Chapter 34

Mental

The sound of sirens surrounded the people. Two ambulances came to the site. One girl was slightly harmed and responsive while the other was bleeding profusely and unresponsive. They were needed to be taken out of the car immediately. The car’s engine was on fire.

 One medic tried to assist Jessica out of the car.

“No sir! Please take Yuri first! She’s bleeding!” she cried.

“Miss. We’re having a hard time opening the door beside her. The only way we can pull her is to get you out first!”

Without further ado, Jessica was carried away safely from the car. She was placed on a stretcher far away from the car but she could still see the car where Yuri was. She could see how the fire became bigger and how the medics tried to extinguish the fire and get Yuri out at the same time.

She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Yuri got carried and put on a stretcher. She tried to get off of the stretcher when a medic stopped her.

“Miss. Please don’t move. We still don’t know what damage you’ve gotten from the accident.” The medic ushered her to lie back down.

“Sir I just need to see Yuri.” Jessica pleaded.

“She’s unconscious and in danger. She needs to be taken to the hospital immediately.” The medic told her honestly.

Jessica broke down and cried.  It was all her fault.

“Miss. It’s gonna be okay.” The medic comforted her.

No. It’s not gonna be okay. Jessica knew that whatever happens next, everything won’t stay the same anymore.

~******~

She woke up on a hospital bed with her dad walking back and forth infront of the bed.

“D-dad…” she called out in a hoarse voice.

“Jessica!” Yunho rushed to her side.

“How are you feeling? Are you okay?” Yunho asked her worriedly.

“I’m fine dad but- H-how about Yuri?” Jessica asked with caution.

Yunho sighed. “She lost a lot of blood but she’s safe now. Don’t worry.” Yunho smiled at her.

Jessica shook her head. “It’s my fault. It’s my fault.” She started crying.

“Hey hey hey. It’s okay now baby. She’s fine.” Yunho hugged Jessica.

“Can I see her?” Jessica sobbed.

“I’m afraid not right now Jess.” Yunho said sadly.

“Why?” Jessica looked up worriedly.

“Joohyun… she’s there with Yuri.” Yunho looked down.

“She hates me.” She concluded.

“No. She doesn’t hate you Jessica. Her emotions right now are just over the top. Let’s leave her alone with Yuri for awhile. Okay?”

Jessica had no choice but to nod.

~******~

2 days after…

“Dad how is Yuri?” was the first question Jessica asked when she woke up on her hospital bed.

“She is fine darling. She’s just resting.” Yunho told her.

“Has she woken up yet?”

“She’s resting Jessica.” Yunho smiled.

Jessica felt a pang in her heart.

“Dad I wanna see her…” Jessica’s eyes pleaded to her father.

“Jessica.” Yunho shook his head. “You know the situation…”

“Just… please dad! I need to see her. Please…” Jessica cried.

Yunho sighed. “Alright… After you eat.”

Yunho prepared for the worst.

~******~

The door creaked open a few minutes after Yunho knocked on the door. Jessica was behind him on a hospital gown with a dextrose stand.

“Yunho come in.” Joohyun told him with a small smile.

“I have someone.” Yunho stepped aside and showed Jessica.

“Mom…” Jessica’s voice cracked.

Jessica had never seen her mother like this before. Joohyun had always been clean, chic and perfection. The Joohyun she was seeing now was a wreck. Red puffy eyes, uncombed hair, pale and somehow disconnected. Jessica knew she wasn’t going to be forgiven easily.

The moment Joohyun locked eyes with Jessica, her lifeless eyes came alive. Anger.

“WHY DID YOU BRING HER HERE?!” Joohyun yelled.

“Joohyun calm down!” Yunho held Joohyun firmly.

“SHE NEARLY KILLED YURI!!”

Jessica wasn’t even considered as Jessica anymore. She was now just a she. She cried. It hurt more now.

“Let’s talk about this inside Joohyun. Come on” Yunho tried to push Joohyun inside but Joohyun held her ground.

“If Yuri doesn’t wake up from this, I will make your life miserable!!”

To say that Joohyun was angry was an understatement. Joohyun was fuming. Jessica saw how the door close with a bang.

“I’m sorry mom…” Jessica fell on her knees and cried.

~******~

There wasn’t a day that Jessica didn’t knock on Yuri’s door hoping that Joohyun would atleast let her see Yuri but there also wasn’t a day that Joohyun opened the door for her. Jessica begged and begged, cried and cried while knocking on the door but all her efforts were ignored.

“Joohyun, Jessica didn’t mean to do it.” Yunho told Joohyun.

“What do you mean she didn’t mean to do it?? You saw her, WE ALL SAW HER DRIVE THAT CAR AND ALMOST KILL YURI IN IT!”

“She was depressed Joohyun! She was drunk! Can’t you hear her knock every single day?? She’s sorry for it!”

“I can’t… I just can’t… Not until Yuri wakes up… I can’t.” Joohyun shook her head in agony.

They heard a knock once again. A sob to accompany it. They knew it was Jessica. Jessica always comes this time of the day.

“Joohyun… We’re also hurting Jessica deeply by doing this. She’s our daughter. We shouldn’t treat her this way.” Yunho begged his wife.

“Fine. Let her in.”

A spark of hope came into Yunho. He immediately opened the door which shocked Jessica who was on the other side. She stood there wide eyed at her father. She never knew this day would come. Her father smiled at her.

“Come in darling.” Yunho smiled warmly at her.

“D-dad…”

Jessica cried once again. She hated herself for being a cry baby. Yunho hugged her tightly and guided her inside the room. Jessica fell on her knees when she saw Yuri. She felt her vision blur. This wasn’t true. She was just seeing things.

“You told me she was okay…” Jessica’s tears flowed.

“She is Jessica. Shhh.”

Almost all of Yuri’s body was covered in bandage. Her foot looked like it was cemented. There was a big bandage wrapped around her head. Her breathing was assisted by an oxygen machine beside her bed. Yuri looked like…

“Are you happy now Jessica? You wanted this!” Joohyun came from behind.

“I didn’t! I never wanted this! Mom it was an accident!” Jessica looked up to her mom pitifully.

“Joohyun, Jessica stop! Joohyun! Jessica’s still not well! Stop stressing her out!”

“IS SHE THE ONLY ONE STRESSED OUT YUNHO?! I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR DAYS HOPING YURI WOULD WAKE UP!”

“M-mom… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” Jessica held her mother’s knees.

“Stand up! I said stand up!” Joohyun harshly pulled Jessica by the arm.

“JOOHYUN!” Yunho pulled Joohyun away from Jessica.

“Look at Yuri! You did that to her! How could you drag Yuri into your depression?! If you wanted to die, you should have died alone!!” Joohyun spat.

Alone. Jessica has always been alone. The nuns in the shelter told her that her parents left her there when she was just a baby. She felt happy when Joohyun and Yunho adopted her. She wasn’t going to be alone anymore. When she became a teenager, the pressure of being a Jung got to her. She felt alone again. Then she met Yuri, she wasn’t alone when she was with Yuri. How could Joohyun say that?

“Of course. I should have. Do you even know what the source of my depression is mom? Did you even care about me? I was hurt too. No. You didn’t care one bit about me.” Jessica looked directly at Joohyun’s eyes.

“So this is what it’s all about?? Jealousy?? That’s why you crashed that car?!”

“I didn’t intend to do it! I’m hurting too mom! I love Yuri too! It was never my intention to hurt Yuri! If there’s someone who I care most about, it’s Yuri! Yuri's the only person keeping me sane! I spent…” Jessica stopped when her breathing got caught in .

“That night, it just all came out on me. All my frustrations! How I suffered under your scrutinizing! I did all I could to prove myself to you. When I thought I did good, you tell me the opposite. To be rightful to be your daughter… I found the answer that night. Why I was never enough for you, why I was always a disappointment. That’s because I wasn’t Yuri. I wasn’t your real daughter… From the very beginning, I was meant to fail.” Jessica smiled pitifully.

Joohyun’s tears flowed. The realization… was too late.

“Please tell Yuri I love her.” Jessica then left.

She needed to get away. If she stayed, it will destroy her.

~******~

A plane reached touchdown. One passenger walked grumpily out of the airport. She was just lazily browsing through facebook when she saw a post that made her mad. Someone important to her was in the hospital. The did just happen.

With her aviators on, clothes like she just came out of a fashion show, pink luggage on tow, aura stronger than before, she knocked on room 214. No one answered. So she let herself in and walked straight to stand beside the patient’s bed. She didn’t even mind the crying couple on the couch in front of the patient’s bed.

“Wow. You look like you’re dying.” She told the unresponsive patient.

Joohyun, who was shocked at the unknown person, grabbed the stranger’s arm and forced her to turn around.

“Excuse me but who the hell are you?! How dare you say that?!” Joohyun fumed with tears still flowing.

“I have a massive jetlag and I’m dead tired. Now if you don’t get your hand away from my arm, my other hand might involuntarily smack your face.”

“What did you-“ Juhyun was cut off by Yunho who softly pulled Joohyun’s hand off of the stranger.

“I’m sorry miss. She’s just a little bit emotional right now. Do you perhaps know Yuri?” Yunho answered calmly.

“Of course. I’m her ex girlfriend… sort of.” The stranger raised one of her brows thinking.

“Excuse me, what did you say?” Yunho asked her confusedly.

Yunho could see the stranger’s eyes widen behind those aviators.

“Oh you don’t know… JUST KIDDING~ I swear my humor can offend people sometimes.” The stranger laughed loudly.

“Miss. We don’t know you. You are not welcome here. Get out.” Joohyun ordered.

“And you are to order me?” The stranger took of her aviator.

“I’m Yuri’s mother.” Joohyun glared.

“Hmm. That’s not right. The last time I checked Boa was Yuri’s mother. Ain’t I right Yuri?” The stranger turned back to Yuri.

“We’re her biological parents. So can you please get out of the room?? We’re in a situation here!” Joohyun once again yanked the stranger’s arms which popped a vein from the stranger’s head.

“Listen! Woman. I don’t know what your problem is or how twisted your head is right now. I just wanna see Yuri in peace. You could cry or roll on the floor if you want. I won’t and don’t care about you.”

“I’m sorry Miss. But may we please know your name?” Yunho cut in between the women.

The stranger shifted her gaze to the man.

“How come a man so nice like you marry a woman like her? Mister. I’m afraid you married the wrong person.” The stranger shook her head.

“Your name?” Yunho said before Joohyun can even shout again.

“Tiffany. Tiffany Hwang. Now please get your crazy wife somewhere else. Preferably in the mental hospital. Ugh. She's making my head throb.” Tiffany massaged her temples.