'West was the Dream.' Geonhak x Reader

Chapter 4 - Change Chances

y/n: 'Wait.'

He halts the large animal from moving forward, as she asked.

'Why do you want me to stop?'

'Normally when we have strangers come out here it isn't just for light conversation. Let's wait here until they leave.'

He wasn't familiar with worrying about things like strangers but he waited until they cleared out of the area. They quietly rode their way into the barn and hurried to get their feet back onto the ground before anyone saw but it was too late. Her mom had come in before he could even get off the animal in time.

'What are you doing? This is why I couldn't find you, you were messing around and not doing your chores.'

y/n: 'I had to go. He wouldn't know the way back even if he found the mare.'

Her mom stops and thinks as he ties the ropes extra securely to the post this time as he stood to the side of their argument.

'I would trust he could find his way back like anyone with a sense of direction but I suppose you have a point. Now, if there is anything you need to finish do it quickly, there is something important I need to talk to you about inside.'
——-

She shuts the door of the cabin and waits for the news she was meant to hear.

'Come in here.' Her mom asks for her to go further and enter into her parents room. She gasps in horror at the still bloodied sight, now in a worse state.

'Shh. He is asleep. I know, his leg is not getting any better but he was finally able to shut his eyes for a little while.'

'Where is the doctor?'

'The doctor is two weeks from here.... I don't think he can wait that long.' Her mom says with tears welling in her eyes and face contorted into the most pained expression, when she finally had to say it aloud it became more real.

Y/n left. She ran out the door, the sun was setting and the colors had almost completely faded to a dull blue, the coolness setting in. She ran past the barn and into the small patch of trees on the edge of the land. She did not go in far, she knew at this hour getting lost in the trees is too easy once the light disappears. She sat at the first tree and cried into her curled up lap, the lights of the buildings dim in the distance.

Heavy boots hit the ground far away, louder and louder until.

'Hey! What are you doing out here! Don't you know running so far from home can get you killed? What if a coyote found you before I did, or a mountain lion.'
Geonhak sounded angry, he didn't like that she would risk her safety like this and she knew the bad decision she made. In this hour why would she care though. He didn't understand.

'Dammit y/n what happened.' He crouched in front of her, now calmer than before and his voice equaled to the quick change in his mood. He just needed an answer.

'He's going to die.' She curled more tightly into herself.

'His cut, it... is infected isn't it...' He asks, she nods only once and buries her face again. She didn't cry so much now, not in front of him and none of the situation fully settled into her mind yet.

'Let's go back.' He offers a hand and she takes it after some time.

'You know I'm not fond of finding you and your animals all the time when you run off but I suppose it's good practice for when I get some of my own livestock that may wander.'

She laughs at his joke only a little, the humor dampened by the cloud of death hanging over her.

They stop at the wooden door and hear a man yelling, she rushed inside with Geonhak following behind.

Her dad is in pain from the unclean infection invading his leg, it aims to take his life.

Geonhak stands to the back, looking at the obviously problematic injury. After seconds of assessing the problem he offers the solution, in no way excited for what he was about to tell them.

'We need to amputate the leg if he has any chance.' The two women were reluctant to agree, the mom almost angered from the boy's suggestion, but in the back of their minds they knew he was right.

'And who do you expect to do it? There is no doctor here.' The mom yells at him, just about done with him regardless if all he had ever done was try to help. She could not see past her first impression of him, all based on assumptions and judgement of his inexperienced look.

GH: 'I can do it. I had seen my dad do it many times for his patients...'

'We have no other way.' Y/n agrees almost begging for the permission along with him.

The aged woman nodded and a remaining tear fell swiftly. 'What do you need.'

'A clean knife, hot coals, and a frying pan.' He said directly and she hurried to collect the items in the main room.

GH: 'Y/n. You should go check on the mare.'

'What? Why would I~'

'I suggest you don't stay around to watch this, go. check. on. the mare.' He repeated in a serious tone and she understood why he was asking that of her, she walked out. To some degree she was relieved he asked her to go.
——

As she pet the mare on its large nose she could hear the screams, almost completely silenced by walls but still audible, barely. It was hard to ignore and not to think about but she knew the results would be for the best. There was no other choice. She assumed most of an hour went by of waiting, she sat on a pile of hay, the men that housed themselves on the upper floor of the barn had already been asleep and she almost followed suit. Her dim lamp did not light much of the area, the lighting not doing much to keep her up but the mens snoring kept her trapped only on the surface of a full sleep.

It had been a while since hearing anything from the house, she wanted to know what was happening. She stepped up to the door one more time and walked in.

'I-is it done?' She asked the young man sitting in a wooden chair, he looked tired and was taking a moment to sit down after the deed.
He only nodded his head and wrapped his arms around himself as he leaned back into the chair, his face was unbothered but his body language showed there were troubles. He did not normally do operations so extreme, it was a big reason he did not become a doctor.

GH: 'Your parents are in their room, you should wait till tomorrow to see them.'

She walked up to him and placed her lamp on the table. It illuminated his face, she never realized how much color his eyes had until he looked up at her, waiting. The light emphasized the saturated brown of his eyes, almost glowing red, she remembered they would normally look black but not right now. She noticed remaining spots of blood left on his skin.

y/n: '...You should go to the well and wash your hands.' She didn't have a clue what else to say to him.

He looked them over, finally seeing the small mess and stood up to go clean them properly before going to bed.

'Thank you.' She whispered as he walked past her.