The Kim Family Tetralogy

6

'I don't want to do this.' Taehyung thought to himself, seated in their private waiting room, 'I don't want to be in this hospital. I don't want to know if Jin is brain damaged. I. Don't. Want. To. Do. This.'
Maybe he should just leave?
Cop out.
Let Namjoon handle it.
The doctors were waking Jin up today. Apparently they thought him ready.
Taehyung was most certainly not ready.
He still found it hard to even look at Jin.
If he was...
Taehyung didn't know if he'd be able to cope.
He did not know.
Or trust himself right now.
And he couldn't speak.
For some reason or another a big, gray, stone of fright had lodged itself in his throat down by the larynx, hindering him from producing sound.
The eyes were the only thing working on him, but, something was going on with those too.
It felt as if everything around him poured through them, into him, flooding him, drowning him.
Like he was crying the wrong way.
Weighing him down.
Making it almost impossible to move, on top of everything else.
He saw and registered everything around him, but he was cut off from it just the same.
"Taehyung," Namjoon said, and kneeled before him with his hands on Tae's thighs, "It's gonna be ok, son. We'll get through this together. I'm right here beside you. I've got you, Tae."
Tae looked at him and nodded, mouth agape, still unable to produce sound or even shed a tear.
"Baby!" Jungkook rushed to him, "I'm sorry!" he wound himself around Taehyung and through some Jungkook magic only he possessed, unlocked Tae's mutism and got him onto his lap at the same time.
"I don't want to be here." Taehyung whispered.
"Yes. You do, angel." Jungkook whispered back, "You're just scared. And so am I! But it's gonna be ok. We're gonna be ok. No matter what, baby."
"I love you." Tae whispered.
"I love you, too." Jungkook leaned their foreheads together, "Hobi wanted to know," he'd stepped outside to take the call, "if we wanted them here, or?"
"I think Jin might get some comfort if Minho is here, provided..." Namjoon sighed.
"He's not a vegetable?" Taehyung looked up at him like the cat in Shrek, speaking in the tiniest of voices.
"Mm." Namjoon sighed and bent down again, to cuddle the kids.
'Please come.' Jungkook texted, 'Minho might calm him, if he's himself, still.'
'On our way.' Hobi answered.

"We're gonna wake him up now," a doctor said, having come to talk to them, "and I think having a familiar face in there with us would be calming for him. But all of you might be a bit much to begin with?"
"Taehyung, you should go." Namjoon said, "It's you he'll want to see first."
"I," Taehyung sounded like a five-year-old, "I don't think I can be in there all by myself." he apologised, looking down on his shoes, "You should go." he said, meaning Namjoon.
"But he's gonna freak out if he sees me and you're not there." Namjoon objected.
"Alright," the doctor said, "both of you come. Partner and kid brother, right?"
"More like husband and son." Jungkook muttered, but didn't speak up.
"Will you be ok?" Taehyung asked Jungkook.
"Don't worry, baby." Jungkook lied, "I'll have Hobi hug me, 'til you come get me."
"You betcha." Hobi said and backhugged Kook, with his head on his shoulder.
"Ok." Tae smiled, meekly, and followed the doctor out, with Namjoon's arm around his shoulders.

As soon as they were out the door Jungkook turned on a dime and grabbed both of Hobi's hands in a death grip, "Hobi, I'm freaking out!" he hyper ventilated.
"Ok." Hobi said, not breaking eye contact, "Uncle Hobi Wan's got you." he pulled Jungkook towards him and squeezed him tight, swaying them from side to side.
"Uncle, huh?" Jungkook huffed, still hyper ventilating.
"Hush, little bunny, don't say a word, Hobi's gonna hug you when everything's a turd." Hobi sang, making Jungkook chuckle, but still gasping for air.
"Jungkook," Minho said in his calming voice, "I'm going to hug you from behind now, and Hobi will keep hugging you." he explained as well as ordered, "And you're going to breathe with us, ok?"
"Hmn." Jungkook nodded, getting squeezed between them, trying to mimic their breathing.
"I still think we should be singing." Hobi suggested, "Ribbit, ribbit, little frog."
"Omg." Jungkook giggled, "I was afraid he'd give his the hills are alive performance again!"
"Lord save us!" Minho commented, making them giggle even more.
The panic let go of Jungkook but he rather liked being surrounded by his friends like this so he gave himself one more moment of safety.
"You ok?" Minho asked.
"Yeah," Jungkook nodded, "but my body is prickling?" it felt really weird.
"It's the adrenaline." Minho explained, "Bonbon? Could you find the boys a gym, or somewhere to run?" he asked the bodygard, who nodded and left the room.
"You want us to run?" Jungkook asked.
"Well," Minho shrugged, "it gives the adrenaline somewhere to go and it always calms Hobi so, I'm betting it would help you too?"
Bonbon returned and motioned them to follow him, "Come on," he smiled, crookedly, "I've kicked the docs out of their gym."
"I'll stay here." Minho said, "And call you if you're wanted before you've returned."
"Ok." Hobi said and pecked him on the lips and quickly followed the other two.
"Lee Minho, panic attack dissolver." Minho described himself, "Buy one, get one free." he sat down with a thump. Even if he had a sneaking suspicion, his method may only apply to olympic gold medalists.
"I know two olympic gold medalists." he realised, "I'm in love with an olympic gold medalist." he shook his head, "I'm in a relationship with an. Olympic. Gold. Medalist."
His wonderful Hoseok was the worlds greatest athlete. And that sweet kid was another one.
"Huh."

"It's so hard to see him like this." Taehyung whispered, clinging to Namjoon.
"It kills me." Namjoon agreed.
"Don't let go of me." Taehyung begged, "I'll die if he doesn't recognise me."
"I've got you, Tae." Namjoon assured him, and held him tighter.
The doctors started to wake him and one of them took Jin's hand as they could see he became more aware, "Dr Kim, you're in the hospital and have a tube down your throat to help you breathe, squeeze my hand if you can understand me." she ordered, "Ok, good. Now I need you to cough as I pull the tube out,"
Taehyung almost passed out as Jin puked up the tube. Intensive care was seldom pretty, he couldn't tell how many times Jin'd told him that, but seeing it irl?
Traumatising.
"We've got someone here to see you Dr Kim," they turned to Taehyung and Namjoon.
"Dad!" Taehyung shrieked and ran to Jin.
"Tae." Jin whispered, and opened his arms.
"You scared the living shit out of us, honey!" Namjoon complained, crying, as he bent down to place a light kiss on Jin's lips.
"Where's Kook?" Jin's raspy voice asked.
"Can someone go get Jungkook?" Namjoon asked, not willing to let go of Jin's hand.
"Ok." The doctor said, but then he needs to rest."
Tae was crying against Jin's neck, bent over the bed, able to take a deep breath for the first time in days.
"Dad!" Jungkook yelled, running in there, panting and sweating like crazy, flopping down on the bed so Jin now had both boys in his arms, crying.
Namjoon stroked Jungkook's back, "Ew. Why are you soaked in sweat, Kook?"
"Got a little panicky." Jungkook explained, "And raced Hobi to get over it." he shrugged, "I'm so happy you're alive, dad!" Jungkook continued, turning to Jin again.
"My babies." Jin squeezed them tight and kissed their heads, "I love you so much!"

Taehyung was still crying his eyes out, even as they stood up to leave, as per doctor's orders, so Jungkook pulled him into his chest, letting his own tears fall freely as he held him.
"I love you." Jin said to the boys, "Please tell Minho thank you," he was still very hoarse, "he'll know what I mean."
"Ok, dad." Jungkook cried, "We love you, dad!" he steered Taehyung out of there, leaving the dads to a second alone.
"OMG!" Hobi ran to them and pulled Tae in for a hug.
"He's fine." Jungkook cried, "And Jin's fine, too." he assured them, "We're just..." he took a deep breath, "And Jin wanted us to tell you," he turned to Minho, "thank you, and that you'd know for what?"
"Oh." Minho answered, a bit taken aback, and then he smiled, "I'm glad it helped."
"Ok." Jungkook cried, and Minho put his arm around Kook's shoulders, chuckling.
Namjoon appeared, looking, Jungkook didn't actually know how to describe him, but, maybe a little bit like a balloon from last weeks party? Like his skin was suddenly two sizes too big? But relieved?
"Everyone ok?" he wanted to know.
"Uhu." Jungkook said in tiny.
Taehyung nodded against Hobi's chest and gave a thumbs up, still crying like crazy.
"Ok." Namjoon sighed, let's go back to the hotel and eat something. I'm going to get some sleep, myself, but..."
Minho pulled Namjoon in under his other arm, and realised something none of the others did, Namjoon was about to fall apart.
"Yes." he said, "Let's go." he nodded to Bonbon to lead the way.

Back at the hotel Minho asked Hobi to order up a feast for them, "I'll just be a sec," he promised, "I have to change a couple of words with Namjoon about something." he explained as he kissed a suspicious, but understanding Hobi.
As soon as the door closed behind them Namjoon fell to his knees and broke down.
Broke. Down.
He buckled in on himself, arms around his own waist and hit his head on the floor, again.
Minho sat down beside Namjoon, pulling him into his arms, holding him tight against his chest and just steadied him as he cried.
"He's fine." Namjoon wailed, "He's fine. Jin's fine." he managed to draw a breath trough his constricted airways, "I've never been more scared in my life!" he admitted, "And the kids! Omg the kids!" he rambled, "And I'm so useless without him, and he's fine!" he cried, "And I'm gonna kill him!"
Minho just let him vent, "And how could he do this to us? To me? Fucking IDIOT!" Namjoon shouted and then went back to crying, "I'm gonna kill him." he cried.
"Well," Minho said, dryly, "might I suggest a good whooping instead?"
Namjoon started laughing through his tears as Minho continued, "I mean, between all the 'Aye me, the olympians are gay', and Yoongi getting shot and all the other things going on right now, I do not have the time to get you off from a murder charge as well... I mean, just as a favour to me?"
"I'll think about it." Namjoon promised, giggling.
"I'll hold him down for you?" Minho offered.
"We can take turns." Namjoon laughed.
"Deal." Minho nodded.