Ok now I promised a quick update so here it is!
 

***
 

Through Muddy Water

Chapter 21: Better than Medicine

The bedroom was still dark when he arrived and he checked his watch with a frown. If it was one thing JiHoo had in common with the potter, it was a strong dislike for being late.

“Ya, you’re not awake yet?” Tugging at the comforter that concealed his friend, he tried to rouse the sleeping potter. “Come on, you were supposed to be ready when I got here.”

YiJung groaned rather loudly and pulled the pillow over his head in protest. JiHoo frowned, it was rather abnormal for his friend to have such a hard time waking in the morning but he realized that YiJung’s body was probably just physically tired.

“Gwaenchana?” He asked. “I’m not going.”

“Bwoh?”

“I’m not going today.” The potter restated, pulling the covers back over himself rather forcefully.

JiHoo shook his head, bewildered at the sudden personality change. “Don’t say that, you know you have to go. Come on now, get up.”

“Anyo. I don’t want to.”

He sighed, deciding to approach it from another angle. “YiJung… I know it’s not easy, but you have to.”

“I said I’m not going!” came the rather harsh reply.

 JiHoo stepped back, surprised at the outburst. If it was JunPyo he would have told him he was an idiot and dragged him out anyways but this was YiJung and truth be told he really didn’t know how to go about convincing him to get out of bed.

Short of throwing his hands up and calling it quits, he couldn’t see any clear direction so he called WooBin who answered on the second ring.

“Yobseyo?”

“WooBin-ah. He’s refusing to go.”

“Bwoh?”

“YiJung is refusing to get out of bed. He really doesn’t want to go and I can’t force the kid. I mean I could probably pick him up and carry him out the door fairly easily but I thought maybe you could talk to him before I resorted to that.”

“Aish… chincha?”

“Ne, I wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t a problem.” As the words slipped out rather quickly, JiHoo was surprised at the somewhat frantic feeling he was experiencing. It had been a very long time since something had rattled his calm demeanor.

“Put me on speaker.”

Obeying, he switched the phone to speaker and approached the bed again, holding it near the lump of blankets.

“Ya, YiJung-ah.”

There was slight movement from the covers.

“You have to get up. You can’t skip this.” The voice emanating from the phone was strong and authoritative but still gentle. “I know it’s difficult, I know you don’t want to go through what happened last time again but you need to. You need to get better and this is the only way.”

There was a pause as if WooBin was waiting for an answer. When there was no reply, JiHoo heard him sigh and then continue with the same firm but calm tone.

“Mianhe… that I can’t be there. But we made a promise right? On the bridge that night- we promised. You can’t give up araso? I’m not giving up so you can’t either.”

The bundle of blankets shifted as YiJung slowly pushed the pillow off of his face and rolled over, pushing the comforter down to his waist.

“Things are going to get better but not unless you can be strong enough to go. JanDi, JunPyo, JiHoo, GaEul, and me- we need you to get better.”

The potter stared at the phone with a sort of sad look that broke JiHoo’s heart as he watched. It was the first time he’d seen the Casanova look so devastated and so- human.He watched silently as WooBin continued to talk, a steady stream of reassurances and pleas penetrating the layers of blanket.

“ Jebal…  be strong today. Just for today, we can worry about tomorrow at another time. All that matters right now is today. One day at a time, araso?”

There was a final dramatic pause as YiJung sat up on the edge of the bed, letting the blankets fall from his body. He nodded silently, looking down at the ground.

JiHoo wanted to touch him but his instincts said to let YiJung be for the moment. “I’ll give you a few minutes to get ready and then we’ll go,” he murmured quietly before stepping into the hall to give the potter his privacy.

“He’s going?” WooBin asked as he brought the phone back to his ear.

“Ne. He’s going.”

“Good. Gwaenchana?”

JiHoo sighed heavily contemplating an answer to that question. “I’ll be fine, just getting used to this side of him.”

“Ne, he doesn’t show it often. Mostly he’ll only let it out in front of me. It’s good though I think- that he’s not hiding it.”

“I hope so.”

“JiHoo-“

“Mmmm?”

“I’m glad you called me. He’s the closest I have to a brother, did you know that? Even if you already did you understand right?”

“I understand.”

“Gomawo…” WooBin’s voice trailed off so suddenly that JiHoo wondered if he was on the edge of crying. When he spoke again, it seemed as if there was something caught in the prince’s throat. “Ah- You better get going so you’re not late. Keep me updated, araso?”

“I will,” he promised. “And I’ll take good care of him until you come back.”

“Ne, talk to you later.”

JiHoo hung up the phone and gave a friendly smile at YiJung who was leaning against the doorframe watching him. “All set? Ga Ja.”

As if on cue, YiJung strode ahead , still not speaking a single word.  

It was going to be a long day.

***

They were only an hour and a half in and he had already thrown up so many times that he ran out of energy and fingers to count with.

YiJung cursed under his breath. He knew there was a reason he had wanted to stay home this morning but of course WooBin had convinced him to go to his scheduled appointment. Where did that get him? Nowhere except in another hospital bed spending the morning emptying his body of anything he’d even brought near his mouth in the past week.

“Gwaenchana,” JiHoo murmured, settling him back against the pillows with a sympathetic face. He uncapped a bottle of water, handing it to the potter.

“I don’t want it,” YiJung whined childishly. “It’ll all just come back up again.”

“You need to stay hydrated or it will be worse, just a little sip.”

Swallowing the tiniest mouthful possible, he crossed his arms leaned back on the bed uncomfortably. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to get out of bed. It was extremely difficult to think of the chemo as making him better when all it seemed to do so far was make his stomach rebel like an angry teenager.

“I’m going to go see if they can increase the nausea medication. You shouldn’t have to be this uncomfortable and you can’t keep throwing up everything you take in.”

YiJung grimaced, one hand on his stomach. “Can you not talk about it?”

“Ah mian,” he looked up from the chart he’d swiped from the end of the bed.  “Lets see, 5 milligrams… that’s only the starting dose.” He frowned, brow furrowing “I’m going to request that they raise this. I’ll be quick, just relax and I’ll be right back I promise.”

Through the haze of exhaustion and lingering nausea he didn’t even hear what JiHoo said. In fact he wasn’t even trying to listen to his friend because at the moment every fiber of his attention was fixed on the door behind the young doctor’s head. Mouth open, he confusedly gazed at what he was sure must be some sort of hallucination.

JiHoo turned to see what he was looking at and immediately exhaled in surprise, confirming that he wasn’t just seeing things.

 GaEul.

She stood shyly by the door, looking slightly downward. He could see her legs quivering the slightest as she played with the end of her hair. It was one of those cute nervous habits that he had noticed on previous occasions.

“Anneyong,” she practically whispered while taking a step forward.

JiHoo immediately crossed the room to greet her.  “GaEul, It’s good to see you.”

“Ne, you too sunbae,” she returned.

“I’m going to speak with his doctors for a moment. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Make yourself at home, araso?” He put his hand on her shoulder with a gentle smile and nod.

She seemed to hesitate but she stayed where she was even after he left the room. YiJung felt his pulse quicken as the both just stared at each other.

“You’re here,” he swallowed.

“Ne.” She took a step closer looked to the side, biting her lip. “I couldn’t stay away.”

He wasn’t sure what to say. His heart was beating so quickly behind his chest that he could barely hear anything over the blood rushing in his ears.

She took another step closer and his already bothered stomach did a flip of nervousness. He let out a slow breath trying to calm his nerves. “GaEul, I’m not-“ he stopped talking and closed his eyes  with a groan as a horribly familiar wave of nausea struck.

“You don’t want to be here,” he whispered, gripping the sheets.

Taking off her coat, she laid it over the back of the chair and walked right up to the side of the bed. His stomach did another flip, confused from the chemo and butterflies. He pinched his eyes tightly closed once more. Not now, she just came back to me, please, he prayed silently

There was a hand on his wrist, light and sweet. Her slender fingers brushed against his skin and he shivered unconsciously. The room spun dangerously and he swallowed trying to tame the queasiness that was creeping up on him again.

“Just go, JiHoo will be back any minute. You don’t have to watch this.”

She didn’t answer, but continued to hold his shaking hand. Practically crying, he couldn’t take it anymore and reached for the basin, holding it like a security blanket.

“You hate seeing me sick,” he murmured waiting for the inevitable.

Slowly, she began to tentatively rub his back. Her touch relaxed his tense body a little. “I hate thinking about you being alone like this more,” she whispered.

Her touch was softer, gentler. Under WooBin or JiHoo he felt safe as his friend’s firmly supported his frail body, but with GaEul he felt more comfort. She held onto his shoulders as his body rejected what little water he’d drank just a few minutes ago, wiping his mouth with a tissue between heaves. When it seemed as if nothing was left he hovered there, questioning if it was really over.

He felt a drop of warm water against his shoulder and looked up at her face. Her eyes were closed but he saw the water collecting on her eyelashes

“I’m okay, please don’t cry.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes on her sleeve and quietly taking the basin away from him. Exhausted, he lay back letting his eyes fall closed listening to the soft click of her shoes on the floor as she walked into the bathroom. He heard the toilet flush and when she returned, she placed the bowl back on the table and wiped his forehead with a cool cloth.

Reaching up, he grabbed her wrist. “Come here.”

“Bwoh?”

YiJung let go of her arm and patted the edge of the bed with his hand. “Come up here with me,” he rasped, throat raw from being sick. He kept his eyes closed, unsure of what she would do but all of a sudden he felt her small frame beside his. He automatically reached out and draped his arm across her shoulders, a smile on his chapped lips.

“You can come closer, I won’t break.”

 Ever so gently she inched closer to him and he pulled her to him so that she was nuzzled up against his shoulder.

“Are you alright?” he whispered softly.

She pulled back a little to survey his face. “I should be asking you that.”

He smiled, pulling her back to him. “I’m a lot better now.”

Together they lay side by side, breaths evening out and becoming in sync. The warmth of her body next to his felt comforting and he felt his stomach slowly settle enough for him to drift on the edge of sleep.

She was back in his arms, back at his side and YiJung knew that Chu GaEul was better than any medicine they could give him.

***

Compared to the scene he walked into, more medication was a poor offering.

Returning to the private room, if JiHoo didn’t know any better he could have thought he was in the wrong place. It seemed completely illogical for a patient that had literally been throwing up every ten minutes to look so comfortable and relaxed but right in front of him was living proof.

He watched the two lovers in the bed for a few moments, just observing the peaceful nature between the two of them. He came to the sudden realization that what he was looking at was the power of love in action. He knew it existed, and he’s seen plenty of love before but this- this seemed different.

He wondered what had changed to make GaEul come back. Looking at the way she was curled beside him, it didn’t seem to bother her that they were in the middle of a hospital. Judging by the freshly cleaned basin and dampened washcloth draped across the potter’s head, he could gather that YiJung must have been sick after he had left.

Regardless of how it came to be, it was a beautiful sight really; the two of them reunited and contentedly slumbering away in each other’s arms.

JiHoo picked up his phone, dialing the person he knew must be behind all of this.

“She came?” It was the first question out of WooBin’s mouth.

JiHoo nodded. “Ne. Did you-“

“I called her this morning- after I hung up with you,” the prince hastily explained.

“Well, she came.”

“So how is he now?” JiHoo could envision WooBin’s grin just by listening to his voice. He smiled, looking back through the glass at the couple.

“For once, he looks… content.”

***

Ok honesty time... who cried?
I wanted to and I wrote it :P