Chapter 22

Alex hated the smell of hospitals, or rather the disinfectant, but that was nowhere of her concern. She sat at the chair right outside the operating room. Her eyes tightly shut as the scene that night flashed through her mind. A tear escaping her eyes, Alex wiped it off with the back of her hand, then buried her face on her hands. She felt that she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if something wrong happens.

Every second that pass by makes her anxious, she hated the feeling of having to wait for the results. It had been exactly an hour, but no one’s coming out of the operation room. 

A tap on her shoulders made her look up. A coffee appeared right in front of her, which she took carefully. Usually, it would have cheered her up but right now, nothing would be able to.

“Don’t worry, everything will be okay.” Mina tried giving Alex a hug, but the latter moved, avoiding it. 

With a piercing glare, Alex said, “Everything will be okay? How can you say that?! None of this will happen if you didn’t jump into conclusion that I was kissing my best friend!” 

Mina had explained earlier what had happened and what she ‘saw’ at the mall before she ran off, but Alex wasn’t in her right mind when Mina was telling her, which is why she only brought it out now.

“Ha! So you’re saying that it’s my fault? Anyone would have thought that that was the case!” The accusation caused Mina to lose her calmness and patience. She definitely felt guilty, but the fact that her own girlfriend is accusing her turned it to anger.

“It’s not my problem whether anyone misunderstood it or not. My point is that you should have went to us and confronted us before jumping into conclusion!”

“So you’re blaming me?!”

Alex just looked away, having enough of the conversation. She didn’t need any words that would make her blood boil nor comforting words. All she wanted was for her best friend to get out of the emergency room, wake up, regain her health back, and be herself again. 

Not a single word was exchanged between the couple. The coffee had gone cold, yet Alex hasn’t took a sip. She was zoning off for a couple of minutes when she realised that she hasn’t informed Jennie’s parents about the accident. Fishing out her phone, Alex tapped Jennie’s mom’s number and wait for her to pick up. 

Jennie’s mom picked up on the 4th ring, sounding surprised that Alex called her at almost midnight. “I’m really sorry auntie, but I have a terrible news.” Alex heaved a sigh, having a hard time choosing the right words. 

Jennie’s mom told her to continue with what she was saying. “Jen got in an accident. A car accident.” The silence on the other end signalled Alex to continue. “It already been an hour but there’s still no news.” 

Alex bit her lip when she heard no response. She understood that Jennie’s mom is having a hard time taking it in, even she herself is. A couple of seconds passed before Jennie’s mom was able to compose herself, saying that she’ll book a flight as soon as possible. 

Pressing the end call button, Alex leaned back, inhaling deeply. 

The sudden open of the door made Alex stand up from her seat, not a hint of sleepiness evident. She looked expectantly at the doctor, who was wearing gloves and a mask. Alex’s eyes was filled with anxiousness and expectation as she waited for the doctor to speak.

“Who’s the guardian of Ms. Kim?” The doctor scanned the place, but only saw two ladies who obviously looked the same age as the patient. 

“Her mom is out of the country, but she’ll probably be here by tomorrow. I’m the closest one to her,” Alex explained.

“You’re not related to the patient?”

“Friend. She’s a very close friend of mine,” Alex said impatiently, wanting to hear about the condition of Jennie already.

The doctor nodded, taking off his gloves as he stated, “Okay. Your friend is safe now. The surgery went well and she’ll be placed in one of the rooms.” 

A huge sigh of relief came out of Alex’s lips as she felt the burden she’s been carrying for the past hour, gone. She could now breathe properly and was able to at least compose herself after the long torture of waiting. “Okay. Thank you very much. I’ll make sure to inform her parents.”

The doctor smiled before going on his way. 

Alex watched as the nurses transfer Jennie to her room before she decided to go out and eat something. Mina followed her closely in complete silence. There was no word uttered between the two even up until when Alex was already eating her food.

“I’m sorry.” Mina mumbled, looking down the table. She couldn’t take it anymore and just lowered her pride, knowing Alex is a bit stubborn and still angry. “I admit that it was my fault that Jennie had to go through all of this, and I am really really guilty about it. I’m sorry. Can you talk to me now?”

Placing down her fork, Alex looked at the girl in front of her. She knew that Mina really did mean what she said and she herself felt guilty that she blamed Mina for what had happened. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to blame you. It’s just that my anger got the best of me and I wasn’t thinking anymore during that time. I’m sorry.” Alex placed her hand over Mina’s and smiled genuinely. She’s grateful that she has someone like Mina who wouldn’t want to let the day pass without them making up.

The clock strikes to twelve and Mina knew that she had to go home already or else her mom, if ever she’s home, will surely get suspicio