I built this Home for me, for you

Chapter 26

Lisa wheeled Seolhyun into Jennie's room, a slight smile on her face as she parked the wheelchair next to the bed and pulled a chair over to sit down beside her. "Hi love," Lisa softly said, stroking the back of Jennie's hand, "guess who's here to see you."

"Hi mom," Seolhyun quietly said, her voice hoarse and scratchy as she sat in her chair, unable to even get out of it to try and touch Jennie. All she really wanted was for her to wake up and give her a hug.

Lisa fussed with the thick knitted blanket that was draped over Jennie, making sure she was warm, before she turned and looked over at the doorway, where Ryujin hovered, looking pale and scared. It had been four days, and this was the first time Lisa was letting either of the girls see Jennie, because early that morning, she'd started breathing normally on her own, and they'd finally taken the ventilator out. They'd tried it yesterday, but her breathing had been a bit too shallow for the doctor's liking, but today, she was ready to come off it, and ready to have her coma inducing drugs reversed. Lisa was feeling hopeful for the first time in a while, and she was relieved that this would all be over soon. They could move onto fixing everything else once Jennie was back on her feet.

"Come inside, Jin. You're letting in the cold air," Lisa told her, giving Seolhyun's shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she stared at Jennie.

"She- she doesn't look like mom," Ryujin shakily replied, her blue eyes filling with tears, "she shouldn't be in here. It's- it's all Seolhyun's fault."

Her sister jerked her head around, shooting her sister a dark look, "shut up, Ryujin. You don't even know what you're talking about."

Brimming with anger, Ryujin wiped at her eyes as she scowled, "she was coming to get you. You're so selfish; you never think about anyone except yourself. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"Cut it out," Lisa sharply replied, blinking in surprise at the animosity between her daughter's. Given how close everyone was in their family, they'd been raised to get along well, and while they argued, like siblings do, they had never blamed each other for something like this. "It's nobody's fault, okay? Ryujin, go and find grandma and take her to the cafeteria."

"But I want to see mom," she protested.

"You can see her later," Lisa sternly told her, "this is a hospital, and there are patients who need to rest, including your mom. If you're going to argue, then you can wait until Seolhyun's finished seeing her."

Swallowing thickly, Ryujin turned around and stormed out of the room, closing the door behind her and stalking off. Lisa sighed, feeling sorry for her youngest daughter. She'd been shunned to the side over the past month, and even more so now, but Lisa couldn't juggle it all right now. With her wife and daughter in hospital - Seolhyun had technically been released earlier on, but hadn't gone home yet - Lisa had been splitting her time between both rooms, and had barely been home, except to shower and change. Ryujin had been staying with both of her grandma's, in Chaerin's apartment in the middle of the city, and Lisa had tried to make time for her too, but it was hard, and a part of her felt like she was failing as a mother. Watching her daughter disappears down the hallway, Lisa grimaced and turned back around, taking in her other daughter's hunched shoulders.

"She's right," Seolhyun mumbled, her voice strained as she fought back tears.

Heart aching for the guilt she knew Seolhyun was feeling, Lisa walked over to her wheelchair and knelt down beside her, reaching up to brush the dark curtain of hair out of her face. Sad blue eyes met hers for a moment, but she could see the shame in her daughter's eyes, and she couldn't understand why. Lisa had tried to get her to talk, but if she'd been quiet before, she was practically mute now, and wouldn't tell Lisa what had happened. The gist of it was that they'd argued, and Lisa knew from her own guilt and embarrassment at the way she'd treated Jennie that it wasn't something that she wanted to tell other people. She didn't want them to know what horrible things she'd said in her anger and frustration, and she figured that it was the same with Seolhyun. Still, she wanted to help her daughter, and she didn't know how. Seolhyun had seemed small and cowed over the past few days, having panic attacks and crying as she was forced to stay in the tiny hospital room, bedridden with casts that itched and nothing but a crappy TV and some paperbacks to pass the time.