“Is she hurt badly?” a voice asked.

“She received several minor scratches, but besides that, she’s fine,” another voice replied.  “She should come around any minute.”

“What about him?” the first voice asked.

There was a pause.  “He’s lucky.  Although he took no impact from the car, and he’s still a bit injured.  I’m surprised he even had the strength to carry her all the way here.”

The voices toyed with Emma’s head.  She mustered the strength to open her eyes.  They opened slowly and squinted under the bright light that shone into her gaze.  She looked down to see yet another IV in her arm.  Her entire body was screaming with pain and soreness.

“Oh, you’re awake,” the second voice, none other than the doctor, said, surprised. 

“Emma,” the first voice, Baekhyun, sat down on her bed and gently held her hand.  “How do you feel?”

“I’m alive,” she croaked.  Suddenly, she remembered.  “Where’s Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun averted his gaze. 

“Baek, tell me,” she pleaded.

He gazed at her, his eyes full of guilt.  “He’s in the ICU…”

“No,” Emma breathed.

The doctor stepped forward and adjusted her wires.  “I’m sorry, miss.  We’re doing everything we can.”

“Is he…” she choked back tears.  “Is he alive?”

The doctor nodded.  “He is, but he’s struggling.  He’s currently unconscious, and we’re running all sorts of tests on him.”

Emma leaned her head in the pillow.  “It’s my fault,” she sighed.

“I wouldn’t blame it on yourself, miss,” the doctor said as he made a final adjustment.  “It’s not good for your-,” he started.

“Shut up,” Emma grumbled.

Baekhyun’s hand squeezed hers.  “I’m sorry, doctor.  She’s just upset…”

The doctor smiled warmly.  “It’s perfectly fine.  I understand.”  The doctor bowed and exited the room.

“Jeez, Emma,” Baekhyun chuckled.  “I never knew you could be so rude when you want to.”

She smiled teasingly.  “Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” he laughed.

They fell into silence.

“Emma, I’m sorry,” Baekhyun said after a while.  “I was…I mean…I just…”

She touched his trembling cheek.  “It hurts a lot, you know.  I just wanted…all my life, I just wanted someone to trust me.”

“I trust you,” Baekhyun said softly.  “I don’t want you to live in my nightmare.”

--

The doctor came back later to have Baekhyun sign a couple of forms.  The boy’s head had gotten a lot stronger, and the doctor thought it was best that he would go home to rest.

“The hospital gets hectic on days like this,” the doctor explained. 

Baekhyun smiled and handed the clipboard of forms back.  “That’s fine.  Thank you, sir.”

The doctor smiled and walked out once again.

“I need to see Chanyeol,” Emma said as she struggled to sit up.

Baekhyun nodded.  He detached the wires from her arm and lifted her into a nearby wheelchair.  He set her down gently and rolled it towards the elevator.

As the elevator went down, Emma’s stomach churned.  She suddenly remembered her visit down the same elevator only a couple hours ago.

Baekhyun could sense her uneasiness.  He put his hand on her shoulder and massaged it, letting all the stress fade.  She looked up at him and gave him a weak smile before the door slid open again.

At last, they reached Chanyeol’s room.  It was incredibly hard to get to, because of the many doctors wheeling patients around.  Some were screaming while others were silent and, well, dead. 

He must be frightened.

Chanyeol was on the white bed, and his skin basically blended perfectly with the sheets.  He was deathly pale with bruises and scratches all over his flawless body.  His usually neat hair lay in clumps and knots on top of his forehead.

“Chanyeol,” Emma breathed and touched his feverish forehead.  “Don’t die, okay?”

The boy shifted his position in the sheets so his head fell gracefully on top of her hand.  She gently caressed his cheek.

“Your hands are soft,” Chanyeol murmured softly into her palm.  “I’m glad I saved you.”

She smiled through her teary eyes.  “You’re stupid, you know that?”

He smiled his crooked grin.  “I know.”

“How do you feel?” Baekhyun coughed awkwardly from behind Emma’s wheelchair.

“To be honest, I feel like I died,” Chanyeol admitted.  “I never thought saving someone you love could hurt so much.”

Emma looked away.  What was she getting herself into?  At that moment, she felt so helpless.  Her heart was torn.  What the heck was she doing?

The frustration started to build up, and she bit her lip to keep herself from shouting again.

“You should go back, Emma,” Chanyeol looked into her lost gaze.  “I don’t want you down here.”

“I’m strong,” she protested.

“I know you are,” he replied softly.  “It reminds me of death down here.  You can just smell it.”

It was true.  She remembered the numerous bodies being wheeled into rooms.  It gave her shivers just thinking about it.

“Just go,” Chanyeol said, gently burying his cheek in her hand. 

Emma found herself nodding, and Baekhyun turned her chair and started to wheel her out.

“Wait,” she told Baekhyun, and he wheeled her back to Chanyeol’s side.  She grabbed the boy’s phone on the nightstand and punched in her number.  “Text me if you need anything.”

“As if you could do anything,” Chanyeol chuckled.  “But, okay.”

She smiled, and Baekhyun wheeled her out again.

--

Chanyeol was bored.

Ever since Emma and Baekhyun left his lonely room at the far end of the hall, he couldn’t fall back asleep, no matter what antibiotics the doctors gave him. 

He reached over to his phone and pressed the home button.  It lit up, showing endless messages from Emma and Baekhyun.

From Baek: You okay, Yeollie?

From Baek: Chanyeol?

From Baek: PARK CHANYEOL?!

From Emma: Channie, why aren’t you answering?

From Emma: Yo, you better not be dead, or I’m gonna kill you.

From Baek: Yah!  Why aren’t you answering?  Emma’s super worried…

Chanyeol half smiled and half frowned, if that’s even possible.  He smiled at their messages, but frowned at the thought that they were worried about him.

To Baek: Sorry, my phone was on silent.

To Baek: Hyung, I’m hungry  X(

To Emma: Sorry, Em, my phone was on silent  :(

To Emma: Tell Baekhyun to come and feed me.

To Emma: I’m tired.  I want you to sing to me.

His phone erupted in a symphony of buzzes.

From Emma: Yah, what am I, your servant?!  I can’t even sing…

From Baek: What the heck, Chan…

From Baek: Aish…what do you want?

Chanyeol smiled.

To Baek: Can you get me…bibimbap!

To Emma: Of course you can  :)

--

“Aish, that kid,” Baekhyun snorted.

“What the heck, Chanyeol,” Emma muttered to herself as she leaned back further. 

Baekhyun got up and started to walk towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Emma asked curiously.

He looked back and smirked.  “What, can’t go a second without me?”

“Very funny,” she said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.  “Seriously, though, where?”

“Prince Park Chanyeol would like his Butler Byun Baekhyun to get him his royal meal,” Baekhyun replied, acting sophisticated.

Emma laughed.  Her eyes suddenly portrayed worry.  “Don’t go…”

“No one’s gonna come and kill you or anything,” Baekhyun joked.

“But…but…” Emma trailed off.  “What if a big giant monster eats the doctor and then searches the entire hospital building to try to eat me, and what if I can’t move to run away and then it eats me and Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun laughed.  “That’ll never happen.”

“How do you know?” she said and gave him weird look.

He came and ruffled her hair.  “Because I’ll be here.”

“But you just said-,” Emma started and pouted.

Baekhyun pecked her lips.  “It’ll only be a couple minutes, then I’ll come back.”

Her lips pouted even more.  “But-,” she tried.

He pecked her lips again.  “You’ll be fine.”

She sighed and reluctantly nodded.  “Okay…”

He smiled and ruffled her hair.  “Be brave, my princess.” 

He turned and walked out the door.

Emma never felt so alone.

--

“Baekkie!” Chanyeol yelled as Baekhyun entered the happy virus’ hospital room.

The boy set down a bag in front of him.  He opened it, and immediately, the wonderful scents of food seeped out, making Chanyeol’s mouth water.

Baekhyun poked at his friend’s cheek.  “Don’t drool.  That’s gross.”

Chanyeol laughed.  For a second, he realized that maybe their friendship was healing a bit. 

“Where’s Emma?” the injured boy asked.

“She’s back in her room,” Baekhyun replied.  “Why?”

“Well…”

“You were kinda hoping she would come instead of me, huh?” the older boy chuckled and started to unpack the food for him.

“Um…”

Baekhyun shot him a weird look.  “Okay, stop acting so awkward.  It’s giving me anxiety.”

Chanyeol laughed nervously.

The older rolled his eyes.  “Stop faking.”

“It’s just that,” Chanyeol started.  “You’re right.  I never like admitting it.”

“That’s right.”  Baekhyun puffed his chest out proudly.

Chanyeol playfully smacked the boy’s arm and chuckled.  Even though Baekhyun seemed like the type of person to be happy all the time, Chanyeol knew that, deep on the inside, Baekhyun was hurting so much.