Mine

Chapter 28

Her vision blurred as her senses caught up with her. The beeping of machines, the faint scent of antiseptic, the stiffness in her limbs—all of it crashed down on her at once. Her chest constricted as she realized where she was. A hospital.

And then, as if the shock wasn't enough, her gaze landed on the figure sitting beside her bed.

"Jimin?" Her voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. Her throat was dry, her body weak. But confusion burned through her exhaustion. "You?"

His dark eyes locked onto hers, "Yeah. Me."

Maria swallowed, struggling to push herself up, but the dull ache in her muscles protested. She winced, her mind spinning with too many questions. Her fingers curled into the sheets as she looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

"What—where am I?" she asked, her voice laced with panic.

"The hospital," Jimin said, his tone calm but firm. "You passed out. You had a fever. You were bleeding. I had to bring you here."

Her pulse spiked. "No." She shook her head, the panic bubbling higher. "No, I—I don't belong here. I can't be here. I have to leave."

She glanced down. And then she saw it.

The IV needle puncturing her skin.

Her breath hitched.

The tape holding it in place. The tubes. The machines surrounding her. The sterile smell clogging her senses.

The memories came rushing back like a tidal wave, slamming into her chest with the force of a storm.

Fire.

Smoke.

Screams.

Pain.

The hospital room from years ago. The pitying glances. The burning grief that had consumed her whole.

"No..." The word barely escaped her lips before her body reacted on its own. She yanked her arm, trying to rip the IV out, but hands shot out to stop her.

"Hey, please calm down!" A nurse rushed forward, trying to hold her still.

Maria thrashed, heart hammering against her ribs. "Let me go! Stop- STOP TOUCHING ME" Her breathing was erratic, her lungs constricting as if she were suffocating. She couldn't be here. She couldn't be here.

"She's hyperventilating—" another nurse said urgently, reaching for her arm.

Her vision blurred at the edges, her mind spiraling into chaos. The beeping of the heart monitor spiked, loud and frantic, matching the erratic rhythm of her pulse. Hands—too many hands—grasped at her arms, trying to hold her down just like how they did when she screamed for those she had lost in the fire.

"No—NO!" she gasped, twisting violently against their grip. The sharp pull of the IV sent a fresh wave of panic crashing over her. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe.

The scent of antiseptic filled her nose, suffocating her. The cold touch of latex gloves against her skin dragged her back—back to another hospital, another time. More Smoke. Her Screams. Fire licking at the edges of her vision. Trapped, helpless, alone—

Her chest rose and fell in rapid, shallow breaths, her eyes darting wildly around the room—seeing nothing, seeing everything. Panic bled into every muscle in her body, making her limbs tremble beneath the weight of old, buried memories clawing their way to the surface.

Jimin had tried to stay back, letting the nurses do their job, but every second that passed with her like this—lost in her own terror—made something in him snap.