A Year to Change Your Lives

Chapter 36

The entire team passed the next four days recuperating in the rented house on the outskirts of New York. Their time had been extended on from the original estimate of the weekend because the boys had all made it clear to Jungkook and to Jimin that they weren't ready to return.

Jungkook had slept fitfully and feverishly the first night out of hospital and despite needing a good rest, Reader had been awake most of the night too, holding him at the end of unformed and jerky nightmares. They'd both been pleased to see the dawning sun when it started to colour the sky and only then had he fallen into a true slumber which carried him through til lunch time that day.

HYBE management only asked one thing of the boys the next day and that was to allow a small film crew to visit them and to record a message to their fans. Reader joined them for this as they were all filmed individually as well as together as a group. The injuries the boys had suffered were revealed, although a timeline of events and the severity of their conditions was not. Reader privately though it would be obvious to anyone who knew them all well that Jungkook was depleted; even 48 hours later he was weak and withdrawn.

Reader gave the camera a quick rundown of finding out the news, putting Tae on the plane and then going rogue to get to New York as quickly as possible. She knew it would stand her in good stead with ARMY to talk about wanting to get to the boys as quickly as possible and of course it was true, but she was sure they were going to work out the true reasons for her urgency.

Jungkook, shy to talk about himself spoke blandly in mixed Korean and English about getting a cut, being rescued, being taken to hospital and being glad to have the entire group around him. All the group apologised profusely to ARMYs for cancelling their appointments for the coming days and promised to make it up to them.

The short post that they would extract from all these interviews was meant to be soothing and diffusing, and it was, for the most part. ARMYs had a video to focus their comments around now and hour after hour, they saw love pouring in for the boys. Wishes of speedy recovery and sympathy for their champions from all four corners of the globe. Reader and Tae didn't fare so well. There was quite a lot of displeasure from those who thought Tae shouldn't have left Reader at the airport. ARMY seemed to believe they'd had a choice about who went on which flight. Reader on the other hand took criticism for sending Tae ahead of her. This came from REKOOK shippers who couldn't understand her calmly letting someone else get to him first.

The boys watched this commentary with mild interest, their shoulders broadened by years of fan's over analysing their personal choices. Reader couldn't shake the comments though, they'd pushed a button of hers, a question she didn't like to look at, which was, had she put BTS before Jungkook and would she do that again. Scrutiny of the fans always made it harder to act without second guessing yourself.

The group convalesced at different rates over that long weekend. Firstly, Namjoon, Yoongi and Jin were beginning to quietly turn their attention back to work, taking time out of the day with Tae or Reader to run through potential set lists, visual designs and working through dances and lyrics.

Hoseok, who had an abundance of respect for his own body continued to rest his foot, icing it and heating it and working with the physio on a twice daily basis to ensure it was healing as it should and to its full potential.

Jimin and Jungkook were not so well behaved. They, who were so dedicated to their fans, were feeling overwhelming guilt by their second evening out of action, that another show was being cancelled and tried to broach the subject with the others of performing on the Sunday evening even though they'd said they wouldn't. Hobi and Jimin wouldn't be able to dance properly for a few weeks, but that wouldn't matter. Their adoring audiences would be so pleased to see them alive and well that they'd have accepted no dancing from anyone.