JENNIE
Every light in the palace was on and there was a crew of people waiting for us when we pulled up. Lisa refused to let anyone take me from her and carried me straight to her room. She laid me on her bed but refused to leave my side, telling everyone that wasn't required to get the hell out.
A petite older woman followed us, issuing orders. "Jennie, I'm Dr. Rains. We're going to get you fixed right up." She patted me on the shoulder before moving to examine my leg.
Jimin burst into the room and ran straight for the bed. There were tears in his eyes but he didn't say a word, just reached out and squeezed the hand Lisa wasn't holding.
"You're going to feel a pinch. I'm giving you a shot to numb the area. You need stitches." There was a sharp stick, but I didn't care. I don't know if I was in shock, but my mind felt frozen.
Someone handed me a tissue and I realized it was the queen. Her eyes were gentle as she looked at me, her calm voice reaching through the haze that had filled my head. "We'll take care of everything."
I squeezed my eyes shut and tears slid out. The one thing I cared about, no one could fix. When I opened my eyes again, everyone was gone but Lisa and the doctor. Lisa was sitting next to me, her face stone as she watched the doctor work. I didn't look, didn't care about my leg. When she finished, she checked the ankle of the foot that had been stuck in the grate and wrapped it with a bandage.
"Take this." She handed me a pill and glass of water.
"What is it?" I opened my eyes and tried to sit up. The stitches pulled and I winced. Lisa reached down and helped lift me.
"It's for the pain. You might not feel it right this second, but that was a very nasty tumble you took and your leg is going to be sore for days."
"No. I need to get to the airport." I shook my head and felt dizzy. She leaned forward and looked at my eyes.
"Did you hit your head when you fell?"
"I don't know." Nausea built in my stomach and I swallowed. "I don't feel right."
"I think you have a concussion." She dug through her bag and pulled out a flashlight. She waved it in front of my eyes and I groaned and held up a hand. With gentle fingers she felt along my head. "No cracks or blood, thankfully. You'll need to have someone wake you every hour. I don't want you flying until I've checked you in the morning."
"You don't understand. I have to leave now." I tried to move but a wave of queasiness had me lying back against Lisa.
"I do understand. Wait until the morning and I'll do a quick check. Take the medicine and get some sleep." She handed me the glass of water and watched as I took the pill. Once I had, she stood up and looked at Lisa. "You understand how important it is that she not leave?"
Lisa nodded her head and I knew I was defeated. When the doctor left, Lisa scooted me farther in the bed. "I'll be right back."
I laid there on my side with my fists tucked under my cheek and tried to make sense of what had happened. Lisa came back with a warm washcloth, a T-shirt, and a bowl. After locking her door, she helped me slide the dress off before wiping up the blood. I hadn't realized how much there was until she had to go get another washcloth. I watched her face as she worked and reached out to wipe a smudge off her cheek. When she was done she slid the T-shirt over my head and situated me back under the blankets. I heard her slip out of her shoes before she crawled into the bed next to me.
She didn't say anything while I cried. I was riddled with guilt and grief. I was scared I wouldn't make it back in time to see my dad again. And the tears felt never ending. Lisa stroked my hair through all of it. I had no idea how long I laid there and cried, but eventually I had nothing else in me. I felt hollow, like a piece of me had been scooped out and thrown away.
"Where's Ryujin?" I should have asked before now. One more thing to feel guilty over.
"She's here." She sighed. "She had gone downstairs to grab a friend and Becca had followed her. Neither of them thought you'd leave the VIP room."
"I'm not mad. I was just worried."
"You're worried about them." She snorted. "They're fine. I doubt Ryujin will ever go back to a club. I've never seen her so upset."
"I'm sorry." My voice was so hoarse I had to clear my throat and say it again. "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble."
"You didn't do anything wrong." She nuzzled my hair.
"I kicked a photographer in the nuts."
She grunted a short laugh. "That's my girl."
"I really need to get to my dad." I squeezed the hand of the arm she had wrapped around me. Even though I thought I'd cried all my tears, I got choked up again. "I left him when he needed me most."
"We'll leave in the morning."
"You'll come with me?" I whispered the question.
"Jennie, you're never going anywhere without me again."
"What about the bathroom?"
"Okay. You can go some places without me." She chuckled. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"You were busy." I hiccupped again.
"I have something for you." Carefully, Lisa dislodged me from her arm and walked across her bedroom. When she came back she was carrying package tied in string. "I was going to bring it to you this weekend but couldn't get away like I'd intended." She placed the package on the bed next to me.
"Is this the drawing?" I shifted so I could reach the strings and tugged it open. Under the brown paper was the sketch I had waited so long to see. Tears filled my eyes and I took a deep breath. "It's me."
She reached out and tucked some hair behind my ear. "It's okay if you don't like it. I'm not really an artist."
"I love it." I ran my fingers along the handcrafted frame. It was simple and elegant; she had captured my face and all the emotion I was feeling. "This was when I got out of the car at the airport."
"There was so much going on in your eyes. You were scared and sad, but there was determination under everything else." She lifted my chin so I was looking in her eyes. "That was the moment I knew I was lost. You were so strong and beautiful."
"I'm sorry I tried to keep us a secret." I hiccupped again. Her words made me want to cry, but for a new reason. "If I hadn't, this might have worked out really differently."
She took the framed picture from my hands and set it next to the bed. "I understood. I didn't like it, but I understood." She snuggled closer. "When I saw you covered in blood…"
"I didn't mean to scare you."
"I have never been more afraid and angry in my life." She pressed her face in my hair and took a deep breath. "I don't want to lose you and I just knew this was the end. I wanted to kill all those people standing there and taking your picture while you bled."
"I don't want to lose you, either." Tears sprang to my eyes. "I lose everyone."
"Is that why you were so stubborn?" She rolled me over gently so she could see my face.
"I didn't think I would make it if you broke my heart. Not with everything else." A sob caught in my throat. "I guess a part of me always knew it was a long shot for Dad. And I just didn't think I could lose him and you."
"Why would you lose me?"
"You have to be queen! You have to make little baby heirs." I sniffled again—the more I spoke, the more tears threatened. "I know I'm stupid for worrying about that, but I knew I'd end up falling in love with you. How could I not? And then you'd have to get rid of me for someone you could marry. And you can't marry me… I'm just an Korean. And I know that's really getting ahead of myself, but why start something if you know it's going to end? And, and, and—"
"I'm not getting rid of you." She framed my face in her hands. "You're it for me. I knew it the moment I saw you tell off the maître d' at the restaurant. Do you understand? You're it. I love you. That sketch was of the moment I fell in love with you."
"You love me?" My brain was mush and I wasn't sure if it was from her words or the pain pill.
"Yes, I love you." Her eyes bored into mine.
"I love you." I traced her cheek with my fingers. "Can you tell me again when I'm not on pain medicine?"
"I'll tell you every day."
"Maybe twice a day?" I felt my eyelids growing heavy.
"A hundred times a day."