Our Long Ending Story

Chapter 46: The Unexpected Arrival

The days leading up to it had been unusually calm. Too calm. Lisa had started to feel strange—a heavy feeling of unease she couldn't quite shake. She brushed it off, attributing it to stress and exhaustion, but Jungkook had noticed her shifting discomfort.

"You're pushing yourself too hard," Jungkook had warned her repeatedly, his concern growing with each passing day. "You need to rest, Lisa."

Lisa smiled, trying to reassure him. "I'm fine, Kook. I've been through worse. This isn't my first time."

But deep down, she knew something was different this time. Her body was screaming at her to slow down, but she pushed through it, unwilling to let her growing worries show.

That night, it all came crashing down.

Lisa woke up abruptly, her body tense with pain. It started as a sharp cramp in her lower abdomen, one that stole her breath. She gasped quietly, trying to adjust her position, hoping it would pass. But then it came again—stronger this time, more persistent.

"Jungkook..." she whispered, her voice shaky with fear.

Jungkook, who had been lightly snoring beside her, stirred at the sound of her voice. He opened his eyes groggily, only to be met with the sight of Lisa clutching her stomach, her face pale with pain.

"Lisa? What's wrong?" His voice was filled with panic as he shot up in bed.

"I think..." Lisa winced as another wave of pain hit her. "I think the baby is coming."

Jungkook's heart stopped. This couldn't be happening. Not now. They were weeks away from the due date. He quickly sprang into action, grabbing his phone and calling for help. His hands shook as he gave the hospital their information, and within minutes, he was rushing Lisa to the car, trying to stay calm for her sake.

But the fear was all-consuming.

"Just hold on, baby. We're almost there," Jungkook said, his voice trembling as he gripped the steering wheel. His eyes flicked over to Lisa every few seconds, watching her breathe through the pain, her face contorted in agony.

The ride to the hospital felt like an eternity. By the time they arrived, Lisa was barely holding on, her body trembling with the effort to keep from giving in to the pain. Nurses immediately rushed her into a room, leaving Jungkook to pace outside in the hallway, his heart pounding in his chest.

He hated this. The helplessness. The uncertainty. The fear that something terrible was about to happen and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Minutes felt like hours as he waited for news. He could hear Lisa's cries from down the hall, and it tore at his heart, knowing she was in so much pain and he couldn't be there to hold her hand through it.

Finally, a nurse came to fetch him. "You can come in now, Mr. Jeon. She's asking for you."

Jungkook rushed into the room, his breath catching in his throat when he saw Lisa lying on the bed, her face pale and covered in sweat. She looked exhausted, but her eyes lit up with relief when she saw him.

"Kook..." she breathed, reaching out for him.

"I'm here," he said, rushing to her side and taking her hand in his. "I'm right here."

The doctors moved quickly around them, their faces focused and serious. The tension in the room was suffocating. Jungkook could feel his pulse racing as he tried to focus on Lisa, on being there for her, but the fear was overwhelming.

"You're doing amazing," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You're so strong, Lisa. You've got this."

But even as he said the words, he wasn't sure if they were enough. The doctors had warned them about the risks of a premature birth, but now that they were in the thick of it, the reality was hitting him hard.

After what felt like an eternity, the baby was born.

But the room fell eerily silent. There was no loud cry, no triumphant announcement. Just quiet murmurs and the hurried movements of nurses as they whisked the baby away without giving Lisa and Jungkook a chance to see her.

Lisa's breath hitched as she turned to Jungkook, her eyes wide with fear. "Where... where is she? Why aren't they bringing her to me?"

Jungkook's heart sank as he watched the nurses rush their newborn daughter to the other side of the room, where a team of doctors was already working to stabilize her. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but he couldn't find his voice.

One of the doctors turned to them, his expression grim. "Your daughter is struggling to breathe. We need to take her to the neonatal intensive care unit immediately."

Lisa let out a sob, her body trembling as she tried to sit up, but Jungkook gently held her down, his own heart breaking. "It's okay, Lisa. They're going to take care of her. She's in good hands."

But as the doctors rushed their baby away, Jungkook couldn't help but feel utterly powerless. He had never felt so terrified in his life. The fear of losing his daughter, the fear of losing Lisa—it was all too much to bear.

Hours passed in a haze of anxiety and dread. Lisa had been moved to a recovery room, but neither of them could rest. They waited for any news, holding onto each other as they tried to stay strong, but the silence was deafening.

Finally, a doctor entered the room, his face a mixture of exhaustion and calm professionalism. "Your daughter is stable for now, but she's very fragile," he said gently. "She's in the neonatal intensive care unit, and we're monitoring her closely. She's having difficulty breathing on her own, so we've placed her on a ventilator. It's a critical time, but we're doing everything we can."

Lisa's sobs filled the room as Jungkook held her tightly, trying to keep his own tears at bay. "Can we see her?" Jungkook asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The doctor nodded. "You can, but only for a short time. She's very delicate, and we need to limit her exposure to stress."

They were led to the NICU, where their tiny daughter lay in an incubator, surrounded by machines and tubes. The sight of her, so small and fragile, took Jungkook's breath away. He felt a tear slip down his cheek as he looked at her, his heart breaking at the sight of his little girl fighting for her life.

"She's so beautiful," Lisa whispered through her tears, her hand resting against the glass of the incubator. "She's a fighter, I know she is."

Jungkook nodded, though he couldn't find the words to speak. The fear of losing her, the fear of what the future held, was suffocating. He had never felt so helpless in his life.

Lisa's hand found his, and he squeezed it tightly, drawing strength from her. "We have to stay strong for her," she said softly, her voice trembling with emotion.

Jungkook nodded again, though his heart was heavy with worry. They stayed by their daughter's side as long as they could, but eventually, the doctors insisted that they needed to let her rest, and that Lisa needed to recover as well.

Back in the room, the weight of it all hit Jungkook hard. He sat beside Lisa's bed, his head in his hands as he fought to keep his emotions in check. "I should've done more," he whispered, guilt gnawing at him. "I should've protected you both better."

Lisa reached out, resting her hand on his arm. "This isn't your fault, Kook. None of it is. We've done everything we can."

"But what if it's not enough?" he choked out, the weight of the uncertainty pressing down on him.

Lisa pulled him close, resting her head against his shoulder. "We have to believe it is. We have to stay strong for her."

But as the days passed, the weight of the situation didn't lighten. Their baby's condition remained critical, and every day was a battle between hope and fear. Jungkook tried to stay positive, tried to be the strong one, but inside, he was falling apart.

It wasn't until a week later, when their daughter showed the first signs of improvement, that Jungkook allowed himself to hope again. The doctors were cautiously optimistic, and while they weren't out of the woods yet, it was a small victory.

And in that moment, Jungkook made a silent promise to his daughter. He would do whatever it took to protect her, to protect his family. No matter what challenges they faced, he would be there, fighting alongside them.