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Days kept going and never seemed to stop. It was one big blurry mess of memories, schedules and the occasional food break.
With a comeback so close after a world tour, it was hard to keep up. No matter how big the passion for your job- you can’t argue with your body and your health. Everyone was wearing their “professional” smiles almost daily now because they were just so exhausted.
Barely being able to catch a break and the irregular eating schedule were messing with Minho’s blood sugar levels.
Whilst everything seemed to go as steady as possible- the music shows, the recordings and variety shows- the stress was taking its toll on all of their immune systems. A cough here, a sneeze there and we’re not even talking about the constant shivers and sleepiness.
That could be one of the reasons Minho did not want to worry his members with the approaching low he was currently struggling with.
The shakiness, confusion and the excessive amount of sweat that was forming should've been his warning, but of course he refused to listen to his own body. Where did it come from?
Did he put in too much Insulin for his meal, was it the exercise right after the food or maybe both? As much as it interests him now, he should find something sweet rather quickly. An apple juice would work and after that a cookie or something that can hold his sugars at a steady level after bringing it up. He has to be quick though because they were about to perform.
While on the hunt for something sweet, everything seemed to slow down and it was hard to focus on his surroundings- let alone on the things right in front of him.
He should really ask one of his members for help before he falls over and gets unconscious.
Well, it could be too late for that now…
All of them were in their own worlds- some were asleep, some were eating or just trying to stay as conscious as possible. Nobody really paid any attention to each other except for Jisung. His anxiety has made it hard for him to rest and he is constantly overthinking.
So while he was currently scanning the room, he noticed a staggering Minho searching for something. He seemed kinda out of it, which was worrisome to begin with but his worry peaked when he saw how his hyung was about to fall face first on the floor.
“Minho-Hyung!” shouted Jisung which caught everyone’s attention.
He tried to run to him as quickly as possible.
Jisung managed to catch his head and prevent anything worse that could’ve happened.
All the other members gathered around them, as to see what is happening.
Chan immediately got the testing kit and poked Minho’s finger in order to check the glucose levels.
“2.2 (mmol/l or 40 mg/dl)”
“Where is the glucagon?!”
Everyone was frantically searching for the nasal powder, so they can help Minho quickly.
“I FOUND IT!” Jeongin exclaimed.
“I already called an ambulance” one of their lead managers said who heard the commotion from outside.
After they gave Minho the glucagon, it took him about five minutes to regain a bit of consciousness. They could see the confusion in his eyes, as well as the fatigue.
Two minutes later the ambulance arrived and took Minho to the hospital.
“Listen up, boys. I tried to talk to the music show staff about maybe delaying your performance, so all eight of you can perform but they said that y’all had to perform now. I am really sorry that I wasn’t able to do anything” their manager explained.
“It’s okay, manager-nim. Minho wouldn’t want us to skip this performance, especially with how hard we worked to get here. We’ll do the performance and then we’ll go and visit him at the hospital. Could the other manager please go there and stay with him until we can go?” Chan asked.
“Of course, I’ll see you later:”
After their performance ended, they immediately rushed to change their clothes and go to the hospital.
As they were approaching the hospital, they could see one of their managers waiting for them.
“Hey, guys. I’ll lead y’all to him. Come with me.” the manager said and took the lead.
As they all came into the room, they saw Minho laying there with an IV in his hand.
“Severe Hypoglycemia and dehydration, as well as exhaustion. That is what the doctor told me. He needs to finish up the IV and rest as much as possible. The company already decided to give you all four days off. I’ll leave him with you for now. I’ll come back later, alright? See you!” the manager told them.
When the manager left, Minho slowly but surely opened his eyes because he heard voices. Everyone let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding.
Jisung felt how tears threatened to fall from his eyes and he felt a panic attack approaching.
As he was backing away from them, he bumped into Hyunjin who just looked at him while his eyes widened in realization of what was happening.
“Jisungie- “ Hyunjin breathed out.
“You need to breathe, Sungie. Come on, follow my breathing” Felix put Jisung’s hand on top of his chest, so he could feel and follow his breathing pattern “now for 5 breathe in and 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and now out for 5: 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. And let’s do that again, sweetheart…”
After repeating this a couple of times, Jisung calmed down significantly. He was so worn out, but then he remembered why they actually were all together-
“Minho-Hyung! Are you alright?” Jisung asks with tear streaks under his eyes. As he was looking into the eyes of the older, he saw him crying as well.
“Yeah, I kinda am, but I am so sorry- especially for worrying all of you and making you panic. If I would’ve just taken better care of myself, this wouldn’t have happened. I was so determined to handle the low myself, but then I just passed out. That was irresponsible of me. It just makes me so tired, never knowing how the next day is gonna go only based on my blood sugars. It can throw your entire day off, just because you forgot to count some carbs or because you wanted to eat some more. I am sorry, I shouldn’t rant. It’s not like it is your fault or something.” Minho whispers half-sobbing.
“Hey Hyung, look at me” Jisung exclaims “there is nothing you have to be sorry about. We just wish you would ask for help. We know it’s not easy, but please keep that in mind, so there is less hospital visits and less worry. And you don’t have anything to do with the chemical imbalance in my brain. I just think it was kinda a lot today. I felt overwhelmed” Jisung retorts.
“Now both of you, stop. Let’s just conclude that we all need to get better at asking for help. Especially both of you” Chan pointedly looks at them “Sometimes life throws stones in our way, but it is the way how we deal with those obstacles that makes or breaks us. And now: group hug time!”
And that is how they spend the rest of the time in the hospital- all cuddled up and content with the little family they were able to find and build.
It really makes a difference when you have people who know of the same struggles you face and are there for you- just like you are for them.