It had been three days. Three days since I left Adrian Ivashkov standing in the parking lot of the coffee house I worked at. Three days since I'd seen, or heard any sign of him. I'd surprisingly been able to keep myself busy long enough to not take it out on myself any more than I already had. Tonight was girl's night for Lissa and I, which was also keeping my mind elsewhere. We were curled up on the couch watching Magic Mike with a bottle of wine she'd hid from me, afraid I'd drink it. The longer we sat there, the more I realized that I needed to tell her what happened. I couldn't continue to hide it from her. I needed to tell her everything. I glanced down at my wrist and knew how she'd take it, but I couldn't keep it from her any longer.

"Lissa, we need to talk about some stuff." I finally said. She looked up from drooling at Channing Tatum on the screen. She nodded and paused the movie and turned to face me on the couch.

"Alright, what's up?" She said. I realized now that I had no idea where to begin. There was so much I couldn't tell her, so much I'd sworn I'd never say. I finally blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Adrian and I aren't together anymore." He eyes went wide.

"What?" She asked, completely confused. Up until now, I'd told her Adrian and I were perfect. I'd been lying to her, and I think she was realizing that now. "For how long?"

"It's been official for three days. If you mean since our falling out, it's been a week." I said, averting my eyes from her face.

"You've been lying to me about the two of you." She said. I could tell by her voice she was hurt. Every time I turned around, I was hurting someone in some way.

"I was doing it to protect you, Lissa. You are so happy with your life, and everything is going so fantastic for you. I didn't want to pin my problems on you, especially since I knew how you'd react. I know you take all of my problems to heart, you always want to fix them and this one just can't be fixed. You need to keep focusing on you, and making you happy. I'll be fine. I didn't want you to think you had to stick around and take care of me because this didn't work out." I told her. She stared at me for a moment, taking in everything I'd said before nodding.

"I guess… I guess I understand. You're right. I got so used to helping you through everything, that it sort of became a habit. When something was wrong, as a best friend it was my duty to fix it… but we're grown now, I can't do that for you anymore." She said.

"There's something else too. Lissa… I need you to promise me you aren't going to freak on me, okay? I know what I did and I know it was stupid and childish, and I'm sorry but you have to promise." I said. She nodded, it obviously not occurring to her. I rolled up my sleeve and revealed the red cuts that were slowly healing. She stared at my wrist for the longest time, not knowing how to react to what I was showing her. I'd been so long since I'd done anything like this. When she looked up at me, I could see the anger in her eyes.

"You said you would-." She stopped.

"I know what I said, but when he left… I panicked. I didn't know what to do. I regret it, Lissa. I wish I would have never done it, and I'm sorry." I said. She got up off the couch, and walked to the counter, grabbing her keys. I jumped up. "Lissa, don't… please. I said I was sorry, what more do you want from me?" I yelled.

"You're not a child anymore, Rose. You can't run to a fucking razor blade every time something difficult happens to you. I thought you were past that." She started towards the door, but stopped.

"Oh, you mean like every time you have a problem with Christian, you turn to drugs, alcohol, and meaningless sex with guys you don't even know? That's a whole lot healthier than my coping mechanism." I screamed at her. I was so pissed that she'd blown up at me like this, when all I needed was a little reassurance. I instantly regretted my choice of words, cause she recoiled as if I'd slapped her. She opened the door, and stormed out, slamming it behind her. It was too late to apologize, cause she was gone. I downed the rest of my glass of wine, and grabbed the bottle, placing it in my lap before sitting down on the couch, and playing the movie. I finished the movie, but hadn't really paid attention to any of it. I turned off the TV and went into my room, curling up in bed. I laid there for what seemed like hours, before my cell phone rang. I instantly assumed it was Lissa, but it wasn't. It was Christian. I debated on letting the voicemail pick up, but I answered it on the last ring.

"Christian, I don't wanna-." He cut me off.

"Rose, It's Lissa… She's been in a car accident." I sat straight up in my bed so fast; I gave myself a head rush.

"What? No. There's no way. She left an hour ago; she should have already been at your place." I told him. This wasn't happening. They had the wrong person. It wasn't Lissa.

"She didn't come straight to my house. She told me she was going to drive around a little bit to clear her head." Instantly, I started crying.

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"Missoula Memorial. I'm in the waiting room now until they get her admitted."

"Have you seen her?" I asked.

"Rose… it's bad." He whispered, his voice breaking at the end.

"I'll be right there." I was up out of bed, gathering my purse and everything I'd need before running out to the car. I was speeding the entire way there, pretty sure if there were any cops in the area, I'd have been pulled over atleast a dozen times. When I reached the hospital, I skipped the elevator, and ran up the stairs to the ER entrance. I found Christian pacing outside. He turned and when he saw me, he just wrapped his arms around me and lost it. That's when it hit me like a battering ram. This is your fault, Rose. I just held him for a moment, and let him cry before I released him.

"Hey… She's gonna be alright. She's tough, you know that." I told him, wiping the tears from his face. I kept my expression impassive, not wanting to let him know I was falling to pieces on the inside. I walked over to the desk.

"We're here to see Vasilisa Dragomir." I told her. She typed it into the computer, and shook her head.

"She still isn't in the system yet, you'll have to wait." I stared at the lady for a second.

"When they brought her in, she was unconscious. She had no wallet, ID, anything on her when she left the house tonight. They're not going to know who she is, what she's allergic too, or anything if we aren't back there. We're here only family in this country, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd let us back now." I snapped. She stared at me for a second before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, but we're not permitted to let anyone back until the patient is in the system." She said.

"How the fuck is she going to be in the system when she's unconscious and can't give her god damn information?" I screamed at her.

"Ma'am, if you don't calm down I'm going to call security. I know you're upset, but you need to breathe. I'll call you when it's available for you to see her." I ran a hand through my hair, and turned my head and something caught my eye. Missoula Emergency Ward, founded by Adrian Ivashkov and Ivashkov Marketing & Sales. I turned back to her, and smiled.

"Ma'am, listen… I'm very close with Mr. Ivashkov… the founder of the Emergency ward, and I can have him down here in a matter of minutes. His number is actually on my speed dial, and I'm pretty sure he will not be very pleased with how you're treating his fiancé." I lied smoothly. Christian knew I was lying, but said nothing. The lady stared at me for a second, so I pulled out my phone to show her Adrian's number, before she nodded.

"We're so sorry, Mrs. Ivashkov. We'll take care of you right away." She printed two passes and handed them to Christian and I. She gave us directions to where she would be and Christian and I took off running down the halls, bobbing and weaving through people and stretchers and carts. When we reached the door of her room, the smell of blood and antiseptic hit me the moment I opened the door. There she laid, in a white hospital gown, almost matching the color of her skin. She was blood stained from head to toe, and hooked up to all kinds of machinery. She had IV needles running in and out of her. She looked dead already. If it wasn't for the slow and steady movement of her chest, you would have thought she was. There was blood stained bandage wrapped around her head, where you could definitely tell she'd slammed her head against the steering wheel. Christian pushed past me, and ran over to her bedside. I couldn't comprehend the scene I was looking at, so no tears came. Christian was bawling like a baby, and it made my chest ache to see. My wrist throbbed at the scene unfolding before me.

"Mrs. Ivashkov?" I heard from behind me. I didn't respond right away, cause that wasn't my name. Then I realized, that was the lie I'd told to get us in here. I finally turned.

"Yes?"

"Can we have a word with you?" The doctor asked. I nodded and followed him into an office next to Lissa's room. "Because she's unconscious we have none of her information. Are you able to give it to us?" He asked. I nodded again.

"Yes, I can." I told him. He passed me a clipboard with a stack of about twelve to thirteen papers on it. It kind of looked like Adrian's contract. I quickly pushed the thought of him away. I'm sure he'd soon find out I was using his name, and him to get what I wanted. It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't call him. I sighed.

"Just give that back to one of the nurses when you're finished. Thank you, Mrs. Ivashkov." I got up and started towards the door before I turned back to him.

"Right now, it's Ms. Hathaway. It won't be Mrs. Ivashkov for a few more months." I said, putting on a fake smile. I walked back into the room with Christian and Lissa, and sat down in the chair, and started filling out the paper work. It all became really repetitive about seven pages in, so I quickly finished the rest and turned it into a nurse passing by the room. After that I walked to Lissa's bedside and took her hand in mine. I hadn't shed a tear yet, and for some reason no matter how bad I wanted to cry, they just wouldn't come. Cause this is your fault, Rose. You have no reason to cry. You're to blame here. I just stood there and held her hand for the longest time. Doctors and nurses zoomed in and out of the room, refilling IV bags or checking her vitals. I felt like I'd been there for centuries when we'd really only been there for three hours. The doctor finally came in laid his chart down on the bedside table.

"All of her tests have come back fine. There's no internal damage that we've been able to locate. The head trauma is more than likely the reason she's still unconscious. She could be out for a few more hours or even a few days, depending on her and how quickly she heals on her own. We'll continue to give her pain medicine, and make sure she's comfortable until she becomes conscious again." We nodded and he smiled politely at me before walking out. We sat there for atleast another hour before my phone rang. I looked down at caller ID to see Dimitri's number. I narrowed my eyes at the phone, but since everything else seemed to be going wrong tonight, I figured why not get all the breaking done at once. I answered.

"Yes?"

"Uhm, Rose?" He asked.

"Who else would it be? You called me, Dimitri." The moment I said his name, Christian's head snapped up and he looked over at me.

"I'm at a bar in downtown Missoula, and Adrian's here." He told me. Instantly, I froze.

"And?" I asked. You don't care, Rose. You don't care about him anymore.

"Rose, he's really drunk and he's here by himself. They're talking about calling the police if someone doesn't come get him soon." He informed me.

"That isn't my problem anymore."

"He drove here, he told the bartender he's going to drive home. They tried to take his keys but he wouldn't give them up." He told me. My entire body tensed.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." I told him, before hanging up the phone. I turned to Christian, pain clear in my face. "Christian, it's Adrian."

"Go, Rose. I get it." He said. I shook my head.

"I'm not choosing between them. You know that. Adrian's drunk and he's going to try and drive… and I can't take this happening too two people in my life… I just-." Tears were threatening to escape this time. Christian stood up and walked over to me.

"Rose, go. I understand. Go take care of him. I'll be here, and if she wakes up… you'll be the first person I call." He promised me. He kissed my forehead and I turned, running out the door and back down to the parking lot. I drove into downtown Missoula until I said the Mazda sitting outside of the bar. I parked around back, and went inside. Dimitri was waiting for me when I arrived.

"Does he know you're here?" I asked him. Dimitri shook his head.

"I'm trying to keep my distance. I know he'd try something if he knew." He told me.

"Why'd you call me? I thought if anything, you'd let him drive home."

"Do you really think that low of me, Rose?" I turned and looked him dead in the face.

"Yes, Dimitri… I do." He winced but nodded.

"Guess I deserved that." I shrugged slightly.

"Watch my back please, just in case I need you. Stay out of sight." I told him. I watched him from a distance as he sat at the bar, trying to convince the bartender to give him another drink. He didn't seem hostile yet, so I assumed it was safe to approach him, although he didn't really seem hostile the night he grabbed me either. I took a deep breath and walked over to him.

"Adrian." I said. He turned to me, and his eyes instantly widened.

"Rose? What are you doing here?" He asked. His green eyes were glassed over. He was shitfaced, no doubt about it. In his drunken state, he also looked so vulnerable. I'd never seen him like that.

"I'm here to take you home. Come on, Adrian." I said. I reached out and grabbed his hand, tugging on it. He jerked away from me, and I instantly tensed up, afraid of his reaction.

"I'm not ready to go home yet."

"Adrian, I don't care if you're ready to go home or not. You're drunk and you aren't driving home." I snapped. He stood up.

"I'm perfectly capable of driving." He stumbled over, and I caught him right before he would have hit the ground.

"Adrian, it's been a rough night. I really don't want to do this with you. Please, just let me take you home." I told him.

"Only if you stay with me." He said, pulling the puppy dog eyes on me. I wanted to give in badly. I wanted to take shelter in his pent house just so I wouldn't have to deal with what was going on just a few miles up the road at the hospital.

"Adrian, we're over. I'm not staying with you."

"We don't have to be over." He pleaded.

"Yes, we do." I snapped. "Please, just let me get you home safely. Don't make me call Eddie."

"Whatever." He stumbled his way towards the backdoor. I met Dimitri's gaze on the way out and mouthed a thank you. He nodded and disappeared onto the dance floor. He took two steps out the door, and stopped. "Rose…" He mumbled.

"Yes?" I asked, as I grabbed his arm to keep him from falling. He shook his head, and continued stumbling his way to my car. I helped him in, and walked around to get into the driver's seat. When I started the car, he turned and looked at me.

"How did you know I was here tonight?" He asked.

"Someone called me and told me." I told him, locking the doors so he wouldn't try and get out. I started down the highway, heading to his apartment. When I got there, I parked in the parking garage and walked around to his side to help him out. When I did, I wrapped an arm around his waist to hold him up as I made our way to the elevator.

"Who called you?" He finally asked. I sighed.

"Dimitri."

"That fucker called you?" He roared.

"Adrian, calm down. He was worried about you. That's why he called me."

"Yeah, worried I was going to beat the shit out of him." He snapped at me. I laughed.

"You're in no condition to try and fight with anyone." I told him. It apparently pissed him off that I'd laughed at him. He fell silent until the elevator reached the penthouse. He took two steps in and turned to look at me, but the moment he opened his mouth to speak, he snapped it shut again.

"I'm going to be sick." He said, running for the bathroom. I debated on just leaving. He was a grown man; he could take care of himself right? He was home, safe with no vehicle to try and drive. I didn't have to worry, did I? But instead of doing that, I walked into the bathroom, to find him on his knees in front of the toilet, heaving his guts up. I grabbed a washrag out of the cabinet and wet it, placing it on the back of his neck. I sat down on the side of the tub, and waited for him to finish puking. When he was done, he sat back against the wall, trying to catch his breath.

"See what binge drinking gets you?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Why are you even here? Just go. I'm home now." He snapped at me.

"Not till I know your okay."

"Why would you even care? You said it yourself, that we're over. Why even worry about me?" It took everything I had on to slap him in the face.

"Just because we ended it doesn't mean I don't fucking care about you, Adrian." I snapped back at him. He shook his head, and looked away from me. I sighed. "You threw up on your shirt." I said, simply. He looked down at his shirt, and cussed. He tried to sit up to take it off, but couldn't sit long enough to get it off over his head. I finally stood up, helping him pull it off, and throwing it to the floor. "You need to shower. You reek of bourbon and puke."

"I couldn't actually stand long enough to shower." He told me. I took his hands, pulling him up off the ground. I undid his pants, and pulled them off him, having to guide him to step out of them.

"Are you trying to take advantage of me, Ms. Hathaway?" He asked. I rolled my eyes. It was very hard to keep my mind on what I was actually doing and what I really wanted.

"No, Adrian. I'm trying to sober you up." I said. His face fell. I helped him out of his boxers as well, keeping my eyes on his face as I helped him into the shower. I made sure to turn the water on ice cold, and I forced him to stand under it. He squealed and tried to move, and I couldn't help but laugh. He eventually got used to it, and was able to stand on his own.

"I'll go get you a change of clothes." I told him, before heading upstairs and grabbed him a pair of boxers and some pajama pants. I took them back downstairs and to the bathroom. When I walked in, he was already out, with a towel wrapped around his waist, waiting on me. I tossed him his clothes. "I'm gonna make you a cup of coffee." I walked out and into the kitchen, and started his coffee maker, leaning up against the counter. I watched him walk out and sit down at the bar, across from where I was standing. When the coffee was done, I fixed it how he liked it and sat it down in front of him.

"Thank you." He said. I just nodded.

"Don't mention it."

"Rose, why'd you come get me tonight? It wasn't your responsibility to come take care of me." He said, simply.

"Dimitri called me, and I knew it was bad if he was worried about your well being. I care about you, Adrian. I wasn't going to take the chance on you trying to drive home." I looked down. "I've already had one accident tonight."

"What?"

"Lissa's in the hospital right now. She was in a car accident tonight." I told him. He just stared at me, before blinking hard.

"You mean… you left Lissa in the hospital to come take care of me?" He asked. I couldn't help but smile and this time it was actually genuine.

"Yes, Adrian… I did. I couldn't take the chance on the same thing happening to you." I said, simply.

"How is she? Lissa?"

"She's still unconscious, but she'll be alright. They said all of her tests came back normal, and that she'd wake up soon." I explained to him. "Christian said he'd call me if she woke up, but she obviously hasn't yet."

"I hope she wakes up soon." He told me. He reached across the counter and placed his hand over mine. I wanted to move, but I needed the support.

"It's my fault." I whispered.

"What's your fault?"

"That she was in an accident. She left because she was upset with me. She told me she was going to Christians, but she didn't go straight there. She was driving around upset, and now… she's in a hospital bed, all taped up, and connected to all kinds of machines and IV's. I did this to her." I told him. Admitting it out loud hurt a whole lot worse than admitting it to myself.

"Rose, this isn't your fault."

"But it is. I told her what I'd done. I promised her just like I promised you. I hurt her, just like I hurt you." I told him. He stood up and approached me. I tried to back away from him but the counter stopped me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in to hug him. I tried to pull away, but I finally gave in and buried my face into his bare chest and cried. "She's all I've got and I came so close to losing her, Adrian and it's all my fault."

"It isn't your fault, love. It isn't. Things like this happen to make you stronger. Obstacles like this are put in front of you to test those strengths. Lissa's strong… We know she'll make it through this. You're stronger. We know you'll get her through this." He murmured into my hair. I finally wiped the tears from my face, and released him. He stepped back, knowing I needed the room to breathe. He walked around the counter and sat back down across from me.

"Thank you… for coming to get me tonight." He finally said. I sighed and nodded.

"You're welcome." I told him. I closed my eyes for a second, and then met his gaze. "What were you thinking? You were honestly going to drive home as drunk as you were?"

"I wasn't thinking. I was trying not to think." He said, emphasizing the word not.

"Trying not to think about what?" I asked. I wasn't expecting the answer I got.

"You."

"Me?" I asked. He sighed.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you since you left me standing in that parking lot, Rose. You're all I've thought about, and it was driving me insane. I had to find a way to stop thinking about you, just so I could breathe for a few hours." He said, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Adrian, you-."

"No, Rose… Listen. I shouldn't have let you leave that parking lot that night. I should have fought for you. I could have done something, anything but let you walk away. I let you go, and I shouldn't have… and I'm sorry." He finally said. I opened my mouth to talk, but he shook his head. "I'm not finished. I knew I had a choice to make that night. I knew I had to decide between what I knew and what I wanted, and the most logical thing was what I knew. Choosing that over having you is probably the stupidest move I've ever made. Rose, I've had twelve subs since I started doing this, and they've come and gone just like any regular relationship, and when they left I never looked back, but I can't seem to let you go. When you ripped up my contract, I knew that you weren't ever coming back. You have no idea how bad that hurt me. I've never felt pain of this magnitude ever. Rose… I'll work with you. Anything you want, I'll do it. The ball is in your court, just please… don't give up on me. Let me make this right."

"You want me to allow you to change everything you've known, and the life you've lived just for the sake of me not having to lose you?" I asked.

"It's not just for you. It's for me. Rose, I honestly can't stand the thought of not seeing or hearing from you ever again, and I know you can't either." He told me.

"I need to go, Adrian. I have to get back to Lissa." I said, walking around the counter. "Plus, you're drunk. You don't really know what you're saying."

"I've sobered up enough to know what I'm talking about." He said, standing up to block my exit. He reached up and touched my cheek gently. "Promise me you'll atleast think about it? Please, atleast give me that much." I looked up at met his gaze.

"I'll think about it." I told him. He nodded and the smile that lit up his face made my heart skip a beat. Was I really ready to give that up?

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" He asked. Against my better judgment, I nodded. He leaned down, and pressed his lips gently to mine. I'd missed this more than anyone could possibly imagine, but I quickly pulled away knowing that if I didn't, I'd never leave here. I started towards the door, and paused before exiting.

"I'll be in town till Lissa is out of the hospital. Considering I told the hospital staff I was your fiancé so they'd let me back to see Lissa, you may want to make an appearance so I don't look like a complete ass." I told him. He laughed.

"You used me?"

"I knew if I threatened to call the man that funded the Emergency Ward, they'd do what I said." I told him, smiling. "Hope you don't mind." He shrugged.

"I've been used for worse. I'll come see her tomorrow morning." He said.

"Promise?"

"Promise." He answered simply. I nodded, and turned walking out of his apartment feeling ten times better than I had when I entered it.