Beyond Repair (Min Yoongi) [UPDATED]

5. Scars

Yoongi was already awake when the same nurse from the previous morning came to check his vital signs. He had been up for hours, just listening to the sound of his the other members' breathing and relishing in knowing that this was all real. He wasn't home yet, and he still didn't truly feel safe—he doubted he ever would again—but he was free, surrounded by the people he loved, and he decided that was what mattered. While he had mostly moved on from the emotional rollercoaster of the previous night's discussion, he'd found that he felt much more secure around his partners when they were asleep, knowing he couldn't say or do anything to upset any of them.

As the nurse, whose name Yoongi had come to find out was Maria, went about her job, the other members started to wake up, too, rather unceremoniously. All of them were in various states of dishevelment from sleeping in the (surely uncomfortable) plastic chairs. Yoongi silently watched them blearily blink their eyes open and startle at seeing someone new.

Taehyung was the first to become fully aware of the new presence in the room. Manners ever intact, he scrambled to his feet, not processing what Nurse Maria said when she told him he didn't have to stand, and he bowed, babbling a sleep-slurred greeting so as not to seem rude. Seokjin, Hoseok, Jimin, and Jungkook followed suit and Maria just stood there, looking vaguely alarmed.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Namjoon asked as he, too, rocketed out of his chair.

The others just stood around looking confused for a moment before sitting back down, stretching out their stiff limbs, some more subtly than others. Namjoon turned to the nurse, who hadn't moved despite the thermometer still sticking out of Yoongi's mouth, and apologized on his members' behalf.

"Sorry about them. We're from Korea and we've never had to interact much with foreign doctors. Not like this, anyway," he explained.

Maria nodded, still looking uncomfortable. "Well, everything looks good," she said. "Dr. McMahon will be in shortly to take the stitches out."

Yoongi froze. He'd known this was coming but he'd thought he would have more time to prepare for it. Granted, his skin didn't constantly burn like the fires of a thousand hells as it used to, but it was still tender and there was no doubt in his mind that the process of having the stitches removed was going to hurt.

A whole new wave of anxiety crashed over him when he realized the others had only seen one of his legs and one of his arms, the rest of him safely hidden beneath bandages, braces, and the two gowns he was wearing.

They were going to see his scars.

With a twinge of bitter humor, Yoongi wondered who would throw up first at the sight of him, Jungkook or Hoseok.

"Yoongi?" Seokjin said, and only then did Yoongi notice that Maria was already gone. He was also just noticing the position he had somehow gotten himself into without thinking. His knees were tucked up almost to his chin, his arms crossed around his legs, his whole body curled up in a tight ball in the corner of the bed farthest from the door. "Are you okay?" Seokjin asked.

No, I'm not okay, what the hell kind of a question is that?

"N-nervous," Yoongi said simply. He didn't think he had it in him to elaborate.

"Hey there." Dr. McMahon entered the room at that exact second, not giving Seokjin or the others a chance to respond.

The doctor didn't seem as bothered as the nurse had been when Seokjin, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook bowed in greeting. In fact, after the split second it took to erase the surprise from his face, he mirrored the gesture. "Nice to meet y'all."

Namjoon introduced the group members to the doctor, and Yoongi could practically hearhim making a mental note to tell them later that they didn't have to bow to every medical professional they met.