In These Arms [mxm]

Chapter 5 - The man I loved

The rest of the day passed by with a lot of laughter and the sounds of wrapping paper and gifts being opened. Although my mind was constantly filled thoughts about whatever events led me here, I did my best to engage and make this family of strangers happy. If this was how they wished for me to repay their kindness, then it was all I could do.

It was almost seven PM when everybody was ready to leave. Jaemin and Jung-ho spent time cuddling with the two very exhausted children before their grandparents took them home. Chaesol and Ari both came to me, rubbing their eyes and scratching their heads as they put their arms up to ask for a hug. They promised me they'd see me tomorrow after kindergarten, and that they couldn't wait to play with their new toys together.

Though I enjoyed my time with them, I might have felt even more exhausted than them. One of the hospital staff knocked on the door and rolled in a serving trolley, presenting us with our dinner for the night. Having eaten cake and candy with the kids, I didn't feel particularly hungry, but thought that perhaps eating before bed might help me to sleep easily. Sugar before bed always made me struggle to sleep, so Chanyeol would frequently hide our sweet snacks after six PM each night. Being a great deal taller than me, he'd usually put them up high where I couldn't reach.

If I did manage to sneak them, then I'd pay the repercussion of a poor night's sleep, but at least I got to enjoy every moment holding him through the night. My heart felt a tinge of sorrow at the thought that I'd already been forced to spend four restless nights without him, even though I believed he was so close nearby. We weren't separated by our designated groups in the army. Nothing separated us now except time.

I closed my eyes and remembered those nights where I'd roll on my side long after Chanyeol had fallen asleep, then feel him roll and pull me against him. The warmth that spread over my body, and that unconditional love I felt, especially when he'd subconsciously kiss my head in those precious moments, made me so conscious of the emptiness I felt now.

Jaemin lay sprawled on her stomach across Jung-ho's bed, chatting lightly on and off as she focused mostly on her book. Jung-ho's hand rested on top of her, sharing loving gazes as he tenderly stroked her back. Sometimes she'd look back at him and smile, and I'd witness a tenderness I thought I'd last experienced only months ago before our enlistment, when the reality was that I'd been starved of Chanyeol's touch for years.

There was a knock at the door at eight PM. The hospital staff came to retrieve our dinner bowls while Dr. Sai entered with one of the nurses behind him.

"Knock-knock," Dr. Sai said in a cheerfully sing-song voice. "I'm here to check on both of you wonderful gentlemen before I clock off for the night."

Jaemin adjusted herself onto her knees and shuffled back to give Dr. Sai space as he saw to Jung-ho first. After checking and documenting his vitals and pulling up a portion of Jung-ho's bandage to check the site, Dr. Sai pulled up a chair and started to discuss Jung-ho's progress together with him. "Your stats are looking good," Dr. Sai said as he sat back on the chair, crossing his legs as he spoke with clear confidence and excitement. "The site's healing perfectly and there doesn't seem to be any immediate signs of new bleeds. We'll schedule an MRI tomorrow. No promises yet, but if we can go for a few more weeks without any further hemorrhaging, then we can even look at an early discharge."

Jaemin's hands shot to her cheeks and gasped, looking at Jung-ho in excitement. "Baby, we can go home soon," she squealed, wrapping him in her arms and planting kisses everywhere she could land her lips, including the bandaging which covered half of his face.

I could see him smiling, hugging her back.

"That's a big maybe," Dr. Sai reminded her. "That'll only be the case if things continue to progress nicely. You were hemorrhaging almost daily at the beginning, now you're three months without one. Keep taking care of yourself like this and we'll see closer to the time."