𓍯33𓂃

Dove's

Everything happened so fast. One moment, I was just laughing, sipping my drink, enjoying the warmth as it slid down my throat. Everything felt so normal, so… calm. But then, like a switch was flipped, something wasn’t right. A wave of nausea hit me out of nowhere, making my stomach churn.

My head swam, dizziness clouding my thoughts. My throat felt tight—numb. I tried to breathe, but the air didn’t feel right, like it was just out of my reach. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even call out. Panic started to rise, but before I could do anything, everything went black.

The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital room, the cold sterile smell making me want to gag. A doctor’s voice echoed in the back of my mind, muffled and distant. “It appears someone mixed local anaesthesia into her drink,” he said. My heart pounded in my chest, but my mind was still hazy, struggling to grasp what had just happened.

But I wasn't awake for long. I had fallen into darkness again even before I could process anything.

Dae’s

I had never run so fast in my life, my heart slamming against my ribs with every step. Dove. I had to get to her. The hospital doors were in front of me, but they might as well have been miles away. I pushed them open, breathless, and nearly tripped over myself as I approached the receptionist.

“Dove Noelle Chauvin,” I panted, barely able to get the words out.

She nodded, quickly typing something into her computer before handing me a room number. My legs were already moving before I even realized it. My mind only focused on one thing: getting to Dove.

Room 312. I saw the door, and my pulse quickened.

The door number was just a few feet away, but it felt like I was moving through mud. When I finally reached it, my hand shook as I grabbed the handle, pushing the door open.

The sight that greeted me almost knocked the breath from my lungs.

Dove lay there, unconscious, an oxygen mask covering her face. Her usual vibrancy was absent, her body too still. Megan, Hyejin, and our french teacher, professor Lee were all seated by her bedside, worry etched into their faces. The silence in the room was deafening, and my heart twisted painfully in my chest.

I stood frozen for a moment, too stunned to move, my mind struggling to process what was happening.

Megan was the first to notice me standing in the doorway. Her eyes narrowed, and I could see the tension in her shoulders as she stood up. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice a mix of suspicion and concern.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I wasn’t sure how to explain the surge of panic I felt. The desperate need to be there for her. “I… I came as soon as I heard the news.” My voice was quieter than I intended, but the words felt too heavy to rush through.

I took a step into the room, my gaze flickering to Dove’s still form, the oxygen mask obscuring her face. “How is she? What happened?” I asked, the question slipping from my lips before I could stop it.

The uncertainty in my voice must’ve caught Megan off guard because she hesitated before answering, her expression softening slightly. “We don’t really know. One minute, she was fine, and the next… She just passed out. The doctors think someone mixed local anaesthesia into her drink. It’s… it’s not good, Dae.”

My chest tightened at the words, the weight of them crushing me. Someone had hurt her, and I wasn’t there to stop it. The guilt hit me like a freight train, but I pushed it down, trying to focus on Dove.

My breath caught in my throat as I stepped closer to the bed, my heart sinking at the sight of Dove. Her skin, usually warm and glowing, was almost unnaturally pale, drained of all colour. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought she was… gone.

The oxygen mask did little to comfort me as I stared at her still form, the rise and fall of her chest barely noticeable. It was like something inside me broke, a wave of helplessness crashing over me. I wanted to reach out, to hold her, to make her wake up and tell me it was all just a bad dream. But I couldn’t.

Her body, so lifeless, made my throat tighten painfully. I blinked rapidly, trying to fight back the moisture gathering in my eyes, but it was useless. The fear, the worry, the shock—it all came rushing in at once, and I couldn’t stop it.

“Megan,” I croaked, my voice thick with emotion. “She… she looks like… like she’s…” I couldn’t finish the sentence because the thought of it was too much to bear.

Megan’s expression softened, her voice barely above a whisper. “I know, Dae. It’s hard, but she’s still here. We’re hoping she wakes up soon.”

I nodded, even though part of me wasn’t sure if I believed it. The only thing I knew for sure was that I would be here for her, no matter what.

Then Professor Lee stood up, her face still tight with concern, and glanced between the three of us. “You three, stay here and keep an eye on her,” she said, her voice steady, though there was an unmistakable trace of worry there. “I’ll handle this. I need to take a call from her parents.”

With that, she stepped out of the room, her footsteps light but purposeful. The door closed softly behind her, leaving the three of us alone with Dove.

I sank into the chair next to her bed, my gaze fixed on her pale face, but my attention was pulled briefly as I heard the faint sound of the professor answering the phone outside the room.

“Bonjour, oui, monsieur Chauvin,” the professor greeted, her tone polite yet formal, as though she were trying to reassure someone through the line.

I couldn't hear much else, but the mention of Dove’s father brought a new wave of tension crashing over me. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was going through right now, hearing this news. The thought of him finding out… I swallowed hard, pushing the worry aside, and refocused on Dove, willing her to wake up.

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😭 Dove, no!

I hope she'll be okay 😭 but the way Dae ran 😭