After the Darkness, the Dawn

Chapter 14

"What happened? Where's unnie?" Hayoung asks when she meets them at the hospital.

"She's in surgery, they haven't explained much, just that she's lost a lot of blood," Bomi explains for Junmyeon. He's been numb ever since he talked to the police, giving them a full account of the events. The stalker had run off in the chaos, but the knife had been left behind. They got fingerprints, they got witnesses, a few passers-by having stopped to listen to their arguing and as a result, subsequently saw the whole thing. There was no weaseling her way out of this one now, not with her prior record that his old police department had finally sent over, Officer Sung had reassured him, come down personally when he'd heard the news. They would catch her soon.

Too little, too late, Junmyeon had wanted to snarl back, but he'd only nodded mutely as the nurse led him away to be examined, no fight left in him anymore. He didn't have a scratch on him, all the blood on his clothes and hands Chorong's. The sight of all that blood, all her blood, makes him nauseous, but he refuses to leave his post in the waiting room to clean up, afraid he'd miss the nurse bringing back any news, not even when Bomi arrived to join him.

"Oppa, I called Namjoo unnie, she said she's on her way here," Hayoung tells him gently, the girls looking at him with concern. Junmyeon barely acknowledges it, nodding slightly as he wrings his trembling hands together.

"Where's Chanyeol?" he croaks nervously. When he'd called the boy to let him know, because as much as he dreaded it, it was a call he needed to make himself, Chanyeol had hung up on him. It was Sehun who called him back a few minutes later to let him know they were on their way.

"Sehun oppa said they were on their way, they should be here any minu-,"

And right on cue, in stomps Chanyeol, Sehun on his tail, out of breath, frazzled, and when he spots them, when he spots Junmyeon, enraged.

"You bastard!" he screams, charging over and grabbing Junmyeon by the collar before anyone can stop him. "You goddamn bastard! I trusted you! One thing! I asked you for one thing! You promised me! You promised you'd keep her safe! I should have known! I knew you were weak! I knew it-, I-, I-," and he stares down in horror at the blood on Junmyeon's hands. "Is that-, is that noona's blood?" And when Junmyeon is silent, head hung in pathetic shame, Chanyeol screeches almost animalistically as he tackles Junmyeon to the ground, the only reason he doesn't pummel Junmyeon to bits because Sehun and Bomi practically drag him off him before he can.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Junmyeon cries, pleading for a forgiveness he doesn't deserve. "She-, I didn't see it! I didn't see the knife and she stepped in! It should have been me! I should've-, I didn't-, I'm sorry, Chanyeol! I'm sorry!"

"I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses, you weak, useless, lying son of a b-!"

"ENOUGH!" The doctor yells suddenly between them. "You two want to fight, you can take it outside! If you want to stay, shut up and sit down! There are other families here too, show some respect!" She takes a breath, assuring neither of them, mainly Chanyeol, was going to continue yelling before asking, sternly but also a tad gentler, "Now which of you is Park Chorong's family?"

"I am!" Chanyeol bolts forward, rushing to the woman. "I'm her brother."

"I'm Doctor Han, I'll be the doctor in charge of Ms. Chorong," she introduces. "There are some consent forms regarding her surgery that we will need you to fill out and sign. She's also lost a lot of blood, so we're asking if any of you could donate-,"

"I'll donate," Junmyeon offers immediately, scrambling up. "Please, please, you can take all of it, please save Chorong."

"My sister doesn't need your dirty blood!" Chanyeol looks like he wants to say more but ultimately keeps quiet with a stern look from the doctor.