Work Text:
When Jaewon opened his eyes, he was greeted with an unfamiliar but yet so familiar white ceiling. His head hurts, he couldn’t feel much strength in his body, his left arm was in a cast and when he tried to sit up…
“Ah fuck.”
His chest hurts like a bitch.
He groaned and fell back into bed. He didn’t know when it started but he’s been cursing a lot more. Can’t be help when his mentor and the nurse he worked closest with curse on everyday basis.
That thought amused him that he couldn’t help chuckling but he regretted right away.
Right, that pain in his chest.
What the hell happened? What time is it? Dr. Baek is going to kill him for lying down here.
And what about that patient?
All the thinking made Jaewon’s head hurt even more. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned in pain but that made things worse because his chest hurt again.
“You’re awake?”
That familiar voice helped distract Jaewon a little, just a little. He opened his eyes and saw Jangmi half jogged to his bedside. Not wanting to look weak, he tried to ignore the pain and forced himself to sit up.
As if that would work on Jangmi.
“I’m a senior nurse at the Trauma Centre.” She said as she helped Jaewon sit up gently then sat down on the chair beside him, passing him his glasses at the same time. “And I was there when you’re getting assessed.”
“What happened?”
“Two of your ribs were fractured but thankfully they’re non-displaced. CT was clean but you have a mild concussion. Seriously, I don’t even know if I should say you’re lucky or unlucky.”
“What about the patient?” Jaewon asked quickly, wanting to stop Jangmi’s nagging because he could feel her tone escalating.
“He regained conscious just before you, the surgery went well. If not for you, it probably would have taken a longer time. I don’t think the resident would want that.”
Understanding what Jangmi meant, Jaewon could almost see that image of the poor resident getting shouted at for being too slow. He chuckled at his own imagination.
Wrong move.
“Damn it.” Jaewon groaned. “Don’t make me laugh.”
He noticed Jangmi biting back a laugh and continued.
“Don’t laugh too. Go back to work.”
“This is my work, I’m at work.” Jangmi managed to swallow back her laugh. “Dr. Baek sent me here to check on you, the patient.”
Jaewon took a quick glance at his surroundings, everything was the same. Except that he’s in one of the hospital beds, wearing the patient gown, instead of running around in his scrubs and white coat.
This whole treating him like a patient(although he’s one), he didn’t like it one bit. Now he understood why Dr. Baek chased everyone out when he first woke up after his surgery.
“Don’t call me a patient.”
This time, Jangmi did laugh.
Han Yurim was the next to visit him and it was weird.
Really weird. How did he even find out anyway?
“Are you okay? Where are you hurting? We were doing all the tests and you suddenly passed out. I thought Baek Kanghyuk will need to crack that skull open.”
“Yah yah yah, Jaewon look at us.”
“Huh?”
Oh right, he was there during all the tests too.
Jaewon could only laughed awkwardly as Dr. Han kept bombarding him with questions.
“You scared the hell out of us!” He ended his ramblings with an exasperated shout which made Jaewon jumped a little and that made his chest hurts once again.
He groaned for the umpteenth time of that day.
Getting a shock hurts.
Sitting up hurts.
Laughing hurts.
Talking hurts.
Heck, even breathing hurts.
“Dr. Han, maybe we should let the patient rest?” Nurse Hong who heard the commotion came to Jaewon’s rescue. But hearing her call him the patient didn’t sit very well for him.
Jaewon was bored. Not that he would want anybody to fuss over him but he was bored.
He asked for the papers Dr. Baek gave him to study but it was rejected by all the nurses and residents.
“Sorry, Dr. Baek’s and Nurse Jangmi’s instructions.”
So, Jaewon was simply just sitting there on his bed, watching everything unfold. Dr. Baek and Jangmi were nowhere to be found which he assumed that they were in one of the operating rooms.
He did hear the PA system calling for trauma team. But because they gave him painkillers for his chest pain, he was already half in dreamland when that happened.
Some of the nurses were doing discharge, explaining to the families what should be done and all. It’s always nice to see patients leaving the hospital all recovered.
Jaewon continued watching the area. Were their desks always so messy? The coffee cups need to be cleared. The charts would get dirty. Where was the patient from last night anyway? Maybe he should asked to see his files.
“Anus!” A loud voice brought him out from his trance. He turned to where the voice came from and saw the cheeky smile of Ju Hyungwook and a normal Park Gyeongwon.
More ‘are you okay’s coming.
“You’re evil.” Jaewon stated.
“Was just cheering you up. Your heroic act was spreading across all fellows and residents.” Hyungwook then pointed at Gyeongwon. “Ah, I met him while on the way here.”
“What heroic act?” Jaewon asked but Gyeongwon checking on the IV drips did not go unnoticed. “I’m fine by the way.”
Park Gyeongwon ignored him and continued to make sure everything was okay.
“You forgot? A vehicle went a little out of control and you managed to get the paramedics and patient out of harm’s way.”
“He did have a mild concussion.” Gyeongwon reminded Hyungwook then turned to look at Jaewon. “I heard that your fractured ribs are giving you a lot of pain.”
“Who said that?” Jaewon retorted immediately.
“Nurse Cheon was updating Dr. Baek earlier after the surgery.”
So, he was right.
“She’s exaggera—“ Jaewon tried sitting up to prove it but unfortunately, the painkillers effect seemed to be wearing off.
“I will get some more painkillers.”
With that said, Gyeongwon left, leaving Jaewon feeling helpless and useless again. Hyungwook’s laughter and teasing did not help either.
“Never expect you to be lying down here one day.”
“Shut up.”
Eventually and dreadfully, Dr. Baek came to check on him.
He silently looked over his files then asked him about his pain which he probably heard from the rest.
And then, the most random question came out from his mouth.
“How many fingers?”
Jangmi who happened to walk past burst into giggles when she heard that.
“Uh two?” Jaewon stared at the fingers Dr. Baek held up and answered hesitantly. “I’m fine, really.”
Dr. Baek seemed satisfied with the answer so Jaewon tried to push it further.
“Can I be discharged?”
“No.”
“But—“
Dr. Baek turned away before Jaewon could even finish what he wanted to say. But he turned back soon after.
“Oh and, it’s good to always have the patient in mind but don’t act heroic if you are going to end up being a patient too.”
This time, Dr. Baek left.
Jangmi who heard the conversation came back and smiled.
“That meant, rest well.”
Then, she left too.
He knew that they were all going back to their own position and for the first time since forever, he’s envious of them being busy.
That was Jaewon’s life for the next few days. Despite how much he insisted that he was fine, none of them acknowledged his words. He still had to go for some tests to make sure his concussion was mild. X-rays were taken again and it didn’t help when the radiologist agreed that he shouldn’t be moving much.
Hyungwook still came and annoyed him sometimes.
Gyeongwon would appear now and then to check on him and to see if the painkillers were working well.
Jangmi being the senior nurse was the one who checked on him most. The only time she’s away was when there’s a trauma patient. But when she’s around during meal times, she would always bring him outside food.
Dr. Baek checked on him a few times per day too but only when he’s not occupied with outpatients or serious patients. Although, his way of being concern was really weird.
“You can’t operate.” He said randomly then dropped more papers and charts on Jaewon’s bed. “Read.”
“But I thought I’m not allowed to.”
“That was yesterday.”
And so, Jaewon wasn’t as bored as yesterday.
He was finally discharged.
He insisted on coming back to work which to his surprise, was approved.
But to his dismay, it was only paperworks and sitting behind the counter.
“You can’t run and your left arm is basically useless for now.”
That was Jangmi’s simple statement which was the hard truth.
“We don’t need to extend your recovery time.”
That was Dr. Baek’s cold reason.
The roles were switched. He started being the one to call Dr. Baek and even Jangmi when there’s a case. He even started arranging the operating room and contacting the anaesthesiologist which was mostly Gyeongwon.
One week in, he was able to check on the recovering patients in the centre. One of them was the one he saved.
“I’m sorry for getting you hurt too, doctor.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Jaewon gave him an assured smile. “Just rest so you will recover soon.”
“Same goes for you, doctor.”
Even though the patient called him doctor, for another two more weeks, Jaewon felt more and more like a nurse.
And then one day, Captain Ahn brought in a patient by the helicopter.
“Number 1, Gangster, operation room. Now!”
Jaewon started running towards the operating room behind his mentor.
Yes, this is how things should be.