𝙲𝚘𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚜|JakeHoon

☆30☆

Jake wakes up to his phone ringing. He groggily sits up to find his phone. The living room is a bit dark, a ray of the moon's light seeping through a small gap in the curtains. He slept seated, Sunghoon's head is on his lap. Jay and Jungwon slept in the same couch, huh. Heeseung is awake and so is Ni-ki.

Jake heard them talking, Sunoo isn't there with them. "Hyung?" He speaks up and earns both of the guys' attention. "Where's Sunoo?"

"Oh, uh. He left early. Your phone is at the window sill. You should go answer it." Heeseung responds, turning his attention back to Ni-ki.

Jake doesn't ask further as he slowly removes Sunghoon's head on his lap and lay it on the couch. He tip-toed to the window and had his eyes squinted when staring at his phone to adjust to its brightness. Seeing it was an unknown number, his right eyebrow rises.

"Hello?" Jake's voice sounded rough and low, clearly from just having to wake up.

"I apologize for calling this early but your presence is needed here at the hospital." A female voice speaks up from the other side.

This alerted Jake. His squinted eyes turn to fully opened ones and he purses his lips. He asked for his car keys, they heard what has happened and offered to drive Jake to the hospital. He refused.

Jake has held tightly on the steering wheel. His whole body tenses. Lips and hands trembling. His chest rises and drops heavily, like he has trouble breathing.

The road is empty, as it's currently 4 am and the area Jake is driving in is a mile far from the main street. Street lights and the crickets of grasshoppers are the ones keeping him awake and focused as to not suddenly swerve the car and drive haphazardly.

Anxiety starts to rise in him. His eyes are starting to get blurry; trying to think of something aside from what he suspects had happened made his feelings worse. Even Jake's toes curls one by one and slowly his hands become fists.

"Please, be fine." He repeats to mumble, comforting himself.

. . .

Like the first ones, Jake confirms himself to the front desk. But, this time, something else is different. The receptionist he talks to has always been the same; and every time she smiles to him and greets him enthusiastically.

The receptionist looks at him with sympathy in her eyes. Oh no. Jake stares back, with worry. "Is she alright?"

She sighs and types on the keyboard. "Please be seated on the waiting area and I will contact the doctor assigned to Ms. Gonzales."

"What? Why? Can't I come to her room like usual?" Jake asks desperately. He chuckles lightly, attempting to hide the emotions.

She looks at him as if hesitating, and that is enough to make Jake oblige. He warily seats closest to the reception. His legs involuntarily bounces up and down; he nibbles his lower lip and fiddles with his fingers.

By this time, an eleventh tear had already fell from his eyes. First one being when he started his car. "Mr. Sim?" Jake lifts his head up, the doctor is in front of him.

"Yes?" He stands up expectant that he is about to receive good news about Ms. Gonzales.

That she has finally woke up and is looking for him. That after some time of struggling by herself, she has Jake now to help her with her struggles. That she is finally going home to knock at his apartment door every morning to bring him pancakes, cookies or whatever she can cook for him!

That he wouldn't lose a grandmother for the second time. Just anything good.

"I'm sorry."

Jake fell down.

One man. Two words. Three years of memories. Four weeks of hoping. Yet everything has been gone like it was a simple count of Five.

"Ms. Gonzales has passed on." The doctor continued, letting Jake mourn and waited for him patiently until he is brave enough to see her deceased body.

. . .

Sunghoon pressed on the Gas pedal and drove as fast as he can. He just woke up feeling cold on his upper body. Realizing his boyfriend isn't there, he immediately asked where he was. Heeseung told him about the phone call.

Now, he is rushing to get there even if he wasn't sure what is the news about Ms. Gonzales; he was sure it is an unpleasant one. Sunghoon knew himself that the woman might not make it but kept his thoughts for Jake's sake.

He is not related to her in anyway but why is he risking getting arrested for exceeding the speed limit at 5 am? Jake.

Sunghoon knows Jake went alone and judging from what Heeseung and himself concluded from the phone call, his boyfriend would not have someone to support and be with him through Ms. Gonzales' passing.

Thankfully, no one is guarding the streets at such time, so his reckless driving went smoothly. Though Heeseung warned him about taking care of his car.

Entering the hospital, Sunghoon greeted the receptionist and asked for the lady. Jake and him visited almost daily that she didn't have to take his information and pointed him to where his boyfriend and the doctor is.

She pointed him to the lowest floor. Oh. Sunghoon quickened his pace and proceeded to an elevator. The ground floor, it was only accessible to stairs or elevator from the main floor. Every hospital or most of them keeps the same purpose for this floor.

The morgue.

. . .

"We have contacted her family first and they are still on their way. They requested for us to call you and be the second to be informed about her passing."

Jake stood by a body with a white blanket draped over it. He is hesitating whether to remove it or not. "When?" He asks.

"2:13. The family gave us permission to DNR, however I have tried my best to resuscitate her. Her lungs gave up after 15 minutes. Her lungs have been affected from the already growing damage on her brain. It is a vulnerable organ in the event of such brain damage."

He did not respond. It pained him more that her beloved ones decided that, but he knows they have no choice. She is old enough, but why only for a month? Have they given up on her that easily? Jake attempts to reason with the decision.

Maybe there's a reason Ms. Gonzales did not bother having herself checked for a possible illness that could cost her whole life. She's lived up to a lot of years and have made it through a lot of circumstances, maybe it is finally her time to rest.

"What do we do after this?" Jake has become numb. No one is with him that he can hug and cry on their chest, he has to control.

"Well, we let the family see her then they shall contact a funeral director. We will keep her in the mortuary for embalming." Jake nods and decides that he do not want to see her deceased body.

He follows behind the doctor. When he reached the door, he made eye contact with Sunghoon, who has been waiting, and instantly Jake crashed to him for a hug. Once again, he broke down sobbing.

"I got you." Murmured Sunghoon, slowly rubbing Jake's back.

Just when they both thought things are going good for them.