“WHAT?!”

“Shh, mom is in Minnie’s room, you want her to come in and ask about our conversation?” 

“Sorry. But you just sprung it on me without warning.”

“Ma, I told you ‘Things are bad, really bad. We need to talk.’ HOW was it not a warning?”

“Sonson, you know mommy Hyunnie doesn’t think things are really bad until she is slapped in the face with how bad they are.”

“That is….. Very true, and explains a lot as well.” Jackson ponders a little. “Not the time for this, though.”

Both hear a sound from outside but relax when Nayeon heads further down the hall, towards the stairs. Jackson’s room was the last one down the hallway, just beside Mina’s, their mother’s was on the other side, for obvious reasons. This time Dahyun had gone after her son when she saw him enter the house looking like he kicked Ray and the dog started limping after. Surely something was wrong, and Nayeon pushed her wife to their son as soon as he walked passed them.

“Goddess, I hope they pull through. This is just really sad.”

“Aunt Jihyo is in the ICU, but I was told it’s standard procedure, so we’ll have to wait and see. Also, I was told Momo was the one with her when it happened, she was thrown out of the operation room but stood right by the door the entire time, bloody scrubs and all.”

“How I wish we could just go and be with them through it.”

“Isn’t it time to stop this nonsense, though? I mean, It’s been years already.”

“Not so simple, kiddo.” Dahyun laughs bitterly. “Your mom screwed up really bad, and I know the wounds she caused are still very much open. I do think it’s time to start working on it, though.”

“But it is. It’s very simple, mom goes over, begs for forgiveness and takes everything they throw at her, because she knows she deserves it. When they are done with the bottled up stuff, she starts working to make herself worthy of them.”

“You know, maybe it’s time you two talk about that.” The woman gives a lighthearted chuckle. “Don’t worry too much, just tell her I put you up to watching her brother’s family and start there. She might be a womanchild but she listens well.”

“You might be right. Not tonight, though, I think we both need some time to take in the news and I sure am not in the right mind to tell mom about this yet.”

“Fair enough. Go take a shower and come down to eat with us? Minnie has been asking for you all day.”

“Will do, ma.”

Dahyun places a kiss on her son’s forehead and leaves, the news that her nephew was gone twisting her gut in sharp and relentless knots, she could only hope they would be allowed in and Nayeon would be given the chance to make up for her mistakes, that one chance she has been wishing for all these years. But tonight, she will sit on that table, eat the lasagna her wife and daughter made for them and try to not make the mood sour, Jackson was already going to be a bit of a handful.

Morning came faster than anyone hoped, and the pale woman had a very hard time not answering her wife’s questions about their son. She couldn’t complain, the older woman was worried about their little boy, sure Jackson was a man, but Nayeon will always look at him as the scrawny teenager that followed Dahyun around everywhere back when they met. By the end of breakfast, the younger woman declared she was the one driving Mina to kindergarten and that the other two had much to discuss and left.

“So, coffee by the pool?” Jackson suggests, knowing his mom loved the drink and wanting to be in the sun for a bit, it always cheered all of them up.

“Sure thing, I’ll make the coffee and you deal with these dishes.” Nayeon agrees, gesturing to the breakfast table.