Beat | A Jenlisa Fan Fiction

Chapter 22

Trigger warning: contains and/or mentions homophobia

LISA'S POV

I stared blankly at the plain white walls of the waiting room trying to contain my emotions. It felt like I was about to explode as the thought of Jennie, alone in the ICU, fighting to stay alive invaded my mind. The possibility of her not surviving was unbearable and I can't even imagine how I would survive that. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked around. The aura in the room was undeniably suffocating. Everyone here was waiting and praying for their loved ones. My airways felt like they were closing up as I choked down the tears.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the sight of Jisoo and Chaeyoung at the entrance. They spotted me easily.

"Lisa! What happened?! Where is she?!" Jisoo shouted in horror. Chaeyoung was silent but her face reflected every emotion from hurt to shock to panic and finally, sadness. I didn't know how to respond so I just stared at them with a vacant expression. I lowered my gaze to their shoes and watched every frantic step until they stopped directly in front of me. Jisoo placed her hands on my shoulders, making me look up. She gave me a weak shake.

"Lisa, please. I know you're hurting but can you please tell us what happened? Is she okay?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "She's in the ICU. Her heart stopped during practice and I gave her CPR. A nurse came with a defibrillator and restarted her heart," I said monotonously. I felt like I was stuck in a stupor.

Chaeyoung tightened her jaw in her attempt to fight back tears. When she finally gave in, she turned her back on us and rubbed her eyes furiously. Her shoulders shook with every sob. Jisoo knelt down slowly, her hair covering her face. I stared at the droplets of tears that glistened on the tiled floor as they fell from her eyes.

I wanted to cry with them but at that moment, I felt nothing. I was numb. A few minutes ago, I was feeling everything all at once but after saying it out loud, my chest felt empty. My eyes went back to the white wall in front of me. Their wails disappeared in the background as I spaced out.

After what felt like hours, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I looked over and saw Chaeyoung sitting beside me with a tearstained face. Laid on her lap was a sleeping Jisoo.

"Lisa..." She laid her hand on mine and looked at me with sad eyes, her tone cautious. "Jennie's parents texted me that they're here. We haven't told them much. We just said that Jennie was brought to the emergency room."

She gave my hand a squeeze then asked, "Would you like to be the one to talk to them?"

I hesitated for a bit but after going it over in my head, I agreed knowing that I knew a lot more about Jennie's status than the duo. I pushed myself up from my seat and proceeded to the lobby. I immediately spotted them as Mrs. Kim was pacing back and forth with Mr. Kim hovering near her.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kim."

They turned their heads to me and for the first time, the confident-and-well-put-together couple looked vulnerable and disheveled.

"Lisa. Where is she? Where's my daughter? Why was she brought here?" Mrs. Kim asked, her voice wavering.

I swallowed hard as I thought of what to say. So, as calmly as I could, I told them, "Jennie is currently in the ICU." My chest felt tighter as I said it again but they needed to know. Jennie needed her parents.

"Her heart stopped earlier and I immediately performed CPR. The school nurse also got her heart restarted with a defibrillator." The words tasted like acid in my mouth. Mrs. Kim started sobbing and Mr. Kim's jaw clenched at what I revealed. She held on tightly to her husband.