Baby's Breath

**Chapter 8**

Baekhyun had never seen so much white in his life. The white sheets, the bleached walls, the pale uniforms of medical staff rushing Chanyeol onto a stretcher, the white ambulance... He couldn't fathom how much scarier everything must be for Chanyeol who was watching everything unfold in the perspective of a child. "I need to be with him," he told the staff as they loaded Chanyeol into the back of the ambulance, "He's scared."

And so was he. Hastily, he climbed into the tight vehicle and clutched Chanyeol's pale hand between his own. All the neighbors had come out to watch, some murmuring that maybe Chanyeol had finally met his maker, or he had gone insane.

Baekhyun stared as the staff did everything they could to keep Chanyeol comfortable, first placing an oxygen mask over his mouth to open his lungs. He felt more helpless than the person on the stretcher, being without the power to do anything but watch his own stepbrother wither, all because of him.

"It's just the flu."

Baekhyun looked up at the doctor flashing him a warm, almost fatherly smile (he hadn't thought doctors were capable of such a kind gesture), then let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He pried his hands apart, belatedly realizing that he had been scraping the dead skin off of his cuticles out of nervousness. "So, is he okay?" he asked, not quite willing to let go of the weight on his shoulders.

"He'll be fine in a couple of days. We'll have him on bedrest for a day or two, then he should be good to go home." the doctor explained, "Home is the best place to be when you're sick, not in a hospital."

The two chuckled, although Baekhyun still looked troubled after thanking the other man. "Excuse me, sir..." he mumbled hesitantly, "Is there a possibility... that... maybe... Chanyeol will get better?"

"Better?" The doctor tucked the end of his stethoscope into his pocket where Baekhyun saw a sleek, black nametag engraved with the characters "Kim Joonmyeon". The doctor had a kind face and an even kinder voice that assured him Chanyeol was in good hands.

"My stepbrother's sort of... special." he said, "He was in an accident several years ago and he doesn't think like normal kids. I was wondering... if he tries really hard... is there a possibility that he can... be normal again?"

Joonmyeon ushered Baekhyun over to the line of seats against one side of the waiting room, then sat down with a sigh. "Mental illnesses and mental retardation are two entirely different things. Mental retardation is usually genetic, 90% of these cases... are lifelong conditions." He paused and glanced over at Baekhyun who had his gaze set on his lap as if he had just committed a crime. "Patients with mental illnesses, on the other hand, can be cured with counseling and therapy."

"We can't afford that, a psychologist, I mean..."

"Who said you needed a psychologist?" Joonmyeon chuckled, gently poking the center of Baekhyun's chest with two fingers, "The best type of therapy is the one that heals the heart." He raised his eyebrows slightly when the younger boy stared at him blankly. "Love," he emphasized, "I'll prescribe love; overdoses are fine."

With that lesson embedded in Baekhyun's heart, Joonmyeon excused himself from the waiting room and left Baekhyun to wonder if the doctor had answered his question

or given him another to solve on his own.

"Hey... how you doing?" Baekhyun quietly asked Chanyeol who was sitting up on his bed, still pale as ever but better than the last time he had seen him. He was relieved that it only turned out to be a fever and nothing drastic or fatal. He thought Chanyeol was having a seizure or some brief relapses, but it was only a bad case of the flu. Baekhyun took a seat on the edge of the stiff mattress and tugged on one end of Chanyeol's hair. "You should have told me if you were feeling sick."