Till Death Do Us Part ||Taekook||

Chapter #48 Gossip

 The word 'Surrender' bounced off the side of my skull like a distant echo. What did he mean by surrender?  Was he attempting to communicate the idea of 'surrender and I'll spare you'? Was he surrendering? Was he threatening me? I couldn't figure it out. Taehyung had been in the operating room for some time. I sat outside of the door with Mrs. Gwan, both of us taunting our minds with conjectures of his current state.

We were located in an empty, private part of the hospital. The last thing Taehyung wanted was for his enemies to take wind that he was currently out of commission. When the doctor finally exited the operating room, both Mrs. Gwan and I shot up to our feet. We waited eagerly for his diagnosis.

"Mr. Jeon, Mrs. Gwan, I'm doctor Shin."

We both bowed.

"Mr. Kim is in stable condition. Thankfully his injuries were not catastrophic in any manner. Luckily, we were able to avoid surgery with a closed reduction. He had seven different fractures ranging in severity. Three of which caused his breathing difficulties."

I blinked, shocked by the sheer number of fractures just to his ribs. Mrs. Gwan quickly stepped up to ask her fair share of questions.

"What will this mean for his recovery?" She asked quickly.

"I'm glad you asked that question. He's expected to make a full recovery within six weeks. Four of which he will need to wear a chest belt to prevent any shifting of the bones that were repositioned into their rightful place. During those four weeks he will need constant care in order to limit the extremity of any movements that could cause further dislocation or compression of his ribs. With injuries like this, it's better to play it safe."

Four weeks of constant care? Jesus I pity the maids that are gonna have to deal with this bastard.

"Can we go see him?" Mrs. Gwan butt in.

"Yes, but it's not likely he will be conscious for another four to six hours."

Doctor Shin turned on his heel, leading us down a separate hallway to a residence room.

"He's right in this room. I ask that you avoid physical contact with the patient. His wounds and his bruising are still tender from the operation."

We both nodded. I followed Mrs. Gwan into the room, my stomach churning with dread. I didn't want to see him in such a state. It felt wrong and intrusive. The room was very clean and noticeably grand for a hospital room. It had colorful accents, the colors of a sunset. 

Peach oranges, pale pinks, a mulberry purple, and faded light blue decorated the curtains and rims of every piece of furniture. Even with the lights dimmed, the room looked cheery. When my gaze fell on Taehyung, the atmosphere immediately dampened.

Even with bruised circles under his eyes from the high dosage of painkillers and his slightly swollen cheeks, he was still effortlessly beautiful. His body was stiff and under his gown a black chest belt could be seen. It was impossible not to die of guilt. It could be anyone laying in that bed and I'd still feel horrible. With a sigh, I sat down on the couch farthest from where Taehyung was lying. Mrs. Gwan stood right by his bed for some time before finally taking a seat only a few feet away. For a while there was an uncomfortable silence between us.

"Well," Mrs. Gwan started. Her words were dry. I could tell she dreaded whatever sentence was to follow. Her tone made me wish for the awkward silence to return.

"Of course, we will have maids and butlers attending to Mr. Kim's aid. However, there's only so many of us, and with Mr. Kim unable to voice proper commands and host his usual festivities, I'm worried we'll be under staffed. We will have to withhold his current reputation for over a month without his honors presence. Mr. Jeon,"