Chapter 3 (1/1)

What happened next was all a blur to Karam since he came through and blacked out a lot. Jaejoong, his father, doctors, lights, sounds, screaming, crying and blood. Lots of blood. He knew who it belonged to, and in all honesty he didn't know if he was alive or dead. His body felt so numb and his mind felt so blank. He was so tired and so scared, but at the same time he was ready to meet Changmin in the afterlife.When he came through next he was greeted by darkness. He forced himself to open his eyes, but there was something over them that prevented him from doing so. He tried to move his hands to remove whatever it was, but his whole body felt sickeningly numb so he gave up. Then he tried to go back to sleep, but he willed himself awake when he heard voices.“He hit his head hard. The tests we’ve made didn’t show any brain damage, but we won’t know for sure until he wakes up.” Karam was sure that it was a doctor speaking since he could smell the strong scent of antiseptic solution.“How long do you think he’ll be asleep?” The boy recognized Jaejoong’s voice and felt somehow happy. He was pleased to know that the man still cared for him after all he had put him through.“I’m sorry, we can’t tell for sure.” Karam tried to speak to tell them that he was awake, but nothing would come out. His throat felt like it had been filled with super glue and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t make it work. He gave up in the end as the men had already left the room.He stayed awake after that thinking about his life. He hadn’t had a happy childhood; the orphanage wasn’t a proper place to grow up in. He did have clean clothes and regular meals, but he also had to work for them. He was only five when he was first given a chore to do; it was nothing hard, only setting the table, but for a small kid like him it had been difficult. He remembered the times when he was punished for breaking plates or cups, and smiled bitterly. He then remembered the moment he had run away from there. He was fourteen and so eager to take his life in his own hands. Every day of his life he had regretted his decision; the orphanage was paradise compared to the streets of Tokyo. He had suffered from hunger and cold, but somehow he had managed to survive it all, and not even once had he wished to die as strongly as he did now.Meeting Changmin had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. In his opinion, the man had been the only good thing in his life since forever, and once he was gone he didn’t have any reason to stay alive. But maybe his way of thinking was wrong, maybe that was why no matter how hard he tried he didn’t die; maybe Changmin up there was watching over him trying to keep him alive. Falling asleep with this thought, Karam decided that he could live for a little while longer.Loud voices woke Karam up. The boy opened his eyes and closed them back as the light of the room was too strong for them. He then tried to move on his side away from the light, but decided against it when pain washed over his body. Keeping his position, he tried to relax, and by doing so, he caught fragments of the conversation that had woken him.“Just stop your whining, you know that he is better off… He should move on with his life, he can’t cry over Changmin forever.” Karam frowned at Yunho’s words. The man was really a bastard. Why couldn’t he understand that it hurt to lose someone you loved…?“What do you know? I bet you never loved anyone in your life. But that’s to be expected from a beast like you.” The boy wanted so much to laugh, but his throat was dry and it hurt a bit. But that didn’t prevent him from being grateful to Jaejoong for defending him. The man had always understood him, and for that Karam was more than thankful.“Beast, no beast, I say that he shouldn’t cry over a dead man. There are a lot of men out there that could fuck his brains out…” Karam shivered at the sound of skin meeting skin. He was sure that Jaejoong had slapped Yunho really hard, and he was also sure that the man’s cheek was probably going to bruise.“You! You insensitive son of a …” Karam’s frown deepened as he noticed the anger in Jaejoong’s voice. He knew from experience that an angry Jaejoong was trouble, so he decided to stop the man before he seriously hurt Yunho.“Stop…” His voice was hoarseand it took him a moment to recognize it as his own. His single word did the trick though as the two had stopped fighting.“Karam?” The boy smiled at the sound of Jaejoong’s voice. He could always tell the mood the man was in only by listening to his voice, and now Jaejoong sounded relieved.“Water…” A glass was held at his lips and he eagerly drank it. After he was done, he noticed that the burning in his throat was gone so he tried to speak some more.“What day is today?” Karam smiled as his voice had turned to normal. He tried to open his eyes again, but the light was still blinding him so he closed them back.“It is the 29th of February. You have been sleeping for a week mister. God, you got us all worried.” Jaejoong’s hug was more than welcomed as Karam needed the comfort of the human contact. The hug was brief, but it did its job, and when Jaejoong let go, Karam gave him a small smile.“Why aren’t you opening your eyes, do they hurt?” Jaejoong was genuinely worried as the doctor had informed them about the possibility that Karam would have some problems because of the head trauma.“The light is too strong.” Karam moaned as he tried once again to open his eyes. Jaejoong noticed the boy’s reaction and frowned deeply.“Yunho, go get the doctor.” Yunho, who had been watching them from a corner of the room, did as he was told. He had also noticed the strange reaction the boy was having to the light so he was equally worried.The doctor came at once and began to do all kinds of tests to the boy. Yunho and Jaejoong were sent outside so the doctor could do his work. They were not happy about this, but they didn’t argue as they wanted to know what was happening to Karam. The examination took about an hour and by the time it had ended Yunho was ready to kill someone, so when the doctor walked out from Karam’s room, the man was all over him.“Talk.” At Yunho’s command, the doctor swallowed dry.“The boy is blind. Well, not entirely blind, he can see shadows and colors, but blurry. We are going to do some more tests, but from what I can tell the damage might be permanent.” Jaejoong was on the verge of crying and Yunho noticed immediately. He cursed the doctor silently and moved closer to his partner. Yes, as much as he hated it, Jaejoong was his partner; they were a team while guarding Karam and they had to take care of each other no matter what.“But you are not one hundred percent sure that the blinding is permanent, are you?” The doctor was clearly intimidated by Yunho so he took a few steps back to put some distance between them before giving the man an answer.“No, we are not 100% sure.” Yunho was satisfied with the answer since it seemed to have calmed Jaejoong a bit. Jaejoong pulled himself together knowing that he had to be strong for Karam’s sake. He hated all that had happened to the boy, but he was sure that Karam would overcome this as he had done with all his troubles from the past.“Have you told him?” Jaejoong asked looking at Karam who was lying on the bed, his hands over his eyes. The doctor sighed and nodded.“I did, but he didn't take it too well. A nurse will come to give him a sedative shortly so please let him sleep.” Yunho sighed and pulled out his cell phone. He needed to inform Junsu and Yoochun about Karam’s situation, and he needed to do it fast.“Thank you doctor. We’ll search for you if we need more information.” The doctor bowed and left the two men alone. Yunho dialed Junsu’s number and frowned when he got no answer. He looked at his phone and saw that he had no signal and he frowned.“There is no signal here so we’ll have to go to the yard. Come.” Jaejoong wanted to stay, but he followed Yunho knowing that Karam needed some time alone.The two men walked away not noticing that tall male nurse that was walking towards Karam’s room. The man walked inside the room, took the medical chart, and read it. He frowned deeply when he read the diagnostic.“Who are you?” The tall man was startled for a moment, but recovered fast and walked closer to Karam. The boy didn’t feel threatened so he made room for the man to sit on the bed next to him.“I’m here to give you your medicine. What did the doctor tell you?” Karam removed his hands from his eyes and looked at the man. He couldn’t see a thing, all he distinguished was the color of the man’s hair that was dark brown and the green of his clothes.“I’m blind…” Karam tried to hold back his sobs, but couldn’t so he let them all out. He usually felt ashamed of crying before strangers, but somehow this man made him feel at peace. Strong arms wrapped around him and Karam felt himself being pulled towards a strong chest.“Shh… it’s ok.” The hug was warm and strangely familiar, but Karam ignored his mind that was telling him strange things and let himself be comforted. The warmth from the stranger’s body transferred into his and lulled him to sleep. And as he closed his eyes, Changmin’s face appeared over the man’s blurry face and he sighed softly.“Changmin…” The man smiled and tightened his hold. It was so hard to see his baby this way. Changmin was equally hurting, but for now he couldn’t tell Karam that he was alive.“Shhhh baby, I’m here.” Karam let out another sigh and Changmin kissed the top of his head. He hated himself for doing this to his baby, to his innocent lover, but he wanted revenge. He wanted to kill the people that had made him suffer and along the way, he would make sure that his baby would be safe from them. He and Karam were so alike, but also so different, that was why he loved the boy so muck.After Karam was sound asleep, Changmin laid him back on the bed and covered him with the blanket. He then threw the medicine in the garbage and walked away. It had become harder and harder for him to leave Karam; the boy needed so much love and protection that sometimes Changmin almost gave up on his revenge. Almost, because the boy also reminded him of his mother; the sweet woman that gave him life. The woman that his father’s enemies that tortured and raped continually, until she died. Every time he thought of his mother, his thoughts of revenge came crashing like a thunder wave. He loved Karam deeply, but he needed this in order to bring closure to his real parents.He was eighteen when he first discovered that he wasn’t his parent’s child. His so-called father had bought him on the back market after his wife’s second miscarriage. They had loved him like their own child, giving him everything he wanted, but Changmin had always felt that something was not right. He was devastated when he realized that his parents weren’t his real ones, but he moved on and tried to find out what had happened to his birth parents. It took him two years to learn their names and another two to learn about their deaths. It was at that moment that he decided to crush the yakuza.He had joined them seeking revenge, but along the way he found love. A love that he tried really hard to ignore, but in the end he gave in and it was magical, but at the same time self-destructive. He knew that he had to choose between revenge and Karam, and he didn’t want to do it so he faked his death so he could protect his lover and also complete his mission. Things didn’t go his way though, and that had to change.The news that Karam was almost blind devastated his father. The man was a mess and Junsu didn’t know how to help the man. He had never seen his boss so sad, not even when his wife had died. The man’s saddens was mainly caused by the fact that he couldn’t stay by his child’s hospital bed since it was too dangerous so Junsu decided to help. He took Yoochun and went to the hospital. Once there, they went to Karam’s room and found the boy asleep guarded by Jaejoong and Yunho.“How is he?” Yoochun asked as he moved closer to the boy searching for some signs of pain or discomfort on his face. Jaejoong sighed and pulled the man away from the bed.“He is fine if you overlook the blindness. He has only some scratches here and there, but nothing life threatening. The doctor gave us some cream to use so they wouldn’t leave scars.” Yoochun only nodded and turned his gaze to Karam again. It was strange to see his face so peaceful since the boy usually cried himself to sleep.“You’ve noticed it too, don’t you?” Yoochun nodded again almost robotically.  Jaejoong took a deep breath and walked to the window pulling Yoochun with him in the process.“We found the sleeping pills in the trash. Still he sleeps so soundly that it almost scares me. We both know that the only person who can make him sleep like this is Changmin, and he is dead. I don’t like this Yoochun. I don’t like it one bit.” Yoochun sighed, he knew that Jaejoong was right. After days of hard training only Changmin’s embrace could make Karam fall asleep. He knew that the boy hadn’t slept so soundly since the man had died so what had changed now?“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not possible. If Changmin was alive he would have contacted us by now.” Jaejoong frowned, Yoochun was somehow right, but in his heart, he knew that there had to be more to it.“I don’t know…. It’s just that this man that helps Karam is strange. He saved him in Tokyo, and at the airport, and he still hadn’t made his presence noticed…” Jaejoong hopped in his heart that the mysterious man was Changmin; that his friend had managed to get away from the explosion somehow. His thoughts were interrupted though when Junsu and Yunho joined them.“Jaejoong, please go wake Karam, we are leaving.” Jaejoong looked at Junsu and frowned. He couldn’t understand what was in the man’s head, and he frankly didn’t want to know.“We can’t just get him out of here…” Jaejoong was about to argue when Yunho covered his mouth annoyingly.“God, can’t you just do what you’re told? I’m tired of you constantly questioning orders. Just do what he said or I’ll do it.” Jaejoong was fuming; this was the last straw.“You know what, I’m tired of you too. You always think that you know better than the rest of us, well you don’t. To take Karam we need to talk to a doctor before to see if it’s safe. But you wouldn’t think of that, would you? No, you would have just taken him and left without thinking of his safety.” Junsu and Yoochun looked with wide eyes at the two men arguing. They couldn’t understand if what was between the other two was pure anger and dislike or sexual frustration, either way they had to do something before they both blew up.“Jaejoong, I spoke to his doctor, he will be here in five minutes with the papers so please calm down.” Jaejoong let out a throaty sound towards Yunho, and walked to Karam. He gently shook the boy awake, and smiled when he saw him opening his eyes.“Changmin…?” Jaejoong felt a sharp pain in his heart and sighed silently. He wanted so much to be Changmin in that moment and give the boy some comfort, but he knew that it was not possible.“No, it’s just me, Jaejoong.” Karam sighed and then yawned stretching his body a little. He felt much better after sleeping and now he was somehow full of energy.“Are you alone?” Karam asked as he couldn’t distinguish anything in the room. Jaejoong knew that the boy was probably frustrated that he couldn’t see a much so he rushed to answer.“No, I’m not. Yunho, Yoochun and Junsu are here too. And the doctor is about to come since we’re taking you home.” Karam’s face lightened up when he heard that they were taking him home, not for a moment did he thought that the home Jaejoong was referring to was not the one in Japan.“Your father is going to be happy to have you near him again.” Junsu’s voice cut all Karam’s happiness. The four men frowned when they saw his reaction, but none said anything.The doctor came and checked Karam one last time before giving them the permission to leave. Karam was happy to leave the hospital, but he wasn’t as excited as he should be mainly because he would go to a house he didn’t know and to a man that had never been his father. The doctor brought a wheelchair for Karam and they were about to leave when Karam remembered about the nurse that had helped him before.“Before I leave can I personally thank the nurse that took care of me?” Karam wanted to see the man one more time and thank him for the comfort he had given him.“Sure, Misun will be happy.” Karam frowned when he heard the woman’s name.“It was a male nurse.” At this, the doctor stopped and so did the others. Karam was a bit confused by the silence, but understood when he heard the doctor’s next words.“Our ward has only female nurses, and no one is allowed here without access cards.” A spark of hope came to life in Jaejoong’s heart; now more than ever he was sure that Changmin had something to do with the man that was helping Karam. And if his gut was telling him right, Changmin and that man were one. All he had to do now was prove it.TBC...******************************************A/N: I’m really sorry for making you wait for so long. I hope this chapter's worth the wait :).I decided to update this story because I can’t write YunJae anymore. I somehow lost my faith in them… I know it’s sad, but I just can’t see them together anymore. Maybe with time (and a lot of old YunJae videos) I’ll be able to write again, but for now please be patient.Thank you all for reading, commenting and subscribing.