Personal Sunrise

Opportunity

Sorry for not updating for so long. School has just been a time killer for me. But I hope u enjoy! 😘

Key’s POV

                I gripped my mother’s hand tightly as the ambulance sped toward the hospital. The EMTs flitted around her like hummingbirds at a birdfeeder, hooking her up to an IV and desperately trying to stop the blood that coated their gloves like paint.

                I bit my lip as her breathing became increasingly shallow. “She’s going to be okay, right?” I asked softly.

                One of the EMTs glanced at me in surprise, as if he had forgotten that I was there. “Of course,” he said matter-of-factly. “The bullet is still lodged in her shoulder. It didn’t even make it near any of her vital organs.”

                “How much longer until we get to the hospital? She’s losing so much blood…”

                “Only another minute or two. Don’t worry; everything’s going to be just fine.”

                I nodded mutely and kept my gaze on my mother’s pale face. She had lost consciousness before the ambulance had even arrived, and I couldn’t help but think that she hadn’t looked so peaceful in years. For one brief, painful second, the notion that she might be better off dead flashed through my mind. What did she have to look forward to when she woke up? She was going to get hauled off to jail, just like my father.

                She deserves it. What has that done for you lately? I could imagine the small devil sitting on my shoulder, whispering in my ear with a mischievous smirk.

                In the same instant, the angel appeared opposite him. But she’s remorseful. She realizes what she did, and she feels terrible about it. Doesn’t that count for something? Deep down, she’s still your mother. She still loves you.

                “But that doesn’t change what she did…,” I whispered sadly. The EMTs glanced at me as the devil on my shoulder cheered victoriously.

                “What did you say?” The female EMT asked curiously.

                I looked up quickly and waved a hand. “Oh, um…nothing.”

                But the angel was persistent. She’s the person who made you special birthday cakes for years. She took care of you when you got sick; she hung your assignments on the refrigerator. She was always there for you, no matter what. Even before your father got fired, he never did those kinds of things for you.

                But it’s not like he did nothing, I retorted mentally, not stopping to think about how strange it was that I was having an argument with myself. He helped me with my homework and taught me how to tie my shoes. I remember, before I started school, he bought little posters and flashcards to teach me Hangeul because that’s what his father did for him. He loved me just as much as my mother did.

                I squeezed my eyes shut as the tears began to build. I hadn’t thought about those things for years. All the little things my parents had once done to show their affection. But I had different people to care about me now. I had Jonghyun’s mother to cook me breakfast and look after me. I had Jonghyun’s father to make sure my parents never hurt me again. And, most of all, I had Jonghyun to hold me tightly and never let go. To stay by my side forever and never stop loving me, no matter what I did. And that was all I really needed.