Serendipity {Vmin}

33. The frightened

Taehyung got woken from his dreams by a strange noise. He lifted his head up from his pillow while squinting his eyes, searching for the cause. As he looked around, he didn't even know where he was for a brief moment, then all of his memories crashed down on him with full force.

His eyes jerked open while he reached for his phone.

Nothing. No calls, no messages, no nothing. And it was past noon. What if they hadn't called him because Chim was dead? If they couldn't take him back? Where could Seokjin be? Why didn't he call him? And what if something bad happened to everyone? Taehyung tried to fight his panic back with pounding heart, when he heard the weird noise again.

A hospital bed stood a few steps away from him. He nearly forgot that he wasn't the only one in the room. He got up from the couch and walked to the boy who was brought in by him and Namjoon.

"The mountain-frog isn't tasty, eat green moths" the younger mumbled with closed eyes. So, this was what woke him up.

The boy had a fever, but fortunately he just got cold, not his injuries became infected. He laid in hospital gown, surrounded by white sheets with his bandaged shoulder showing, and the bruises on his neck covered by a big white bandage. The boy was pretty adorable with his pale, yet pink feverish cheeks, and with his black locks standing everywhere. He gave a sniffing sound as he took small breaths through his mouth, while his upper two teeth showed, resembling a bunny. Taehyung smiled, then carefully stroked the scattered black hair, and quietly slid out of the room to search for his younger brother.

Visitors and patients walked around the corridor; doctors hurried past him with their creaking slippers. But where could Namjoon be? After they arrived, the man decided that they would stay, and wouldn't get involved in bringing Jimin back. Tae was furious when his brother put his white coat on and pushed him inside the hospital room to look after the little boy or sleep a bit, as if he would be able to do that when so much was happening to them and everything was doubtful.

Later he still got defeated by sleep. Maybe the lack of the night's rest tired him out, maybe the worrying or the countless tears shed were why he was bothered by a headache from behind his eyes. All of the reasons might have taken part that, though only for a few hours, but he could fall asleep.

However, that moment he was confused and irritated. He crossed the corridors with racing heart, zigzagging between people until he thought of his phone. He slowed down at a corner and dialed the doctor's number.

"Have you woken up?" the man asked.

"Hyung! Where are you?"

Namjoon explained the way there, and Taehyung got to go and find him with relief. His brother didn't really sound either that sad or hopeless. He almost stared to get hopeful that it would be good news. when stepping in the said corridor, he noticed his family.

His legs froze.

Yoongi sat on one of the chairs at the wall with hunched back and stared at the ground. Namjoon sat by him with one arm hugging his back, and he was talking to him. Seokjin stood in front of them while biting on his nails.

Bad news, bad news. This could only mean bad news. Shivers shook the boy as he stepped closer while watching the others. He was waiting for one of them to look in his direction and faintly whisper, "I'm sorry, Tae". Even his breaths hitched when Namjoon raised his gaze to him, and he was almost thinking that he should just turn around and run away from reality, when his brother sent a faint smile towards him.

Taehyung's shoulders lost a bit of their stiffness.

"Where is Chim?" he asked with worry. His voice rang through the corridor's usual noises strangely, it was too shy, too superficial.