Koruna

Both Worlds

Chapter 39
Both Worlds

Koruna looked at both parties in her hospital room and realized that what she had heard before wasn't a figment of her imagination but a reality. She smiled at Margaret and beckoned her closer.

"This is awkward." Margaret said when the room went silent.

"What is? That I'm alive or that you are here?" Koruna sighed.

"Everything is, and I happy you are alive, it would have been disappointing to many people if you didn't make it through." Mariam gave her a genuine pat on her lap which increased the consciousness of the oddity in the crowd.

Annie had been standing behind everyone, she was quiet and tried to reduce the volume of her sobs. "What is happening?" Koruna frowned at her.

Annie walked slowly and wrapped her hands around her neck, "I'm so sorry, I'm very sorry. I didn't mean any of the things I said to you. I thought that father had betrayed me and I took that out on you. We all did, I'm sorry, I'll do better. I will try to be better, please forgive me."

Koruna froze and allowed her cry, she was confused and could not decide how to react to the sudden apology.

She felt Annie arms shaking and hugged her back. She thought about it from her perspective, it hadn't been that long she lost her parents, Betsy is in the hospital and then to be told that the sister she just met was hanging on death's thread might have released whatever Annie had kept inside. She was still a young girl who has had to deal with loss at an early age, she tried to cover it all by being mean but at the end, she was just a girl who was in pain.

"There, there, let it all out. After her, I'm all out of hugs to give, there's only so much crying and expression of love I can take." Koruna announced to the room earning a chuckle from the crying Annie.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." Annie sniffled.

"It's alright." Koruna cleaned her tears with her thumb.

"Thank you Bernie, I heard you donated some of your blood." Koruna said to a quiet Bernie who just stared at her.

"I did not have much of a choice." He murmured.

"R'ao?"

"R'ao, what is going on between you two? You know he has a fiancée, right?" Bernie asked.

Koruna narrowed at him, "So I've heard."

Bernie maintained eye contact and said, "That doesn't bother you?"

"Your assumption that we have any romantic ties is based on what exactly?" Koruna blinked.

Bernie sighed, "Oh, you two are not romantically involved. That is a relief, I thought you might have to go through a different kind of heartache when you just barely escaped death."

"Oh no, no... We have romantic ties. I was just pointing out that you made assumptions." Koruna shrugged.

Bernie looked at her confused, "What?"

"What?" Koruna widened her eyes at him.

"Huh?" Bernie frowned.

"Huh huh..." Koruna grinned.

"You are messing with me."

"I am messing with you." Koruna said to a glaring Bernie.

"I saved your life, couldn't you be nicer to me?"

"I am nicer ish to you." Koruna winked and Bernie rolled his eyes.

The rest of them chuckled apart from Oni who sat at the far end of the room and watched the drama unfold.