Monster

38

Three Weeks Earlier

Mark wakes up and opens his eyes, shutting them immediately in the face of a holy amount of light. For a moment he wonders if he's died and gone to heaven, but he abandons the thought. Heaven? Yeah, right.

Groaning, he tries to open his eyes again, tries reaching his arm up to shield his hand, only to find it strapped down.

"Oh good, you're awake" Deja vu hits him hard and he tries to remember when he's heard that, but it hurts to think so he stops. "Might want these, I told them it was too bright in here"

He feels something being placed over his eyes, and opens them slowly, grateful when the light is filtered through the sunglasses.

"Feeling better?" Mark turns his head towards the voice to find Jiho, sitting on a chair next to him.

"Are you harvesting me?" Mark asks, confused, offended and croaky.

"You? Your liver is worth less than my shoes" Jiho laughs, picking up his leg to look at his shoe.

"Why am I tied up then?" His voice is starting to sound better, although his throat hurts like hell.

"You were making quite a scene, here, have some water, it sounds like you're talking through sand" Jiho helps him tip his head up to take a few sips of water, which helps the dryness but it hurts to swallow, making Mark wince. "Yeah, hurts don't it? They had to pump your stomach so it will be a few days before you're swallowing without that pain. Shame really, I was looking forward to a thank you blow job"

"Go fuck yourself" Mark wants to be mad, but he can't look past all this confusion. Pump my stomach? Why the hell would they pump my stomach? He asks Jiho.

"Because you drank a truck load of whiskey. An actual truck load, Mark, you robbed a truck. I'm impressed, the guy was not. Lucky for you, I had hundreds of dollars on my person—which I definitely want back by the way—and was able to keep him from calling the police. Then, when you passed out I figured you needed help so I brought you here, and they pumped your stomach and in some kind of drug induced haze, you started fighting nurses so they tied you down" Jiho finishes, but Mark isn't sure he caught all that.

I robbed a truck, gave myself alcohol poisoning and fought some nurses? Why does that sound like me?

"And tomorrow they're taking you to rehab, which I'm also paying for and is also money I want back"

"Rehab?"

"Or therapy or something like that, they gave me a pamphlet, let me see if I still—ah! Here it is! Meadow Brook—sounds nice already—its for people with alcohol addiction. Which I don't know if you have or not, but it says here that they do anger management classes and you get to stay there and they feed you and stuff so I thought it would be good for you"

"Why are doing this?"

"Jaebum called me," Jiho suddenly sounds stern "And told me you nearly killed Jinyoung, and that if I found your organs floating around—his words—to give him a call"

"Of course he did"

"I like you Mark, I always have. But you can be really fucking dumb" Jiho chuckles sadly "You love that boy, what the hell were thinking?"

Mark shrugs, he doesn't remember what he was thinking.

"Right, well, you think about it, because I guarantee they're going to ask you about it in therapy and a shrug just wont cut it there" Jiho stands, pulling on his long coat. "I best be off, tell the nurses you're awake and then I've got work to do. I might visit again, I might not, but I really do want that money back whenever you get out, not kidding, I will find you"

Mark nods, but he doesn't thank him. Doesn't really want to. Jiho waves goodbye, with the sole intention of mocking Mark because he can't wave back. Mark gives him a very un-amused frown and his best attempt at the middle finger.

Jokes on Jiho though, 'cause that smart-ass left his glasses here. Nurses filter in jabbering something Mark doesn't pay attention to. They check the IV dripping into his arm, some monitors around him, ask him how is throat is and leave. They do not untied him.

Mark isn't even mad about it, he wouldn't untie himself either.

I fucked up.... badly....

He squeezes his eyes shut against the thought, against the light, even through the sunglasses the lights are bright and making his headache worse.

He blinks slowly, wondering if Jinyoung was this bored when he was in the hospital. Come to think of it, other than visiting Jinyoung, this is the first time Mark has been in a hospital and he hates it.