Fateful (book 1 of the OT7 series) ✔️

Chapter 10

On day 5, Namjoon was sitting in his usual spot next to Miki's bed, reading out loud, when he noticed she started to furrow her brows and cry. This happened everyday so he wasn't fussed about it anymore. He leant over her to caress the side of her face and held her hand. By this stage, he knew Miki's tiny hands almost as well as his own hands. She had a little brown mole on the side of her right hand and there was a teeny tiny scar on her ring finger.

This time though, as Namjoon wiped a tear away, Miki's eyes fluttered open. Namjoon held his breath as he realized her eyes looked like molten pots of chocolate. He reassuringly squeezed her hand, smiled and said, "Hi Miki, you're ok. You're in the hospital and you're going to be just fine. Just take your time."

It took Miki a few minutes to adjust to the brightness and eventually her eyes focused on the gorgeous face of the man leaning over her. He had the deepest dimple she'd ever seen and the kindest voice she'd ever heard.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

"My name is Namjoon. Or Joonie for short. I'm friends with Aerin. Do you remember Aerin?"

Miki closed her eyes and nodded slightly. "Where is that shorty? Is she here?"

Namjoon let out a chuckle. "She'll be back soon. Don't worry, ok?"

Doctors and nurses entered the room, responding to the call button Namjoon had pressed when she woke. He moved to step away from the bed but felt her hand grasping his fingers. He could feel her hand shaking, so he stroked her hand with his thumb for comfort and stayed where he was.

The doctors declared her in the clear and the nurses helped her to sit up. Eventually they left the room and Namjoon sat back down on the chair next to Miki's bed.

"I'm so confused. How did I end up here? And how do you know Aerin? I thought I knew all her friends." Miki said as she turned to face Namjoon.

"You don't remember what happened at all?"

Miki concentrated on gathering her thoughts but it was all fragments of memories that she couldn't quite grasp. She shook her head.

"From what we can tell, you were walking by an alley when you saw Jungkook being assaulted by someone and you stepped in. You took a hit to the shoulder when you distracted the gunman."

Miki suddenly had a flash of a boy lying on the ground with bloody pouring out of his abdomen and her frantically trying to stem the flow with her hands. She gasped. "That's right! The boy! Is he OK? Where is he?"

"JK is fine. He's obviously still recovering from the gunshot, but I think he's suffering more from the boredom of being in a hospital bed more than the physical pain itself. He's staying in that bed over there but a couple of friends have taken him out for a stroll because he was losing his mind being confined in here." Namjoon pauses before continuing in a softer voice, "You did good, Miki. He's like a brother to me and I'll be forever grateful for what you did."

Miki nodded, not really knowing what to say. "So did they catch the bad guy yet?"

Namjoon sighed, "Not yet but we're working on it."

Miki stole a quick look at Namjoon. He was so handsome, she was sure she would've remembered if she'd met him before but then why was his voice so familiar and comforting. She noticed again the deep dimple on his cheek and she had the insane urge to dip her little finger in the divot. He was a tall man, about 6 foot if she had to guess, with broad shoulders but he was so gentle with her. She felt safe with him, which was absurd since she was fairly certain this was the first time they had met. But still, Aerin would never leave him alone here with her if he wasn't a good guy. That fact, she didn't doubt at all.