it's always ourselves that we find in the sea || jensoo

Chapter 35

She was in hospital for another week before they deemed Jisoo fit enough to leave, as long as she was on strict bed rest for a few more weeks while she got over her pneumonia, but the worst had passed and she was as stable as she'd be. Jennie visited everyday for that week, sometimes with Lisa or sometimes heading in with Minzy and staying until she left that night, passing the time in between visiting hours by reading in the cafeteria. Her conversations with Jisoo were halting and lighthearted, focused on things aside from their argument and what she'd written, after Jennie had softly explained that she wanted Jisoo to focus on getting better first. It wouldn't do to keep putting it off, and perhaps it was cowardly of her, but her intentions were pure. Jisoo was still on antibiotics, but had been weaned off the heavy painkillers.

That brought another round of problems. With the morphine and other medications, it was easy to see why her thoughts were so jumbled and disjointed, why her memory had small holes and her sentences were punctuated by gaps, but with nothing but over the counter pills to ease her aches at home, it became glaringly obvious that some of their biggest fears had come to fruition. Jisoo could read her braille, albeit slower than Jennie had watched her do so before, and she could walk easily, but there was something jerky about her motions as she moved as well. No one said anything, but there was the unspoken fear that the developments might be permanent. Then again, there was the chance that they weren't.

Either way, there was the collective feeling of relief the day they wheeled Jisoo out of the hospital, wrapped in several layers and quickly hustled to the car, where Lisa was waiting with the heating running in their concern about Jisoo being out in the, albeit mild, cold weather. Silently letting herself be buckled in, Jisoo was patient and as soon as Jennie stowed her bag in the trunk and climbed in beside her. The radio played quiet music, and she met Lisa's concerned brown eyes in the rearview mirror as she put the car into gear and drove off at Jennie's small smile of reassurance.

It was only a short drive to Jisoo's house, and they were there not too long later, with Lisa grabbing the bag while Jennie helped Jisoo out of the car, trying to help her walk while Jisoo irritably insisted that she didn't need any help. Her balance wasn't perfect to begin with, but Jennie knew better than to be overbearing and coddle her for her lack of sight, even though it wasn't the reason why she was offering to help. She surrendered without a fight, letting Jisoo stride up the garden path, albeit shakily and slow, but she hovered nervously behind her, hands fluttering about as she waited for Jisoo to stumble or fall so that she could steady her. It would've annoyed Jisoo greatly if she'd seen it.

It took a few minutes to reach the bottom steps leading up to the light green door, already open from where Lisa had let herself in, and Jennie could hear the sound of voices coming from further inside. Chaeyoung was waiting with Ruby. Slowly climbing the wooden steps, Jennie waited for Jisoo, staring down at the welcome mat with the chickens with a look of fondness on her face, and waited for the sound of footsteps crossing the porch, but instead, looked up to find Jisoo standing still, her eyes closed as she swayed slightly.

"We should get you inside before you get cold," Jennie hesitantly spoke.

Eyelashes fluttered against pale cheeks as Jisoo opened her eyelids to reveal two accusing eyes giving her a hard look. "I'm not fragile, Jennie," Jisoo testily replied, "I'll just be a moment. I'm just- it smells like home. And spring."

"Oh, okay," Jennie murmured, hovering outside as she watched Jisoo with a patient look on her face.

She didn't have to wait long before Jisoo let out the faintest sigh and carried on walking, stepping over the lip of the door frame and into the house. Following her inside, Jennie securely shut the door behind them and shed her coat, watching as Jisoo stiffly did the same, before she tried to take her boots off. Over balancing, Jisoo clutched at the wall, grasping thin air, and fell towards the floor, before Jennie's gentle hands caught her, carefully lowering her to the ground.