It should have been such a normal day. Jennie was just going to show me the ropes with this whole driving thing, nothing too out of the ordinary or considered dangerous, maybe we'd get takeout on our way home. Little did we know our fate had been sealed as soon as we stopped at that red light. 

It's sad. 

What's done is done. 

We can't change the hand of fate. 

There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and energy with. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life - whether I see them as curses or blessings. I can choose my words and how I treat others. And finally, I can choose my thoughts. 

Above all, I am eternally grateful I chose to spend my time with you. 

I had been out for some time, I just didn't know how long... but I'd come to and was perched up against flaming car wreckage, blood leaking dangerously fast from the back of my head. I could hear sirens in the background, someone must've called 911, somehow the little comfort that realisation should have brought me fell on deaf ears; it didn't matter. What did matter was that Jennie was slumped over on her side, the lights of the approaching sirens lighting up her eerily peaceful face, and she wasn't stirring at all. 

"Jennie," I said, softly. No response. I tried again, more urgently. "Jennie Kim."

Frantically, I reached out for her, a searing pain shooting through my wrist at the movement, but I didn't care, I had to wake her up. All that mattered was Jennie. The ever-closer sirens stopped moving and I could hear voices as the paramedics approached the cars. One shouted, "Can anybody hear me?" 

Gritting my teeth, I summoned the last bit of strength I possessed and lifted myself off the ground, supporting my body weight on the rapidly burning car wreck. Sharp pain lanced through my head and colourful spots danced in front of my eyes, it felt like my whole body was rejecting my movement and every step I took towards Jennie caused my bones to ache. Wincing in pain, I carefully leaned down and manoeuvred her fragile body into my arms. 

I needed to save her.

"Help! We need help!" I shouted, walking towards the flashing lights, urging my body not to fail me. Someone was near me within seconds, trying to access the wound on my head flowing rapidly with blood. "Not me! Not me! My soulmate, take her she needs help now." The man nodded quickly, shifting his attention to the girl in my arms, and lifted her off to the safety of the ambulance. 

"Thank you..."

My eyesight blurred, but not because of the tears that were welling up. Everything became fuzzy; then I saw nothing at all. My consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a thick static. Throughout the inky space, my heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in my ears, alongside fading calls of my name. 

Feeling in my body drained away until finally, all was black. 

At least I had saved her. 

*****

Awareness arrived on a single breath. The beating of my heart the first focus point. I would not open my eyes. The clock remained stopped as long as I kept my eyes closed. Once open, reality would commence and would bring with it the return of pain and loss and fear.

I became aware of the tightness in my upper chest. Not pain exactly, but…pain subdued. Pain waiting to pounce again once the leash of the painkillers faded.

I was warm, almost too warm, and felt the swaddle of blankets around me. I took a deep breath and became aware of something both blocking the entrance to my nose and helping me to breathe. 

Oxygen.

A mechanical beep accompanied the slow, steady beat of my heart, and I felt a tightness, an almost-sting in the back of my hand.

Then I became aware of my other hand. Something was around it. Something warm and strong. Another hand, smaller than mine. I roused myself enough to give it an experimental squeeze and heard the sharp intake of another's breath.

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