"Jennie," Lisa breathlessly sobbed, her fingers shaking as she reached out to trail her fingertips along Jennie's prominent cheekbone, before she buried her face in Jennie's shoulder, listening to the shuddering breath that her wife drew in.
"Lisa," Jennie hoarsely replied, coughing slightly as she tried to clear her throat. Sitting back up, Lisa fixed her glasses as she wiped at her eyes, sobbing as she looked down at Jennie, who was frowning slightly, her eyes drifting open and closed as she tried to fight of the drugs. "Lisa... the girls- Seolhyun."
Choking on a sob of relief, Lisa gave her a shaky smile, "she's okay. You're both okay. Hang on a second, let me get a doctor."
Jumping off the bed, Lisa raced over to the door, sliding it open and calling out to the nurses station just outside, getting the attention of a doctor talking to one of the nurses. The doctor gave the order for them to page Jennie's doctor, and quickly rushed over to Lisa, following her inside. Jennie's head lolled to the side as she turned to look at her wife, a nagging feeling that she was missing something. She felt like she'd been asleep for a year, and her arms and legs were too heavy for her to lift, and her throat felt so dry and scratchy. Things were coming back to her in bits and pieces, but the overwhelming thought was of her daughter, who she'd last seen unconscious and upside down, strapped into her seat with blood running down her face. Swallowing her questions, she laid still in bed while the doctor checked her vitals, and by the time she was finished, another doctor was there, giving her a kind smile as she explained everything that happened. Jennie felt hollow at the mention of a coma, and she immediately turned to Lisa, taking in the dark circles and haunted look in her eyes, looking no different than before. It couldn't have been that long, surely.
"How long?" Jennie croaked, a tight feeling in her chest.
"Five days," Lisa said, her voice breaking as she gave Jennie a tense smile.
"Fuck," Jennie exclaimed, eliciting a surprised laugh from Lisa and Doctor Hye Kyo, "I missed your birthday."
Lisa clapped a hand over her mouth as she laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners behind her lenses, and her breathing hitching as she shook her head. "I love you."
Closing her eyes, Jennie laughed, "yeah?"
"Yeah," Lisa shakily told her, her hands skimming over Jennie's cast on her arm, and her scabbed cheekbones and unwashed hair, "so much. I thought- god, Jennie, I've never been so scared." And then Lisa was shaking with sobs as she buried her face in Jennie's chest, her hands balled up in the thin fabric of the hospital gown, and Jennie was struggling to sit up and make her arms cooperate so that she could wrap her wife in a hug. It had been fine for her, she couldn't remember a thing, but she knew it would've been days of stress and worry for Lisa, who was already dealing with a lot anyway.
"Jennie, I'm going to need to you keep still, please," Doctor Hye Kyo told her, "you might not be able to feel it with all the medication, but you're very injured and you need to make sure you don't further hurt yourself."
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jennie stopped straining herself as she tried to sit up, and she settled for twitching her fingers, rubbing tiny circles onto Lisa's waist, on the tiny patch of exposed skin between her shirt and jeans. Her own eyes were prickling with tears, and she couldn't focus on anything except the warmth of her wife curled up on her chest, the sounds of the doctor's words falling on deaf ears as she listened to Lisa's quiet sobs. They weren't even afforded any privacy, because there were nurses coming in to check her blood pressure, and doctors ordering tests and interns asking her questions. Lisa ended up sitting in a vinyl chair, her phone pressed to her ear as she spoke to their family, Jennie assumed, her worried blue eyes never straying from Jennie's face for even a moment. It was too far though, and too crowded, and Jennie felt suffocated and invaded as her bandages were changed and she was poked and prodded for what felt like hours, just wanting to kiss her wife the whole time.
The sky was lightening through a gap in the blinds when they were finally left alone, and Lisa was on her feet in a moment, thanking Doctor Clarke as she walked over to the bed, standing beside Jennie and staring into her green eyes. Turning her arm, Jennie let her fingers uncurl, holding her hand open for Lisa, who immediately let her warm fingers slide across the skin, marvelling at the feeling of her very much alive and conscious wife responding beneath her touch.
"When was the last time you slept?" Jennie sighed, her cracked lips pulling at the scabs as she grimaced.
"Never mind about me," Lisa murmured, "you- you almost died."
Jennie let out a bark of laughter, wincing as pain lanced through her ribs, "you did die."
"This isn't about me," Lisa choked out, "but god, if I didn't deserve this after- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. How did it get so bad that it took you being in a coma to knock some sense into me? We used to be so good-"
"We still are," Jennie rasped, "people fight, and they argue, and you- well, it doesn't matter, I love you anyway."
"We fought for a week, Jennie," Lisa whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "a whole week of me blaming you for what I did. That's never been us - that's never been me - but god, I was so scared. I thought she'd hate me forever, and I..."
Lips quirking up into a small smile, Jennie laughed slightly, her eyelids fluttering closed as she squeezed Lisa's hand as much as she could. "It's okay, I forgive you."
Shaking her head, Lisa choked on a laugh, "no. No, it's not that easy. You don't- you shouldn't just forgive me because you were in a coma. Just because I-I've been scared for a few days... it doesn't make it okay."
"No, it doesn't," Jennie softly laughed, "and I'm pissed, actually, and upset. But I know that I love you, and I forgive you anyway, even if I am mad at you."
"I'll make it right," Lisa earnestly told her, cupping Jennie's cheek with a trembling hand, "I will. I promise. I'll do whatever you want - whatever it takes - because... I can't do this without you. I've never been able to, and you've always been there to help me through it. I need you, Jennie, and I can't- god, the thought of losing you- I never want to feel that way again."
"We have time," Jennie murmured, "of course I was going to wake up; I still have to kick our daughter's ass for being an idiot."
Laughing, Lisa perched on the edge of the bed, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to an uninjured part of Jennie's forehead. "She's been having a rough time of it. I don't know what happened - she wouldn't say - but whatever it was, it's been eating her up in side. Jennie... I don't- I don't think she's okay."
"Yeah," Jennie sighed, "don't worry, we're going to have a nice long chat about it. You and me too. I have some things to say to you, and I don't care if you don't like them."
"Okay," Lisa meekly replied, "but first, you need to rest. You took a nasty hit, so you need to get better soon. I don't want to lose you."
"Now wouldn't that be an awful thing to have to suffer through," Jennie dryly replied, her lips quirking up into a quick smile, "I should've stayed under for two weeks as payback. Maybe even died on the table for a moment. I didn't do that, did I? Knowing my dramatic ass, I might've."
Sighing, Lisa gave her an exasperated look, biting back a smile, "no, you didn't, and I think I can almost understand what you went through now. I'm sorry. Your dramatic ass made me suffer enough for five days though; I'm not sure I could've lasted another minute, let alone nine days."
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Jennie apologised, her eyelids fluttering, "now, I think you owe me one more thing too."
"Anything. What do you need? Some proper food? Books? I already have some that I was reading to you from. I'll bring you some pyjamas when I-"
"A kiss," Jennie interrupted her, her drowsy voice barely a sigh as she struggled to keep her eyes open, "I just want you to kiss me."
Letting out a breathless laugh, Lisa nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat as she smiled. Green eyes opening just the tiniest bit, Jennie watched as Lisa moved closer, and her heart rate sped up, beeping faster on the monitor, much to Lisa's amusement, and then warm lips were softly brushing against hers, barely a kiss but enough to satisfy Jennie's desire to kiss her wife. She wanted more, but her lips were cut and she knew she wasn't exactly in a position to kiss Lisa like she wanted to. It was enough though, and as Lisa pulled back, Jennie burst into tears as the ache that had been there for weeks faded, dulled by the overwhelming feeling of love and relief. Her daughter was safe, and Lisa was here. It had been a while since Jennie had felt close to her, and she hated that it took a car crash for them to get over their stubbornness, but they were going to fix things. They were all going to be okay.
Lisa sat beside her, soothingly rubbing Jennie's arm as she murmured quiet reassurances to her, knowing how confusing it was to go through something awful and wake up in a hospital bed. It was overwhelming, and Lisa knew she would need some time for her mind to catch up and her body to heal. She would have to be patient with her, but she didn't care; however long it took, she would be right there to look after her. Eventually, she calmed down, her breathing hitching every so often, and a nurse came to administer her medication and check up on her, and by the time he left, Jennie was struggling to stay awake, her hand in Lisa's and her eyes fluttering open and closed as she stared up into those blue eyes she loved so much.
"It's okay," Lisa quietly told her, giving her a loving smile, despite the worry and tired look in her eyes, "rest. I'll be right here when you wake up."
-----
She wandered in and out of consciousness all morning, and by lunchtime, she was awake again, and a lot more irritable as her pain medication started wearing off. Her muscles aches and a dull pain spread throughout her from her multiple broken bones. She was too stubborn to admit that it hurt though, so she grit her teeth and got on with it, listening as Lisa read her poems from one of the books she'd brought, finding the sound of her wife's voice soothing, and was fed jelly that Lisa had somehow snagged from a nurse, both of them laughing as Lisa gingerly spooned it into her mouth like she was a child. It felt so long since they'd done anything stupidly fun together, and Jennie could see the spark of regret in Lisa's eyes while she smiled and fed her jelly, and hear it in her voice as she read, when it wavered every so often. She could feel it in the kisses too - the need to be close, and the urgency behind it - and it was frustrating to not be able to kiss her wife properly, because Jennie yearned to be close to her. She craved the comfort of Lisa's touch, now more than ever. More than anything though, she wanted to see her family. Lisa had called to tell everyone that Jennie was awake, but at her request, they hadn't come rushing to the hospital to see her. They'd given them the morning alone together, for Jennie to collect her thoughts and come to terms with what had happened, and by the time afternoon visiting hours rolled around, she was getting antsy.
Setting an empty cup of crushed ice onto the table, Lisa glanced down at her phone, before she smiled up at Jennie. "They're here. Rosé said they're going to wait while we have a moment with the girls, so I'm going to go and get them," she told Jennie, slipping off the bed and giving her a quick kiss, "I'll be back in a second."
Smiling slightly, Jennie nodded, watching her wife leave and taking a deep breath. She could feel the knot of anxiety in her stomach, and the fluttering fear at seeing her girls again. Lisa had said that Seolhyun was fine, but Jennie needed to see her with her own eyes to be sure. Then there was the brief thought that had crossed her mind after the truck had hit her, how she might never see Lisa and Ryujin again - how the four of them might never be a family again - and she had to see Ryujin too, to make sure she got to see her again and tell her how much she loved her. It was only a few minutes later when a lanky dark haired figure ran to the door, yanking it open and rushing over to the bed, and Jennie stifled a groan and let out a quiet laugh as her daughter wrapped her in a hug. "Ryujin," Jennie sighed, feeling slightly peeved that she couldn't lift her leaden arms to hug her back.
"Mom!" her daughter exclaimed, pulling back and smiling down at her, "you're awake! I've been so scared, mom."
"I'm sorry for scaring you, but I'm okay now," Jennie murmured, "now come here and give me another hug and a kiss. I've missed you so much."
Laughing, Ryujin wrapped her arms around Jennie again, planting a kiss on her cheek and burying her head in her shoulder. Closing her eyes, Jennie slowly breathed in the smell of her daughter's perfume, feeling comforted by the familiar warmth of her hugs, and she felt herself relax a little. "When are you coming home?" Ryujin asked, pulling back again and perching on the edge of the bed. "I mean, I like staying with both grandmas, but I miss you. No one baby's me like you do. And no one plays chess as well as you."
Sighing, Jennie gave her a tender smile, holding her hand open for her daughter to place her own in it. "My baby girl. I don't know when I'm coming home, but it'll be soon. We can play chess here though, when you come and visit. I'll still kick your ass at it, even if you'll have to move the pieces for me."
"Okay!" Ryujin beamed at her, before she fished something out of the little backpack she was wearing, "I snuck you some food too. It's awful here, and grandma Yuri taught me how to make banana bread, so I brought you some. I thought it might cheer you up a bit."
"Thank you," Jennie softly exclaimed, "I can't wait to eat it. Can you break me off a piece, love?" Opening the container, Ryujin broke the corner off a thick slice and popped it into Jennie's mouth, giving her a hopeful look as she watched her mom chew. Swallowing thickly with her sore throat, Jennie smiled as widely as she could, "it's amazing. You'll have to show me how to make it when I get out of here. Now, how's school? Have you been going to soccer practice?"
"Mom! Of course I haven't!" Ryujin spluttered, "I also got exempt from all of my upcoming assignments and tests, so thanks. When do I have to go back to school?"
Jennie choked on her laugh, struggling to give Ryujin a nudge with her cast, "tomorrow! I won't have you slacking off on my account."
Pouting, Ryujin gave her a forlorn look, "but its Friday tomorrow."
Rolling her eyes, Jennie bit back a smile. "Okay, fine. You can have tomorrow off on one condition. Tomorrow, you're going to make as many sandwiches as you can, and raid the cupboards for all of the snacks, and we're going to have a picnic in here. Just me, you, mama and Seolhyun. And you're going to tell me everything I missed, yeah?"
"It's a deal," Ryujin laughed, reaching out to give Jennie's hand a quick squeeze, "any sandwich preferences?"
"Ham and cheese," Jennie said, squeezing her hand back. Then something caught her attention over near the door, and Jennie let her head loll to the side, quietly drawing in a sharp breath as she looked into the bruised blue eyes of her eldest daughter, who looked pale and frail, and a little bit too thin, as she sat in her wheelchair. Turning back to look at Ryujin, who was scowling at her sister, Jennie squeezed her hand again. "How about you and mama go and get some snacks from the vending machine? Between you and me, the jelly is pretty shit, and I'm going to need something else after I finish the banana bread off."
Nodding, Ryujin slipped off the bed and walked over to Lisa, who sighed as her daughter most likely purposely bumped into Seolhyun's wheelchair, jolting its occupant, who didn't say a word. Giving her daughter's shoulder a slight push, Lisa sent Ryujin outside, and then wheeled Seolhyun over to Jennie's bedside, kissing her on the top of her head and giving Jennie a small smile. "We'll be back in a few minutes."
Jennie's eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, and she winced as her bruises ached, but still, she smiled at Lisa anyway, letting her know that they'd be fine here. She waited until the glass door was slid back across before she spoke, her eyes trained on her daughter's scared face, and a wry smile on her lips, "surprised to see me?"
Abruptly bursting into tears, Seolhyun ducked her head down as her shoulders shook, and Jennie sighed, wishing she could sit up and climb out of bed to hug her. "I'm sorry, mom, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean- I-I didn't, I swear, I didn't mean it," Seolhyun sobbed, her voice breaking and her breathing hitching as she cried, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault, and- and I never wanted you to get h-hurt. I've been so scared, mom. I thought you were going t-to die, and the last thing I would've said was- can you forgive me?"
"Hey, come on, it's okay. You're supposed to be the one like me - we don't cry that often. We got the stubborn Kim traits, what happened, Hyun? You're not turning on me now, are you?" Jennie thickly told her, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. Her weak attempts at joking weren't helping break the tension and guilt that her daughter carried inside, so Jennie changed tactics. "We're alright, love. No one's dead, and it's just a couple of broken bones. I'll be on my feet in no time."
"But you could've and it would've been m-my fault," Seolhyun stammered, her breathing speeding up as her shoulders heaved.
Sighing, Jennie fumbled for the button to raise the top half of the bed, hoping that it would help her feel like she could be a bit closer to her daughter if she could see her better. "And who told you that ridiculous thing?"
"Ryujin," Seolhyun sobbed.
Letting out a snort of laughter, Jennie shook her head. "Listen, your sister is mad. Your mama's mad too, and I'm probably madder than anyone. But we're not mad at you, sweetheart - okay, I might be, but we'll talk about that later - we're all just worried. I didn't know if I was going to wake up to find that you were worse off than me, and mama... mama has a lot on her plate, and she's worried about all of us. And Ryujin... she's worried because she almost lost her mom and her sister, and she loves us both so much. It's easier to get mad when you love someone, because then you think it'll hurt less when something bad happens because you were mad at them, instead of happily loving them. She'll get over it."
"You think so?" Seolhyun murmured.
"Hey, look at me. Look at me, Hyun," Jennie gently coaxed her, her eyes prickling with tears when sad blue eyes met hers. Giving her an uneven smile, Jennie shifted her arm to the end of the bed uncurling her fingers and watching as Seolhyun tentatively reached out with her own broken arm, wincing as she leant forward to reach Jennie's hand. "I love you. I love you so much. You're my little girl, and it doesn't matter if we fight, because nothing is going to stop me from loving you, okay? Your grandma and I... we had a very long rough patch, from even younger than you are now, up until I met your mother, and we both said things we didn't mean. We're okay now though, because we love each other. It's the same with you and me, Hyun."
"Yeah?" her daughter asked, her voice small and a fragile look on her face.
Jennie gave her hand a quick squeeze as she smiled, "oh yeah. But first, you and I are going to have a long conversation, and you're going to tell me what the hell you were thinking. Really, Seolhyun? After what happened at school, you were still buying cigarettes. What did I tell you about that? And sneaking out of your mother's birthday party? Come on, love, what's gotten into you? You're lucky I've been in a coma for five days, because now I can't even be as pissed as I was, but just you wait until I'm out of here. I meant what I said, and you're grounded, with no car, and no going out with your friends. Okay?"
"Yeah," Seolhyun muttered, a look of shame on her face. She hesitated for a moment, before looking back up at Jennie, "mom? I love you."
Jennie sighed slightly, relaxing back into the pillows as she closed her eyes. "I love you too. Just... don't even put me through that again. Please."
"Mom?" Seolhyun said again, her voice breaking on the word, and Jennie's eyes fluttered open as she made a sound of acknowledgement. "I need to tell you and mama something."
"Tell us what?" Lisa quietly asked as she stepped into the room, a tray of coffee in hand and a few bags of snacks under her arm.
Seolhyun craned her neck around, and Jennie gave her hand a gently squeeze, "it's okay. It doesn't have to be right now, if you don't want to. We can wait until we're all better."
Turning to look at Jennie, Seolhyun gave her a grateful look, and Lisa came over to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Ryujin rounded the bed and came to sit down beside Jennie, her legs stretched out before her and her head leaning on Jennie's shoulder, and Jennie closed her eyes as she mattress shifted and Lisa sat down. Smiling to herself, she basked in the feeling of being surrounded by her family, and let out a content sigh. Things had fallen apart, and they hadn't even begun to fix it all, but they were all here, and they all loved each other completely, despite the mess. That was enough for right now. "My girls," Jennie happily sighed, "I love you all."
"Oh yeah? And what about us?" Jisoo's snarky voice came from the doorway, and Jennie let out a loud groan.
"Someone please ask a doctor to put me back under," Jennie said, and Jisoo let out a quick laugh.
"Nice to see you too, asshole," she snorted, and Jennie gave her a lopsided smile as she watched her sister walk in and make herself at home in a chair.
Rosé shook her head as she walked in, walking over to the bed and giving Jennie's shoulder a quick squeeze, "what she means is it's really good to see you. You had us all worried there - including Jisoo."
Jisoo laughed, holding her hands up for Lisa to throw her a packet of chips, "not me. I'm used to her dramatic antics. Remember when she punched a hole in the wall because you two were fighting? I mean, this was a little too far, even for you, Jennie, but I guess you had to one up yourself somehow after being stabbed."
Jennie turned to Doyeon, who walked over to the bed and gave her a warm smile, "good thing you have two mom's, kid, because your mom's an ass."
Giving her a careful hug, Doyeon sighed, "yeah, but she says the same about you, Aunt Jennie. It's good to see you awake."
Laughing, Jennie gave her niece a quick wink, and gave her daughter's hand a quick squeeze when she realised that Seolhyun was silent and unresponsive to anything happening in the room. A moment later, two more people stepped into the room, and Jennie took in the lines of worry etched onto her mom's face, and the dark circles beneath her and Yuri's eyes. "Mom," she hoarsely greeted her, "Yuri."
Slowly walking over to the bed, Chaerin carefully cupped Jennie's face in her hands, her eyes shining with a slight film of tears that took Jennie by surprise. "Don't you ever, ever do that again," Chaerin warned her, her voice dangerously low as it wavered slightly, "do you hear me, Jennie? I've never been so scared in my entire life. I thought I- I thought I was going to lose you too."
"I'm okay, mom," Jennie told her, her chest aching at the thought of her mom having to suffer through the unknown fate of her daughter, and last living family member, after already losing her husband and son. "How're you? Did you get your treatment the other day?"
Letting out a breathless laugh, Chaerin gave her a tight smile, "never mind about me. I'm fine. The only thing I've had to worry about it you, and my troublemaker granddaughter. I thought raising you was bad enough; I didn't realise I'd have to go through it twice."
"Don't worry, I've been looking after her," Yuri said, walking over to the bed and kissing Jennie on her forehead, "you had me scared for a second though, honey. After Lisa, I never- well, don't scare us like that again, okay? I'm not sure my heart could handle it at my age. Good grief, you girls have given me enough stress for a lifetime. I think it's time to retire."
Chaerin snorted, giving her a disapproving look, "please, we all know you'll never stop working at that hospital. They'll have to pry the scalpel out of your hand."
Laughing, Yuri shrugged, kissing Lisa on the cheek, and smoothing her granddaughter's hair, glancing around the room to make sure everyone was okay. Jennie closed her eyes as she smiled, knowing that she could always count on Yuri to take care of everyone, no matter what went wrong. This was the family she'd always dreamed of, and she couldn't help but sniff as she blinked back tears, feeling so loved and grateful during that moment, even if she was mad at half of the people in the room right now. That was family though, and she knew there would be plenty of time to argue and talk later, once she was back in her own house.
"Are you okay?" Lisa quietly asked as a tear slid out of the corner of Jennie's eye, reaching out to gently brush it away.
"Oh you know," Jennie said, blowing the air out of her lungs, "just trying to process... everything. I thought breaking my hand was bad enough, but god, I think I've broken every fucking bone in my body. I feel like I've been hit by a tru- oh... well I guess I was. You get my meaning though. It hurts like hell. Are you feeling this too, Hyun?"
"Yeah, it's shit," her daughter tearfully laughed, giving Jennie's hand a quick squeeze.
Sighing, Lisa shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You should be due for some pain meds soon," Lisa gently reassured her.
Nodding, Jennie clenched her jaw, her face drawn in pain at the dull ache that pervaded every inch of her body. She almost preferred being in a coma, but looking into her wife's eyes, Jennie wouldn't have changed a thing. To look at the person she loved with her whole heart was more than Jennie had ever dared to hope for in her life, but she'd been lucky enough to have that and more. Anything else was worth it, just as long as she had Lisa and her girls.
"We should let you rest," Rosé said, giving her a hesitant smile, an almost wary look in her eyes as if she was waiting for Jennie to bite her head off about them not telling her about Seolhyun.
"We'll come back tomorrow," Jisoo said, climbing to her feet and crumpling the empty chip packet, a smirk on her face as she arched an eyebrow at Jennie, "I'll bring monopoly."
Jennie let out a sharp laugh, wincing as it jostled they broken and bruised ribs, "bring a pack of cards too, would you. I'll need to kick your ass at poker once you try and bankrupt me."
"Will do," Jisoo said, giving her a genuine, soft smile that said everything her and Jennie rarely said to each other. They were both a little more reserved with their feelings, and preferred to joke and make sarcastic comments about each other instead, but Jennie knew Jisoo would've been as worried as any of them, and she was always grateful for the lightheartedness and nonchalance that her sister brought to tense moments.
"Actually, can we have a moment before we go," Rosé awkwardly asked, a glance at Lisa, before she looked back at Jennie, who nodded. "We'll meet you outside, Doyeon."
Ryujin climbed off the bed at a gentle nudge off Jennie, and Yuri started to wheel Seolhyun away, before Rosé stopped her. Everyone else, except for the four women and Seolhyun, left hovering in the hallway outside. Giving her sister-in-law's an expectant look, Jennie raised her eyebrows slightly. "Well?"
Pulling an envelope out of the bag she was carrying, Rosé handed it to Lisa, a guilty look on her face. Frowning, Jennie struggled to try and sit up more, but Jisoo pushed her back down, rolling her eyes at Jennie's stubbornness. "It's a letter," Jisoo said as they all watched Lisa pull it out of the envelope, "to waive the enlistment of a certain minor, who forged her parent's signature. There's also the objection of the other parent to the enlistment of their child, as well as the argument that she hasn't finished high school. You have about eighty days left to oppose it so they can waive her enlistment, but you might want to be quick, because she'll be getting called to boot camp and stuff soon."
Seolhyun wouldn't meet anyone's eyes, and Jennie felt her own eyes burning as she tried not to cry, swallowing the lump in her throat as she nodded. "Thank you."
Both women nodded, giving her grim smiles, and Lisa climbed off the bed to give her sister a hug, the letter held tightly in her hand. "Don't you ever keep something about my daughter from me again," Lisa stiffly told her.
Returning the hug, Rosé winced slightly, knowing that it was going to be a while before both of her sisters weren't mad at her anymore. "I'm sorry. I won't."
Rounding on her daughter, Lisa shoved the letter back in the envelope and crossed her arms over her chest. "And you... you're lucky you have a whole family of people to pull you out of this mess. Don't you ever, ever go behind my back again. Do you hear me?"
Nodding, Seolhyun's cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and she silently took her mother's angry words, looking small as she sat in the wheelchair. Once Lisa had given the three of them a few more stern warnings about trust and responsibility, she turned to look at Jennie, who froze slightly, her eyes widening as she waited for whatever tongue lashing she was going to get, but then Lisa's expression softened, and her bottom lip trembled slightly.
"I'm sorry. I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't tell you that it was my fault. I'm sorry, and I should've listened to you, and I should've trusted you to know when the right time to tell them was. I never should've blamed you, and I'm sorry," Lisa hoarsely told her.
"Well come here then," Jennie shaking replied, and Lisa laughed as she quickly moved up the bed and let her forehead rest against Jennie's. "Thank you."
"We'll leave you guys to it," Rosé quietly murmured, patting her niece on the shoulder on the way out. Jennie knew why her and Jisoo hadn't told them, but it was their daughter, and it should've been up to her and Lisa to get her out of this mess. But she wouldn't pretend that she wasn't grateful for them to going through the effort of researching a way to get her out of this mess, as well as taking the time to write the letter for them to send.
Clearing her throat slightly, "thank you. Both of you. Really."
She caught a glimpse of a smile off Rosé, before she followed Jisoo out of the door, and everyone else came back in. Yuri and Doyeon both said goodbye, but Chaerin sat down in the corner of the room, while Ryujin came back over to the bed, making themselves comfortable. They stayed for the rest of visiting hours, and Jennie felt better after the pain meds, but found it hard to keep her eyes open and follow the conversation. Eventually it was time for them to all leave, and she managed to hug and kiss them all, except Seolhyun, which hurt a bit, and even Lisa was being kicking out this time, now that Jennie wasn't in a coma anymore. With the promise that she'd be here bright and early tomorrow, Lisa leant down to kiss Jennie again.
"Haven't you kissed her enough?" Ryujin exasperatedly asked, her arm looped through Chaerin's to help her walk.
Laughing, Lisa pressed another kiss to Jennie's lips. "Never enough," she whispered to Jennie, who gave her a loving smile.
"I love you all," Jennie called out, earning a chorus of similar responses, and she smiled at the tiny kiss Seolhyun blew her as Lisa wheeled her outside, before she was left alone, for the drugs to drag her into a dreamless sleep, where nothing hurt and she felt safe and loved. Despite the broken state of her body, it was the first time in a while that her heart didn't ache, and Jennie slept soundly, comforted by the knowledge that her family was okay.