Lisa
The gala was packed with Richard's supporters which was great from a political standpoint, but not so much in terms of safety. Lisa was on high alert, maintaining constant physical contact with Jennie as they made their way around the room, stopping to talk to various guests. Lisa catalogued and analysed every person that approached Jennie, giving polite smiles, but secretly sizing them up and reading their body language to determine if they were a threat to Jennie.
Richard and Dara were constantly swarmed with people, leaving Bambam and Marcus with their hands full, while Jin and Jennie stood off to the side, talking with Jiyong and a gentlemen that Jennie had signalled to Lisa as a non-threat. Lisa and Hoony stood a few feet away, watching Jennie and Jin intently while simultaneously taking in their surroundings.
Jennie had stumbled a few times as the night went one, letting Lisa know that her muscles were starting to cramp and fatigue. Lisa watched her take another dose of her medication about forty five minutes prior to which she should have taken care of her symptoms by now, but something was still off. Jennie took her small hand and rubbed at the centre of her chest a few times and Lisa had instantly picked up on the repetitive motion, but hoped it was all in her head.
Maybe I'm over analysing. Maybe her dress is just itching her.
"Is it just me or does Jennie keep rubbing at her chest?" Lisa asked Hoony who immediately shifted his eyes to Jennie. They were silent, watching Jennie intently as she raised her hand once more and rubbed the tips of her fingers against her chest as she took in a big breath as if her chest was uncomfortable. "Definitely rubbing at her chest." Hoony confirmed.
Shit. That does not look good.
Lisa knew that could mean a lot of things, but from her experience and based on Jennie's struggles with her levels that day, two words burned hot in Lisa's brain - heart palpitations. Slowly approaching Jennie from the side Lisa smiled politely at Jiyong, concealing the fact that she was running her hand down Jennie's arm and wrapping her fingers around her wrist to check her pulse.
Way too fast and irregular. I don't like this at all.
Lisa controlled her facial expression as her mind raced. It didn't make any damn sense. Jennie had been on top of her meds all day and had just taken a dose less than an hour ago. There's no way she should be low. Jennie's hand came up to rub her chest once more and Lisa could tell she was trying to school her scared expression as her lungs pulled for air as if they were struggling.
"You okay baby?" Lisa whispered in her ear.
Jennie turned over her shoulder and looked up at Lisa, locking eyes with her as she answered. "No."
"Jennie, dear are you alright?" Jiyong said, taking notice of Jennie whose chest was starting to pump harder, fighting for breath.
Jennie didn't answer and turned to face Lisa, clutching her arms hard as her eyes went wide and became unfocused.
"What's wrong Bug, talk to us." Jin said.
"My... I think my... I need... my." Jennie reached for her purse that was tucked under her arm, but dropped it, unable to get her muscles to move as she swayed on her feet. Lisa saw the sway in her posture and wrapped her arms around Jennie, bracing herself to take Jennie's weight. "I got you baby, relax if you have to, I won't let you fall" Lisa whispered in her ear. Jennie grabbed hold of Lisa's arms in an attempt to steady herself, but it was no use. "Hollywood." Lisa said loudly over her shoulder as she prepared to catch Jennie.
Jennie's knees buckled the second Lisa wrapped her arms around her, allowing her to take Jennie's weight completely as she scooped her up and carried her away from the crowd. "Grab her purse and get her meds out." Lisa barked at Hoony who did as he was told. Jennie was barely clinging to consciousness and Lisa needed to get her to swallow her medication while she still had the ability.
Hoony handed one of the bottles to Lisa who poured the potassium pills into her hand, but before Lisa could give them to Jennie, a tiny voice internally screamed at her, making the hairs on the back of Lisa's neck stand on end. Lisa listened to the voice in her head and looked down at the pills only to have every ounce of blood drain from her face at what she saw. The tiny numbers that were supposed to be pressed into the side of Jennie's small white pills weren't there. "Oh my God, these aren't Jennie's pills." Lisa said in a low voice as her mind raced and her stomach dropped.
"The fuck did you just say?" Jin asked.
"These aren't Jennie's fucking pills. There's no identifier on the side... someone tampered with Jennie's meds." Lisa growled, running her hand through her hair as she tried not to panic. She watched Jennie take multiple doses from that bottle in her purse all day - at least three doses. Panic snaked up Lisa's spine as she came to one terrifying realisation.
Holy fucking shit. Jennie's gone almost 24 hours without any of her actual medication and God knows what she's been putting in her body instead.
"We've got to get her home right fucking now." Lisa ground out through gritted teeth.
"I'll have Daniel pull around to the kitchen's loading dock and we can take her out the back." Hoony suggested before he took off for the valet.
"Jennie, baby look at me." Lisa instructed, tilting Jennie's chin towards her. "I need you to tell me what's wrong, talk me through it okay sweetheart."
Jennie's eyes were glazed over and unfocused, but she tried her best to lock her eyes onto Lisa's face. "I feel like I can't... breathe... my chest is tight... I can hear my heart in my ears... and my legs are... tight." she said breathlessly, holding on to Lisa's neck for dear life as she spoke.
"Alright baby. I'm gonna take you home and get you all fixed up okay?"
Jennie's terrified eyes stared up at Lisa, studying her face, silently begging her for help. "You trust me?" Lisa asked with a reassuring smile. She gave Lisa a small nod, but that nod was all Lisa needed. Hoony whistled loudly from across the room and Lisa picked up on the sound immediately. "Okay Jennie girl, time to go. I've got you okay, You don't even have to hold on to me." Lisa stood and took Jennie in her arms easily as if she weighed nothing and headed towards the kitchen, trying not to make a scene.
Jennie took in fistfuls of Lisa's shirt as she made her way through the kitchen, but she felt Jennie's hands loosen their hold as her tiny body went lax in Lisa's arms.
Shit. shit. shit.
"Stay with me Jennie girl." Lisa said as she lowered herself into the car with Jennie in her lap and Jin climbing in right behind her. "Go!" Jin screamed at Daniel, who sped off like a bat out of hell with so much force it made the tires squeal against the pavement. "Don't be scared Bug, Lisa's got you and I'm right here." Jin said, taking hold of Jennie's limp hand. "Tell us what to do doc." Hoony said anxiously, waiting for instructions.
Lisa always had the answers. There was always another way, another angle, another solution to any problem, but this... Lisa had no answers for this. She couldn't give Jennie any of the meds they had on them because she wasn't sure what had been tampered with and what hadn't. Jennie had her purse on her the entire night, yet somehow her medications had been switched. God only knows what other things the pills could have been dusted or injected with. No - the IV bags at the house were Jennie's saving grace. That's what Jennie needed.
"She needs an IV as soon as we get in the house." Lisa said, trying to keep her voice calm and even.
"Jin you know what to grab?" Lisa asked.
"Absolutely." Jin said nodding his head confidently.
"Hollywood, I need you to help me get Jennie inside and then grab my med bag from my room."
"Copy that." Hoony said.
Lisa looked down at Jennie who was taking in fast shallow breaths with a heart rate that was insanely high and irregular. She could feel the muscles in Jennie's legs starting to contort and knot and saw her feet stretch and curl at unnatural angles as the muscles started to cramp all at once.
As much as it pained Lisa to watch, the muscles in Jennie's legs and feet weren't the ones she was concerned with. It was the big muscle that was beating a mile a minute beneath Jennie's ribs that Lisa was worried about. Jennie needed potassium to keep her tiny heart muscles pumping and it was only a matter of time before her heart started to seize and cramp the way her legs had.
Hold on Jennie baby. I'm going to fix you. I swear.
