Chapter 7: Recovery
Rose's POV
I woke up to Sonya standing over me. "Sonya?"
"Hello Rose." Sonya smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"Like crap." I groaned.
"That doesn't sound like the tough Rose Hathaway I know." Mikhail teased.
"Tough Rose is on vacation. Meet Rose in pain." I said. "What are you guys doing here?"
"They came to get me in connection with Victor's murder, then they got a call about me being cleared. They said I was free to stay where I was, but I decided to check on you and my other friends. I was there during Lissa's compulsion yesterday." Sonya explained.
"Yesterday? I slept for a whole day?" I did feel wide awake.
"Yes, but you needed that time to heal physically. And for my healing charm to work." Sonya said.
I looked down to find myself wearing a silver necklace. "What happened to Dimitri? And my parents?"
"Dimitri was so worried he was giving himself a stress-induced fever. The doctors gave him a sedative and told your parents to take him home." Mikhail said.
"And Lissa?" I asked.
"The doctors considered giving her a sedative, but they didn't figure that would get them in the Queen's good favor. She insisted on staying in the waiting room." Mikhail explained.
"Can... can I see her?" I was nervous.
"I'll see if I can get the doctors to let her in." Sonya nodded dutifully.
When she was gone, Mikhail sat on the edge of my bed. "You know, we were all really worried about you."
"You guys don't have to be. I'm always okay in the end." I said.
"Are you kidding? Everyone I know either loves or marvels at you. Hans has a soft spot for you because you remind him of his daughter, Sonya feels that she owes you her life, and I owe you everything. You brought her back to me..." Mikhail wasn't typically sensitive.
"Neither of you owe me. Saving Sonya just fit into my plan." I said.
"But you didn't have to restore her. You could've just staked her when she didn't give you what you wanted. But you let Robert save her instead. And if you hadn't gone looking for Robert, even though he sounded like a fairy tale, Sonya and Dimitri would never have been restored. Rose, you touch people's lives in a way that helps them, saves them, and changes them. You don't think you make a big impact unless you're hurting someone, but you really do. If it weren't for you and Sydney, Adrian would still think he was a victim. You and Dimitri kept Lissa safe. You held Lissa and Christian's relationship together by nagging them about how stupid they were being. You defeated Avery from halfway around the world. You escaped a hotel full of Strigoi and instead of breaking down, you called Sydney for help. You broke into freaking Tarasov prison and successfully escaped with a prisoner. You exposed Victor for what he was and made sure no one would be hurt by him again. You got rid of a womanizer to protect Dimitri's sister. You accepted the fact that Abe Mazur of all people was your father. You reformed a bond with your mother. You found Jill and made your best friend queen. You convinced Dimitri to love you by never giving up on that dumb Russian. And as I said, you saved Sonya and brought her back to me. You're the only person I know who can go through all that trauma and still come out a good, happy person who never gives up. You're more amazing than you know." Mikhail gave me the best pep talk ever.
"I think you're going soft, Mikhail. You just gave me an emotional pep talk." I teased.
"Everyone has a soft spot for you." Mikhail smirked.
"They really do. Dimitri's entire family is waiting to see you in the waiting room." Sonya came in with a nervous looking Lissa.
"Liss, I'm not mad at you. I understand that you were under Tasha's control. As long as you don't have anymore orders from her, I think we're good." I said.
"Rose... it's not something you should just forgive me for. I exposed all of your most private and painful memories..." Lissa made excuses.
"Lissa, I don't care. Everyone was already going to read about most of those at some point in my diary now that it's been published. Besides, as you once told me, friends don't let friends get hurt. I'm not going to let you beat yourself up with guilt over something Tasha caused." I said.
"How can you do that? How can you just let things go so easily?" Lissa sighed.
"Because I've been trained to do it my whole life." I said solemnly. "And because you're my friend. Friends aren't supposed to stay mad at each other. Unless you sleep with Dimitri. Or kill someone I love. Then I might stay mad."
"As if I'd ever do either of those things. I'm not even attracted to Dimitri and we both know I couldn't hurt a fly. Literally." Lissa scoffed.
"How can you not be attracted to Dimitri? Didn't you pay attention during that show with my memories? Mason and I even agreed he was like an Anti-social God." I snorted.
"Rose, we don't even like the same type of guy. I've always liked people who are like either Aaron or Christian. You've liked guys like Mason, Jesse, Adrian, Dimitri, and Andre. Actually, by that definition you're dating range is pretty wide. Mine is more close minded." Lissa pondered.
"No, you just don't date easily because you like the idea of true love more than I do." I said. "You'd probably date the same type of guys as me if they knew how to impress you. But since you've got Christian, I'm not too worried."
"Lissa, you shouldn't feel guilty. Rose obviously isn't angry, and you two end up in your friendly banter either way." Sonya said.
"We're doing it right now." I agreed.
"But I shouldn't have succumbed to her compulsion." Lissa protested.
"Liss, you could turn evil and destroy the world, and I'd still be on your side. Sure, I'd try to convince you to come back first, but I'd eventually go dark side if I thought you were staying on that side." I said. "Besides, Tasha used a charm on you. We can't control everything people make us do."
Lissa smiled. "You really believe that, don't you? You're really not mad at me? Or... afraid of me?"
"Lissa, I might be afraid of some of the things you can do, but I've never been afraid of you. Because I always know you're in there somewhere." I told her.
"You're the sister I never had." Lissa laughed.
"The twin sister you never had. But you've still got Little Jill." I reminded her.
"I know." She said. "I was planning on taking Jill out to do something later. But I have another problem..."
"What?" I asked.
"I always promised you could be my maid of honor, but Jill's my sister, so... what if she gets jealous of you?" Lissa asked.
"I still want to be your maid of honor, but Jill can be a big part of your wedding too. Let her work with whoever's planning it. Let Jill make decisions after you give her an idea of what you want. And make sure she's one of the bridesmaids." I said.
"You sound like a wedding expert." Lissa laughed.
"After being a bridesmaid at Sonya's wedding, it's not hard to figure out what to do." I shrugged.
"I'm invited, right?" Sonya smirked at Lissa.
"Of course... God, it's only been a few days since the proposal, and I'm already over-thinking the wedding." Lissa sighed.
"That's what every bride I know does. I might not have been to a lot of weddings, but I know quite a few brides who get paranoid as the wedding gets closer. Be prepared." I teased.
"That's not funny." Lissa said.
"It wasn't supposed to be. She was serious." Mikhail smirked.
"Can I see Dimitri now? As fun as this conversation is, I want to go see him. Or him to come see me." I pleaded.
"You should be okay as long as you keep the necklace on for a few days." Sonya shrugged.
Lissa helped me up and I walked myself out of my hospital room. The Belikovs made excited exclamations as I walked into the waiting room.
"I'm just going to see Dimitri. Please don't crowd me." I said.
"But we've been so worried about you..." Viktoria pulled me into a hug.
"I know, but I need to let Dimitri know I'm not rambling anymore." I said.
Viktoria reluctantly released me. "Fine."
"But you'll come visit us after you see Uncle Dimitri?" Paul asked.
"Of course." I smiled.
The other Belikovs only gave me brief pats of happiness at my health before I left. As I reached my room, I heard an argument.
"But I have to see her!" Dimitri exclaimed.
"Belikov, if we can't go see her, then neither can you." Mom said.
"Honestly, the doctors just don't want you to get another stress-induced fever. You'll be of no use to Rose if you're sick when she comes back." Abe sighed.
"Actually, it would give me a fun distraction. Taking care of a sick Dimitri." I walked in.
Dimitri hugged me tightly. "Roza, how are you?"
"I'm fine. Well, as long as I keep Sonya's necklace on." I said.
Dimitri looked at the silver charm. "You're sure?"
"Yes." I smirked. "You know I never stay down too long."
Dimitri kissed me. "I was worried about you."
"You always are." I pointed out.
Dimitri kissed me again and held me close. He seemed a little more affectionate than usual, considering my parents were in the room.
"I'm fine." I pulled back from him a little. "So, how much time are you taking out of your schedule for this, Old Man?"
"As much time as I want." Abe said. "My business is pretty self sustaining. As long as I go back at least every few weeks."
"Aw, Zmey does care about people." I teased.
"Zmey? Really?" Abe scoffed.
"Why not? Everyone in Russia uses it as your nickname. At least, that's what Sydney says." I shrugged.
"Zmey... Isn't that Russian for snake or serpent?" Mom deduced. "That's actually pretty accurate."
"Hey! What did I ever do to you?" Abe asked indignantly.
"You left me alone with a baby." Mom went straight for the hard hitting comments.
"Because you told me to. I even funded Rose's schooling." Abe protested.
They gave each other annoyed looks. All I could think to say was, "You paid for the Academy? What did you use, blood money?"
"Of course not." Abe snorted. "I used blackmail money."
"Oh, dear God." I face-palmed.
"You certainly do use God's name a lot for someone who isn't that religious." Abe pointed out.
"Unlike Mom, I'm not an atheist. Besides, it's like I told Kirova, for all I knew you were Muslim. You have to let me follow my own path." I said. "Besides, I made a deal with him that I'd believe in him as long as he let me sleep in on Sundays."
"You're joking." Mom said.
"No, I really did. Besides, there are a few things that help my belief process." I glanced over at Dimitri.
"She even asked a priest about how ghosts work, and I think he gave her the most accurate information on the subject." Dimitri piped up.
"Do you have a particular religion?" Abe smirked, probably still thinking about my funny deal with God.
"I'm guessing Lissa's religion. But hey, you never know." I shrugged.
"Whatever works for you." Mom shrugged. "Anyway, what happens if you take the charm off?"
I looked at the silver necklace. "I'm not sure. Sonya just said to keep it on for a few more days."
Everyone was looking at it so curiously that I couldn't help myself. I took the silver necklace off. And I immediately felt the effects of it.
"Roza?" Dimitri said as I went silent.
"Mason... ghost... Lissa... Moroi... Adrian... victim... Abe... Zmey... Mia... bitch... Christian... angry... Tasha... deadly... Dimitri... Strigoi..." I muttered. At the last part, I started going into a panic. "Strigoi... Novosibirsk... Russia... Ob... bridge... stake... stake... STAKE!"
I really started to panic as I thought of the multiple times I'd staked Dimitri, never seeming to be able to kill him.
Dimitri immediately put the necklace back on me. "Don't take this off until Sonya tells you to."
I nodded in agreement as I shook off the residual feelings from what I'd just experienced. Then there was a knock at the door.
I opened it to find a person holding so many flowers he looked like a flower garden. "What the...?"
"Roses for Rose Hathaway." The guy said. As soon as he dropped the flowers, I realized he was a guardian. "You've apparently got a lot of devoted friends."
The biggest bushel was from Sonya. The others were from people like Jill, Christian, Mia, and Adrian and Sydney. There were even some from Eddie. And all of them had notes that generally said something to the effect of, "We're sorry about what happened with your memories. And we had no idea you went through so much! Feel better."
"These people drive me insane. As nice as this is, they could just stop by to see me. There are enough flowers here for a wedding!" I rolled my eyes.
"That's not a bad thing." Dimitri said coolly.
"No." I said.
Dimitri's sympathy for me quickly changed to fierce determination. "For God's sake, Rose! How much is it going to take to marry you? You agreed there's no one else, I know you love me enough, and everyone's dropping even more hints than me! Sonya said that although she doesn't believe in soul mates, we still seem like a perfect fit! And Christian and Lissa have even been asking me when I was going to ask you. Even with the fact that your parents don't like the way our relationship started, even they are half expecting us to marry. My family won't leave me alone about it, especially now that Grandmother predicted it, and they all love you! Then there's the fact that you've even said that we've lived a lifetime within the last year and a half! And don't give me another excuse about at least waiting until there's a two in front of your age. When will you just agree?"
The sarcastic side of me had a lot of excuses to dish out. But the truth is... I didn't really have very many excuses. And the ones I did have... Dimitri wouldn't understand. I wasn't able to answer him, so I walked into my bathroom and locked the door.
Dimitri sighed. "Roza, what are you doing?"
Dimitri would only feel guilty if I told him why, and my parents of all people wouldn't understand either. When I didn't answer him for another five minutes, he persisted. "Roza, why can't you just tell me instead of hiding in the bathroom?"
My resolve finally broke and I started crying. It was obviously loud enough for Dimitri to hear, because he started to get worried. "Roza...?"
I knew I couldn't explain this to them, so I just continued crying about it. It was actually pretty sad for me of all people to lose my tough resolve. There was silence from the other side of the door for about five minutes after that.
"Rose?" Lissa's voice came from the other side of the door. "What's wrong?"
"Go away." I groaned.
"Rose, you're scaring Dimitri. And your parents are too afraid to ask you what's wrong. Can you at least let me in?" Lissa sounded worried.
I considered my options before deciding to move away from the door and let her in.
When Lissa saw the way I was sitting, she sat next to me and hugged me. "What's wrong? You normally just put up a fight about getting married, but this time you cried?"
"They don't understand why..." I sucked in a deep breath.
"Why what? Is there a reason you don't want to get married?" Lissa asked.
"I'm afraid..." I admitted.
It was like we were six years old all over again. I was admitting I was afraid.
"You're afraid of marriage? You're not afraid of Strigoi, death, or dangerous humans, but you are afraid of being Mrs. Belikov?"
Actually, the name had a nice ring to it. "It would actually be Belikova. And that's not the only reason..."
I froze up. I'd never actually admitted this to anyone, mostly because I never thought I'd have to worry about it.
"What's the other reason?" Lissa asked tentatively.
"Remember... remember how I reacted when Paul was being cute? And remember that time when I encouraged that kid to ask Dimitri questions to prove he wasn't a Strigoi?"
"Yeah?" Lissa still seemed clueless to what I was implying.
"I... I like kids. But since we're both Dhampirs... we can't..." I trailed off.
Lissa's eyes widened. "I didn't think you wanted children. I knew you liked them, but I didn't think you wanted to have one."
"Dimitri will only feel guilty if I tell him that. And my parents aren't exactly going to understand." I put my head in my knees.
"But I do. And Dimitri won't feel guilty..." Lissa sounded unsure of that last part. "It's not like he can control genetics."
"No one can. For better or worse, no one can change genetics." I sighed.
"Have you considered... adoption? Or maybe artificial insemination?" Lissa sounded uncomfortable.
"In other words, you're asking if I've considered having someone else being my kid's dad because I can't procreate with Dimitri?" I rolled my eyes.
"You just made that sound horrible." Lissa said. "And what about the adoption idea?"
"No, I haven't considered adoption. I was preoccupied with considering marriage." I admitted.
"Our lives have really changed in the last year or so, haven't they?" Lissa sighed.
"We're like a bad soap opera." I agreed.
"Will you at least go out and tell him?" Lissa asked.
"Will you make my parents leave the room first?" I sighed.
"Sure. But what if they ask me about why you got so upset?" Lissa looked relieved.
"Just say you don't know. I'd rather be the one to tell them if they have to know." I said.
"Okay." Lissa agreed and helped me up.
I took a deep breath and headed out of the bathroom to explain things to Dimitri.
