Author's Note: I wrote this entire thing on my phone so there might be some typos. I'm just too lazy to do the spell check because even though I put the Korean names in the database, it deletes them anyway.
But this weekend has been interesting. My sister came home from college, I went bowling last night and today is my parent's wedding anniversary. It's been eventful, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Now with the holidays coming up quickly, I'll probably be writing more so send me ideas for stories that you would like to see.
(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(
Onew followed Storm for a good long while after she left the house. At first he just thought she was being way too moody until he saw that her hands were actually shaking. He chalked it up to the way she was dressed. He had seen her wear those coveralls at the studio. She had been working before Yi Jeong had brought her to the house.
But the more they walked the more he realized that it wasn't just the cold that was affecting her. Taemin had been upfront and honest about where he had been the night he had stayed out and what had transpired. Onew had already figured that out after finding the two at the coffee shop, but it had been easier to believe it when it came directly from the prince's mouth. The oldest guy of the guard had listened intently and had promised his charge he wouldn't hurt the woman. Yi Jeong had obviously taken care of this end.
Unfortunately being told the guy you were beginning to like was going to get married put a strain on the system. And meeting that person to whom he was pledged was even worse. Onew was surprised the woman wasn't even more upset than she was letting on. He couldn't do anything about the emotions but he could handle the physical aspects.
Shrugging out of his coat, he strode forward and wrapped it around Storm's shoulders. The movement shocked her and she stumbled a bit. Onew gripped her arm tightly as she collides with him. He looked down at her and found her gazing back with a beautiful set of violet eyes circled by a white scar.
"You haven't eaten have you?" he asked. She shook her head. He stood her up straight and took her hand. "Come on. After an ordeal like that, you needed food and alcohol."
She pulled tightly on his hand to keep him from moving. Onew looked back to see a tortured look on her face. Something about food and booze told him it wasn't a good idea. There was something behind hag combination that had affected her.
He stepped back into her personal bubble and pushed a strand of hair back. "All right. How about brunch without the mimosa?"
Storm looked at him then dropped her free hand that was holding his wrist. Onew nodded and turned to walk down the street. She knew he was the oldest guard of Taemin but she didn't know he would be sent to her. She hadn't figured Taemin would come after her because it would look bad to his now fiancé, but she hadn't expected his prickly guard.
She knew that Onew was very protective of Taemin, but she wasn't sure if it was because of his job or if he had known the man before he had become the prince. She wanted to know but wasn't sure if he would tell her. Just by looking at him she couldn't figure out if he was an open book or the monster book from Harry Potter. Would she be able to open it without being bitten or would she have to rub the spine to gain access?
He led her into a warm restaurant and pulled out a chair to the table by the window. She took it and waited until he was across from her. It wasn't only warm because of the heat, but the atmosphere of the place made it warm. Someone had taken time to make sure this place was inviting. When he sat down, she pointed at his phone and immediately he handed it to her.
/I thought most of the daily brunch menus were done at eleven?/
"Most do, but this one is owned by a friend of mine. I can order whatever I like," he said. He opened his phone again, this time to the contacts page. "Give me your number just in case you need anything."
Storm was shocked at him but she did as he asked. She texted herself so she would have his number as well. He waved down a waiter and ordered something simple with coffee and juice.
/How long have you been with Taemin/ she asked as they waited.
Onew tilted his head at the napkin on the table. "I've known Taemin since he was in middle school. My father is his father's best friend. He tossed me in the position when the previous emperor died. What about you? Why don't you talk?"
Her expression shut down momentarily as she shakily reached for the pen. It was such a bad experience she hadn't told anyone even in the written language. He wasn't even sure her brother knew the reason.
He dropped his hand over here before she even had a chance to write he answer. "Don't worry about it. Whatever it was, you're not ready to tell anyone. I'm sorry I asked so soon."
Storm watched him as the waiter brought over their meal. He set their coffees down first followed by their meals. Onew smiled at the waiter with a thank you then looked at her. He was starting to open up. He nodded and they started to eat.
But halfway through Storm felt off. Her tongue felt thick and it hurt to breathe. She dropped her fork and reached for her phone. It took a few seconds to type out the very simple question.
/What's in this?/
Onew looked from the phone to the ingredients ingredient on his plate. "It's eggs, bacon, hash browns and gravy. I think there may be some sausage in the gravy." Her looked at her, noticing her face was slowly starting to mottle. A horrible thought hit him. "Are you allergic to anything in this?"
Her hands shook as she typed something on the screen. His heart dropped at her answer.
/The pork. I'm allergic to pork./ She grabbed her throat as it started to close up. /I can't breathe./
Onew didn't waste a moment. "Tae Il!" he called as he slammed his chair back. The cook came from the kitchen. "Call Ji Hoo. Tell him to meet me at the hospital."
Onew swung Storm up into his arms and headed out into the street. The hospital was two blocks away. He could make it on foot. He just hoped Ji Hoo made it there in time. If it was an emergency, the doctor would speed if he had to.
He stumbled into the ER doors just before his knees gave way. A nurse was on him immediately. He couldn't give much more information other than thy had been eating and she had had an allergic reaction. He name dropped Ji Hoo as soon as he could before they carted the woman away.
He was struggling through the patient paperwork when Ji Hoo breezed in followed by Taemin and Woo Bin and Yi Jeong. The potter took the clipboard and filled out the paperwork quickly as the doctor disappeared into the ER.
"Hyung, what happened?" Key asked. He was the middle man out of all of this and the quietest member.
"She ate something she's allergic to and went into anaphylactic shock," Onew replied. "Her throat closed up and she started turning purple."
"I'll go talk to Tae Il," Woo Bin said. He turned and headed back in the direction he came.
It didn't take long for Ji Hoo to return. He was running his hand through his hair as he came back. He stopped to look back at the double doors for a moment.
"How long ago?" he asked.
"Not even ten minutes. Why?" Onew asked.
"Her throat is so swollen it's amazing she didn't stop breathing."
"It could be from her vocal cords," Yi Jeong pointed out. "She hasn't spoken in two years. Wouldn't that account for something? And before you ask, she hasn't said anything about why she doesn't speak. I'm certain it has something to do with that scar though."
"Can we see her?" Taemin asked.
"Let the epinephrine work a little longer then you can. She needs to go home and rest. I don't want her blowing glass unsupervised for a while. I'm certain she hasn't had a reaction like this in a while. I don't know how that will affect her."
Ji Hoo disappeared to do his rounds since he was here. Yi Jeong was on the phone with Jax telling him what was going on. Onew, Key and Taemin sat silently as they waited. One was just here because he had to be, but the other two were wracking their brains to help the woman who had made an impact on them in such a short amount of time.
A nurse came out to tell them they could see Storm. When they filed into the emergency room, she was sitting up as Ji Hoo talked to her.
"Noona!" Taemin rushed to her and took her hands. "Are you okay?"
"She's tired so take it easy," Ji Hoo advised. He put a hand on Storm's shoulder. "You have my number if you need me."
Yi Jeong filled the space the doctor had left. "Are you ready to go home?" She nodded and he put his hand under her arm. But here was a problem. Taemin wasn't letting go. "I'm only going to warn you once. Let go. This is because of you."
"How is this because of me?" The prince looked like a lost puppy as he was blamed for this incident.
Storm gripped Yi Jeong's shirt to get his attention. When he looked down, she shook her head. She didn't want to argue because she didn't know how she was feeling about any of it. There was no need to place blame.
The potter sighed. "All right. Take her to my car while I settle the hospital bill."
Onew wrapped his arms around the woman and helped her slowly walk towards the door. Yi Jeong's car was right out front. He pushed the button and the car honked that it had been unlocked. Key opened the door and Onew helped Storm sit inside.
"I'm so sorry for this," he apologized as he buckled her up. She shook her head as she sat back in the front seat. "What's your address?"
"I know it," Taemin added.
He leaned across her and typed in her address. Before he pulled back he looked at her. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing hard. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek before he stood up.
"Can I go with her?" he asked as Onew shut the door.
"You need to go see Ji Hoon. You need to get to know her," Onew said.
Taemin felt like an petulant child as his temper rose. "I've already told you that I don't want to. This is not the path I want to take."
"We all do things we don't want to do. This is your duty."
The younger man pointed at the car. "She's alone in the house. What if something else happens?"
"You're thinking too much into it," Key scolded.
"Enough." Yi Jeong strode out and took his keys from Onew. "Now is not the time to do this. He's right. She can't be alone but if you argue it won't help."
He looked at the youngest man. "You can't go. You can't be photographed with another woman."
Frustrated, Taemin pressed his nails into his palms. "I'm going."
Yi Jeong looked at Onew. The prince wasn't going to change his mind. The only way to keep from having an outburst was to let him go. He sighed.
"Get in. If you cause a ruckus, I will kick you out. I don't care who you are. Onew, come with us."
The older man sighed and crawled in the backseat with the prince. This was going to end up horribly. How could he tell his friend and charge that he was thinking of actively seeking the same woman as the prince?