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Sana woke up with an aching head, the more conscious she became, the more her right arm and left leg started to hurt too. The fourth thing she was aware of was the impossibly bright light against her closed eyelids that made her want to tug something over her face to block it out. She wanted to groan when there was a light press against her right shoulder and the sound of a not distant enough voice saying something.
“Let her rest; don’t force her to talk now.” A deeper voice spoke that time. Sana’s eyebrows scrunched together – she really couldn’t remember where she was or who she was with. “I’ll go get the doctor and tell her she stirred a little.” Doctor? Bright lights and mention of a doctor could only really mean one thing – the smell of disinfectant that slowly crept up on her helped her conclusion as well.
“Can you hear me?”
Sana really didn’t want to open her eyes, but it seemed like she had no choice by then, it was starting to hurt to keep them closed.
She blinked, lashes fluttering and her vision blurry.
“Sana?”
She turned her head slowly and came face to face with her mother who sat next to the bed. She looked relieved, happy that Sana’s eyes had even opened.
“Thank god.” Arms flung around her neck and she smelt the fabric softener her mother loved so much instead of the bleach from the room. “Thank you.” The words were mumbled and Sana was too confused to really understand them together yet. She didn’t understand why her mother sounded so relieved.
“Ms. Minatozaki, you’re up.” A third voice – Sana looked over her mother’s shoulder at a man in a white lab coat. She blinked through the blurriness and felt her head start to hurt again. Her discomfort must’ve shown on her face because the doctor stepped closer with a frown. “Maybe we should all give her some room. She just woke up after all.”
The doctor smiled and Sana felt her mother’s arms tighten around her before they loosened their hold altogether.
She looked around at the faces – her father stood with his hands in his pockets, a gentle smile on his face that looked empathetic; her mother looked like she had been crying and the doctor was giving her a warm look that Sana felt patronized by.
“Do you know where you are?”
Sana looked to her parents; her father gave her an encouraging smile.
“Yeah.” She swallowed but her throat was dry. “Hospital.”
“Do you remember what happened?”
She tried to think again – her chest tightened when she remembered the way down, the impact and loud sound of something falling on the ground after her – like an echo.
“I fell from my roof.”
The doctor smiled kindly. Sana’s head felt worse. Her whole body did. She wanted to sleep again.
“I can see that you’re still a little out of it. I’ll have a talk with your parents, then when you wake up again we can discuss this some more. You’re on strong medication, so it’ll make you drowsy for a while. It should wear off soon, so don’t worry about the groggy feeling.”
Sana could only sit there and listen. She didn’t meet her parents’ eyes and she definitely couldn’t look into the doctor’s. Sana wasn’t stupid, never pretended to be either, her mind was already thinking of the worst. What would he say to them? Would he tell them?
“Sana?”
She forced her sore eyes across. Her mother looked just as tired and she wondered how long she had been asleep for already – the drawn curtains to her right showed that it was night time.
“We’ll be back tomorrow, visiting hours are over now.” She moved closer again until she was hovering over her and smoothing brown strands of hair from her face. “I love you.” A kiss was placed on her forehead and Sana’s eyes closed tightly.
“We both do.” Her father’s voice was stronger and he placed a kiss in the same spot. “Your phone is there to the side,” he nodded towards the bedside table in the small empty looking room. “Call us if you need anything. Even if you just want to talk.” His tone was soft, like when Sana would get in trouble at school when she was younger and he would pick her up from the office – his eyes gentle and his voice matching. He always took her side, no matter what. That same caring and understanding voice.
Her parents looked down at her and they had those soft, sad smiles. They knew.
“We’re always here if you need us.”
She couldn’t respond, it was too much work to move her mouth by then.
When she woke up again, the lights were less bright in her room. There was a beep from the monitor beside her and the sound of people walking around in the hallway outside of her room. The door was opened and that was where most of the light came from. Sana’s mouth felt dry and she had trouble swallowing.
Her body was still sore and she looked down and was hardly surprised to see the sling her hand was in. The bandage on her leg didn’t shock her either; it was more the fact that she hadn’t noticed it when she first woke up.
She remembered, it all came back instantly. Position. Spiral. Loud sound. Echo.
“Good, you’re up.”
The voice startled her. Sana turned her head to see another doctor sitting to her left in one of the armchairs. There was enough light to see brown hair that was swept into a ponytail and the faint trace of a smile on the woman’s lips. Sana frowned in confusion.
“Who are you?” Her voice was hoarse and it hurt to say anything at all.
The woman stood up and poured water from a green container into a clear cup.
“Drink this, you must be thirsty.”
She took the water with stiff movements and brought the cup to her lips to drink slowly, each gulp felt weird – like she was swallowing around a lump.
“More?” The woman asked.
Sana nodded and handed her the cup again.
“I’m Doctor Im.” She said after she handed her the cup a second time. “How are you feeling?”
How was she feeling? She was feeling like she had failed everyone she cared about. She was feeling like a complete waste of hope.
“Sore.” She settled on that as an answer; there was no telling what would happen if she told the truth – Sana wasn’t stupid, she never pretended to be either so she knew that just one wrong word could end up with her somewhere she didn’t want to be.
“After a fall like that, I bet you are.” The doctor sat down again and Sana fiddled with the cup. She didn’t want to meet her eyes. “It’s okay. I’m not judging you.”
Her eyes cut across to the doctor. Did she know too?
“What do you mean?”
Doctor Im smiled a little. It didn’t look false like the other doctor’s did.
“You know what I mean, so it’s not important.”
Sana felt confusion and relief simultaneously. She also felt pain but it wasn’t physical anymore.
“Are you hungry? You slept through dinner I think.”
“A little. What time is it?”
The doctor didn’t wear a watch. She looked to the front of the room where a white clock was on the walls.
“Almost three.” She looked back to Sana. “They won’t serve anything else till seven.”
Sana nodded. She didn’t really feel like talking – her mind was on other things besides food already. She barely remembered her parents leaving but she knew it happened.
“I’ll get you something if you’d like. The cafeteria on the third floor stays open.”
She glanced at the doctor again.
“I don’t really feel like eating. It’s okay.”
“You should still eat.” She stood again and it didn’t look like Sana would have the choice to decline. Doctor Im’s hands went to the pockets of her lab coat and she looked down at her with a harmless smile. “I’ll be right back.”
Sana nodded again. She was happy to be left alone – what had she done? It seemed like such a good idea at the time, easy. But the looks on her parents’ faces weren’t all that easy to see. She felt a lot of regret, a lot of wishing she had chosen any other way – but she didn’t know if she meant in terms of seeking help or another way to – no, this was a sign right? Divine intervention, a second chance.
She wished she wanted a second chance.
The tears that slid down her face were normal to her and she didn’t try to wipe them away. She wanted to go home – sit in the living room while she smelt her mother’s cooking and heard her father’s light nagging for her to use the oven mitts when she was taking food out – because her mother had the tendency to burn her hands carelessly on hot surfaces.
She looked to the left, the doctor had returned with a plastic container and a bottle of water.
“Sandwiches. Sorry, there’s not much of a selection.” She smiled as she set the items down on a tray and rolled it over to the side of the bed, making it extend across Sana’s lap with a small push. “Do you need to sit up any more? Or is that good?”
She shook her head. The doctor nodded and began to open the lid of the container with a pop. The water bottle followed.
“You don’t have to do that.”
Doctor Im looked down at her arm that was in a dark blue sling.
“I rather not watch you try to open a bottle of water with one hand.” She sat back down on the chair. “You clearly aren’t a fan of help, but its part of my job so you’ll have to get used to it.”
Sana didn’t break the eye contact.
“Aren’t you assuming too much?”
The woman smiled again – it reminded her of her father’s. Gentle and understanding; Sana accepted the fact that the doctor definitely knew. She looked to her food instead, letting go of her stubbornness and picking one of the halves up.
“Thank you.” Because she was never rude to people who didn’t deserve it. “Are you allowed to do this?”
The sandwich was good, not her first choice since she tasted tomatoes, but not bad either. It could work.
“I’m not really a fan of rules.”
Sana looked at her again.
“You’re a doctor.” She reconsidered. “Are you a shrink?”
Doctor Im tilted her head.
“Why would you need a shrink if you just fell?”
They stared each other down for a few seconds. Sana was busy going over the likely scenarios of if she just broke down and finally told someone the truth. She didn’t like any of the outcomes.
“I guess you’re right.” She returned to her sandwich but she saw the twitch of the start of a smile on the woman’s lips. “Why are you here?”
“To make sure you don’t choke on your sandwich.” Sana translated that as, ‘to make sure you don’t try anything’.
“I see.” She took a sip from the bottle. “When I finish my sandwich will you go away?”
“Unlikely. But don’t rush your food on my account.”
Sana sighed. She felt too weak to form any negative or positive feelings towards the stranger. She wanted to be alone – could still feel that her cheeks were damp from tears, could still feel the persistent need to block any and everyone else out so she could be sad in silence.
“Unless you want to sleep again after you’re finished eating.”
She didn’t feel tired enough to sleep anymore. Her mind was awake and her nerves were jittery. She looked at the woman again – small smile, dark brown eyes and she looked young. All of that made Sana feel a little more comfortable.
“Unlikely.”
Doctor Im’s smile widened.
“Okay, I’ll keep your company then. I hope you don’t mind.”
Sana chewed the sandwich. It probably didn’t matter if she minded, Doctor Im was probably a psychiatrist that was there to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t use the window in the room to her advantage. She wondered how high up she was actually. She received a cunning smile from the doctor after she voiced the question.
“High enough. But don’t get any ideas, you’ll make my job harder and I’ve been awake since ten A.M.”
Her tone was teasing and Sana thought it was completely inappropriate – but she was also a millennial and that was her type of humor.
“I’m sorry that me wanting to jump from the highest building right now is somehow an inconvenience to you, Doctor.”
“That’s a lot of paperwork probably. I’d have to explain what happened and how – not to mention I would have to tell them why I thought it was a smart idea to get you food from the cafeteria.”
Sana looked at her.
“I see. You’re more worried about getting in trouble for breaking the rules.”
“Aren’t you a little flattered that I broke them for you?”
Flattery hadn’t even crossed her mind. She was never one to pause at compliments but she was more than certain she wasn’t looking her best in that moment – her eyes were probably red and puffy and she could feel the grazes on her cheek every time she moved her mouth.
“I don’t know how to take that.”
Doctor Im laughed. It was a nice sound; more welcomed that the persistent beeping of the monitor beside her.
“However you want to really.”
Sana continued to eat - there was a clamp around her finger, the doctor continued to sit and idly watch her.
“Don’t you have better things to do? Patients to check on?”
The brunette shook her head and rested her head in the palm of her hand.
“Only one – top priority actually.”
Sana wasn’t stupid, you know?
“Doctor Im,” she turned her head to look at her again after she placed the last piece of her sandwich down. “Are you this friendly with all your patients?”
“Only one.” She smiled.
“I’ll push the distress button behind me.”
“Go ahead – I’m the one in the white coat, remember? Also the one who didn’t jump from a roof. My word against yours.”
Sana took another sip from the bottle.
“Fell from.” She corrected. Their eyes met again. Sana’s skin prickled with goosebumps from the air conditioning. “You don’t have to disguise your real motive for being here with flattery. I know you don’t have a choice.”
Doctor Im blinked lazily. It reminded Sana of a cat.
“I’m here completely by choice.” Was all she said. Sana didn’t believe her but she let it drop, there was no use arguing – she was the one in the white coat after all.
The sound of the monitor and the two or three people that passed by the door was soon in competition with the drizzle of rain that started to pour and tap on the window. Sana felt like it was fitting.
When she finished the sandwiches, the doctor stood and pushed the tray out of the way again.
“Are you going to leave now?” She asked while the woman was still standing.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Sana watched her come closer to the bed again, she hovered and looked down at her – that time she gave her a smile that resembled her mother’s; sad and loving. It made Sana frown.
“And if I want you to?”
Doctor Im shook her head.
“Not even then.”
She walked back over the chair and sat down. They spent at least thirty minutes in silence as the rain fell and Sana lost herself to her thoughts. She wasn’t sure what would happen after that – what would happen when her parents returned and they had questions that she would need to answer. They knew now, there was no way to hide it.
“You look worried.”
Sana looked at her.
“Stop looking then.”
“It’s hard not to stare.” There was a sigh from her lips and then the repositioning of her legs as she lapped one over the other. “You’re nice to look at, even with a scratched up cheek.”
Her uninjured hand went to her face absently and she felt a small sting when her fingers grazed it.
“I doubt I look nice enough to stare at. I probably look horrible.”
“Beautiful. Like you jumped from heaven.”
Sana raised an eyebrow.
“You mean fell from heaven.”
Doctor Im gave her another knowing smile.
“Right, fell.”
She knew. Sana knew that – they spent almost a full hour with strings of conversation and all the while Sana knew she knew.
“What’s your real job here? Is it just to watch me? Make sure I don’t do anything?” She grew a little annoyed.
“Not really. I told you I was here by choice.”
“Don’t I have a choice?”
The woman nodded her head.
“Always. It’s your life; you can do whatever you want with or without it.” The words seemed pointed. Sana didn’t look away from her eyes. “I’m here for selfish reasons too, I think. I was lonely and you kept me company even if you were asleep. I think you’re lonely as well so I’m returning the favor.”
Sana stared at her.
She was lonely. Sometimes it took being around people to realize that you didn’t want to actually be alone and the more time she wasn’t alone with the doctor by her side, the more she felt her guard begin to drop and the strong facade crumble. Although she wasn’t sure it was much of a facade with the tear streaks on her face.
“I regret it.” Was what left her mouth next.
The doctor smiled.
“I know.”
Sana felt new tears.
Doctor Im stood up and reached into the front pocket of her coat, produced a white and blue handkerchief and offered it to her.
“Thank you.” Because Sana had manners when someone was being nice to her.
Doctor Im didn’t move away again.
“You’re welcome – I don’t really know your name.” She admitted. It made Sana smile a little because that was the longest she had ever been around someone and not exchanged formal greetings. “I’m Im Nayeon.”
“Doctor Im Nayeon.” Sana corrected.
The doctor smiled down at her.
“Yeah, Doctor Im Nayeon.” She took the handkerchief from Sana’s nimble fingers and started to wipe her eyes for her – Sana hadn’t even realized that she had paused to stare into the doctor’s eyes and in turn completely forgot that she had been crying. “Are you going to tell me?”
“Isn’t my name in a file somewhere? I’m sure you can find it out easily.” Her voice was lower and she was almost to the point of mumbling under the caring act of the stranger. The soft handkerchief moved under eyes gently and erased any sign of her previous sadness. Sana never really had anyone do that for her since she was a child and more way more comfortable with showing weakness.
Doctor Im moved her hand away when she was done but placed the small square cloth on top of the sheet that covered Sana.
“There’s actually a chart with your name on it at the head of this bed.” She smiled. “I would just prefer if you told me yourself.”
The doctor was closer then – Sana could see way more than the dark brown eyes and full cheeks. Doctor Im had soft looking skin, a couple wispy strands of hair from her ponytail hanging by her face and a cute smile that Sana would probably never forget.
“Sana.”
The woman smiled – it was more than cute, she was wrong before.
“Sana.” She repeated. “Nice to meet you.”
“Isn’t that a bit dark to say?”
“I like to look at things for what they are.” She said simply. “It’s better that way.”
Sana took in the smile and the light look of her eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
Im Nayeon.
The doctor had dragged her chair closer towards the bed, every time someone would pass the room and look in, they would nod to her – a doctor greeting another one in a white coat. The rain had stopped and outside was getting lighter and lighter gradually. The sun still had a ways to go until it shone brightly though and that calmed Sana’s nerves. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to face her parents so soon.
She looked at the doctor who was busy telling her a crazy joke about orange peels and an old man – she wasn’t listening but the sound of the woman’s voice was nice. It was the other reason she didn’t want the sun to rise fully yet.
“Will you have to leave soon?” She found herself asking.
Doctor Im paused in the middle of her joke and her mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. She studied her for a moment.
“Do you not want me to?”
Sana fumbled.
“I didn’t say that. I was just asking so I would know.”
Doctor Im nodded with a slow smile.
“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”
“I’m not embarrassed.” She denied it but it was obvious by the blush on her face. “Never mind. Continue your bad joke.”
“If it’s so bad I’ll keep it to myself.”
Sana glanced at the slight frown on the woman’s face and decided she didn’t like it.
“Please say your joke.”
The doctor’s face lit back up immediately and she started to talk again. Sana wasn’t stupid, she didn’t pretend to be either so she was fully aware that the woman beside her was attractive and very much the only thing that had come close to making her smile in a while. Her presence was unwanted initially but Sana couldn’t deny the fact that without her there, the night would’ve been harder to go through. Who knew what kind of thoughts would’ve taken over her mind and pulled her deeper down than she needed to be.
She was listening to the nice sounding voice, watching how the doctor spoke with her hands as well – moving them all over to gesticulate and emphasize certain parts of the story. Sana had no idea what she was talking about, she was just watching her.
Suddenly, she stopped talking. The room was silent again aside from the monitor.
“Why’d you stop?”
Doctor Im looked happy.
“You’re smiling – it’s the first time I’ve seen you smile.” Sana touched a finger to her mouth like she did with her cheek earlier. “It distracted me.”
“I didn’t know it was that bad of a smile.”
The woman laughed.
“It’s so bad I want to see it for the rest of my life.”
That made Sana look at her.
“I won’t be a patient here that long.” It was her way of teasing her, it was how she was subtly flirting back even though it was quite a weird time to be flirting or finding someone so attractive. “But we can work something out I think.”
Doctor Im sat back in her chair and gave her another slow blink.
“Are you tired?” Sana was surprised at the worry in her voice.
“A little but I’ll stay with you until your parents come.”
She appreciated that – a lot since she was afraid of being alone.
“Thank you, Doctor Im.” Because Sana had manners and she was polite whenever someone was nice to her.
“You can call me Nayeon.” She smiled. Another rule the woman was probably breaking.
“Nayeon then.”
Her smile widened. She looked incredibly tired – Sana had been too focused on other things to notice before, but now she could tell.
“Is that chair comfortable?”
Nayeon raised her eyebrows and looked down at the brown cushion.
“Sort of. I don’t think it was made to be that comfortable.”
Sana moved across and patted the spot beside her.
Nayeon looked at it.
“What? You can’t expect me to share a patient’s bed.”
Sana shrugged her shoulders.
“You seem fine with breaking every other rule. Let me do something for you after you did so much for me.” She paused. “By choice.”
Nayeon looked at her and seemed to be thinking it over. Sana tilted her head. The woman smiled and got up. Her lab coat was shed and Sana watched with curious eyes as she sat on the bed tentatively before leaning back and resting against the pillow as well.
Sana smelt something light, a faint trace of perfume that she had probably sprayed the day before. Her arm was carefully avoided as Nayeon got comfortable and laid on her back too.
“Better?”
She nodded her head.
“Not by much, I don’t think any of the furniture in a hospital was made to be comfortable now that I think about it.”
Sana hummed.
“Now you have a patient’s perspective. Maybe you could talk to your superiors about some better beds and chairs.”
Nayeon looked at her briefly.
“Then you might feel tempted to keep coming back.”
Sana doubted she would ever feel tempted to do that. Hospitals were hollow places and she didn’t want them to hold any place in her life at all. Not ever again. She realized in that moment that she did have a life, it was weird to realize suddenly since she never really stopped breathing since the day she was brought into the world. But breathing was such a natural thing to do, something that you didn’t think about and just did. Maybe she had taken it for granted.
She focused on the light rise and fall of Nayeon’s chest, wondered if she thought about breathing before she did it.
“I’d only come to see you.” She said finally.
Nayeon looked at her.
“And smile?” She asked.
Sana smiled. Didn’t think before she did that either.
“And smile.”
Nayeon gave her one in return. The sunlight was getting stronger and the curtains showed the birds that would fly by and start their day.
“I jumped.” Sana said softly.
Nayeon looked at her with that gentle and understanding look.
“I know.”
She had a lot to do in terms of getting better – she knew that. She would need to talk more, probably tell her parents that she wanted to see someone. But she was still breathing, wasn’t she? She was living. Maybe she needed to stop taking it for granted.
Starting with small things that she might live to regret if she didn’t say them when she had the chance to.
“Nayeon.”
The woman hummed and looked at her again, the pillow case made a small rustling sound.
“I like your smile too.”
The doctor grinned and it was the first time for the night that she had seen her look as happy. It was infectious and Sana’s smile matched hers as best as she could.
“You’re going to be okay.”
And Sana believed that with all of her heart when it was Nayeon that said it.
Sana moved her hand until it found Nayeon’s between them in the bed, she held it and smiled again when Nayeon turned her hand over to intertwine their fingers.
“Another rule broken.” She noted.
“I am flattered, you know.” Her eyes traced every feature on Nayeon’s face. “And since I’m doing things impulsively now in the sake of only having one life, I think I should tell you you’re beautiful as well.”
Nayeon’s cheeks turned pink and she looked away from Sana’s eyes – it made her giggle at how shy the woman became in such a short space of time.
“Thank you.” Because Nayeon was polite too. When the tint on her cheeks faded, she met Sana’s eyes again. “I broke a lot of rules for you. So you have to promise me something now.”
Sana nodded, she felt like she had a duty to her – to make her proud and not disappointed. It was something in the way she looked at her so gently and spoke to her so ordinarily, despite where they were. Nayeon smiled.
“Keep smiling, even if it’s not when you see me.”
She nodded again, always earnest with her promises.
“I promise.”
Nayeon smiled and brought their hands up, she placed a light kiss on the back of Sana’s hand and the latter felt her own blush creep onto her face.
“How many broken rules does that make?”
The brunette shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter.” She looked at her again. “I could kiss you on your lips right now and it would only matter between me and you.”
Sana felt her heart speed up in a way that the monitor didn’t appreciate and Nayeon laughed at her red face. She couldn’t do anything but wait until it calmed itself back down and Nayeon relented.
“You’re lucky you have a nice laugh too.”
Nayeon didn’t reply, she just moved her head a little further and connected their lips.
Sana pulled the clamps off her chest. It was between her and Nayeon – the monitor didn’t get to reveal how her body reacted.
It was a simple kiss, just lips pressed against each other. It was the best kiss she ever had – no experience she thought of could’ve outdone it. Nayeon’s lips were as gentle and well meaning as her eyes. The fingers intertwined when she joined them again and she squeezed ever so carefully.
Nayeon stayed with her until her parents came, she already had the white coat back on and had introduced herself to her parents with a somewhat sleepy look. She looked at Sana the whole time though, matching smiles on their faces that Sana’s father looked back and forth at.
It took some convincing, but the doctor assured her parents that Sana could sign out. Assured them that their daughter realized she regretted the situation – Sana was thankful she spoke for her because Nayeon talked to them in a way that showed she was familiarized with everything parents needed to hear.
“Sana made me a promise – and I know she’ll keep it.”
She smiled at her and held up a hand in way of an oath.
“Starting now.” She pointed to her smile. “See?”
Nayeon laughed. Sana’s mother looked tired but also relieved – her father looked happier. She felt calm.
By the time she was dressed and at the desk with her parents by her side, she was smiling more easily in case Nayeon happened to pass by and see it. Her mother and father were talking and bickering in their usual way over small things that they both knew didn’t matter.
Sana’s initial doctor walked up to the receptionist’s desk and smiled when he saw her. There was a woman next to him that he had been talking to that smiled as well.
“Hey, I’m told you’re ready to go?”
She looked down at her bandaged arm in a sling and the bandage around her leg – it wasn’t exactly the best state to leave a hospital in but she was excited to be out of it – to live.
“Yeah.” She smiled. “I actually wanted to know if I could speak to one of the doctors before I left, if she hasn’t gone home already. She was pretty tired.”
He nodded and began to fill out some forms.
“Made friends that quickly, huh?” He joked and Sana found herself actually laughing with him. “Sure, what’s the name?”
“Im. Doctor Im.”
He looked at her and then to the woman next to him.
“That Doctor Im?”
Sana looked at the woman who raised her eyebrows.
“Me? Have we met, dear?”
She frowned.
“Maybe there’s more than one – Im Nayeon. Doctor Im Nayeon.”
Both doctors looked at her. The woman was frowning.
“Im Nayeon is my daughter.” She spoke slowly. “She’s not a doctor – she’s a patient here.”
Sana’s smile dropped from her face and she saw the woman begin to make a call.
“I told her to stop walking around – she was supposed to have an operation today, how the hell did my daughter get out of her room and past Choi? Send someone to her room.” She spoke quickly and Sana felt her heart in her throat as the man stood stuck in place until she raised her voice. “Go find my daughter!”
In the end, Sana had cried again with her fingers wrapped loosely around the white and blue handkerchief that had the initials I.N on them.
There was a single piece of paper in her room that was addressed to none other than Sana.
Sana smiled as she ran her fingers over the words.
‘Minatozaki,
I’ll keep this short and as painfully honest as you found me to be. I met you a few hours ago, wandering the halls and looking for a purpose, a reason to end another life in order to prolong my inevitably short one. Then I saw a beautiful girl, sleeping peacefully and I was drawn to her. I sat by your bedside and I watched you. I admit I actually did read your chart, I knew your name and why you were there. I had a new purpose – to make one person happy before I was gone. I didn’t have much time left but I figured I would spend whatever there was getting to know you. I don’t regret it.
Without much unnecessary preamble, I’ll let you know that from the moment you opened your eyes, I felt a calmness wash over me. Then the moment you smiled,
I jumped into love with you.’
Sana jumped slightly when arms wrapped around her and she turned to see a smiling brunette. The woman groaned after she saw what was in Sana's hands.
"I told you to burn that a long time ago."
Sana grinned but held the note closer to her.
"Why would I? This was the first time you said you loved me."
Nayeon eyed the paper with a playfully scornful look - then she looked back at Sana. Sana watched a smile spread onto her face and she couldn't help but mirror it.
"I love you." She placed her hands on either side of Sana's face and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much. Now come help me with my medicine. It’s my last round so you don’t have to complain about stabbing me with a needle anymore."
Sana pouted.
“Is it so bad that I don’t like sticking sharp objects into you?”
Sana felt a tug on her arm and dutifully followed after her girlfriend after she placed the note back down carefully.
She was happy they both made it. It was a pretty good second chance.