Camp Echo, Mt. Desert Island, Maine

Taemin aged 8; Minho aged 10

—

"We're almost there, hold on. We're almost there," Minho soothed, racing across the campground with a crying Taemin on his back. His shirt was damp, but he wasn't sure if it was from his own sweat or the blood pouring out of Taemin's nose like an overflowing cup.

The nurse knew it was them before Minho even made it up the stairs, greeting them at the door with her hands on her hips. She was a tired looking woman in her late 50s, her red hair streaked with strands of gray. She was a no-nonsense kind of lady, and talked to the campers like they were full-grown adults, with the exception of Taemin. She doted on him like he was her own son. Her name was Margaret, but she let Minho and Taemin call her Maggie. Other than his family, this was the only person Taemin felt any kind of attachment to, apart from Minho, of course.

"What did my baby do this time?" she tutted with a sigh, letting Minho enter in front of her to deposit Taemin on the cot. Seeing all the blood, she tossed several towels his way as she fished in the mini freezer for an ice pack.

"It wasn't his fault. He got hit in the face with a volleyball. Hard," Minho explained, holding the towel to Taemin's nose as he sat next to him on the cot. He was jealous of Maggie. Taemin grinned when she called him her baby, but he got mad when Minho did the same. Taemin's fingers latched on to Minho's thigh, digging in so much he thought he might bruise. Minho figured it was only a fraction of the pain Taemin was probably feeling right now, and he was secretly pleased Taemin always chose him as a source of comfort.

"You let him play sports? This clumsy kid?"

"I wasn't—" Taemin began to complain, gasping when the movement of his mouth overwhelmed him with pain.

"He wasn't even playing. He was watching me," Minho finished for him. "Don't talk if it hurts," he said to Taemin.

"Minho, what's the point of you always hanging around him if he's gonna get hurt? At least protect him if you're gonna constantly be by his side. Here, take away the towel and hold this for a second," Maggie ordered, handing him the bag of ice. 

"I already feel guilty enough," he mumbled.

"Taemin, I'm going to have to feel your nose to see if it's broken. It's going to hurt like hell, but the sooner I do it, the easier it is to reset the fracture, as long as it's a simple one," Maggie said.

Taemin shied away as her gloved fingers approached his face, trying to hide his still leaking nose behind Minho's shoulder. If he thought his face wouldn't split in half, he'd be screaming in pain and fear. No matter how much affection he had for this woman, it wasn't enough to let her fingers anywhere near his throbbing nose.

"Taemin, if I can't fix this here, I'll have to call your parents to come get you, or get permission to send you off to the hospital. And no, before you ask, Minho can't go with you. Either way, your time here will be cut short. So can you please let me try to save your summer?"

"Come on, Taemin," Minho encouraged, grasping Taemin's hand firmly in his own. At the thought of losing any of the precious time they had together, Minho's heart began to quicken in panic. In Korean he added, "Be brave for hyung."

Clinging to Minho's hand, Taemin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He nodded, giving the nurse permission to continue her examination.

With much more delicate care than she'd give to any other camper, Maggie leaned forward, pressing lightly at the already bruising skin. When she felt the bridge of his nose, Taemin gasped in pain, and his nails dug into Minho's palm reflexively. After a few more prods of his cheekbones and a quick check of his neck, Taemin was free. 

"Bad news: It's fractured. Good news: Your bones all stayed where they are supposed to be, so I don't have to reset them. Look, even the bleeding has stopped."