Save Me (Part 7e)
Title: Save Me
Author: VampireMadonna
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG-13
Length: Undetermined
Summary: Kim Jaejoong is on the run from his crazed ex-husband and Lieutenant Jung Yunho is the only one standing between him and an uncertain fate. Will Yunho be his savior...or will his rescue come too late?
“Yunho!” Jaejoong exclaimed, rushing to his side. He rolled him over and gathered him up, trying to see where he’d been shot but unable to tell for sure because of all the blood. The sight of Yunho’s blood on his hands brought tears to his eyes and they spilled over onto his cheeks, his mind already dreading the worse: that Yunho was dying in his arms and he wouldn’t be able to save him.
“You lied to me,” Daniel said quietly.
Jaejoong looked up at him. For the first time since Daniel’s illness had begun wreaking havoc in his life, he felt hatred towards the man. Never before had he felt anything more than pity, even guilt. This time was different. It wasn’t just the two of them, someone else had been hurt. That was unacceptable. The who of it mattered, of course, but he was too angry to examine his emotions beyond the blinding rage he felt.
“What?”
“You lied to me,” Daniel repeated. “When you said you didn’t love him, when you said that you loved me. You lied. A whore with a heart: who knew?”
“Daniel…”
“Shh! Don’t talk!”
Jaejoong flinched. Daniel had never raised his voice to him like that before. Was the illusion of “them” finally breaking? If so, he might be in bigger trouble than he’d thought. There was nothing keeping Daniel from shooting him too once he realized that there was no chance for them, that there was no them.
There were tears in Daniel’s eyes now. “I have never loved anyone the way I love you. I never will again. You were it for me. Why did you betray me, Jaejoong? I would have given you the world, the sun and the stars too if you’d asked it of me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“Then leave,” Jaejoong whispered. “Just go, please Daniel. I don’t want you to get hurt and Yunho needs help. If we don’t get him to a hospital soon, he’s going to die, then you’ll be wanted for murder. Please, just go. It’s what’s best for everyone. I won’t tell them anything, I promise. I won’t help them find you.”
Daniel shook his head. “It’s too late now,” he said sadly, moving closer, his gun-arm raising as he leveled the pistol at Jaejoong.
“Run,” Yunho whispered, startling Jaejoong, who hadn’t realized that his eyes were open and he was looking up at him.
Jaejoong shook his head. “I won’t leave you.”
Mustering his strength, but unable to stifle a groan, Yunho tried to sit up, wincing at the sharp stab of pain in his shoulder where the bullet had hit.
“Goodbye, my love,” Daniel whispered, drawing both men’s attentions as they waited with bated breath for the gun to discharge.
When Jaejoong heard the tell-tale click, he closed his eyes and braced for the impact. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. Seconds ticked by in his head but he felt nothing.
Am I already dead?, he wondered.
Then it occurred to him: had Daniel shot Yunho again?
Oh, God, no!
He was terrified to open his eyes but knew that he had to. Forcing his lids open, he glanced at Yunho and found him looking up at Daniel, an expression of shock on his face. Jaejoong’s gaze swung over to Daniel and found him frozen still, shocked surprise also etched into his statue-esque features. His gun was still aimed at Jaejoong, his eyes glued to Jaejoong’s face, but he seemed stunned.
What happened?, Jaejoong wondered.
It was then that he noticed Daniel’s other hand clutching his stomach and the red stain blooming from the area.
“Oh, my God,” he whispered. What, who…?
Daniel took one shaky step forward then collapsed. As he slid to the floor, Jaejoong got the answer to his unspoken question…
In the form of his little girl brandishing Yunho’s gun.
There was a long moment of stunned silence as both Yunho and Jaejoong stared at Maya, speechless, before the air was filled with heart-wrenching wails echoing off the walls.
Epilogue…
“Is that all?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Alright, get in the car while I lock up. Don’t forget your seat belt.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
It was a beautiful day for a new beginning, Jaejoong thought as he walked up the cobblestones to his front door. He locked the door and set the alarm, giving the warm wood one last loving pat before turning around and heading back to his waiting daughter. He would miss the old house. It was the first real home he’d made for them since they’d fled the one in Sweden.
“All good things must come to an end,” he murmured.
He checked on Maya to make sure that she had buckled in properly then double-checked the packed boxes in the trunk of the used station wagon he’d bought. It was in relatively good condition for its age and he’d had Sunny’s husband’s expertise on hand to ensure that he’d made the right decision. He had money but he’d always been careful with his spending. He’d had to be but now he would be able to go back to work for the first time in three years. It was a liberating feeling.
The sound of a car approaching automatically had him tensing before he reminded himself that there was nothing to be worried about anymore. Looking around the side of his wagon, he saw Yunho pull to a stop and alight from his car. He was slightly breathless as he looked his fill of him. Jaejoong hadn’t seen Yunho in about week, having decided that it was best not to visit him until he’d been released from the hospital since he almost always had company and he felt like he was under a spotlight whenever other people were around.
Yunho looked handsome in his uniform. It was the first time Jaejoong was seeing him as Lieutenant Jung Yunho, medals and all, instead of in his usual casual suit. His injured arm was still in a sling and would be for quite a while yet, he knew. He remembered breathing a huge sigh of relief when he’d been told that the bullet had gone straight through and hadn’t shattered the bone, though it had torn a muscle. Yunho had still spent almost two weeks in the hospital, at his uncle’s insistence, and would possibly experience lingering discomfort for the rest of his life.
“Hey,” Yunho greeted with a smile as he came to a stop beside him.
“Hey.”
Yunho waved to a curious Maya, who had turned in her seat to look at him.
“How are you?” Jaejoong asked, concern creasing his brow.
Yunho grinned. “I’m fine, just as fine as I was the last time you asked me, which was about two hours ago if memory serves.”
“You were shot. Forgive me for worrying about you,” Jaejoong grumbled.
Chuckling, Yunho lightly chuffed Jaejoong under the chin. “Worry away. I love it.”
Jaejoong blushed and looked away, fussing with a box more than was needed.
“And how are you?” Yunho asked. “How’s Maya?”
Jaejoong paused. “She’s all right. She has nightmares sometimes but…she’s managing. I’ve looked into finding a child psychiatrist for her, when she’s ready to talk about it.”
Yunho nodded, his heart going out to the little girl. “Good.”
“Any word on Daniel?”
“He’s out of the ICU. They’ve moved him to the medical wing of the psychiatric hospital. He’s under 24/7 surveillance, handcuffed to the bed. There’s no way he’s getting out. He’ll be there a while but once he’s fit for travel, he’ll be transported back to Sweden. He’s legally incompetent and can’t be held responsible for his actions so there was no point in bringing criminal charges against him. And he can’t stay here. It wouldn’t be of any help to him. It’s better for him to be among his own people, close to his parents. They’ve found a new facility with better conditions, like you suggested. He’ll be taken care of properly this time.”
Jaejoong nodded, shifting around a few boxes so that they fit snugly. “I’m glad.”
Finally noticing the packed trunk, Yunho cocked a questioning brow. “Going somewhere?”
Jaejoong looked away. “With Daniel gone, I decided that it was finally time to get on with my life.”
“What about the house?”
“I bought it. I’ve grown really fond of it so I figured “what the hell?” But it needs some renovating. I never bothered to fix much because I never knew when I’d have to drop everything and leave and it would’ve been a waste of money but now that everything’s settled, I’ve decided to really make it a home for us. I want to get out of here for a while, though. I need to readjust to the ebb and flow of society. Maya needs to learn how to fit in as well.”
“Oh…”
Yunho really couldn’t think of anything else to say. He’d been happy to see Jaejoong, spend some time with him and Maya, but now he felt like his world was crumbling down around him. Jaejoong was moving away… He would lose them both.
“Yeah… I found a nice apartment. Two bedrooms, spacious living room and kitchen. It’s ideally located. There’s a good school two blocks away. It’s relatively close to a hospital, police station, the mall. There’s even a police officer in the building on the floor above me,” he continued casually. “A lieutenant, I’m told. From what I hear, he’s really handsome and very good at his job, among other things.”
Jaejooong’s words were going in one ear and out the other. Yunho was already throwing a mental pity party for himself, bemoaning the loss of his temporary family. It was only when Jaejoong said “lieutenant” that he tuned back in.
“Wait, what did you say?”
Jaejoong threw him a sidelong glance. “What?”
“A lieutenant? You rented…”
Jaejoong saw the moment it finally clicked reflected in Yunho’s eyes. He grinned.
Stunned beyond words, Yunho grabbed Jaejoong with his good arm and pulled him in for a long, hot kiss. When they finally separated, he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. Surprise!” He chuckled. “Where did you think I was going?”
Home. Away. Back to your parents’ house. Out of my life.
“Nowhere, really,” he replied nonchalantly. “I just know how much you love this house so I was surprised.
“Huh.”
Yunho could see that Jaejoong saw through his lame cover-up but was thankful that he was kind enough not to say so.
“So when are you moving in?”
“Today. We’re all packed up and ready to go.” Jaejoong closed the trunk, leaning against it as he turned to Yunho. “Are you going back to work?”
“I’m scheduled to start my shift at midday. Just came from a press conference, hence the getup. Your case is quite the international incident, you know.”
Jaejoong rolled his eyes then gave him a full head-to-toe sweep. “Nice,” he said appreciatively.
“But you know, technically I’m still on sick leave. I was shot after all and it was my decision to go back to work early so if I decided that I wasn’t yet ready to return to active duty and take a few more days off since I suddenly feel under the weather…” He forced a cough. “No one’s going to think anything of it.”
Jaejoong laughed. “I see.”
Yunho winked.
“Well, I guess I better get on the road…”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Yunho walked Jaejoong to his door, kissed him one more time, then returned to his own vehicle.
As Jaejoong took off down the road, his eyes kept flitting to the rear-view mirror. He could see Maya, playing with her dolls and listening to music on her mp3 player, and beyond was Yunho’s car, his startling white uniform outlining his broad, dependable shoulders even with the distance between them.
Jaejoong smiled, feeling deliriously happy and, best of all, free.
There’d been no spoken words of love, and perhaps it was too soon for those, but they’d both expressed their feelings and their intentions in their actions when it mattered.
For now, that was enough.
For now…
A/N: Thanks for reading! And belated thanks for the birthday greetings! ♥♥
Author: VampireMadonna
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG-13
Length: Undetermined
Summary: Kim Jaejoong is on the run from his crazed ex-husband and Lieutenant Jung Yunho is the only one standing between him and an uncertain fate. Will Yunho be his savior...or will his rescue come too late?
“Yunho!” Jaejoong exclaimed, rushing to his side. He rolled him over and gathered him up, trying to see where he’d been shot but unable to tell for sure because of all the blood. The sight of Yunho’s blood on his hands brought tears to his eyes and they spilled over onto his cheeks, his mind already dreading the worse: that Yunho was dying in his arms and he wouldn’t be able to save him.
“You lied to me,” Daniel said quietly.
Jaejoong looked up at him. For the first time since Daniel’s illness had begun wreaking havoc in his life, he felt hatred towards the man. Never before had he felt anything more than pity, even guilt. This time was different. It wasn’t just the two of them, someone else had been hurt. That was unacceptable. The who of it mattered, of course, but he was too angry to examine his emotions beyond the blinding rage he felt.
“What?”
“You lied to me,” Daniel repeated. “When you said you didn’t love him, when you said that you loved me. You lied. A whore with a heart: who knew?”
“Daniel…”
“Shh! Don’t talk!”
Jaejoong flinched. Daniel had never raised his voice to him like that before. Was the illusion of “them” finally breaking? If so, he might be in bigger trouble than he’d thought. There was nothing keeping Daniel from shooting him too once he realized that there was no chance for them, that there was no them.
There were tears in Daniel’s eyes now. “I have never loved anyone the way I love you. I never will again. You were it for me. Why did you betray me, Jaejoong? I would have given you the world, the sun and the stars too if you’d asked it of me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“Then leave,” Jaejoong whispered. “Just go, please Daniel. I don’t want you to get hurt and Yunho needs help. If we don’t get him to a hospital soon, he’s going to die, then you’ll be wanted for murder. Please, just go. It’s what’s best for everyone. I won’t tell them anything, I promise. I won’t help them find you.”
Daniel shook his head. “It’s too late now,” he said sadly, moving closer, his gun-arm raising as he leveled the pistol at Jaejoong.
“Run,” Yunho whispered, startling Jaejoong, who hadn’t realized that his eyes were open and he was looking up at him.
Jaejoong shook his head. “I won’t leave you.”
Mustering his strength, but unable to stifle a groan, Yunho tried to sit up, wincing at the sharp stab of pain in his shoulder where the bullet had hit.
“Goodbye, my love,” Daniel whispered, drawing both men’s attentions as they waited with bated breath for the gun to discharge.
When Jaejoong heard the tell-tale click, he closed his eyes and braced for the impact. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. Seconds ticked by in his head but he felt nothing.
Am I already dead?, he wondered.
Then it occurred to him: had Daniel shot Yunho again?
Oh, God, no!
He was terrified to open his eyes but knew that he had to. Forcing his lids open, he glanced at Yunho and found him looking up at Daniel, an expression of shock on his face. Jaejoong’s gaze swung over to Daniel and found him frozen still, shocked surprise also etched into his statue-esque features. His gun was still aimed at Jaejoong, his eyes glued to Jaejoong’s face, but he seemed stunned.
What happened?, Jaejoong wondered.
It was then that he noticed Daniel’s other hand clutching his stomach and the red stain blooming from the area.
“Oh, my God,” he whispered. What, who…?
Daniel took one shaky step forward then collapsed. As he slid to the floor, Jaejoong got the answer to his unspoken question…
In the form of his little girl brandishing Yunho’s gun.
There was a long moment of stunned silence as both Yunho and Jaejoong stared at Maya, speechless, before the air was filled with heart-wrenching wails echoing off the walls.
Epilogue…
“Is that all?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Alright, get in the car while I lock up. Don’t forget your seat belt.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
It was a beautiful day for a new beginning, Jaejoong thought as he walked up the cobblestones to his front door. He locked the door and set the alarm, giving the warm wood one last loving pat before turning around and heading back to his waiting daughter. He would miss the old house. It was the first real home he’d made for them since they’d fled the one in Sweden.
“All good things must come to an end,” he murmured.
He checked on Maya to make sure that she had buckled in properly then double-checked the packed boxes in the trunk of the used station wagon he’d bought. It was in relatively good condition for its age and he’d had Sunny’s husband’s expertise on hand to ensure that he’d made the right decision. He had money but he’d always been careful with his spending. He’d had to be but now he would be able to go back to work for the first time in three years. It was a liberating feeling.
The sound of a car approaching automatically had him tensing before he reminded himself that there was nothing to be worried about anymore. Looking around the side of his wagon, he saw Yunho pull to a stop and alight from his car. He was slightly breathless as he looked his fill of him. Jaejoong hadn’t seen Yunho in about week, having decided that it was best not to visit him until he’d been released from the hospital since he almost always had company and he felt like he was under a spotlight whenever other people were around.
Yunho looked handsome in his uniform. It was the first time Jaejoong was seeing him as Lieutenant Jung Yunho, medals and all, instead of in his usual casual suit. His injured arm was still in a sling and would be for quite a while yet, he knew. He remembered breathing a huge sigh of relief when he’d been told that the bullet had gone straight through and hadn’t shattered the bone, though it had torn a muscle. Yunho had still spent almost two weeks in the hospital, at his uncle’s insistence, and would possibly experience lingering discomfort for the rest of his life.
“Hey,” Yunho greeted with a smile as he came to a stop beside him.
“Hey.”
Yunho waved to a curious Maya, who had turned in her seat to look at him.
“How are you?” Jaejoong asked, concern creasing his brow.
Yunho grinned. “I’m fine, just as fine as I was the last time you asked me, which was about two hours ago if memory serves.”
“You were shot. Forgive me for worrying about you,” Jaejoong grumbled.
Chuckling, Yunho lightly chuffed Jaejoong under the chin. “Worry away. I love it.”
Jaejoong blushed and looked away, fussing with a box more than was needed.
“And how are you?” Yunho asked. “How’s Maya?”
Jaejoong paused. “She’s all right. She has nightmares sometimes but…she’s managing. I’ve looked into finding a child psychiatrist for her, when she’s ready to talk about it.”
Yunho nodded, his heart going out to the little girl. “Good.”
“Any word on Daniel?”
“He’s out of the ICU. They’ve moved him to the medical wing of the psychiatric hospital. He’s under 24/7 surveillance, handcuffed to the bed. There’s no way he’s getting out. He’ll be there a while but once he’s fit for travel, he’ll be transported back to Sweden. He’s legally incompetent and can’t be held responsible for his actions so there was no point in bringing criminal charges against him. And he can’t stay here. It wouldn’t be of any help to him. It’s better for him to be among his own people, close to his parents. They’ve found a new facility with better conditions, like you suggested. He’ll be taken care of properly this time.”
Jaejoong nodded, shifting around a few boxes so that they fit snugly. “I’m glad.”
Finally noticing the packed trunk, Yunho cocked a questioning brow. “Going somewhere?”
Jaejoong looked away. “With Daniel gone, I decided that it was finally time to get on with my life.”
“What about the house?”
“I bought it. I’ve grown really fond of it so I figured “what the hell?” But it needs some renovating. I never bothered to fix much because I never knew when I’d have to drop everything and leave and it would’ve been a waste of money but now that everything’s settled, I’ve decided to really make it a home for us. I want to get out of here for a while, though. I need to readjust to the ebb and flow of society. Maya needs to learn how to fit in as well.”
“Oh…”
Yunho really couldn’t think of anything else to say. He’d been happy to see Jaejoong, spend some time with him and Maya, but now he felt like his world was crumbling down around him. Jaejoong was moving away… He would lose them both.
“Yeah… I found a nice apartment. Two bedrooms, spacious living room and kitchen. It’s ideally located. There’s a good school two blocks away. It’s relatively close to a hospital, police station, the mall. There’s even a police officer in the building on the floor above me,” he continued casually. “A lieutenant, I’m told. From what I hear, he’s really handsome and very good at his job, among other things.”
Jaejooong’s words were going in one ear and out the other. Yunho was already throwing a mental pity party for himself, bemoaning the loss of his temporary family. It was only when Jaejoong said “lieutenant” that he tuned back in.
“Wait, what did you say?”
Jaejoong threw him a sidelong glance. “What?”
“A lieutenant? You rented…”
Jaejoong saw the moment it finally clicked reflected in Yunho’s eyes. He grinned.
Stunned beyond words, Yunho grabbed Jaejoong with his good arm and pulled him in for a long, hot kiss. When they finally separated, he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. Surprise!” He chuckled. “Where did you think I was going?”
Home. Away. Back to your parents’ house. Out of my life.
“Nowhere, really,” he replied nonchalantly. “I just know how much you love this house so I was surprised.
“Huh.”
Yunho could see that Jaejoong saw through his lame cover-up but was thankful that he was kind enough not to say so.
“So when are you moving in?”
“Today. We’re all packed up and ready to go.” Jaejoong closed the trunk, leaning against it as he turned to Yunho. “Are you going back to work?”
“I’m scheduled to start my shift at midday. Just came from a press conference, hence the getup. Your case is quite the international incident, you know.”
Jaejoong rolled his eyes then gave him a full head-to-toe sweep. “Nice,” he said appreciatively.
“But you know, technically I’m still on sick leave. I was shot after all and it was my decision to go back to work early so if I decided that I wasn’t yet ready to return to active duty and take a few more days off since I suddenly feel under the weather…” He forced a cough. “No one’s going to think anything of it.”
Jaejoong laughed. “I see.”
Yunho winked.
“Well, I guess I better get on the road…”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Yunho walked Jaejoong to his door, kissed him one more time, then returned to his own vehicle.
As Jaejoong took off down the road, his eyes kept flitting to the rear-view mirror. He could see Maya, playing with her dolls and listening to music on her mp3 player, and beyond was Yunho’s car, his startling white uniform outlining his broad, dependable shoulders even with the distance between them.
Jaejoong smiled, feeling deliriously happy and, best of all, free.
There’d been no spoken words of love, and perhaps it was too soon for those, but they’d both expressed their feelings and their intentions in their actions when it mattered.
For now, that was enough.
For now…
A/N: Thanks for reading! And belated thanks for the birthday greetings! ♥♥