"dorothy, i trust you to handle things the way you want to. i will only interfere when things get out of control." doc sat all the way in the corner, with junhui beside him.
after a short time of negotiation, minghao had let go of junhui's hand. dorothy was convinced that the elder's presence in the room had to be enough for her to continue the session she had with minghao. junhui would only be allowed to have physical contact with minghao when the boy would show symptoms of a panic attack or if he refused to speak at all.
step by step they somehow had to get closer and most doctors were just desperate at this point to get the boy to talk. with junhui near him they hoped to achieve the slightest improvement at least.
minghao sat on his bed, his back pressed against the wall and his knees brought up to his chest. dorothy was seated on a wooden chair in front of him with junhui and doc behind her, in perfect eyesight for minghao to see.
"minghao, we're just going to try this again." she sighed, placing a pair of oval glasses on the tip of her nose. in junhui's opinion it only gave off more intimidation and he doubted minghao felt comfortable. but he let it be, not wanting to cause another situation in front of the already damaged boy.
"can you at least confirm you're willing to take part of this session?" she asked, her voice coming off as cold and rather emotionless. "if you prefer not to speak a nod will be enough as well."
junhui observed the scenario in front of him with care, ready to jump up from his current position any time if something happened to minghao. yet the boy didn't move a single muscle, continuing to stare through his window which was located at the head of his bed.
this way junhui had a perfect view over the side of his face, which he couldn't complain about either. though it was clear that dorothy didn't like his behavior at all. which showed in the way she straightened her back.
"minghao?" she called out his name in an attempt to get his reaction. "minghao, if you could at least look at me. that would be polite when you talk to someone, wouldn't it?" yet still minghao refused to show a sign of life, visibly too fascinated by the view through his window.
there was a short break where dorothy only observed minghao, obviously trying to find a more helpful way to get him to talk. or to get him to look in her direction at least.
"minghao if you won't talk to me i'm afraid i will have to call your manager." minghao took no hesitation in looking up, a sudden rush of panic clouding his eyes. junhui instantly tightened his muscles, ready to jump up as he sensed something was wrong. yet he got stopped by doc placing a hand on his shoulder and refraining him from doing something stupid.
"ah i see!" it was sickening how minghao's panic brought a smile upon her face. "so minghao, would you like to tell me why i'm not allowed to call him?"
"you can't." his voice quivered before a stray tear rolled over his cheek.
"why can't i call him?" her voice was stone cold, yet weirdly calm. it even frightened junhui, who wasn't even the patient in question.
"y-you just can't." minghao started trembling in fear, not able to look away from the hurtful doctor.
"it is because he hurt you, isn't it?" dorothy continued her questions, which visibly only made the situation worse. "when did he start, minghao? was it in your trainee days? did it happen after your debut?"
"no.. no!" minghao suddenly raised his voice, covering his ears with both his hands as tears uncontrollably started rolling down his cheeks. "stop! p-please stop!"
this time doc removed his hand from junhui's shoulder so the boy was able to bring actual comfort to minghao. and of course, without hesitation junhui ran up to the helpless boy who was crying hysterically.
as he was still uncertain of how many physical touch he could include when it came to minghao, he only kneeled down on the bed next to him, trying to reach for his hands. however, before they touched minghao suddenly crawled back the way he had done the first day.
a fearful yell that pierced straight through junhui's heart was heard as minghao shoved his body back all the way to the opposite side of the bed. panic had entirely clouded his system and he wasn't able to tell difference between good and bad.
"dorothy!" another yell was heard soon after, coming from none other than doc. "so this is your way of working? if i find out you have another one of these sessions with minghao i will straight up fire you. you're not treating my patients this way!"
"you know what i give up!" dorothy yelled back before she walked straight up to the bedroom door. she aggressively threw it open, only to be followed out by doc. "just go ahead and fire me, that boy is helpless. he wouldn't cure in a hundred years!"
their argument slowly faded as they walked downstairs and the door closed by itself again, leaving junhui and minghao behind.
in all the time that passed, neither of them looked away. because of junhui who remained silent, therefore minghao was able to calm down. his hysterical crying slowly turned into silent sniffling and even his trembling mostly stopped.
"minghao, do i have your permission to come near you?" junhui whispered, purposely lowering his volume. in contrast to the shouting doctors, junhui wanted to create a safer environment for the boy. it wasn't even his goal to get him to speak. making the boy feel safe would always be his priority.
and luck seemed to be on his side, because minghao nodded and moved back to his previous spot. he even allowed junhui to grab a gentle hold of his upper arm and to let him rub the fabric of his knitted sweater up and down.
"it's going to be alright minghao, i promise."
even when minghao wasn't in the right state to speak back, the way junhui spoke to made him feel safer than he had felt in years. it was the first time in years someone had said those exact words to him and minghao couldn't be more grateful to have found a person like junhui in the lake house.
