Insatiable ◆ Lee Jeno

◆35

Can we actually give more props to the health workers please

It felt like an eternity until the girl had been released from surgery and out straight into intensive care with her body functioning through tubes and a machine that kept her alive.

They assured him it was only for her to stabilise but doubts rang through his mind and the worst outcomes filtered through.

What if she never woke up?

The boy had his arm in a temporary sling, supporting his shoulder and other than that he sufficed a few bruised ribs and many stitches.

But at least he was awake, alive and walking- limping.
Unlike her.

Jeno sat in the hospital chair numbly, his eyes trained on the girl who had no consciousness and the tubes hooked to her body reminded him that her wake wasn't guaranteed.

His face was blank, eyes staring holes into the side of her face- bruises and cuts decorated her skin and his fingers itched to cause damage- to kill whoever did it.

He blamed himself mostly.

The door opened, making him flinch at the sound of anything other than the beeping of her heart monitor.

"Hey," the boy began, closing the door behind him. Jeno glanced at him but looked away without word.

Donghyuck sighed, placing the flowers and cards on the table.
"They only let me in for now..." He began, trailing off as he looked at the girl.

He swallowed the dryness in his throat and blinked the tears away, feeling suffocated and instead looked at the blank Jeno.

"Is she..."
Jeno glanced up at Donghyuck and shrugged, wincing at the pain.
"They won't know what's happened to her if she doesn't wake up."
"So she might not wake up?" The trembling in his voice sent a sigh out of Jeno's lips.

"I don't know." He uttered, standing up and leaving the room to Donghyuck and Heejin.

◆

It had been four days since, Heejin was still unconscious and Jeno hadn't left the hospital since.

His back ached as he sat on the chair besides her bed- the room awfully silent aside from her monitor and now he dwelled on the fact he had taken it all for granted, knowing she would be speaking to him right now, he would have been looking into her captivating eyes.

Reality was, she hadn't improved.

Time seemed like it was stuck but hours droned on and on- unable to find himself leaving her side in case something happened.

They gang had visited, Yuta having just left. Jeno's gang had also visited and they got barely anything out of the numb boy.

He seemed numb but his anger, rage and sadness swirled inside of him, bubbling and wanting to spill over the surface- waiting to explode.

Nurses were in and out, especially the one assigned to Heejin throughout the whole after accident.

She smiled sadly at the boy who had remained there since the start.
"You should go home, freshen up a bit." She said softly.

Jeno hadn't replied, feeling lethargic and broken.
"At least go to the cafeteria and eat something." She spoke, checking on Heejin while changing her bandages.

"Was it bad?" He spoke, his voice breaking- rough and coaxed with the thickness of emotion.

The nurse halted, sighing and biting her lip.
"It's a miracle she survived."

The words crashed down on Jeno in waves and he found his eyes burning with sudden tears, harshly rubbing them away.

"She's a fighter you know, there's a high chance everything is okay Jeno- I know how much you love your girlfriend but trust me she's in good hands."

◆

Day Six.

He was losing hope if he was being completely honest, sitting by her bed- his head on the blanket next to her hand- closing his eyes momentarily.

"Things will be different when you wake up." He whispered in the serenity of the atmosphere. "I want to be there for you, I want to be with you."

His eyes fluttered open, sight moving to her hand which he swore he nearly choked on his air when he saw it move a fraction.

Jeno's heart stopped, eyes widening and he sat up straighter- like a hawk staring at her hands that had began to move so he gasped, running to the door to shout for the nurse.

It all happened pretty quickly and sudden.
Regaining motion in her hand and chest rising and falling by itself, slowly becoming more conscious and now she could hear the distorted sound of the nurses voice.

Eventually, it became clearer and her hand felt around on the bed until something gently grasped it.

"Rosa, it's me Jeno- I'm here." He said softly, the sound of his voice making her almost cry out- weakly tightening her grip on his hand.

"Can you hear me Heejin?" The nurse asked and Heejin tried to move her head but it hurt, excruciatingly- so she squeezed Jeno's hand.

Becoming more aware, Heejin let out a few coughs- scrunching her nose up and eyebrows furrowed as began to open her eyes.

They were heavy, head pounding and the pain around her body filtered through.

Jeno watched intently, clasping onto her hand as her eyes began to slowly open- finally seeing her eyes that he had grown to miss.

His face lit up, inching closer to her so she could see that he was with her and she wasn't alone.

There was a silence for a few seconds as she adjusted, no words said and her throat dry, laced with the remains of blood.

"You're okay Rosa, it's okay don't try to talk." He said, brushing his thumb over her hand and her grip on him got tighter, urgent.

"I," she barely whispered out and tears glistened in her eyes.

"I can't see."