Taking Care Of Him After Surgery ~ Im Jaebum
A soft sigh came from you as finally the hospital was in sight, recognising the building after many trips with an accident-prone boyfriend before. You were exhausted, having rushed to catch a flight to Seoul, sleep had evaded you for some time, leaving your body on its last legs.
“Are you there?” You could hear Jinyoung ask on the phone, having been there to give you directions since you landed at the airport. “If you go up to the reception desk, I told them when I left him at the theatre that you’d be paying a visit whenever you could land in Korea.”
When you heard that Jaebum was being rushed in for surgery on a back injury, you were stranded. You weren’t quite sure why luck had been so kind to you, but a few hours later you were on your way over so that you could help out with the recovery process.
“I’m here, I’ve just got to the hospital,” you finally replied to Jinyoung, approaching the reception desk. “I’ll hang up now, and I’ll give you a text if they say anything about visitors coming to see him later tonight.”
With that, the two of you ended your conversation, leaving you to figure out the rest of the way by yourself. The grounds were busy, with patients going in and out, people with worried expressions, and several with smiles as they were given their time to go home.
As you walked, your mind could only imagine the emotions that Jaebum would experiencing as he laid in bed. From what you’d heard, the surgery was big, but it was needed, at least to prolong his career and finally bring an end to the suffering he’d endured.
Once you reached the reception, you were clueless, approaching the desk. A woman was sat at a computer, speaking on the phone as you neared, doubtful that you were in the right spot.
Just looking around at all the signs and doorways was enough to send a shiver down your spine. Hospitals had never been a place that you enjoyed, but at least to be able to support Jaebum, it was a place you could be for a short while.
“Can I help you?” She asked as her call ended.
“I’m looking for Im Jaebum,” you informed her, “I’m not too sure if I’m in the right place, he’s had surgery on his back if that helps at all.”
“You’re in the right place,” she calmly responded, quickly picking up on your panic. “We were told that you were coming, just let me check where he’s recovering, and I’ll direct you in the right way to go.”
Your head nodded, taking a step back from the desk as she typed away on her computer, relaying the exact route to his suite to you jut a few moments later.
“I know it’s scary, but I promise you that he’s in very good hands,” she finished off informing you.
“Thank you,” you smiled before approaching the elevator.
Her instructions stuck in the back of your head as you went to the elevators, finding the floor that Jaebum would be on, before trying to find the way to his suite. You walked along several corridors until finally you were sure you’d found the department you were looking for.
As you walked in, there were several suites, each with names written just beside the door in order to help the staff, and confused visitors like you, find exactly who you were looking for.
Once you found Jaebum’s room, you stopped. A heavy sigh came from you before you glanced through the window, noticing him laid out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Your hand slowly reached for the door handle, pushing it down slowly, peering around the door as his eyes looked to see who was coming into his room.
“Hey,” you whispered, walking into the room, letting go of a chuckle at the surprise in Jaebum’s expression. “How are you feeling?”
“Never mind how I’m feeling, what are you doing here?” He croaked, trying to sit up.
“I came to see you,” you stated, taking a seat beside his bed as his hand stretched out for you to take. “Jinyoung called and told me what was going on with you.”
His eyes studied you closely, unable to quite believe that you were sat beside him. The pain almost felt as if it had subsided, recovered as a result of your presence right by his side.
“You didn’t need to come all the way here for me, I would have been alright,” he whispered, feeling your hand squeeze gently against his own. “You must be exhausted too.”
“That doesn’t matter, you’re the priority. How was the surgery? Does it still hurt?”
“Surgery went well, the pain is probably as good as it can be for a guy who just spent four hours on an operating table,” he joked in response.
Your smile slowly grew as you saw for yourself how high his spirits were. “I hate to say I told you so, but I told you months ago to get your back looked at, and now look at you.”
As much as he hated to admit it, you were right all along about his persistent injury. “I got it sorted in the end, and that’s the main thing. But now you’re here, you know that I’m going to make sure you’re the one looking after me.”
“Why else do you think I flew all the way over here? No way did I trust any of the others to help you with your recovery.”
“Thank you,” he suddenly whispered, settling back properly in his bed. “As angry as I want to be at you and Jinyoung for all of this, I’m really grateful that you made the effort to come here, secretly, I really needed you here with me right now for all of this.”
“I’ll look after you,” you assured him, running your free hand over the top of his head, “you’re going to be in a bit of a pickle for quite some time, especially with it being your back too.”
“I don’t need you reminding me, it already hurts enough Y/N.”
You muttered a quick apology before leaning forwards to press a soft kiss against the top of his head. As difficult as you knew the recovery would be for Jaebum, there was never anyone more determined than him to complete something that he put his mind too.
“You should probably sleep for a bit,” his voice spoke as the room fell silent, “I can’t begin to imagine how much of a rush it’s been for you to get over here so quickly.”
“I don’t need sleep, I need my eyes open to keep an eye on you,” you joked, tapping the top of his head, “I don’t want you to run before you can walk, I know exactly what you’re like usually.”
“I don’t think they’ll even be any walking for me for some time just yet.”
As much as he tried to smile through it, you could hear the pain in his voice too. “Just remember, this surgery will help, months and years from now. Even if it might feel like you’re in a whole other world right now.”
“I’ll be fine, especially now I’ve got you here with me.”
“Exactly, you’ll be on the mend in no time.”
