amnesia || renmin au

three

Renjun stood up abruptly, tears blurring his vision. He stumbled to the front door, his throat closing in. "Sicheng," he panted. "It's Jaemin... please."

    His brother, realization dawning in, needed no further explanation. He picked up his car keys without word. They threw on their winter jackets, and were in the car within seconds. Sicheng turned on the engine, and they drove as quickly as they could to the hospital.

    Renjun sat in a daze. The whole drive to the hospital he stared straight ahead, almost in a trance. The tears flowed at a constant rate, and he was crying too hard to speak. Sicheng gripped the wheel harder, torn by the sight of his brother, who looked so lost in his thoughts. Was it all just a bad dream? Was he still asleep from the night before? If he pinched himself hard enough, would he wake up from this nightmare? 

    Minutes felt like hours, but finally the car parked and Renjun dashed out and entered the building through the sliding doors. He stopped at the reception desk, breathless. The lady looked up and eyed Renjun, who was a mess: jacket left unzipped cheeks tinted pink from the cold, eyes puffy from crying.

    "How can I help you?" She asked.

    Renjun cleared his throat, trying to form words. "The news- the- he-I need to see him," he begged.
   
    "Please calm down young man. This is a hospital. Can you repeat yourself?"

    "Na Jaemin," he felt a pang in his chest when he said the name. "I'm looking for him."

    "Oh. Let's have a look here." The receptionist recognized the name and her eyes softened. She pulled up a medical report on the monitor and read his current condition.

"Doctors worked on him all night. They cleaned him of debris and is now resting. He broke multiple bones and suffered a concussion but we believe he will be okay." She gave Renjun a reassuring smile. "He's a fighter. Most people wouldn't survive such a blow."

    "Is he okay now? Can I see him?" Renjun grabbed onto the edges of the desk to stop his legs from giving out. Sicheng had also caught up with him and held onto his arm for support.

"I'm sorry, he is still in extensive care. Visitors are not allowed at this moment. He is also currently in a coma and isn't expected to wake for at least few weeks." Her eyes expressed worry as she watched Renjun's breathing get heavier. "Please, take a seat. You don't look very well."

Sicheng guided him to the nearest bench, and a nurse came with a glass of water. Renjun took it with shaking hands, and sipped a bit of the cold liquid. His body shivered, and his lips wouldn't stop trembling. Sicheng wrapped his arms around his brother's shoulders, rocking him back and forth. "Shh," he whispered. "It'll be okay. They said Jaemin will be okay, don't worry."

    The two sat in the same position for almost 10 minutes, and Sicheng waited for Renjun to calm down. He continued to mumble reassuring words into his hair, while rubbing his arm.

Once Renjun mostly stopped shaking and his breathing almost returned to normal, Sicheng let go and grabbed onto his hands, which were still holding onto the cup. Seeing his brother so small, so vulnerable, really hurt him. He traced circles onto the back of his hand, hoping the pain both of them were feeling would pass soon.

    "Come on," Sicheng said softly. "We can't do anything at the moment. Let's go home."