Sanctuary

one

It was as quiet as a hospital got.

Taehyung sat in the hallway of the pup ward on one of the blue leather padded chairs along the wall. He stared at the gray and blue checkered rubber flooring, defeated and numb. What was he going to do?

He exhaled shakily, his hands moving up to rub over his neck, and link behind it as the numbness faded, and a helpless panic clawed at his chest. He was drowning in hospital bills with no way to pay them, or for his son's treatments. Five years and all the money he'd thought would last them for at least ten more had run out.

There was a way he could get the money. He sniffed and lifted his head, his hands dropped to his thighs. He could... For Soobin. For his pup, he could go back to that. Taehyung's eyes squeezed shut. No. He shook his head, pained and torn. He swore he wouldn't. He'd promised Soobin the day he was born he'd give him a better life. A safer one.

But... Taehyung collapsed back down, elbows on his knees. It was his pup. Soobin was only five. He'd been born with underdeveloped glands, a condition that affected his entire development. He'd spent his entire life in and out of hospitals, and the treatments for such a rare and stigmatized condition were expensive. All the money Taehyung had had quickly drained, and now the hospital couldn't fiscally support his stay or treatments.

He'd never felt so desperate. There wasn't a choice, was there? Soobin needed treatment. He needed the surgery before it was too late. He had to go back to the life he'd left behind. For Soobin.

"Mr. Choi?"

Taehyung sat up and looked at the approaching nurse.

"I know visiting hours - " Taehyung started to say, but she cut him off, smiling. Taehyung's brows twitched at the sight of her bright expression. They all knew his situation, and he'd been looked at with apology and pity all day, not happiness.

"No, Mr. Choi. I have good news," she said, sitting beside him.

Taehyung looked at her with dubious confusion. She took his hand.

"Soobin's surgery has been scheduled. Dr. Po will operate in four days."

"What?"

"You two must have a guardian angel," she squeezed his hands tightly and smiled. "An anonymous donor has paid for everything. All your debts are cleared."

Taehyung blinked, uncomprehendingly. She patted his knee.

"Sometimes blessings come unexpectedly. Soobin certainly deserves one, doesn't he? Don't overthink it, Mr. Choi, this is a wonderful thing."

She walked away, and Taehyung stared at her as she left, in disbelief.

He stood up slowly, and turned to the door of his pup's room, and looked into the small window at him. Soobin was sitting cross-legged on the bed in his red and green dinosaur pajamas. He had Taehyung's phone in his hands, and was playing a puzzle game. Taehyung swallowed at the sight of him. His pajamas were a size smaller than they should be for an alpha his age. Taehyung felt his heart squeeze. He was so thin, he always had been, and pale.

His inhale was a shudder as the intense surge of relief caught in his throat and lungs. Was it real? Had someone saved them? Saved his pup? A tear rolled down his cheek, and he held his fist to his chest, over his heart, just staring at Soobin for a moment before he wiped his face and opened the door.

Soobin looked up and smiled tiredly at him.

"Hi daddy."

*

Leaving Soobin was the hardest part of the day. Saying good-bye, then seeing his wide eyes dull and sadden, it hurt Taehyung's soul.

But the pain brought him clarity. He wasn't so overwhelmed that he was dismissing the obvious, dangerous question of just who this "guardian angel" was. He stood outside the door for a moment, determination settling in his bones. He had to find out what had happened, because this wasn't normal. These kinds of things didn't just happen, and Taehyung had a sinking feeling that the anxious dread taking root in his gut wasn't an overreaction.