Jessica was washing Tiffany’s face while her parents sat on the couch watching when the EKG machine issued that prolonged *BEEP* she had learned to fear.

Jessica sprang out of the way for the rush of doctors she knew would be inevitable. Oh how cruel it was for her to know exactly what to do when a person was coding.

They were ushered out into the halls and told to wait.

Mr. Jung held his daughter tight, his hands on her shoulders, grasping her to him. He was aware that Jessica was trembling, but she wasn’t crying. Mrs. Jung was hanging on tight to her husband’s arm.

The girl was so young. It shouldn’t come to this.

She was someone’s child, someone’s daughter.

Someone should be here for her.

And yet, all she had were two strangers and a girl who loved her.

Where were her parents? Her family?

She was dying and she had not one family member with her.

Mrs. Jung cried.

She was crying for someone else’s child because no mother was here to cry for her.

…

…

…

When the crash team came back out, the doctor gave Jessica a brief nod of affirmation.

“She’s stable, you can go see her now.”

Jessica lost no time and ran inside.

She lay herself down beside Tiffany, totally disregarding the presence of her parents. Running her fingertips along Tiffany’s jaw line and tracing the contours of her lips, Jessica tried to take solace at the simple feeling of Tiffany’s gently warm breaths on her finger.

She was still alive.

And right now…that’s all that mattered.

Seeing her daughter staring so tenderly at the girl in the bed, Mrs. Jung knew that it didn’t even matter whether the girl was good to her daughter or not. Jessica was irrevocably and utterly in love. But at the same time, Mrs. Jung knew her daughter to be one of good sense and taste. It’s very likely Hwang Tiffany was worth her daughter’s affections.

At least she hoped.

Mrs. Jung sighed and pulled her husband out the door to give her daughter some time with Tiffany.

“Come on jagi, let’s go get coffee downstairs.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You scared me back there Steph…don’t do that again, arasso?”

Tiffany continued to breathe steadily.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

“You know mom and dad don’t seem to adverse to our relationship. Isn’t that surprising? And ahjussi and ahjumma too. We’re so lucky Stephanie. They all accept us for who we are and who we choose to be with. I’m so happy right now. Won’t you wake up and be happy with me?”

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

“I know you’re angry with me. We left things so horribly between us. I slapped you then punched you in the face for god’s sakes! If this is about you being mad at me and making me pay, well I’m paying Steph. But I really would have rather paid with my own body then yours. Honestly though…you really went too far that night. How could you ask me to stop loving you simply because it was hurting me? Do you know how deep those words cut? Was everything we went through really not worth you giving one damn about? In truth, I still stand by what I did that night. I think both you and I know it was more than called for. But if swallowing my pride and accepting a wrong I feel is undeserved, then I’ll do it. Just wake up for me baby. Please…wake up…” Jessica nuzzled Tiffany’s neck.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Tiffany’s scent, creamy sandalwood and cinnamon, was completely gone now, replaced by the deadened sterility of hospital air. It was like the hospital was slowly and surely laying claim over the girl’s body, marking it as its own, its property.

Jessica felt that the longer Tiffany stayed here, the less chance she could ever come back. She felt Tiffany slipping further and further away until Jessica couldn’t even see one precious glimpse of her.

Just like Lexi-belle.

“Baby…please…please! Don’t leave me like this! You can’t leave me like this!” Jessica sobbed into Tiffany’s neck.

There was a sudden painful gasp for air, and Jessica felt Tiffany’s chest jerk and heave with huge wracking coughs that shuddered her entire body. She leapt off the bed and slammed her hand against the emergency button so hard reverberations shot up her arm and her palm stung. But Jessica felt nothing.

Tiffany was awake.

There was a flurry of movement as a doctor and two nurses bustled in. Dr. Kim followed closely behind. The man had most likely been shirking his duties these past few days in order to keep an eye on Tiffany. It seemed it was always just an arms-reach away if Tiffany all but twitched or even just breathed too hard. The man was a worrywart and Jessica was so incredibly thankful for him.

Jessica stood back with tears b as she watched the doctor examine Tiffany, who, in her confused state, was now incoherently trying to take off her oxygen mask and yanking at the many tubes that were sticking out of her. She was still coughing as struggling to breath and Jessica was so afraid that something else might be wrong. The nurses restrained the wriggling patient as the doctor examined her. Jaesung stood but three steps away, watching everything with eyes as clear and keen as a hawk.

An assured nod from the doctor after he had thoroughly examined Tiffany gave Jessica a little respite from her nagging worries.

“She’s doing well. Clear sounds from the chest and breathing fine on her own. We will take out the chest tube later this afternoon. Keep her here for another three to four days to eliminate chances of tension pneumothorax occurring and then discharge her,” the doctor instructed the nurses as he wrote some notes onto Tiffany’s chart. Then with a dramatic swing of his white doctor’s coat, he swung around and walked briskly out to attend to his other patients.

Jessica was about to move forwards when Dr. Kim clapped a hand over her shoulder and pulled her back a little. He moved up and conducted his own examination in much more detail and thoroughness, looking to confirm the previous doctor’s findings. The young doctor then nodded to the nurses and moved to Tiffany’s other side. The side she had been stabbed. The nurses ed Tiffany’s hospital gown.

“Wait! Jaesung oppa! What’s going on?! Please! Tell me what’s going on!”

“Relax Jessica. Tiffany is fine now. I’m just going to take out the chest tube.”

“But the other doc–”

“Said that they would take it out this afternoon. I know. But it really doesn’t make much of a difference to be honest. And with the way she’s going, she’ll pull it out herself before this afternoon rolls around. She’ll just end up hurting herself,” Jaesung explained kindly.

Jessica nodded in understanding and stood back a little to let the doctor work.

She could see Tiffany’s eyes fluttering and blinking confusedly now. Tiffany was about to become fully conscious, and Jessica had the feeling she would not take well to being restrained as she was.

“Jaesung oppa…she’s waking up. She won’t like being held down like this. She might react violently in her confusion…I don’t thi–woah!”

Jaesung was already heeding Jessica’s warning and had roughly pulled Jessica over to the bedside.

“Talk to her. She trusts you. Talk to her and tell her what’s happening. Reassure her that everything is alright.”

Jessica leaned in close to Tiffany’s ear as the nurses continued to restrain the patient, who was now struggling with increased fervor.

“Stephanie…baby…shh…it’s ok. It’s ok baby. They’re just taking out your chest tube. Please, just lay still for a bit,” Jessica murmured before kissing the outer shell of Tiffany’s ear lovingly.

To everyone’s relief, Tiffany took a few slightly panicked gasps for choked air and then slowly settled back down on the bed. Her eyes remained lightly lidded, but her lips began to mouth silent words no one could hear. Tiffany’s hand reached out blindly, reaching and searching desperately for something in her anxiousness for reassurance. Jessica clasped Tiffany’s hand in hers and cradled it to her chest.

“Shh…Steph baby…I’m right here. Jessi’s right here. I’m not going anywhere…shh…”

Tiffany’s fingers immediately intertwined confidently with Jessica’s like they had always belonged there. The younger girl’s mouth was still moving and uttering voiceless words. Jessica leaned in with her ear almost right up against Tiffany’s lips.

“I’m…sorry…give me…another…chance…sorry…please…give…me another…chance…Jessi…I’m so…sorry…please…” Tiffany was mouthing over and over again.

Jessica’s tears fell from glistening eyes and slid down her cheeks, falling onto Tiffany’s face below.

“You babo thug…there’s nothing to forgive. Do you remember you saying those words to me Steph? There’s nothing to forgive,” Jessica whimpered as she turned her face to be flush with Tiffany’s. She pressed her lips lightly against Tiffany’s dry chapped ones, ignoring the fact that everyone was watching. Jessica felt Tiffany’s lips stop moving and muttering her haunted apologies, the younger now reassured with the gentle pressure of the older girl’s lips against hers as an acceptance for her previous almost unforgivable follies, and a new chance to make things right.

Jessica pulled away but kept their hands intertwined as Jaesung and the two nurses began to pull out the chest tube. She winced as she saw the bloody tube being removed from Tiffany’s chest, and she could tell Tiffany was feeling a bit of discomfort if not outright pain despite the local anesthetic administered from the way the younger suddenly gripped her hand even tighter.

Jessica rubbed the back of Tiffany’s hand with her thumb in slow, deep circles, hoping to ease her pain. Tiffany took a few jagged breaths and the tube was finally free.

Jaesung then procured a hooked needle laced with black thread.

“Jessica you might want to step away and refrain from looking. This might look a little gross…” the young doctor warned the brunette.

But Jessica stubbornly shook her head and grit her teeth. She’s not letting go of Tiffany again. Eve