Page 86 of Damian & Jun, Episodes 13-16
“He fought off the sedative long enough to help. Collapsed right after,” Ellisandre said. “Almost as soon as he saw you were safe, he was out. If it was just a sedative, he’ll be fine. If not, the hospital will figure out what was in the syringe. They’re running it to a laboratory now.”
“It’s a good hospital,” Damian said. “He’s in good hands.”
Jun grimaced and nodded, then put his hand to the bruise by his waist. Knowing Richard and Émeric, he was going to be seeing the inside of the same hospital soon. But first, he needed to see Su-jin and Jaewoong. At least he had the Residency already. Richard, Émeric, Collin, and Damian were all there. No one was dead. No one was missing.
Damian
Damian stayed out of the way, gripping his wrist with one hand behind his back, letting the doctors poke and prod the large purple bruise between Jun’s hip and his ribs as he lay on the examination table. It looked like it was spreading, the mark wrapping around towards Jun’s back, even though the impact had been frontal and glancing.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to erase the memory of rushing into that room and seeing Jun standing above his father, arm running with blood, eyes full of fury, looking stronger than Damian had ever seen him before.
His chest had burned with pride and clenched with fear. There had been so much blood. At first he wasn’t sure where it had been coming from. And he’d been right to worry. They’d come so close. The crease in the bulletproof vest validated every seemingly over the top protection he’d planned with Richard and Ellisandre going into the evening. And still—with Jamal right there, Timothy only steps away, cameras and listening devices in the room, panic buttons on every principle—still, they’d come to this.
Damian breathed out, forcing calm through his nerves. What was running through his veins now was after-fear. Not a real word, but he was going with it. He’d felt something akin to this when rushing across the US after being informed that Émeric, Richard, and Collin were all hospitalized. Perhaps he was destined to always be standing in attendance in the aftermath of violence. It wasn’t right that Jun was hurt again and he was not.
Not just Jun. Jamal and Maleko, too. They were both being attended by doctors. And Geun was only one exam room away. Yohei and Su-jin were with him. Jaewoong had wedged himself into Jun’s room only a few feet away from Damian.
Jun raised his eyes from speaking with the doctor. “DaSu.”
Damian moved closer. Jun motioned with his head for Damian to be even closer. He didn’t stop until Damian was right beside him. “Hope you don’t mind a little blood.”
“There’s less of it now than before.”
Jun huffed. He looked half asleep but still wired. Damian pressed his body against the exam table, his hand on Jun’s chest. Jun tangled his hand in the front of Damian’s shirt and turned his face so that he could rest his forehead against Damian’s hip.
“We’re going to get started, Mr. Gang,” the doctor said.
Jun nodded for them to get on with it. Damian rested his hand against Jun’s cheek, shielding him from seeing what the doctors were about to do. “He’s ready.”
The doctor nodded. “Just keep him steady. The local anesthetic is working now. It should be painless.”
“So tired,” Jun slurred into Damian’s jacket. He was speaking English.
“He’s good,” Damian told the doctor. “Go for it.”
The doctor nodded and got to work.
The door opened and Collin slipped inside beside Jaewoong. How had he managed that? Damian raised an eyebrow.
Collin blushed and stepped close, avoiding the doctor and his assistant. “Jamal is getting scanned. Then Maleko. Geun’s getting an X-ray. Richard sent me to check on you.”
“Scans are done,” Damian kept his voice low. “They’re going to keep him overnight to watch for internal bleeding.”
“Want to go home,” Jun complained. His eyes were fully closed.
Colin rested his hand on Jun’s thigh and squeezed gently. “If they’re concerned, you should stay.”
Jun let go of Damian and reached for Collin. “I want to go home.”
Collin squeezed back and let Jun hang on to him. “We’ll get home. It just might take a little longer. We have to make sure you’re all right.”
Jun shook his head, his hair making rubbing sounds against Damian's suit. “‘m always al’ight when, with…you.”
Collin smiled, blinking hard, and looked at Damian.
Goddammit. Damian blinked fast himself, breathing through his nose. He was not going to cry. “We’re with you, Jun, here or at a home.”
“Okay, Alpha.” Jun slumped a bit. The doctor grunted and adjusted his work.
