—BEHIND BARS—

—J

..

Having decided it would be more time effective to jump on the next train to London, Lisa's sister, Jisoo arrived four hours later with her Dad, greeted by a frantic Rosé and me freaking the frigg out. The overbearing realisation that this was all my fault completely consumed me. As if that wasn't bad enough, I'd received a phone call from V's Mum shortly after Michael had called, only to be told he was currently lying in a hospital bed with a stab wound to his upper arm.

Inches away from his fucking heart!

Rosé's immediate thought had been that Lisa was the reason behind such a drastic injury, but we later found out that among efforts to pay off V's debt, the pair were somehow caught up in the crossfire when a police raid went down. I never thought for a second Lisa was capable of hurting V. However, upon learning that the people he owed money to were a gang specialising in drug dealing, I was just about ready to throttle my ex, myself. Lucky for him, he was taken straight to the hospital where he avoided being arrested due to lack of evidence of his involvement, whereas Lisa, not so much. She was arrested shortly after, having been caught with drugs in her possession.

Apparently!

Why she would have drugs on her, I had yet to establish, and since everyone was so useless at providing information, I was still none the wiser. The only reason we knew so much already was down to Kai. He was able to use his inside knowledge, given he volunteered as a special on weeknights and filled us in as best as he could. Obviously, he was unable to say much and was probably already in breach of his contract by telling us what he already had.

"I just don't understand it. Our Lisa would never get involved with drugs," expressed Jisoo, sick with worry.

Michael was over at the reception desk, demanding to see his daughter but to no avail. According to PC Andrews, Lisa would remain in custody overnight and was denied all visitors rights. It didn't matter how many times I told them she wasn't involved, they wouldn't listen. I could scream it until I was blue in the face and they'd still take no notice.

"She's not involved, Jisoo. This is all one big misunderstanding," I insisted, holding onto her for my own benefit. "They'll realise soon enough. They have to."

"They won't let me see her," explained Michael, returning to our side.

He lovingly took Jisoo into his arms and forced me inside the embrace as well, likely sensing how shell-shocked I was over the entire situation. It was bad enough that Lisa had been locked up in a dingy cell all night, but when I took into consideration the long-term effects this was bound to have on her career, I felt just about ready to break down (again). A family lawyer with a criminal record would hardly look good as her tag line into business, and I could only assume this would make getting hired extremely difficult. She had worked so hard over the years to get to where she was and all of it was for nothing.

Because of me.

Because I walked away instead of addressing the issue. Her punishment was on my conscience. The only comfort I could take from it all was the knowledge that all but one gang member had been arrested; Mr grey-eye's being among those charged. Still, a bittersweet revelation when looking at the bigger picture.

"I'm sorry," I told them, borderline hysterical again. "This is all my fault. I should've known."

"Nonsense, Jennie," insisted Michael, hugging me tighter. "Lisa would never blame you for this. She loves you too much."

And that right there was partly the problem. Her love for me was what got her into this mess to begin with. Worse still, she didn't even know I loved her too.

..

With grapes in one hand and my phone secured tightly in the other, I nervously made my way toward the reception desk and patiently waited for the woman there to end her current call.

"Sorry about that, chick, how can I help you?" she asked, friendly enough.

"I'm here to see V Taehyung. I think he's in the recovery ward," I stated; voice hoarse from my lack of sleep.

It had been twenty-four hours since we learned of Lisa's arrest and she was still no further forward in being released. Last night, I was hit with the terrifying thought of never seeing her again and although dramatic, I couldn't shake off the horrible feeling. I was often hearing stories of innocent men and women going to prison for a crime they didn't commit and for some reason, I pictured Lisa being one of them. So much so, I had Mum on the phone in the early hours of the morning, telling her everything. She'd been angry at me for not mentioning anything sooner but eventually got over it, insisting it would all be alright in the end. Both her and Darren were worried sick and were adamant in their decision to join me in London for the weekend.

"He's in room seventeen, lovely," shared the receptionist, having located V's whereabouts. "Follow the sign for the recovery ward and you should find the room no bother."

I quickly mumbled my, "Thanks," before hesitantly following her instruction and was pleased to discover I did find myself outside his room with little to no bother. It was closed upon my arrival and whilst seemingly peaceful, the hammering currently taking place in my heart was anything but. I felt just about on the verge of heart failure and certainly didn't miss the irony of being in the hospital should such a thing occur.

"Go right ahead, sweets," offered a friendly looking nurse, young enough to be in her early twenties. "He's a popular lad, that one. Always got people going in," she smiled, gesturing towards V's name scribbled on a whiteboard.

I shot her a small smile in response and clung to my box of grapes, slightly embarrassed for having not brought something a little less shit along with me. I would've got him flowers, but apparently they've stopped that in hospitals now and given the circumstances, I thought alcohol of any sorts was a no-go. Grapes would have to make do.

And with that reassuring thought in mind, I pushed open the stiff door and came face-to-face with V's entire family; cousins included.

Well, fuck me!

"Jennie!" squealed Julie, V's Mum. "What a lovely surprise."

It wasn't a surprise at all. I'd told her I would pop in when I next got the chance and she'd been only too happy to hear it. Loud and with more joy than an overzealous Butlin's entertainer, it was no wonder I found myself gravitating towards her in a room full of people I barely knew. I found her ability to over-talk a welcoming distraction and soon became lost in her insistence to ask me a million and one questions.

"Mum, leave the poor girl alone," stated V, thankfully speaking in my defence.

We briefly shared a moment before he asked everyone to leave, likely needing a moment to himself.

"Jennie, would you please stay?" he questioned, politely so.

Propped up in what appeared to be quite an uncomfortable position, he seemed a lot more with it today and even had a splash of colour to his cheeks.

"Sure," I smiled, waiting for everyone to leave before I continued. "How are you feeling?" I asked, offering him the grapes.

"Been better," he laughed, grabbing the fruit with his good arm. "Thanks. How are you?"

"I've been better too," I smiled, taking a seat in the plastic chair.

It was warm from whoever was sat on it last and gave me the creeps.

"How's Lisa?" he enquired, trying his hardest to move without causing himself more pain. In the end, I helped him out. "I don't remember much. I passed out pretty quickly. I don't even know who stabbed me," he added, finally finding himself in a much comfier position.

"Rosé thought it was Lisa," I smiled, throwing humour at the slightly strained situation.

He laughed, thankfully seeing the funnier side of things.

"And how is Rosé? Still into all that fitness nonsense?"

"Yeah, she's obsessed with avocados," I announced, slipping nicely into easy conversation.

This was the V I knew.

"How is Lisa then? You sort of avoided the question," he asked, daring me with his moss-green eyes.

"She's been arrested. I haven't seen her since the night you showed up," I admitted, lowering my gaze to control the need to cry.

"What? Why?" he questioned, clearly in shock.

"They found drugs on her. They think she's involved somehow," I explained, shuffling around in my chair.

"That doesn't make sense. Why would Lisa have drugs on her?"

"Beats me. I have no idea and I've not been able to speak to her," I replied, keen to move conversation along. "Look, V, I came here to make sure you're okay. I know I'm not your girlfriend anymore and the other night got a little tense but I do care. I want to make sure you're offered the right help," I stated, softening my tone to a gentle whisper.

"I am. My family all know and the nurses here have signed me up for group therapy. I'm on a weening program now which means they're slowly bringing me off the drugs. This was the biggest wakeup call ever," he admitted, pointing to his dressed up stab wound.

I smiled my relief and offered my thoughts on the matter.

"That's great, V and you promise you'll get better?"

"I promise. I don't wanna be that person anymore. The things I said to you the other night, that wasn't me."

"I know it wasn't."

"And you have to understand that Lisa isn't a bad person either. I may have twisted things slightly because I was angry with her for taking you. But she had every right to want rid of me back then. I was toxic and I would have done anything for my next fix. She was just protecting you, Jennie. You know that, right?" he offered, shockingly on Lisa's side.

"Yeah," I sighed, once again wishing he knew I no longer held a grudge.

"Just don't give her a hard time when you see her, okay?" he smiled, gifting my hand a squeeze.

It shocked me at first, but I soon settled into the motion.

"I won't. If she ever gets out," I declared, feeling the weight of the world on shoulders.

The thought of yet another sleepless night was enough to have me scream out in frustration, though at least I was lucky enough to have a comfortable bed. Lisa didn't have such luxuries.

"She will. Soon, then you can finally tell her she's forgiven."

"Yes, sir," I smiled; repositioning myself when the young nurse from earlier came in carrying a tray of rather scary looking potions.

"Hi sweetness, how are we feeling today?" she asked, offering V a friendly smile as she started mixing together some peculiar looking substances.

"Fine. I could murder a McDonald's double cheeseburger though. The food in here is shite," he smirked, shooting me a knowing glance.

"They're full of fat, Taehyung!" she scolded, reminding me of a certain someone I happened to live with. "You should be looking after your body, not filling it with that rubbish," she added, meaning that in more ways than one. "You ready for this?"

"Yep," tensed V, anticipating the worst.

The strange looking lotion seemed correctly mixed and as my confusion set in, V thankfully expanded.

"It's numbing gel," he informed. "I'm not allowed painkillers for obvious reasons."

Of course.

I smiled at his explanation and quietly watched on as the nurse removed the gauze and lightly applied the numbing gel around the swollen area of flesh. I chose to look away when I became a little squeamish and settled my gaze elsewhere, noticing for the first time the many self-help leaflets on beating drug addiction. They were scattered on his bedside table, and it settled my nerves knowing he was getting the right support.

"I should get going, anyway," I smiled, carefully rising from my seat. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," I continued, offering V my most encouraging smile.

"Still breathing," he laughed, wincing when the pain of doing so became too much. "Thanks for coming. It was nice to see you."

"You take care, okay?" I smiled, kissing his cheek.

"Will do. Remember what I said. Don't give her a hard time," he stated. "Oh, and Jennie. One more thing before you leave. You asked if I regretted it. I do. Every day." he added, ignoring the fact that there was another person present in the room.

His revelation didn't shock me but it did act as a nice consolation against what would've been a horrible way to say goodbye.

"Thanks, V. I appreciate that."

I offered him one last wave before taking my leave, glad to be out in the fresh air once I finally escaped the hospital's premises. I decided the walk home would do me good and began the short journey, thinking a shower would be nice before heading back to the police station. I didn't usually make a habit of rushing, but I was desperate for some news on Lisa, so I picked up my pace. In fact, at one point, I even broke out into a leisurely jog which was completely new territory for me. I quickly climbed the stairs to my flat and texted Mum for her current whereabouts. She and Darren were due into London around two-ish and I was meeting them at Euston Station. The poor sods had no idea how to appropriately work the tube, and I wouldn't dare leave them alone to fend for themselves. Not with my Mum insisting she was Christopher-fucking-Columbus!

"Try calling her again, her phone might be on now," stated Rosé, muffled by our front door.

Quiet voices could be heard discussing something else, but before I gave whoever Rosé was talking to the chance to call, I carefully pushed open the front door. I quickly made my rounds and in doing so, met the eyes of Rosé before settling my gaze onto a pair of apologetic blue ones; their strength and intensity alone strong enough to stun me into silence. She looked pleased to see me, yet nervous at the same time. My own mind was unable to think up a suitable response, so instead, I settled for the only word on the tip on my tongue.

"Lisa."

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