Ours {RenHyuck}

10

Waking up to an annoying beeping and a horrible pain in his right arm the man tried to open his eyes to see where he was before panic struck him.

The memories of going home from work, arguing with a couple of boys who were insisting on taking him to the hospital because he looked bad and then a sharp pain piercing through his stomach.

Now seeing the white walls, tubes connected to his left arm and figuring out that the annoying noise was that of his heart monitor Renjun was ready to jump up and flee back home.

"Honey, you're awake!" His mom's tear -stained face leaned into his field of vision, reaching up with shaky hands to brush his cheeks before choking on another sob.

"Mom..? What happened? Why am I in the hospital?" The man asked and tried to look around in hopes of figuring out why exactly he ended up here, eyes stopping on his bandaged right arm.

"You passed out from pain on your way home from work and fell in front of an incoming bus. The doctor said you were lucky you didn't sustain any more serious injuries aside from breaking your arm and a concussion."

Letting the words sink in the man looked around the room once more, eyes stopping on the clock before turning to his mother. "Mom, what about Eunbi? Donghyck should be at work already!"

"She's fine, his mother has moved in to take care of her while you're in the hospital."

"What do you mean? Do I have to stay here longer? Look, I'm fine and I can just get a cast and some pain medicine before going home."

"Sweetie, you've been unconscious for two days and had to have surgery to fix your arm." His mother reached out and held his hand, trying to calm him down before he did something stupid out of recklessness.

A while later the doctor came to check up on him and told him about everything they've done, suggesting a talk with a psychologist once he feels better to address his troubles leading to malnutrition.

Feeling ashamed in front of the stranger and sad for the worry lines present on his mother's face Renjun agreed to everything they wanted, as long as it got him out of there soon.

~

Mrs Lee was once again staring at the nearly empty closet in the guest room, the minimal amount of toiletries in the bathroom adjacent to it and the lack of life.

Renjun had been living there for four months yet everything looks like she had left it after her last visit, no books and other personal belongings to show the new owner aside from Eunbi's toys.

She found only one drawer occupied as well as a few shirts, suits and a jacket hung up in the closet, a towel and a few white t-shirts folded neatly on the side.

The woman didn't want to be nosey but comparing it to the piles of clothing her own son tends to go through in a week this feels too minimal.

Mrs Huang had kept her updated about her son's condition and reassured that he'd be discharged soon despite the elongated hospitalisation.

Five days after the accident Renjun was allowed to go home with strict orders for rest from his doctor, including no harsh lights, no loud sounds, no staring at screens and only two hours of work a day.

Being forced to take another week off from work he felt utterly useless, slowly exiting the car and following Jaemin and his mom up to his apartment.

They have decided to let him be where he feels the most comfortable, his mother staying over to keep an eye on him and help with Eunbi.

Jaemin was everything but excited when he first found out about his best friend's condition, ready to smack some sense into him until he actually saw the bruised and bandaged body of his soulmate.

Even now he found it difficult not to stare at the cuts and bruises on Renjun's  thin arms and legs, the bandages on his right arm and cheek not helping him look better either.

Renjun tried to stay as independent as he always was, going straight to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water and the packet of lemon juice before anybody could stop him.

His right arm being in a sling and bandaged to protect the long suture stretching along his whole forearm was constantly pulsing with a dull ache despite the painkillers.

"Go to your room and change into something comfortable before Mrs Lee comes over with Eunbi, and I'll prepare this for you." His mom ushered him away with Jaemin's supervision.

A simple task like changing clothes proved to be difficult to him with each of his muscles screaming in protest, so Jaemin's helping hand was welcome despite the initial hesitation.

Mrs Lee entered the apartment pushing the stroller, greeting Renjun's mother happily before placing her granddaughters seat on the coffee table, the same place where she was set down upon her first arrival.

Spotting the two men emerge from the bedroom she let out an audible gasp at the sight of the shorter male's arm and the band aids plastered on his chin and cheeks.

"Oh dear!"

Reaching out for a gentle hug she closely examined his face, not wanting to comment on the hat and long joggers he wore despite the warm temperatures outside.

Smiling warmly to reassure her that he was fine Renjun's attention turned to the gurgling toddler that Jaemin was entertaining, a tear sliding down his cheek at the sight of his little girl.

Kneeling down beside his best friend he reached out to Eunbi who seemed to recognize him immediately judging by the wobbly lips and grabby hands.

Unable to pick her up himself Mrs Lee freed the girl from her carrier and handed her carefully to the expectant father, watching their reunion with moist eyes.

Renjun didn't let go of his daughter until it was time for her to return upstairs no matter how uncomfortable his position became, ignoring the ache in his other arm for as long as he could.

Eunbi was clutching onto him and listened to his gentle humming until she fell asleep, little fingers tangled into his oversized t-shirt to help her hold him better.

The two mothers retreated to the kitchen and chatted over some coffee while Jaemin excused himself and left back to work, allowing the father daughter duo to bond.

Prying the sleeping toddler away from her father proved to be a bit tricky without waking her from her slumber, but Mrs Huang succeeded in the end and offered to go help Mrs Lee get her ready for bed.

As the door to his apartment shut Renjun finally let go of the facade he kept up all day, allowing his exhausted body to slump against the sofa and letting out a painful groan.

His head was pounding like someone was repeatedly hitting him with a bat and his left leg cramped up since a while ago from being in a weird position trying to support Eunbi.

With his last bit of energy he slowly pulled himself up and stumbled over to his room, turning on the bedside lamp for a few moments so he could find his medicine and take some he let his battered body hit the cool sheets and fall asleep.