I slowly open my eyes. The beeping of the machines fills my ears. I take a look at my surroundings, the smell of sterility fills my nose. I groan in disgust and the action hurts my throat. I inhale deeply and a scent fills my senses. A welcomed one and one I've grown to love. I slowly drop my head to my right. My face buries into a brown haired mane and I place a soft kiss on top of her head. She stirs slightly and the movement places pressure near my torso. I groan a bit and she jumps off the bed in horror.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry..." She looks terrified but then her eyes open wider. I didn't even think that to be possible they are already pretty big. I breathe out a soft laugh and lift my hand toward her.

"You're awake! You're..." She moves closer to me and grabs my hand. "I should get the nurse or something..." She trails off, thumbing behind her. I don't say anything I just stare at her lovingly. She leans forward but then pops back up. I furrow my brows. "I wanna kiss you but..."

She scans my very broken body and I just pucker my lips. She carefully places her hand on the bed to give her balance capturing my lips with hers. This is the best feeling right now and my body is feeling pain but she is my anesthesia, my morphine. I feel so much better already and I want her closer. I press my face loser to hers and she knows to pull away. I attempt to move over and she quickly berates me.

"Don't move."

"I want you to lie down with me." I say as I attempt to sit up. Okay this really hurts. It's really truly extremely painful. I should probably listen to Jisoo. I've already gotten a momentum and I don't want to look bad.

"Lisa, stop." She whines and I smirk. "I'll lie down just don't move." I nod and carefully lie back down. I watch as she carefully crawls back into the hospital bed. I grab her arm and put it over my chest she whimpers and I giggle. then groan from the pain of the laughter, Jisoo flinches away.

"Jisoo I'm fine, it's more painful to have you away from me." I tell her honestly and she smiles sadly. We lie quietly and I can hear the gears in her brain turning. I try to ease the tension with a small joke.

"First time I get you in bed and I needed to crash into a tree." I laugh at my bad joke and I'm completely alone in that department. She sniffles and I her arm. It's not long before she's on her feet again. She shakes her head and I'm watching her.

"It's not funny. This isn't funny. I can't lose you." She whispers.

"You won't. I'm here." She lifts her head and I notice tears in her eyes. "I'm here Jisoo...just like said you were here for me."

Her breath hitches and I smile softly. "I heard you...everything you said. I love you too." Talking is very painful right now. My voice is extremely hoarse but I need her to hear this. I need her to know that she is everything to me She sits back in the chair. She's probably afraid to touch me. I just continue.

"You are everything that I need to live, I would fight anything just so you wouldn't feel pain. I'm not going to leave you, you say you can't live without me well I wasn't alive until I met you. You're it Jisoo..." I have more to say but my lips are busy kissing my girlfriend. I tug at her shirt and this time she doesn't fight me. She just lies right next to me. When she's away there's always pain but by my side all I feel is her. As she snuggles in closer to me, I close my eyes loving every moment of this. "I would never want you to die for me Jisoo." I whisper and she turns to look at me. "But I would for you, I would do anything for you."

"I know." I nod, the gesture causing the pounding in my head to magnify. I wince from the pain and close my eyes to push it away. "I would never want that though. I could never live in a world where you don't exist." I open my eyes slowly, the truth resounding in my ears. I've never spoken truer words. She lets a smile play at her lips before kissing me gently and loosely wraps herself around me to keep from causing me anymore pain.

–

"Ms. Manoban?" A voice pulls me from my dreams. I open my eyes to see Jisoo still sleeping next to me and a nurse standing over us. "I need to check your ribs." She tells me and I wish there was a way she could do it without Jisoo having to detach from me. I reluctantly shake Jisoo awake. She stirs and it's the cutest thing on the planet.

"I don't wanna go to school today mommy." I stifle a laugh and shake her again. This time she wakes up.

"I'm not gonna make you go to school, but I do need you to get up for a second so the nurse can check my ribs." I smile at her. She gives me a confused look but gets up. After the nurse checks my ribs and does a couple of test to see if I'm still concussed she leaves Jisoo and I alone again. "You were talking in your sleep." I chuckle a little as she climbs back into bed with me.

"No." She shakes her head, clearly embarrassed.

"Mhm." I nod and smile. "Was that a one time thing or something you do all the time?" I pop a brow and wait for her answer.

"I don't know." She shrugs. "Why? Would that be a problem?" She mirrors my face and shake my head no, smiling harder.

"I think it's the cutest thing ever. I can't wait to hear it every night." I say and I can tell my words catch her off guard. Talks of the future and our plans have never really came up. We've been living in the here and now but after an incident like what happened I think that we should. "I can see myself being with you forever, Jisoo. Does that scare you?" When she doesn't answer right away I feel my heart speed up and I'm not sure if it's the morphine I was just given or how long it's taking her to answer the question. "Oh my God, you're-"

"No." She shakes her head quickly. When her lips curl up into a smile I know what's coming next. "I want to wake up next to you everyday." She nods and I can't help but smile. I don't want to help it! This is the best news ever. "You're it for me too, Lisa Manoban."

I smile at the revelation and I can't help but be okay with the turn of events. Sometimes tragedy leads to beauty. Sometimes you have to sacrifice to receive a blessing. Jisoo is the best thing to ever happen to me, she won't replace what I had nor can I with her but we can lead a fulfilling life. Together. I lace my fingers with hers and she kisses the back of my hand. We just lie in silence letting the peace of our situation flow over us. The quiet doesn't last too long as my family knocks on the door. Jisoo motions to get up but I hold her in place.

Lucas pops his head in the doorway and though it hurts to laugh I do so cause he is the coolest kid ever. He beams a smile at us.

"Li! I knew you'd wake up. See told you!" He gloats triumphantly as he rushes towards the side of the bed.

"Be careful sweetie." My urges and I dismiss her softly. She of course ignores me. "Her leg Lucas, honey."

Lucas goes towards the front of the bed and climbs over making sure to watch where he lands. I move my good leg giving him room. He lifts the bottom of the blanket exposing my cast.

"Can I sign Li?"

"You better." I tell him and he smiles brightly.

I subconsciously Jisoo's arm. My parents greet her with a cheek to cheek kiss then kiss me on top of my head. They get comfortable in the room and notice that my mother brought a basket of food with her. I laugh lightly.

"Did you bring breakfast?" I and she just tuts placing it on top of the table. She wheels it closer to the bed. Jisoo gets up to help with everything and I miss her body already. My dad pulls the chair closer to me and grabs my hand.

"You scared us sweetie."

I look away ashamed. It was a heat of the moment situation. I was just upset at the time, and all I wanted to do was get to my girl. I flick my eyes up at her and she's looking at me lovingly. I can't help but feel bliss overtake my disheveled body. I look back to my dad and he notices where my gaze has lingered, he laughs quietly patting my hand.

"You did good Li, you've got a keeper." I agree with him, nodding softly making sure not to aggravate any pain in my head. "Listen. I gave your CO a call earlier this morning and explained everything, they've agreed to an extension to your time home but they'll handle your physical recovery. He says that the rest of your unit is still scheduled to return from their R&R this weekend and are shipping out the following week, but you'll stay at base til you heel up enough."

"How much longer?"

"A few more weeks." He answers sadly, it's better than the two days I had left here. I squeeze my father's hand. He just nods his head and leans back in the chair. My girlfriend brings me a cup of water and I'm grateful. With the excitement of Jisoo being here, discussing our future, and my family coming I forgot all about the soreness from my throat. I rub at it in confusion.

"You had a tube in..." Jisoo explains, "to help with your breathing, a nurse took it out over night when your oxygen levels were stable."

Everyone has their eye on Jisoo as she explains fully. She answers fully informed, like a wife would. I force the thoughts out of my head, a bit early to think of Jisoo as my wife, though it does have a nice ring to it.

"Well it's obvious you were in great hands. I knew you would be." My mother speaks up first as she winks at Jisoo. All she does is look away, blushing a bit. She sits next to Lucas as he pulls another marker from his schoolbag and colors on what used to be a plain white cast.

"No school today bud?" I ask taking the attention off Jisoo, she looks at me with a thankful gaze and I just wink at her.

"Nah, mom said I could skip and be with you today."

"Good call mom." I compliment and she just shrugs nonchalantly placing flowers in a vase and putting it next to my window. When she finally moves away from the table that they were "preparing" breakfast I notice it's a stack of pancakes, bacon, and sausages and my eyes widen.

"Mom that's too much food." I comment and she waves a hand at me.

"The Kims, the Parks and Jisoo's parents, are on the way what are they going to eat."

"Only you would make a feast of food in a hospital room." I joke and my dad laughs along with me. "How do you intend on keeping all that stuff warm?"

"Can't tell you that, it's a mother's secret. I'll tell Jisoo though it's s wife's secret as well." She says and I think my heart machine starts beeping erratically. My mother did this last time calling Jisoo my girlfriend before I even get the chance to and now she's doing it with the word wife!

"Ma don't domesticate my girlfriend!" Jisoo is covering her face and I completely understand her horror.

"Cause you're a good girl." My little brother sings as he colors my cast. I thought he was just signing it, not painting the Mona Lisa on it.

"Why do you know that song?" I half shout and regret it as my ribs and throat twinge in pain.

He looks up shyly. "You said the word, domesticate and I don't know I just started singing it." He goes back to coloring like nothing happened. I think he knows how to use his innocence to his advantage that boy is sneaky. I look at my girlfriend and she's just giggling away.

The rest of my visitors filter in and Jisoo sets me up a plate of breakfast. She's taking great care of me just like she's done my entire time home. I don't know how to ever repay her, I hope loving her and devoting myself to her can be the start of something in a form of gratitude. The food is surprisingly still very hot and I think my mother is a wizard. No one bombards me with questions they just keep me company and express how happy they are that I'm safe and back with them. I think about my memories and the limbo I experienced and I don't chalk it up to a dream. It was real and I won't water it down with my mind playing tricks on me. I said goodbye to my old family and embrace my new one as they talk among themselves letting their presence be the support I never imagined to have.

Later that evening everyone left, promising to come back the next day. They've spent the entire day here and wanted to give me rest, despite how much I begged them to stay. The only person that did was of course the love of my life. The lighting in the hospital room is dim. The television in the upper corner is on a low volume just adding to the background noise. I had just had a quick check up with my nurse and doctor, giving me my numbers. I have a long recovery road but better this is better than not being here at all.

She comes out from my private bathroom in a fresh set of clothes that her mother brought her earlier. She seems a lot more relaxed. I'm looking at her and she catches my stare.

"What?" She asks me shyly.

"You look happy."

"I am." She sits at the other end of the hospital bed and looks at me sweetly. She rubs my good leg and I chortle. "What?"

"If I tell you something will you think I'm crazy?" She just shakes her head no so I continue. "Before I woke up..." I gather up the nerve to tell her, she'll be the only person I ever tell. She'll be the only person that ever needs to know. She nods letting me know I have her full attention. I start over.

"Before I woke up, I saw Rose, Jiwon...and Jin." Her breath hitches as I whisper her brother's name. "He told me to take care of you." She smiles and I see a shimmer in her eyes. I know it's probably tears. "It wasn't a dream, I felt them. It felt too real and I'd never seen Jin besides pictures...he had a goatee..."

Jisoo chokes out a laugh and the tears she tried to fight off flow down her cheek. She's just nodding. I had never seen a picture of Jin with a goatee.

"He was..." She takes a breath trying to calm her quivering voice. "He was trying out this awful look. He was so proud of that goatee. It took him months to get it right. I told him he looked like a bum." She laughs a little harder, I assume she's replaying the conversation in her head. Jisoo sniffles and wipes at her eyes. I wish she'd come over here so I could hold her. I can barely move. "He told me his goal in life was to be a beach bum so he was already halfway there."

We both share a quiet laugh. I whisper for her to come here so I could hold her. It's been too long since I have.

"He smelled like coconut." I tell her as she lies down in my arms.

"He would."

She starts to tell me more stories and I her. I quickly realize that for once, reminiscing my friends isn't painful at all and I know that it's because of the girl I'm holding. I'm able to hold her because I was finally able to let go of everything else.