SHE ( Jenlisa Adaptation)

Part 4

She doesn't realize how much she likes being able to comfort Lisa like this until Rosie and Jisoo intercept their pizza delivery guy and find Lisa sleeping with her head in Jennie's lap. It had been a bad afternoon and Jennie had skipped class because there was a part of her that was sure they'd end up back in the hospital. After a panicked call to Dr. Lauer, he'd assured her that she was probably coughing more because the infection was clearing.

But Rosie and Jisoo still look at her in confusion when they follow in after the pizza delivery guy. Lisa doesn't stir, too exhausted to notice. Jennie's in the middle of watching another episode of some shitty reality TV show and they don't understand why Jennie turns them down when they invite her to a party.

"I'm staying with Lisa," she says and resisting the urge to stroke the back of Lisa's head is like trying to hold her breath. Lisa's nose presses against her stomach and it's way too intimate, too telling, and God only knows what her friends think but she doesn't care. "She's had a bad morning and I don't want to go too far in case we need to go to the hospital."

"But Jennie..." Jisoo says, only to stop when Rosie gives her a warning slap to the arm. She glares at Rosie and lowers her voice to a whisper. "You don't have to do this, you know?"

Jennie nods and smiles at them kindly. "I do know that," she says. "But I don't mind. I don't want her getting sick again. It must be scary. It was scary."

They leave with those same confused looks twenty minutes later and Jennie eases Lisa's head from her lap to go and lock the door. Green eyes glance up at her when she returns and she helps Lisa to turn around and lay against the pillows. She forces her to eat pizza and puts on funny movies to make her feel better and, when Lisa giggles, it leaves a lump in her throat.

The sound overwhelms her. She wants to be near her and she puts aside the pizza box, lines up about four more movies on their Netflix queue, and then turns off all the lights. She flicks on the christmas lights she'd found for Lisa's little nest the day before and Lisa smiles until Jennie climbs into the space behind her against the wall and rests against the pillows.

"Are we going to bed?" she asks timidly.

Jennie shakes her head and props her head up on her arm to look down at her. "No."

Lisa looks scared but then nods. She curls into herself on the edge of the bed and makes sure there's space left between them. Jennie respects that and lies quietly beside her for a long time. She's almost sure that Lisa's fallen asleep when she suddenly rolls over and buries her face into Jennie's chest. It's probably not a good sign that Jennie isn't surprised.

Her fingers find Lisa's hair without thinking about it. She pushes it away from her face and then lets her hand drift down Lisa's back. The desperation and insecurity in Lisa's expression when Jennie finally looks down at her makes her breath hitch in her throat. She looks so scared and Jennie feels the question bubble up her throat thoughtlessly as she shifts closer.

"Why did you get them to call me?" she whispers softly, snuggling into the pillow. "To the hospital?"

A million things cross Lisa's expression and, for a moment, Jennie's sure that she's going to get up and run away or unknowingly make her feel like shit again. She's sure that Lisa's going to say something that will play on her mind for days but instead Lisa swallows thickly and grits her jaw. Her hand finds Jennie's t-shirt and her green eyes flutter over Jennie's face before speaking.

"Because there's no one else," she finally whispers.

Jennie can't stop watching how her throat moves as she keeps awkwardly swallowing back the emotion she feels. Lisa watches her carefully when she glances back up to her face. There's awe to her expression that makes Jennie feel big and important. She keeps stroking Lisa's back for a long time, enjoying how Lisa's eyes seem to soften and drift closed. She's almost asleep when Jennie can't help but speak again.