Faltering Steps • J-Hope

ii.

Yoongi didn't know what to do. He stood at the nurses' station, torn between being a hyung and being a friend.

After a few moments of indecision, he went back to the others.

"Did you find J-Hope?" Namjoon asked him quietly, looking up. "The younger ones are already falling asleep and I want to get everyone home. I've already called the producer and he said he'll send over a driver."

Yoongi took a breath, preparing himself to lie. "Yeah, J-Hope is fine. They just have to finish something up. You guys go on ahead. I'll wait here for him."

Namjoon frowned. "Are you sure? But how are you guys going to get home?"

Yoongi just stared at him. "I've got money. I know how to work a taxi," he said dryly.

Namjoon still hesitated. "I..." He looked back over at Jungkook and Taehyung, who had fallen asleep next to each other, their heads leaning into one another. "I really want to stay, but..."

Yoongi clapped him on the shoulder. "It's fine. They need to get home. They're probably pretty shaken up." He took a step back. "Seriously. Go home. I'll wait for Hoseok."

Namjoon inhaled before nodding. "Fine. Thanks, Yoongi. Call me if you have any problems."

Yoongi just nodded as Namjoon put Jungkook on his back and Jimin did the same for Tae. Jin followed them out of the hospital.

Yoongi turned and walked back to the nurses' station and interrupted the same nurse from before. "I'm going to stay here with him overnight. Where is he?"

She paused before giving him a room number, and he went off to find Hobi.

***

Hobi was still asleep when he got there, as expected. His face was pale and his chest rose with each inhalation before dropping with each exhalation.

Yoongi frowned. Even when Hobi slept, he was usually smiling. But he wasn't smiling, not now. Maybe it was because the anesthetic was a bit different than natural sleep. But still. The sight of an unsmiling Hobi hurt him.

He sat in a chair next to the bed and decided to stay up until Hobi woke up. He better appreciate me sacrificing my sleep to make sure he's okay, Yoongi thought sourly, already feeling cranky and tired.

He ended up having to wait three hours before Hobi stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before focusing on the cranky person sitting next to him. "Yoongi?" Hobi asked.

"Yeah, it's me," Yoongi said, blinking tiredly.

"What happened?" Hobi asked, looking around. "Where...a hospital? We're in a hospital? Why? What's going on? Where is everyone?"

"Slow down," Yoongi said. Normally, he would have laughed at Hobi's energetic self, but he wasn't in a particularly funny mood right now. "A car crashed into us on our way home. Everyone else is fine. I told them to go home."

He hesitated. "Then...Why am I still here?"

"They had to do surgery on you," Yoongi said, looking away.

"Surgery?" Hobi's eyes widened. "Am I going to die? Because if that's the truth, then there's a lot of shit I better get busy doing. Weird shit. Crazy shit."

"You're not going to die," Yoongi muttered. "You're fine. There was just some problem with your leg and they had to operate."

"Oh." Hobi paused. "They didn't take it off or anything, right?"

"Take what off?"

"My leg. They didn't amputate right?"

Yoongi rolled his eyes. "See for yourself."

Hobi quickly threw off the covers to find both of his legs still attached to his body. He sighed dramatically in relief. "You said everyone else is already home, right? So can we go?"

Yoongi shook his head. "They need to run a few tests on you or something."

Just then, a small team of nurses and a doctor came in.

One of the nurses smiled politely at Yoongi. "I'm sorry sir, but you have to leave the room for a few minutes."

Yoongi nodded and gave Hobi a small wave before waiting outside.

The tests took around an hour, and then Yoongi was let back in.

"Can I take him home now?" he asked, his crankiness appearing in a blunt tone.

Hobi looked up hopefully. "Please?" He blinked, smiling his signature smile.

The nurse pursed hers lips but gave a slight nod. "We can release him, but he can't put any pressure on his leg. We have to schedule a follow-up appointment to check how it's healing a week from today. From then on, he'll probably have to return once or twice a week for physical therapy." She turned to Hobi. Even she had to smile after seeing his beautiful smile. "We can give you crutches to use, but if there's an accident, you could end up hurting your leg even worse. Typically, we recommend a wheelchair just for the first week or so-"

"Yes!" Hobi said, fist-pumping. "I want one! Put me in a wheelchair!"

Yoongi just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Don't be so excited."

***

After Yoongi got through the paperwork, he pushed Hobi's wheelchair out the doors and to the sidewalk in front of the hospital. "Hang on for a second." Yoongi stepped to the side and called Namjoon.

"I'VE BEEN WORRIED OUT OF MY MIND. YOU SAID YOU'D CONTACT ME! IT'S BEEN HOURS! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"

"Can it and get us a car," Yoongi snapped. He wanted to sleep. Really wanted to sleep. And he didn't have the energy to deal with an overprotective Rap Mon.

He hung up the phone and turned around to see Hobi smiling at a child and talking animatedly while the kid's parents watched him, frowning.

"Hobi, what the hell are you-" Yoongi said, already grumpy from lack of sleep.

"This is Josie!" Hobi introduced happily, pointing at the boy.

No, wait, girl, she just doesn't have any-

"She's going in for chemo." Hobi grinned and held up a hand for a high-five. "You're so brave! You can do it!"

-hair.

Josie smiled nervously before giving Hobi a soft high five.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Hobi asked, and the girl hesitated before nodding and leaning in.

"You're going to get better in no time," Hobi whispered, and the girl brightened a little bit before her parents gave Hobi a weird look and took their daughter into the hospital. Then Hobi looked at Yoongi, smiling sadly. "I wish I had something to give her...I feel so bad."

Yoongi didn't know what to say, but thankfully, the driver pulled up at that moment and he didn't have to. "Come on," Yoongi said, helping Hobi into the car, carefully making sure nothing hit his leg, before folding up the wheelchair and pulling it in. "Let's go home."