'till death do we part // sunsun au

11

JAY'S POV:

I woke up in the hospital with Sunoo by my side. I smiled to myself seeing him sleep so peacefully, even on these uncomfortable chairs. Gosh, I am so whipped for you. I swept some of his hair away from his eyes and gently shook him awake.

"Hey, Swan. Let's go get something to eat." He stirs a little in his sleep but doesn't seem to be waking up anytime soon. I kiss him on his cheek and make my way down to the cafeteria. Heeseung and Jungwon had already headed home when I told them they needed to sleep. Thankfully, it's the weekend so I didn't have to worry about school.

I was eating my bland, hospital food, when I suddenly heard commotion. In the chaos, I was able to hear '306' and my heart jumped. That's my mom's room. I ran between the mix of nurses and doctors and tried to get in the elevator. But there were too many people. Fuck this. I ran up the stairs, all the way to the 3rd floor. I saw nurses clamoring in front of my mom's room, and Sunoo sitting there. He looked dazed, obviously woken up from the noise.

I walked up to a nurse with a clipboard and tried asking her what was going on, only to be pushed to the side and told to calm down. I can't calm down. I almost fought back, not thinking clearly at the moment, but Sunoo came up and tried to settle my nerves a bit. We sat there for a while, with him whispering encouraging words to me, but I know he was also nervous.

"I've already called Jungwon and Heeseung hyung over. I know you would want them to be here for you. I hope that's okay," I look at him gratefully and hug him tight.

I hear footsteps behind us and see my two friends running to me. They bombarded me with questions, both in a panicky mood since they're close with my mom. I raise my hands to try and stop them from talking.

"I don't know what's going on, yet. All the doctors and nurses are busy and no one's answering my questions either. I know just as much as you do," They finally stop talking and we all wait for someone to tell us something. My dad isn't here yet but I've already called him and informed him of the current situation.

In what felt like forever, someone finally came up to us and told us the news. After that, I couldn't hear anything. It felt like the world was spiraling around me. I slipped out of my friends' arms and fell to the ground, my heart pounding and the blood rushing to my brain. I could hear people around me but I can't seem to make out what they're saying.

I see a man in a business suit come toward us, talking to a nurse. Dad. I see him run his hands through his hair, trying to control his emotions. Then he sees me on the ground and runs over to me.

"Hey, son, everything's going to be okay. We're gonna get through this," I push him away, shaking from a mix of grief and anger.

"Where were you?! I called you over an hour ago and you just got here?" I didn't mean to yell at him but I couldn't control my feelings, "You know what? Don't even start with your excuses. You're never around for the most important moments. You couldn't even be there when your wife's heart was flatlining! Everything isn't going to be okay because my mother is dead," I fell back down on the floor, all my energy drained.

"She's dead, dad. She's gone. And you weren't there. Why weren't you there? I needed you. She needed you," I pulled my knees up to my chin and started to cry uncontrollably, finally breaking down.

My dad sighs and kneels down to my level. He hugged me for the first time in, what seemed like, years.

"I'm so sorry, son. I'm sorry I wasn't here for the both of you. I'm not gonna keep making excuses, but I'm gonna promise you that I will try to be there for you. Starting today," I feel him sit down on the floor beside me.

It's gonna take a lot more than that promise to bring back my faith in him. But right now, he was my dad. And more importantly, my mom's husband. We'd both lost someone today, and I'm just glad I had someone who could feel the same pain I was feeling.

I suddenly remembered my friends and boyfriend who were still standing there. I looked up to them to see Heeseung and Jungwon with tears running down their faces. We all basically grew up together so they've both formed a special bond with my mom. She treated them like they were her own sons. I stood up and pulled them both in for a hug.

We didn't talk. We didn't have to. We were all grieving and what's important is that we were all here together. We stayed like that for a few minutes, only hearing each other's shaky breaths.

"We're here for you, Jay. Always have been and always will be," Heeseungs pats my back in comfort, Jungwon nodding in agreement.

I pull away from the hug and give them a sad but thankful smile, "Thank you, guys. I don't know what I would do without you."

Finally, I turn to my boyfriend, who's been silently waiting for me these past few minutes. I see him trying to wipe away his tears, but he can't hide it. I walk up to him and pull him in for a long hug.

"You've been an angel all night, Sunoo. You called over Heeseung and Jungwon, you calmed me down when everything was messy and chaotic, you were here for me when everything happened, and you stayed. I love you so much, thank you for staying," I feel him take a deep breath in between my arms as he collects himself.

"You don't need to thank me. I just wanted to be here for you because I know you needed me. You're one of the strongest people I know, Jay. You're gonna get through this, yeah? We are all here for you, just tell us what you need. I love you."

I wipe my tears away as I pull away from our hug. The three make their way to the elevator since it's getting late and they have to get home. I give Sunoo one last kiss before they disappear into the elevator.

"I'm gonna write you a letter for school, okay? You stay home for the week and we can spend some time together." I nod quietly and close my eyes, tired from all the crying I just did. "You've got great friends. You can let them over to the house anytime. Even that boyfriend of yours. Maybe you can introduce him to me when everything's calmer."

I smile at him. He's never wanted to meet any of the people I dated before. Rather, he's never had the time. But I'm glad he's trying.

"I'd love that, Dad. Thank you." We sat there in silence. I put my head on his shoulder as I fell asleep.