I woke up the next morning, forgetting that I spent the night with Hongbin in his hotel room. His arms were wrapped strongly around me, and he was still peacefully asleep. Once I shifted however, he slowly came to. "Good morning my superhero," I spoke softly, smiling lovingly at him. "Good morning my queen. Did you sleep well?" He replied in the same soft tone, kissing my forehead. "Mmm, I did." I nodded. "Good... I was thinking, maybe we could get intimate this time?" Hongbin blinked cutely, rubbing his eyes of sleep. "What time is it? Our flight leaves at 10..." I nod. Hongbin rolls over to look at the clock. "It's almost seven." He replied. I thought for a moment. "I guess that should be enough time." I nodded, scooting closer to him.

"I can't wait to get you out of my shirt," he chuckles, kissing me deeply. I giggle, kissing him back. He carefully rolls so that he's on top of me, the kiss turning into a passionate one as he tilts his head slightly. I cup his face with my hands, one leg wrapping around his waist. His lips move slowly against mine, his body pressing against me. "I can't believe we're finally going to do this," I whisper against his lips. He smiles, replying, "Me too." He moves to kiss my neck, his breathing light so that it doesn't tickle as much. I moan softly, my fingers threading through his hair. He continues, working his way to the other side, but before I know it, my phone rings. "God damnit!" I kick the bed in frustration.

Hongbin sighs, rolling off of me so I can go get the phone. "Hello?" I manage to answer before it hangs up. It was my mom. "Ashley, look, I'm calling to tell you that Grandmother is in the hospital. Her sodium is low, but that's all we know for right now." she tells me. "Okay, well my flight leaves at 10 so I'll be there as soon as I can." I reply. "Okay, be careful and I'll see you when you come back." she hangs up. I sigh heavily, something telling me there was something more than just Grandmother's low sodium level that's the problem. "Is everything okay?" Hongbin asked. I shake my head. "My grandmother is in the hospital." I tell him, changing into my clothes from yesterday. "Is she going to be okay?" he wondered, looking at me. "I hope so, they said her sodium level was low, but they don't know anymore than that." I reply, fixing my hair.

"I hope she will be okay." He nods slowly, walking over to me. "Me too. I'll call you when I get home and let you know if anything has changed." I put my arms around his neck. "Okay...I love you." He kisses my forehead. "I love you too. Be careful in L.A. okay?" I peck his lips. "I will. I'll see you as soon as I get back." he smiles small, pecking my lips in return. We embraced for a few moments before I walked back to Elena's room. She was already awake, thank god, so we packed quickly after I explained what happened. After packing, we left our hotel room. I decided to tell Hongbin that I was leaving for the airport. "Have a good flight my love. I'll see you soon. Good luck on your midterms." he nods, kissing me softly. I quietly thanked him, leaving shortly after, even though I didn't want to leave at all. But I had to get back home.

-

A few hours later, Elena and I returned home. Instead of going to my house, we drove straight to the hospital. I called my mom to let her know we were on our way, and she gave me the room number my grandmother was in. It was going to take us an hour to get on that side of town, but with Elena's driving, we'd be back on that end in less than an hour. Soon enough, we arrived at the hospital, quickly making our way over to the elevators. We got to the fourth floor, searching vigorously for the room. Finally, after Elena pointed it out, we found the room. I knocked, waiting for someone to answer. "Come in," I heard my mom's voice. Slowly, I opened the door and stepped in, Elena right behind me. I was quite dumbfounded at the image of my grandmother before me. Her pure white hair was ruffled all over, her dark eyes looked wild and alight. She sat on the edge of her bed, shaking. I couldn't tell if she was in fear or on edge.

Her usual olive complexion was lighter than usual, and her face looked a bit sunken in. She wanted to stand up, but she was too weak to stand on her own. My mom kept asking her what she wanted, and it seemed like she couldn't make out the words. She just kept grunting and pointing at the chair. My mind was completely blank and my mouth was dry. I didn't know what to think. I wasn't accustomed to seeing her in this state, which made me scared. Briskly walking past Elena, I exited the room. "Are you okay?" Elena asked. "Honestly, I don't know...I don't know how I feel, I don't know what to think..." I shook my head. "I want Hongbin here with me..." I whisper, taking a deep breath as I call him. "Hello?" he answers. My mind is relieved at the sound of his voice. "Baby-" my voice breaks as my tears begin to shed. "What's wrong baby?" He asks, sounding worried.

"I wish you were here right now," I speak through my tears as Elena tries her best to comfort me. "I'm sorry jagiya, is everything okay?" Hongbin replies. "No... I've never seen my grandmother in the state she's in right now," I shake my head. "Oh no... I'll be home soon baby, just hang in there okay? I love you so so much. I'll call you later okay?" Hongbin assures me. "Okay, I love you too." I speak softly, hanging up. I turn to Elena, crying my eyes out for a few minutes. Shortly after the people from Home Health came to talk to my grandmother. My grandfather started crying, so I had to usher him out. We stood outside for a good 20 minutes before the two women left, and my grandfather went back inside. Elena approached me, and it seemed as if she just got off the phone.

"Hey, I have to go. Do you want me to take you home?" She asks. "Yeah, I'll bring my stuff to the house and then come back. The doctor won't be here until this evening." I nod, letting my mom know that I would be back soon. Elena drove me home and I paid her for burning the extra gas. "Thanks for coming with me." I said as I hopped out of the truck. "No problem. I had fun. I hope your grandmother gets better, and if you need me, call." she nods, watching me grab my things. "I will. See you later," I shut the door and pulled out my keys to get in the house. Getting inside, I quickly set my bags down, debating on whether or not to go ahead and unpack. I figured why not, since I didn't have many things, and that way when I would come back home all I have to do was shower and eat. After unpacking, I scurried out the door and drove myself back to the hospital.

The doctor came around seven or so, and my uncle who lived in Texas had finally came in from work, just in time to hear what she had to say. As I listened to the doctor's words, my hands buried in the pockets of my senior class hoodie, I realized that the news was far worse than I expected it to be.

My grandmother was dying.

"The tumor has become very active, seeing that she's at the final stage." The doctor explained. "She also has this web forming in her lungs, so it's making it difficult for her to breathe. I'm going to get her sodium level up and hopefully by tomorrow we can get her home because I know she wants to be with her family. We can't say how long she has, but we're going to try and make her feel as comfortable as possible, but there's really nothing more we can do." She finished. I bit the inside of my lower lip, not liking anything I just heard. My mind kept reeling 'grandmother is dying' over and over again in an attempt to process it. Once the doctor left, everyone pretty much bid their goodbyes since the nurses managed to give my grandmother a relaxant, so she was fast asleep.

I picked up something to eat on the way home, my mind racing from the day's events. I was still being strong, but I knew that I was going to breakdown later when I managed to get in bed. I ate, showered, and sat down in bed to watch some tv. Hongbin soon called me. "Hello?" I answered. "Hey baby, is everything okay?" he asks, sounding concerned. "No, actually things are worse now that I know what's really going on..." I breathe deeply. "What is it my love?" Hongbin asks. "My grandmother is dying..." I sigh heavily, fighting tears. "Oh god, baby...I'm so sorry my love...I don't know what to say..." He replies, quite shocked. "I had a really bad feeling since two weeks ago, and I was right," I sigh, my breathing becoming heavy. "I will be back very soon baby, okay? Hang in there. I love you so much." Hongbin assures me. I thank him for calling and hang up.

That night I lie in bed, crying myself to sleep.