It is fun reading the comments to the alternate endings. So I'll give you guys some news to try and cheer you up some. Besides the actual ending, there are sic alternate endings. Two are done (and Taemin dies in both) and then there are four more at the very end of this story. So you guys have some more actual chapters before then! Yay! Feel a little better? If it makes you happy, everyone lives in at least two of the endings, okay? It balances out. Now enjoy!

“It’s August first, sometime around three in the afternoon.” Taemin’s voice was still weak as he spoke to the camera, but he had been downgraded from the mask to just a little piece in his nose giving oxygen. “Three days after the surgery and I’m still in pain. I expected that. But the other medicine was making me feel all sick and everything so they took me off of it. So now I feel pain even more. Aren’t I special?” He was being sarcastic, yet he gave an honest smile to the camera. “I obviously have made it this far and things are looking up so I guess I won’t need my video message from Monday for a while at least.” The way he spoke was carefree, as if he wasn’t talking about filming a video in case he had died.

Like it didn’t bother him.

And it didn’t.

“Apparently, I can get out on Monday if everything is going like it is. I’m not going to be allowed to lift things or do a lot for a while, but I can be back at home. So I’m excited.” A grin made its way onto his face the more he spoke, but at the same time, his voice became weaker and more breathless. He refused to stop though. “I haven’t really had much to do every day. A bunch of people come to visit me, but it’s like waves between schedules.” An out-of-breath laugh filled the room for a few seconds before Taemin winced and stopped abruptly, grasping at the side of his chest. “I keep forgetting about that…”

A nurse knocked on the door before entering and Taemin gave a little wave and smile to the camera before turning it off and pushing the table it was on away to give her space to do her job. After looking at a few of the monitors in the room and listening to his breathing, an all-too-familiar mask was pulled out and Taemin wanted to burn it as the piece in his nose was taken out and replaced with the one that covered most of his face. Once she was gone, he gave up fighting against the mask and simply pulled the table back in front of him, opening the laptop that was on there and watching a movie from earlier.

There was nothing better to do, he figured.

“You’re getting released today! Jinki-hyung is doing the paperwork right now!” Key practically jumped on Taemin the second he was in the room with the boy, completely on the bed with him.

But the boy ignored him to look at Minho and Jonghyun just standing in the doorway. “Can you get him off of me?” Both were more than happy to oblige, and with smirks, Key was pulled off the bed and seated in a chair where he was held down. “And can someone explain calmly?”

“You’re getting released later today. Hyung is filling out some of the paperwork. Then the nurses are going to show us all what has to be done to care for you and give us warnings and all that then we can pack up your stuff and leave.” Minho let go of Key as he spoke, but still made sure the elder stayed in place. Jonghyun wasn’t as trusting and still held onto the diva’s arm just to make sure he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Oh… Okay.”

Key wasn’t even needed that time to give Taemin a look. “That’s it? ‘Okay’?” Captive became captor as Key switched to holding Jonghyun in the seat, but it was all in good humor. “Aren’t you excited to be getting out?”

Taemin only shrugged. “I’ve been sitting in a bed, bored all day. When I get out, I’m going to be sitting in a bed, bored all day. It’s just a change of scenery.”

As the nurse explained the things Taemin could and couldn’t do to his hyungs, he couldn’t help but watch them for their reactions. More than once, he caught them hiding a disgusted look, but they hid it so well he barely saw. Barely.

Before he even knew what was happening, a few of the machines were removed from him until all that was still attached to Taemin was the IV stand still giving him pain medicine. “I’ll let you start packing up then. As soon as this round of medicine is done, you will be able to leave.” It wasn’t even a minute after the nurse left that the others were already standing to start gathering some of his things.

“You do know we still have a while, right? At least an hour before all of this,” he gestured to the IV bag, “is gone. No need to hurry.”

“But if everything is packed, you can go home as soon as that is out.” Taemin didn’t even care about Key’s argument, but let them do as they wanted.

It was going to be a long hour.

The ride back was interesting for them all as Taemin got the front seat with Jin and the other four squeezed into the back just so he had space. And while he had said he didn’t need it, one does not protest the once-in-a-lifetime chance for the maknae to get front seat with everyone else in the car.

Between the walk to the car and then the walk through the apartment building, Taemin was tired. He would never admit that he was, but he knew the others could see. That was what being in the hospital for over a week had done to him.

At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself caused it.

Because Lee Taemin was not going to admit he was getting sicker right after the surgery meant to save him.

“You guys really don’t have to baby me like this…” Taemin looked at his hyungs all sitting on pillows on the ground or the lucky Jonghyun in his chair while he took up the whole couch watching TV. “I can move so you can sit.”

“Even if you move, we aren’t sitting up there. Just stay like you are.” Key spoke for all of them and Taemin had choice but to sigh—painfully—and listen.

“Besides,” Jonghyun looked over from his chair since he was the only one on the same level as Taemin, “you have to sleep there since you can’t lie down. Might as well get comfortable.”

“Do any of you realize our couch is made to be able to lay on the side?” The four froze and Taemin couldn’t help but smile at that. “I guess not. It’s more comfortable that way anyways.” Without waiting for any of them to protest, he stood and tried his best to move the pillows. Being barely-able to lean over to grab them was already a challenge, but he could only carry one at a time.

And when the others accepted he was right, the job was taken over by Jinki and Minho as they made a more comfortable place for Taemin and made him sit while they did. Only after he was back on the couch and the other three seated on the now-free cushions did anyone speak again. “You guys really didn’t think of that?”

“It’s Taemin’s first morning back after the surgery!” Key was pulling Jonghyun after him as the elder filmed, sneaking into the living room where the maknae was still sleeping. The lights were still off and the curtains were pulled so that it was dark, but the camera still picked up the boy asleep on the couch. The two crept closer and Key took out his own little camera to take a few pictures. “I’m supposed to be waking him, but I’ll let him sleep while I make breakfast…” He took the still-rolling camera from Jonghyun and went to walk away. “You can go wake the others. Have fun with that.”

He could hear the dino groan but Key only smiled as he walked into the kitchen and placed the camera on the counter, making sure it was still filming him before he did anything. “After all the disgusting hospital breakfasts, let’s make this one great. We can’t forget your rice…”

Jonghyun came in only a few minutes later with two half-asleep zombies following behind him, but that didn’t matter as Key put them to work immediately.

The whole time, Taemin slept completely oblivious on the couch not fifteen feet from them.

“Do you feel up to going out and meeting some people? Not only from our company, but a few others?” The whole kitchen fell into silence after Jinki’s question, but Taemin didn’t even think before he gave a weak shrug.

“I had surgery a week ago. I might have gotten home yesterday, but it’s been a while. Why wouldn’t I be?” None of them wanted to answer.

Because he was skinnier.

Because he was frailer.

Because they could see him getting tired easier.

Because it was seemingly like the surgery had done absolutely nothing to help him. It only made him worse.

None of them wanted to say that.

But Taemin already knew.