Chapter Text
Yeo Jun’s stay at the hospital was worse than what Soo Hyun had wanted or expected, somehow. The bar was so low, and yet, the experience dove deep and still managed to squeeze below it. Nightmares were a nightly occurrence. There was also sleepwalking every once and a while. It became less frequent as the stay progressed but it was bad. Especially at first. As Soo Hyun thought about it, one incident during the week after Yeo Jun’s leg surgery came to mind.
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Soo Hyun quickly rushed from the vending machine back to Yeo Jun’s room. He didn’t want to risk not being there when he woke up. The last time that happened, he came back to his friend shaking and crying. He knew he needed him there.
It would have been better if that was all it was.
As he turned the corner to go down the hall Yeo Jun’s room was on, he saw him stumbling through the door. He picked up the pace as he watched the nurses hurriedly swing around their desks and surround him. As he approached, he heard their murmurs clearly.
“Don’t touch him. He gets combative when he sleep walks.” One nurse who had her hand out to the rest stated.
“He what?” Soo Hyun stepped in between a couple of the nurses to see a disoriented Yeo Jun stumbling, not quite going anywhere. Soo Hyun started to try to guide his friend back to bed. “Yeo Jun, let’s go.”
A nurse put her hand out, stopping Soo Hyun. “You haven’t seen him do this yet? He’ll start swinging if you touch him. Wait for the orderlies to get here. They should be close.”
“The who? There’s no need for that. I can just-” Before Soo Hyun could finish his sentence, three very large men approached Yeo Jun and before he knew it, one had him fully surrounded in a bear hug. He struggled, pushing his arms as best he could, thrashing in the man’s hold all while begging to be released, desperately pleading for them not to beat him anymore. Unfortunately, this also meant he was kicking as hard as he could in his attempt to escape. The pain surged through his body, waking him up abruptly. His screams filled the halls.
“We need to sedate him.” One of the nurses suggested. She must have thought she said it quietly enough that Yeon Jun wouldn’t hear but she would be mistaken.
It sent pure fear down his spine. He thrashed even more, consciously avoiding kicking his legs. His breaths picked up and became rapid. Despite his best efforts, the orderlies were too strong for him. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to be sedated again and risk having another nightmare. He knew that all he had to do was calm down and they’d release him but he couldn’t help it. The restraint was overwhelming him and being surrounded by hospital staff and patient visitors wasn’t helping at all. He was able to convince himself to stop struggling but he couldn’t stop the hyperventilation. He turned his head to face a visibly concerned Soo Hyun standing behind the nurses who had kept their arms out to keep him away.
He tried speaking, finally, desperate to be left alone, “No drugs. Please no drugs.” Tears streamed down his face. “I can’t have any more nightmares.” The words were distorted through his hyperventilation but he did what he could. He watched as one of the nurses continued fumbling with the needle and medication and it only made things worse. They weren’t listening. Why weren’t they listening? “No!” He had to at least try to get released. He struggled once more, thrashing every part of his body, doing his best to ignore the excruciating pain coming from his recently-operated-on leg.
The nurse plunged the needle into his body, injecting drugs and more fear into him. He screamed and cried, fighting the drugs as hard as he could. He knew it was a losing battle but he had to stay awake as long as possible. He couldn’t got to sleep. He desperately did not want to go back to sleep.
His movements became slower as his body slowly ceased its movements in the orderlie’s arms. He fell asleep as the tears fell down his face, the last thing in his blurred vision being his very concerned friend.
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The last couple of weeks in the hospital were still awful but much better than when he first got there and immediately after his surgery. The nightmares were less frequent, as was the sleepwalking. Yeo Jun’s leg would be in a cast for quite a while but they were saying he could go home soon so that was an improvement! Things were still a bit stressful, though, especially given that Yeo Jun’s doctor asked to speak with Soo Hyun. And only him. What would they even talk about? Why would they speak to him and not Yeo Jun?
Soo Hyun’s thoughts clouded his mind as he made his way back to Yeo Jun’s room, snacks and drinks in hand. As he entered the room, he quickly clocked the nurses doing their routine checks as Yeo Jun slept. It looked as if he wasn’t having a nightmare so that was good. He’d had them for the past couple of nights so it was nice to see they were taking a night off from tormenting his friend.
“His doctor is ready to speak with you. Do you have a second?” One of the nurses damn near teleported in front of him while he was in the middle of putting their drinks on the side table.
“Sure. I’ll just check on him real quick then head over there.”
“We’ll wait for you outside and take you to him.” The nurse smiled as the two began to leave the room.
As he exited, the two guided him to Yeo Jun’s doctor’s office and closed the door behind him, leaving them to themselves.
The doctor stood, extending his hands towards Soo Hyun. He politely obliged and shook his hand. Once the doctor motioned to the seat, Soo Hyun quickly sat with a slight bow.
“Dr. Min, I’m gonna be honest- I- I have no idea why I’m here. Shouldn’t you be speaking with Yeo Jun?”
The doctor laughed at his bluntness. “Believe me, I will. However there are a few questions I need to ask you as well as explain a few things to you so you understand the requirements for a proper recovery for Yeo Jun. He has you listed as his primary caretaker and he has signed documents saying we are allowed to speak with you regarding his overall treatment and medical history. Not only that but he has requested that we keep you updated. He said you tend to worry.”
That last line. Ugh. He couldn’t help but let a few curse words out under his breath. So what if he worries? He makes him worry.
“I can tell the two of you are close. In that case, I feel the need to be very up front with you. I won't sugar coat anything and it seems to me that’s something you can handle given your earlier introduction.” The doctor slid his glasses further up his nose before pulling a couple papers out of a filing cabinet under his desk. “After this incident, Yeo Jun will need a lot more help than he ever has. Our counselors have spoken with him multiple times during his teen years as well as a few times during his first year at your university. We know about his family’s situation, especially with that article coming out a while back.”
Soo Hyun’s heart dropped. It was never easy to continuously hear of his friend’s painful past. While it was something he had gotten used to, it was always difficult to bring back up.
“I’m sure you are aware of his PTSD due to his family situation, correct?”
Soo Hyun quietly nodded.
“Are you aware of his triggers?”
“Some of them. I know violence is one of them. He tends to be a bit sensitive to loud sounds and yelling as well.”
“I, myself, don’t know what all of them are as he’s a bit closed off about these things sometimes but those are a few I would have to agree with.” Dr. Min continued typing into his computer. “Given that you are aware of these things, I would ask that you keep an eye on them. His psychologist will speak with you about how to care for him with his PTSD but I also ask that you work with Yeo Jun, himself, in that area. He will know better than anyone how to properly look after him and what he needs. As for his leg, though, that will be my area of expertise that I can help you with. It will be a long process but you can help him in his recovery.”
“Understood.” Soo Hyun made it clear he was willing to listen intently.
“He tends to be stubborn about making appointments but please be sure he is going to his rehab schedules. His leg cannot function like it used to if he skips them. His body needs that work. It will be annoying and even painful sometimes but if he doesn’t do his physical rehabilitation, his leg will never be the same. Or even close to it.”
“There won’t be an issue. He will be at every single appointment.”
“Glad to hear it.” Dr. Min chuckled. “We are discharging him soon, however, he will still be in a lot of pain so we are prescribing painkillers. He needs to take them as directed or there could be issues.”
“Again, there won’t be an issue. I’ll be the one handling all of his aftercare so he’ll be perfectly fine. I am aware of the issues people can have with painkillers but I won’t allow it.”
“I trust he will be perfectly fine with you. I like your confidence. I’ll go ahead and print out this packet for you so you can have all of the information you need regarding Yeo Jun’s aftercare and send you on your way. How does that sound?”
“Very good. Thank you.” Soo Hyun took the packet he was given and quickly headed towards Yeo Jun’s room. He couldn’t help but think about a couple of the things the doctor had said. He understood being listed as the primary caretaker with their living together but he had no clue Yeo Jun would give him all those other things. He was allowed to and encouraged to know all of his medical history? The doctors had to keep him updated on everything? He already knew about the PTSD but the fact that his doctor had spoken with him about it and at length? Soo Hyun laughed to himself. With how long they’d been friends and how close they’d become and everything they’d been through together, how could he not wrap his head around all of it?
One thing was certain, though. Yeo Jun would be taking his medicine and making it to rehab no matter what. His main priority was helping his friend heal both physically and mentally.
Recovery would be difficult for the both of them but Yeo Jun won’t stay trapped forever if Soo Hyun has anything to say about it.