A Lesson In Time [Sehun]

1

Sehun looks out his window and stares off into space. It was fall time, which meant pumpkin and leaf piles galore. This also meant that school was in session for many.

So, on this beautiful fall afternoon, Sehun was stuck doing homework.

His eyes flutter shut and he sighs. He twists the pencil around in his grip. Science is a tricky subject for some, but for Sehun it was second nature. Sure he had a hard time at first, but that doesn't mean give up.

Suddenly there was a soft knock at the door.

"Come in." Sehun mumbles.

The door squeaks open and someone walks into the room. They walk over to Sehun's bed and carefully sit down on the edge.

"Sehun-ah." His mother says in a calm voice. Sehun looks over and sets his pencil down, then motions for her to continue. "I have some bad news."

Sehun furrows his eyebrows and cocks his head over to the side. "What's wrong?"

His mother looks down at the floor, he can see her eyes start to water. "Your father," she croaks, "was checked into a hospital this morning. He was caught in a car accident."

Sehun's stomach drops. His father is... hurt? Dead? He turns away from his mother to try and hide his tears, but she knows.

A mother always knows.

"Sehun-ah, we must visit your father tonight."

Sehun's voice cracks. "Okay."

With that, she leaves the room, grieving for her husband and son. She wants to reach out, but that would be awkward and uncomfortable.

When the door shuts, Sehun covers his face with his shirt and curls into himself while he cries.
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Hospitals are not a friendly place when you first arrive. No place is friendly on the first visit. But there's something mysterious about them as well.

But right now, Sehun doesn't want to know the history, he wants to know that his father is okay.

The nurse is very careful where she steps in conversation as she leads the Oh family to their third member. When they open the room door, Sehun notices how bleak the room is. The white walls create a boring atmosphere, and the light leaves nothing to the imagination.

He couldn't ignore all the wires around his father.

His mother immediately rushes over to the bed and grabs her husband's hand. She bows her head and begins to pray for his health, for their future, and the other person who was caught up in the car accident.

Sehun keeps an eye on his father as he stalks over to a chair beside the bed. He pulls it closer to the foot of the bed and lays a hand on his father's shin. No words could be said at this moment, it was only the sounds of his mother praying/crying and the machines.

After what seems like twenty minutes, but was actually three hours, a nurse and a doctor come in with solemn looks on their faces.

"Mrs. Oh, what is your plan of action? Should we continue treatment or take him off life support?" The doctor asks.

"We'll take him off."

"Keep him on."

Sehun turns to his mother with a look of disgust and betrayal. "What? Mother!" He shouts, but it doesn't make her flinch.

"Sehun-ah, he's not going to get any better."

"How do you know that? What if the next day he's perfectly fine? That's why you were praying, no?" Sehun rants but it has no effect.

"Sehun, please understand. This is..." His mother seems to be lost on words.

Sehun is livid. His mother is no help. She'd rather see her own husband dead than alive. Why would she even waste her prayers if she was just going to kill him off anyways? It was dumb. The whole situation was. He should be home right now, eating supper with his father, instead of sitting in a hospital chair.

"It's time." The doctor announces. The nurse nods.

"No! Please don't do this, he can live." Sehun pleads, he stands up but someone holds him back.

Someone watches the clock while someone else reaches down to unplug life support.

The line goes flat.

The time is reported.

Ms. Oh breaks down.

And Sehun can't take it.