Erased (Chaelisa Au)

Chapter 21: Begin Again

A/N: I don't own this story .

"Come on Lisa, just a bit more." Chaeyoung cheered as Lisa took one painful step after another in trying to get from one end of the parallel bars.

Lisa gave her a grumbled response as she stopped in the center of the parallel bars. She took a deep breath as she steeled herself to continue, her arms shaking slightly as she supported her weight the best she could. They still had a long way to go although Chaeyoung had to admit, Lisa was making great progress. Her doctors even called it a miracle that she was making such a speedy recovery.

It's been two weeks since Lisa had first woken up. She was still very much in the hospital as her medical team decided that keeping her under observation for now. She still couldn't exactly stand and very much relied on crutches whenever she tried walking – which is why Chaeyoung insisted that she use the wheelchair, but Lisa was just too plain stubborn sometimes – around the hospital.

Then of course there was the ongoing surges of crazy press tactics as pretty much every news outlet in the country wanted to do a feature on the girl who woke up from a nine year coma. The media circus was pretty much being handled by her friends, led by Dr. Manoban, and the hospital staff were very keen on cooperating too. So at least there was that.

As for Lisa's case, well, as much as Chaeyoung wanted to see justice get served, her main focus was Lisa for the moment. It was all she could do to keep the fear at bay.

That unsettling fear that something might happen again. That something might take Lisa away again.

Or that someone was coming back for her after all these years.

The hospital security with the press helped eased her worries, although Chaeyoung would be lying if she said that she slept fully peacefully at night either. She was pretty much the one who stayed with Lisa in her room at night. Some nights Dr. Manoban would hang around the waiting area and let the late hours of the evening transform into the early hours of morning pass him by grading papers, nodding to sleep on those uncomfortable hospital chairs, and sometimes just keeping watch.

Chaeyoung, on the other hand, was allowed to stay with Lisa in her room. Lisa did seem to protest much about this arrangement, she was just eager in trying to re-get to know Chaeyoung and catch up with everything that they've missed the past couple of years.

They kissed, they still kiss, and hold hands too, but they were taking a slow approach to things. To Chaeyoung, it was enough to know that she meant something to Lisa, something special. She was more than happy just to know that she felt the same way for her.

They weren't going to rush. They were just them.

An us.

And Chaeyoung was just thankful for the chance.

A chance to enjoy each other's company and just be.

Their friends seemed to get the picture during their visits though, but they decided to keep quiet about it. For now, their main focus was also to keep Lisa safe and help her recover.

After the first few days of being in the hospital, Chaeyoung knew she had to get back to her job – and really she was thankful she gets to be Lisa's PT – which meant that everyone had to step up on the 'Lisa-watch'.

Sehun had a schedule all set-up to make sure no one gives them the slip and get to Lisa. For the most part, they all had their own visiting hours with her, keeping her company. The only time they really couldn't cover was that hour after Lisa's PT session where she mostly just naps Because  she's too tired. She's kept alone during that hour but Tzuyu came up with a plan to stealthily plant a few cameras around the hallway leading to Lisa's room to make sure she was safe. They were supposed to add one in her room too, but then Jennie supposedly made an argument – Chaeyoung wasn't sure what, she wasn't in the room when the plan was drawn up – on why they shouldn't.