Kindergarten AU (ZeeNuNew FF)

Chapter 6

Chawarin wakes up in the middle of the night feeling as if something is crushing his left arm. The pain is so strong and sudden that at first he's too stunned to make any sound, but then he starts to wail, not even fully awake. He doesn't understand what's happening. He's disoriented and confused; his room is shrouded in darkness, he's lying in his bed as always, but his arm hurts so, so bad. The pain is sharp and burning, almost making him hyperventilate. What's happening to him? Is it some kind of... monster who came for him? The fear that suddenly clutches him in its icy grip makes him cry even louder.

"Mama!!!" he screams between sobs. Where is Mama? "M-Mama!!!" The pain pierces through his body but feels as if it comes from the inside, not outside. He cradles his arm to his chest and wails even louder. He won't survive this, it's too much. He wants his Mama...

In that moment, Mrs. Perdpiriyawong enters his bedroom and turns on the light.

"Baby, what happened? Why are you crying?" she says as she kneels next to his bed and examines him from top to the bottom. "Bad dream? Something hurts?"

"M-my aw'm..." he sobs miserably. "Mama, pweese, h-huw'ts..."

"Show me, did you hit yourself? Fell out of the bed?"

"N-nooo." He raises his arm, almost choking with hiccups. She examines it from every angle, but she can't see anything wrong with it. There are no visible signs of any cut, fracture, sting or swelling. Chawarin's arm looks perfectly normal. She raises it into the air to see if he has full mobility, squeezes in some places to check if he winces in more pain, but everything seems to be fine.

"Honey, are you sure it hurts?" she says, wiping his tears. "Maybe you dreamt it? Look, there's nothing wrong with your arm, see?"

"No, Mama, it huw'ts hew'e." He shakily points to his forearm, not far from wrist. "Mama, make it stop..."

"What could it be?" she whispers under her nose. She's never seen anything like that before. "Okay, baby, come, we'll apply some salve, maybe this will help." She picks him up and takes him to the bathroom where they keep first aid kit. She delicately rubs the ointment on his skin, trying to calm him with reassuring words.

She then takes him back to his bedroom. Chawarin fusses a little but doesn't protest when she gets him on her lap and rocks him tenderly, singing him his most beloved lullaby.

Close your eyes, my precious one,

The day is done, the setting sun.

In the world of dreams, you'll soar,

As I sing this lullaby once more.

Hush, my darling, don't you weep,

In my arms, you'll gently sleep.

Stars above will softly play,

Guiding dreams to light your way.

But then, a quarter of an hour passes, and the pain has lessened only a little bit. Even Tee has woken up and comes to check on his little brother. He tries to distract Rin with jokes and makes silly faces but all for naught. The boy doesn't even smile, he's too tired from crying and hurting.

"Enough, we're coming to the ER" decides Mrs. Perdpiriyawing, when another fifteen minutes passes and there's little to no progress. She wakes up her husband, who's grumbles at first, but when he hears what's happening, he immediately starts to dress. They take both boys and all four drive to the hospital. Thankfully there's no traffic, as it's only five in the morning, so they quickly reach their destination.