Everything seemed hazy, “Taeyeon...Taeyeon...” she could hear her name but her body felt numb and she was mute to answer, “Taeyeon wake up...” still her named echoed but who was it that was calling out to her?

Jessica was kneeling next to Taeyeon who still wasn’t waking up from when Tiffany had knocked her out with the chloroform, “Still not awake?”

Jessica turned to see Sooyoung standing behind her, “Ah no...”

“Don’t worry too much about it. She is on oxygen so her body will regain their senses soon.” Sooyoung rubbed Jessica’s back for support hoping that would calm down the frantic girl.

“How is Tiffany doing?”

Sooyoung crossed her arms, “she will do well now that her parents are here. She is temporarily locked up in the psychiatric unit at a nearby facility until they decide to move her back to America. I know what she did to Taeyeon must scare you but I don’t think Tiffany would have actually harmed Taeyeon.”

Jessica sighed, “I knew I shouldn’t have left for America or even to Taeyeon’s house for that matter...” she let her hand graze over Taeyeon’s arm as she looked at her girlfriend with worry.

“I am actually more worried about what is going to happen to Sunny...” Sooyoung leaned on the wall for support, “It was Tiffany doing all that bad stuff and Sunny was blamed for it...”

Jessica stood up to face Sooyoung, “So you think it was Tiffany too right? I thought it was weird when I saw Sunny’s address on the camera log.”

“Actually Sunny was helping Tiffany but not in that way. We were watching out for Taeyeon and I think Sunny was wrongfully charged...”

Jessica was trying to piece things together, “Wait...what actually happened while I was in America? And what do you mean watching out for Taeyeon?” Jessica was now fully attentive towards Sooyoung that she didn’t notice someone woke up behind her.

“Sica...” A weak voice cried out.

Sooyoung looked over Jessica’s shoulder, “I will tell you another time. I think you two need some alone time while I go to the police station for Sunny.”

Jessica quickly turned when she heard her girlfriend was awake, “Tae...”

Taeyeon reached up when she saw the tears in Jessica’s eyes, “Don’t cry...everything is fine.”

Taking Taeyeon’s hand, Jessica gently caressed it, “How can you say everything is fine when you just woke up after being passed out for hours?”

“At least I woke up and here you are with me. What else could be more perfect than this?”

Tears were still falling from Jessica’s face as she peppered her girlfriend’s face with kisses, “I am so glad you are alright...”

Taeyeon laughed at her overly affectionate girlfriend that she had to trap her into a tight hug to make her stop, “Just hold me so everything will heal faster.”

Jessica took her arm and rubbed it against her eyes to dry the tears before climbing into the bed with her girlfriend, “I will hold you even after you are healed...I promise.”

How could Taeyeon not smile happily with the sweet words from her girlfriend while being the warmth of Jessica’s arms? The two women were in complete bliss that the reality surrounding them just disappeared.

---------------------------

Sooyoung made it to the police station with the hopes of helping Sunny out, “I am here to see miss Sunny Lee.”

The officer looked at some logs, “You will have to wait a bit since she is in the middle of questioning.”

Sooyoung sighed as she took her purse to take a seat in the waiting area. It was a few hours until she was called to go to the holding area and meet Sunny. “Sunny!” Sunny smiled when she saw her friend from the other side of the bars, “Aren’t they going to let you go?”

“Soo...they won’t let me go.”

“Sunny you are scaring me...why won’t they let you go?”

“Can you help me get a good lawyer? I have to go to trial.”

“What about bail? Can you get out on bail?”

“I can but I won’t use your money for that and I have a restraining order to stay away from Taeyeon at the moment.”

“I am getting you out and you have a lot of explaining to me.”

Sunny reached out from the bars to caress Sooyoung’s cheek, “I will need you to help me the most.”

A tear escaped Sooyoung’s face, “Of course I will be here for you.”

“Oh...and Soo can you pass a message onto Taeyeon for me since I can’t be there for her.”

“Anything...what do you want me to tell her?”

“Merry Christmas.”

-----------------------

Jessica was reading a book when the girl next to her stirred, “Awake?”

Taeyeon looked towards the warmth of the body that was next to her, “It must be boring for you...I just fall asleep a lot.”

Jessica put the bookmark in her book before setting it down and putting her attention towards Taeyeon, “It is good. You are still healing. I am on break anyways.”

“But you should see friends and family when on break. You know help your parents prepare for Christmas. It is only a few days away.”

Jessica took Taeyeon’s hand and gave it a gentle kiss, “I am where I need to be. Besides, Christmas at my house isn’t very eventful or family oriented. It is a time for my parents to network and build connections to further my father’s business. I see some family but for the most part, it is just women in fancy dresses gossiping and suited males talking about stocks.”

“What about friends? Like Yuri?”

Jessica laughed, “My best friend is right next to me and Yuri is dating so I doubt she wants to see me.” The younger girl leaned over to place a kiss on Taeyeon’s forehead, “Stop thinking about me. I will be here for you and we will spend Christmas here together because I want to.”

Taeyeon smiled widely for the fact that she had a sweet and caring girlfriend, “Have you heard from Sunny and Sooyoung? It has been a few days since we saw them.”

Jessica fidgeted in her seat debating on whether to break the news to Taeyeon or not about Sunny’s situation, “They are busy with your case at the moment. Sooyoung said that she will come by for Christmas though. You can ask her about Sunny then okay?”

Taeyeon nodded lazily as she was feeling a bit tired again, “Ms. Kim how are you this morning?”

Jessica got out of the bed when she saw the nurse come in with the wheelchair, “I am good Nurse Seo...do I really have to go now?”

“Of course Ms. Kim. You have rehab every day at this time.”

Taeyeon groaned loudly as Jessica stood laughing at the usual routine, “But I am tireeeed.”

“You always say that Ms. Kim but we need you to heal.” The nurse started helping Taeyeon into her wheelchair, “Are you coming with Ms. Jessica?”

Jessica walked towards the patient in the wheelchair, “I better since this child will start acting up if I am not around.”

“What? I will not! And I am older than you!” Both Jessica and the nurse laughed at the older woman’s childish behavior.

Jessica bent down to give Taeyeon a kiss on the cheek, “whatever you say miss psychiatrist but we should go so you aren’t late for your appointment.”

It was two hours of rehab until Taeyeon was dismissed but the doctor asked Jessica to stay behind and talk to her, “I am told you are her guardian at the moment?”

Jessica crossed her arms as she heard the seriousness in the doctor’s voice, “Yes I am.”

“Well Taeyeon’s rehab is going well and her wounds are healing but there is one thing we are very concerned about at the moment. As you know her one kidney as damaged pretty badly so we removed it but the second one isn’t healing as we like either. We believe it would be best to have Taeyeon undergo a kidney transplant within a year before it starts to dysfunction. If she has any family it would be best to have them donate. Do you know if Taeyeon still has any family you can contact?”

Jessica thought, “I will talk to her about it, but as far as I know, she cut contact with her family after her mother’s death.”

“Alright. I would suggest you or any close friends get tested to be a match but if you could possibly find her family, that would be better. For now, we will keep a close eye on her condition but she could wait a year before we must surgically intervene again.”

“Are you sure she can wait a year?”

“Yes. We wouldn’t want to operate at the moment anyways as her other injuries are still present and want those to heal a bit more before doing something like a transplant.”

Jessica sighed heavily, “I will get tested and ask her friends if they want to be a donor too. Thanks for letting me know doctor.”

“Don’t worry too much about Taeyeon. She is doing great so far. And I will see Taeyeon after Christmas.”

“You have a good Christmas doctor.”

“I will Ms. Jung. Take care.”

Jessica saw the doctor leave before making her way back to Taeyeon’s room, “Why did the doctor talk to you after I left?”

Taeyeon was already situated in her bed, “He said that you are making good progress but you will need a kidney transplant within a year.”

“How is that good progress?”

Jessica pulled a chair up to the bed to hold Taeyeon’s hand, “It is good because your body is healing except for one thing but I am going to get tested and ask Sooyoung to get tested to be your donor.”

“Sooyeon...I know you love me but that is too much...”

“Tae...nothing is too much and it is just a blood test. I might not be a match. The doctor also suggested that a family member would be a better match than me.”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes back to look at the ceiling, “I have no family.”

Jessica looked down at Taeyeon’s hand while still rubbing her thumb across the smooth skin, “Taeyeon...I know how you feel about your family but if you can or know how to contact your family, it would be good to do so. We are talking about your life here. I can’t let you play around with your life...I hope you understand.”

Taeyeon took her eyes off the ceiling so she could look at Jessica, “I don’t have contact...and I wouldn’t play around with me life now that you are in it.”

With a smile on her face she looked back up to Taeyeon, “Okay...I believe you but we can forget about it for now. Christmas is just around the corner.” Jessica got up from her seat so she could lean closer to Taeyeon and give her a loving kiss on her lips, “We will have a good Christmas together so lets forget about our worries for now.”

Taeyeon smiled brightly, “Just seeing your face always makes me forget worries.”

Jessica laughed before ruffling Taeyeon’s hair, “I see the morphine is working well. I think you need some rest my little Casanova.”

---------------------------

It was late Christmas Eve with the couple cuddling and watching a program on the hospital TV, “Why do you even watch this show? There are so many flaws.”

Jessica playfully slapped Taeyeon’s shoulder, “Why do you criticize every medical drama?”

“Because any doctor could see that it isn’t practical how they behave or dress. I mean, what sane doctor would wear heals at work?”

For the hundredth time Jessica rolled her eyes, “Well just ignore it as there isn’t anything else on this late at night.”

A knock came on the door that broke the bickering between the couple, “come in.”

A well-dressed woman holding a huge fruit basket walked in followed by a distinguished man in a suit, “Mom...dad?” Taeyeon straightened up in the bed a bit as Jessica walked towards the two people who she just referred to as ‘mom and dad’. “What are you doing here....with a fruit basket?”

Mrs. Jung went to put the fruit basket on the table in the room, “We came to visit Taeyeon before the party...the one you were supposed to be at.”

Jessica hung her head low, “I can’t leave her...”

Mr. Jung laughed as he gave his daughter a hug, “We weren’t expecting you to honey.” Mr. Jung released his daughter before putting his arm around his wife who both made their way towards Taeyeon, “So how are you feeling Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon smiled as she faced Jessica’s parents, “Good. Jessica makes sure that I am healing faster.”

“That is good to hear! I was afraid she wouldn’t let your rest properly.”

Taeyeon laughed at the comment, “She just reads most of the time. I am sorry that I am taking her away from being with you for the holidays and her break.”

Mrs. Jung went to fix Taeyeon’s pillow a bit, “Don’t worry about it sweetie. Jessica would just go into her room and ignore us anyways. I am glad she is doing something useful during break.”

“Are you sure you don’t need her at the party tonight? I can get her to go with you.”

Jessica glared at Taeyeon, “Yah! Who says you can make me do anything?”

Taeyeon stuck out her tongue at the younger girl, “Because I am older.”

Mr. and Mrs. Jung laughed at the couple, “Please keep our daughter in line Taeyeon and heal faster so we can have dinner together. We just came to wish you a good Christmas although you are stuck here. I know the gift basket isn’t much but food is always a good gift in my opinion.”

“Oh it is more than I can ask for Mr. Jung.”

“We have a party to get to so we will leave. Jessica take care of yourself and Taeyeon you make sure to get some good rest.” Mrs. Jung went to kiss her daughter on the cheek while Mr. Jung squeezed his daughter’s shoulder before they both left.

Jessica shut the door when her parents went out, “hum that was nice.”

Taeyeon was smiling, “I like your parents.”

The younger girl made her way back onto the bed while turning the TV back on, “You are a sneaky one Ms. Kim.”

Taeyeon looked at Jessica innocently, “I have no idea what you are talking about love.”

“Oh don’t look so innocent with me. A little birdie told me what you were up to while I was away.”

“Humm what did this bird or should I say what did Sooyoung tell you?”

“That my girlfriend had secret meetings with my parents every week which turned out to be a way for my parents to give into her affection and love her like a daughter. I think my parents replaced me with you over my school year.”

Taeyeon laughed, “You can’t be replaced. I just went over to explain our situation. I can’t help it if I used a bit of charm to make your parents like me.”

“Magic powers if you ask me. Didn’t you notice that they practically ignored me this whole time and gravitated towards you! I have been replaced!”

Taeyeon was smiling as she pulled Jessica closer so she could give the girl a kiss on the cheek, “I swear you are irreplaceable my love.” Jessica was stubborn to give into Taeyeon’s sweet words, “And Merry Christmas.”

Jessica looked over to the clock, “...oh it is Christmas?”

Taeyeon tightened her embrace, “Yes it is. I like my squishy present this year.”

“Squishy present?”

Taeyeon leaned over and started to kiss her girlfriend, “You of course are my greatest present...”

Jessica smiled, “I love the morphine...mmm” the younger girl couldn’t finish her sentence as Taeyeon continued to assault her lips.

-------------------------

A present was held up in her face, “Merry Christmas Tae!”

Taeyeon smiled at the gift, “you didn’t have to Soo.”

“I have to because you are my best friend.” Sooyoung went to sit next to Jessica as Taeyeon was busily opening her presents, “I hope you like it since it took me half a year to find it.”

Taeyeon looked at the gift, “Oh...for the office or home?”

“Whichever. You can use it here too. The humidifier not only humidifies but has an antibacterial function and filter so it cleans out the air while acting as a humidifier. State of the art for my dear friend.”

Taeyeon smiled happily, “I love it! Sooyeon help me set it up!”

Jessica laughed as Taeyeon tried opening up the box, “I feel like my gift is lame compared to you your excitement over this gift.”

“Oh? What did Jessica give you?”

Taeyeon pointed at the item next to her bed, “Cute! I love the picture of you two. How come I didn’t see that when I walked in!”

Jessica and Taeyeon laughed as Sooyoung examined the photo, “Taeyeon hates photos so it took a lot of effort to get that one. So much that I had to frame it.”

“And I love it just as much as that humidifier.”

Jessica rolled her eyes, “You don’t need to lie. I know you like the humidifier more.”

Taeyeon didn’t answer back but laughed, “Oh Soo...do you have what I asked for?” Sooyoung pulled up her purse and dug through it before giving a package to Taeyeon, “Sooyeon...your gift.”

Jessica finished setting up the humidifier before looking over and taking the box from Taeyeon, “You got me a gift?”

“Of course! You are my girlfriend.”

Jessica nodded as she started unwrapping the gift before almost shoving the gift back into Taeyeon’s hand, “Really?”

Taeyeon was smiling brightly as she saw her girlfriend’s excitement, “Really really.”

Out of curiosity, Sooyoung looked over to see what the couple was so happy about, “Oh...Taeyeon isn’t that your plane ticket?”

“Yep. My ticket to America to visit Sooyeon and...umm look under it.”

Jessica was so happy to see the ticket that tears were in her eyes as she lifted it up to reveal couple rings, “Tae....this is too much.”

“I wanted to give this to you only after your parents accepted me as your girlfriend. We can be official official now...and I umm don’t work at your school anymore so official official official.”

Jessica put on the ring before helping Taeyeon put on hers, “It is really too much....and my gift looks like now.”

Taeyeon reached out to pull Jessica into an embrace, “Don’t say that. I love the picture of us. This is only a small thing...really.”

After the gift exchange, the three friends chatted happily and enjoyed the cake that Sooyoung brought over to help celebrate the holidays, “So why didn’t Sunny come with?”

Sooyoung stopped eating her cake when she heard that name, “So you didn’t tell her Jessica?”

Taeyeon looked back at Jessica, “Tell me what?”

“I thought you wanted to tell her as you are helping Sunny out?”

Sooyoung put down her plate of food, “Well Tae...you see Sunny was being charged as an accessory to your accident and for Nichkhun’s death. However, she is giving a statement against the real criminal which should reduce her sentence greatly.”

Taeyeon straightened up in her bed, “Accessory? What do you mean real criminal?”

“Well...Tiffany...she is the one that did this to you and the one who really killed Nichkhun. Sunny was helping out with small things so people wouldn’t get hurt while we prevented her from possibly hurting you, but that makes Sunny an accessory in the privacy violations and such but the police are willing to drop the charges for murder as she gave a solid testimony against Tiffany.”

“What about Tiffany? I heard she was with her parents.”

“Tiffany was with her parents...in a way. She has been in the mental hospital since you last saw her. She is looking at some heavy charges but my lawyers are going to plea mental insanity on this one to get her the help she really needs.”

Taeyeon furrowed her eyebrows, “What is she being diagnosed with?”

“Monomania...and it got out of hand with you as the central idea.”

Taeyeon sighed, “I want to help.”

“Taeyeon you are still hospitalized.”

“But I want to help...help Tiffany get help...and to help Sunny you know....”

Jessica went to hug Taeyeon, “Taeyeon you have been through a lot. Sooyoung will make sure they are taken care of. There is no need to put another burden on yourself.”

“Jessica is right. Everything will be handled without you. It will be over soon.”

Author's Note

Wow...long chapter. I was writing...then decided to write more...then I thought I didn't write everything I wanted to write so I wrote more...

Story is going to go in another direction soon which I hinted at here! So lets go on another ride together! Author is going to get some rest before that though.

Please leave your comments or possible confusions ^^