I built this Home for me, for you

Chapter 30

Weeks passed by in ease, with old casts being changed for clean, new ones, until they were eventually cut off and both mother and daughter were freed from their wheelchairs and itchy prisons of plaster and bandages. A little stiff from weeks of sitting still, it took Jennie a few days to get back into the feeling of walking, and Lisa even took her to a few physical therapy appointments to help with her stiff joints and ease her back into moving around a lot. Seolhyun bounced back instantly, already itching to get back onto the track field, and Jennie and Lisa were both relieved at how she'd been over the past few weeks. Everything had practically gone back to normal, and without the wheelchairs and casts, it made it all look like it was normal. They were getting complacent in their avoidance of talking about everything, happy to ignore it while Jennie and Seolhyun healed, and trying to ignore it completely now. It still hung over them though, and a week after losing her casts, Jennie cornered Lisa and told her to pack a bag.

Rosé and Jisoo had volunteered to look after Chaerin while they were gone, but Yuri ended up flying in to stay on the estate with her and take her to her next chemotherapy session, leaving Jennie feeling a little less guilty about shooting off for the weekend. Lisa hadn't been back to work since the crash, and Jennie had been on strict bed rest while Sam ran her company, which meant that they only had to pull the girls out of school for the Friday, which they were pleased about. They were less pleased about the early flight on Friday though, and Seolhyun grumbled the whole way to the airport, while Ryujin dozed against Jennie's shoulder, being gently shaken awake to get onto the private jet, and promptly falling back to sleep before they had even taken off. It was still cold in the mid-March weather, and Jennie draped thick knitted blankets over both girls as they levelled out thousands of feet above the ground, while Lisa made them both coffee in the small kitchen area, filling the inside of the jet with the smell of it, which was enough to perk Jennie up in itself.

Handing her a steaming cup, Lisa sat down beside her, and Jennie turned to look at her, taking in the dark circles under Lisa's eyes, and the slightly pale look of her drawn face. Reaching out, Jennie placed a hand on her knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze and smiling slightly as Lisa turned to look at her, pushing her glasses up her nose. "You don't have to do it, you know," Jennie murmured, listening to the whirring of the plane as they bobbed slightly with the air currents, "I can tell them for you. I know you don't like to talk about it. It's been so long since you've told me."

Lisa's lips quirked up into a small smile, and she ran her hand down Jennie's arm, squeezing slightly to reassure her. "No, I should do it myself. I could've let you tell them years ago if I was never going to do it myself. I owe it to them now. And you're right, it's been a long time since I told you, and I've never told anyone as much about it as I told you, so I don't know if it'll be easier or harder now, but I'll do it anyway."

"Are you sure-"

"Jennie," Lisa gently interrupted her, "I wouldn't be on this plane if I wasn't onboard with our plan. I've got the photo album, I've got the letters, and the keys to the apartment. And the parts that aren't written in all of that... I can manage it. I promise. I do need you beside me though. I don't think I could do it completely alone."

Leaning over to kiss her temple, Jennie softly sighed, "I would never let you do it alone. It'll be okay though, and you don't have to go into detail about the hard parts. They'll understand, just as long as you're telling them yourself. I think Seolhyun just wants to hear it from you, more than anything."

Sighing, Lisa took a sip of her coffee, and Jennie copied her, savouring the warmth and bitter taste as she cast a look at her daughters. Ryujin was already out cold, stretched along the seats opposite them, while the only visible part of Seolhyun was a black boot dangling over the edge of the two seats in the back corner, where Jennie had left her listening to music.