Bashfully, Kang walked back into the room, catching the attention of his brother and the officer. After the thorough scolding Kang had earned from his mother, though most of it was just empty words that expressed her frustration and worry, he was walking back into the room nearly an hour later. Once they got past the scolding, he spent the rest of the time updating his parents on the kid's condition and the situation, his parents doing the same with their flight situation.
He sat down with a sigh, his eyes lingering on his kid. The kid was in the same condition as when Kang left: asleep. Which was good. Sleep was when the body healed and after his intensive surgery, the kid was going to need plenty of sleep to recover.
His brother sat up straighter in his chair, shaking his shoulders out in an attempt to wake himself up further. "How did it go?" Han-jae asked, his attempt failing as a wide yawn escaped him, "Was she mad at you?" Kang hummed. Not exactly.
"More like she was just venting because she was worried." Kang knew the difference between his mother genuinely being mad at him, and when she was just venting at him and in that phone call, she had been venting at him. Kang knew not to take any of her words to heart, he knew that none of them had been meant for him.
Though Kang was sure that once she collected her thoughts, she and their father were going to give him a serious talk about the kid. Maybe he could get some insight on how to tell his kid to not keep such important things a secret from him. His parents had done a good job in keeping their door open to him and Han-jae. While there were a few things Kang and Han-jae had been nervous to tell their parents, it was only a rare occasion when they decided that they needed to keep something a secret.
Kang still had no idea why the kid hid his ailment from him. He thought he had made it clear that his kid could tell him anything, but obviously not. The kids' intestines had been dying inside of him, the pain had to be unbearable, but it didn't have to be like that. If Squirt had simply confided in them that he was in pain in the very beginning, far before the pain escalated, everything would have been fine. They would have taken the kid to the doctor and sure, maybe it wouldn't have been diagnosed as an intestinal blockage, but they at least would have known that his kid wasn't feeling well. They would have been able to keep an eye on him at the very least.
But no, his precious little idiot decided just to hide the pain until it got to the point where he couldn't bear it. Kang was most definitely going to have a talk with Squirt because out of everything to hide, medical issues were unacceptable.
Han-jae made a sound of understanding, his voice bringing Kang out of his thinking. "Ah. Well, how long until they get here?"
Right. His parents had mentioned that they were in an airport in Indonesia. "They just landed in Indonesia. They'll be here by the afternoon." That was another point he was going to have to thank his parents about, the moment they found out about the kid being hospitalized, was the moment they were booking their tickets to fly back.
"Got it. I'll pick them up." Kang nodded. That sounded like a plan. It was good that they had something of a silent agreement that no matter what, Kang wasn't going to leave the hospital. Even if Han-jae argued that as the healthy brother, Kang should have been the one to pick up their parents, Kang wasn't planning to budge on the matter. Until the kid woke up, Kang was not going to leave.
Han-jae's yawn was contagious and it wasn't long before Kang found himself yawning as well. It had been well over a day since Kang got some sleep by that point, if he ignored the few dozing sessions he had, but Kang was adamant that he wouldn't sleep until the kid woke up. Kang knew that it was only a matter of time before the kid woke up, he woke up once, and he would wake up a second time soon.
Even though Kang had the sentiment to stay awake as long as possible, it was getting harder to stay awake. Exhaustion set in the longer he sat there, more than once Kang nearly banged his head against the bed railing when his head slipped out of his hand, but likewise, Kang didn't stop leaning his head into his hand.
It was almost completely silent in the room. The heart monitor had been muted long ago, so other than the sound of breathing, and the sound of nurses walking past the room, there wasn't much to listen to.
He kept his hand on Squirt's hand, the occasional twitch making Kang crack his eyes open to check on his boy, and then close them once he saw that Squirt was still asleep.
Eventually, though Kang was deep in his dozing session, where it would be more accurate to say that he was in a light sleep, the feeling of being watched made Kang come out of his doze. Blearily, Kang picked up his head and looked around the room, trying to find the source of the sensation. He could feel a gaze settling onto his shoulders, prickling the back of his neck, the sensation running down his body as something made the alarm start blaring in his head.
Han-jae was fully asleep in his chair, his head resting on the back of the chair as his mouth hung open and Officer Gwan was busy doing whatever on his phone. A glance towards the door showed that the door was still closed, the blinds giving them some privacy.
Just what was giving him that feeling? Kang kept on looking around the room and while Officer Gwan gave him an odd look, the man was quick to go back to his phone.
No amount of looking around solved Kang's problem. As far as Kang knew, no one was staring at him. It wasn't Han-jae or Officer Gwan, or a weirdo from out in the hallway, it was no one Kang could see, and it grated on his nerves.
Huffing to himself, Kang almost reluctantly settled back into his seat. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, for him, he was wide awake after something like that. Heaving out a sigh, Kang sat back, his eyes flicking towards the kid to check on him once more.
Kang sat up straighter when he made eye contact with Squirt. "Kid?" When did he even wake up? Was that why Kang had felt the sensation of being watched?
The kid's eyes were barely cracked open, almost like he was squinting, and Kang found himself questioning if the kid was really awake or not. It wouldn't be the first time Kang had seen someone sleep with their eyes cracked open, though that was quickly dismissed when Squirt took in a deeper breath, his eyes blinking and opening wider as he woke up some more.
Slowly, his kid looked around the room, his eyes lingering on Han-jae before his gaze went down to his clothes, to the shirt that had been provided to him after the surgery. Scrunching up his brow, the squirt pulled at the shirt, his frown deepening when he saw the heart monitor clip that was on his finger. "Leave that alone," Kang placed his hand over the teenagers, stopping him from pulling off the clip, earning a confused look.
Well, the kid wasn't nearly as disoriented as he had been initially, though Kang could tell that he was still confused. But it was good that the kid was finally awake, properly too, that time around, he was free from the influence of the anesthesia.
"Han-jae, wake up," Kang ordered and when that wasn't enough, he threw his wallet at his brother, jolting Han-jae awake. Seeing Han-jae wake up was enough for Kang to redirect his attention to his boy. "How do you feel?" Kang kept his voice low, trying to keep his excitement contained. The relief that the kid was awake was unfathomable, but as much as Kang wanted to show his joy, he had to control himself to keep the situation somewhat calm. Kang could tell that the kid was still trying to process the fact that he was waking up in a hospital bed, with Kang and Han-jae by his side and him reacting like an overexcited fool wouldn't help in the slightest.
Han-jae straightened up, drawing Squirt's attention to him as he asked. "Does anything hurt? Do you want me to call the nurse?" That was a good idea. The nurses had told them to call them when Squirt woke up. They started to look for the call button, though Kang was doing it half-heartedly, keeping an eye on the kid as Squirt continued to watch them.
Squirt opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. "He's finally awake?" Officer Gwan asked, a tone of exasperation in his voice.
Squirt's eyes widened, his head snapping to Officer Gwan as he sat straight up. A hiss escaped the boy as he cradled his stomach, "Who are you?" Squirt rasped out, fighting against Han-jae and Kang as they tried to push him back down.
The kid probably hadn't noticed the officer, and the fact that he didn't know Officer Gwan didn't help their case. "Kid, it's okay," Squirt flicked his eyes towards him, but he didn't let Officer Gwan out of his sight for more than a second, eyeing the man with suspicion. "Squirt." Kang said firmly, hoping that the kid would give him his attention, to no avail. "That is Officer Gwan. He's a police officer and he's just here to ask you a few questions. It's okay. Please, just lie down."
"What-?" A deep cough escaped him, the kid cutting himself off as he curled in on himself. A sharp inhale resulted from the coughing pulling on his stitches, and it had done nothing to help his case. Kang rubbed his back soothingly, trying to help what little he could. They had no choice but to let the fit pass, Squirt controlling his coughs until it went away. Fortunately for them, the coughing fit had made Squirt lose some of his fight, and while Han-jae handed Kang a glass of water, the two of them finally managed to get the boy to lie down. At the same time, Kang used the controls to put the bed on an incline, allowing the squirt to sit up like he wanted, while also letting his body rest.
The coughing fit left their teenager pale, his lips pressed tightly together as he held onto his stomach. Squirt was breathing heavily, and the heart monitor showed that his heart rate had gone up as well. Yet, despite that, if it wasn't for Han-jae setting his hand on his shoulder, Kang was positive the kid would have tried to sit up again.
Kang took the chance to try and calm the boy. "Squirt." The teenager eyed the man, his eyes flicking between the brothers and Officer Gwan. "Relax. You just woke up, let the nurses take a look at you first, and then we can explain everything. But you need to calm down, okay?" Still, even with the kid eyeing the officer, Squirt just nodded, at last agreeing to take it easy as he let his head fall back onto the bed. Kang sighed. "Thank you." Thank God, at least one thing was accomplished. For a second, Kang thought the kid wasn't going to agree to do anything with the way he was acting, and it was going to be a repeat of earlier.
Kang held up the cup, "Here. Drink some water." Kang said that, but it was an order more than anything. He didn't give the kid a chance to refuse as Kang pushed the cup forward, sticking the straw into his mouth before he could close it.
Even though Squirt glared at him, showing Kang he knew what he was doing, he still wrapped his lips around the straw, taking a sip just big enough to appease him.
Kang supposed that was going to have to be enough for the time being because, with that single sip, the teenager was pushing the cup away, his gaze refocused onto the officer.
He pressed the call button, quickly setting his hand back onto the kid's forearm to hold onto it afterward. "What do you remember?" Kang wouldn't be surprised if the kid had a few gaps in his memory. Squirt had lost a lot of blood by the time he had been admitted and logically, his mental capacity would have been affected.
The teenager scrunched up his brows, "I remember up to when the men came into the house." His voice was still raspy, most likely due to the intubation tube for surgery, but thankfully the squirt didn't refuse the water when Kang held it up again. "What happened after that?" he asked after drinking more water, his voice sounding marginally better.
The kid started to sit up again when the nurses entered, no doubt put on edge with the addition of strangers in the room. But with a simple squeeze of his arm and a pointed look, Squirt was reluctantly lying down once more. Not that it lasted for long.
His hand wrapped around the nurse's wrist when she grabbed the hem of the blanket. "What are you doing?" Squirt's voice had even dropped a level, suspicion saturating his voice as he pushed the nurse's hand away.
Thank God the kid wasn't rough with her. That was the only redeeming factor. "Kid." Kang said softly, bringing his attention back to the soldier, "She was just going to check on your stitches. Sorry," Kang said to the nurse, who had been standing there patiently, "I should have told you guys. He doesn't like being touched." It was stupid that out of everything, he had managed to forget about Squirt's aversion to touch, touch from strangers anyway, but at least the kid had reacted so calmly.
She nodded, Kang's eyes flicked down to her nametag, another Nurse Goh, "That's okay. I'm just going to change your dressing," Nurse Goh said as she motioned to the gauze and medical tape on the side table, "It's time for us to change them. Is that okay?" she asked, her hands clasped in front of her as she waited for permission.
Squirt glanced over at Kang, and when he got a nod, he gave her permission. "Sorry." The kid added on after a few moments, his nerves coming out with the way he grabbed onto the railing, his knuckles turning white.
Han-jae patted his hand in a comforting manner and if it wasn't obvious enough that he was unhappy about a stranger being so close to him, it was when he grabbed onto Han-jae's forearm. Kang nearly blinked in surprise.
That was the first time the kid was seeking comfort from anyone other than him.
The brothers exchanged looks, both surprised by the rare show of vulnerability. Even more so when they remembered that the kid had been raised to hide any weakness, yet there he was, letting out a slow and controlled exhale when Nurse Goh lifted his shirt, his hand holding onto Han-jae as a grounding point.
Han-jae got over his surprise quickly, the kid needed comforting, not staring. Lying his hand over the teenagers, Han-jae patted his hand once more, the grip on his forearm loosening just the slightest bit.
At first, all they could see was the bandages, but then Nurse Goh pulled Squirt's shirt higher up, revealing more of his skin. To her credit, Nurse Goh didn't miss a beat when a burn scar, one that seemed to wrap around the kid's waist to continue on his back, came into view.
The same could not be said for Kang and Han-jae.
Kang felt dread wash over him when he saw the scar. He had to restrain himself from reaching out to touch it. It was just so terrible, Kang could see the raised texture from where he was sitting, showing just how extensive the wound had been. The scar was even a light pink, just a shade lighter than the kids' skin, showing that not only was the scar already old, but the kid had gotten the scar years before. Just how young was the kid when he got that scar?
A glance towards Han-jae let Kang know that his brother was just as horrified. His entire frame had gone stiff, his eyes open wide as they focused solely on the scar.
Kang cleared his throat and when Han-jae made eye contact with him, he just barely shook his head. It was not the time or place to talk about the kids' scars, not when they had bigger concerns.
Han-jae's eyes flicked between Kang and the scar, but at last, his brother nodded, agreeing to stay quiet for the time being.
Nurse Goh or Squirt didn't notice their reactions as she peeled back the tape. "That's alright. I should have told you what I was doing." At last, she pulled away the gauze, revealing a long horizontal incision a few inches below his belly button. It was closer to his pelvis more than anything and thankfully, to Kang's little knowledge, it showed no sign of infection. Gently, she pressed on the skin surrounding the area, and yet, she had the audacity to ask if it hurt when the kid flinched in response.
Likewise, Squirt had the audacity to shake his head and lie right in front of them. "No." His face was blank, his expression carefully controlled as the nurse continued to inspect his stomach.
His lie would have worked a few days prior. "It does hurt." Kang didn't care that the kid was glaring at him, what he cared about was his kid's health. "You only make that face when you're trying to hide it," Kang supplied, staring right back at the teenager as he ordered. "Tell her the truth." Kang had seen it before, but it wasn't until then, after everything that had happened, that Kang finally realized that the kid only controlled his expression like that when he was lying about being in pain.
"It's important that you tell me the truth," Nurse Goh added, much to the kid's annoyance. "You had internal surgery, we need to know so we can adjust your pain medication and in the worst-case scenario, so we can be prepared for complications. Does it hurt or not?" her voice dropped in a way that showed that she meant business. Kang found himself wondering if the Nurse Goh that was in front of them was related to the Nurse Goh who had helped him earlier.
With the way the kid was acting, it must have physically pained him to admit that, yes, he was in pain. Nurse Goh nodded in approval. "Ok. I'll ask the doctor to give you more pain medication. If it still hurts then, tell us so we can take you in for a scan to make sure everything is okay. Unless you want to have surgery again." She added, giving the boy a fierce side eye as she opened a pack of gauze with a bit more force than necessary.
That seemed to be enough to cow the boy. "No ma'am...thank you." he added once she started to dress the wound again, earning a hum.
"Your guardian raised hell to be able to see you," She gently placed gauze over the stitches as she spoke, her hands working with the medical tape, "He just wants what's best for you and so do we. It's not a good idea to lie about your health so please, don't lie to us. Understood?" He flinched again when she pressed down on the tape, securing it to his skin.
Thankfully, that seemed to make the point hit home. The teenager nodded, quietly thanking Nurse Goh when she left. As soon as the door was closed, the kid let go of Han-jae and let out a quiet sigh of relief. Kang thought that was going to be the point when his kid finally relaxed, but instead of slumping into the bed like Kang wanted, he sat up, his eyes focused once more on Officer Gwan.
When the kid looked over to him for answers, Kang continued. Kang knew that the kid wasn't going to relax until he got an explanation for Officer Gwan's presence. He picked up where they left off. "To answer your question about what happened, the paramedics brought you here. Your intestine ruptured and they had to remove a portion of it in emergency surgery." The kid nodded, seemingly unsurprised at the news. Little shit. Kang continued. "Well...that's why Officer Gwan is here." He heaved out a sigh, trying to get over the most painful part of the explanation. "The staff saw your scars and with the way you came into the hospital, they decided that me and Han-jae are suspicious." Kang said slowly, wishing that there had been an easier way to break the news that they had been suspected of child abuse.
"Suspicious how?" Squirt asked, his brows scrunched in confusion.
Kang heaved out a sigh, his eyes going over to Officer Gwan, internally sighing in relief when he took the prompt.
"Child abuse." Officer Gwan followed up. "These two are being suspected of abusing you."
A pause, the kid stared at Officer Gwan with a deadpan face. Kang almost wished the kid had at least some hesitation as he said, "That's fucking stupid."
"Squirt!"
"Kid!" Kang and Han-jae said sharply, horrified at the young man's language, to a police officer nonetheless! Out of everything Kang had been expecting the kid to say, he certainly hadn't been expecting that!
"What?" He asked flatly, sounding completely remorseless as he sat up once more. That time around, the teenager didn't let Kang or Han-jae push him back down, his eyes focused solely on Officer Gwan. "Kang and his family have never hurt me. It's fucking stupid that you're suspecting them of that." Oh, good lord, Kang nearly sobbed with the way the kid was talking to a police officer. If it had been any other time, with any other person, Kang would have been touched by the way the kid was offended for them, but right then and there, he was just absolutely mortified.
Kang didn't know if it was a good or bad sign that Officer Gwan was unfazed. "And the scars?" Officer Gwan asked, a raised eyebrow accompanying the question.
"I grew up in a rough place." The kid shot back just as calmly, "They were all healed by the time I met Kang." Kang realized that he was going to have to remind the kid that even when he was annoyed, he had to control his attitude to give the proper respect, to police officers at the very least. They were lucky that Officer Gwan was a calm man because their current situation would have been a different story if he wasn't.
For a few seconds, all the two of them did was stare at each other, waiting for each other to back down. "Okay." Officer Gwan said after a few seconds, turning to Kang and breaking off eye contact with the boy. Kang pretended to not notice the way the kid almost lifted his head in victory. "I need to ask him a few more questions, you two can't be in here."
"I want them here." The kid said that so fast, Kang or Han-jae didn't even get a chance to answer. Not that they had any complaints because neither of them had any intention of letting the kid be with Officer Gwan by himself.
Kang didn't even want to imagine what the kid would say when it was just the two of them. If the kid was rude with them there, who knew how rude he would be without them.
"You aren't allowed to question minors without their guardians either." Han-jae added on, not that Officer Gwan even blinked at his input.
"I can when it comes to child abuse."
"I don't care. I trust them. Not you. Ask your questions." Kang forgot how intense his kid could be when he didn't want to do something. The tone in his voice left no room for argument and not for the first time, Kang realized that the kid would be a terrifying force to be reckoned with when he was older.
Officer Gwan looked over at him, and Kang knew just from his expression that he was not amused whatsoever. "I see." He said, just accepting the fact that both the patient and his guardians refused to let the officer question the kid in isolation. "Alright, let's start with the most important one. Why did you wait so long to ask for help? Is there a reason why you felt like you couldn't?" Ah, now that was a question. One that Kang wanted answered as well. Why didn't the kid call for help hours, even days before? Everything would have been avoided if the kid had just admitted that his stomach had been hurting longggg before his intestine ruptured.
Kang hoped the kid could feel his and Han-jae's stares boring into the side of his head. Kang wanted, needed, to hear the reasoning behind his kid's idiocy. "I thought I could handle it." the kid said flatly, his expression reflecting his tone, "I thought it would go away if I waited long enough. And I did ask for help, that's why I called Kang." Upon hearing King's sign, the teenager was promptly ducking his head when he saw Kang's disappointed look. "Sorry." He apologized, as if that would be enough to make everything water under the bridge.
All Kang could do was pinch the bridge of his nose. If the kid thought using bravado as an excuse would appease him, he had another thing coming. "We'll be talking about this later." Just the fact that the kid was so readily agreeing meant Squirt knew what he had done and just how unnecessary his secrecy had been.
It wouldn't be the first time when the kid's upbringing had made him do the occasional odd (stupid) thing. Kang just knew there had to be a deeper, more vulnerable explanation behind the kid hiding his ailment.
Officer Gwans' eyebrow must have been working for a salary with the way the officer constantly raised it." You thought you could wait for the pain of your dying intestine to go away?" There was a disbelieving tone in his voice and not for the first time, Kang didn't blame him. It just sounded utterly ridiculous. How could a teenager be so foolish to assume that the pain he was feeling was something that could be waited out? Kang couldn't help but relate to the way Han-jae was dragging his hand down his face, incredulity written all over his expression.
The boy just shrugged his shoulder, seemingly unaware, or perhaps uncaring of their reactions. "I thought it was just a bad stomachache. It wouldn't be the first time I got food poisoning." That sounded even worse, and Kang nearly sobbed out of relief when Officer Gwan moved on to the more generic, standard questions. All the questions were answered with an immediate 'No.' Each time, the kid answered with absolutely no hesitation, as he should have. All the questions were about things that had never happened or fears the kid never had.
However, that was not to say the kid was happy about answering the questions. As the questions went on, the impatience in his voice increased, to the point where even though Kang kept on trying to calm the boy by drumming a beat into his arm with his fingers, all he did was send Kang a fierce glare. The boy was oblivious at times, but obviously not oblivious enough to mistake Kang's attempt at calming him for anything but.
Officer Gwan sighed, bringing the attention back to him. "Alright. I'm done with my questions. I'll go tell Mr. Jeong, I don't find a need to supervise the two of you. Have a good recovery." Officer Gwan said to the squirt, his words short and to the point before he turned to walk out.
"Thank you." Kang said as he opened the door, "Really. Thank you." If it wasn't for Officer Gwan being generous enough to hear him out, and for being the first one in the meeting to realize that Kang had not been the source of the kid's scars, Kang didn't know if everything would have worked out so well. It definitely could have gone worse, but in Kang's opinion, it couldn't have gone any better.
The officer gave him a nod. "You're welcome. Oh, and Jangsu?" Officer Gwan called out to him, a stern tone in his voice, "If you hide something like this again, your guardians will be under suspicion of child abuse. That means that you will have another officer questioning you again." He didn't need to verbalize the 'Don't do this again' in the man's tone, the kid agreeing as he gave the officer a nod.
With that, Officer Gwan walked out of the door, and hopefully, that would be the last time any of them would see him.
As soon as the door was closed, Squirt was flopping his head back onto the bed, a sigh escaping him as he closed his eyes. The kid looked exhausted, and Kang did not doubt that the kid had been so snippy during the questioning because of the fatigue. While it wouldn't excuse the kid completely for his attitude, it would give him some leeway in the lecture he was going to get later.
Kang pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright," The kid cracked open his eyes, barely turning his head towards Kang, "I have a lot of things to talk to you about," Between the kid being an idiot and hiding his symptoms from him, his overall attitude towards the officer, and his parents preparing their own scolding, the poor kid was going to be in a world of well-meaning trouble. "But do you want to get some rest first? You look tired." It was like all the energy had just drained out of the kid the moment Officer Gwan left, leaving nothing but an exhausted teenager behind.
Humming, the kid nodded, his eyes slipping close. "Mhm." He hummed out, the sound dragged out before another yawn escaped him.
Well, that did it. Looks like the kid was going to get some sleep before he had the lecture of his life. Good, he needed his rest. Besides, their parents were most likely going to arrive by the time he woke up so that meant he could get all of his scolding all in one go.
"Ok," Han-jae pulled up the blanket to the kid's chest, Kang threading his fingers through the boy's hair, "Get some rest kid. I'll be here when you wake up." Just like last time, the boy leaned into his hand, and with a single hum of acknowledgment, the kid was out.
The brothers sat in silence for a few minutes, allowing the kid to fall asleep properly before they started talking.
"Well," Han-jae started quietly. "I don't even know where to start."
Kang groaned, his head flopping towards his chest. "I know." With the way everything had been going, they were going to have a conversation starter for quite a long time. Nothing like being accused of abusing your ward to start conversations.
Then there was the topic of the kid's scars. Kang had never seen them for himself, just the old scars on the kid's arms but it wasn't until then that he saw the kid's torso. Kang had only gotten a mere glimpse at the kid's upper body and Kang was questioning if he really wanted to see the rest. Just seeing that one scar was enough to fill Kang with dread, with sorrow because his boy, one who was barely sixteen years old, had scars that put the soldiers' scars to shame. Kang thought he had a few bad scars, but they were nothing compared to the kids.
Just that line of thought was enough to make Kang nearly weep for his boy.
If it wasn't for Han-jae bringing Kang out of his thoughts. He might of. "Why did the kid hide this?" Han-jae asked as he stared at the kid, his thumb rubbing over the kid's forearm back and forth, "He didn't really think he would wait out the pain, did he?" Probably not.
Despite the fact that the kid was very safe with them and despite their level of trust in each other, Kang just knew that it had something to do with his time in the camp. Squirt had mentioned before that in the time when everyone was trying to take advantage of each other, to get a step up on one another, it wasn't safe to admit injuries or ailments. Of course, the kid didn't say it like that, but Kang could read between the lines.
Though it wouldn't be confirmed until Kang heard the kids' reasoning for himself, Kang had no doubt that the boy hid his ailment from them because he really thought he could handle it. The kid thought it was a pain that he was better off hiding and that if he waited long enough, it would go away. Squirt would rather hide his ailment and wait it out instead of admitting he was in pain and that he needed help.
"I have a few ideas." Kang said simply. Han-jae didn't need to hear what Kang thought, at least for the time being.
Though once Kang confirmed that his kid had hidden his ailment out of mere habit, because of the way he had grown up, Kang would share it with him then. It was going to be a vital piece of information later should there be a repeat of the situation again.
Han-jae nodded before adding on, "I don't even know what to say about his scars..." His voice was raw with emotion, his eyes blinking rapidly, "Are they all that bad?"
Kang was caught between being glad he didn't know and almost yearning to know. "I don't know." He whispered back, his eyes focused on Squirt.
The boy's face was a drastic difference compared to theirs. While he was there, sleeping peacefully, looking every part of the child that he was, they were sitting there, their faces reflecting the distress they felt. Kang held onto Squirt's hand, reminding himself that his boy was safe with them. "I've never seen the kid shirtless before and...I don't think I want to know..." Kang felt like his heart had been held in a vice grip when he saw the scar, Kang didn't want to know if there were more scars, or God forbid, there were worse scars.
He didn't want to know how and where his boy had been hurt.
Han-jae nodded his head quietly, letting the subject drop off in favor of silence.
For a few minutes, all they could do was watch over Squirt, the both of them reminding themselves that while the scars were immense, they could do nothing to fix them. The best they could do was make sure the kid was never thrown into an environment like that again.
"Alright." Han-jae started, settling back into the chair as he tried to get comfortable. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when it's time to go pick up Mom and Dad." That sounded like a plan.
The emotional shock was noticeable, but it wasn't enough for the brothers to forget about their lack of sleep. Besides, going to sleep in favor of ignoring their problems didn't sound like a bad idea. "Okay. I'll wake you up."
Kang said that but he was asleep before he could even think of turning on his phone ringer.
------------------------------------------------------
"...ang." His shoulder was tapped, rousing the soldier, "Kang. Wake up." The sound of his kid calling for him made Kang wake up, wincing when he felt his neck ache from the way his head had been hanging backward. "Kang."
"'m awake, I'm awake." Kang sat up straighter in the chair, the urgent tone in the kid's voice helping him wake up. Quickly blinking away sleep, Kang looked at Squirt.
Immediately, Kang noticed the look on his boy's face. To put it briefly, the kid looked utterly freaked out, his hands clutching at the blanket with a vice grip, his lips pressed into a thin line. "What's wrong?" there's no way something happened while he was asleep right? He was right there; how could something happen?
Kang looked to see if Han-jae was also awake, only to see that his brother was gone, a text message on his phone corroborating the fact that he had gone to pick up their parents.
Alright, that answered one question, but by the time Kang learned where his brother went, the kid had yet to answer his question. "Squirt?"
To say that Kang was confused was an understatement when the kid opened and closed his mouth more than once, trying to muster up the courage to tell him something as he looked between his lap and Kang. At last, the kid managed to get his wits together and took a deep breath, only to say:
"There's something sticking out of my dick."
The whiplash Kang felt was indescribable.
"What?" Kang didn't know where he was supposed to start because what did the kid mean by there was something sticking out of his dick???
"There is something in-"
"No-no, I heard you," Kang cut him off quickly, still struggling to wrap his head around the conversation, a conversation that he never thought he would have when he was awake for less than five minutes. "What did they put in there?" Because off the top of his head, Kang really had no idea, the staff didn't tell him anything about sticking something into the kid's dick, he definitely would have remembered something like that.
Squirt's grip on the blankets tightened, his gaze focused solely on his lap. "I don't know. I can't take it out."
Good lord that sounded like a god-awful idea. "Okay, do not take it out." There was no way they could have missed something like that, it had to be something the staff put in if the kid couldn't take it out. Kang wracked his brain, trying to think of what it could be, but he was just blanking out, his brain too frazzled to produce an answer. "Alright, stay here. I'll go ask the nurses about it." Kang started to get up, he was confident the nurses would know what it was and-
"No." The kid hissed out, pulling the blankets higher as if Kang had threatened to rip off the blanket right then and there.
Kang froze, halfway standing up by then. Okay...no asking the nurses then...
How was he supposed to help?
He slowly sat down back into the chair, the two of them falling into silence. Kang was thoroughly confused on what he was supposed to do, and how he was supposed to help if Squirt didn't want to call the nurses.
Well...there was one way...If the kid didn't want him to ask the nurses, or show the nurses...
Taking a deep breath, Kang slowly asked, "Do you...want to show me what's wrong...?"
At last, the kid looked up at Kang, and by God did he look almost scandalized. "No!" the kid said sharply, promptly shutting down that proposal.
Kang certainly didn't mind; he wouldn't deny the sigh of relief he let out when his idea was shot down. He and the kid were close but considering that Kang wouldn't do that for his own brother, it was going to have to be a matter of life and death for Kang to go take a look at the kid's junk.
Only that meant that the original problem still remained. Kang had no idea how he was supposed to help the kid. "Buddy, then I don't know how to help you." How was anyone supposed to help if the kid didn't want anyone to see what he was talking about?
Actually, there was one person who could probably help. "I can asked Dae-hyun if you want-"
"No!" alright that was a no too. The kid was very adamant that no one other than him look at his dick, not that Kang blamed him, though it made it very difficult to give the kid help.
If it wasn't for the fact that the kid refused to look at him, Kang would have been far more firm in his offer to go and grab a nurse. A nurse would definitely be able to know what the kid had in his dick, but at the same time, Kang knew that it was far too personal to force the kid into compliance. "Kid, a nurse really would know what they put in there." Kang said quietly, trying his best to coax the child into agreeing.
All he got was another firm, "No." from him.
He sighed. "Alright, Squirt." Kang laid his hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to show some kind of support, "Just tell me what it looks like, and I can look it up on my phone. No one has to look at it if you don't want them to." It was going to be the best compromise they could get and hopefully, it would work. No one but the kid was going to have to look, and Kang knew that as long as he had a description, he would be able to find an answer.
Thankfully, the kid finally agreed to something, quietly nodding his head, but still not moving.
Kang waited, waiting for the kid to take a look at his junk so he could get a description.
Squirt finally made eye contact with him. "Turn around."
Ah. Well, that explained it. No wonder he wasn't moving.
Heaving out a sigh, Kang stood up and took a few steps away from the bed, his back facing the kid. It was just a tad bit excessive in Kang's opinion, it's not like he would have tried to steal a peek. Kang had his own, he definitely didn't want or need to look, but if the kid wanted another level of privacy, then Kang had no problem obliging.
Kang could hear the blankets shifting around behind him, so he was going to go ahead and assume that the kid felt comfortable enough to actually peel back the blanket. He took out his phone to get ready to type in the description.
A knock on the door stopped their investigation. "Can I come in?" Nurse Goh's voice rang from the other side and likewise, Kang could hear the kid frantically moving the blankets back into place.
"Are you decent?" An affirmative from the kid. "Yeah come in." Kang called back, sitting in the seat again as Nurse Goh entered the room. The kid had the blanket back over his lap, his hands covering his lap as another layer of security. Maybe Kang should ask Nurse Goh after all.
Nurse Goh had a bright smile that didn't match the mood, her hands clasped together as she brightly said, "Alright! I can take out your catheter now!"
Kang connected the dots instantly.
The kid did not. "The what?" he asked, his voice portraying his confusion and distress.
Kang had to turn his head, his hand going up to cover his face as he nearly snorted so he could try to restrain his laughter. Well, it's not like Kang blamed him. If he woke up with something in his penis and he had no idea what it was, and he wasn't able to remove it, Kang knew that he would freak out in the exact same way. Though, in hindsight, it should have been obvious that the kid had been talking about a catheter. It's not like Kang didn't know what they were, but he just didn't remember in time.
There was no chance in hell the kid would have known what a catheter was in the first place, but that didn't make it any less funny.
He took a deep breath. "Your catheter." But Kang had to compose himself because based on the confused noise, Kang knew the kid still had no idea what they were talking about. Kang turned back to the kid, the corners of his mouth threatening to lift. "The tube that's sticking out of your dick, it's a catheter. They put it in so you wouldn't have to get up to go and pee." That didn't seem to help much, but at least the kid didn't look quite as freaked out.
Squirt didn't get a chance to process everything properly before the nurse started moving again. "Yeah, but now I can take it out!" Nurse Goh took a step closer to the bed, but promptly stopped when the kid leaned away from her, recoiling at her presence as if she was right next to him instead of across the room. Nurse Goh instantly recognized the behavior and stopped where she stood. "Oh. Would you like for me to call a male nurse instead? I can call a male nurse if you want."
"No." the kid said firmly, his jaw clenched tightly as he nearly grounded out, "I don't want anyone touching me." Ah...
That complicated things.
Nurse Goh and Kang exchanged looks. Kang had no idea how long the catheter had been in the kid, most likely since the surgery, but Kang knew that the longer it stayed in, the higher the risk for infection got. Nurse Goh wasn't taking it out because it was a nice thing to do, she was taking it out because it was time for it to be thrown away.
She tried once more. "Well, Sweetie we have to take it out," Nurse Goh's tone was kind, her voice patient as she tried to change Squirt's mind. "Any longer and you're running the risk of infection."
That did nothing to sway the boy. Squirt shook his head, his fists holding onto the blanket even tighter, "I don't want anyone to touch me." His tone was firm and Kang already knew that they were facing a bout of the kid emulating a stubborn mule. It was going to take something substantial for the kid to change his mind.
Kang understood the hesitation, but he also thought it was a very needed sacrifice. Yeah, it was going to be embarrassing, but it was necessary so he could stay healthy.
Nurse Goh glanced over at Kang and when they made eye contact, she minutely jerked her head towards the kid, all but telling Kang to try his hand at it.
Right. She was right. Kang moved forward to sit on the edge of his seat. The catheter needed to be taken out. The kid was already at risk for sepsis, he didn't need to be at risk for a UTI as well. "Squirt. It won't take longer than a few minutes. She just has to deflate the balloon that's in your bladder and then she can take it out. It won't take longer than changing your bandages. Besides, I'm sure Nurse Goh has done this before, it'll be quick." Kang tried.
And failed miserably.
The kid shook his head even harder. Stubbornly refusing any offer for someone to take out the catheter. "I said no."
They exchanged looks. "I'll be right back." Nurse Goh said, slipping out of the door, leaving the two of them in tense silence.
Squirt shifted on the bed, turning his head away from Kang, his body language already showing his refusal for discussion.
Kang sighed. "Squirt," Just a gentle brushing of his hand against the kid's shoulder was enough to make the boy pull away. Kang got the hint and lowered his hand, resting it on the bed instead. "You know I wouldn't make you do something if it wasn't needed." He kept his voice gentle, he needed to convince the kid, not strong-arm him into it.
Unfortunately, his efforts were failing. Just the way the kid pulled the blanket tighter around him was enough for Kang to know.
He tried another approach, they needed to take it out and soon. "Nurse Goh won't have to touch you if you don't want her to. If it's simple enough, she can tell you how to take it out, but she has to supervise." As far as Kang knew, it was going to be a simple removal. They just had to deflate the balloon in the kid's bladder, the same one that kept the catheter in place, and from there, it was just a matter of pulling it out. The only problem is that Kang didn't know if the hospital policies would actually allow the kid to do it himself, but he could certainly ask.
The kid looked over at him, and the kid really had to be nervous if he wasn't able to control his expression like he usually did. His lips were a thin white line and his brow furrowed, showing his distress over it.
The door opened before Squirt could answer Kang.
Nurse Goh from the front desk walked in, followed by the younger Nurse Goh.
The older woman did not look happy, there was no greeting, no nothing, she just started. "Do you want to lose your penis?" Kang nearly sputtered at the question, the younger woman whispered a sharp 'mom!' but Nurse Goh did not give a single shit as she just plowed through it, "Because if you don't let us take out the catheter, then you're going to catch an infection in your urethra. That's going to start eating away at your flesh and that's how you get a penile amputation. Then you have to pee in a bag for the rest of your life and then a nurse will have to change your catheter every day. Do you want that? Or do you want to let her change your catheter now and never have to deal with it again?"
Kang crossed his legs. Jesus, he wasn't even the one being scolded, and she had him reacting like that. That scolding was certainly enough to convince anyone in Kang's opinion.
It was just a question if it was enough for the kid.
He looked over at the kid, just in time to see him respond.
His question came out all in one go. "Can I do it myself with her supervision?" The volume of his voice didn't match his demeanor, but Kang was just thankful that the kid was willing to consider it. Good, because Kang had no idea what they were supposed to do if that or the fear mongering hadn't worked.
The mother answered within seconds. "Yes. Chae-won. Get that boy some gloves." Nurse Goh, the younger one, nodded and stepped towards the gloves as her mother turned to Kang. "Sir, you're going to have to step out for this."
Kang didn't get a chance to agree. "No. I want him to stay." The kid quickly said, not that Nurse Goh was fazed. If it hadn't happened earlier with Officer Gwan, Kang would have been surprised that the kid was so insistent on his presence.
She just nodded. "Alright. He can stay. I'll let you guys get to it." Just like that, Nurse Goh walked out the door, the younger Nurse Goh was handing the kid a pair of gloves, and the kid was giving Kang a pointed look.
"I'm going I'm going." Kang said as he turned around, only that time, Kang stayed close enough so he could provide help or emotional support. Emotional support that was very much needed as Kang felt a hand brush up against his arm before Nurse Goh reminded the kid that he needed to keep his gloves clean.
The blankets were being moved. Quiet instructions as Nurse Goh guided the kid into removing his catheter, instructing him what to do to deflate the balloon and to slowly, pull the tube out. A complaint from the kid that it felt uncomfortable, Kang had no doubt that it felt weird removing it, and after a few seconds, a sound of approval.
"You did great," Nurse Goh praised the boy, and a tap on Kang's arm signaled that he was safe to turn around. Nurse Goh waved Kang goodbye as she walked out with a red biohazard bag, leaving the two of them in the room once more.
Upon turning around, Kang was met with the sight of the kid looking just so unbelievably tired, his arm slung over his face as he lay in the bed. "Kang." The teenager muttered, his voice portraying his exhaustion. "I want to go home." He whispered, sounding so childish at that moment.
Kang just smiled. "I know you do." After the little scene they just had, Kang had no doubt that the kid wanted nothing more than to leave. "But you did have some of your intestines removed. You're going to have to stay for another day at least." All he got was a groan in response.
"Where did Han-jae go?" the kid asked, scrubbing at his face in an attempt to relieve some stress.
"The airport. He's picking up Mom and Dad. They should be here soon."
Squirt froze, slowly, he turned to look at Kang, his lips pressed into a white line once more. "...Ah-in is going to be mad. Isn't she?"
Kang nearly laughed at that. "Oh yeah. Why do you think I haven't told you anything about hiding this, she's going to get mad at both of us."
"Oh...sorry." The words were whispered, but Kang knew that the kid meant it. Squirt had never been one to say empty words.
The soldier patted the boy's arm, internally happy that the kid was letting Kang touch him again. "It's okay. I just want to know why you didn't tell me you were in pain. I asked you if you were okay more than once." Kang couldn't quite keep the edge out of his voice, but it's not like it wasn't deserved. The kid had landed himself in the hospital for god's sake, all because he wanted to keep his pain a secret.
The teenager sighed, his arm covering his eyes once more. "I really thought it was just a bad stomachache."
Kang sighed. He didn't want to hear the answer, he really didn't want to hear the answer, but he had to ask. "When did you know it wasn't a stomachache?"
There was a long, long pause, and just that in itself was damning.
He didn't know what he expected.
"Alright," Kang heaved out. There was no point in waiting for the answer, Kang already knew it. "That's just about what I expected. But this is the first and last time this happens, am I understood?" A nod, Kang hummed in approval. "Good. Get some rest. The more you rest, the faster you can be discharged."
"Yes sir." The boy pulled up the blanket, getting comfortable once more on his side, his back facing Kang. Kang found himself wondering if it was really a good idea for the kid to be lying like that, but if the kid found it comfortable, it was probably fine.
"...sir?"
"Yeah?"
There was a long pause, long enough that Kang thought the kid had fallen asleep mid-conversation. Just as Kang was about to stand up and check if his boy had fallen asleep, he heard the quietest. "Thank you. For staying with me."
Kang smiled and ruffled the kid's hair, as he did that, Kang heard a gentle sigh escape the boy, tension leaving the boy's body. "You don't have to thank me for that."
He would have done it either way.