Our Child

Chapter seven

The story has begun, and the exposition is about to get HEAVY.

Jennie did not fully awaken for a week. Sure, there were gasps, jitters, cries for food, but nothing overseen by her consciousness. On worse days, she would even burst into tears, reliving something Jisoo could not imagine. The pain that surged through her when Jennie clung, desperately trying to escape her own mind, made Jisoo regret every desision on she had ever made.

The only word Jisoo understood from the sick woman was, "Annie." Naturally, Jisoo kept the little girl far away from her mother's state, knowing the impact of seeing her like that would lead to no good.

The most shocking change to this whole routine was just how much work a child actually was. Obviously, Jisoo had some experience; movie nights and field trips to film sets for the most part, but Annie was worsened by the absence of her mother. No amount of warning could ever prepare her for the nightmare that are school runs. Or the effort it took to prepare a fine breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jisoo only had the nanny on Mondays. Just getting the child up was excruciating, let alone dressing and travelling.

Rosie had been a saving grace. The woman had been more than happy to help on the days the actress had to be gone early. Though Jisoo suspected it was because Lisa lived near by. The photographer herself had also become strangely available, stepping in for what were now necessary grocery runs, or watching Jennie on the days Jisoo could not.

Sometimes, if they were all present, a joke or two would be made, usually along the lines of, "How did Jennie do all of this?"

Five days in, Jisoo had to take Annie back to her usual house. She had run out of clothes and refused to let Jisoo buy her more. The act had reminded the actress much of Jennie's own stubbornness. There had been many examples. For a starter, Jisoo had discovered that Annie did not carry her own school bag, something that changed very quickly. She also found out that the little girl was slacking on her homework and greens, both battles Jisoo was losing. The house had been a firm compromise between the two. Besides, Jisoo was curious to see what it looked like.

A door with peeling paint was her first warning, followed by the tattered foot mat. For most, this would be excusable, if not completely unnoticed features. To Jisoo's high standards, it was an appalling abode in every way.

Both stains and dampness were splattered on every yellow wall. Jisoo wondered how Annie had managed to avoid lung diseases. The floor was grimy, with swept dust piled up next to a broken vacuum cleaner. Chairs seemed to creak whilst only air sat on them, and the fridge made a noise as if it was to explode. Luckily, all the surfaces were free from clutter, a byproduct on Jennie's need for neatness.

To Jisoo this was not a suitable place for the mother of her child. She felt stressed just looking at it, wondering what a place like this could possibly do to someone as organised as Jennie. Then she remembered that thanks to her, Jennie probably could not afford to.

As Annie went to pack, Jisoo retreated into what she believed was a cupboard so she could collect herself. The interior turned out to be something slightly larger. A small, creaky old bed stood in the centre, next to it was a chest of drawers and opposite a wardrobe. There was room for little more. Though initially confused, Jisoo came to the sudden realisation that this was Jennie's bedroom. Both equally shocked and embarrassed by the accidental invasion of privacy, Jisoo took a seat on the bed, disgusted by how uncomfortable it was. It was a million miles away from the lavish world the actress had come so accustomed to.

Surely you do not live here?

On top of the chest of draws was a small collection of pictures. One was of a much smaller Annie, she was wearing a little blue onesie Rosie had given her, smiling and holding an ice cream. Jisoo suspected that it must have been her first. One of both Jennie and Annie, cuddled up in bed, seemingly fast asleep, but their giggling faces gave them away. The sight alone made Jisoo's heart soar.

And, much to Jisoo's own shock, there was a picture of the two of them.

Jisoo saw herself giving her then wife a kiss on the cheek whilst Jennie smiled cheerfully. The photo had been taken during their university days, evident from their matching jackets and red scarves. Surrounded by trees, the backdrop was clearly Jennie's old university. It must have been taken on one of Jisoo's surprise visits. The two had studied on different campuses. Simply put, they looked younger and happier than Jisoo had felt in ages.

It was the only one facing the bed. Two copies of that photo had been made, the other sat on Jisoo's own drawer. It was the last thing she looked at every night.

Do you dream of us too?

It was a futile thought, filled with empty promises of a life Jisoo once swore to protect. But, she knew Jennie would not have kept the little frame if it meant nothing to her, no less keep it by her side. Even if it was a simple snapshot of a moment lost to time, its presence on Jisoo's heart was immeasurable. So was her guilt, for destroying the world it belonged to.

"Mum! I'm done! Where are you?!"

Jisoo exited quickly, making her way to where Annie was waiting, She prayed the little girl could not read her, "I'm just here, darling. Shall we go?"

The sixth evening came, Jisoo lay down at the spot she had been sleeping in for the past week, the blue couch at the end of her bed. As it was a smallish condo, there were only two bedrooms. She had taken care to arrange it perfectly for Annie, never expecting Jennie to see the inside. Jisoo supposed that may have been a bit short sighted. Still, she would rather die than let Jennie sleep on anything but a proper bed. Especially now after seeing the state of her home.

You're not going back there, darling. No matter how much you fight it.

Jisoo knew Jennie, so she guessed that she viewed that dump as her freedom. As it was the only residence registered to her name, it was clear the house was the first place Jennie had moved into by herself after the divorce. It had taken her years to save up for it. Looking back, Jisoo realised she should have helped. But she had been so afraid.

From the bed, Jisoo began to hear faint coughs. Jennie was stirring. Knowing the drill, she slipped out of her blankets and moved to the bedside. From there, she grabbed an already prepared glass of water, carefully moving closer to her ex lover.

"Jennie," Jisoo whispered, "Jennie sit up."

The woman barely responded, instead curling up further. It was all a world away from how Jennie would normally present herself. Once clean and organised hair was now matted, she wore the same stained T-shirt she wore out of the hospital. It was a sight that only brought immense sadness to Jisoo. Jennie's eyes were still squeezed shut, desperate to escape her waking illness and return to the land of sleep. Her dreams must have been pleasant for a change, that offered Jisoo some relief.

"Jennie, you have to sit up," Carefully, Jisoo slipped a hand under Jennie's back, "Come on, I have water."

Jisoo faintly recognised the tiredness in her own voice, the long days and nights wearing down on her like no photoshoot or screen recording ever had. It was probably because of all the extra work around them. Putting that thought aside, she held up the cold glass for Jennie. She gladly took it in turn, her eyes now lazily open but seeing nothing. Every night, her gulps grew bigger, a sure sign she was getting better. She could now even eat a full meal.

"Th-thanks, mum," Jennie mumbled.

"You're most certainly welcome."

Shortly after, she collapsed back down onto the bed, snoring formed soon after. Jisoo could not help but smile. No amount of time or maturity could ever take away how funny it is when someone calls you mum. Gently, she pulled the covers up around Jennie, making sure she was in a comfortable position. A moment was spent stroking her hair. Even now, Jisoo still hypnotised with Jennie's beauty.

From then, she forced herself to snap out of it, making her way back down to her own temporary domain, wrapping her self up tightly. As Jisoo drifted off once more, a single thought floated through her head, wake up tomorrow darling. If only she had known what that would entail.