Bubble

31. What Are You Doing Here?

Bonita didn't know who could disgust Minho so badly, but if she ever had to guess, she would never guess it would be the two people that stood at the foot of his bed. The man wore a pinstriped gray suit with a hat over the top of his graying hair while the woman that stood beside him was dressed in a maroon-colored dress and white heels, a pearl choker about her neck as a black and gold purse dangled off one arm.

"What are you doing here?" Minho repeated with a growl, trying to force his still recovering body to sit up.

"We got a call and we had to come..."

"Had to? Really?"

"We thought you were dead this whole time."

Minho scoffed beneath his oxygen mask as he winced sitting up. Even though it was obvious to Bonita that he was still having a hard time breathing as he came back to consciousness, he wasn't letting it stop him from expressing his rage at the two people in front of him.

"You finally noticed I wasn't around anymore, and your immediate assumption was that I was dead?"

"Dead or missing..."

"That's not any better!"

Minho tried to yank the oxygen mask off, but that immediately sent him into a semi-violent set of coughs. Bonita moved to put a gentle hand on his shoulder as she helped him to lay back a bit before resituating the mask on his face.

"Breathe...it's all okay."

Changbin and I.N — who had come over after he figured out where Bonita had wandered off to — just stood there awkwardly as Bonita managed to slowly coax Minho into relaxing again.

"You're going to have to go now so I can stabilize the patient," said Changbin to the two people standing there, I.N excusing himself to take an incoming call from Felix.

"We'll be in the waiting room if you could tell us when..."

"GO TO - "

Minho's venomous curse died out as another round of coughing ensued. The woman that had been speaking prior to the outburst turned to him before grabbing the man's hand and wandering off to the waiting room.

"Stop being an idiot," said Bonita as Changbin drew the curtain shut around Minho's bed for some privacy. "If you keep acting like this, you're going to aggravate your condition. You already almost died and..."

"Keep those people away from me..." Minho managed to get out.

"I'll leave you two for a second," said Changbin as he stepped on the other side of the curtain to leave them alone.

"Who are they Minho?" asked Bonita now that the two of them were alone.

Turning his head so that he could lock his eyes with hers, he muttered, "They're my parents."

- - -

Bang Chan was soaked to the bone as he followed a few feet behind the figure that had been standing outside the hospital. Despite the chill that rattled his teeth from the icy rain, he refused to stop his pursuit. The person he was following had yet to realize that he was being followed, meandering across crosswalks and down various sidewalks until they both arrived at a park. Bang Chan kept trying to walk at such an angle that he might get a glimpse of the person's face when they'd pass under a lamp, but the cap kept their identity hidden.

All of a sudden, the person he was tailing came to a sudden stop causing Bang Chan to do the same. He felt his heart race in his chest as they each stood in their place for a moment. It was in that moment that he realized that they were in the middle of the park, alone, during a storm. Bang Chan could sense the person trying to turn sideways, but before they could, Bang Chan felt a small tug at the hem of his shirt.

Turning to look down, he saw a boy that didn't look like he was any older than four. He put a finger quietly to his lips before ushering him to follow him into hiding in the nearby brush. Without questioning it, Bang Chan followed after the little boy, crouching in the bushes as the person started to walk back down the path. Bang Chan focused all of his attention forward as he watched the person walk within feet of him, taking note of the black sneakers that were acting like sponges through the puddled sidewalk. He turned his head to the side to see if the kid was still beside him only to see that he had vanished, leaving him alone in his hiding place as the person he had been following came to a stop a few feet in front of him.

- - -

Everyone had left Minho alone for a moment after he had confessed to Bonita who those two people were so that his vitals could be taken. Soon after his vitals were done, the nurse left him alone. The brief moment of alone time allowed Minho to reflect on what had just happened. He still was in utter disbelief that his parents had shown up out of the blue like this, wondering who had called them about the accident. Anger and irritation were at war within him, causing him to glare at the person that suddenly appeared in front of him with a snort of disgust.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need your help."

"Haven't I helped you enough?! Why don't you just ask Bonita? You like her more anyway."

"Who are you talking to?" asked Bonita as she drew back the curtain surrounding his bed, holding a few vending machine snacks in her hands.

"Him," said Minho, gesturing at the person standing at the foot of his bed.

Before Bonita could question who 'him' was referring to, both I.N and Felix pushed their way into Minho's little curtained bubble. Bonita raised a brow at the frantic looking pair.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Bang Chan is missing. I was talking on the phone and the next thing I know, he's gone," explained Felix.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" snapped Minho, gesturing an arm at the foot of his bed again. "He's right there!"

The half shout Minho gave caused him to start coughing again as Felix, I.N, and Bonita all exchanged a concerned look.

"There's no one there," said Bonita as Minho's coughing settled, causing his eyes to widen.

Standing at the foot of his bed still, the man that looked like the spitting image of Bang Chan that only Minho could see asked, "Now will you help me?"