A/N: THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS, TWILIGHTERNPROUD, XXDEADLYBLACKROSEXX, GREGRE, LOVENTHERUSSIAN17 AND BELIKOV. YOU GUYS ROCK!
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy... unfortunately.
Chapter Seven- Revelations
RPOV
I woke up in a white room. Considering the amount of times I've landed myself in the infirmary, it took me longer than usual to figure out where I was.
I tried to sit up, but could barely feel my legs, other than sensing they were there. Feelings of panic came back to me as memories hit.
"Dimitri?" I turned my head to the left.
Dimitri was asleep in a chair beside my bed. The moment I spoke, he shot up, alert.
"Rose," he whispered.
He took my hand in his and I asked him to help me sit up.
"What do you remember?" he whispered, sitting beside me.
I closed my eyes, letting the memories wash over me.
"There were... Strigoi; we killed most of them but one of them... he grabbed me. He snapped my back..."
Tears filled my eyes, threatening to spill over. I looked up at Dimitri, pleading with my eyes for him to deny what I knew to be true.
"I'm so sorry Roza," he whispered, pulling me closer to him.
My breath hitched and I fought to push the tears away. After a moment I spoke.
"It's not your fault Dimitri."
His eyes grew dark and pained. I waited for more bad news to hit, but he was silent.
"Dimitri," I said, finally, "What's wrong?"
He pulled me tighter to him, "I'm so sorry Rose. It's all my fault!"
"What do you mean? Dimitri, I'm the one who ran out to meet the Strigoi. I'm the one who let my guard down. I fought Donovan and his men."
"Rose... Roza, you don't understand. The Strigoi who... who hurt you... he was my stepbrother," Dimitri said.
"Stepbrother," I echoed.
"I told you I hit my father, but that wasn't the full story. My father was married. He cheated on his wife with my mother, who he told he was single, and in turn, his wife had an affair. It resulted in a son, Eli," Dimitri spat the name like it was poisonous, "My father left Eli with us. Eli was rude and obnoxious and eventually he began hitting my mother as well. I went after Eli, but he was smarter than my father. He had a knife and in the end, I cut his face in self-defence. We kicked Eli out and I didn't see him again. I heard that he'd been turned but I never ran into him. He didn't choose to attack us just because of Donovan... he did it because of me."
His voice broke on the last word. I sat in silence, processing what he'd told me.
"It's not your fault. Eli sounds like a jerk. He deserves everything he got," I said softly.
Dimitri pressed his lips into my hair, "Thank you."
"Does... does Lissa know?" I whispered.
"Yes."
"Has she been here?"
"She tried to heal you. She healed the break, but she can't heal your nerves for more than a minute. After the bond broke, the darkness was trapped in you. She said it should have only heightened your moods, but now it's wrapping itself around you and unleashing itself on Lissa by causing her agony."
I swallowed, "Oh my God."
Five words swirled around in my brain. I might never walk again. I might never walk again. It was pressing on me... everywhere. I could feel my breathing speeding up- hyperventilating.
"Rose, calm down," Dimitri cried, putting his large, long hands on my shoulders.
"I'm going to have to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life," I gasped.
"No, Rose, Lissa can heal you. It will just take some time. One maybe two months and you'll be walking again. Lissa and Christian have already given us both four months off and Lissa's deferring from Lehigh for a year so that we can all be here for you!" Dimitri insisted.
"What?" I cried.
"We all want to support you Rose."
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
"Rose?" Dimitri asked gently.
"Go get Lissa," I choked out.
Dimitri moved so that I was leaning against the back of the bed. He was gone for a minute and when he came back, he was followed by my best friend.
Liss launched herself at me, sobbing as she hugged my neck.
"Oh Rose!"
"Liss!"
We cried together for what felt like hours. Finally Lissa pulled back and wiped her eyes with a dainty finger.
"I'm going to heal you Rose. I promise, I won't let you be in a wheelchair."
