“Charge to 200! Clear!”

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

“Charge to 200 again! Clear!”

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

“Charge to 250! Clear!”

*Beep…Beep…Beep*

“We’ve got sinus rhythm!”

The doctors removed the paddles and covered Lexi’s bare body once more. They pushed the crash cart to the side and left the room.

Jaesung stayed.

Tiffany gingerly approached the tiny body of her sister.

Jaesung moved to inform the others outside of the situation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Things were utter chaos in the hallway. They had seen the crash team run like the tails of their lab coats were on fire into Lexi’s room. The not knowing was what was the hardest. Those seven minutes they waited outside were almost excruciating. They could only imagine what Tiffany could be going through inside.

Then the crash team had come back out and their calm professional poker faces gave them no respite as to the gnawing fear that the worse had happened. Mr. Lee was about to stop up and demand to know Lexi’s current condition when Jaesung appeared in the doorway, a harrowing look in his eyes.

“She’s ok for now, but she has slipped back into a coma. I want you to prepare for the worst, she will most likely code again, multiple times,” he said in a hollow voice.

Jessica roughly pushed the despondent doctor aside and sprinted into the room with no regard for anything or anyone else.

Then those left outside resumed doing the only thing they could do: wait.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jessica stumbled in to find Tiffany once again holding Lexi in her arms. There were still traces of tears on the thug’s face, her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying she had done, but for now, the tears had stopped flowing.

Jaesung stood behind her. He could have pulled her back and forced the brunette back into the hall, but he felt that Tiffany should have someone with her at this moment in time.

Jessica walked timidly towards the bed.

She was terrified beyond belief. Terrified of seeing Lexi-belle broken, seeing the girl lifeless once more. When she got close enough, she could tell that it had been a close call. Lexi’s complexion now had a slight waxy and pallid appearance and when Jessica gingerly reached out to lay her hand on Lexi’s arm, she could feel no warmth from it. The young girl looked even more frail than ever before and seemed devoid of life’s spark, like one misplaced breath and she would be reduced to…

Ashes to ashes…dust to dust…

Jessica stilled herself and forced herself to remain composed, Tiffany didn’t need to see her breakdown right now. She gently laid herself on the bed beside Lexi so that the little girl was sandwiched between her and Tiffany. Jessica pressed her body up close, gasping a little at how small and cold Lexi felt against her. She draped one arm around Lexi and Tiffany, leaning her forehead against her girlfriend, their heads above Lexi’s.

And like that…the three girls lay there.

The night was long and the journey was an unforgiving one, a journey from which one was not meant to return.

But at least they didn’t have to tread that treacherous path alone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two…

“Charge to 200! Clear!”

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

Jessica held an eerily calm and rather unresponsive Tiffany in her arms as they watched the doctors try and revive Lexi a second time. Tiffany didn’t cry, but her eyes never left her sister.

“Charge to 200 a second time! Clear!”

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

Jessica’s hands were clenched into fists, her fingernails biting painfully deep into her own palms. She consciously slowed her breathing and forced herself to remain composed despite every cell in her body crying out for her to simply freak out and just cry. Tiffany still had not moved in her arms.

“Charge to 250! Clear!”

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

Her lips were bleeding from biting down so hard, trying to keep from crying out. This was madness. It was torture. It was agony personified to have to watch this. And yet…Tiffany remained unresponsive.

“250 again! Clear! Come-on-come-on!”

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

The doctors and nurses continued to swarm Lexi’s body like a hoard of flies. It physically hurt Jessica to watch them revive her. It looked like they were only further destroying Lexi’s already broken body. She devastatingly began to wonder if this was perhaps crueler than to simply let Lexi go. Then she wondered if her thoughts were traitorous. Is it wrong to wish for death? When Lexi and Tiffany had fought for so long against it?

“BP’s dropping! 64 systolic!”

“Charge to 300! Clear!”

…

…

…

*Beep…Beep…Beep*

Tiffany, who had remained stiff the entire time, suddenly sagged and slumped her back against Jessica. The two girls almost tumbled to the ground as the brunette was not prepared for the sudden dead weight, but she was able to react fast enough grip Tiffany’s limp body to hers, keeping them upright.

“We’ve got sinus rhythm!”

“Good…good…I want eyes on Lexi Drewbrooke at all times, let keep her stable people!”

The crash team filed out once again, but this time, two nurses remained, as well as Jaesung. The lead doctor approached Tiffany and Jessica. He opened his mouth to explain to them Lexi’s condition but Dr. Kim Jaesung pulled his colleague back.

“She understands. She’s been through this before,” the young doctor said.

The lead doctor shot Tiffany and piteous look before retreating from the room quietly.

Tiffany stirred in Jessica’s arms and wasted no time in resuming her previous position around Lexi before she had crashed a second time. Jessica watched her girlfriend for a moment, her heart tearing to pieces to see Tiffany go through this agony. Then the brunette also retook her spot on the bed.

“…Two…” Jessica heard Tiffany murmur into the crown of Lexi’s head.

She didn’t understand, but she