Rose felt as though she was in a deep sleep; though occasionally she saw a small glimpse of the real world. She heard someone call her name, sirens and…someone holding her hand through it all. She was uncertain if these moments were real, or simply dreams. Finally, Rose awoke in a room all white. Her head was throbbing and she faintly noticed a cast on her arm as well as leg. She gulped, she felt more horrible than she ever had before. Rose started to call for someone, before giving up and surrendering to her subconscious once more. A few hours later, Rose once more opened her eyes. This time, however, she was feeling marginally better. She noticed a nurse in her room and said softly, "Hello?" Her voice cracked.
The nurse seemed surprised, "Oh good, you're awake. One moment, I must tell the doctor."
"Wait! What day is it?" Rose asked.
"Tuesday," The nurse answered simply, "Now I've got to go, please give me a minute."
She left in a somewhat hurry, Rose couldn't help but feel on edge. 'The dance was on Friday…Have I been out that long? It feels like that was such a short while ago, though I can't really remember much about that day…Wait, did I even dance?' Rose sighed, albeit frustrated, as well as confused. 'I just won't think about it.' Rose decided and closed her eyes once more. Moments later, she heard someone opening the door to the room.
"Excuse me, Rose Dade. I'm your doctor, Dr. Khan." Dr. Khan had tan skin with bright green eyes. He sleeked his raven black hair back and had a few streaks of grey. Despite everything that had happened, the Phangirl in Rose made her nearly smile. 'Dr. Khan…it makes me think of Nadir Khan!'
"You are probably wondering what has happened."
'Actually I amazingly wasn't,' Rose thought dryly. 'Though I suppose any sane person would be.'
"You took quite a fall last Friday and you are suffering a mild concussion. We ran some tests and you should be fine. Some mild memory loss as well as headaches are normal, though if you have any problems press this button," He motioned towards a small red button by her bed. "A nurse will instantly come in. Your arm and leg are broken, though you falling on them softened the fall to your head and probably saved your life."
"When can I go home?" Rose finally asked.
"In a few days, probably. But you're going to need a lot of rest to recover. Your arm and leg will take about a month and a half to heal. That's about it, do you have any questions?"
"Yeah…" Rose frowned. "Did my Dad ever come to visit?"
"I spoke with him myself."
Rose smiled.
The Doctor glanced at his watch before saying, "Do you have any other questions?"
Rose shook her head, though realized shortly after that this was not a wise idea. Her throbbing headache worsened.
"I will take my leave then." The Doctor left the room and the same nurse as before entered once more. She was carrying a tray of food and placed it near Rose's bed.
"Do you need anything?" The nurse asked.
"No, I'm fine." Rose said softly, though she thought of saying something about the excruciating headache that she was experiencing. 'Well, Dr. Khan says that it's normal…I don't want to seem like a baby.'
The nurse smiled, "You're awfully lucky, you know. You're boyfriend is very caring towards you…He was so worried and has spent nearly all of the visiting hours with you."
"I don't have a boyfriend…" Rose mumbled.
"Oh," The nurse laughed awkwardly, "Of course."
Rose looked over to the window and was surprised to see a large assortment of flowers. She noticed a single blood red rose with black lace tied around it, 'Just like the Phantom's from the movie…' She also saw a vase of yellow sunflowers; Rose wasn't particularly fond of them as she thought they seemed almost overly bright. Next to it was a small bouquet, though it was adorable with many types of flowers and colors. Rose's instant favorite of the flowers was a vase of light pink roses with baby's breath blended in.
'I can't believe people gave me all these…' Rose thought. 'The pink roses are so beautiful. Nobody has ever bought me flowers before…The only time I buy flowers is for my Mother.' At the thought, Rose almost started to cry, thinking of her Mother's grave. 'I must visit when I can leave. I'll give her these flowers…' Rose decided.
"Umm, excuse me." Rose called out to the nurse. "Could you put the pink roses on the bedside table?" Rose asked.
The nurse obliged and shortly after left. Rose twiddled her fingers and she began to feel bored. She didn't have an appetite, so she did not eat the food brought in by the nurse. She thought about turning on the tv, but decided against it. 'Hospitals are boring.' Rose decided.
Moments later, Ron came into the room. "Rose!" He called out. "I don't think most people can say that they actually broke an arm and a leg." He jested.
"Hi Ron…What are you doing here?"
"For the free food, obviously," He stole a French fry from her untouched food. "I'm joking, the food here is horrible. I'm here to see how you're doing, why else would I be here?"
"You actually care?"
The joke left his eyes, "Of course I do, Rose."
Rose felt taken aback. "You…you're calling me Rose?"
Ron laughed, "I did at the dance too."
"I don't remember…" Rose trailed off.
"That's alright. The doctor said that might be the case."
"Why are you calling me Rose all of a sudden?"
"It is your name, isn't it?" Ron laughed. "I guess I want to be on your good side." His eyes were bright. "But, since it seems odd to you, I'll go back to calling you Rosie."
"Please don't."
"If you insist, Rosie."
"You act and talk differently every time I see you, it seems like"
"Of course for someone with such a high intellect as mine, it would naturally take time to learn about what I'm really like."
"Now you sound more like the Ron I know." Rose rubbed her forehead, talking with Ron was helping get her mind off of the pain, yet it still hurt tremendously.
"I see the flowers I got you are your favorite." He looked proud, motioning towards the light pink roses placed next to her bed, whereas the rest were still across the windowsill.
"You gave these to me? You didn't need to get me anything…"
"I wanted to, I was worried."
Rose heard a phone ringing from the room adjacent to hers and the throbbing intensified. Rose hardly registered what Ron had said and covered her eyes by her hands.
"Rose! Rose, what's wrong?" Ron called out to her.
"N-nothing, it's just, my head is killing me."
"I'll get the doctor!" Ron ran out of the room and Rose closed her eyes, surrendering to the darkness once more. As she fell into slumber, she heard an exquisite as well as familiar voice singing her songs of operatic origin. The beauty of the music eased the pain that she felt, and though she was on a hard hospital bed, it felt like a pleasant and soft haven, where the voice was a warm blanket, keeping her safe from the pain she felt.
