THE NEXT MORNING —
Keifer woke up slowly.
Warmth.
Weight.
Soft breathing against his chest.
Jay.
Her arm was wrapped around him, her face buried against his hoodie, breathing steady and safe for the first time in a week.
He exhaled shakily — that kind of relieved breath someone gives when they're finally allowed to believe something good is real.
He was about to adjust her blanket when—
click
click-click-click-click-click
His eyes snapped open.
Section E.
Her brothers.
All of them.
Crowded at the foot of the bed like paparazzi in a wildlife documentary.
Blaster whispered dramatically,
"Behold… the rare Keiferus Simpus in his natural habitat… cuddling Jay Jay."
Cin stifled a laugh.
Stella absolutely did not.
"OH MY GOD THIS IS SO CUTE—WAIT LET ME TAKE A VIDEO—"
Keifer blinked at them.
Then gave Angelo a slow, satisfied smirk.
Angelo glared back.
Hard.
Possessive big-brother glare level: nuclear.
Aries didn't say anything.
He just stood there in full overprotective fury mode, jaw tight enough to snap a brick.
click-click
Another picture.
"Are you guys done?" Keifer muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"No," Yuri said flatly. "This is historical evidence."
Alex added, "We're making a scrapbook."
David grinned. "Chapter One: Jay's Awakening. Chapter Two: Keifer, the Human Pillow."
Keifer rolled his eyes.
Then he shook the girl attached to him.
Softly.
Carefully.
"Jay… hey…" he whispered. "Wake up a bit."
She just groaned and hugged him tighter.
"…five more minutes… let me sleep, Kei-ferrrrr…"
Every single person in the room froze.
Then:
Stella: "OH MY GOD SHE'S ADORABLE—"
Cin: "KEIFER GOT A PET NAME?! NO WAY—"
Zack: "BRO. BRO."
Yuri: "This is going into the scrapbook too."
Alex: "Absolutely."
Aries and Angelo?
Not amused.
At all.
Aries' eye twitched.
Angelo looked ready to file a complaint with God.
Meanwhile Keifer…
Smiled.
Slow. Soft. Full of everything he couldn't say.
He brushed his hand over Jay's hair.
"Jay… sweetheart… everyone's here," he murmured.
She gave a tiny annoyed grumble.
"…tell them to go away…"
Stella gasped. "She's BACK-BACK. That's the real Jay."
Jay blinked her eyes open finally — still sleepy, still groggy, still holding Keifer's hoodie in a literal death grip.
Her vision cleared.
She saw all of them.
"…why are you all… in my room…" she mumbled.
Zack raised his phone.
"For this masterpiece."
Jay stared.
Then realized she was hugging Keifer.
Still half on top of him.
Her face heated instantly.
Keifer smirked.
Angelo coughed like he was dying.
Aries actually turned away.
Jay groaned and buried her face back into Keifer's chest.
"…no one talk to me."
Everyone burst out laughing.
But it was the happiest laugh the room had heard in a long time.
Jay was awake.
Jay was talking.
Jay was teasing.
And even if her body was weak,
her spirit was already stitching everyone back together.
One breath at a time.
One smile at a time.
One sleepy "Keiferrr" at a time.
THE DOCTOR ARRIVES — AND SO DOES THE TEASING
A knock on the door broke the laughter.
The doctor stepped in with a clipboard, totally unbothered by the fact that Section E + two furious brothers were all crowded like sardines.
"Well,Good Morning Mrs. Watson" he said and Jay just stared
"Huh, doctor I'm Mariano not Watson"
"But that's what it says here you're Jasper Jean Mariano Watson"
Jay glares at keifer and everybody else just froze like actually froze
"Anyway how are you feeling, do you want something? "
"Please remove me from existence…"
Cin gasped. "SEE? THAT'S HER. SHE'S FINE."
Stella nodded. "Yep. Fully back. Same dramatic energy."
Meanwhile Keifer helped Jay sit upright — carefully, slowly — one arm always behind her back, steadying her like she was made of glass.
The doctor checked her pulse, her eyes, her breathing, asked her to squeeze his fingers.
Jay did it. Weakly. But she did.
The doctor smiled.
"Vital signs are stable. She's recovering very well. Keep her hydrated, no sudden movements, and—"
Zack cut in immediately. "So she can come be discharged?"
"NO," Keifer, Angelo, Aries, Yuri, Stella, Cin, Alex, David, AND the doctor all said at the same time.
Zack shrugged. "Worth a shot."
The doctor chuckled, scribbling notes.
"And please make sure she rests. No stress. No emotional shocks. No—"
He glanced at the group.
"…no chaos."
Everyone looked away innocently.
Everyone lied.
BREAKFAST — A.K.A KEIFER'S NEW FULL-TIME JOB
Once the doctor left, they all hovered.
And hovered.
And hovered.
Until Jay's stomach growled loud enough for even Aries to blink.
Cin lit up. "OHHH she's hungry! Two seconds— I'll get food—"
But Keifer was already on it.
"No need. I ordered something."
Five minutes later, a nurse brought in a tray.
Soft food. Soup. Tea. A bunch of things Jay would hate but her body needed.
Keifer took the tray, set it on the table, dragged the chair closer, then sat beside her — knees touching her bed.
Jay watched him with half-lidded eyes.
"…you're gonna… feed me?"
Keifer raised a brow. "Tilt your head again and say that like it's not obvious."
She blinked.
He smirked.
Stella squealed. "OH MY GOD—DO IT AGAIN—THE FACE—THE BLUSH—"
Before Jay could die from embarrassment, Keifer scooped a spoonful of soup.
"Open," he said gently.
Jay stubbornly crossed her arms. "No."
"Jay."
"No."
"Sweetheart."
Jay's soul left her body. Everyone else choked.
She opened her mouth.
He fed her slowly. Patiently. Like she was the most important, delicate thing he'd ever seen.
Aries looked pained. Angelo looked ready to throw the bowl out the window.
Zack whispered, "This is better than Netflix." Cin nodded aggressively. "Release the director's cut."
Jay swallowed and sighed.
"…thanks," she mumbled quietly.
Keifer's hand brushed her cheek.
"Always."
---
Section E watched.
Her brothers tried to stay mad.
Jay ate.
Keifer fed.
And for the first morning since everything shattered—
there was peace.
Warm, fragile, ridiculous peace.
Right inside that hospital room.
"Okay," Zack clapped once. "Someone go get the scrapbook—this goes on the next page."
Jay groaned again.
Keifer just smiled.
JAY'S POV — ONE WEEK LATER
Recovery sucked.
There. I said it.
Physio hurt, the breathing exercises annoyed me, the nurses were saints but also demons, and everyone treated me like I was made of wet tissue paper.
But… I healed.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Then suddenly — like my body just decided, Okay fine, we're done almost dying now.
A week later, the doctor finally cleared me.
I could go home.
Section E nearly threw a parade. Angelo nearly had a heart attack. Aries carried all my stuff even though none of it was heavy. Cin threatened to bubble-wrap me. Stella actually tried.
And Keifer…
Yeah.
He stuck to me like gravity.
Even when Angelo glared and said, "You're not coming home with her."
Keifer: "Watch me."
Angelo: "I will not."
Keifer: "Already in the car."
Angelo: "—"
I didn't even get to intervene. Keifer just… existed his way into the passenger seat beside me like he owned it.
By the time we reached home, Angelo had accepted his fate.
Sort of. Barely. Mostly by glaring.
Aries opened the door, ushering me inside like I was a returning astronaut.
I got changed, settled into my bed — finally my bed — and once I leaned back against the pillows, Keifer immediately came over to adjust the blanket around me.
Angelo opened his mouth to object.
Keifer didn't even look at him.
"Leave."
Aries dragged Angelo out like he was pulling a misbehaving dog.
The door shut.
Silence.
Keifer sat on the edge of my bed, hands resting on his knees… but tense. Too tense.
His shoulders were stiff. His jaw clenched. His eyes — dark, tired, guarded.
Something was coming.
He finally looked at me.
Really looked.
"Jay," he said quietly.
My chest tightened.
The way he said my name felt like there was a whole earthquake underneath it.
He took a breath.
"We need to talk…" he murmured.
My fingers curled slowly in the blanket.
"Okay.Talk"