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The scariest times for the group had to be when a member was sick or injured. To name a few, Wonwoo’s gastritis, Minghao’s back injury, Seungcheol’s anxiety hiatus and Jeonghan’s vertigo were some of the most memorable, but none of those were as frightening as any of Minghao’s seizures. None of it compared to Minghao fainting or falling unconscious and starting to thrash around.
One thing none of the members knew was that maybe falling unconscious and starting to thrash around wasn’t the worst thing.
SEVENTEEN had been struggling with a full schedule for over a week, moving between photo shoots, rehearsals and concerts without breaks.
As soon as SEVENTEEN got off the stage for their fifth concert that week, Minghao fell to his knees, body trembling and breathing becoming ragged.
Mingyu instantly grabbed the fallen member and carried him to their room, placing him down on a couch while Seungcheol grabbed his glucometer and medication.
Junhui knelt down beside the couch, brushing Minghao’s hair back and helping him get off his heavy jacket.
Seungcheol brought Minghao’s bag over, dropping it beside the couch and getting out his glucometer kit. The leader had just pricked Minghao’s finger when Minghao’s body tensed up and started thrashing around on the couch.
Junhui instantly ran off to grab Minghao’s seizure bag while Jeonghan and Joshua moved around the pillows on the couch to protect Minghao’s head, arms and legs.
Seungcheol noticed something was off as he started preparing the glucagon injection.
Minghao’s eyes hadn’t rolled up into his head. They were still moving, looking up to the left and occasionally darting to the right before moving back. Seungcheol’s head sunk to his stomach when he noticed Minghao’s eyes weren’t glazed, but they held a terrified and desperate look.
“Minghao, honey, blink twice if you can hear me,” Seungcheol called out, nice and clear.
Minghao screwed his eyes shut twice, but he didn’t seem able to for longer than a second before his eyes were open again and darting around.
Jeonghan and Joshua froze, looking up at Seungcheol.
“He’s awake,” Seungcheol whispered to the two before raising his voice for Minghao again. “Blink twice if you’re in pain, HaoHao.”
Minghao screwed his eyes shut twice again.
Junhui burst into the room, dropping the bag down by the couch and grabbing the oxygen mask.
Seungcheol took Junhui’s wrist. “Junhui, don’t freak out but Minghao’s awake and in a lot of pain. We need to keep him calm and try to distract him. I need to give him the glucagon injection.” Seungcheol whispered, trying not to alert the seizing member.
Junhui took a closer look at Minghao’s face, gently wiping up the saliva pouring from his mouth as Seungcheol prepared the glucagon shot and stuck the needle into Minghao’s arm, holding him still.
Tears slipped from Minghao’s eyes, and the choking sounds coming from the back of his throat became almost desperate, like a pleading cry for help.
Junhui placed a gentle kiss on Minghao’s chapped lips, wiping the tears from his cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, baby. There’s nothing we can do until the seizure ends. I know you’re in pain but it’ll be over soon. Just another minute or so. We’re gonna call an ambulance so we can keep you safe. I’m gonna put the oxygen mask on now because your breathing doesn’t sound so good.”
Minghao let out a weak whine in between the pained choking sounds as Junhui slipped the plastic mask over his face and turned on the tank.
Junhui kept his face in Minghao’s view the whole time, gently wiping away the tears streaming down Minghao’s face and wiping away the saliva from his mouth as the seizure became more aggressive.
The seizure was just over three minutes long, and the moment his body relaxed, Minghao burst into tears, crying so much he was struggling to breathe, ripping the restrictive oxygen mask from his face. Jeonghan brought over a bucket just as Minghao broke, throwing up from the anxiety that had built up during the seizure. Junhui had pulled Minghao across his lap, holding him tight as he continued panicking, struggling to draw in a deep breath.
Seungcheol moved closer, wrapping his arm around Minghao. “You’re okay. We’ve got you. It’s alright.”
Minghao shook his head. “Everything… I couldn’t… move… I can’t…” Minghao said between attempts at breathing, but only gasping painfully.
“Shhh…” Jeonghan whispered. “Deep breaths, tell me how you’re feeling.”
Minghao gasped again, trying desperately to calm his breathing. “Hurts… Hurts so much… My head.”
“Okay, honey. That’s just the seizure. Just keep breathing for us. Nice and slow.”
It took Minghao a while to calm down, throwing up twice more before managing to relax in Junhui’s lap. By the time he was mostly settled, an ambulance had arrived to take him to the hospital.
Minghao had never had a seizure where he’d been awake.
During seizures, his eyes were normally half-lidded and glazed and he would have absolutely no control of his body. He would be completely unconscious and unable to remember anything just before or during the seizure. This time, though, he remembered the whole thing, had minimal control of his face and voice and had managed to reach an insane amount of anxiety for such a calm person.
Minghao’s anxiety was still evident as he climbed onto the gurney and let the paramedics strap him down with a blanket laid over his lap. His hands were shaking and his eyes kept darting around the room as if he was assessing for threats as the paramedics fixed one of their oxygen masks over Minghao’s face and gave him an injection.
Minghao didn’t realise anything until the needle was under his skin. The moment he saw the long needle being removed from his arm, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell limp against the raised head of the gurney.
The paramedics looked concerned, checking the vial which had contained the drug they’d given him.
Seungcheol spoke up. “He’s scared of needles. He probably fainted because he was scared. He’s fainted every time he’s had a vaccination or a blood draw.”
The paramedics decided to get him out to the ambulance quickly, hooking him up to an IV and some electrodes.
It didn’t take long to get to the hospital, Junhui coming with him.
By the time Minghao was being wheeled through the hospital and transferred to a bed, he was semi-conscious, exhausted and scared.
Junhui held his hand as a doctor started examining him, checking his vitals. Junhui spoke to him in hushed Mandarin, rubbing a thumb over Minghao’s chuckles.
Once the doctor finished the examination and started some dextrose in Minghao’s IV.
Minghao was obviously still very anxious when the doctor left the room, pulling Junhui into bed with him and curling around Junhui, holding him close. Junhui, being wary of Minghao’s IV, held Minghao gently.
Junhui felt terrible for his boyfriend as Minghao started sobbing in his arms.
———————
Minghao was discharged the next day after an overnight EEG scan and some IV treatment for hypoglycaemia.
A neurologist who examined Minghao told him that he’d suffered from a focal aware seizure, which was very distressing the first time it happened. Junhui had been told to give Minghao an emergency AED and call an ambulance if Minghao had another focal aware seizure as the additional distress could make the seizure worse.
Seungcheol picked up the two Chinese boys, greeting Minghao with a big hug and giving him and Junhui a bag of clothes so Junhui could take off his performance outfit and Minghao could get out of the scrubs he’d been given after protesting against the uncomfortable hospital gowns.
Minghao stayed silent the entire car ride, still feeling the effects of the distress he’d experienced during the seizure.
Minghao was fast asleep by the time they’d reached the dorms, so Junhui lifted him bridal-style and carried him up to the dorms, Seungcheol taking Minghao’s bag upstairs.
Junhui gently placed Minghao down in bed, pulling the duvet over him and making sure the pillows were placed how Minghao liked them. Once he’d done that, Junhui got into bed beside him, leaving his shoes on the floor by the bed and spooning Minghao from behind.
Minghao whined softly, writhing around until he was face-to-face with Junhui, letting the elder place a gentle kiss on his lips in a silent ‘I love you’.
Minghao smiled softly, tucking his face into Junhui’s neck and closing his eyes, letting sleep fall over him.