move but he did eventually point where he was feeling the most pain. It was the upper half of his left foot where the toes were and when his finger made contact with his skin, he reeled back and let out a wail that was earsplitting and painful for Mingi too. Looking at the area now, he wondered how he hadn't noticed before. Jeongyu was wearing a pair of shorts luckily and they exposed his legs which were covered in bruises, typical. His foot was bruised and swollen already, concentrated in one spot. He had obviously broken his foot, but it was a start and now he could take his next course of action and order an x-ray to see what was going on. He told the other nurse as much and she was quick to help Mingi situate Jeongyu back into the wheelchair, "Thank you, Jeongyu. I'll give you a er for being such a good boy and listening to Mommy," he pulled a er (sugar-free of course) out of the pocket of his pink scrubs and unwrapped it for his son who ceased crying enough to grab the er and stick it in his mouth. He was still hiccuping and trying to catch his breath, but he was distracted enough to dull the pain and enjoy his er. Candy was one of his favorite things and being given a er was a real treat for him since they tried to limit his sugar intake. Even sugar free, it was still candy and Jeongyu enjoyed it just the same. He was currently having a field day despite the fact that he had a broken foot.

"Yunho, please come with me," he ordered. They were going to follow Jeongyu to the x-ray, they weren't going to leave him alone. He placed his hand on his bump, feeling as their unborn son kicked up a storm. Mingi was sure he could feel how stressed his mother was and was reacting in the best way he could. With his free hand, he grabbed Yunho's hand in his, holding tight with anxiety. Yunho held back with the same vigor, hating seeing their child in so much pain and crying so hysterically. He could feel a slight tremor in Mingi's grasp, something he's never felt before on his husband. It was no good for his career either so to find it now was concerning for lack of a better word, "He's hurting," Mingi stated as he hurried behind Jeongyu, voice low as he tried not to call Jeongyu's attention to him, "Our baby is hurting," he was staying strong as he had to do so in his field of work. Emotions did not play well in a professional hospital setting. 

"But look whose hands he's in," Yunho reminded, rubbing his thumb over Mingi's as they neared the radiology room, "He's in your hands as his nurse. You're making the calls so he can get a doctor who will make everything better, alright? You're doing the most you can and it is really helping our boy. Don't you see that?" Yunho asked, following Mingi into the observation room, "You're his hero right now." 

Mingi knew that but it was still incredibly difficult to watch his son in so much pain. He wanted to hold his son's hand and tell him to be calm and move as little as possible, but he wasn't even allowed to stay in the room with him. Radiation was harmful to his unborn baby and the repercussions could be harsh later on in his baby's life. Even though unhappy with the decision, he was willing to stand behind the safe wall made up of glass and the monitors that would display digital copies of his x-rays and print them for the doctor to look at. There was a radiographer on duty and directing Jeongyu where he would need to lay for a high-quality shot of his left foot. He made sure to lay a lead apron on his little chest for protection and was speaking as kindly and as gentle as possible to not stir more fear that was surely already there. 

Mingi watched as Jeongyu started to shift and whine, stranger danger and general confusion at the forefront of his mind and wanting the comfort of his parents. Mingi hadn't even needed to say anything before Yunho was speaking up instead, his own paternal instincts taking control, "I'm going to go out there and hold his hand if I need to. He looks kind of scared and I think he might start crying again." 

"Please," Mingi nodded, reluctantly letting go of Yunho's hand. He wanted his comfort but he knew Jeongyu needed it more. Mingi watched intently as Yunho exited the current room and entered the radiologist lab, quickly kneeling down next to his son and holding his hand, explaining to the radiologist what he was doing. The radiologist had Yunho slip on a heavy lead apron to protect his body from possible radiation and explained a bit more to Yunho what was happening before he left the room. The x-rays were going to happen soon with Yunho there for Jeongyu. 

"You got this, buddy. You don't have to be scared, you can be a brave boy," Yunho assured as he ran his fingers through Jeongyu's soft hair, letting the silky strands tangle through his fingers. Yunho's own hair was coarse and thick, it was obvious that Jeongyu had inherited Mingi's hair, and just about every other feature he could after his mother. He was a mini Mingi in all of his entirety, "I'm right here to make it better." 

His father's presence was helping and it was also giving Jeongyu some confidence when it came to processing the situation. As the x-ray sat above his foot and took pictures, Jeongyu's curiosity was enough to distract him further. He lifted a little hand and pointed at the x-ray generator positioned above his toes, "What's that, Daddy?" he sniffled, using that same hand to rub at his nose that was itching and running. 

Yunho spared a short glance to where Jeongyu was pointing. He chuckled and turned back with a wide smile, endeared to no end, "That's the part that takes pictures of your bones. It's like a really strong camera that can see through your skin and muscle," he was trying to find the words to describe an x-ray and that was the best he could come up with for his four-year-old son, "It's so we can see what really hurts in your foot."

"Wow," Jeongyu mused as he looked back to the x-ray that was placed above his hurt foot, “Like Superman?” he asked next, childlike innocence enough to melt Yunho's heart to a puddle of mess. 

Yunho chuckled, “Yes, just like Superman. If he were here maybe he could tell you what was happening in your foot, right?”

“He could!” Jeongyu shouted excitedly, wiggling his body a little but then wincing at the pain shooting from his leg. He wasn’t supposed to be moving anyway, and Yunho was quick to remind him, placing a steadying hand on his thigh of the leg that didn't have a broken foot, “Sorry, Daddy. It hurts,” he whined with a deep pout and watering eyes. The pain was again at the forefront of his mind and he was focused on how he was injured again. 

“I know, but just a little longer and we’ll be able to fix it. Try not to move anymore.” 

Mingi watched in utter fascination in the safety of the observation room as Yunho spoke to their son with such ease and enthusiasm, even when he couldn’t hear what he was saying. The perk of being a stay at home dad was being able to spend the entire day with their son and knowing him like the back of his hand. Yunho knew the exact words to say to calm Jeongyu down enough to distract him from the pain he was for sure feeling. Mingi wished he had that level of intimacy with their little boy, but alas, someone had to make the mon