--: Author's POV:--
The relief in the room was so thick it was almost suffocating. But the medical monitors didn't share the sentiment. As Jay-jay's eyes stayed open, the machines began to wail. The beep-beep-beep grew faster, frantic, as her body realized it was no longer in the safety of the coma.
"Out! Everyone out now!" the lead doctor shouted, bursting through the doors with a team of respiratory therapists.
"No!" Keifer roared, his hand tightening around hers. "I'm not leaving her!"
Angelo grabbed Keifer's shoulder, his grip like iron. "Keifer, let them work! You're in the way!" He didn't wait for an answer; he used his strength to haul Keifer back, giving the nurses room to reach the ventilator.
The next few minutes were a blur of organized chaos. They had to wean her off the machine that had been breathing for her for 168 hours. Jay-jay's back arched off the bed, her hands clawing instinctively at the air as the tube was removed. She let out a series of raw, agonizing coughs—the sound of someone clawing their way back to the living.
--:Keifer's POV:--
I watched from the foot of the bed, my chest heaving in sync with hers. Every time she gasped, I felt my own lungs burn. Finally, the tube was out. She collapsed back against the pillows, her face pale and glistening with sweat, but she was breathing.
On her own.
The doctor checked her pupils and scribbled on a clipboard before looking at us. "She's exhausted. Her throat will be sore, and she'll be disoriented. Don't crowd her."
I didn't wait for another word. I walked back to her side. Her eyes were half-closed, drifting, but when I leaned over her, she found me again.
"Water..." she rasped. It was a tiny, broken sound.
I grabbed the cup with the straw, my hands trembling. I held it to her lips, supporting the back of her head. She took the smallest sip, a tiny wince crossing her face as she swallowed.
"Take it easy, Jay," I whispered. "Just small sips."
--:Aries's POV:--
We all stood at the edge of the bed—every single one of us who had been holding our breath for a week. The room was crowded, but nobody cared. Keigan was wiping his eyes, and Keiran stood stoic by the window. Ci N was already checking the medical tablets, and David stood like a mountain by the door. Behind them stood the rest of Section E. Looking at their tired, battle-worn faces, a wave of guilt hit me.
Our families... I thought. We weren't at home. We hadn't been home in a week. To our parents and the people who knew us outside Section E, we had made up a hundred lies. We told them we were on a school trip, or busy with an internship, or staying at each other's houses for a project. We had hidden this entire blood-soaked situation from them. They didn't know Jay-jay was fighting for her life. They didn't know we were living out of a high-security hospital wing.
The lies were piling up, but looking at Jay-jay's open eyes, I knew we'd tell a thousand more just to keep her safe.
Jay-jay's gaze moved slowly across the room, landing on the sea of familiar faces.
"You guys... look like... crap" she whispered, a ghost of her old smirk touching the corner of her mouth.
Angelo let out a bark of a laugh. And said, "You try sitting in a hospital hallway for a week and see how you look."
"A week?" Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of panic washing away the exhaustion. Suddenly, she grabbed Keifer's arm, her fingers digging into his skin with a strength that made his breath hitch. "Keifer... I have to tell you... I have to tell you why Kaizar was behind me. Why he wouldn't stop."
Her voice began to shake, and her chest started rising and falling in shallow, jagged bursts. She began to hyperventilate, her breaths coming out in sharp, terrifying wheezes. The heart monitor beside the bed started to scream, the numbers climbing into the danger zone.
"The pendrive... I found it, but I never got to see what was inside. I was just about to plug it into the laptop when I heard them coming. I heard his voice... and climbed down the window and ran. I ran as fast as I could, but I think he took it back while I was...."
"Jay, breathe! Look at me, breathe!" Keifer urged, his own heart hammering against his ribs. He leaned in, cupping her face with his hands, forcing her to lock eyes with him to break the panic.
"I'm sorry... I tried to hide it... but I think I lost it in the mud..." she gasped, her face turning pale as she struggled to catch a full breath. "I failed... I failed..."
"Jay, stop! Look at me!" Keifer's voice was firm but desperate. Still cupping her face softly. Like she is the most precious thing and get hurt by a little touch."You didn't fail. Look."
Jay-jay's eyes darted down to his hand. Keifer reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small, silver object. The pendrive glinted under the harsh hospital lights.
"I went back for it, Jay. I went back into that forest and I didn't leave until I found it. It's safe. We have it. Kaizar has nothing." Keifer said.
Jay-jay stared at the drive, the hyperventilation slowing as a long, shuddering sob of relief escaped her lungs. She collapsed back against the pillows, the tension finally leaving her body as she realized the burden was gone. "You found it..."
"We found it" Keifer corrected, looking around at the room full of tired, messy men.
Jay-jay looked at Section E. They were all watching her with looks of pure devotion. She realized then that they had all been waiting, protecting her while she was in the dark.
"Keifer..." she whispered, her voice still trembling. "Don't let it out of your sight. Promise me. That drive... Kaizar was willing to kill me just to keep it secret. It's the only thing that can stop him from hurting the rest of you."
Keifer gripped the drive tight, his knuckles turning white. "He will never touch you again, Jay. And he's never getting this back. I promise."
Angelo stepped forward, his massive hand resting on the bedpost. He looked at the weary faces of Section E. "You heard her. The fight isn't over, but the waiting is. Ci N, keep that drive locked in the vault. No one touches it until she is strong enough to talk us through it."
Jay-jay reached out, her small hand finding Keifer's again. The fear was still there, but for the first time in a week, the room felt like a home.