Chapter 25

She hadn't left my side since I'd gotten there. She just kept busying herself bustling around like a tornado off course.

"I'm fine mom, I promise."

"Fine? Okay, baby." She went back to doing whatever she was doing. Organizing the stack of magazines on the table next to my hospital bed, Throwing away empty styrofoam cups that the nurses kept bringing. Nothing was really wrong with me, they'd reassured her of that. I'd walked away with broken bones, my leg, my arm, and a few ribs. It was nothing compared to things I'd been in the hospital for before. I tried not to be there too often, I hated hospitals. It seemed to me that hating hospitals ran in the family because my mother had been on edge since we'd gotten in the room. I knew she couldn't have had a shortage of hospital visits, she was Janine Hathaway, but maybe it was just the shock of seeing her kid in the hospital.

"I'm fine."

"Yes, Rose you are." She never turned around.

"Rose. How are you feeling?" Abe asked walking towards my bedside chair and pulling it close before he sat.

"She says she's fine, Ibrahim." My mother had suddenly appeared at his side her worried gaze burning into his eyes. He reached up and held her hand then used his other to push my hair from my face and cup my cheek.

"I'm sure she is then, Janine." I could tell he was squeezing her hand and it seemed to relax her a little. The sight of my parents together like this made me ache inside. I turned my gaze and tried to capture my father's eyes.

"How's Ivan?" His face lit up brightly in promise of good news.

"You'll be happy to know that he's fine. He has broken ribs, a broken leg and a concussion. He's pretty badly bruised but his leg was a clean break and his ribs should set right. He's going to live."

"Wait, really?" I fought the urge to jump up and hug Abe.

"Really." He smiled even brighter than before and even my mother smiled. Ivan was going to live! I'd been more worried than anything seeing him on the floor of the dirt road. He's going to make it.

"Hello?" A knock sounded on the door. Abe got up to get it and I waited until I saw the blonde hair of Lissa walking through the door.

"Rose…?" She met my eyes and my heart sped up. I turned my head trying to see the heads that undoubtedly followed behind her but saw nothing.

"Lissa, I- I'm fine."

"Hey, Rose, I'm sure you are." She smiled weakly.

"I'm glad you didn't bring Dimitri."

"I- I couldn't stop him from coming."

"What?"

"He's here I just got Christian to convince him to stay behind a bit for me to come in first so that he wouldn't here your name. But Rose, you have to tell him. I tried to get him to leave but I couldn't. I can't do anything else."

"I was going to tell him today anyway but then-"

"I'm not sorry for what I said."

"What?"

"We fought. I'm not sorry for what I said. I am your family. And I understand what it feels like to not have a family. Mine didn't just leave me for a few years to sip wine in their play pretend clothes, mine died. So I don't feel bad for what I said. I know what it feels like to not have a family. So did you. That's why we were a family. I'm glad playtime is over though, Rose." He stare was blank and she didn't look me in the face as she walked over and pulled a small crumpled Rose from her pocket and placed it on my tray table. She didn't look back as she turned and walked away.

"Mom, Dad, can you leave me for a little bit please?" my voice cracked. I turned away from their faces. My body didn't know whether to focus on my anger or my sadness.

"Rose, no-"

"It's okay. I'm okay. I need to tell Dimitri the truth anyway and if he makes it all the way to my room without finding out, then I don't want clues to tip him off." I could see the hurt and anger on both of their faces but I could tell that not of it was towards me. They were hurting for me. They squeezed my hands and walked, my mother more reluctantly, out of my room. I could feel the tears threatening to spill but I knew that I couldn't let them. I had to wait for Dimitri. I heard the voices traveling down the hall.

"Hey I think Lissa said it was this way."

"Come on Christian I know it was that way."

"Oh you're right. Here's the door."

"Let me see the label, I don't want to walk into a stranger's room."

"Belikov I'm positive, go in and look," Christian's exaggerated voice floated in as the door was pushed open. I forced a smile. Dimitri was carrying a plastic bag with a white foam box inside. He was wearing an open button down shirt with a white tshirt underneath, His jeans were light denim the almost pooled around his sandal clad feet but somehow he managed to make it all look sexy.

"Hey guys,"

"Hey um, Priya."

"Priya," Dimitri smiled, "How are you?"

'I'm fine thanks for asking."

"I'm going to find Lissa again. I forgot to ask her something when we caught her walking through the hall." Christian gave me one last glance before disappearing behind the door and pulling it shut behind him. The lights in the room seemed to dim as the door closed but I didn't say anything.

"Clumsy for a Guardian, huh?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, guess so?"

"No come back huh?"

"Huh? Oh, um,"

"Must be the drugs they're giving you. Or the food you're eating." He turned his nose up at the toast and applesauce that sat untouched by the room sink.

"It's pretty…" I trailed off. I'd seemed to be at a lost for words in the moment but Dimitri Gracefully filled the silence.

"I brought you something." No. My heart thumped faster.

"Dimitri-"

"No, no, no." he waved away as he started to make his way around my bed towards my table. He knocked down the clipboard at the edge of my bed and my eyes widened in panic.

"Dimitri!"

"Oh relax, I'll pick it up later" he winked but the pressure on my heart didn't ease up. He placed the bag in front of me and I stared at it hesitantly.

"Really, Dimitri, no. I-"

"Relax, Priya. It's just pancakes." He opened the lid and smiled expectantly at me. I smiled down at them. Don't burn too many pancakes. I'd been too distracted to notice walking towards the fallen clipboard.

"Why does you're chart say this?" my head snapped up I made contact with his staring eyes.

"Dimitri, I was trying to-"

"Rosemarie Hathaway." He mumbled and dropped the clipboard at the foot of my bed.

"Dimitri, please…"

"Say it."

"What?"

"Tell me, go ahead." He seemed to be standing as far across the room from me as he could. It was a miracle he didn't jump out of the window.

"I'm… my name's not Priya. I'm-"

"Rose."

"I'm Rose. I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know how to. I was on my way to tell you when this…" I gestured to myself and sighed.

"Didn't know how to tell me?" his eyes seemed to glint. "Why did you lie to me in the first place."

"You…you left me. I didn't want you to know. I thought I would just be…not letting myself get hurt. I didn't expect that you would be here so long." I rambled. I could see the anger behind his eyes but he stepped closer. He stepped closer still until he was standing almost face to face with me. I sat uncomfortably not knowing whether to stay laying or sit up but his anger paralyzed me.

"Why… Why would you do this? I'm…I'm so sorry, more than you will ever know. And I will accept my part in this. But why!" his hand flew at the stack of magazines and he stared at them as if he hadn't known it was him who'd trained them to fly across the room as they had. He stared shocked at himself and of it's own accord my hand reached up to grab his. He snapped around seeming to be lost in the moment but didn't pull away. I leaned up and looked him in the eyes. I didn't want this to end like my dream. It couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Dimitri. I know I shouldn't have lied and I've been wanting to make it right from the moment it started. I knew you didn't want me and I just didn't want to make things harder than they were. I didn't want you to stare at me with that look that said it all. That look of pity on the poor girl in love with you. I didn't want to hear your apologies. I didn't want to break my life. But…I… I saw you. And then nothing that I wanted mattered as long as- I couldn't tell the truth. It was too late for me to yell April fools. And Tasha-"

"I love you. I've always love you. None of what you did changed the way I felt about you when I saw your face. For weeks I've been feeling like a horrible person because my being, my body, my soul, it wanted you. But my heart and my brain said that you weren't her. They asked how I could love someone when I only loved Rose. You lied to me." He cupped my face tight in his hands. His movements were so fast they startled me.

"Dimi-"

"You've consumed me ever since the day I left you. I'm in love with you. You have no idea how much it hurt to hear that you were a…" he sighed. "A blood whore. I felt as though I had failed you. As though my love had failed you. Why did you hurt me this way Roza?" he pressed his forehead against mine and closed his eyes, breathing in deep as though he was trying to breath me in.

"Why, Roza?" he leaned away and looked me in my eyes. The hurt shone behind his intense gaze and I could feel my heart cracking. He leaned in closer pressing his lips to mine and closing his eyes. I closed mine feeling his cool warmth envelope me. He pulled away and rested his head against mine again.

"Why?" he whispered.