PERCY'S POV
Everything happens too fast—and somehow not fast enough.
The moment her body gives out, I see it before it fully happens—the way her knees buckle, the way her breath stutters like it's been ripped out of her—and before I can even reach—Keifer catches her.
Like instinct. Like he never unlearned how to hold her.
"Jay—JAY—!" his voice breaks, panic slicing through every bit of control he had left as he drops to the ground with her in his arms, his hands shaking against her face. "No—no, no, no—open your eyes—Jay, look at me—please—"
Something inside me snaps.
"MOVE!" I shout, already pulling my phone out, my entire body running on adrenaline and fear. "We need to get her to the hospital—NOW!"
But he doesn't move.
He's frozen over her, his forehead pressing against hers, his voice falling apart. "Jay—please—please don't do this—breathe, baby—just breathe—"
I grab his shoulder hard.
"KEIFER!"
He looks up at me—and I swear I've never seen someone look that destroyed.
"Pick her up," I say, my voice deadly now. "Or I will."
That's what gets him moving.Asshole.
Carefully—he slides his arms under her, lifting her like she might break if he breathes wrong, her head falling weakly against his chest as he stands up too fast, almost losing balance.
"Take her to the car," I snap, already moving.
Behind us, I hear footsteps—Rory. Edrix. No words. Just following.
Good because right now—if they speak—I might lose it.
I'm behind the wheel, hands gripping the steering so tight my knuckles burn, my eyes locked on the road but my mind stuck in the backseat.
"Jay—hey—hey, come on—stay with me—" Keifer's voice keeps breaking behind me, softer now, desperate, his hand tapping lightly against her cheek. "Open your eyes—just once—please…"
"She needs her airway clear, Keifer" I bark, not even looking back. "Lift her head—give it a proper alignment—don't let it drop!"
"I am—!" his voice cracks. "She's not responding—Percy—she's not—"
"Keep talking to her!" I snap. "Don't let her slip!"
Silence doesn't exist in that car.
Only fear and only panic.Only the sound of him begging her to wake up like his life depends on it.
And I hate it.
I hate that he gets to say her name like that.
I hate that she's like this because of him.
The hospital doors slam open before the car fully stops.
I'm out in seconds.
"DR. HARRISON!" I shout, my voice echoing through the hallway, sharp, commanding, borderline feral. "GET HIM HERE NOW!"
Nurses rush. Staff moves.
Keifer doesn't wait—he's already carrying her inside, refusing to let anyone else take her, his grip tight, protective, terrified.
"Sir, we need to take her—"
"No—" his voice is low, dangerous, shaking. "I'm not letting go—"
"KEIFER!" I snap. "LET THEM DO THEIR JOB!"
That's the only reason he loosens his hold.Just enough for them to move her onto the stretcher.
Dr. Harrison arrives within seconds, already assessing, already issuing orders.
"What happened to her?"
"She collapsed—breathing irregular—possible panic trigger—" I fire everything out at once, my chest heaving.
His expression tightens. "Get her inside. Now."
And just like that—She's gone.The doors slam shut behind them and the silence that follows?
It's worse than anything before.
The moment those doors close—
I turned around and I grab him.My fist collides with his jaw before he even fully registers the movement.
The sound echoes..He stumbles back—but doesn't fall.Doesn't fight.Doesn't even defend himself.
Good.
Because I'm not done.
I grab his collar, shoving him hard against the wall, my grip tightening like I might actually choke him.
"This is ALL YOUR fault!" I shout, my voice breaking under the weight of everything I've been holding in. "You don't get to show up after months—AFTER EVERYTHING—and do this to her!"
His head drops slightly, breathing uneven, but he doesn't push me away.
"I tried to stay away—" he starts, voice wrecked.
"SHUT UP!" I slam him harder against the wall. "You think that fixes anything?! You think tracking her down, cornering her, dragging her back into your mess is protecting her?!"
"I didn't know—" his voice cracks. "I didn't know she was this bad—"
"You didn't know because you weren't there!" I snap, my eyes burning now. "You weren't there when she couldn't sleep. When she couldn't eat. When she pretended she was okay just so we wouldn't break!"
That hits.
I see it.
I don't stop.
"You weren't there when she cried herself to sleep thinking she wasn't enough," my voice drops, colder now, sharper. "And you sure as hell weren't there when she stopped believing anyone would stay."
His hands clench into fists—but still, he doesn't hit back.Doesn't even try.
PATHETIC.
"Hit me," I say suddenly, shoving him once more. "Go on. Do something."
He doesn't.Just shakes his head slowly.
"I deserve that," he mutters, barely audible.
That pisses me off more..I punch him again.
Harder.He stumbles—but still doesn't fight.
Rory steps forward slightly. "Percy—"
"Stay out of this!" I snap without looking at him.
Because this?This isn't done.
I grabbed Keifer again, pulling him forward.
"If anything happens to her—" my voice drops into something deadly quiet, every word deliberate, "I swear to God I will make sure you never come near her again."
Then I shove him back.Hard enough that he finally loses balance and hits the bench behind him and for the first time since this started—He doesn't get up immediately.
He just sits there.Head in his hands.Broken and I stand there.Breathing hard.Waiting.
Because right now—Nothing matters except those doors and whether she walks out of their or not.
The waiting doesn't feel like time—it feels like punishment.
Every second stretches, tight and suffocating, my eyes locked on those doors like if I look away for even a moment something worse will happen, something I won't be able to fix.
Then—it opened.
Dr. Harrison steps out, his expression sharp, unreadable, already scanning us like he's piecing things together faster than we can breathe.
"I need her recent files," he says immediately, no greeting, no softness. "—where is it?"
"It's in the hospital confidential files in the hospital system," I answer quickly, stepping forward. "Everything's logged here confidential access."
He turns to the nurse beside him. "Pull up Jasper Jean Mariano's file. Now. Priority clearance."
She nods and rushes off.And then—His eyes come back to me.
"What triggered her?"
The question lands like a hit I wasn't ready for.
"I thought I was very clear," he continues, his tone tightening, controlled but edged with frustration. "No emotional stress. No shock factors. She was stabilizing. She was getting better.she was recovering but now her mind is all foggy and she's hypertventilating...."
My throat goes dry.
Because how do I answer that?
How do I say him without making everything worse?
How do I explain that the one person she wasn't ready to face just walked straight back into her life like nothing happened?
I open my mouth—Nothing comes out.Silence answers for me and that's enough.
His jaw tightens slightly, disappointment flashing across his face before he exhales sharply, already stepping back.
"You know what I don't care just get me those reports,we can talk later..." he says, now as the nurse rushes back, handing him the tablet.
He scans it quickly. Efficient. Focused.Then without another word—He turns and walks back inside.The doors shut again.And just like that—
We're back to waiting.
I don't even realize he's standing beside me until—
"What's wrong with her Percy?"
Keifer's voice is different now..
His voice rough,s omething darker,something dangerous.
I don't look at him immediately because saying it out loud makes it real in a way nothing else does.
Makes it heavier.Permanent.
"She's sick,Keifer." I say finally, my voice quieter than before, but steady.
"That's not an answer."
Now I look at him and for the first time since he showed up—I don't see arrogance.
I don't see control.
I just see someone bracing for impact.
So I don't soften it.I don't filter it.
"She has brain cancer. First stage...and was recovering until you showed up..."
The words hit him hard I could see them hit.
His entire body stills like someone just ripped the ground out from under him, his expression going blank—not because he doesn't feel it, but because he feels too much all at once.
For a second—He doesn't breathe.
Doesn't blink.Nothing.
Just stood there.Frozen.Like the world stopped making sense.
And then slowly—Too slowly—
His hand lifts slightly, like he's trying to hold onto something that isn't there anymore.
"…what?" his voice comes out barely audible, like it doesn't belong to him.
I don't repeat it.I didn't need to.Because the silence after?Says everything.