KEIFER POV
It's been a week. Seven days. Seven doses. Seven times I watched her body fold in on itself like it was trying to vanish.
She doesn't scream anymore. She just trembles. Quiet. Like her pain isn't worth the sound.
I hate it. All of it.
Jay stirred. Her fingers twitched against mine. Her eyes opened slowly, like even blinking took effort.
I leaned in. "Hey," I whispered.
She blinked at me. Then at the IV. Then back at me.
"You didn't sleep," she said.
I didn't answer. Didn't lie.
She stared. Longer than usual. Then asked, "What are you scared of?"
I froze. Same question. Same weight.
But this time, I didn't dodge.
"I'm scared I'll miss it," I said. "My chance to help. To say the right thing. To keep you here."
She didn't speak. Just watched me.
"I'm scared I'll mess up," I added. "That I'll say something wrong. That I'll break when you need me whole."
Her hand tightened around mine. Barely. But it was enough.
"I'm scared I'll lose you," I whispered. "And I won't know who I am without you."
She blinked. Then said, "You won't lose me."
I wanted to believe her. God, I wanted to.
But her skin was pale. Her voice thin. Her body fighting a war it never asked for.
And I was just the boy beside her. Holding her hand. Counting her breaths.
"I'm scared too," she said. "But I'm still here."
I nodded. Swallowed the ache in my throat.
"Then I'll stay scared," I said. "As long as you stay."
She smiled. Faint. Real.
And for now— That was enough.
She drifted off again. Still. Silent. Her hand limp in mine, her breathing shallow but steady.
I hadn't moved in hours. Didn't want to. Didn't trust myself to leave.
The door slammed open.
"Okay, this is a hostage situation," Percy declared. "Keifer, blink twice if you're being held emotionally captive."
I didn't blink. Didn't move.
Ci-N leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You look like a haunted Victorian widow. It's been a week, man."
Calix stepped forward, gentle as ever. "Jay's stable. You need sleep."
"I'm fine," I said.
Felix snorted. "Statistically, you're lying."
David crouched beside me. Soft-spoken. Kind. "Keif, you're allowed to rest. She'd want you to."
I looked at Jay. Still sleeping. Still fighting.
"I can't leave her."
Drew slid in beside me, all charm and mischief. "You're not leaving. You're rotating. Like a responsible adult."
Edrix, quiet in the corner, muttered, "We'll monitor her vitals. I've already hacked the nurse's alert system."
I blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Don't worry about it," Edrix said.
Eren popped his head in. "Take a break, Keifer. We've got her."
Mayo cartwheeled into the room. Literally. "REST OR I WILL SING."
Rory handed me a blanket. Didn't say anything. Just looked at me like he'd already solved the mystery of my exhaustion.
Denzel crossed his arms. "You're no good to her like this. Go. Sleep. That's an order."
Josh peeked in last. Didn't speak. Just gave me a shy thumbs-up and a granola bar.
Blaster was already setting up a playlist. "Sleep soundtrack. No arguments."
Kit appeared like mist. Elegant. Unbothered. "Your devotion is admirable. But even the sun rests."
I stared at all of them. Section E. Loud. Chaotic. Unrelenting.
And somehow— Exactly what I needed.
I stood. Let go of Jay's hand. Tucked the blanket around her.
"I'll be back," I whispered.
Percy saluted. "Go cry into a pillow. We got this."
I walked out. Heart heavy. Eyes burning.
And for the first time in days— I let myself sleep.
Sleep hit me hard. Like gravity. Like surrender.
And then I was somewhere else. Not the hospital. Not the hallway. Just… memory.
The first time I saw her, she was standing in the hallway, clutching a schedule and looking adorably lost.
"Hi," she said, voice soft but confident. "Is this the right class?"
I should've said yes. Should've helped her. Should've been normal.
Instead, I panicked. Because she was beautiful. And hot. And I was seventeen and stupid.
So I pointed down the hall. "Yeah, totally. Room 3B."
It was not Room 3B. It was the janitor's closet.
She came in twenty minutes late. Hair windblown. Eyes blazing.
And I— I made it worse.
"Hey," I said. "Are you a virgin?"
Jay turned. Slow. Deliberate.
Her eyes locked on mine. Sharp. Deadly.
She didn't speak. Didn't yell. Didn't punch me.
But her expression said: "I am calculating your demise."
I think I fell in love right then. Not because she was beautiful. But because she didn't flinch. Didn't shrink. Didn't let me get away with it.
She sat down. Opened her notebook. And ignored me for three weeks.
I deserved it.
In the dream, she turned back. Smiled at me. Soft. Real.
"You're still here," she said.
"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered.
And then I woke up. Heart full. Eyes wet.
She was still asleep. Still breathing.
And I was still here. Just like I promised.
I sat up slowly. The couch creaked beneath me. My neck ached. My eyes burned. But I'd slept. Finally.
The dream still clung to me. Her voice. That hallway. The way she looked at me like she already knew I was trouble.
I rubbed my face. Stood. Stretched.
The room was quiet. Too quiet.
I moved to the door. Pushed it open.
Jay was still there. Still asleep. Still breathing.
Section E had rearranged the room like it was their dorm.
Ci-N was asleep in a chair with a half eaten chocolate bar on his chest.
Percy had drawn a mustache on himself in glitter pen and passed out mid-prank.
Calix was reading aloud to no one.
David was curled up on the floor with a pillow someone definitely stole from another room.
Felix and Edrix were arguing in whispers over a tablet.
Eren was asleep with a nurse's number written on his arm
Mayo was sleeping next to kit
Rory was journaling.
Denzel was pacing.
Josh was sketching Jay.
Blaster had headphones in, nodding to a beat only he could hear.
And Jay— Jay was still here.
I walked over. Sat beside her again. Took her hand.
She stirred. Eyes fluttered open. Focused on me.
"You're back," she rasped.
"Always," I said.
She blinked. Then, with a ghost of a smile— "Did you sleep?"
"Yeah," I said. "Had a dream."
"About what?"
I hesitated. Then grinned. "You. And the janitor's closet."
She groaned. "God. That day."
"You were terrifying."
"You were an idiot."
"I still am."
She smiled. Then closed her eyes again. But her hand stayed in mine.
And for the first time in a week— I didn't feel like I was drowning.