The Words of Someone: [CH1] January 30
It had been weeks since Eli was able to sleep last. At least since he was able to sleep normally. For the past few weeks, he had been tossing and turning, up and down, all through the hours of the night. He couldn’t rest knowing that his precious Kevin had been hurt and potentially suffering from permanent damage. It had been twenty-eight calendar days since Kevin had slipped into a coma. The hospital was too concerned for his instability to perform any kind of tests with his condition, so they couldn’t determine the severity of his brain damage. But, they were certain that something had traumatized his brain, hence the coma.
It was 7:30am on a Tuesday morning. January 30th. Eli had been awake since 4am after going to bed at 2am. The small amount of sleep he was getting was beginning to affect his health. He had caught a cold and couldn’t seem to shake being weary. He knew he was tired-he felt tired-but he couldn’t sleep to save his life. Soohyun was the first awake among the others. He was making coffee for him and Eli. The kitchen was quiet. Soohyun knew better than to ask if he’d been to bed. The answer would most likely be, “Sure. But not for longer than an hour or two.”
Soohyun was feeling rather dreary, as well. Kevin was, after all, one of his close friends. Hell, he was close friends with them all. Ever since Eli and Kevin first started dating, Soohyun took it upon himself to keep the kid safe. He meant a lot to Eli. He was like Kibum’s Siamese twin, or something. No matter what he was to them, he was still important. Soohyun felt miserable that he couldn’t make any of them-including himself-feel better about the situation. Eli finally spoke up after a sip of coffee. “I hope he wakes up soon. I wish he’d wake up…”
Soohyun merely nodded, sitting next to him at the kitchen table. “Me, too, Eli.”
“Soohyun,” Eli murmured, “he will wake up, won’t he? Do you think he’ll wake up?”
Soohyun shifted nervously, feeling uncomfortable in what answer he had to offer. “Eli, none of us can say for sure. The possibilities exist, but no one is even remotely certain of the truth.”
Eli nodded softly and stared at the steaming coffee in the cup. ‘Mornings are a lot colder now, Kevin,’ Eli thought quietly.
Kibum quietly shuffled into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting with them. “Morning,” he tried to converse.
“Morning,” Soohyun responded.
Eli said nothing. Eli was still dazedly staring at the coffee in his cup. Finally, he moved to take a sip and awkwardly smiled for a moment at Kibum. It wasn’t a genuine smile. It was simple a reassurance that he was trying. “What’s on the agenda for today?” Kibum asked.
There was silence for a few minutes, leaving Kibum in an awkward position as he cuddled close to Soohyun. “I want to go see Kevin again today,” Eli mumbled. “That’s it.”
Kibum nodded and Soohyun agreed. They had decided to skip a day or two in between visits because Soohyun and Kibum wondered how healthy it was for Eli to continuously see Kevin in that condition. But, they would allow it today. It seemed like it was truly what Eli needed.
Everyone else had taken their sweet time waking up. However, once everyone was awake and at least in the process of getting dressed, Eli, Kibum, and Soohyun made preparations to leave. They all piled in the SUV they’d bought together and Soohyun drove them to the hospital down the road a ways. (And, yes. Kibum still gave Soohyun crap off and on about the whole ordeal a year or two ago about his little incident on their vacation. He often told him perhaps he shouldn’t drive, since it seemed like they ended up stranded a lot.)
Eli was the first one out of the SUV and up the stairs to the hospital doors, the others simply following along behind him. They knew the room Kevin was staying in already (hopefully, with as many times as they visited) and checked in at the nurse’s station outside of it. They let Eli go in alone for a bit, since it seemed he needed it the most-as always.
Eli sat at Kevin’s side and held his hand. “Your hands are somewhat cold, Kevin,” Eli whispered. “Please, Kevin. Please, for the love of God, stay with me. Wake up from this and be okay. Please. I need you, I can’t live without you. Or at least I don’t want to even imagine what it would feel like doing so.”
Warm, salty tears slipped from Eli’s eyes. They spotted the once perfectly white hospital bed sheets that Kevin rested so angelically on. The cuts and bruises were fading fast. All that remained was the wound on the back of his head, and even it seemed like it was getting better. He was starting to look more and more like himself each day that Eli saw him. The doctor stepped in and shut the door behind him, leaving the others outside. “He’s doing well,” the doctor murmured. “The way the abrasions are healing, it means that his vitals are doing well.”
“That’s really good to know. Do you… think he’ll wake up soon?”
“It’s hard to say,” the doctor murmured. “But, I have faith that he will wake up. I just can’t tell when.”
Eli smiled at least a little faintly. He used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away the tears a bit. The doctor smiled. “I’ll leave you be for a bit longer,” he murmured, exiting.
“Kevin,” Eli whispered, pressing his lips to Kevin’s cheek. He buried his face into Kevin’s hair. “Kevin, I love you,” he whispered again softly into his ear. “Please… please, wake up soon.”
Eli kissed his lips gently and stood, opening the door. The others gathered around Kevin and mumbled a few things. Kiseop cracked a small joke about how Kevin still looked like a girl. It made everyone chuckle a little. Then, they all decided it’d be best to head home. Eli felt exhausted. The relief, though, from the doctor’s words put him at ease-just slightly. At ease enough to make him feel the exhaustion.
As soon as they made it home, Eli retired to his room and found himself easily falling asleep for the first time in almost an entire month.
It was 7:30am on a Tuesday morning. January 30th. Eli had been awake since 4am after going to bed at 2am. The small amount of sleep he was getting was beginning to affect his health. He had caught a cold and couldn’t seem to shake being weary. He knew he was tired-he felt tired-but he couldn’t sleep to save his life. Soohyun was the first awake among the others. He was making coffee for him and Eli. The kitchen was quiet. Soohyun knew better than to ask if he’d been to bed. The answer would most likely be, “Sure. But not for longer than an hour or two.”
Soohyun was feeling rather dreary, as well. Kevin was, after all, one of his close friends. Hell, he was close friends with them all. Ever since Eli and Kevin first started dating, Soohyun took it upon himself to keep the kid safe. He meant a lot to Eli. He was like Kibum’s Siamese twin, or something. No matter what he was to them, he was still important. Soohyun felt miserable that he couldn’t make any of them-including himself-feel better about the situation. Eli finally spoke up after a sip of coffee. “I hope he wakes up soon. I wish he’d wake up…”
Soohyun merely nodded, sitting next to him at the kitchen table. “Me, too, Eli.”
“Soohyun,” Eli murmured, “he will wake up, won’t he? Do you think he’ll wake up?”
Soohyun shifted nervously, feeling uncomfortable in what answer he had to offer. “Eli, none of us can say for sure. The possibilities exist, but no one is even remotely certain of the truth.”
Eli nodded softly and stared at the steaming coffee in the cup. ‘Mornings are a lot colder now, Kevin,’ Eli thought quietly.
Kibum quietly shuffled into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting with them. “Morning,” he tried to converse.
“Morning,” Soohyun responded.
Eli said nothing. Eli was still dazedly staring at the coffee in his cup. Finally, he moved to take a sip and awkwardly smiled for a moment at Kibum. It wasn’t a genuine smile. It was simple a reassurance that he was trying. “What’s on the agenda for today?” Kibum asked.
There was silence for a few minutes, leaving Kibum in an awkward position as he cuddled close to Soohyun. “I want to go see Kevin again today,” Eli mumbled. “That’s it.”
Kibum nodded and Soohyun agreed. They had decided to skip a day or two in between visits because Soohyun and Kibum wondered how healthy it was for Eli to continuously see Kevin in that condition. But, they would allow it today. It seemed like it was truly what Eli needed.
Everyone else had taken their sweet time waking up. However, once everyone was awake and at least in the process of getting dressed, Eli, Kibum, and Soohyun made preparations to leave. They all piled in the SUV they’d bought together and Soohyun drove them to the hospital down the road a ways. (And, yes. Kibum still gave Soohyun crap off and on about the whole ordeal a year or two ago about his little incident on their vacation. He often told him perhaps he shouldn’t drive, since it seemed like they ended up stranded a lot.)
Eli was the first one out of the SUV and up the stairs to the hospital doors, the others simply following along behind him. They knew the room Kevin was staying in already (hopefully, with as many times as they visited) and checked in at the nurse’s station outside of it. They let Eli go in alone for a bit, since it seemed he needed it the most-as always.
Eli sat at Kevin’s side and held his hand. “Your hands are somewhat cold, Kevin,” Eli whispered. “Please, Kevin. Please, for the love of God, stay with me. Wake up from this and be okay. Please. I need you, I can’t live without you. Or at least I don’t want to even imagine what it would feel like doing so.”
Warm, salty tears slipped from Eli’s eyes. They spotted the once perfectly white hospital bed sheets that Kevin rested so angelically on. The cuts and bruises were fading fast. All that remained was the wound on the back of his head, and even it seemed like it was getting better. He was starting to look more and more like himself each day that Eli saw him. The doctor stepped in and shut the door behind him, leaving the others outside. “He’s doing well,” the doctor murmured. “The way the abrasions are healing, it means that his vitals are doing well.”
“That’s really good to know. Do you… think he’ll wake up soon?”
“It’s hard to say,” the doctor murmured. “But, I have faith that he will wake up. I just can’t tell when.”
Eli smiled at least a little faintly. He used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away the tears a bit. The doctor smiled. “I’ll leave you be for a bit longer,” he murmured, exiting.
“Kevin,” Eli whispered, pressing his lips to Kevin’s cheek. He buried his face into Kevin’s hair. “Kevin, I love you,” he whispered again softly into his ear. “Please… please, wake up soon.”
Eli kissed his lips gently and stood, opening the door. The others gathered around Kevin and mumbled a few things. Kiseop cracked a small joke about how Kevin still looked like a girl. It made everyone chuckle a little. Then, they all decided it’d be best to head home. Eli felt exhausted. The relief, though, from the doctor’s words put him at ease-just slightly. At ease enough to make him feel the exhaustion.
As soon as they made it home, Eli retired to his room and found himself easily falling asleep for the first time in almost an entire month.