--: Author's POV: --
The moon hung high over Bangkok, silver light bleeding through the sheer curtains of the master suite. The rhythmic, mechanical hum of the IV pump was the only sound in the room. Keifer was propped up against the pillows, his color slowly returning, though the dark circles under his eyes remained as a testament to the price he had paid.
Jay Jay hadn't moved from her spot by the bed. She had refused dinner, refused to leave for a shower, and refused to let anyone else take her place. She sat in the armchair she had dragged to the bedside, her eyes wide and fixed on Keifer's face, as if her gaze alone was keeping him anchored to the world.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The silence was starting to feel heavy. I watched her—the way her fingers were restlessly picking at the hem of her hoodie, the way she flinched every time the IV machine made a noise. She was acting like a soldier on the front lines, but her eyes... her eyes looked like they were drowning.
I reached out, my hand still feeling a bit heavy, and covered hers. She jumped at the touch, her gaze snapping to mine.
"You should be sleeping, Jay," I whispered, my voice stronger than it had been this morning but still carrying a rasp.
"I'm fine," she said immediately, her voice too bright, too fast. She stood up, reaching for the water glass on the nightstand. "Are you thirsty? The doctor said you need to stay hydrated. And I should check your temperature again—"
"Jay Jay. Stop."
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I froze. My hand stayed hovered over the water glass. I didn't want to stop. If I stopped moving, the thoughts would catch up. If I stopped "caring" for him, I'd have to look at the fact that he was in that bed because of me.
"I'm just doing what the doctor said," I muttered, refusing to look at him. "I'm the one on guard, remember? You need to rest."
"You aren't guarding the room, Jay," Keifer said softly, his grip on my hand tightening just enough to pull me back to the edge of the bed. "You're punishing yourself. Talk to me."
--: Author's POV: --
The air in the room seemed to vanish. Jay Jay sat back down on the edge of the mattress, her shoulders hunched. The "protector" mask she had been wearing all day began to crack. She stared at their joined hands—his, large and scarred; hers, small and trembling.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
"What is there to talk about?" I whispered, the first tear hitting the white duvet. "You collapsed, Keifer. You almost... your heart almost stopped. Because of me."
"It wasn't because of you," he countered, but I cut him off, my voice rising in a sharp, broken sob.
"Yes, it was! I sat in that bed for days and let you be my wall! I knew you weren't sleeping. I knew you weren't eating right. But I was so selfish... I was so scared of him that I let you kill yourself just to make me feel safe. I'm supposed to be the strong one, but I turned you into a sacrifice."
I looked at him then, my vision blurred by salt and pain. "Every time I look at that IV line, it's a reminder that I broke you. I'm playing at being a guard now because I don't know how else to live with the fact that I almost lost you because I was too weak to face a ghost."
--: Keifer's POV: --
The weight of her words hit me harder than the physical collapse ever could. She was carrying the blame for the entire world on her small shoulders. I pulled her closer, ignoring the pull of the IV in my arm, until she was forced to lean against my chest.
"Listen to me," I said, my voice low and fierce, right against her ear. "I didn't stay awake because you asked me to. I stayed awake because seeing you breathe was the only thing that kept me sane. You didn't 'let' me break, Jay. I chose to hold that door shut because you are the only thing in this world worth breaking for."
I felt her sob into my shirt, her hands clutching at me like she was afraid I'd vanish if she let go.
"You think you're weak because you were scared?" I continued, stroking her hair. "Jay, you went through hell. You didn't lose your strength; you just handed the sword to me for a few days while you healed. That's what we do. We take turns holding the weight."
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
"But you went too far," I choked out, my face buried in his neck. The scent of him—soap and that faint, metallic scent of the hospital—was grounding me. "You always go too far for me."
"And I'd do it again," he whispered. "But if you really want to pay me back for staying awake... then you need to forgive yourself. Because seeing you look at me with that much guilt? That hurts worse than the collapse, Jay."
I pulled back just enough to look at him. He looked tired, yes, but the love in his eyes was so steady it made the "ghost" of my stepfather feel small. For the first time since the factory, the crushing weight in my chest loosened just a fraction.
--: Author's POV: --
For the next hour, they didn't talk about the factory or the brothers or the F4. Jay Jay sat on the bed with him, her head resting on his shoulder, and for the first time, she actually listened to his breathing without panic. She helped him drink his juice, and when he finally started to drift off, she didn't stay in the chair.
She curled up on the mattress next to him, her hand resting over his heart, monitoring its beat with her own skin.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I watched his eyes close, his face finally peaceful in sleep. I still felt the guilt—it was a deep, dull ache that wouldn't go away overnight—but it was different now. It wasn't a weight that made me want to hide; it was a fire that made me want to stand up.
--: Author's POV: --
Jay Jay watched him for a moment, then looked toward the door. She didn't have to wonder if the hallway was empty. She knew her family better than that. She could feel the collective weight of their worry pressing against the wood of the door like a physical force.
Slowly, she stood up, careful not to wake Keifer, and padded toward the door.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I opened the door softly. Just as I expected, the hallway was a sea of exhausted, haunted faces.
Angelo and Aries were leaning against the wall like stone pillars, their eyes bloodshot and dark. The F4 were slumped further down, and the boys of Section E along with the girls were scattered along the corridor. They looked like they were waiting for a death toll, not a recovery.
"I told you all to go and rest," I said, my voice low but carrying a cold, steady authority. "Look at you. You're all pale. If you don't go to your rooms now, you're going to fall just like he did. I won't have the whole house in hospital beds today."
--: Angelo's POV: --
I didn't move an inch. I looked at Jay Jay—really looked at her. She was trying to sound in control, but her hands were tucked into her sleeves to hide the shaking.
"We aren't going anywhere, Jay," I said, my voice rough and stubborn. "You're in no state to be giving orders. You look like you're about to collapse yourself. Go back inside and lie down. We'll handle the watch. We aren't leaving you alone in there."
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
"No, Kuya," I stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind me so I wouldn't wake the boys. I stood my ground, staring up at my older brother. I didn't flinch. "You've been the wall for these days. It's my turn. I mean it. Go to your rooms. I will check on every single one of you repeatedly tonight. If I find you still awake or out here, I won't speak to any of you tomorrow. I'll shut everyone out again. Is that what you want?"
The threat hung in the air, cold and heavy. They knew I meant it. After the hell of the last few days, the idea of me retreating back into that silent, ghost-like state was the only thing that could actually scare them into obeying.
--: Angelo's POV: --
I winced. That was a low blow, and she knew it. But looking at the dark circles under her eyes and the set of her jaw, I realized she wasn't playing around.
"Jay Jay, don't use that against us—" I started, my temper flaring from pure exhaustion. I wanted to grab her and force her to sleep. I wanted to tell her that I was the oldest and I decided who watched whom.
But then I looked past her, through the crack of the door, at Keifer. He was finally still. And then I looked at my sister's eyes. They weren't pleading. They were hard.
Aries reached out, grabbing my arm. "Kuya, look at the room. We're crowding them. He needs air, and she needs to feel like she's in control of something. Let's just go."
I gritted my teeth, the muscle in my jaw jumping. I didn't want to leave. I hated leaving. But the silence in the hallway was becoming suffocating. With a final, frustrated huff, I pointed a finger at her. "Fine. But if you feel even a little bit dizzy, or if he even coughs, you yell. You don't 'check' on us. You yell. Understood?"
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I just nodded, watching them finally, reluctantly, begin to filter away. But Thyme didn't move. He stood there, his hands in his pockets, his messy hair falling over eyes that were uncharacteristically sharp.
"You said you're going to check on all of us," Thyme said, his voice cutting through the quiet. "To make sure we're sleeping well."
"I am."
"Then who checks on you, Jay Jay?" he asked. The question was blunt, hitting me right in the center of my chest. "Who's going to check if you are sleeping? Who's going to make sure the ghost isn't back the second you close your eyes? You're so busy playing the guard for everyone else... but who is guarding you tonight?"
I went still. I didn't have an answer. I didn't want anyone to guard me; I felt like I deserved the nightmares if they came as a price for Keifer's safety.
"I'll be fine, Thyme. Just go," I said, turning my back on him before he could see my eyes well up.
--: Author's POV: --
Thyme lingered for a long moment, a heavy frown on his face, before he finally turned and walked toward his room.
Jay Jay let out a shaky breath and looked down. Keiran and Keigan were still there, huddled by the doorframe like two lost souls. Keiran, the younger of the two, looked especially small next to his older brother, Keigan. Both of their eyes were puffy, and they looked like they were barely holding it together.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I knelt in front of them, my heart breaking for Keifer's brothers. "He just woke up," I whispered, ruffling Keigan's hair and giving Keiran a reassuring nod. "He looks much better. He's just sleeping now."
"Can we stay?" Keiran whispered, his voice cracking.
"Come in," I said, ushering them into the dim room. "The bed is big. If you want, you can sleep beside him tonight. I think he needs to feel his brothers there."
--: Author's POV: --
The two brothers scrambled onto the massive bed, moving like shadows to avoid the IV line. They tucked themselves into Keifer's side, and instinctively, even in his sleep, Keifer's arm moved to pull them in.
Jay Jay watched them for a long time. There was no space left on the bed, and she didn't want to disturb the peace they had finally found. She walked over to the heavy velvet armchair she had dragged to the bedside and sat down, pulling a small blanket over her legs.
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I'll just stay awake a little longer, I told myself. I watched the steady drip of the IV. I watched the rise and fall of the three brothers' chests.
I leaned my head back, my hand reaching out to touch the very edge of the mattress. I wanted to feel them. I wanted to know they were real.
I didn't realize how heavy my eyelids were. I didn't realize that for the first time in days, the "ghost" was being drowned out by the sound of their breathing. Before I could even count the heartbeats, I was out—slumped in that chair, finally surrendering to the exhaustion I had been fighting.
--: Author's POV: --
An hour later, a shadow appeared at the door. Angelo hadn't gone to sleep. He stood in the doorway, watching his sister sleep in the chair, her hand still reaching for Keifer even in her dreams.
He felt a presence behind him. Thyme was standing there, his arms crossed, leaning against the hallway wall.
"I knew she wouldn't sleep in a bed," Thyme whispered.
"At least she's sleeping," Angelo replied quietly. He stepped in and tucked the blanket tighter around Jay Jay's shoulders, his heart heavy with a mix of pride and worry.
The penthouse was finally quiet. The wall hadn't fallen—it had just changed hands.