Chapter 24

Changmin called out to Taeyeon but she continue to run. Yuri tore her eyes away from Yunho to see where Taeyeon was. She saw her sister running away from them & pulled away from Yunho & started to chase after her sister. She didn’t get pass Changmin as he grab her arm to stop her, "Yuri, stay here. I will run after her." Changmin told her, but Yuri wouldn’t listen to him. She pulled her hand away from him & started to chase after Taeyeon while Yunho & Changmin started to chase after her, "Taeyeon, please stop?! Let me explain!" Yuri called out to Taeyeon, but her sister kept running as the distance between Taeyeon & her expanded. Yuri wanted to run faster but her heart wouldn’t allow her to. Her breath came out in fast gasps as she felt pain throughout her body like pricking needles. Her mind was screaming for her to stop but she didn’t & forced herself to keep going. Yuri caught up to Taeyeon & grab her hands to stop her but Taeyeon pushed her away so hard, Yuri fell & hit the brick fence.

Yuri lost her breath as the impact was so hard it knock the air out of her lung. Yuri put her hands to her chest while pain tore at her heart, making every part of her body ache. Yuri tried to control her breathing but it was hard. She couldn’t seem to find any air as she started to feel dizzy. She looked up to find Taeyeon but she couldn’t see clearly so she reach out to try & feel for Taeyeon. Taeyeon looked down at Yuri & realize that she was in pain. Taeyeon started to panic & drop down next to Yuri, "Yuri! Yuri! Oh, god! Yuri, breath!" Taeyeon cried. All her anger vanish & was replace with fear, "Changmin Oppa, Yuri’s in pain! I need help! Please, somebody help me?!" Taeyeon cried out, "Yuri, hold on! Your going to be alright! Don’t you dare give up on me!" Taeyeon cried out to Yuri, shaking her, trying to keep her awake, "I'm so tired. Taeyeon, I'm so sorry." Yuri said, trying to keep her eyes open but her eyelids were becoming heavy, "Yuri, please don’t close your eyes! Changmin Oppa, Yunho Oppa, help me, please?!" Taeyeon screamed out, "Tae...Taeyeon, please forgive me?" Yuri cried, between her breaths which was slowing down.

"Yunho...Yunho Oppa." Yuri called out his name. She wanted to see him. She tried to focus to search for him but everything around her seem blurry, then Yunho’s image appeared before her. She reach out to touch him but she only felt air then her hand drop down to her side as darkness closed around her, "Yuri, don’t close your eyes. Yunho Oppa’s here. Open your eyes Yuri." Taeyeon pleaded with her, but Yuri’s eyes didn’t open. Yunho push Taeyeon away & called out to Yuri but she didn’t respond, "Oppa, please do something?! Don’t let her die!" Taeyeon cried out to Changmin, as he reach her. Yunho stared at Taeyeon & then at Changmin. At the word dying, fear explode inside him. ‘Your health is more important as your condition won’t allow you to get so work up. You know how weak you are right now so you should be resting', Yunho suddenly remember Changmin’s conversation with Yuri. Yunho didn’t understand. He was confused. He had thought that Yuri had the flu but hearing what Taeyeon had just said told him Yuri was very ill. Ill enough to die. Yunho who had never experience fear, was now grip with it, he pulled Yuri into his arms & picked her up & started to run. He had to get her to the hospital, "Yunho, take her to my car! We have to take her to the hospital now!" Changmin cried out to Yunho. Yunho held onto Yuri’s fragile body in his arms tightly & started to run back towards Changmin’s car, "Yuri, hold on! Don’t leave me! Don’t die on me! Please god, please keep her safe!" Yunho cried out to Yuri, as he carried her. Tears were streaming down his cheek. She seem so pale & her breathing was so weak.

"Please god? Please don’t let anything happen to her?" Yunho pleaded, as he pace up & down, in front of the emergency room, "Oppa, please tell me she’s going to be alright?!" Taeyeon cried into Changmin’s chest. Changmin had his arms around her & was holding her tightly. Changmin wanted to reassured her but his mouth seem dried & he couldn’t seem to speak. Yunho turn to stare at Taeyeon as anger filled him. He walked over to her & pulled her up, his grip on her arms were so hard, it made her scream out in pain but Yunho didn’t let go, "What do you care?! If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be here! If anything happens to her, I will never forgive you!" Yunho shouted at her, his cold eyes burn into hers, "Yunho, its not her fault. She didn’t mean for this to happen." Changmin said, pulling Yunho away. Taeyeon rub her arms & slid down to the ground as pain filled her heart. She didn’t want this to happen. She was angry at Yuri but she didn’t want her to die. Yunho pulled away from Changmin & smash his fist into the wall. He was filled with pain & he couldn’t deal with it. The wall didn’t help him as his fingers started to bleed but he didn’t feel any pain in his fingers because the pain in his heart was too strong.

Taeyeon watch in horror as Yunho’s fist slam into the wall. She stood up & ran to him, grab his hand but he pushed her away & she fell to the ground. Changmin caught her & shook his head at her to indicate that she should leave him alone, "Yunho, don’t treat her like this. It’s not entirely her fault. She’s in pain, too. Yuri wouldn’t want to see this." Changmin said, trying to control the quiver in his voice. He was in pain, too. He was so afraid, afraid of losing Yuri. Changmin walked Taeyeon back to the seat & they sat down, "Oppa, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I didn’t mean to push her. I never wanted it to come to this. I was so angry at her for going behind my back to steal Yunho but I didn’t want this to happen." Taeyeon cried. Changmin put his arms around her. He understood her pain & didn’t blame her. It wasn’t her fault. No one was to blame. She didn’t know that Yuri’s illness had taken a bad turn. If she had known, she wouldn’t have been hard on Yuri. Changmin wanted to ease her pain & he knew that she was blaming herself.

"Yuri was here a month ago. She had collapse outside this room. She had been waiting here." Changmin turn to look at Yunho & touch the chair next to him, "Waiting for you Yunho. Waiting to see if you were alright. She saw the car accident & saw your car on the news. She rush over here but the nurse wouldn’t allow her to see you so she lied & said that she was your fiance." Changmin almost laugh to himself, remembering that Yuri had lied to the nurse that she was Yunho’s fiance but the laughter died in his throat. He didn’t see the humour in it now, "She was worried for you & I believe that was the cause of her heart failure. She has a heart problem. Its weak & when put under too much stress, it causes her heart to slow down. I was here visiting my dad when I came upon her." Changmin ran his hand through his hair & stared up at the ceiling while Yunho & Taeyeon looked at him & waited for him to continue.

Changmin looked at Yunho, "Do you know what she said when she came through?" Changmin didn’t wait for Yunho’s answer, "She started crying & said 'Yunho’s gone. I didn’t get to tell him I love him'. She thought you were dead. I was surprised & confused with her outburst of grief. I had to carry her to your room so that she could see you & believe that you were safe. I was confused watching her cry over you. I didn’t know she knew you. It wasn’t until I carried her back into her room did she tell me how she met you. When she spoke of you, I saw the love in her eyes." Changmin turn to Taeyeon, "Yunho was the stranger who had carried her back to the cabin when she sprain her ankle. She lost her heart to him that very day." Changmin reach out to wipe the tears from Taeyeon’s eyes.

"So you see Taeyeon, she never really stole him away from you & she didn’t go behind my back. She was never my girlfriend." Changmin turn to look at Yunho. Yunho stared at Changmin in disbelief, "I don’t understand. How can she not be your girlfriend? She admitted to me she was your girlfriend." Yunho said in a confused tone, "Yunho, Yuri wanted to protect you." Changmin let out a sigh, "Protect me?! Protect me from what?!" Yunho cried out, "Yunho, she didn’t want you fall in love with her because she knew she was going to die & she didn’t want to put you through the pain. She did it because she loved you & because she love Taeyeon. She knew Taeyeon liked you so she wanted to help bring you both together. She knew she wouldn’t have the chance to share her life with you & Taeyeon is her sister. She didn’t have time, Taeyeon did. She wanted the best for both of you." Changmin said, losing his control on his tears as it flowed down his cheeks. It was hard for him to tell Yunho that Yuri loved him. This fact tore at his heart.

"Why didn’t she tell me?! Why didn’t she tell me about her condition?!" Taeyeon cried out in pain, "Taeyeon, she didn’t want to put you & your parents through the grief. She wanted to spend her last moments with her family. She knew that if they found out that she was getting weaker, they would make her stay in the hospital which she didn’t want." Changmin put his arms around Taeyeon again, & squeezed her, "Weaker? Oh god, she's dying, isn’t she?" Taeyeon stared at him in horror, "She’s not going to die!" Yunho shouted, as the truth was too painful to bear, "How long does she have?" Taeyeon asked Changmin. Changmin let go of Taeyeon & stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair again, "I don’t know for sure Taeyeon. At least three months but its been a month now & her condition isn’t improving. She’s getting weaker every day. I pray to god that she will improve. God, let her live?" Changmin burst out in tears.

"God dammit Changmin, why didn’t you tell me this earlier?! Why wait until now?!" Yunho screamed at Changmin, "Yunho, I’m sorry! I don’t blame you for being angry at me but Yuri made me promise not to tell you! Believe me, I wanted to tell you! Why do you think I keep trying to persuade you to stay here?!" Changmin cried out to him. Yunho covered his face with his hand. He was in agony, afraid for Yuri’s life. Pain was piercing his heart as he slide down to the ground. Yunho now understood why Yuri had pushed him away, deny her feelings for him. She didn’t want to cause him pain, yet he was experiencing them now & it deepen as Yunho realize how little their time together had been, "Changmin, I need her! I can’t bear to lose her!" Yunho cried, looking up at him. Changmin saw the pain inside Yunho’s eyes. He was experiencing the same pain. He too, didn’t want to lose her. He too, needed her.

Taeyeon wrap her arms around herself as her tears slip down her cheeks while pain tore at her heart, ‘Oh Yuri, I'm so sorry!’ Taeyeon cried silently. Guilt was eating at her. Yuri had sacrifice her feelings for Yunho & she had been so cruel to Yuri, had even blame her for taking Yunho away from her. Yuri didn’t steal Yunho away from her after all, it was the opposite. Taeyeon couldn’t forgive herself. She had been so selfish, had only thought about her own feelings & had cause Yuri so much pain! If anything happens to Yuri, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself for eternity. Taeyeon prayed to god silently & pleaded with him to save her sister.