ONE WEEK LATER —
The ICU room had basically become the hangout spot for the most dangerous, chaotic group of people the hospital had ever seen.
The nurses gave up days ago.
Jay lay still. Unmoving. Silent.
And every single day…
Every single hour…
Someone stayed.
Someone begged.
Someone broke a little more.
SECTION E —
They came in groups of three, rotating like soldiers guarding a queen.
Cin poked Jay's cheek on day three.
"Jay… wake up. Please. If you don't, we're stuck listening to Rory's jokes. No one deserves that torture."
Rory gasped. "HEY— my jokes are good!"
Yuri sighed, patting Jay's hand. "Jay… if you wake up, I'll bake that chocolate cake you like. Every day. Yes, Cin, EVERY DAY. No, I'll not put broccoli in it."
Cin smirked proudly. "I trained him well."
Edrix leaned close to her ear: "Jay, if you wake up, I'll… uh… actually study for that exam you care about."
Everyone in the room burst out laughing.
"BRO SHE'S IN A COMA NOT DEAD—DON'T TRAUMATIZE HER," Zack groaned.
Even the monitors beeped like they were judging him.
---
STELLA
Stella came in with three shopping bags.
She placed them gently near the bed.
"Jay… baby girl…"
Her voice broke instantly.
"You wake up and I swear— I'll buy you those boots you wanted. Actually— not one pair. A hundred. I'll buy the entire company. I'll MAKE them give you a lifetime supply."
"My little baby please wake up I can't loose you too I miss my baby who used to taunt me of not being able to ride a bike but put in makeup like my life depended on it... "
She sniffed, wiping her tears aggressively.
"Just wake up, you little brat. I can't cry anymore, it's ruining my mascara."
David placed a hand on her shoulder. Stella didn't move.
She just kept whispering, "Wake up… please…"
---ARIES
He didn't talk much.
Didn't move much.
He just sat at her bedside, holding the tiny braided bracelet they made when they were kids — the one Jay tied on his wrist when he cried after scraping his knee.
He placed it around her hand, voice barely audible.
"You promised to never leave me behind… remember?"
His thumb stroked the bracelet.
"So don't do it now."
A single tear dropped onto her sheets.
ANGELO, ALEX, ZACK —
Angelo couldn't even look at her sometimes.
He'd stop at the door, eyes red, chest tight, whispering: "Kid… kuya's here… please come back…"
Alex stood stiffly in the corner, fists clenched so tight his knuckles were pale.
Zack sat at her feet every night, tapping the metal bed frame because he couldn't stay still.
"Jay, wake up. Like— seriously. I'll let you bully me again. I'll even buy you bubble tea everytime. Just… open your eyes, dude."
---
KEIFER —
He didn't leave.
Not for food. Not for sleep. Not for air.
They forced him to shower once. He came back in five minutes.
He didn't talk to anyone.
He just sat with her hand locked in his, forehead pressed against her arm, whispering things only she should hear.
"Wake up…" "You're killing me, Jay…" "I need you…" "Come back… come back… come back…"
Every morning
Every night
Every heartbeat—
He never looked away.
---
THE SEVENTH DAY
The room was quiet. For the first time in a week, everyone was there.
Cin dropped another stuffed toy onto the growing pile. "Jay, if you don't wake up, we're running out of space and I'm blaming YOU."
Stella rolled her eyes. "She'll wake up. She has to."
Angelo rubbed his face. "Please…"
Aries held her hand.
Alex stared at the floor.
And Keifer…
He sat beside her, eyes hollow but focused only on her face.
He held her hand like it was the only thing tethering him to the world.
"Jay… baby… open your eyes," he whispered for the thousandth time.
Everyone fell silent.
Machines hummed softly.
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
Then—
Her finger twitched.
Stella froze mid-breath.
Cin gasped.
Aries shot to his feet.
Angelo stumbled forward.
Zack nearly screamed.
And Keifer—
He jolted upright so violently the chair fell backward.
"Jay?!"
Her finger moved again.
Then slowly…
So slowly…
Her eyelids fluttered.
She was coming back.
JAY'S POV — COMING BACK FROM THE DARK
Everything was heavy.
My body.
My chest.
My eyelids.
Voices swam around me — muffled, distant, like I was underwater.
"…Jay?"
"…open your eyes…"
"…please…"
"…wake up…"
Keifer.
That one voice cut through everything.
I clung to it.
Fought toward it.
The darkness pulled at me — thick, warm, tempting — but I pushed, pushed, pushed until—
Light.
My eyelids cracked open.
Just barely.
Blurry shapes.
Colors.
Movement.
A figure right in front of me — breath shaking, eyes wide, broken and relieved at the same time.
"J-Jay?"
Keifer's voice cracked.
My throat burned.
My lips felt dry.
I tried to speak, but—
All that came out was the smallest whisper:
"…Kei..fer…"
He collapsed.
Not literally — but his whole body caved inward as a sob tore out of him.
His forehead dropped to my hand.
"Oh god— Jay— baby— you're here— you're back— thank you— thank you—"
His shoulders shook so violently Aries had to steady him.
THE ROOM EXPLODED
Stella screamed.
Like actually screamed.
"OH MY GOD—SHE'S AWAKE—DAVID SHE'S AWAKE—"
Cin burst into tears immediately.
Yuri's jaw dropped.
Zack yelled, "GUYS SHE'S NOT DEAD—JAY YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF US—"
Angelo covered his mouth, tears streaming down his face silently.
Alex quietly turned away, wiping his eyes like no one noticed.
Aries bent over Jay's legs, holding her foot gently like she might disappear again.
KEIFER — COMPLETELY UNDONE
He lifted his head slowly, cupping her cheek with shaking hands.
"Jay… look at me—please—"
Her eyes fluttered open wider.
Still weak.
Still unfocused.
But open.
Keifer let out the softest, most broken laugh.
"You came back…"
He whispered, forehead touching hers.
"You actually came back to me."
Jay blinked slowly.
"…hurts…" she croaked.
" I know, baby, I know—just breathe— I'm right here."
His thumb brushed her tears away.
Then his own tears fell onto her cheek.
"I thought I lost you," he whispered.
"I thought—"
His voice cracked.
"I can't live in a world without you."
She tried to move her fingers.
He noticed instantly — grabbed her hand like it was oxygen.
"Don't talk," he whispered softly.
"Just stay with me."
Jay blinked again.
A tear slid from her eye.
"…everyone…" her voice barely existed.
Stella lunged forward.
"WE'RE HERE!"
"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN JAY "
Cin sniffed loudly.
"Jay, I love you, but if you EVER pull a Sleeping Beauty stunt again, I'm slapping you when you recover."
Zack nodded.
"Seconded."
Alex muttered from the corner, "Agreed."
Aries just kept his hand over hers, eyes closed, whispering, "Thank you… thank you…"
Angelo finally spoke, voice trembling.
"Kid… you scared your kuya half to death…"
Jay's lips twitched.
A tiny smile.
Barely there.
But there.
KEIFER AGAIN — THE FINAL BREAK
He leaned closer, pressing a trembling kiss to her forehead.
"I love you," he whispered, voice still breaking.
"Just… stay. Okay? Stay with me. Don't go anywhere again."
Jay breathed weakly.
"…not… going… anywhere…"
Keifer let out a choked sound — relief flooding out of him like he'd been drowning for a week straight.
Everyone froze.
Everyone cried.
Everyone smiled through tears.
Jay was back.
Weak.
Fragile.
Barely hanging on.
But alive.
Awake.
Breathing.
Fighting.
And for the first time in seven nights —
Section E didn't break.
They healed. Slightly.
Together.Because their mutya woke up.
---
JAY'S POV — WHEN THE WORLD FINALLY FOCUSES
My lungs dragged in another breath — deeper this time.
The room didn't blur as much. Faces came into focus. Shapes sharpened.
Keifer hovered over me like he was afraid I'd vanish if he blinked.
My hand twitched again. He gasped like I'd just performed a miracle.
"Doctor—" Yuri bolted to the door, yanking it open, "SIR—SHE'S AWAKE—LIKE ACTUALLY AWAKE THIS TIME—NOT A HALLUCINATION—"
"I hallucinated?!" Zack shouted. "You WHAT—" Cin started.
But before the argument could start, the doctor walked in, pushing everyone aside like they were overly dramatic furniture.
---
THE DOCTOR EXAMINES HER
"Well, well," he said, adjusting his glasses, "someone finally decided to rejoin the living."
Stella glared.
"She was resting, sir."
Zack corrected, "She was dead-adjacent, don't sugarcoat it."
Cin jabbed him in the ribs.
The doctor ignored them.
He leaned over me, shining a small light into my eyes.
"Follow the light, Jay."
I did… slowly.
Keifer's hand tightened around mine like he was anchoring me to Earth.
"Good… good," the doctor murmured.
"Blink twice."
I blinked twice.
He checked the monitors, then my pulse, then pressed gently along my ribs.
I winced.
Keifer flinched harder than I did.
"Vitals are stabilizing," the doctor announced. "Motor response is returning. She's conscious, oriented, and—"
"Is she okay?" Angelo cut in, his voice shaking again.
The doctor gave a small smile.
"She's okay."
The room exhaled at the same time.
I swear the walls shook.
---
THE CROWD, BACK AT IT AGAIN
"JAY," Stella leaned over me dramatically.
"If you EVER scare me like that again, I will buy those hundred pairs of boots—AND THROW THEM AT YOUR HEAD."
Cin nodded aggressively.
"I'll eat your favorite food in front of you as punishment."
"Wow, betrayal," I croaked.
Everyone choked out a laugh — half relief, half hysteria.
Zack wiped his eyes.
"Jesus, you sound like a dying frog but I've never been happier."
Alex muttered, "Next time, we're bubble-wrapping her."
Yuri added, "And GPS tracking her."
"Microchipping," David said thoughtfully.
Aries snapped, "NO ONE IS CHIPPING MY SISTER—"
But his voice cracked halfway through as he kissed the bracelet in his hand and pressed it to my arm.
"Don't ever leave me again," he whispered.
---
KEIFER — WHO STILL HASN'T LET GO
The doctor turned to him.
"She needs rest. She's still very weak. No stress. No overwhelming emotions. No—"
Keifer, eyes red and puffy:
"I'm not leaving her."
The doctor sighed.
"I assumed."
Jay slowly turned her head toward him.
"Keifer…"
His breath caught.
He leaned in immediately.
"Yes, baby—what do you need?"
"…water…" I whispered.
He scrambled like water was the key to immortality.
Aries burst into hysterical laughter.
"She asks for water and he turns into The Flash."
Keifer shot him a murderous look while gently holding the straw to my lips like I was a fragile porcelain doll.
Jay's voice came out hoarse but stronger:
"…you look like you haven't slept… in a decade…"
Keifer's voice cracked again.
"I wasn't going to," he whispered.
"Not until you woke up."
My heart hurt.
Soft. Warm. Full.
"…I'm awake now…" I breathed.
He closed his eyes like those words alone stitched him back together.
---
SECTION E — THEIR GIRL IS BACK
The doctor finished noting something on his clipboard.
"She'll recover," he said firmly. "Slowly. But she will."
The room fell silent for a moment — not sad, not scared.
Just in awe.
Then Stella sniffed loudly.
"Okay everyone, group rule: nobody cti s anymore! "
"Too late," Yuri said, pointing at Keifer who was shamelessly crying again.
"But he's Keifer," Cin sighed.
"We allow it."
I blinked slowly.
"Guys…?"
Everyone leaned in.
"…I'm… tired…"
Ten voices answered at once:
"REST."
"SLEEP."
"DON'T MOVE."
"WE GOT YOU."
Keifer kissed her forehead gently.
"Sleep, baby," he whispered.
"I'm right here."
Her eyes fluttered shut.
Not fading. Not falling.
Resting.
Safely.
With everyone around her — alive, loud, annoying, loving.
Jay was home.....
JAY'S POV — MIDNIGHT, JUST US TWO
The room was quiet now.
Soft beeping.
Dim lights.
No more shouting, crying, cheering — just the steady rhythm of Keifer's breathing.
Everyone had finally gone home after being forced out by the doctor.
Aries was the last to leave, giving Keifer that older-brother glare like:
"Don't make her move. Don't breathe too loud. Don't exist aggressively."
Now it was just him.
And me.
Keifer had fallen asleep with his head resting on the edge of my bed, his hand wrapped around mine like if he let go I'd disappear again.
I blinked slowly, adjusting to the silence.
My body ached.
My chest felt heavy.
But seeing him—
God.
He looked exhausted.
Dark circles.
Messy hair.
Still wearing the same hoodie he'd worn the day I got shot.
Guilt tugged at my ribs.
"…Keifer…" I whispered, but not to wake him — just to taste the name again.
My fingers twitched.
I lifted them, slow and shaky.
And gently… I touched his hair.
It was soft.
Warm.
Familiar.
I threaded my fingers through it weakly, brushing through the strands.
He stirred.
A soft sound escaped him — like he wasn't fully awake yet, but he knew my touch.
I smiled.
My hand slid down to the back of his head, rubbing lightly.
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then his head snapped up like someone had electrocuted him.
His eyes were wide, disbelieving, glassy.
"Jay…?" he breathed, voice hoarse.
I smiled again — tiny but real.
"…hi…"
Keifer froze.
Then his face broke — not into a smile, not into a sob — something in between, something raw and relieved and wrecked.
"You're awake," he whispered, leaning closer, his hand cupping my cheek instantly, like he needed to feel I was solid. "You're really awake."
I nodded weakly.
"I didn't wanna… wake you. You looked cute."
His breath left him in a shaky half-laugh, half-cry.
"Oh my god," he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine carefully, afraid to hurt me. "You're teasing me. You're actually teasing me. Jay, don't do that, I'm going to explode."
My thumb brushed his jaw.
"You should sleep… you look tired…"
He shook his head fast, gripping her hand tighter.
"I'm not sleeping. Not unless you do. Not unless I know you're okay."
I looked at him — at the fear still trembling under his voice, the way his eyes scanned my face like he was memorizing me all over again.
"…I'm here," I whispered.
Keifer swallowed hard.
His voice cracked.
"I know. And I'm not letting go. Not tonight. Not anymore."
He leaned in, kissed her forehead gently, lingering like he'd been waiting a lifetime to do it.
Then he rested his head beside hers on the pillow — carefully, gently — his arm draped over her waist, protective but soft.
Jay closed her eyes again, breathing slow.
Safe.
Warm.
Alive.
Keifer whispered one last thing before sleep pulled them both under:
"Don't scare me again, Jay… please."
She squeezed his fingers faintly.
"…I won't…"