Kang didn't know if he was going to vibrate out of his skin out of anxiety or anger. He paced up and down the hallway, his phone held up to his face as he tried to will Dae-hyun into waking up. Maybe having a medic backing him up would help. When it came to anything medical, Dae-hyun was Kangs superior in every way, not to mention Dae-hyun could access the medical records that proved his kid had come to them with his scars and all. He was close enough to the base, he could probably even get a superior to email the legal department the reports Kang had submitted when he found the kid.
The sound of Day-Hyun's voicemail made Kang want to scream. The one-time Kang needed him and he wasn't answering. Of course, he wasn't answering, that was just his luck.
Kang was just about to start jabbing at the call button for yet another attempt when Han-jae called out to him. "Hamchan," A turning of his head, and Kang saw his brother motioning for Kang to go over to him. He listened. "He's right here." Kang didn't get a chance to be confused before Han-jae increased the volume on his phone, holding it between the two of them.
"Me and mom are already on our way to the airport." Tae-hyung started, a serious tone in his voice. "But Ms. Choi's paralegal is on her way to help you." Kang wasn't even going to question how his father had managed to connect to the office in the middle of the night, he was just going to be grateful. "How's the kid doing? Is he out of surgery yet?"
"No." Kang huffed out, just everything that was going on made him want to crawl out of his skin. Between the worry of his kid and the worry of being accused of child abuse, it felt like he was being spread thin between the two problems. Both problems were related to his kid, but they were on different spectrums of worry. On one end, Kang was worried about the squirt's wellbeing, and on the other end, Kang was worried about being arrested for a crime he didn't, wouldn't, commit. And to make things better, "They're not telling us anything." They weren't telling him if his kid was stable, if he was okay, if the surgery was projected to go well, or to go bad. Nothing, they were telling them absolutely nothing. Granted, he knew it was because of policy, a policy that no doubt had protected patients many times before. But at that moment, good god was it annoying.
His father clicked his tongue in annoyance. "The kid isn't going to be awake any time soon to prove your innocence. How convinced are they that you hurt him?"
"They already called the cops." It was annoying, but Kang knew that they didn't want him to be a flight risk, not that he would ever be one. It was a logical policy that worked well for child abusers and unfortunately, it worked just as well for people who were being falsely accused.
"Don't talk to them until Ms. Choi's paralegal gets there. Your mom said all they can do is keep you there at the hospital for now, they can't detain you until they are confident in their case." They nodded as if their father could see them. They heard their mother's voice in the background of the call, calling for Tae-hyung. "Okay I have to go, I gave the paralegal your number, she'll text you when she's there. Han-jae, I'm going to send you a phone number, call it." Han-jae was already going to his text messages and just as their father said goodbye, the sound of high heels redirected their attention to the entrance, Kang's phone chiming quietly in the background.
A well-dressed woman entered and there was no way it was anyone but the paralegal, not at nearly three am. Kang met her halfway. The introductions were quick and to the point. Ae-cha, the paralegal that had been forced out of bed instead of their lawyer, was already instructing Kang to send her all of the documents Kang had sent to the legal department. She was curt and to the point, but Kang couldn't blame her. He would be just as direct if he had been forced to get out of bed at three in the morning to help someone.
She hummed. "Everything looks good on this side," Ae-cha said as she scrolled through her tablet, her eyebrows furrowed as she walked further down the hall to get away from Han-jaes chattering into the phone. "The only reason they continue to accuse you of child abuse is because Jangsu is a severe case. Do you happen to know why they consider Jangsu to be a severe case?" Ae-cha asked, her eyes bored into Kang as she waited for the answer.
Easy, it was an easy answer. "The kid was abused when he was younger, before I met him." her eyebrows went up, but Kang continued anyway, "It was rough, and he wasn't safe until I took him under my wing. The kid is very private, so I haven't seen it for myself, but I know he has a lot of scars because of the abuse." Kang had only seen the scars the squirt had on his arms, other than that, no one other than Day-hyun had seen the kid shirtless and that was only for his physical. But, based on the scars that littered Squirt's arms, jagged scars that were rough and bumpy, Kang knew that the kid had defended himself from a knife more than once.
Ae-cha must have heard it all because she accepted it easily. "Huh," she said lightly, and again, she scrolled through the tablet. "Well, that explains it. I see here that Jangsu has a medical record with the military? Oh...oh..." She chewed on her lip as she read what Kang resumed to be the kid's medical record, "I see why they deemed his case to be severe if this can paint an accurate picture. Fortunately for you, you seemed to have everything to prove your innocence. The hospital would rather overreact than risk any child abuse going under the radar, but everything should be cleared up once we get Jangsu to answer their questions." Yeah, well Kang got that but that didn't mean he was going to be happy with being accused to such an extent. Besides, that didn't change the fact that the kid was still in surgery, so they couldn't ask him anything. Kang knew how anesthesia worked and he knew that the squirt wouldn't be awake for hours after.
Ae-cha looked up from her tablet, she looked like she was just about to say something else, but her eyes focused on something behind Kang, prompting him to turn around.
Kang was greeted with the sight of Jeong, and a police officer right next to him. The officer was taller than Jeong, but he seemed to be around Kang's height. The officer must have been fresh out of the military because he had the frame to match, a wide and bulky frame that added to his intimidation factor. On top of that, based on the officer's expression, Kang didn't need to hear the officer's thoughts to know that Kang was already a criminal in his eyes. The officer's gaze was cold, and the moment Kang made eye contact with him, the man narrowed his eyes, almost as if he was daring-no, begging- Kang to give him a reason to take him down.
He glared back, struggling to push down the indignation he felt after he realized that. Everyone seemed to think that Kang was lying about everything, that he was trying to cover his abuse with false claims to save his own skin. "Major Kang." Jeong greeted, though there was not a hint of pleasantry in his voice. "This is Officer Gwan. He's here to be available when we need him." Kang could feel his blood pressure going up and he had to consciously remind himself to relax his fists, especially when Officer Gwan put his hand onto his baton. A silent, but unnecessary threat.
That pissed him off more than it should. Jeong didn't say if, he said when. As if Jeong had no doubt that they had caught a criminal red-handed and that it was only a matter of time before they found enough evidence to take him in.
"If you need him. "Ae-cha cut in, and Kang was grateful that she was already defending Kang from the get-go. Ae-cha bowed to the men respectfully, "I'm the legal representative for Major Kang. I understand my client is under suspicion of child abuse. I need to have a meeting with you and the members that declared Major Kang a suspect. All the paperwork he has provided documents all of Jangsu's injuries and lacerations. I need to hear your reasoning behind your decision." Her voice was firm, indicating that she was not there to play.
Jeong raised his brow and glanced at Kang, surprised that Kang had gotten legal representation in such a short time. The social worker's eyes looked at Kang up and down before he turned his attention back to Ae-cha. "Jeong Sang-Hoon." He introduced himself, motioning for them to follow him into a nearby conference room. "Due to the late hour, I was the one who made the decision. I'm assuming you are aware of Jangsu's extensive scarring on his body. That enough is alone to warrant suspicion."
They followed him there, Officer Gwan closing the door behind them. As another form of insurance that neither of them would be able to leave, Officer Gwan leaned against the wall, his arms crossed.
Kang pretended that he wasn't there as he sat down next to the paralegal, Jeong sitting across the table from them. Ae-cha got straight to the point, "I'm sure you know that the extensive documentation of Jangsu's scarring is enough to dissuade any suspicion. I would like to hear your reasoning, as I'm sure you've never seen a child abuser allowing their child to go to the doctor, where they could be caught for their actions." Ae-cha directed her words to Officer Gwan, who accepted the inclusion into the conversation.
He shrugged, "I've seen abusers avoid taking their children to the hospital until the last minute." Officer Gwan said plainly, and Kang wanted to scream, "From what I hear, the boy would have died if he had come later." He said it pointedly and it was that jab that made Kang resist the urge to scream. That asshole was insinuating that Kang had intentionally prolonged the visit to the hospital because he didn't want to get caught.
"For the last time." Kang grounded out, his fists shaking by his sides, "The kid hid this from me. He didn't tell me he was sick until he needed to go to the hospital. He wouldn't have called me for help if he was scared of me."
Officer Gwan, perhaps Kang should have paid attention to his name after all, was just as stoic as Jeong. "Then why did he take so long? His intestines ruptured, they were necrotic," Kang felt his face lose color.
His intestine ruptured? His intestine was necrotic?
He pressed his knuckles against his lips, trying to urge the forming tears to go away. Just how long was his boy in pain? Why did he hide it for so long? Kang didn't know much about medicine, but he knew that his intestine must have been dying for hours, days even, before it burst.
Why did he wait so long? Why didn't the kid tell him earlier?
God, just the mere thought of the pain his kid went through was enough to make Kangs body explode in chills. It had to be painful to have part of your organ dying and it had to be even more painful when it burst. How did his kid endure the pain for so long? Why?
Was that when the kid called him? When his intestine burst, and the pain turned into something that Squirt knew was dangerous? When it turned into a pain that scared him?
Only Kang was aware of his horror because Jeong took over, providing more information that Officer Gwan didn't have. "He's at risk of septic shock, if it had been worse, then he would need a stoma for the rest of his life. I doubt a fifteen-year-old could hide those symptoms easily."
"Even if he could," Officer Gwan cut in, his voice just as severe, "for as much as you claim to care for Jangsu, how could you not notice? I doubt he would have been able to move with his intestine turning black inside him." He finished and Kang had to endure the stares from everyone in the room. Even Ae-cha was waiting for an answer, and she was his legal representative.
All Kang could do was shake his head, his voice barely above a whisper, "I don't know. I don't know why he hid this from me. "Kang whispered out, thoroughly horrified that he hadn't noticed Squirt, his kid, was hiding more than he let on. They were right, it was hard to believe that he didn't notice. Squirt's internal organs were dying. How could he not notice!? "I noticed something was wrong yesterday morning. I mean, he's fifteen, he should be eating me out of house and home you know? He didn't even finish half of his plate and we go for runs every morning! He's usually starving after we run! But he didn't and he told me that he was fine when I asked him and-"Kang cut himself off, blinking rapidly as the tears started to pool in his eyes. "Why didn't I notice?" The question was barely a whisper, but everyone heard it. They heard the horrified tone in Kang's voice as he asked himself that and that was enough to make the men exchange glances. Clearly, they had not been expecting that reaction.
"He's going to be fine right?" Kang followed up, his voice thick with emotion, it was a struggle to speak with the knot in his throat. "I told him that everything was going to be okay. I mean, he's already in surgery, so he's going to be fine right?" He had to be fine, Squirt was in the hands of professionals, in the hands of a surgeon who was fully trained. There was no way the kid was anything but fine.
Jeong gave him a long and hard look, his eyes scrutinizing Kang as he tried to find any hint of deception in the man's eyes. "He's going to be fine," he said at last, and Kang couldn't help but almost deflate at that. So, Squirt was going to be fine. It was like most of the stress melted out of his body, the ball in his chest instantly decreasing in size. Thank God, he was going to be fine.
Kang just had to convince them that he was not a risk to the kid.
His relief must have shown on his face because Ae-cha eyed him, her eyes quietly questioning if he was alright or not. Kang nodded, though his emotions were shakier than ever.
He was okay, his kid was going to be okay, but that didn't change the fact that his kid almost died. If the ambulance had been late, if his kid had waited longer, hell if they had run into more traffic, then his kid's life would have been changed forever.
He just had to convince them that the kid was going to be safe with him, that Squirt had come to him with all those old injuries, and that Kang had never hurt the boy in the slightest.
"Look, I know it looks bad. I know." Kang started slowly, his voice portraying his sincerity, "But Jangsu already had those scars by the time I met him. I met him in the middle east, he was working as a soldier until I found him. He got all those scars before I met him." They looked unimpressed, both Officer Gwan, and Jeong looked unimpressed as Kang tried to set the facts straight. But Kang continued. "I gave you all his documents. I gave you his visas, his documents, his medical file that my medic gave me straight from the military's records. What more do I have to do to make you understand that I have never, never hurt that kid. I even submitted paperwork to become his guardian. Why would I do that to a kid I didn't like?" Again, they were all stoic in his pleas. No doubt they were used to abusers, which Kang was not, lying to keep themselves out of trouble.
But the biggest difference was that Kang was not lying. He was telling the truth. And he could prove it.
Officer Gwan huffed out a sigh, as if it was a burden to be there. "It's common for abusers to keep their victims close to them." The man said dryly, a distinct tone of 'you're not fooling me' in his voice.
Kang heaved out a sigh. "For the last time, I am not a child abuser." He was anything but that. He would much rather be called a weapon than a child abuser.
Ae-cha set her hand on his shoulder, effectively taking control of the reins. "I understand your concerns, I have to imagine that this is not your first time dealing with suspicion such as this," her words earned a steady look from the men across from them, "But Major Kang has already provided proof that Jangsu had those wounds inflicted prior to their meeting. His medic has done a thorough job at documenting all the boy's injuries and scars, all of which are listed in his medical file that the Major has provided." Ae-cha said as she sifted through her tablet, finding the copy of the kid's medical file that Kang had emailed to her. "Major Kang, was Jangsu injured when you met him?"
Kang racked his brain to answer it. "When I met him?" Kang thought back on it, there was the concussion and before that, it was the injuries that his kid had sustained in the firefight he had been running from. Scrunching up his brows, Kang tried to remember all the injuries the kid had when they first met. "I first met Jangsu after he escaped a firefight, I found him in a forest, but he had..." What exactly did he have? It had been nearly two years by then and so many things happened between then. "He had broken ribs, second-degree burns on his back, "As Kang spoke, his voice increased in confidence as the memories started to flow in, "He had stab wounds on his shoulder and his right leg, he had been in a knife fight at some point." Once again, he got dry looks from the men and a well-concealed side glance from Ae-cha.
The silence was loud, painfully loud, and Kang knew that none of them believed him. "Do you expect us to believe that?" At that time, Kang did have to give them the benefit of the doubt because it did sound like a terrible lie.
That didn't make it any less annoying.
"I already told you," Kang nearly grounded out, "I found Jangsu in the middle east. He was working as a soldier, why else do you think he doesn't have a medical file here in Korea? I can have my superior send you the report I made when I found Jangsu. All his scars are two years old or older, he didn't get any of those scars when he was with me. The only one you can find is on his finger, when he cut himself when my brother was teaching him how to cook."
"To add onto that," Ae-cha followed up, "I believe it's within the doctor's capabilities to determine how old Jangsu's scars are. Major Kang has not harmed Jangsu in any way, nor does he plan to. All the paperwork he submitted to both CPS and the legal department is more than enough to prove that.
Jeong didn't seem to care, "Only Jangsu can confirm that. And he's in surgery." For not the first time, Kang felt the urge to strangle the man. The worst part was that Jeong wasn't even being unreasonable. It was obvious that they would trust the victim more than the abuser, but at the same time, it was obvious that Kang was not a child abuser.
Kang was running his hand through his hair when he heard it. "Tell me about Jangsu." Officer Gwan said suddenly, it almost sent Kang reeling from the topic change. It was late and after finding out his kid was going to be fine, the emotional exhaustion hit him like a barrel. "All teenagers are different. You say you know him. Tell me about him." The topic change was abrupt.
He scrambled for words. It was his chance. Officer Gwan was giving Kang a chance to prove that the kid was safe under his care. They already saw all the documents and the argument from Ae-cha. It was his chance to prove that he genuinely cared for the kid, to disprove the fact that he was a child abuser because no abuser would know their kid so well. "He's an oddball. He's really quiet, he won't have a conversation with you if he doesn't know you." Kang got a few odd looks at that, so he clarified. "The squirt will just stare at you until you go away. If he's not in the mood, sometimes he won't even talk to me, he just does that thing where he answers everything in a single word, he's monosyllabic at times." Kang just kept on going about his kid. About the kids' quirks, how he doesn't like kimchi, how his kid was quiet, sometimes awkward, but kind. Sometimes the kid was just kind, but he was still incredibly private.
Their attention was caught when Kang said that Squirt trusted women far faster than men. "Why do you say that?" Jeong has a tautness to his face, a wrinkle to his brow as he asked, "He doesn't trust men?"
Kang shook his head, confirming Jeong's assumption. "He doesn't talk about his old job much. But from what I understand, the people who treated him the worst were men. It took me over a year to gain his trust, it wasn't until recently when he started to confide in me. But when he met my mom, "Kang laughed dryly, still somewhat bitter that his mother had managed to win the kid's trust so fast, "he trusted her in less than a month." Kang had most definitely noticed the way the squirt trusted his mother in the short time she had been home, it was hard not to notice. It made complete sense that Squirt would be far more wary of men, rather than women and despite the way he was almost envious of his mother, Kang couldn't hold it against the boy.
He continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if he distrusted any of the male staff, or doctors for that matter, who are assigned to him. He might listen to the female staff but he's stubborn when he wants to be." Kang knew that if the kid decided that no one at the hospital was trustworthy, it was going to be a struggle to get the kid to do anything. The moment he was awake would be the moment the struggle would start, especially if Kang was not there with him. The kid had been suspicious of Kang when he first woke up on base, but that was after he at least somewhat knew that Kang was going to help him.
If he woke up in the hospital, by himself, where he was going to be surrounded by complete and utter strangers. It wasn't going to be good.
A nod. "I see." Officer Gwan wrote something down in his notepad before he turned to look at Jeong. "I see no problem with him seeing the patient under supervision. I've seen a lot of abusive parents and I don't think Major Kang fits the typical behavior." Kang straightened up in his seat, hope bubbling in his chest.
There was a moment of deliberation. Kang could see that Jeong was scrutinizing Kang. His eyes looked at Kang up and down, his eyes lingering when they made eye contact. Kang didn't break eye contact, he couldn't. Breaking eye contact meant that he was suspicious or that he had something to hide. Maintaining eye contact wouldn't completely prove his innocence, but it would help his case. Kang's grip tightened as he held onto his own hands, his leg bouncing under the table.
At last, Jeong broke off eye contact and started to write down something on the papers in front of him. The suited hard ass hummed in agreement, "I agree. I've looked over the paperwork, and the documents. With the information that yourself and Ms. Choi as provided as well, I saw no fault in them."
A nod from Officer Gwan. "No sir. Everything seems in order to me." He almost struggled to contain the hope to a reasonable amount, were they going to let him?
Jeong stood up with a sigh, his hand extending papers to Kang. "Major Kang, until Jangsu wakes up and gives his side of the story, you are allowed to see Jangsu under supervision.I will grant you medical guardianship over him shortly, but it will only be temporary. Should he need medical assistance again, you will go through this process again. If you go to a different hospital, you will run into the same suspicion again." Fine, fine, Kang didn't even care, he didn't. Kang was standing up before Jeong finished what he was saying, and in a deep bow, he thanked the two men.
"Thank you. Truly." He straightened up and after doing the same to Ae-cha, Kang turned to Jeong, "Do you know if he's out yet?" The man knew that his kid's intestine ruptured, so that meant that he had gotten an update on his kid at one point.
He nodded. "Jangsu got out of surgery in the middle of the meeting. His doctor will be waiting for you by his room." Great! Kang got the room number and with Ae-cha and Officer Gwan on his tail, he damn near ran down the hall. If it wasn't for the fact that it was a hospital and there was always something going on, Kang would have sprinted. In fact, he would have started sprinting if it wasn't for Officer Gwan clearing his throat. Which was fine, Kang just needed to loop around and get Han-jae before they could go to the kid's room.
Kang heard his brother before he saw him. "For the last time!" Turning the corner, Kang was greeted with the sight of Han-jae, arguing with the front desk, "Hamchan is his guardian! These papers prove it!" What the hell was Han-jae going on about
Kang quickly ran up to his brother. He just won the case, the last thing he needed was for his brother to fuck it up! "Han-jae? Hey dude calm down." Why was he so up in arms? And why was Han-jae trying to lie about his guardianship? Kang wasn't his guardian, not yet anyway.
Han-jae didn't skip a beat. Whirling around on his good foot, Han-jae nearly slapped the papers against his chest, "You're the kids' guardian now. Dad called in a few favors and got your paperwork expedited. You can see him now." What? Kang looked down at the papers and he was amazed to see it was a signed form from social services.
It was a paper that confirmed his complete and total guardianship over the kid. Complete with a seal, a watermark confirming that it was a copy and a signature from the local CPS director.
How? What the hell, it was almost four in the morning? How did Han-jae manage to get the form expedited? Hell, how did he get it approved?! How did he manage to get the CPS visit checked off?
"Hamchan," Han-jae cut in, a firm look on his face, "Don't worry about who dad called for favors. You're the kids' guardian now." Han-jae said that as if he didn't do a complete miracle by getting the papers signed off at four in the morning. But he was right.
Even though he was still reeling, he had just been mourning his lack of custody over his kid less than an hour ago, Kang agreed. Who cares, all that mattered was that he was the kid's guardian.
His eyes went over to Ae-cha and Officer Gwan for approval, and he was relieved to see that they approved. "You still need to be supervised." The man added after a moment's pause. That was fine by him! Kang wasted no time in handing the paperwork to the receptionist, affirming the fact that Kang was the kid's guardian and that he had full legal guardianship of the squirt.
"Come on," Kang motioned for his brother to follow him as soon as that was done, "He's already out of surgery," Han-jae's face lit up, and was already going down the hall, "We can go see him now. Let's go."
"Yeah yeah let's go!" Han-jae called out over his shoulder, urging Kang to pick up the pace. After giving Ae-cha a quick thanks and bow, Kang was rushing to catch up with his brother. That time around, there were no detours, it was straight to the kid's room, and it was actually Han-jae who had to slow down before he ate shit.
Kang counted the room numbers under his breath, counting until he got to the right one, and when he did, Kang didn't hesitate, he just walked straight in.
He was almost knocked breathless when he finally saw his kid. If he had been relieved when Kang was granted guardianship by Jeong, that time, the relief almost made his knee buckle. Just all the stress and anxiety melted out of him, leaving behind pure and utter exhaustion after he had been running on nothing but adrenaline for hours by then.
Despite the kid's continued growth spurt, Squirt looked so small in the hospital bed. It was like they had picked an oversized gurney with how small he looked, and even though it was easy to forget that the squirt was still a child, it was so obvious at that moment.
He stepped inside. Squirt's expression was calm and relaxed, a drastic difference compared to the pained expression Kang had seen hours earlier. He still hadn't recovered his color yet, but the blood transfusion was trying to fix that. The teenager had an oxygen cannula on his face, the blankets were pulled up to his chest, and the arm that had the I.V. and heart monitor had been left out of the blanket.
His eyes flicked up to the heart monitor and by God was he relieved to see that everything looked okay. All the numbers were in ranges that he knew were okay with his very limited knowledge.
It was silent as Kang got closer, and ever so gently, he laid his hand over the teenagers.
Pure and utter relief flooded his system when he felt the warmth that emanated from his boy's hand. It was nothing like the ice-cold hand he had felt hours earlier. He heaved out a sigh that made all the tension melt out of his body, "You're okay." Kang warbled out, a watery smile as he looked down at his kid. He couldn't stop the tears from forming even if he wanted to. "Thank god." He brushed the silver hair away from the boy's forehead, trying to provide comfort as if the boy was awake to seek it. Squirt was sleeping soundly; the drugs were truly working as the normally light sleeper was in a deep sleep.
Han-jae dragged chairs up to the bed and sat down heavily, no doubt suffering from the continuous movement. "He's so pale," Han-jae muttered, his expression strained as he rested his hand on Squirt's forearm, his thumb moving back and forth as he did so.
Kang sat down into the provided chair, heaving out a sigh, "He was worse when they brought him in," Kang motioned for Officer Gwan to take a seat in the spare chair, receiving a nod. Once the officer was sitting, it was easier to ignore him and pretend that he wasn't there.
"What happened to him anyway?" Han-jae asked, his eyes focused on the teenager in front of him, "he was fine when we left."
He sighed. "His intestine ruptured," Han-jae whipped around to look at him, horror painted on his face. "I know I know," Kang said before Han-jae could start, "I don't know why he didn't tell us. Mom is going to be pissed." Especially since it was a very avoidable condition. All the kid had to do was ask for help when his stomach started hurting, but instead, the kid decided to hide it.
"Oh yeah...oh she's going to be so mad at him." She was going to be mad at them too, for not pushing further when Kang noticed that there was something off about the kid, but that was for another time.
"I'll be mad at him too," Kang commented quietly, exhaustion permeating his voice, "But that's a later problem. I'll get mad at him once we get back home." After the kid woke up and was cleared to go back home.
There was a knock on the door and Kang looked up to see the surgeon walking in. The doctor had been quick to the point. As Jeong said, Squirt's intestine had ruptured from a blockage that had formed from internal scarring. The pressure from the blockage caused a lack of blood flow and that caused a portion of the intestine to become necrotic.
Fecal matter ended up leaking into his abdominal cavity because of the rupture so he was still at risk for sepsis and to prevent that, they were pumping him full of medication. But, after removing half a foot of the intestine, his boy was going to be fine. It was going to be a smooth recovery, with a liquid diet for a while, but he was going to be fine. He was at risk of another rupture in the future, but as long as Squirt took care of himself and did not wait until the last second, then he was going to be fine.
"Jangsu is very lucky," The surgeon said lastly, leveling a look towards Kang, "if he had waited longer, he would have to live the rest of his life with a stoma, assuming he had survived in the first place."
The brothers nodded quietly. They understood that, and they understood that it was due to their negligence, or perhaps the kid's stupidity, that had landed the kid in the O.R. Kang was really going to have to make a point out of the kid never hiding medical issues ever again, not only could his heart not handle the stress, but the risk just wasn't worth it. Kang would rather go to a doctor's appointment than go to a funeral.
If Kang had a say in it, he wasn't going to let it happen again.
Kang redirected his attention to the boy, the soldier's hands clasped around the squirt's hand. Right next to him, Han-jae held a similar position, with his hand resting on the squirt's forearm. They were there for the long run.
Hours later, after the sun had broken the horizon, Kang was still holding onto his boy, waiting for him to wake up, for a sign of life from him. Anything other than the sound of the monitor beeping quietly to his heartbeat, the gentle breaths that filled the room as they waited for his boy to wake up.
He had finally regained his color, the blood transfusions had helped greatly in that regard, but after the trauma his body had endured, he had yet to wake up.
Leaning his face against his fist, Kang kept the kid's hand in his own. He was exhausted, and there were a few times he was jolted awake because his head fell out of his hand, but Kang was determined to stay awake. Han-jae had already lost the fight a few hours prior. His brother slept with his head cushioned on his arms, Han-jae leaning against the bed in a way that would no doubt have Han-jae complaining about back aches once he woke up.
The kid's hand twitched in his own, but Kang knew he had to wait before he got his hopes up. It wouldn't be the first time he felt the kid's hand twitch, only to realize that it was just a simple twitch, not a sign of the teenager waking up like he wanted.
He watched the boy carefully, and the moment Squirt started to roll his head side to side on the pillow, soft mewls of pain escaping him, was the moment Kang stood up. That was enough for Han-jae to be jolted out of his doze, his brother sitting up straighter in his seat.
"Kid?" Carefully, he placed his hand on the boy's head, stopping the movement and causing a sound of distress, confusion even. "Hey hey, it's me," he said gently, threading his fingers through Squirt's hair, trying to comfort the boy before he panicked, "it's just me and Han-jae. It's okay." A sharp, high-pitched whine, one that was very out of character, nearly made Kang's heart skip a beat.
At last, Squirt opened his eyes, whatever they had given him for the surgery was still in his system. Kang was forced to watch as through the boy's drug-induced haze and confusion, tears welled up in Squirt's eyes.
A soft sob had the boy shuttering for another breath, and Squirt turned his face into Kangs hand, desperately seeking comfort for reasons only he knew.
The sight of his kid crying like that nearly made him blue screen, but Kang was able to get over his shock. "Hey, what's wrong?" Somehow, that seemed to make it worse as the crying intensified, "Does something hurt? Do you want me to call the nurse?" Another sob was ripped through his boy's body and it felt like someone was tearing his heart in two in the process.
Squirt shook his head almost frantically, his breath stuttering as he sucked in air for another heartbreaking sob. "No," he whined out, his legs moving under the cover restlessly, kicking as if he wanted to get up. Exchanging glances, Kang and Han-jae tried to keep him from moving, their hands resting on the Squirts legs in an attempt to still them.
Kang frowned. He knew that the anesthesia could affect people in weird ways, but he never thought the kid would be so disorientated. Why was the kid being affected like that?
"Breathe for me kid, breathe." Kang tried to soothe his kid through the fit as he tried to wipe the tears away and again, his kid leaned into his hand, desperate for comfort even as the tears streamed down his face. "It's okay. It's just me and Han-jae. It's just us."
That didn't seem to help. If anything, it seemed to make it worse. Squirt turned away from him, his hand going up to try and push Kang away, but when Kang grabbed Squirt's hand to preserve the I.V, he gave up. "Squirt?" His kid was so out of it. They were going to have to call a nurse if he didn't calm down and stop moving. Squirt was going to tear his stitches with the way he was squirming around.
"I-I have to-" Squirt slurred out and before Kang could be confused about what his kid had to do, he just sat up. Completely straight up in bed, as if he hadn't had intensive surgery a few hours ago. "She's at-my-"
"Woah woah!" Kang stood up, his hands on the teenager's shoulders as he tried to push the kid back down, "You can't sit up. Lay down." Shit, they were going to need the nurse. But his hands were preoccupied with the Squirt, who was still trying to sit up, even with both Han-jae and Kang pushing him down. Even drugged, it was hard to restrain the teen. Between trying to avoid his stitches and trying to preserve the IV port on top of battling the kid's natural strength, it was difficult. Kang had to use both of his hands to pin the kids arm to the bed just to make sure Squirt wouldn't bend the I.V, or worse, rip it out "Where's the call button?" Kang asked his brother, trying to find the call button while holding down his kid. There was scraping of a chair and it was then where even Officer Gwan joined the effort to keep Squirt still. Officer Gwan's hands pinned Squirts' ankles at the bottom of the bed, his grip tight enough where he couldn't lift his legs, but weak enough that the kid didn't realize he was being pinned.
"Let go," Squirt slurred out, kicking his legs as if he was trying to kick them from his laying down position. Even with Officer Gwan's help, Han-jae and Kang needed to push his legs back onto the bed before he hurt himself. "'m suppos'-she's at-" and as if Squirt hadn't been struggling against them, he just flopped back into bed and Kang had to catch the kid's head before he could wack it against the railing.
Kang took the chance and pressed the call button, the entire time, his kid mumbled something under his breath, something about Kyodong and other weird stuff. He was entirely incoherent, and Kang did not doubt that his kid wasn't going to remember the event.
Han-jae had his hands on the kids shoulders, keeping him from sitting up again, "Is he supposed to be like this?" Han-jae asked with a worried tone in his voice. "Where is that nurse? I don't think this is normal."
"I've seen a few kids react like this," Officer Gwan added, a tense tone in his voice, "But I've never seen it this bad." Great that didn't help at all. If anything, that just filled Kang with more worry. There wasn't a chance he was having a bad reaction to the medication, right?
Kang quickly dismissed the thought. He couldn't let himself go down that rabbit hole. For all he knew, the medication just gave him an odd response, Squirts disorientation didn't mean the kid was having an allergic reaction to the medication. "Give her a minute," Kang replied. He was going to answer Han-jae's previous question, but it was like the world stood still as the kid mumbled something out again.
"My...sister..." Those were the only two words they had understood, but it was more than enough for them. The kid had a sister, Kang knew that for a fact. His mind was going a million miles a minute as he connected the dots.
Kyodong.
Squirt mentioned something about Kyodong. Was that a name? A location? He mentioned his sister, so was the kid experiencing a memory? Was that why he was so confused? Was that who he was talking about when he said 'she'? But that still didn't explain why the kid was so adamant on trying to get out of bed.
Either way, he filed the name away for later and based on the look Han-jae gave him, he did as well. They had a lot of questions, but it was not the time to start looking for answers.
At last, the nurse came in and after injecting something into the I.V port, the teenager calmed down, slumping back into bed as the medicine did its magic. Squirt was fading, Kang could see it. Squirt was becoming more lethargic by the minute. The uncoordinated jerks of his limbs quickly decreased to mere twitches, allowing the men to let go of him and take a step back.
The teenager blinked slowly, the boy gaining a certain amount of awareness that hadn't been there previously. He made eye contact with Kang, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Kang?" Kang barely heard him, his response slow and sleep-laden.
Relieved, Kang smiled as he patted his boy's arm. "Yeah. It's me." It looks like whatever the nurse had given him, started to counteract whatever had caused the disorientation.
Squirt hummed and at last, his boy closed his eyes, the little tension he had leaving his body, "'m tired." He mumbled and Kang didn't blame him.
He ruffled the boy's hair, Squirt leaning into his hand again. Accepting the tissue from Officer Gwan, Kang tenderly wiped the tears away. "It's okay," He said softly, "you can go to sleep now," Kang said that, but by the time he finished his sentence, his kid was already asleep, the crinkle in his brow smoothing out once more.
Kang finished wiping off the remaining tears and once he was done, he sat back down. His hand was still resting over the teenager's hand and with his other hand, he took out his phone. Kang almost dropped it, but he needed to type down the name Kyodong into his memo.
He had no idea what the significance was, but he was going to look into it as soon as they were back home. It was a potential lead to finding the kids family, one that Kang couldn't pass up.
His brothers voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Is this normal for him?" Han-jae asked as he covered Squirt with the blanket again, pulling it up to his chest. "Didn't you mention the kid being asleep for a few days when you first met him?"
"That's different," Kang sighed, "He woke up normally. Dae-hyun only gave him pain medication, not general anesthesia." Dae-hyun had mentioned that the kid had woken up a few times, but each time, it had been in response to Dae-hyun checking on his stitches and Squirt had fallen asleep quickly after. The kid had been sleeping out of exhaustion, not medication.
"It was probably a side effect of the medication." The officer chimed in, the man groaning as he sat back in the chair.
Kang pursed his lips, "Don't you need to go?" Officer Gwan had been there for hours already, there was no way his shift hadn't finished by then.
He just shrugged. "I have to supervise you two until Jangsu wakes up and I get a statement from him. Besides, overtime pays more." Yeah, well Kang couldn't blame him for that... Kang just hoped that the kid would actually answer his questions instead of just staring like he did when he wasn't in the mood for anything. Hopefully he would when he found out that Kang had been suspected of child abuse.
The nurse who came in initially to sedate the squirt, reentered the room with a second nurse. After informing them that they had to check on his stitches after that bout of activity, the three of them were effectively kicked out of room for the time being.
Kang had been rocking back and forth on his feet, waiting for the green light to go back into the room when he heard a quiet chime from his phone. Further down the hall, there was another chime as Han-jae's phone went off.
All they got was a simple text.
----------------------------------------------------
Mom: Call me. Now.
----------------------------------------------------
Even hearing that his kid should be waking up within a couple hours wasn't enough to get rid of the dread that filled him.
Han-jae groaned from his seat. "She's going to be so mad."
Kang didn't bother responding. It was obvious that she was going to be upset, the boy she had gotten so attached to had landed in the hospital because Kang and Han-jae didn't notice his pain.
With a sigh, Kang called her like she said.
She answered on the first ring. "Would you like to explain how your kid was hospitalized? Less than two weeks after we left?" She said calmly, but it was the calm tone that indicated her anger.
Han-jae made a prayer motion with his hands.