Jonghyun’s eyes became wide at the sight of the crimson red on his best friend’s hand. Seeing Key’s eyes blank, he frantically shouted for Onew and Minho in the other room. The older idols’ faces dropped with worry at the sound of Jonghyun’s scared yell and even the carefree feel of Taemin’s laughter instantly died. Onew sprinted to the bathroom to find Jonghyun holding the diva’s head as Key blankly stared at the wall with heavy eyes. Jonghyun desperately looked up at Onew with alarm but turned back to Key when he felt his weight shift slightly toward his shoulder.

“Stay awake! Don’t fall asleep Key! Stay with me!” Jonghyun urged. Key’s eyes heavily pulled themselves open just to shut again.

“I’ll call an ambulance, try to keep him awake!” Onew called as he sprinted swiftly into the hallway. Seeing Taemin closely behind Minho, Onew stopped the rapper with a hand to the shoulder.

“Keep Taemin out here, he doesn’t need to see Kibum that way..” Onew mumbled, “I’ll help Jonghyun in here.” Minho turned around and led him backwards by the shoulders into the main room.

“Hey Minnie, help me pack Umma’s overnight bag, I think we’re taking a trip.” Minho calm reassured the worried younger.

“What’s wrong with Key-umma?” Taemin eyes shined with worry and Minho ruffled his hair.     

“He bumped his head. But don’t worry, nothing can keep him down, Tae” Minho smiled. Out of the corner of his eye, Onew’s bob of hair flies past Minho with old rags and a first aid kit into the bathroom.

“I’ve called an ambulance, they’re on their way. Is he still awake?” Onew breathed heavily from his sprint.

“No.. He stopped responding after you left. I can’t get his attention..” Jonghyun mumbled.

“Here, apply more pressure with the towel, we have to stop the blood loss,” Onew hastily gave him the rag and wiped off more of the crimson color from Key’s neck.

            “..It’s my fault.” Jonghyun sadly hung his head in shame. Onew looked up and whacked the idol upside the head.

            Jonghyun’s head stung from the blow but still kept his head down and hand on Key.

            “If he was conscience, that would have hurt more,” Onew stated sternly, “Don’t be thinking like an idiot.”

            “Ambulance is here!” Minho called. Suddenly, the paramedics rushed in the small room with a white stretcher.

            “Roll him on his side, carefully, we don’t want to damage his neck as well,” the leader said as she carefully placed a neck brace around Key’s slender neck. Two other paramedic assistants came to her aid and Onew and Jonghyun cautiously placed the idol on the stretcher while they applied proper gauze and medical padding to the matted crimson mess on Key’s skull.

            “We only have room for one of you on in the back, which one of you are coming?” she quickly inquired as they urgently rolled Key to the back of the vehicle.

            “Jonghyun can, I’ll meet you there.” Onew pushed the other into the ambulance and wished him good luck before running back into the house to fetch the others.

            The sadden dino sat down next to his best friend as the medics hooked up a breathing tube.  One grabbed the idol’s hand and moved it to hold the gauze in place. Jonghyun held his hands firmly and moved Key’s damp bangs from his eyes.

            “Don’t you leave me, Kibum. Don’t you dare.” Jonghyun mumbled.

~~

Jonghyun sat in the plain white room with his head in his heads from exhaustion. The sterilized smell sickened him, and the silence calmed him a bit with the exception of the occasional squeaky wheelchair and a programmed beep from the machinery around the room. The door slowly creaked open to reveal a worried yet calm Onew and Minho, with a shaken Taemin behind them.

“How is he doing?” Onew asked with tired eyes. SHINee’s once flamboyant diva now lay still in white sheets with cloth wraps covering his forehead and with a slightly flushed face.

“They said he should be fine in a day or two. He’s got eight stitches and a slight fever. It’s supposed to come and go over the course of a week or so. I’m just glad he’s off the breathing tube now.” Jonghyun said with drooping eyes. Taemin walked over and gently held a damp cloth to his umma’s face, wiping the sweat from his brow. Minho smiled at his gesture and leaned up against the wall.

“So when is Se Kyung coming?” Taemin asked quietly. Onew glanced at Jonghyun and he hadn’t even moved his head from his hands.

“Haven’t called her yet,” Jonghyun mumbled, “too tired. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.” He lifted his head up to see a nurse at the door.

“If you are staying for a while, you are welcome to come down and get some snacks, water, and blankets downstairs. If you don’t mind, I can you there.” Onew rose from his seat, and smiled.

“That sounds good. Come on Jjong, you could use a walk. Are you hungry, Minho? I know pizza’s not all that filling.” Onew sheepishly scratched his head.

“Sounds good. Taeminnie, did my pizza fill you up or do you want some snacks?” the rapper teased. The younger blushed but continued to attend to his umma.

“I’m still hungry.. But can you bring me something? I want to stay by Umma for a while.” Taemin smiled.

“Banana milk and graham crackers it is then,” Minho smirked. Following the nurse out of the room, Taemin chuckled when hearing his hyung ask about chicken. He looked around and pulled a chair to the head of Key’s bed to keep an eye on him.

“If you could see your hair now, Umma, I’m sure you’d freak!” Taemin giggled as he ran his fingers through his hair in attempt to smooth out the diva’s hair. He sighed and leaned forward with his slender elbows resting on his knees. “It’s too quiet, Umma. I miss your loud fussing..”

Key’s eyes flickered under his eyelids, frantically as he ran through his nightmare…

“Jonghyun, I love you! Why must you torture me like this?!” he cried. Images flashed in the darkness of his love with his beloved as Key ran to get away from it all. Suddenly, he fell into the black pits of his nightmare. Down down down.. Key covered his face in pure terror as he plunged. “I’m safe on the ground, it just windy out tonight, I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid!” he thought frantically. Hitting the floor of his nightmare with a CRACK , a sharp pain shot through his skull, racking his temples. The idol screamed silently curled up in the fetal position in the darkness. Holding his head to stop the pain, he felt the familiar stickiness on his fingers; Key pulled his hands back to see a dark crimson red run down his arms. “I’m not weak, this is nothing! I am the Almighty Key! I am strong!” he thought weakly. Laying powerless in the nightmare, he cried. He cried silently and the murky darkness pulled him into the depths of his mind. “I can’t do this anymore; I can’t do this by myself… I’m giving up on me, I need somebody, I need you…” Key cried out softly. “I’m sorry, I’m giving into my selfishness.. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”

Taemin lifted his head up in curiosity. “What did he just say?”

“Jonghyun, I’m sorry..” he whispered weakly.