Six of a Kind

사: Seokjin's Recovery

Namjoon found out through one of the nurses that there was a little nursery for the kids to sleep in, so he could stay with Seokjin in his hospital room. When it got to their bedtime, he went to the little shop in the hospital reception, and bought toothbrushes and nightshirts. He got them changed and ready in the nursery bedroom, which had perfectly five beds, and settled them down.

"When are we going home, daddy?" Hoseok asked, cuddling up to his squirrel, looking around the strange little room. "I don't like it."

"A couple of days, sweetheart. Seokjin's poorly ears need to heal, and daddy needs to be there for him, okay? And where I am, you have to be."

Hoseok nodded sadly. "Why are Seokjin's ears poorly?"

"He was just born that way, honey. He's deaf, okay? That means that he can't hear anything. He's had a surgery to help him hear us."

"Does he know he's deaf, daddy?" Taehyung asked, sitting himself up a little. "Does he want to hear us?"

Namjoon frowned. "I hope so. I haven't been nice to Seokjin, boys. I should have taught him how to communicate with us, since he couldn't speak properly. He's been feeling very lonely, and not part of our family."

The 5 didn't understand much of what Namjoon said as the light tone to his voice faded away, and he used bigger words. They looked up at him worriedly, waiting for him to smile and baby them to sleep, but he just stood there, deep in thought. He didn't feel like he knew his boys well. He felt distant, sometimes. He just stumbled through the days ...

Jimin was the one to break him from his thoughts. He gave a soft groan as his body stiffened harshly, making him fall back onto the bed. Jungkook gave a scream, instantly covering his ears and hiding his face in the hoodie.

"Jimin!" Namjoon gasped, instantly sitting onto the small bed, and holding onto his side. The nurse caring for the room ran over. "It's okay, he has Lennox Gastaut." It felt like the hundredth time he had explained that day. "He's gonna have loads in a row."

The others had gotten used to this by now, and weren't really worried. Jungkook didn't worry either, he just didn't like the sounds, which is what made him cover his ears. They stayed huddled in their beds, watching sleepily as Jimin came back around, and then went into another seizure.

"Daddy, what Lennon Gastouch?" Yoongi asked, frowning. "Is it like Seokjin's poorly ears?"

Namjoon shook his head. "It's a special name for epilepsy, Yoongi. It means that Jimin has a poorly brain that makes Jimin feel sleepy. Remember, I explained to you?"

"What epipepsi?" Taehyung asked.

Namjoon sighed, too busy trying to focus on Jimin as he entered his fourth seizure. "You'll understand it better one day. All you need to know now is how to help him if I'm not here, okay?"

Taehyung nodded, and settled into bed with his tiger. Jimin calmed back down, and stayed calm, and was soon asleep. Namjoon got Jungkook relaxed, and he went around each bed, stroking hair and tucking in, until all 5 babies were fast asleep, and the nurse could take over.

Namjoon went back to the main hospital, and made his way to the auditory ward, and to where Seokjin was sleeping. He had been moved to a general ward after he woke, and there were two other kids with similar bandages, sleeping with their mums. Namjoon sat into the armchair next to Seokjin's bed, rested a hand on his tummy, and fell asleep too.

*

He awoke to Seokjin crying. He sat up immediately, and looked at his son, who was clearly only just waking up himself. He put his hands up to the big bandages around his ears, and sobbed, a deep headache burning through his head.