puzzle piece | jeong jaehyun

33

The waiting room was dim, the only sound the occasional shuffle of nurses passing by. Jaehyun sat beside Yunhui, Jinah curled up in his lap, her small body rising and falling with each peaceful breath as she slept against him, his jacket draped over her body. Yunhui, on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves, her fingers picking at her nails as she stared into the middle distance.

Jaehyun watched her for a moment, his heart softening. He reached over, gently taking her hand to stop her from fidgeting. Yunhui's eyes widened slightly, her fingers freezing under his touch. A faint warmth bloomed in her cheeks, her pulse fluttering as she felt the surprising spark between them. Jaehyun's thumb brushed over her knuckles in a calming rhythm, as he placed it down gently against her lap, not taking his hand away from hers.

"Try to relax," he murmured, nodding to his shoulder.

"Lean on me and close your eyes for a bit. You should get some rest while we wait" he said with a soft smile, albeit a tired one.

Yunhui hesitated but eventually allowed herself to lean against him, the tension slowly leaving her shoulders as her head rested on his shoulder. She didn't say a word, just closed her eyes, breathing a little easier with his steady presence beside her.

After what felt like an eternity, a doctor finally came out, clipboard in hand. Jaehyun gently woke Yunhui from her dazed sleep that was more of an overthinking fest, and she sat up, straightening herself.

"Ms. Oh?" the doctor asked with a reassuring smile and she stood up to meet him

"I'm Dr. Na and this is Dr. Jung, we're overseeing your son, Minhyuk, tonight" Dr. Na said, extending his hand out to give a firm shake

"Minhyuk is stable as of now and has been for a while, we can keep him here overnight to make sure there's no changes. His fever spiked as a response to a fight-or-flight situation, likely due to his night terrors, but he's back to normal now. We've administered fluids, and he'll be good to go by morning." Dr. Na said with a reassuring smile again and she nodded

"Minhyuk's child psychologist is also waiting at reception if you would like to speak with her. You're free to go in and see Minhyuk as well for the rest of the night" Dr. Jung said with a smile

"Thank you, Doctor" she said in response. A wave of relief washed over Yunhui, and she let out a shaky breath, nodding gratefully.

"I need to go speak to another doctor for a minute, just to tell her what happened" Yunhui said and Jaehyun nodded, standing up without waking Jinah

"Do you mind if I go see him first then?" He asked and Yunhui took in a breath, silently appreciating how much effort he was putting into being there for Minhyuk in any way he could. She slowly nodded, a small smile on her lips as she turned around

Jaehyun slipped quietly into Minhyuk's room as Yunhui walked down the corridor. The boy laid there in his hospital bed, small and vulnerable against the white sheets, his wide eyes lighting up as he saw Jaehyun approach.

"Hey, buddy" Jaehyun said softly, sitting beside him. One hand was protectively slung around Jinah's body, keeping her stuck against him while another hand patted Minhyuk's leg

"How are you feeling?" Jaehyun asked. Minhyuk shifted, looking away for a moment.

"Okay, I think..." he said. Jaehyun hummed, his eyes grazing over the IV needle that was pricked into his skin

"That's good. You were really brave tonight, you know? All the doctors here think you're really cool" Jaehyun said and Minhyuk lit up with a giggle

"Really?" He asked with a toothy grin and Jaehyun chuckled, nodding

"Mhm...I get really bad nightmares too you know? They feel too real sometimes and I wake up really scared. But just remember, they're only dreams. It's not real" Jaehyun said, comforting him and Minhyuk frowned a little

"I don't like my dad. He...he was scary whenever I was a bad boy" Minhyuk admitted. Jaehyun's heart twisted painfully, and he gently squeezed the boy's leg.

"Well you're not a bad boy, Minhyuk. And you don't have to see him anymore, okay? You don't need to be scared of him" Jaehyun said. Minhyuk's gaze didn't leave Jaehyun's, a flicker of worry in his eyes.

"But sometimes... I still see him...in my head. I feel like he might come back to hurt me or mommy" the boy said, sharing his deepest worries with the man infront of him. Jaehyun squeezed his leg again.

"He won't come near you, I'll make sure of it. I'll keep you safe" Jaehyun said again, his voice firm and comforting.

"Promise?" Minhyuk whispered, his voice small but pleading.

"I promise, Minhyuk. I'm not going anywhere." Jaehyun nodded, his voice steady before he changed the topic into something more light hearted to sway the boy away from his worries

"You know, I heard that this makes you a hundred times stronger" Jaehyun said, pointing to the IV drip bag that was held by the side of his bed

"Really?" Minhyuk asked, believing anything the man was saying almost instantly

"Yeah, I heard it'll make you get really strong. I had to get it one time as well when I was a kid too" Jaehyun said and Minhyuk chuckled

"So did you get really strong?" Minhyuk asked and Jaehyun chuckled, not wasting a second to flex his left bicep making the kid stare at his arm in awe

"Woah! Can you lift heavy things?" Minhyuk asked

"Yeah of cou—"

"Like cars? And trucks...and airpla—"

"Woah, slow down there. I'm not that strong unfortunately" Jaehyun chuckled, feeling a tiny blow to his ego

"But I got the highest score in Lotte World with that hammer game" Jaehyun said, curling his arms over Jinah again. Minhyuk's eyes lit up at the sound of the theme park

"Have you ever been?" Jaehyun asked and Hyuk immediately shook his head no

"But I really want to go! I heard that they have a huge dinosaur ride!" Minhyuk said and Jaehyun gasped

"They do! It's so fun...you should ask your mom to take you" Jaehyun said and Minhyuk pouted

"She's scared of everything!" He whined and Jaehyun laughed at his response

"Well...we have to change that, don't we?" He asked with a smug smile, already beginning to plot an excursion in his head for the four of them