Original request by thatgranitegirl
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True to Jinki's word, the doctors were able to properly assess Kibum's state a few days later when he properly woke up. His eyes still had that horrible blurry look in them that worried all of them.
Jonghyun was there the whole time. And the more he saw, the more he managed to convince himself that nothing was ever going to get better.
He blinked. Kibum was staring at him. Whether or not there was any recognition in his eyes was a different story. There was no spark in his eyes - a light to say "Hey, I'm here to bother you all" - just blankness. Jonghyun gulped.
What if this was how it was always going to be like? What if Kibum had just inhaled too much water to ever be okay ever again?
He wished they had never gone to the beach. It was a dumb idea. He had gotten bad sunburns too.
"Bummie?" he said softly. He touched Kibum's hand.
He had told himself that Kibum had squeezed his hand back that one time, but now he didn't believe himself. Jonghyun had a habit of exaggerating things, especially when it came to reassuring the others. He was always trying to safeguard them.
It wasn't going to work this time.
A doctor came into the room.
Jonghyun automatically stood up.
"I'm sure you've heard..."
Jonghyun nodded. Questions threatened to pour out from the back of his throat, but he managed to keep his mouth shut.
"Okay, listen. We're all trying our best here," she said gently. "Your friend here has been through quite a rollercoaster, but he will survive. There is no threat to his life."
"Jinki hyung said something about brain damage...?"
"Yes, so, again, we don't have the full picture as of now, but what we do know was there was a two minute window when Kibum's brain was deprived of oxygen. Now, I'm not saying that it will look exactly like this because everybody is different, but it could look like a loss of motor control, memory, and judgement, among other things."
"So..." Jonghyun tried to control the growing pit of anxiety building in his chest. Oh no. This was just getting worse and worse.
"Just give it a few more days. Kibum will make it through."
She smiled at him before leaving. Jonghyun didn't manage to match her smile. He sat down heavily on the plastic chair next to Kibum's bed. Kibum's eyes were closed again, and he had that infuriating peaceful look on his face.
Jonghyun knew it was stupid to blame Minho, but sometimes he only had that option. If only they hadn't gone to the beach! Ugh.
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The assessment came a few days later. Kibum could recognize people just fine. He seemed to remember things as well too. What sucked was the fact that he couldn't really talk. He tried to sound out a couple words, but they came out as a jumbled mess and Jonghyun just felt bad.
He sat in the corner as Minho and Jinki fawned over him. See, usually, Jonghyun was a part of the crowd. But now he sat quietly with Taemin.
"Is he going to be like... alright?" Taemin asked at the end of the visit.
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SHINee Sickfics
Fanfiction"Jinki looked at him with a delirious gaze. His face had become more flushed. His cheeks were bright red, along with his nose. His eyes were almost clear. Kibum could see that he was just getting worse and worse." Sickfics and oneshots involving the...
