Keep Holding On (Complete)

Chapter 24

The beeping sound of the machine stopped. "Doctor, what's really happening?" Lisa asked nervously. "It's a post-traumatic seizure. It usually happens sometimes for patients with brain injury," the doctor answered.

"Does that mean she's getting worse?" Lisa worriedly asked. "It depends on the seizure's frequency. If a patient experiences seizure, the brain required more oxygen. In your wife's case, because of her injury, oxygen supply in her brain is compromise. So when the seizure happens again, it could lead to the death of brain tissue. And once the brain dies, the main organs will be affected," the doctor explained.

"What can we do?" Lisa asked. "We need to bring her to the ICU. We'll monitor her for further episodes. I'll start her on anticonvulsants to prevent it from happening again. I'll just call the ICU, excuse me," the doctor said. Lisa just nodded as the doctor left.

"Lisa, don't worry. I know Rosé is a fighter. She will fight it," Lisa's dad cheered her up. "She will fight dad?" Lisa asked. "Yes," her dad replied shortly.

"She will fight for her lover?!" Lisa asked irritated. "Lisa, if she's serious with that man, she had already broke up with you. I know she will fight it for you," her dad stated. "I don't know dad. I don't know anymore. My life is so messed up. I don't know what to feel anymore," Lisa said while sobbing. 

"You know my love, Irene likes so much my pastries. It seems my business is flourishing. You've said before, I can't do it, but I can. I will prove it to you and to all my math teachers that my brain can process addition and subtraction. I need to... now that you're already gone. No one is going to help me anymore," Jennie sadly said while hugging Kai's jacket.

"Jennie, come here we have a visitor," her mom excitedly said. Jennie went out of her room."That is Eun-woo," her mom said and pushed Jennie causing her to sit beside him.

"Hi Eun-woo, this is Jennie my daughter. Jennie, this is Eun-woo, son of my friend. He is kind, diligent, cute, and manager of a fast food company," her mom told her. "And Eun-woo, this is my daughter Jennie. She's so beautiful, right?" Her mom said facing Eun-woo.

"Hi Jennie," Eun-woo greeted as he extended his hand for a handshake. Jennie didn't accepted his hand. Instead, she gestured for her mom to follow her. She stood up and her mom followed her behind.

"Mom, we're not compatible," Jennie said right away. "Not compatible? You've just known him. Please don't ignore him. He supplies milk products in fast food companies. Who knows he will give you discounts," her mom persuaded her.

"Eun-woo, I'm really sorry. I'm busy," Jennie said and left.

Jennie's mom followed her in the kitchen. "Mom, how many times I've told you I'm not looking for someone new. Kai is enough for me. So please, if possible, stop matching me," Jennie asserted.

Jennie went to Irene's Cafe and brought samples of her cookies. "I'm so excited to try, I have to try," Irene said while bringing a cup of coffee and took a bite.

"You're such a good baker, I love it," Irene complimented. "That's my husband's favorite," Jennie softly said.

"Do you miss him?" She asked. "Yes. We've been through a lot so it's not that easy to move on," Jennie truthfully said. 

Irene went back to the restaurant and brought some of the cookies that Jennie baked.

"Yummy right?" Irene asked after she fed Lisa with it. "Not too sweet, it's delicious," Lisa nodding her head.

"So I was thinking, we can put this in our dessert menu. What do you think?" Irene asked her. "Yeah, whatever. Go ahead," Lisa said flatly looking in a distance.

Irene snapped her fingers. "Hey! You're not focused. How's Rosé?" Irene asked still disappointed. "Rosé had seizures. She's getting worse," Lisa told her. Irene stood up and went behind Lisa.

"Stand up," Irene commanded in which Lisa obeyed. "What are you doing?" Lisa asked curiously. "Let's go," Irene pulled Lisa outside. "Go where?" Lisa asked again. "You, you go. Take care of your wife. I can manage here. Go," Irene urged her. Lisa nodded and hugged Irene tightly. "Thank you," Lisa said sincerely and left.

Lisa saw her parents, Tzuyu, and Jisoo, when she arrived at the hospital. Jisoo immediately went to Lisa when she saw her.

"Why are you crying?" Lisa asked Jisoo. "Rosé had seizure again. The doctor said that her vitals aren't stable. Her kidneys have been affected and her other labs show that they're not normal. Lisa at this rate she's going. Even if she wakes up, there's a big chance that she'll be in a vegetative state," Jisoo said while sobbing.

"What can we do? Tell me what we can do?" Lisa asked. "They're going to continue the present treatment. And if any of her vitals drop, they would do resuscitative measures," Jisoo answered which earned a nod from Lisa.

"I asked the doctor about Rosés chances. But there is no guarantee. They even suggested..." Jisoo paused while crying so hard. "What?" Lisa asked.

Jisoo didn't answer but continued crying. "What Jisoo?!" Lisa asked irritated. "That we should consider DNR," Jisoo answered as she wept. "Do Not Resuscitate," Lisa uttered as she prevented herself from crying. 

"DNR? But why?" Lisa's mom asked her husband. "I don't know. That's just what the doctor said," her husband replied.

"Are we just going to let her die?" Lisa's mom asked. "Mom, it's not like that," Lisa responded. 

"For example, Rosé will be resuscitated and she survives. There's a possibility that she'll be in a vegetative state and be comatose for the rest of her life. Until..." Lisa dad said but was cut off.

"No, she can't die. She's too young to die. She has a whole life ahead of her. She will still have her baby. That's what she wants. She has to survive this," Jisoo argued.

"So, if Rosé flatlines, the doctors and nurses will just ignore her? Are we gonna watch her die?" Tzuyu asked in disbelief.

"Okay, that's enough. Let's be rational about this. Let's say Rosé survived. God knows that we wanted her to survive. But then again, what life is waiting for her? She's in the bed, she can't move. Her brain is not functioning. She can't move, so she can't work of course. What beautiful life is waiting for Rosé? Is that what we really wanted?" Lisa's dad asserted.

"But there's still a chance that she'll wake up with her brain intact. Lisa, we need to hang on with that. Even with the slightest chance, we need to hang on with that," Jisoo pleaded Lisa who was still speechless.

"I agree with Jisoo. Let's do what we can. And what we can't, let's leave it to God. He is that only one who has the right of Rosé's life," Lisa's mom contended. 

"Lisa, why are we even discussing this? You should automatically say no. She is your wife. Why are you hesitating? Is it because of her mistake? Is this your way of punishing her?" Jisoo angrily asked.

Lisa finally spoke. "No! How can you even say that? Yes, she made a mistake! And damn right I want to punish her! But it would never happen that I'm going to kill my wife!" Lisa yelled. "But it did crossed your mind," Jisoo confronted.

"You're just making things hard for Lisa. She needs to rest and let's give her the chance to think. Let's give her space to decide. We don't have the position to decide for her, okay? Lisa's dad suggested.

Lisa glanced at the waiver beside her and started to cry. She opened it and picked up the ballpen beside it while weeping. Lisa stood up and looked at Rosé in the glass window while holding the waiver and the ballpen. She then remembered her convo with Rosé before. "What if, I will be seriously sick. And you need to choose between saving me or not," Rosé uttered. "Rosé, I don't even want to think about it. I'm sleepy," Lisa replied while she kissed Rosé's nose. "But if it really happens and you know that both of us will suffer, don't choose me okay? I don't want you to suffer. Choose to let me go," Rosé said as she smiled at Lisa.

The memory made Lisa cry harder as she looked at the waiver and was about to sign it. She sighed so deep and shook her head while in a crying mess looking at Rosé as she finally signed the waiver.