Chapter Three

My pulse is still racing as the nurse reluctantly lets me off the hospital bed. It feels like I have been waiting forever on news about Rose. The nurse at the front desk is refusing to tell me anything and exhaustion is setting in. I am thinking about yelling at someone for answers when someone interrupts me.

"How is she doing?"

I look up and focus on the body in front of me. Seth takes a seat on my left, a look of deep concern on his face.

"I don't know. They let me off my hospital bed, and the nurse is refusing to tell me anything."

He nods, and we sit in silence for a minute before I realize I have no idea what Seth is doing here.

"Seth, what are you doing here?" I ask.

"I was driving by when they picked-up Rose. I figure that she's the only person you know around here, so you might need some moral support."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Oh, and I brought this."

He hands me a bag with the most amazing aroma coming from it.

"What's this?"

"Chicken Alfredo from my mom. When things get bad, she cooks. After I told her I was on my way here, she made me stop by and grab food for you."

I sigh before setting the bag on the other side of me.

"Tell your mom thanks. Full disclosure though, I don't think I have the stomach to eat anything."

"I know how you feel. When my dad died, I couldn't do anything. All I wanted was to sit still and hope it was some cruel joke."

"How did your dad die? If you don't mind me asking."

"Heart attack. He was trying to find Chief Swan's daughter when his heart gave out."

He scoffs before shaking his head, "it's funny. Sometimes I forget that he's gone. It's like I get home and expect to see him kicking off his boots with the day's latest catch in his hands. Then suddenly, reality hits and I realize that he's still gone. It feels good to talk about him though, kind of like keeping his memory alive."

I grab Seth's hand and give it a gentle squeeze and he smiles at me. The doctor walks through the door and Seth and I jump up from our seats.

"Mia Wolfe?" he asks.

I nod and take in the doctor's appearance. He is extremely handsome with blond hair and eyes like the stone topaz.

"I'm Dr. Cullen. We had to do a blood transfusion on your grandmother to replace all the blood she lost. She is a little weak, so I will recommend that she spend a few days here. We want to monitor her. Other than that, she would be fine."

I sigh in relief, "thanks so much, Dr. Cullen."

"No problem. Let me know if you have any questions."

I thank him again and he walks away. Seth and I head down the hallway, stopping at her door.

"Go, I'll wait out here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. She's your grandmother, you should spend time with her."

I go inside, and I am immediately shocked by how small and childlike she seems. She looks like all the blood has been drained out of her. I let out a deep breath and grab her hand, squeezing it gently.

"I promise you. I will find who did this, they will not get away with it. I won't let them."

I wipe the tears from my eyes and place a kiss on her cheek. Leaving her in the hospital bed is probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. My mind is still on Rose as I meet Seth in the hallway.

"How does she look?" he asks.

"As well as to be expected, I guess."

"Rose is one of the toughest ladies I've ever met. She'll make it through this."

I sigh in exhaustion and lean back against the wall, my eyes closing.

"Why don't you head home? There's nothing you can do here, and it won't help Rose if you collapse from exhaustion."

I shake my head, there is no way I am going home and leaving Rose all alone. She needs me. I don't care if it means that I don't sleep for a week; I am not going anywhere. Seth must sense my determination to stay at the hospital.

"The doctors and nurses will look after her and let you know if anything changes. The best thing you can do for Rose is make sure you're taking care of yourself."

"You're right. Running myself ragged isn't going to help Rose get better. Plus, if she knew I wasn't taking care of myself she would kill me. I'll head home for a few hours of shut-eye and then come back."

Seth nods, "do you need a ride?"

"No, I have the… Crap! The car is still at the library."

"Don't worry about it. I'll drive you home and have a friend pick up your car," he says.

"Are you sure? I don't want to inconvenience you if you have somewhere to be," I say.

"It's no problem. I have to head back that way, anyway."

We head to his car and he holds the door open for me before climbing into the driver's seat. It's silent for a few minutes before Seth breaks the silence with a question.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks.

"Nothing really. I'm just thinking about Rose and her attack."

"Oh, yeah? You think you know who did it?" he asks.

I scoff, "I wish. I'm beginning to think it wasn't an accident though."

"What do you mean?"

"I get this eerie feeling that there is more going on than meets the eye. I've been having gaps in my memory lately and then there was the guy in the hallway earlier."

"What guy?" he asks.

I try to think about what happened earlier in the hallway at school, but the memory avoids me like a plague.

"I… I don't know. One second the memory is there, and I can see his face and the next it's gone. All I remember is the air getting colder and then everything goes quiet. Like deadly quiet. There…there's nothing, just a black spot where something should be."

I don't notice that Seth has stopped the car until I look up to find him texting on his phone.

"Um… why did we stop?" I ask.

Seth doesn't answer me, instead putting his phone away and turning towards me.

"I need you to promise me something" he says.

"What?"

"I need you to promise me that next time you feel something like that, you run. I don't care where to or how far. You run and call me."

"What? Why? Seth…"

"Promise me."

"Seth…"
The look on his face stops all my questions and protests in their tracks and I nod. He sighs in relief and before I know it we are pulling up in front of my house. He jumps out of the car and bounds up the front steps before I can even get the door open. He comes back a few minutes later, looking satisfied.

"What was that about, Clearwater?" I ask.

"Nothing. I was just checking."

"Just checking…"

"Nothing. Look are you sure you want to stay here? I don't like the idea of you being all alone after what you told me."

I laugh, "I'm a big girl, Seth. I can handle myself. Plus, I'm not about to let some guy I don't remember stop me from living in my house."

Seth sighs, "this is serious. You have no recollection of this guy and he could be the guy that attacked Rose. And if he is, then he has already has made it abundantly clear he has no qualms about hurting people. If something happens to you, I wouldn't…"

He stops talking and shakes his head as if he is unsure if he should keep talking.

"You wouldn't what?" I ask.

Seth looks at me and I mean really looks at me. It is almost like I am the only thing he can see, like there is nothing but me.

"Nothing. Just be careful, Mia."

I nod and head up the front steps before stopping halfway.

"Hey, Seth?"

He looks up at me and I run down the steps and wraps my arms around him.

"Thank you."

He is stiff for a minute before his arms wrap around me.

"Dude, you are freakishly warm," I say.

He laughs, "I guess it's my warm personality."

I laugh, and he smiles down at me. His fingers move across my cheek and all the air is sucked from my lungs. He moves closer and his lips trace a fiery path down my jawline, stopping when he reaches the corner of my lips.

"I have never felt this before. This insane need to be around someone, it's like I can't live without you. It's like the world was still before I met you and now everything is in motion. Like everything was black and white until you brought a burst of color. Like if I let anything happen to you then the universe will come crashing down around me."

"Seth…"

"I'm not sure what it is, but I think I like."

His lips brush mine and my eyes flutter shut on their own accord. It's like being shocked by electricity. The world becomes crystal clear and everything feels like it makes sense.

"Wow."

Seth's voice reaches my ears and I open my eyes. His eyes meet mine and he brushes his thumb over my cheek.

"What was that?" I breath out.

He shakes his head, his gaze taking in every inch of my face.

"I don't understand what's going on, Seth. Everything feels different, I feel different," I say.

He presses another small kiss to my lips before cupping my face in his hands.

"I promise you I will explain everything. I just have to go figure some stuff out first, okay?"

I nod, still a little unsure of what happened.

"Stay safe, Mia," he says.

As he leaves, I head inside and lock the door. My head is spinning as I touch a finger to my lips. I look into the nearest mirror, other than my eyes shining brighter than normal, nothing looks different. I feel different, though. Like something fundamental has changed inside of me.

"Clearwater, you have a lot of explaining to do, "I say before heading up to bed.