A cool autumn night. The orange, yellows and reds of the falling leaves compliment the green of the grass. The dark night sky is riddled with specks of light as the stars shine brightly. Fifteen minutes from the busy city, they're visible due to the lack of big lights.
Just on the border of the city's outer line, stands a small apartment building. They're nice sized apartments. Two to three bedrooms, most amenities included, washer and dryer hook ups, all for $800 a month.
The only thing that isn't included in with the deal is 100% soundproof walls.
The current walls do the job for most activities. Occasionally, the occupants of the building will hear a vacuum from next door. Or maybe a couple gets into an argument. The neighbors will be able to hear that but the make-up sex will fall on deaf ears.
There is one sound in particular that goes through the neighboring walls like it's nothing. It makes the neighbor think that he has sonar hearing.
It's the shrilly, incessant cries of an infant. You'd think someone was killing him the way that he screams.
Yoongi lays on his back staring at the ceiling, listening to the baby crying. He looks over at the clock on his nightstand.
3:16 A.M.
He has to to be at 6 in the morning for work. It's a 12 hour shift at the hospital. He'll possibly end up having to do more. As a surgeon, he often does. Lately, it's been difficult for him to get shut eye.
He's understanding or, trying to be as much as he can. By the tone and how frequently that the baby cries, he assumes that they are very young, maybe a few months. They're a baby. Of course, they're going to cry. He's seen the mother in passing. She looks to be in her early to mid twenties and he knows this is her only child.
So with all of this in mind, again, he tries to be understanding. That does not mean, however, that it's working out for him. There's a stoic expression on his face as he stares, unblinking at the ceiling. He is exhausted and now, very frustrated.
He isn't the only one feeling this way, though.
Next door in apartment 3B, a twenty three old woman holds her crying baby, rocking him side to side, back and forth. Warm tears fall down her cheeks, following the trail of the old ones as they go. She sniffles and talks to her baby quietly, begging him to stop crying.
She's trying to rock him, she's tried to feed him. She's changed his diaper and checked his temperature. She's even changed his clothes into ones that are a bit more comfortable.
Nothing seems to be working for the three month old. She's starting to think that maybe he just hates her. Maybe he just doesn't like his mother and that's the reason for his nonstop crying. Maybe they are pleads for help.
That makes two of them. Crying, screaming, begging for help... all while not saying a single word.
Harper looks up at the ceiling as she sniffles to avoid more of her tears hitting her son's skin.
"Oh, god. What did I do?" She asks as she cries. "I don't know." She looks back down at her son and stands up, continuing to rock him.
She avoided doing this again, simply because of how fatigued that she is. She doesn't know how long she will be able to do this with him, how long she will be able to be on her feet until she passes out.
She hasn't slept, she can barely eat. She's probably dehydrated. She's running on E and mommy strength. Her hands tremble all the time, even as she holds her son now.
Even as his cries finally begin to quiet down, after many times of her trying this very same thing, her eyes droop. Her blood pressure rises as her heart does what it can to push her life source around the length of her body. She feels dizzy and her skin is beginning to warm.
But none of that matters to her. Her son is calming down, he's dozing off as she puts his pacifier into his mouth. Finally, he is content.
And Harper is tired.
HARPER TAYLOR
AGE 23
ONYX TAYLOR
3 MONTHS
YOONGI MIN
AGE 28
⚠️Healing Harper contains mature|sensitive content including
•!post-partum depression!•
•single mother lead•
•!emotional scenes!•
•angst•
•slight age gap•
•sexual content•
•flashbacks of domestic abuse•
•estranged family•
•guns|drugs|alcohol•
Some scenes of this book contain very heavy|dark content. I will, of course, mark these chapters with ⚠️. I will also mark triggering scenes with ⚠️⚠️⚠️ at the beginning and end in case you'd prefer to skip them.
Please read with caution :)
Ready?
...Healing is not a linear process. But that doesn't mean you will be troubled forever...