Meet me halfway (JELSA)

Chapter 15

24th April 2023

Whenever Elsa had to make a difficult decision, she ran from it. She was tired of it, but it felt like she had to outrun her problems or else she wouldn't get out of it alive. She needed to get away from her head, but she didn't know how. Before getting married, she at least had sex. Now she had been fucking restricted from that too.

She had never felt this helpless in her entire life. She remembered the times Anna had been diagnosed before, but the time Elsa was literally a child. The next time when Anna relapsed, Elsa had problems of her own. Anna was the one in the hospital, but Elsa was the one who almost died. Twice. This time was different. They were both grownups and Elsa knew for sure that Anna wasn't going to survive this. No matter what god Elsa prayed to, No matter how much she studied, No matter what she did, there was no way for her to save Anna.

She hadn't spoken to Jack since the day of Anna's confession. She was angry at him. Well, at first. She quickly realized that Jack did not fault this. He couldn't tell her because he had promised Anna. She would've done the same if she was in his shoes.

How was she supposed to go about this?

25th April 2023

She was tired. She was too tired to even go up the stairs. She sunk into the couch, the bright afternoon sun was harsh on her face. But it seemed to matter when she closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep. Just a little nap.

25th April 2023

She instantly noticed three things when she woke up.

First, she felt warm. The blanket smelt like peppermint.

Secondly, the drapes were closed. The bright rays of the sun no longer felt harsh on her face.

Thirdly, Jack was sitting on the floor, his back against the couch by her feet. His pale hair was tousled and soft. What was he doing here?

She shifted her cramped legs slightly, which caught his attention. His eyes snapped to hers, and he seemed to take her in for a moment. "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty"

"I am sorry" he apologised. He laid the book he was reading on the coffee table, turning towards her. "I swear, I wanted to tell you"

"It's not your fault. I would've done the same"

"I still feel bad"

"Don't" her voice was softed, like she had been completely defeated. "How did you find out?"

"I-" his gaze fell to the floor, and she instantly knew that it was a painful memory for him. "Right after I met her, I ran into her in the courtroom parking lot. I called out her name and she looked right past me. I ran to her and she couldn't recognize me. After a few seconds, she recognized me and broke down right there. At this point, she hadn't told anyone"

Elsa's heart broke just by thinking how scared Anna might've felt. She was alone. A single tear fell from her eye, no matter how much she didn't want it to. "She must've been so scared"

"She was. I calmed her down and told me everything. I didn't know. I didn't know she had been sick for most of her life. It made me feel so awful."

"I don't know what to do" Her voice was cracking, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know a life with Anna. She was the one person who there was for me. And now-" she rubbed her tears away with the back of her hand. "I can't accept it because I don't know how to"

"You need to understand her pain to accept it"

"It's funny, you know. I have given that advice way too many times before. It's actually very cruel to realize that it's easier said than done"