But Beautiful

part 13

"Jungkook, how was Taehyung this evening?" the doctor asked him, pausing his typing to give him his attention.

"Actually really great," Jungkook replied, heart still light from the overall pleasant encounter. "He seemed quite spirited, smiled at me and lot and kept eye contact often," he boasted.

"Is that so? Eye contact has been hard for him, so he must feel quite comfortable with you. Even to someone who isn't mentally unstable eye contact can be vulnerable, so I'm really surprised and delighted he's been able to open up to that point." The doctor stretched, settling back into his chair as he took his glasses off, setting them on the desk. "Did he bathe? Eat?"

"Yes, he took a shower and then ate dinner. He..." the resident trailed off, wondering if he should be forthcoming with their potentially inappropriate moments. "Tried to get me into the stall with him before showering."

The doctor looked at him, raising an eyebrow before he hummed. "The stalls are large, and there is a bench in each," he began, looking thoughtful, "maybe he thought you would sit down, get comfortable. In all honesty, who knows what he was thinking by trying to get you into the shower stall, but as long as he wasn't forceful or violent in any way, I wouldn't worry about it. Has he perhaps made any advances towards you that you find uncomfortable or unwelcome?"

Jungkook watched the doctor speak, the words running through his mind as he sifted through the meanings. Why would he ask if the advances make me uncomfortable? Wouldn't he assume that they'd be unwelcome, even though he told me repeatedly that he wasn't my patient? He thought to himself, the smallest insecurity creeping through him. "He hasn't done anything that made me uncomfortable," he began, "but I will say that when I was in his room the other night he did hold onto me, and today he did try to get me into the shower with him and didn't hesitate to start undressing. But those things aren't uncomfortable or unwelcome, they're just things I had to try and patiently guide him through and try to make him understand that they're inappropriate."

Dr. Yoo watched Jungkook, a curiosity in his eyes. "Taehyung has had fights, actual physical altercations, when prompted to undress before. I'm beginning to think that he might feel more than just comfortable with you."

"What do you mean?" Jungkook asked, blood buzzing through his veins.

"I think maybe he has a crush on you, some sort of feelings. I don't know what he thinks or how deep it might go, but in the least he doesn't have a problem stripping in front of you so I don't know what else to think of it. I don't know if he has any romantic history, I only know of what's in his file that's been kept since he was five years old. And nothing in it from then until now illustrates any sort of relationship like that. The hard part of working with Taehyung is just not knowing what he's feeling or thinking. You're the only person who has gotten him to be as expressive as he is, Jungkook. That's a remarkable thing. I've had to guess before if he was in pain because he doesn't even express that much to me. He never makes eye contact, never responds to my words in any way. You've gotten that out of him, kid. Only you. Now whether or not I think anything physically related should be explored more is to be determined, but I am quite impressed with your work with him. Despite not being his psychiatrist, you've been able to get him to express his feelings more than anyone has before. That's partially why Dr. Lim is so hard-headed about it, he's been trying for years to get somewhere with him to no avail. He ignores him the same as he does me, so when a new resident shows up and gets somewhere right away, I admit the both of us were jealous. Despite that, I'm just happy you've got a connection to the most difficult patient I've ever had, and Juwon can be jealous all he wants, there's nothing he can do about the situation. Ah, as they say, it is what it is. It's getting late," he added, looking at the clock, "why don't you go ahead and get home for the night? Tomorrow is your day off, spend it doing something fun."

Jungkook listened to everything, wanting to respond to so many things but being denied the opportunity as the doctor wrapped up their conversation. Instead, he perked up, a question in his mind at the reminder of the next day. "I was wondering if the patients ever had days away from the facility? I don't know, like an afternoon out or a day trip or anything like that."

Dr. Yoo nodded, standing up and stretching more thoroughly. "The patients aren't prisoners here," he started, "if they are physically and mentally capable, they are permitted one overnight a month. Some patients use it for important things, such as family events like birthdays or graduations, while others don't leave at all. The holidays are also a case-by-case basis for patient release," he added. "If the patient is significantly disabled, paralyzed, or too mentally incapacitated, they have strict conditional release with either a licensed professional or a family-lead care team. Are you wanting to take Taehyung somewhere?"

The resident smiled, shrugging a shoulder. "I was just wondering the policy on it. Has he ever gone anywhere while he's been here?"

"No. He doesn't have any family or friends, outside or inside the facility. He hasn't left, or even been outside for that matter, in the two years he's been here."

"If he's interested, would I be able to take him somewhere? Maybe a museum or a show?" Jungkook asked, mood heightened despite his exhaustion.

"If he'd like, I don't see why not. Just make sure to check with me and file a sign out paper," the doctor said, walking around his desk to show Jungkook out of his office. "Now go home, we're all tired. I'll see you on Monday."

The resident nodded, bowing to the doctor before leaving the building, a pep in his step. I'm going to ask Taehyung if he'd like to get out for a while, see some things or go some places!

         

Jungkook spent his day off researching current things to see in the city, from temporary events to seasonal attractions. It was the start of October now so he figured an autumn activity would be fun, but he didn't know the likelihood of Taehyung enjoying popular draws, like visiting a pumpkin patch or traversing a corn maze. He didn't know whether or not he would enjoy walking through the streets during the many current autumn celebrations, or maybe even enjoying a hayride through the fall foliage. He actually didn't know much about Taehyung at all, and he recalled when Dr. Lim had expressed how heart-wrenching his history was. Deciding he'd offer all of the options to Taehyung when he saw him the next day, he also made a note to learn about him.

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