September 18th 2013

Mrs. Jung watched from the doorway, seeing her daughter caress Tiffany with loving adoration.

She had seen everything she needed to see.

The tears.

The tearful entreaties.

The kiss.

She had seen enough to know her daughter and this girl, this one Tiffany Hwang, were intertwined in every way humanly possible. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. You could not get one without traces of the other bleeding through. And Mrs. Jung didn’t know exactly how she felt about that. But she was sure about one thing: Jessica, her beloved and beyond precious daughter would be inconsolable if Tiffany were to be forcibly wrenched from her life, and Mrs. Jung could never ever entertain that thought of knowingly causing her daughter pain. She would do everything in her power to stop that, even if it meant she had to go against the world.

Her daughter needed her support and love more than ever. And if that meant that she had to open her heart to another person, if that meant that she had to welcome Tiffany Hwang into her heart, if that meant that she had gotten herself another ‘daughter’ to fret and worry over…then so be it.

“She would make a good addition to our already beautiful family jagiya…” Mr. Jung whispered into her ear, rubbing Mrs. Jung’s shoulders soothingly as he too gazed fondly over at his daughter gripping tightly onto the younger girl.

He himself had never seen Jessica so protective over someone other than their baby, Krystal. It was a nice sight to behold, he had to admit.

Mrs. Jung nodded and nuzzled her cheek into her husband’s warm comforting chest.

Tiffany Hwang…you better love my daughter like she deserves and more…

Welcome to the family…Tiffany Hwang.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The girls were rounded up by their managers and rushed to the hospital after Jaesung called with the good news. By the time they got there, Nayeong, Teddy, and the Lee’s were already outside Tiffany’s hospital room, conversing with Jaesung about Tiffany’s condition. Jessica’s parents were there also.

“She’s fine. I swear Mr. Lee! She’s fine!” Jaesung was saying vehemently, trying hard not to lose his temper after being asked for what seemed like the millionth time by everyone and anyone as to Tiffany’s condition.

And as the seven girls joined the throng, he only had to repeat himself oh…perhaps another thousand times more?

He understood their anxiety. He really did.

He had been there the night Lexi-belle, that wonderful little angel on this wretched earth, was taken so cruelly away from them. He understood how they felt insecure in their hopes. But Tiffany really was going to be fine and only set to make a full and robust recovery. The only thing left was her mental health.

Jaesung knew Tiffany had been spiraling into the dangerous realms of depression and steeply depreciating self-worth. He hoped that perhaps this close brush with the sinister shrouded figure and his cursed sickle was enough to pull Tiffany out of her slick downward whirlpool of destruction. Otherwise…he and Nayeong had been talking of taking more proactive measures…

…namely getting Tiffany institutionalized.

He knew Tiffany would fight that teeth and nail, possibly even grow to hate him for having her committed. But for everyone’s sake, and especially his Nayeong’s sake, he was more than willing to take on the role of the meddling jerk in Tiffany’s life. As long as Tiffany, the girl both he and Nayeong had grown to love like a sister, got the help she needed, he could bear being hated for the rest of his life.

“I swear on the life of my future children sir, Tiffany is going to make a full recovery!” Jaesung insisted once more, not missing the slight startled glance his girlfriend gave him from the side. But Jaesung shrugged it off. Nayeong was the one. He was sure of it. If she would have him, he would wed her and toil away for the rest of his life for this one wonderful woman.

“Then why can’t we see her Kim?! What are you hiding from us?” Mr. Lee boomed.

The man really was as riled up as a hornet’s nest that’s been kicked around like a soccer ball. Jaesung had learned enough about Mr. Lee to know that the man became bristly and aggressive wherever his three, and now sadly only two, ‘adoptive daughters’ were concerned. Just like a mother grizzly bear if you should ever stand between her and her cubs.

Jaesung really was very thankful that Tiffany and his dear sweet Nayeong had such a loving, caring, and protective father figure in their lives. But he was not so thrilled when that aggression was directed at him.

Mr. Lee pulled the young doctor aside, Nayeong staring worriedly back at them.

“Tiffany asked for some time alone with Jessica. She’s had a tiring day sir and she expressed the desire to not see anyone else. She’s just resting up and sleeping now. Please sir…I hope you understand,” Jaesung explained patiently in a kind and sincere manner, hoping not to further rile up the obviously agitated and frustrated man before him.

“Well then I am staying put until she wakes up. Then I want to see her right when she does. I know I am not her father legally in any way, nor am I her guardian under anyone’s books. But Dr. Kim Jaesung, you know I care for that child like my own. I hope you understand.”

“I do sir.”

“Good. Then I also want you to know that I hold you in very high esteem young man. I know I am a trying and demanding man to deal with where my ‘daughters’ are concerned, and I am forever appreciative of your caring attitude towards Nayeong and your wonderful care for Tiffany and…little Lexi. You are alright in my books young man. You really are.”

“Thanks Mr. Lee. That really means a lot to me to hear that from you personally.”

“But at the same time, do not think for once instance that with my approval that I will stand to have you hurt Nayeong in any way. If I should find her upset, sad, or crying for any reason to do with you, I will deal with you as harshly as I see fit. And I will warn you now, I am an unforgiving man when it comes to the women that I love in my life. Do I make myself clear young man?”

“You do sir. And I would never think to hurt Nayeong intentionally. I love her sir.”

“Do you?”

“I do.”

“So do I. Glad we have that in common. Now I’ve taken up enough of your time as it is with my fretting. You have patients to see to I am sure.”

“I do. But please sir, do come find me if you need anything or if Tiffany needs anything.”

“I will be sure to. Now go.”

“See you later then sir.”

“You most likely will. Good-bye Dr. Kim.”

“Bye sir.”

Jaesung briskly stepped away in a swirl of doctor’s whites and swinging stethoscopes to tend to make his rounds.

Mr. Lee went back to join everyone else.

The group got themselves acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Jung as they waited outside for Tiffany to wake up. Logically, it made not much sense for such a huge group of people to stand outside and wait for a patient to awaken. It could be minutes or it could be hours. But it seemed that it was a general unspoken consensus that they all, the Jungs included, would much rather wait outside in the halls, which was the closest physical proximity with Tiffany that they were allowed to maintain under the current circumstances.

And it would seem that they didn’t have to wait long.

Thirty minutes later, Jessica came and opened the door, quietly motioning them inside with a cautionary slender finger to the lips to convey that silence must be kept inside the room.

They filed in.

Inside, they found Tiffany propped up on meticulously fluffed up pillows, her head turned to the side, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes.

Something about the girl’s posture and the slight wayward way she held herself, almost like she was nursing a broken wing. Something…something…something was out of alignment.

It made everyone reluctant to approach her for fear of startling the poor girl. It probably would have been safe to say that they had never seen Tiffany so distant and repressed. This was different from her months of self-destruction. Then, Tiffany had at least been cognizant and aware of her actions, her faults, and the pain she was causing to everyone around her as well as herself. But now, she seemed mentally unreachable, emotionally unavailable, physically non-existent.

Tiffany was reminiscent of a thin pane of glass, barely visible to the eye. Almost like…it wasn’t even there.

Jessica had immediately climbed back into bed right after opening the door, taking her spot beside Tiffany and wrapping both arms around the younger girl as if to ward off everything from the world that could ever even remotely hurt the now uncharacteristically-fragile-looking girl.

They all stood there.

No one said anything.

There was nothing to say.

What do you say to one who has seemingly lost everything there is to lose?

‘It’s going to be alright,’ when that only smacks of insensitivity, blatant callousness and almost complete disregard for the magnitude and value of what was lost?

‘It will get better,’ when that acknowledges that that person’s life has been absolute and has hit rock bottom but does not give any comfort and often rings of hollow promises? How can anyone be so completely idiotic to think that things can so simply ‘get better’ when life as the person has known it has been completely wiped out? There is often no ‘better’ in these circumstances. You simply continue on because you have to. ‘Better’ does not factor into the equation until a lot further down the road. A lot further.

So they stood there.

Silent.

Sadly sympathetic.

Quietly pensive.

…

…

…

And somehow…there was comfort in that.

…

…

…

…

…

Tiffany sensed the added presence in the room but did not let her mind consciously acknowledge them. She just allowed herself to meld back into Jessica’s form beside her. Even those few seconds Jessica had left her side to open the door had been almost too painful and too unthinkable to endure and Tiffany had wanted to cry and cling to the older girl, to beg her to never leave her…ever.

She was honestly too exhausted to do much else other than let Jessica hold her. So with thirteen pairs of eyes watching, she burrowed herself deeper into Jessica’s tender protective embrace and allowed herself to drift off into dreamless slumber, just barely cognizant enough to feel the three light loving kisses that Jessica pressed to her cheek, forehead, and tip of the nose before she slipped completely away.

Don’t leave me…Jessica…please don’t ever leave me…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tiffany was discharged two days later. She had insisted that there not be any fanfare in celebration and for her return to the dorm to be as quiet and casual as possible.

The thug had returned to her normal imperturbable and terse self by the time she was discharged. Everyone knew there were deep and troubling undercurrents laying underneath that thug-like façade and that the fragile delicate Tiffany they had seen laying within Jessica’s embrace was but skin-deep away. It was worrying to say the leas