Excuse me, Nevermind

Chapter 10

"Doctor, you said she would only be out for a few days. It's been six weeks. Is something wrong?" Jimin was frantic; he didn't understand what was going on.

"Jimin, I don't know why she isn't waking up. There's no medical reason for her not to; the only explanation is she doesn't want to. I know the surgery was difficult and long, but she got through it very easily. I'm optimistic that she'll wake up, eventually."

Jimin fell into the chair next to her bed, the chair he only left when he had to. He eats, sleeps, and takes care of Laska all from this chair. He reads to her, brushes her hair, and holds her hand. He tells her how much he loves her and does it from the chair that hasn't moved from her bedside in six weeks. "But I'm here."

"She may not know that. She may not know that you are here."

"I talk to her every day," Jimin whispered so quietly that the Doctor almost missed it.

He squeezed his shoulder, "I know you do, and keep it up, alright?"

Have you ever walked through the fog? A fog so dense that it sucks the color out of the world surrounding you to the point where you can't see your hand in front of you. You can hear the world; you know it's still there but muted. That's where she was right now; she didn't know what to do other than keep walking. Eventually, she'll have to leave the fog if she keeps walking. She knew that if she stopped, she'd die and fade into nothing, and she couldn't let that happen. 

Laska can hear his voice, her angel. He tells her how much he loves and misses her. But she knows it isn't real; he can't be there. She made Dez promise not to tell him. So it's just her imagination finding a way to comfort her in this grey fog of loneliness.

She was so tired that she wanted to curl up on the ground and fall asleep. She knew she couldn't and would never get back up, but the urge to do it was intense, and it got more robust with each heavy step she took. Come on, Laska, keep going. You can do this. It felt like she had been walking for weeks with no rest and nothing to eat or drink. Yet she wasn't hungry or thirsty, just tired.

Laska stopped walking and sighed. Maybe she could sit down just for a minute. That surely couldn't hurt. She spoke to herself to have someone to talk to and hear something real. She saw a light behind her as soon as she got down on the ground. It cut through the fog like a knife. She was drawn to it, the warmth it radiated.

She got up, although it took her longer than it should have. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and never leave. But the light called to her. She felt the sun on her face, and it made her happy. She took one step towards it, and then she heard her voice. It sounded just like Jimin's but younger and more angelic. "Eomma, don't. Appa needs you. You have to wake up."

Laska stopped walking and started sobbing, "I can't. I miss him so much, but my heart breaks every time I see him. I'm so sorry that we lost you." She couldn't even continue speaking; she was talking to the child she'd never get to see grow up. She'd never get to hold her, see her take her first steps.

"Eomma, your heart is fixed, and Appa needs you. Wake up and go to him."

"I can't, I can't leave you."

Laska heard her beautiful laugh, "The nice man with wings said you'll see me again. He said that I was such a good baby and that you two would be such good parents that I get to return. So wake up, Eomma, so that I can see you two."

Her eyes blinked open, fresh tears falling down her face. She tried to move her hand, but she couldn't. Laska saw a dark mop of hair; it was long and all over the place. Not the polished look she had grown used to. He was asleep, her hand clutched in his tightly. Her fingers were against his lips, and he wanted to comfort her even in his sleep.