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35. This Time

"We're done." Jaehyun said, peeking his head in the door.

It had been a couple of hours already and in that time, Taeyong was a lifeless statue, staring at the ceiling from Yuna's bed. He and Jinyoung stopped speaking to eachother and the only time he tried to come out of the room was before they had given her pain medication and she woke up for only a few seconds to let out an agonizing cry before going unconscious again. Jaehyun had to physically drag him back into the room and threaten to lock him in.

Hearing the news that they had finished taking care of her wounds suddenly sparked life back into Taeyong.

"How is she?" He asked as he shot up from the bed and shoved past Jaehyun and Jinyoung to get to her. He moved quickly across the room and sat down on the floor next to her sleeping form.

"She's fine for now." The doctor spoke as he cleaned up his supplies. "She's sedated now, but I'm sure she'll be quite uncomfortable when she wakes up. She should be cleaned up and moved to her bed soon because she won't be able to lay on her back so the couch is probably not the best place. Give her a day to recover a bit and then bring her to my office so I can do some more thorough tests. I'll be leaving now. I have a ride waiting for me. Call me if there are any problems."

"Yes, doctor." Taeyong grabbed his hand as he left and bowed deeply to him in gratitude. "Thank you so much."

"Take care of yourself too, Taeyong." The doctor smiled to him before shutting the door behind him.

Taeyong hovered his hand above her, wanting to touch her, but was scared he would hurt or wake her. Instead, his fingers brushed her matted hair from her face and he sighed from relief.

"I'll help you clean her up and move her." Jinyoung said from behind him.

"No." Taeyong's quiet voice was still laced with a hostile edge. "You said you only wanted to see that she was ok. She is and you've seen it, so you can leave now."

"But I-"

"She's practically naked under this blanket. I can manage on my own." Taeyong turned to glare at him, growing more irritated as Jinyoung's face flushed at the realization.

"Fine, but I will come back later to check on her again." He pouted before leaving the apartment.

"I'll wait outside and let Da Reum know she's ok. Call me if you need help." Jaehyun added as he followed Jinyoung out.

Taeyong was left in the quiet space to fully take in Yuna's battered state. He could see her shoulder blades gently rise and fall with each breath. One arm laid at her side, while the other was tucked against her and wrapped tightly to her body. Her back was covered in the white gauze and tape, hiding the evidence of her terrifying encounter. Though they had cleaned the area around her wound, she was still covered in dried blood. Her face and sides were smeared with muddy brick red. Streaks fell down her legs and the bottoms of her feet looked as though they had been painted on.

He bit at his bottom lip and rubbed the back of his head, feeling beyond frustrated that he couldn't turn her current condition into a nightmare that would fade away once she opened her eyes. He sighed and left her sleeping, returning a few minutes later with a cloth and a bowl of warm water.

As quietly as he could, he soaked the fabric and ran it lightly along her skin, wiping away the remnants of her spilled blood. Underneath, the skin that once was healthy and bright was now covered in splotchy hues of blue, purple and yellow. It physically pained him to see her this way. He pulled the cloth away from her swollen cheek and rested his head next to her, closing his eyes in some childish attempt to hold back the overwhelming feelings that boiled over inside of him.