They found him, they finally found him!

Too rushed to take a bus, Seungho had flagged down a taxi.  On the way there, he’d called Cheondoong and Byunghee, telling them the good news.  The day was still early; it was barely three in the afternoon.  And while Cheondoong and Chulyong were stuck in school for another half hour or so, Byunghee was already on his way to meet him at the hospital.

Handing the driver some bills, Seungho ran out of the taxi just as it began to slow.  He rushed into the hospital, dodging people mindlessly as he stopped at reception.

“Lee…” he said breathlessly, “Lee Joon.  I’m looking for a young man… his name is Lee Joon.  He was brought in by the po-”

“Yes,” the nurse said, a bit irritated at Seungho’s hurried nature, “Lee Joon-shi…”  She clacked away at her computer before she said, “He’s in room 233F.”  When she noticed Seungho searching the signs looking lost, she said, “It’s upstairs.  Go left when you get out of the elevators.”

Thanking her, Seungho dashed off to the elevators.  He tapped his feet as he waited when…

“Seungho-yah!”

He turned as Byunghee ran up to him and tried to catch his breath.  “Upstairs?” he asked.

Seungho nodded.  As the elevator arrived, the two climbed in.  It was the longest elevator ride Seungho had ever been on.  It felt like an eternity before the doors opened up.  He squeezed between the doors and ran out.  He nearly slipped as he skirted around the corner, almost crashing into a patrolling nurse.  She called out at him angrily but he didn’t hear it.  Nothing could be heard over the roaring in his ears except for the racing of his heart.  He needed to see Joon; nothing else mattered.

Right in front of his eyes was Joon’s hospital room.  It was only a few feet away…

“Excuse me,” someone said, intercepting him, “You can’t go in there.”

Seungho looked at the person in front of him, surprised at his sudden appearance.  He was wearing a white coat and was holding a clipboard.  He stood a good few inches taller than Seungho and was scowling.

“Who-?” Seungho asked, glancing at the door to Joon’s room again.  Byunghee finally caught up with him, panting slightly.  He placed a comforting hand on Seungho’s shoulder.

“I’m Lee Joon-shi’s attending doctor,” the doctor replied, frowning at Seungho’s frantic appearance, “Are you his family?”

Family?  Seungho stared at the doctor blankly.  No he wasn’t family… but what was he?  A friend?  Lover?  What was his relationship with Joon?  That was something they had never clearly defined…

“I’m… a close friend,” Seungho said, “Why can’t I go in?”

“I need to speak to the family first before he’s allowed visitors,” the doctor said in a snappy voice.  He turned to Byunghee, “Are you Lee Joon-shi’s family?”

“No-” Byunghee replied but was quickly cut off when the doctor shook his head.

“Then neither of you can go in right now.  I need to speak to-” he started.

“He doesn’t have family,” Seungho said in frustration, “Please tell me.”  He felt the pit of his stomach swirl as he stood there in the hall, just a few feet away from Joon.

The doctor frowned and said, “I can’t reveal personal information to non-family members.  I need-”

“I told you,” Seungho said, unconsciously raising his voice, “He doesn’t have family.  Tell me.”  He felt frustration and anger bubble within him.  He didn’t have time for this…

“Sir, I can’t-” the doctor started.

Unable to take it anymore, Seungho tried to sidestep the doctor but was stopped when the doctor held out an arm to block his path.  Balling his hands into fists, Seungho tried again to side step him.  This time, the doctor stepped right in front of him and crossed his arm, his expression daring Seungho to challenge his authority.

In a moment of unabashed fury, Seungho took the doctor by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“Yah, Yang Seungho!” Byunghee cried in surprise, pulling against Seungho’s grip, “Stop!”  Several people around them had gasped in surprise and some had rushed off to find security.  “Let him go,” Byunghee hissed, pulling harder against Seungho’s arm, “Don’t do this!”

Snapping out of his brief moment Seungho released the doctor and took a few steps back.  He closed his eyes as he tried to control his heavy breathing.  What the heck was he doing?  How was this going to help?

“I’m,” he said breathlessly, “I’m sorry.” 

The doctor straightened his clothes, his face a strange shade of white.  He steadied himself against the wall and straightened his clothes. 

Byunghee pulled Seungho aside and placed his hands on his shoulders.  “I know it’s hard but I need you to calm down,” he said steadily, despite his shaking hands, “We can’t get into more trouble, not when you’re so close to seeing him.”  He gave Seungho a gentle shake.

Nodding, Seungho exhaled and tried to clear his head.  The need to bulldoze into Joon’s hospital room was so overwhelming, his hands were shaking.  The roaring in his ears made everything sound as if it were coming through a long tunnel.  He was extremely alert and yet, his senses were dull.  His heart was pumping at a mile a minute and he could feel his ears burning.

“Are you Yang Seungho-shi?”

The two looked up, startled as two policemen approached them.  One had a frown on his face while the other just looked exhausted. 

“Yes,” Seungho replied, stepping forward, “I am…”

“You’re here for Lee Joon-shi, correct?” the shorter officer said, flipping through a small booklet in his hand.

“Yes,” Seungho said quickly, “I… Lee Joon’s family situation-”

“Yes, we’re aware,” the tall one interrupted, rubbing his tired eyes, “We have on record that he only achieved citizenship a few months ago and that you’re listed as his closest relative.  Have you received information regarding his current status?”

“No,” Seungho replied, “I… the attending doctor won’t release the information until he confirms that with you…”

The short one nodded and walked off towards the doctor, who had finally regained some colour.  Seungho made to follow him but the tall officer stopped him.

“I will need you to make a statement,” he said, “Regarding this incident.  As his closest friend, it would help us in our investigation if you can describe the last time you came into contact with Lee Joon-shi as well as anything you know about the men we’ve detained.”

The tall officer sighed grimly and said, “We found Lee Joon-shi in an abandoned warehouse a few miles out of the city.  At the time of the raid…”  He cleared his throat and looked away.

“What?” Seungho said, his heart pounding in his ears. 

“At the time of the raid, we found him being brutalized by four men,” the officer said, shaking his head in disgust, “Of course, we detained them under charges of , but we are still investigating to case to see if further charges apply…”

The voice of the officer seemed to drift off as if he were speaking from a distance.  As Seungho looked at him, he seemed to blur and fade away.  The air suddenly felt thick and difficult to breathe.  He felt his knees go weak; felt his head swim.

.  Four men were detained for .  Joon was… brutalized.  Again.  

Seungho felt Byunghee’s arm around his as he suddenly lost his balance.  He inhaled deeply as his vision blurred and swirled before him.  The roaring in his ears was so loud that he wanted to scream.  Cold sweat broke out as his body shook, making it difficult for him to stand.

“Seungho…” Byunghee murmured as he tried to hold Seungho up.

As he regained some strength in his legs, Seungho took another deep breath as he looked at the police officer, whose face mirrored his feelings.

“I’m very sorry we couldn’t get to him earlier,” the office said, shaking his head in disgust, “There was… a bit of hold up at the station…”  He sighed and scratched his head in frustration.  “Look, I can’t tell you much more about this," he said, " We’re still investigating so I can’t give you too much information.”

At this moment, the shorter officer returned to them with the doctor in tow.  The doctor glared down his nose at Seungho before he visibly adjusted his white lab coat and gripped the clipboard in his hands tightly.

“I’ve confirmed your relationship to Lee Joon-shi,” the shorter officer said looking at his booklet, “The doctor will tell you details about Lee Joon-shi’s status.  Once you’re done your visitations, I’d like you to come down to the station within the next day or so to make your statement.”  He looked up and asked, “Okay?”

Seungho nodded mutely.  He bowed as the two police officers bid their farewells and made their way to the elevators.  Turning to the disgruntled doctor, Seungho took a deep breath and said, “I’m… I’m really sorry for what happened earlier.  My emotions took over and I just… I’m sorry.”  He bowed, surprising the doctor.

The doctor cleared his throat before he adjusted the clipboard in his hands.  His expression eased as he nodded.  “I understand,” he said curtly.  He flipped through the papers and his expression grew dim.  “I… I’m afraid I don’t have great news for you, Seungho-goon,” he sighed.  Rubbing his temple, he said, “Lee Joon-shi’s condition isn’t critical, but it’s certainly not very good either.  He’s suffered multiple hairline fractures in his ribs, collar bone, and hips.  His right wrist was broken in three places.  Fortunately, were able to fix this with minimal surgery but the biggest and most serious wound…”  He paused and sighed.

Seungho realized he had stopped breathing as soon as the doctor began speaking.  Exhaling deeply, he gripped Byunghee’s arm as he listened to the report.  The most serious wound… Seungho felt his stomach twist in a knot as he dreaded the next few words.

“He suffered severe tearing of his cavity which led to internal bleeding.  Fortunately, it wasn’t severe enough to be life threatening, however, it was serious enough that it required surgery to close off the bleeding,” he said grimly, “Other than the blunt trauma, he was also severely dehydrated and starved.  I would guess he hadn’t had anything drink for a few days.  Finally… there are scrapes bruises and what look like cigarette burns all over the place.  These are surface wounds and should heal easily enough, although it will likely leave scars.” 

Seungho stared at the doctor in a daze.  He tried to process everything that he was told but his head was completely blank.  He could only nod mutely as the doctor flipped to the next page.

“Other than that, there’s nothing…” he paused as he scanned the last page and nodded, “Oh yes, we’ve also sent his blood out for testing.  We want to make sure he didn’t contract tetanus or anything of the sort while in that rusted and abandoned warehouse.  We also need to make sure he didn’t contract any ually transmitted diseases.  Cases like this… it’s always best to check just in case.”

“S… ually transmitted diseases?” Seungho croaked hoarsely, finally finding his voice.  

“Yes,” the doctor sighed and shook his head, “As if it wasn’t horrid enough, we found traces of inside of him…”  He exhaled deeply and closed the clipboard and gave Seungho a pitiful look.  “Some STIs may not show symptoms for months but… once the charges are laid on the men that did this to him, we can forcefully test them for any diseases they may be carrying,” he said, “That will give us a better idea.  Also…”  He paused and sighed again.  “Physical wounds will heal,” he said softly, jotting down something on a piece of blank paper and handing it to him, “It’s the emotional and mental wounds that you’ll need to worry about from now on.  This is the number of a very good psychologist.  A lot of our abuse patients are referred to her… you should consider getting him professional help.”

Taking the paper, Seungho nodded.  He bowed as the doctor sighed and walked away.  He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Seungho-yah,” Byunghee said softly, squeezing his shoulder, “Don’t focus on what’s already happened.  It won’t change anything.”

“I know,” Seungho said as he gripped the piece of paper so hard his knuckles turned white, “I know.”

“You should go in,” Byunghee said, “I’ll wait outside.  Come get me when you’re ready and I’ll go to the station with you.”

Seungho looked at him and nodded.  “Thank you…” he said.

Byunghee nodded and gave him a small smile.  He gave him another supportive squeeze on the shoulder before walking to a nearby chair.

Seungho turned to face Joon’s hospital room door.  He tried to take a step forward but his feet suddenly felt like lead.  Unlike moments before, where he had wanted to fly through the door and finally see Joon, he suddenly dreaded walking through that door.  He felt the familiar feeling of suffocation descend as the distance from where he stood to Joon’s hospital room door suddenly seemed like a mile long. 

Fractures, broken bones, and internal bleeding… He couldn’t bring himself to imagine the terror that Joon had suffered to sustain these injuries.  He was suddenly terrified to see Joon in his current condition.  What would he look like?  Would his beautiful face be so deformed that Seungho wouldn’t recognize him?  And his body… Seungho remembered it to be absolutely ethereal in its beauty.  The sight of Joon’s body had taken his breath away… would the same happen?  Would his breath be taken away for a different reason?

Most of all, he was terrified of the person Joon would become.  The shy and affectionate Joon… would he be replaced with fear and terror?  Would the naïve and innocent Joon lose his innocence and come to suspect everyone and their actions?  Would the bright and optimistic Joon become so swallowed up by his own darkness that he’ll suffocate himself and those around him?

Seungho was terrified.  He was terrified for Joon; for his future.  He was also terrified for himself.  Would he be able to cope with what he would see?  What if his feelings changed?  He was so sure a few minutes ago that he was in love with Joon but… what if it really turned out to be something else?  What if it was something driven by physical attraction?  What if his feelings changed?  He was terrified of the thought.  He didn’t want to feel anything else but a sense of fulfillment and happiness when he was with Joon.  He wanted to feel the comfort of the bond they had created.  He wanted to feel the swelling of his heart when they kissed.  But he was afraid that none of it was real.

Clutching the paper in his hands, he slowly took the heavy steps forward.  As he grasped the doorknob, he took a shaky breath.  Whatever he would see behind the door, there was only one way to find out.  Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.  Gently closing the door behind him, he took in the room.

The heavy curtains were drawn over the windows.  The room was lit up only by the soft glow of a small lamp on the night stand.  The air smelt faintly of disinfectant and soft beeps of the machines echoed gently off the walls.  

Seungho gazed at the bed.  From where he stood, he could make out the silhouette of Joon lying on the bed.  His left arm was hooked up to an intravenous drip.  Hidden by the darkness, Seungho couldn’t see his features.  Walking closer, Seungho approached the bed.  He felt his breath hitch as he finally laid eyes on Joon.  

Joon’s face was splattered with dark blotches of purple.  The right side of his jaw had started turning green as the bruise dissipated.  The left side of his cheekbone, however, was freshly purple.  His lips, once full and luscious, were dried and cracked.  Tubes stretched across his nose as the machine sent oxygen into his body.  His left eye was the size of a golf ball.  An angry purple and black bruise stretched across the skin all the way across from his temple to the bridge of his nose.  

His body wasn’t in any better condition.  The wide cut and short sleeves of the hospital gown revealed more blotches of purple, green, and red.  Angry finger bruises circled around Joon’s neck.  Scabs from what looked like burns littered his collarbone and trailed underneath the gown.  His arms were covered in similar burn marks and bruises.  His right arm was set in a cast; his fingers coloured in a similar purple and his fingernails rimmed with red.

As Seungho reached the side of the bed, he tried to keep breathing.  The pain he felt inside of his chest was suffocating.  His chest ached at the sight of Joon’s tattered body and the dull but overwhelming feeling threatened to drown him.  

Sitting down in the chair next to Joon’s bed, he gently reached out and touched Joon’s left hand.  Wrapping one hand around the top of the IV drip, Seungho laced his fingers between Joon’s bruised fingers and held on gently.

Feeling helpless and overwhelmed, Seungho lowered his head and finally let his tears flow free.

Author's notes:

T_T So sad!  But on a different note... 100 SUBSCRIBERS!!!  OMFG, I can't even...  THANK YOU to each and every single subscriber!  You guys motivate me to pour my soul into this story, something I had not planned on when I first started Save Me!  What started out as a whim has now ended up being an incredibly fun and fulfilling project of mine.  Thanks again for continuing to follow my story, to comment, and to vote!  

EDIT: I've added music that was suitable for this chapter.  I'll be doing that as often as I can for chapters that I think I can find suitable music for :)