doppelgänger

nine🧡

(present day)

"Are you family?"

Yuqi hesitated before nodding. "Yes. Yes, I am."

He gave her a suspicious look before deciding to join her in the back of the ambulance, just to be sure. Yuqi didn't mind though, she wouldn't do anything to hurt Soyeon.

"I should have gone. Gone.. GONE! Like them.." Soyeon began murmuring random things to herself, staring blankly at the ceiling of the ambulance.

Yuqi looked at her feet, not knowing what to say. What could she say? She didn't want to risk Soyeon somehow getting mad at her in front of this guy observing them to make sure Yuqi was actually Soyeon's family member. Which, she wasn't of course.

So instead, she puts her hand out.

Soyeon looks at it, eyebrows scrunched, and it was moments like these when Yuqi really wondered what Soyeon was thinking about. No, actually, she wondered that all the time.

Yuqi sighed when Soyeon didn't take her hand, but she kept it there anyway.

"Yuqi."

"Hm?"

"It hurts."

Yuqi pursed her lips. "I know.. I know, baby. It'll be okay soon. We're going to go to the hospital and they'll—"

Soyeon turned to face her, eyes teary. "They couldn't fix.." she trailed off, looking into Yuqi's eyes while she let out a choked sob. "I don't want strangers touching me. Why can't Soojin fix me up just like always?"

Soojin doesn't know yet, Yuqi reminded herself with an inward groan. She'd rather bang her head against a wall instead of telling Soojin that Soyeon got hurt under her watch. "I'll stay with you the whole time, alright? You won't be alone."

Soyeon reached shakily out to touch Yuqi's hand. Yuqi didn't move as the older traced random patterns on the surface of her palm, seemingly entertained by it. "I'm waiting?"

"Waiting for what?"

"For you to grab me? Or yell at me? You're only saying nice things.."

The doctor in the ambulance with them snapped his head towards them in concern.

"I would never ever hurt you," Yuqi sighed, intertwining their fingers while also very aware of the doctor giving her suspicious looks.

"Why?"

Yuqi turned her head to look at Soyeon. Is that even a question? "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Nevermind." The ambulance came to a slow halt, and the doors opened. "Soyeon, let's go now," Yuqi said, standing up.

"NO!" Soyeon pulled her hand away sharply from Yuqi's, wincing in pain at the sudden movement. "Th-they're going to figure it out!!" She yelled, backing up and wishing that she could sink into the cushioned seats.

Yuqi's eyes softened, and she turned to the two doctors now standing near her just outside of the ambulance. "Is anyone in there going to have to go through her records?" She whispered.

"Yes, we have to," one of them said, throwing a concerned face Soyeon's way.

"Can you just like," Yuqi exhaled, running a hand through her hair, "not say them out loud? Please, that would really help us."

One of them sighed. "We'll see what we can do, but we can't promise anything. Now, we have to take her to the emergency room."

A cold hand gripped Yuqi's heart. She knew that if that glass stayed in her skin for too long, it could get infected. So, she nodded, climbing back up into the truck. "Soyeon.." she murmured, coaxing the girl to take her hands off of her ears. "Do you want to go in there with me?" She points outside, to the hospital building.