Mira hated sleeping in the on-call room, a cramped space with bunk beds and the smell of cleaning chemicals always lingering. The bustle of the emergency room was muffled, but she could still hear the chaos through the thin walls. Not once in her two years had she ever been able to truly rest in here, but right now, so utterly exhausted that her feet dragged along the floor, sleep would be inevitable. Even the itchy wool blankets didn’t bother her in that moment. Mira was out as soon as her head hit the pillow, still in her scrubs, her shoes remained on her feet. Romance was right; she really needed to sleep.
Remaining still as she slept until the sound of thunder woke her, like a warning call. Mira slowly opened her eyes, torn away from a peaceful dream, the details fading as she woke, but the feeling remained. Mira felt loved and safe and knew she was dreaming of them, Zoey and Rumi, cuddling up close. Unfortunately, no one was holding her, and she had slept on her side. Her body was stiff, and her mouth open, leaving it dry, her lips cracked. Slowly getting up, she stretched out her back and arms before grabbing a plastic cup and filling it with water from the small tap in the corner. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Mira adjusted her hair. According to the clock, she had only slept about 3 hours, but it was enough and she was anxious to see them.
Mid-morning was the closest the emergency room got to a slow period; beds were still full, but it wasn’t life and death, as it was more broken bones and gaping wounds. Walking up to Rumi’s room, Mira’s hair stood on end upon sighting a grey bag and an unknown man through the doorway, and someone else in the bed. Immediately, her heart was racing. Where was she? Has something happened? Why didn’t anyone come and wake her? Rushing back down to the emergency room, she found Romance there, his eyes wide and mouth open to talk, but she cut him off.
“Where are they!?”
“I’m sorry, they already left. I was stuck in an emergency procedure,” Romance winced as he said it, backing away.
Mira could see the guilt in his eyes, knew that it wasn’t his fault, but that didn’t change anything. It didn’t change the fact that she had let them down; she wasn’t there. That they were gone.
“You didn’t wake me. I’m Rumi’s doctor; I decide when she gets discharged!”
“Girl seemed like she wanted to go,” Another colleague shrugged, overhearing the conversation, quickly shutting his mouth when Mira turned her glare towards him.
But no one offered further support or shared Mira’s concern for Rumi’s well-being, giving her a pitying look as if she were the one who needed help. Letting out a sigh, Mira rushed off, eyes desperately peering around for a sign of Zoey and Rumi, before grabbing a tablet from the desk. Opening Rumi’s patient file, she couldn’t believe what she was reading. Rumi had signed herself out, despite advice to remain, taking no further pain medication or antibiotics with her. Mira felt her blood pressure drop and slammed the tablet back on the desk. It was only in this moment that Mira realised how much she had trusted Romance, relied on him, but all that faith was gone now. A fact she wanted him to know, her vengeful glare was squarely aimed at him.
“Sometimes, you just can’t save them,” Romance said, sighing, ready to place his hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away.
“Don’t patronise me,” Mira spat.
“You should head home,” Romance added, still looking at her with sympathy, but she shook her head.
“When did they leave?” Mira stated coldly,
Trying her best to hold back the tears welling in her eyes. There was no other way to describe the feeling, but it was as if Zoey and Rumi had been stolen from her.
“Mira, please let it go.” Romance words were not even heard, though her ears were ringing while her thoughts spiralled.
“When!?”
“About twenty minutes ago, some guy showed up, they were arguing, but they left with him.”
“No, no, no, no,” Mira mumbled her thoughts spiralling, hoping they hadn't left with this Jinu they had mentioned earlier, the guy who seemed to be the cause of Rumi's injuries.
Mira stormed out of the hospital as quickly as she could grab her things. She probably looked crazy, but she didn’t care. Without a word, she took Rumi's medication and ran out to where her car was parked in the street. Putting on her coat, a storm had rolled in while she slept, and the rain was cold, soaking through her clothes, before she could get into her black SUV. Without even considering any other option, she began looking for them, scanning every street corner, any place they could likely be.
Sure that she would drive all night to find them, but she wouldn’t have to, as she pulled out to the street. Mira slammed on the brakes, unable to believe her eyes. Crossing the street in front of her, Zoey was a few steps behind Rumi and a boy in a grey sweatshirt. While Rumi’s jd Zoey remained in just their t-shirts, strolling through the pouring rain to the other side of the road. Sharply, Mira turned the car, illegally crossing over three lanes, before slowing down alongside them and rolling down the window. Mira could hear Zoey arguing with her arms folded, stomping her feet in the puddles as she followed them.
“Rumi, I want to go back,” Zoey pleaded.
“I’m fine, I swear,” Rumi sighed in a petulant huff.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Mira yelled more desperately than she thought she’d sound.
“Mira?” Zoey turned, stopping in her tracks with a frown on her face.
Rumi didn’t even look at her and didn't stop walking, being tugged along by a man in a hood, a man she presumed was this Jinu. Mira put the park brake on, blocking traffic. She got a few beeps from the cars behind her and ignored them. Abruptly jumping out of the car, Mira slammed the door. Her anger was mounting as she spotted the rain soaking through Rumi’s bandage, the blood trickling down to the pavement. Having no right to be this angry and disappointed in her, she barely knew Rumi, and yet she intended to drag her arse into the car if she had to.
“Stop!” Mira yelled through the rain.
Rumi glanced back to face Mira, and all her anger faded away with one look in those anxious eyes. With one glance, Rumi said so much. I’m scared, I’m confused, I’m running.
“I said stop, Rumi!” Mira yelled.
“I can’t,” Rumi whimpered out as Mira stepped closer, but she backed away with every step Mira took.
Zoey was at Mira’s side now, looking to her for help, begging for it with her eyes. Rumi still shied away like a stray animal, too afraid and confused to accept it. Bolting at the first sign of trouble.
“You will be right back in that emergency room, or worse.” Mira's voice broke; she wouldn't dare say the words, but her mind couldn’t help but picture it: Rumi lying on a metal slab in the morgue.
Rumi turned and kept walking, but the boy didn’t, glancing back at Mira with a confused frown.
“Wait, Rumi, maybe you should go with her.”
“Jinu?” Rumi scoffed.
Jinu folded his arms, raising his eyebrows at Rumi.
“You said you needed someone to pick you up from the hospital, but left out the part about you being the patient?!”
“They’re just being dramatic, I feel fine,” Rumi said unconvincingly.
“Rumi! Stop it, stop pretending you're ok, you don’t have to be ok!” Zoey yelled, breathing so heavily that her whole body shook as her fists clenched.
All three of them froze. Jinu looked like he was about to run into the road rather than face Zoey, while Rumi froze, her girlfriend's desperate pleas seemingly breaking through those emotional walls for a brief moment.
“I am not going to watch you die. Get in the car,” Zoey quietened down, and somehow this was scarier; her arm up, she pointed at Mira’s car.
A look shared between the couple, layered with deep understanding and heartache, and Mira wondered where this fire was when Rumi discharged herself. Before she could even ask Zoey why she let Rumi walk out, she was under fire.
“And where were you!?” Zoey turned to Mira, arms folded.
Somewhat startled, Mira paused before speaking.
“Asleep, I got my fr-another doctor to watch over you both, but-”
“I trusted you, I thought-” Zoey’s words trailed off, but there were no tears in her eyes. They just seemed dim, the spark was gone, and she looked hopeless.
“I’m sorry”
Zoey's anger towards Mira faded quickly, and in her expression was nothing but longing. For what Mira didn’t quite register.
“No, it’s not your fault” Zoey let out a deep breath, defeated.
Rumi stepped closer, her arm on Zoey’s back, and she stroked it gently, trying to soothe her, but there was no time for this. Rain was still pelting down on them. Mira’s heart raced, and she opened the car door.
“You need to get out of the rain, Rumi. You'll get sick again.” Mira’s eyes went to the blood mixed with the rain trickling down her leg.
“What’s the point!? So I stay in a hospital bed another day, then what? We still don’t have a place to go, I don’t have time to recover and Jinu needs me,” Rumi stated.
Mira turned to him, having forgotten for a moment that he was still standing there.
“I wouldn’t have asked her for help if I knew she was sick,” Jinu stuttered out as both Zoey and Mira glared at him.
“You should have never asked her at all!” Zoey spat.
Jinu recoiled slightly before letting out a defeated sigh. Rumi shook her head, ready to keep arguing, a desperate fear in her eyes, but Jinu spoke first.
“Rumi, just get better. I can handle ‘him’,” Jinu stated, but he had no confidence in his voice.
“Wait, handle who, what's else is going on, you two?” Zoey's eyes went wide as if she knew exactly who Jinu was referring to.
“His boss, Jinu owes him money” Rumi turned back to Jinu with sympathetic eyes, “and you shouldn’t have to face it alone”
“Rumi, you can’t help me, nobody can” Jinu let go of Rumi’s hand, a fire in his eyes and anger that had Mira on edge.
Before Rumi could continue to argue, she was cut off by an excessively loud and prolonged car horn, which disrupted their discussion, and Mira rolled her eyes and turned around.
“Go around!” Mira yelled, gesturing to the white Mercedes that was honking at them, to just switch to the other lane and move along.
“Ok, ok, I’ll get in the car,” Rumi sighed, her paleness somewhat returning and her movements sluggish.
Zoey held Rumi’s hand as she limped towards the car, while Mira’s eyes darted back over to Jinu with a hateful glare.
“You're getting blood on the seat, Rumi,” Zoey said as they climbed in.
Mira closed the door behind them, letting out a sigh of relief. The rain was still pouring down, and she gave one last withering glare to Jinu, still unsure of his intentions in all this. Then walked around the car to the driver's side and took off.
It was silent, as all three of them tried to take a breath, aware that her emotions were heightened. Mira decided to wait before speaking. But her mind wouldn’t rest; her focus was on their shivering in the back of her car, and she blasted the heating. The sound of the fans' exhaust was the only sound apart from the catchy K-pop song playing on the radio for a few minutes, until Rumi spoke.
“I’m sorry,” Rumi blurted out anxiously.
It caused Mira to frown sympathetically. Not expecting this, she thought maybe Rumi would yell at her or tell her to leave them alone. After all, what right did she have to interfere like this? If Rumi wanted to leave the hospital and refuse care, that was her right.
Mira knew that logically, but logic seemed to have no place in her world since meeting them. She couldn’t face her feelings right now, even as her pinning, her frustration with everything, was all mounting to a critical point. Now it was impossible to hold back, straining under the pressure, she finally said something.
“So that was ‘Jinu’?” Mira asked pointedly.
“Yes, he was just trying to help. We did a job together, but we got into some trouble.”
“Why do you take on everything alone, and why do you think you need to save him, Rumi?” Zoey sighed, exasperated.
“I don’t understand?” Mira frowned at them through the rearview mirror.
“Jinu, he finds work for me, odd jobs, I owe him,” Rumi explained sheepishly.
“Work?! Is that what we're calling breaking and entry, stealing! With his group of idiots?” Zoey spat.
“We don’t take from anyone who can’t afford to lose it,” Rumi argued.
“That's not the point, Rumi, you lied to me again!” Zoey gasped out, but she didn’t cry this time, just had a devastated look in her eyes.
"That's why you discharged yourself, to go out on some crime spree,” Mira scoffed, furrowing her brow.
“If I do this one last job, we’ll be free!” Rumi paused, turning to Zoey with desperate eyes “We can make a fresh start,” Rumi argued, turning to Zoey with pleading eyes.
They understood what Rumi was trying to do and why. But it wasn’t the way to handle things, and Zoey just shook her head, causing Rumi to wince.
“You knew you’d have to leave, that's why you asked me how long you’d be admitted” Mira sighed as she realised this.
“Jinu was counting on me, I-.”
“I need you to be ok. I don’t care about money,” Zoey stated firmly.
“I’m really sorry,” Rumi said again with big puppy dog eyes.
Mira’s eyes were so focused on them in her back seat that she almost hit the car in front of them, but slammed on her brakes just in time. Great, a self-sacrificing badass and her naive, albeit strong-willed, girlfriend had captivated Mira’s heart, and now, Mira had no choice but to look after them. It was too late; they had woven themselves into her heart, and any attempt to separate would leave behind a scar, and Mira already had one too many.
“I should have stayed awake,” Mira sighed, her shame becoming an overbearing weight on her chest.
“You promised” Zoey’s anger had faded; all that remained was a deep sadness.
Zoey’s wide eyes were looking up at her through the rearview mirror. Mira could see she was exhausted by her life. Begging Mira to remain in it, to tag in when Zoey needed a break.
“Zoey, I-I won’t let you down again,” Mira could barely utter the words caught in her throat, horrified that she had been entrusted with Rumi’s care and failed. Now locking eyes with Zoey, she gave her a look that promised it would never happen again.
Zoey nodded and began to sob out of relief, and Rumi wrapped her arms around Zoey, letting her cry into her shoulder. A few minutes went by as Zoey was soothed in Rumi’s arms. Mira’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, wishing she could hold them both right now.
“Where are you taking us? I don’t want to go back to that hospital,” Rumi asked, looking out the window with a frown.
Probably confused that they hadn’t already arrived back at the hospital, as they had been driving for a few minutes and it was only a block away.
“Uh, my place,” Mira stated, a little surprised herself.
Mira had started driving there before she even realised it, caught up in the conversation, it was automatic. Now that she was pulling into the underground car park of the luxury apartment complex, she knew this was the right place to be. Aware that Rumi needed more care, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t offer with the personal supplies she had in her apartment.
