The sound of a car speeding forward.
Her scarf wrapped around Lisa's neck.
Green eyes and a sad smile.
The feeling of urgency as she flung herself forward not knowing if she would make it in time.
Jennie's eyes flew open.
She was breathing heavily, a panicky feeling in her chest. It was just a bad dream. Lisa was safe, curled up next to her on the bed. The heart rate monitor was beeping fast as Jennie tried to calm herself down. Everything was okay.
She closed her eyes, trying to quietly steady her breathing and heart rate. Exhaling slowly, Jennie opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. Her glasses were still on her face, having fallen asleep listening to the gentle rhythm of Lisa reading out loud.
She turned her head as much as she could with the neck brace, trying not to jostle the bed too much so she didn't wake up Lisa. It was the first proper night's sleep she'd had in days. Her head was resting against Jennie's shoulder, her eyes flickered side to side beneath closed eyelids. A tiny crease between her eyebrows was the only thing marring her peaceful face.
Jennie wasn't sure how long she lay there, listening to Lisa's slow breaths and feeling the gentle rise and fall of her chest pressed up against Jennie's side. Morphine coursed through Jennie's body, numbing the pain and making her feel drowsy. It was quiet as Jennie lay there, thinking things over.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Lisa's breathing speeding up. Her eyebrows were knit together and a low moan fell past her lips. She was having a bad dream too. Jennie tried to lift her arm to shake Lisa awake, but the morphine made her body feel loose and her arm was too heavy to lift. A quiet gurgle sounded at the back of Jennie's throat, not loud enough to wake Lisa up.
"NO!" the frightened shout tore out of Lisa's mouth as she shot up in bed. Turning to look at Jennie, she visibly relaxed. Her eyes were wild and her chest rose and fell in time with her heavy breathing. She ran her fingers through her hair, brushing it out of her face as she gasped for air. Once she had calmed down, she gently brushed her fingertips along the side of Jennie's face.
"I dreamt that you died in my arms," she sobbed quietly, staring at Jennie's face as if she couldn't believe she was actually here. Jennie made a small sound in indignation; she didn't like the fact that Lisa was having nightmares too.
Settling back down on the pillows, Lisa curled up next to Jennie, relaxing as she felt the warmth of her beside her. Right now, she was wishing that she could feel Jennie's arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe. But it was enough to know that she was here.
They lay next to each other in silence, taking comfort in the fact that they weren't alone, until the nurse came in on his rounds. It was breakfast time, and for Jennie that meant a watery porridge that could be dribbled in through the gaps in the wires. Lisa insisted on feeding her herself, and the nurse left, informing them that he'd be back later on to check on Jennie.
Jessica showed up as Lisa was scooping up the last spoonful. Jennie and Lisa both looked over at the door as it opened and Jessica poked her head in. She smiled at the two girls, getting a bright smile off Lisa and what resembled a grimace off Jennie.
"Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling" Jessica said, walking over to the bed and placing a kiss of Jennie's forehead. She leant even further forward, placing a kiss on Lisa's forehead too. Jennie tried smiling again, letting Jessica know that she was feeling fine.
"You look tired honey," she told Lisa, rubbing her thumb along one of Lisa's cheekbones, just under the dark circles under her eyes.
"Oh I'm fine Jessica, really," Lisa waved away her concerns, "I haven't slept as well as I did last night in months." Lisa's eyes flickered to Jennie's for a second, before she smiled at Jessica. She put the empty bowl on the tray, pouring a cup of water and taking a sip.
"Water?" Lisa asked, waiting until Jennie gave a tiny nod before she placed the straw to her lips and let her sip the rest of the water.
"I spoke to Rosé, her and Jisoo are going to stop by on their lunch break, and she said Jackson stopped by this morning but you were both fast asleep and he didn't want to wake you," Jessica told them, pulling a chair over to Jennie's bedside. Jennie nodded slightly, smiling at Jessica.
"I might go home for a bit, while your mom is here" Lisa said, looking at Jennie. "I'll just shower and get some food and come straight back."
Jennie nodded, and Lisa slid off the bed, turning to face Jennie. She hesitated, aware of Jessica watching them both. Clearing her throat slightly, Lisa leant forward, placing a gentle kiss to Jennie's forehead.
"I won't be long," she promised, straightening back up.
She said her goodbyes to Jessica and left.
Jessica smiled at her youngest daughter, "I'm happy for you, you know," she said. Jennie's lips curled slightly at the corners. Mindful of the brace and pins in her arm, Jessica covered Jennie's hand with her own.
"You're going to get better, and you'll get out of here, and then you're going to be so happy," Jessica smiled, rubbing her thumb across Jennie's knuckles, "you deserve it, and so does she."
"I like her, a lot," Jessica confessed, and Jennie's lips cracked as she smiled wider, her swollen eyes closing further as they crinkled at the corners.
"I'm just so relieved you're okay though honey, I haven't been so worried since Siwon died," Jessica smiled sadly, thinking about the day she lost her husband. That had been the worst day of her life, but she hadn't had to sit by the side of her youngest daughter, not knowing whether she would ever wake up again.
She'd rushed to National City as soon as Rosé had phoned her, arriving at the hospital a few hours later. She hadn't known what to expect, and her heart leapt into her throat as she looked at Rosé's tearstained face, and Lisa sat there next to Jisoo, in shock. Jessica had pulled her daughter into a tight hug, holding her closely as they both cried. Rosé told her everything the doctors had said, which wasn't much.
Then she had crouched down in front of Lisa. She was soaking wet still, her damp hair curling as it dried in the warmth of the waiting room. She was covered in blood; her hands shook as she stared at them. Lisa had tried to keep Jennie together, tried to stop the blood from pouring out. Jessica talked to her in a gentle voice, trying to get her to say something, but she just sat there shaking with silent sobs. There were no tears, she'd already cried them all. There had just been silence.
-----
Lisa was back within the hour, a tray of coffees and two bagels in hand. The nurse was here, changing Jennie's IV drip and checking her vitals. He smiled at Lisa as she walked back in.
"I was surprised to see you'd left I almost thought you were glued together," he joked as Lisa walked into the room. She gave him a tight smile as she handed Jessica one of the coffees and offered her a bagel. Lisa didn't appreciate his joke; she was worried about Jennie. Just because she was awake didn't mean that everything was fine. Lisa wouldn't be going anywhere until Jennie was released from the hospital.
"Everything's fine here, I'll be back later, just let me know if you need anything," he smiled, wheeling the trolley out of the room.
"I brought you a coffee too," Lisa smiled at Jennie, walking around the bed to place the cups and the other bagel on the tray. Jennie thumped her hand down on the space beside her, waiting for Lisa to sit next to her, instead of in the chair she was pulling over. Smiling, Lisa reclaimed her place next to Jennie.
The three of them sat there talking, sipping their coffees. Or at least Jessica and Lisa talked and Jennie tried to chime in with vague facial expressions that could have meant anything.
Early on in the afternoon, Rosé and Jisoo showed up, bringing lunch for everyone, and more soup for Jennie.
"Good to see you awake little Kim," Jisoo said, flashing her dimples at Jennie as she dug in to her noodles. Rosé gave Jessica a hug before pulling herself up onto the end of the bed.
"I think Jackson's going to try and come again tomorrow before work," she said, scooping up some noodles. Jennie nodded, opening her lips as Lisa held another spoonful of soup out and carefully dripped it in. She was careful not to do it too fast, just in case Jennie choked on it. Her own food lay forgotten for the moment.
Jessica left whilst Rosé and Jisoo were here. Pretty soon she'd have to go back to Midvale, but for now she was still staying at Rosé's place.
They finished eating their food, listening to Jisoo talk about her latest case until the nurse came back.
"I'm just here to, uh, give you a little sponge bath," he said, looking at the four of them as he leant on his trolley. "So, uh, is now a bad time?"
"We actually have to get back to work," Rosé said, checking her watch for the time, "I'll see you tomorrow," she told Jennie, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the forehead.
"I'll see you tomorrow too," she said to Lisa, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
"Okay, bye," Lisa said, smiling at Rosé and Jisoo "stay safe". They waved goodbye as they slipped past the nurse, patiently waiting in the doorway.
"Alright then, so did you want your girlfriend to do this or are you comfortable with me doing it?" the nurse asked Jennie, setting up next to the bed.
"I can do it," Lisa told him, raising her chin as she looked at him.
Jennie felt her face flush. She didn't want Lisa to have to give her a sponge bath. That was the complete opposite of romantic, and she wasn't sure if Lisa would be okay seeing the injuries that Jennie could feel. At the same time though, she didn't want someone she didn't know washing her, and she knew that Lisa would insist that she do it anyway.
The nurse raised an eyebrow at Jennie, and she gave him a little nod. They may as well skip the argument. Lisa's stubbornness would win in the end, it was inevitable.
"Alright then, here's some hot water, flannels, and towels. Try to be careful with the wires and the braces, and try not to get her too wet," he explained, "oh, and don't trying and turn her or lift her, just wash what you can see. Just give us a shout if you need some help." He left them to it, shutting the door behind him.
Lisa walked around to the other side of the bed and moved the tray out of the way, pulling the blanket and sheets back. It was the first time Jennie had seen her legs. They were a thousand shades of black and purple and there were stitches in the places where her bones had snapped in half and pierced the skin. Thin spikes of metal skewered her legs, attaching to the frame of the braces.
Lisa's jaw tightened, the muscle twitching as she stared with a hard expression on her face. She pulled the hospital gown off Jennie, trying to ignore the similar injuries on her chest. Dipping the cloth in the water, Lisa gently washed Jennie's face first.
She was silent as she worked. Her expression turning more and more painful as she wiped at Jennie's skin. She patted her dry and covered Jennie with a sheet as she went to ask the nurse if she was allowed to wear her own pyjamas. He came back in to help Lisa dress Jennie in one of the oversized shirts she'd brought, his movements gentle but methodical, having done it a thousand times.
After the nurse left, Jennie looked at Lisa. She sat next to her, her shoulders tense and her face like stone. She was upset. Jennie nudged her with her cast, but Lisa just stared up at the ceiling.
"Een," Jennie gurgled, trying to force her full name out.
Lisa looked down at her, her eyes glassy with tears.
"You-" she cut off. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and trying again.
"I can't look at you like this," her voice trembled as she spoke, "I'm filled with guilt every time I look at your face, and that's not even the worst part." She let out a humourless laugh, sniffing as tears threatened to spill over.
"Iss ine," Jennie wheezed, lifting a heavy hand into Lisa's lap, stretching her fingers until she met Lisa's hand.
"None of this is fine Jennie," Lisa choked out.
"Tiss ve," Jennie asked, turning her head towards Lisa and pressing her lips together.
"Kisses can't fix everything Jennie," Lisa laughed weakly, wiping her eyes before pressing a quick kiss to Jennie's lips. She was right of course, but with Lisa's lips pressed against her own, Jennie forgot about the aching pain for just a moment, and that reprieve meant everything to her.
"I'm sorry, I just-" she let out a shaky breath, "I just hate seeing you like this."
Lisa pressed another kiss to Jennie's forehead, before laying back down and resting her head against Jennie's.
-----
The next dose of morphine caused Jennie to drift off, feeling safe and warm with Lisa beside her.
Lisa silently worked on some paperwork for L-Corp, quietly tapping away at her keyboard. She hadn't given the company a second thought over the past few days, but now she would have to take back control. At least she had the liberty of taking her work home with her, so she could keep Jennie company in the hospital and still run her business.
She stayed there all night, and the nurse let her again, smiling as he checked in on them. He snuck in a few jelly cups for Lisa, and a cup of black coffee, giving her a wink as her pressed a finger to his lips.
Ever the night owl, Lisa worked long into the morning, the quiet clicking of the keyboard keys, the beeping of the monitor, and Jennie's slow breathing keeping her company. Lisa was glad that Jennie slept for so long, hoping that her sleep was painless and her dreams were good.
Every few minutes she found herself checking to make sure she was still there. And she was, almost like she used to be when they would spend the night together, just with a few more bruises than usual.
It might not have been the way it was before, but she was still her Jennie, and Lisa loved her all the same.
Nothing could ever take that away from her.