** Hey all! Sorry about the wait. This week has been crazy; and like I said in my introduction, I'm writing this chapter by chapter, so this book is going to be uploaded a bit slower than my first. Thanks for being patient! Here's chapter two! We get a small glimpse into what's going on with Rose. We'll see Brooklyn in chapter 3... and what evil is haunting his love and mate? Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!
P.S- Brief strong language in this chapter.
P.S.S- Updated title from 'A New Normal' to 'An Unsettling Calm.' Made more sense to !**
~Chapter Two~
An Unsettling Calm
Please! Help me… Help Avalon… Rose…! Rose… Rose…
A female voice echoed through Rose's subconscious mind and was pleading for her help. She could feel the stranger's fear and more than anything Rose wanted to help her, but couldn't seem to move. The pleading woman's voice was unfamiliar to her, but the voice seemed to know who she was, and cried her name out, over and over again.
Who are you? Rose cried back at the voice. Where are you?
The voice didn't reply and only repeated her name and then grew quieter with every passing second. Before Rose could think anymore about it, the voice faded completely away and was replaced with someone else's voice- and this time the voice wasn't echoed and distant, but right next to her face.
"... Rose?.. Rose! Wake UP!"
Rose's eyes suddenly snapped open at the loud voice and felt someone shaking her shoulder slightly. Blinking a few times and inhaling through her nose, she shook her head and sat up slightly in the chair in which she was sitting. Quickly looking around, she remembered that she was sitting in the Manhattan ER employee break room, and apparently had used the time to fall asleep. She quickly looked around and noticed that the break room's outside windows were darkening, telling her that it was almost the end of her shift, and she would be able to go home soon. The half-eaten salad was still in front of her, as was the coffee mug that held her once- hot coffee.
Rose rubbed her exhausted eyes for a second, most likely rubbing a bit of her eye mascara off, but she didn't care. Right next to her, shaking her awake, was her best friend Emily Hansen. Her bright blue eyes were staring at her widely, she too was wearing the same dark blue scrubs that Rose was. Emily had medium length blonde hair which was pulled back into a stylish messy bun at the top of her head, and was seven months pregnant with her second child giving her stomach a nice circular, baby bump.
"Welcome back, sunshine." Emily teased her, smiling. "How was your nap?"
"Nap?" Rose asked her, stretching her arms up in the air; willing some form of energy to enter her body to wake her up more. As she stretched, Rose was now more aware that she had dozed off to sleep while attempting to eat, due to her neck strained from hanging awkwardly and her butt and legs were completely asleep from the hard chair.
Shaking out her legs, she then remembered the strange dream she was having, or at least she thought it was a dream. Someone was crying out for help, and was calling out for her specifically. She had never heard the voice before and didn't recall dreaming of anything in particular, or falling asleep for that matter.
Shaking her head, she forced herself to forget about it and force herself back into her reality and the fact that she didn't mean to fall asleep, especially when she didn't have much time for a break before she was expected back on the floor- assisting incoming patients.
"Oh man," she groaned, shaking her head and exhaling deeply. "How long was I out for?"
"Well seeing that I've been searching for you for a half-hour? I would say that you've been out for at least that long." Emily told her lightly.
Rose groaned, yawned and stretched again.
"Dang it." She groaned. "I didn't mean to fall asleep! I'm sorry you've been searching for me…" She paused and then looked at her pager, which showed six missed calls. Some from Emily, and some from her head nurse. Rose groaned and shook her head, placing her pager back on her pants. "I didn't hear it beeping at all… man, I'm probably going to get my butt chewed out by the head nurse. I better get back out there."
Immediately as she said this, she stood up from the table, collected her coffee mug and soggy salad to throw away. She tossed the salad into the garbage can, then walked over to the small break room kitchen sink and dumped out her coffee.
"I don't think so." Emily replied, following after her. "You were on your break, so who cares if you slept during it? And don't worry about me. I was just wondering where you were. The floor isn't too busy right now- no major traumas, or anything. Just the usual… sick people, gang fights, the occasional crazy people, and overdoses."
Rose stayed quiet as she quickly rinsed out her mug and then set it in the small dishwasher. Rose had to stifle another yawn and thought about pouring herself another cup of coffee; but wasn't sure, if at this point, anything would help her except true, uninterrupted sleep. Emily, however, noticed her yawn and sighed.
"Rose, you look exhausted. Are you getting any sleep?" She asked her quietly, stepping up behind her and placing a gentle hand upon her shoulder.
"During the day, yes." Rose told her. "Well, actually… um… sometimes during the day. I still work my online job during those hours… so… "
"And you're up all night with Brooklyn, every night?" Emily exclaimed with widening eyes. Rose, however, smiled and shook her head. At the mention of her husband and Gargoyle mate, she felt a small tingle of warmth flow down her fingertips; which happened whenever she thought of him, and it brought her excited butterflies in her stomach.
"Well no, not every night." She replied, turning to face her best friend again. "Brooklyn understands that on Mondays I work the twelve hour graveyard shift, Tuesdays I sleep and work online during the day as much as I can, and then sleep at night. On Wednesdays, I work the day shift for twelve hours here until nine o'clock in the evening and we either stay up together or I can't help myself and fall asleep. But during the days for the rest of the week, I work my full-time online medical job, which gives me the weekend and nights with the Clan and with Brooklyn."
Emily's eyes widened at Rose's schedule, shook her head and sighed again.
"Why are you putting so much on your schedule, Rose?" She asked her, raising her eyebrows at her. "Why don't you just keep that full-time online gig and just quit this one? It's one less thing you have to worry about. It feels like you're forcing yourself to run a race, at your own free will and choice, but you're physically unable to." Emily paused, raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. "Is it because of the finances? Are you needing money?"
Rose rolled her eyes and turned to face Emily, knowing that she was now picking through her life to diagnose everything that could possibly going wrong.
"No, Em." Rose answered her, shutting the dishwasher and wiping her hands on a clean towel. "We are getting by alright."
Emily stared for a few seconds before narrowing her eyes at her.
"No, you aren't." Emily argued. "If things were good, then why are you working yourself into pure exhaustion? Hm?"
Rose scoffed out a laugh and placed her own hands on her hips.
"Oh come on, Em." Rose said a bit exasperly. "Not this again! Look, you asked me how things are going with myself and Brooklyn and I'm telling you the truth! We are happy! We are doing great! For once in a marriage, I'm in complete bliss and often have to pinch myself making sure that it's not all a dream that I'll wake up from and be back with…" She paused from speaking as Emily's face softened and twisted up in worry. Rose blinked a few times and felt a slight panic rise in her chest, and did not want to discuss the real reason for her staying as busy as she was, and Emily knew it. Rose quickly cleared her throat, and kept pushing her argument, hoping that she would drop the issue.
"Rose…" Emily started to say softly, but Rose interrupted her.
"If you must know, Xanatos has been gracious enough to pay our mortgage for the first six months as a wedding gift." Rose explained to her, quickly. "My full-time job covers my mortgage easily, as well as most of the utilities, and this ER job covers the rest of our other needs,wants, food, and such." She paused, smiled at her, and kept going to prove her case. "Plus, Brooklyn has a decent income coming in every month from Xanatos for protecting the Castle that we have placed in our savings account. So… we are doing just fine."
Emily raised an eyebrow and kept staring at her best friend with the 'look,' as though she didn't believe a word she just said, which aggravated Rose slightly. Although Rose loved her best friend and enjoyed working with her, there were times when Emily got on her very last nerve.
"What?" Rose asked her irritatingly, raising her eyebrows.
Emily shrugged, still not saying anything, furthering Rose's anger.
"Nothing."
"No, I know you better than that Em." Rose snapped slightly. "What's the look for?"
"I'm just not convinced… but I'll take that explanation for your 'cover up' as to what's really wrong for now." Emily said, glancing down at her fingernails.
"For now?" Rose asked irritatingly, raising her eyebrows.
"Yes." Emily replied a bit sharply. "There's still another reason you've taken this much on your plate by choice and you're not just not telling me… "
Growing slightly angry, Rose clenched her fists up, ready to argue back with Emily, but gasped when she suddenly felt her red-hot magic awaken deep within herself. The angry, electricity-filled magic was streaking through her veins, ready to erupt through her hands and strike down the being that was making her feel stressed. Emily. Gasping out, Rose pushed the magic back down inside of herself as well as she could; but could still feel it bubbling uncomfortably inside of her chest and abdomen- ready to strike when she willed it or when she lost control of it by her lack of will-power or fear.
Rose took a series of deep breaths, turned away from Emily and closed her eyes, while massaging her temples on the side of her head. The more she stayed in her 'fight or flight' part of her brain, the more the magic lingered angrily in her being. She had to channel back to the only thing that made it relax; which was Brooklyn and their love- connection. She kept her husband on her mind for that reason as well as many other reasons, and found it wasn't a bad thing to do. She loved her husband and mate and anytime she thought of him, even if he wasn't there, he seemed to fight off all darkness around her.
Emily stayed quiet for a few minutes as Rose processed what all was going on with her. Luckily for their situation, Emily knew that Rose had magic- although the reason was still unknown to them- but still had no idea how dark Rose felt most of the time. Puck, who was also Owen, had begun to train her for a few hours each day or night- whenever Rose wanted to or could; and while she had learned a lot about herself and the magic that flowed deeply within her during these past few months of practicing with Puck, she felt that the more they practiced it, the more uncontrollable and wild it felt inside her.
It was almost as if the light, magical properties that Puck practiced were too restricting for hers. The magic that was inside her was not the gentle and beautiful kind that she's seen the most and liked to practice with, but instead was the angry, electrified magic that was dangerous and destructive.
The one and only time she and Brooklyn had fought was the night she found out she had powers; and they brought out the worst part of her. She was angry, and her power reflected her mood and streaked through her like lightning, so much so, she felt ready to burst like a volcano or a bomb. Rose hated recalling that memory and it seemed to stress her out even more. She had endured a world of hurt and chaos from Kevin, and had channeled her magic deep within herself. But now that he was gone, and she was forced to deal with that new part of her, it had been growing darker and angrier with every passing moment.
On that night of magical awakening, she had hurt Brooklyn greatly by her sharp words, and backed herself into a corner so dark that she was sure it would destroy her and the love they had for each other; but instead, it was Brooklyn who chose to fight for her and pulled her from that darkness. He chose to love her still and forgive, what she felt, was unforgivable. That night, their love deepened for each other; and it was that night, that made Rose fearless in marrying her best friend, Gargoyle lover and protectorate.
Since that night, she learned the more she stayed in a fearful and stressful mindset, the harder it was to stay in control of the magic; and if she responded with a calm demeanor, then she could handle it. However, lately, the more she was tired and stressed out, the more her angry magic would rise to help defend her. And the more she pushed that down, it kept a cycle of destruction going and she felt like she was becoming a live fuse ready to explode.
"Rose?" Emily asked her, finally breaking the silence and stepped closer to her. "Come on… please. Talk to me." She paused and Rose could hear the hurt in her voice. "I know you feel that you have to endure it all by yourself, but you don't have to. I'm here for you… haven't you learned that lesson yet?"
Rose opened her eyes, turned back to face Emily and was shocked to see that she had tears in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Rose asked her, forgetting about the angry magic within her.
"I'm your best friend, Rose." Emily said, sniffing down her tears. "You kept Kevin's abuse from me for a whole nine months before you disappeared and joined the Clan. While I understand why you kept me in the dark, it still hurt. I knew something was wrong then and I know something is wrong now. Please, talk to me and let me in. I know you hate it when people worry over you, but I just… don't want to lose you like I almost did before. Please don't shut me out, Rose. I just want to help you."
Rose closed her eyes and sighed in defeat, pulling Emily into a tight hug.
"Oh, Em." She sighed, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry. Thank you for being my friend and never giving up on me. I'm sorry, I don't mean to internalize things and hide from you or anyone else. I just…" she paused and had to think her way through her complex of emotions, trying and failing as she normally did. Talking out emotions and thoughts was Emily's strength, not hers. "Sometimes I fail to find the right words that explain what's going on deep inside of me, and never before did I actually think I could tell anyone what was going on..." She paused and felt tears fill her eyes. "I guess I got so used to hiding that it's my coping mechanism. I'm sorry… I'm trying to get better at it."
Emily pulled away from her and wiped some of her tears away.
"I know, and I understand. But do you wanna know how I conquer not knowing what to say?" She asked Rose, with a small smile on her face.
"I have no idea." Rose replied in heavy sarcasm, smiling back at her. "How?"
"By opening my mouth and forcing the words out." Emily replied, her grin growing brighter.
"Wow, really? I would've never guessed that about you…" Rose teased, as Emily laughed.
"Of course you knew that! We are best friends and you know me just like I know you." Emily replied, elbowing her in the arm. "Which means you can't hide things from me easily. And ever since the whole horrific ordeal with Kevin, I would have hoped that you learned not to keep me in the dark because I only want to help you."
"I know, I know." Rose groaned, not wanting to talk about Kevin. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to work on it. But it's easy for you to talk, Em. That's a strong suit in your personality. I'm more reserved in how I act and feel- so it's harder for me to open up to people."
"Even to your best friend?" Emily asked her gently. "You don't seem to have an issue communicating with Brooklyn…"
"That's because our situation is a bit different." Rose explained. "His mind and mine are connected- as are our souls- so even if I don't speak, he knows how I am feeling and doing… for the most part."
"I know and I think that's a potential problem." Emily explained a bit dryly. "Rose, you still have to communicate with him and with those you love! Just because you and Brooklyn can read each other's souls and minds, doesn't mean you should always rely on that! Open your mouth and speak your mind more, don't become lazy in your guys' communication! Both of you need to become more assertive because communication is everything!"
Unsure how they even got to this topic, Rose exhaled and shook her head.
"Um… we do communicate, Em." Rose argued. "More than you know. We both know that our connection is there in case we need to know what's truly going on, but Brooklyn and I prefer to not channel into that, if we can help it. Instead, we talk things out and more than that we enjoy talking to each other, so our soul-connection hasn't been used for mind-reading for quite some time."
"Then prove it to me!" Emily snapped, raising her eyebrow at her. "Open your mouth and tell me what's going on! Even if it's a jumble of confusion and messy words, eventually you'll get your point 'll always have me to help you with these skills, you're gonna have to get better at it if you and Brooklyn are gonna continue to be strong in your interspecies marriage. Sex won't solve everything, ya know. The honeymoon will eventually end… and when it does, you gotta find other venues to keep your marriage strong."
Rose stared at her best friend and slowly shook her head, laughing out in frustration.
"Oh Emily… what would I do without you?" Rose sighed sarcastically, giving in.
"I have no idea." Emily said seriously, nodding. "So tell me the truth. What's going on?"
Rose closed her eyes, took a deep breath and was about to give Emily everything she wanted to know.
"Fine, fine. I'll tell you." Rose snapped slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Only because you're a pain in my ass and I'm already sporting a headache that you've begun to make worse."
"You're welcome. I do what I can." Emily responded with a cheeky smile, taking a quick seat back at the table. Rose stared down at her, ran a hand through her long auburn red hair and sighed heavily before grabbing the chair she was sitting in before and sank back into it.
"Okay, I'll tell you. But it's… weird and kind of… disturbing. So when you look at me like I'm a crazy person just remember that I warned you." Rose said quickly and quietly.
"I'm used to things being crazy with you." Emily teased slightly. "How much weirder can your life get?"
Rose raised an eyebrow at her and looked bored.
"Oh, trust me." She said dryly. "It has managed to do just that. I'll tell you the short version, though, because we have to get back to work before we both get into trouble."
Emily nodded at her and stayed quiet, as Rose took another breath in and exhaled sharply.
"Things with Brooklyn and I are going really well, I was telling you the truth." Rose started to explain, a small smile growing on her face. "But there are many layers here, ones that confuse me greatly. The first half of myself is in complete bliss, but another part of me feels that it's all a dream… that it's almost too perfect, and I'm just waiting for it to blow up in my face. I know I shouldn't question it, but there's still that dark part of myself that thinks that this marriage is too good to be true and that I can't possibly deserve someone so incredibly selfless, kind, romantic and amazing as Brooklyn is. I mean our honeymoon still hasn't ended, Em, and I don't see it ending anytime soon." Rose paused and felt her face grow red slightly, which made Emily smile brightly at her, but still stayed quiet.
"He is the love and light of my life…" Rose continued to say in a whisper, refusing to look at her. Emily, however, smiled at her as Rose seemed to perk up a bit by talking about her new husband.
"It sounds amazing, Rose. I love it when you talk about him." Emily said suddenly, making Rose blink and look over at her with slight confusion.
"When I talk about who?" Rose laughed slightly.
"Your hot Gargoyle husband, that's who." Emily replied with a cheeky smile. "You two shine like a lightbulb when you two are around each other, and are still in your 'honeymoon' phase, which is wonderful! But when you talk to him, no matter how run down you look or feel, I can see how happy he makes you, which in turn, makes me very happy."
Rose smiled shyly, chuckled, and looked down at her feet shuffling them slightly, as Emily gently grabbed on her arms and offered her comfort.
"And you deserve to be this happy, Rose." Emily finished saying sincerely. "No matter what lies you've been told in the past, you deserve this! I'm so happy that you and Brooklyn are making your marriage and relationship work, despite differences in schedules and such. You two make marriage look so easy- especially in an interspecies marriage."
"Eh, it really hasn't been that big of a deal." Rose told her, shrugging. "Honestly, Brooklyn and I don't see the differences in each other. Yes, I'm Human and he's a Gargoyle, but we are still just so… compatible. It's been incredible, actually. We are both imperfect beings, but it truly is him who is so amazing. I'm the lucky one. He makes things quite easy and he makes me so happy, Em. He is romantic and passionate when he's with me; he often takes my breath away." She paused and began to smile even brighter, her cheeks blushing fiercely. "He is also so funny… he makes me laugh almost constantly, and treats me with so much kindness, patience and respect. To make him even more incredible, he, unlike Kevin, doesn't treat me that way to try to outdo others or for his own personal gain, does it because he truly loves me and wants me to be happy and taken care of."
"Oh my gosh, Rose… that's so sweet! " Emily sighed, as welled up in her eyes once again. "I'm so happy for you guys. Truly, Brooklyn is a gem, and although you struggle to see it, you're a gem as well. He's found you because it was destiny for you two to be together. I know it may seem like you were meant to suffer, but you weren't. I'm glad that you now see that what you sometimes feel is a lie. You deserve someone to love you like Brooklyn does and the way I see it… yes, he treats you extremely well- but you reciprocate those feelings, giving him everything he's ever dreamed of as well, which is just as important. Like you, he's battled loneliness and depression too, but now that he has you… he's got a beautiful and sexy wife, who's kind, selfless, funny and fun to be with. Every king needs his queen."
Emily paused from speaking and grinned brightly at her, when Rose's blush became even more apparent.
"I know." Rose said softly. "I'm happy that I make him happy, and that he doesn't feel alone anymore."
"It's wonderful." Emily said, and then sighed. "Man, I can't believe that it's been four months since you two tied the knot, or that I'm seven months along with this little guy for that matter!" She paused and lovingly rubbed her protruding stomach. "Time has gone by so fast!"
Rose smiled at the reminiscing thought of her beautiful marriage to her soulmate, and couldn't believe it either that it had been four months since they got married. As Emily rubbed her stomach, Rose smiled sadly and a pang of pain hit her chest. She was very happy for her best friend and her baby boy, but she was still saddened by the fact that she wouldn't be able to have one with Brooklyn.
"I can't believe it either." Rose replied with a small smile, forcing that sadness away. "Whenever I'm with Brooklyn, time seems to stand still, but fly by all at the same time." She paused from speaking, began lightly playing with her beautiful wedding ring, and smiled down at it. "It's been the best four months of my life, Em. Seriously. I can't believe that things have been as good as they've been."
"I know." Emily replied, smiling at her. "But I'll say it again, and keep saying this… you deserve to be happy, Rose. Stop questioning it… or as you just said, stop waiting for it to blow up in your face, because it won't. Sure, life will keep happening and will through hard times your gus' way, but I know you two will tackle each trial together and will be just fine." She paused and stared deeply into Rose's eyes, with great seriousness. "Kevin beat into you that you don't deserve happiness or to have a spouse who treats you with respect, but he was a liar and a monster." She paused from speaking again, when she saw how uncomfortable Rose seemed to get by the mention of her abusive ex-husband and squeezed her hand a bit tighter.
"While it's been four months since you've gotten married- it's also only been that long since Kevin's death and his attack upon the Castle." Emily said quietly. "And with that it's still very fresh grief… "
"I don't grieve for Kevin…" Rose suddenly said coldly, shaking her head. "I…"
"Maybe not in the sense that you are grieving losing him, but it's still him that bothers you still… isn't it?" Emily asked her quietly, guessing correctly Rose's deepest woes. "You are working so much to keep yourself busy and distracted constantly, and are not giving yourself that much needed silence to process what happened between you two and all he would do to you? Am I right?"
Rose refused to look at Emily and stayed silent for a few seconds; giving Emily the obvious answer. However, instead of speaking, she stayed silent and allowed Rose to answer in her own time to Rose's gratitude. Tears welled up in Rose's eyes and she was suddenly overwhelmed by this conversation. Emily knew her too well, and though things were going well when she was with Brooklyn, that was only when they were together. When she was alone, she felt like a dark shadow was constantly following her around, threatening to eat her alive if she stopped moving.
"Yes," Rose finally whispered after a few minutes in silence. "But it's more than that… It's like… he's still with me, Em and never really left."
Emily's eyes widened slightly at her and suddenly looked nervous.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that there is something dark and truly evil that follows me around. All the time." Rose explained in a hushed tone, as if talking too loudly about it would alert that presence to join them. "I have no idea if it's Kevin… or his demonic soul or… a ghost… or something completely different, but…" She paused and more tears filled her eyes as her voice shook slightly. "Whenever I'm away from Brooklyn, especially when he turns to stone, I feel his security and light leave and that dark presence grows closer to me. I can't stop moving or else I am so afraid that this… darkness… will eat me alive or something."
Emily's eyes widened as she asked,"Are you… talking about a real… ghost-like presence or… depression-type feelings… or… ?"
"You know in horror films, that eerie feeling the character gets when something is watching them from the shadows?" Rose asked her in a whisper, the air around them seemed to grow colder as they talked. "It makes the hairs on the back of their neck stand up?"
Emily was not one for horror movies and slowly took her hand from Rose's to cross over her own chest, obviously uncomfortable.
"Y-yes." Emily slurred slowly, looking around the room with her eyes.
"That's how I feel, Em." Rose continued to say quietly. "I don't know what it is… or what it wants, but I feel like something dark and evil is watching me from every shadow. And no, it's not my imagination at play, this… thing… is real. Day and night, any shadow or dark place, it sits and just… watches me. I have no idea if it's Kevin but as time has gone on- its presence in my life has only gotten worse and it… it scares me."
Silence passed between her and Emily for a few seconds, and she could sense Emily's fear.
"And when you're with Brooklyn…?" She asked her slowly.
"It's gone." Rose answered simply. "A Gargoyle is known to be a protectorate over evil and darkness and I feel it with our case especially. From our light connection within our souls, to his very nature, Brooklyn protects me without knowing that he is." She paused and shook her head slightly. "I know this all sounds… crazy. But that's why I work so much. If I stay busy then I'm not alone. I know I can quit this job and we would get by financially, perfectly well, but it gets me out of the house during the day and breaks up that time that I would be alone. And although I don't enjoy my full-time job, I've kept it because it pays too well for me to not to keep and has good medical, dental and life insurance. Yes, It is the most mundane thing in this world, but it's easy- so I thought, why not keep it?"
"Makes sense." Emily replied as Rose paused. "But you're exhausted, Rose! Remember how we said that you need to take this time, especially now that he's gone, to heal mentally and emotionally?"
At the mention of Kevin's name again, a rock settled deep within Rose's stomach and she suddenly wanted to jump ship and talk about something else… anything else. Even though her abusive ex-husband was dead, and has been gone for four months, she still felt as though he was haunting her, with every turn she took and everytime she closed her eyes, he was somehow there in her mind and turned her sweet dreams into nightmares. Although her nightmares were nothing as realistic as they used to be, when she felt like she was actually there, she was still plagued with memories of him whenever she fell asleep without Brooklyn next to her.
During those nightmares, she couldn't seem to get Kevin out of her head, and the horrible things he would do to hurt her. Rose closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, trying to keep those damned memories at bay and kept talking.
"I do…" Rose said. "And I'm trying… but…"
"But this… dark presence… is haunting you?" Emily asked her slowly, as Rose nodded. A few more seconds passed by, as it was all clicking in her head and suddenly she felt afraid for her best friend. She quickly stood up, looking around the dark break room and settled in a chair next to her and took her hand.
"Does Brooklyn know about all this?" Emily asked in a rushed and anxious voice. "Does he sense it?"
Rose sighed and hung her head slightly.
"No." She replied quietly. "And again, no- I haven't told Brooklyn about it yet."
"What?!" Emily asked immediately, looking horrified and raising her eyebrows high into her hairline. "Why the hell not?!"
"Because things are finally good in our life." Rose explained, looking up into her anxious blue eyes with her own vibrantly hazel ones. "For the first time in what feels like forever, things are peaceful, happy, and worry-free! When Brooklyn and I first met last October, and I joined the Clan, I was hiding from Kevin. Brooklyn and I had to fight for those 'good' times whenever we were together and though they happened, they were very far and in between the bad times. We had to make the most of what we had, and almost lived in our own relationship 'survival' mode, and I don't want to keep doing that. For once, I just want a normal life."
Emily smirked at her and tilted her head slightly.
"Uh… Rose? News flash chica, but your life is not normal and will no longer be." Emily said. "You've married a Gargoyle and now have magical capabilities within you. There's nothing normal about that… " she paused from speaking and when Rose looked downcast she gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave a small squeeze.
"But I get it." Emily offered gently. "You want to find your new normal. A stable life with your husband and make your two worlds into one. It's only natural for a new couple to feel that way… but… Rose…" she paused again and looked around at each shadowy corner and felt unnerved when Rose looked up at her with terrified eyes. "You've got to tell him about this darkness you feel around you. He's your husband and protectorate, and this is affecting you a great deal. You can't stay in 'survival mode' forever, as you have been. That's why you're exhausted… not only is your schedule now mostly nocturnal, but you've endured so much pain and horror in the past…"
"I know." Rose said quietly, shaking slightly. "I know I've got to tell him, but I don't know how to bring it up… and… unfortunately, it's not only the fear I feel. There's lots more to this… "
"What else is going on…?" Emily asked her.
"Every time I close my eyes to try to sleep…" Rose explained quietly. "That darkness finds me and torments my dreams with memories of Kevin and what he would do to me. It's like, no matter what I try to think of, the memories haunt me and I can't sleep."
"I thought you said that darkness goes away when Brooklyn is there with you?" Emily asked her gently, growing more and more worried.
"It does." Rose replied. "But Brooklyn can't always stay with me. On the night where I have to sleep, he stays with me, until he has to go out on Patrol. And on my nights off, because nighttime is the only time he and I have together, I try not to sleep. He enjoys napping next to me, sure, but I need him more than just in sleep. You know?"
Emily smirked at her suddenly and Rose instantly stopped her teasings.
"And no, I'm not talking about just sex, Emily. He's my husband… we both want to talk, spend time with each other, go on dates… and ya know… try to function as a couple. So, yes, I'm exhausted- but I'm trying to just stay busy and ignore what's going on."
"But it's not working, Rose." Emily offered gently. "You've got to tell Brooklyn what's going on. Remember what I've said about communication? Men can't read minds and though Brooklyn probably can with you, don't hide this from him. Don't let this problem fester and become a larger problem, okay? Stop trying to hide yourself from everyone and let us help you."
"How?" Rose suddenly asked her, standing up and staring down at her. "How can you guys help me? It's not just my nightmares… my magic… is…" She paused and closed her eyes, trying to stay calm as it's angry charge slowly rose up in her arms and threatened to fly out of her fingertips. She gently clasped her hands together and rubbed her skin, massaging the angry magic back down. Emily watched her with widening eyes and stood up slowly.
"Rose?" She asked her with uncertainty.
"My magic is responding to this dark presence." Rose told her quietly. "That's the other thing that is bothering me. What I feel inside me is not the light, wispy magic that you've seen. It's angry, electrified, and feels like I'm a charging fuse- ready to go off at any moment."
"Tell Puck then!" Emily said, reaching out to touch Rose, racking her brain to keep coming up with helpful solutions. "He's been training you with your magic, surely he will know what to do?"
"I don't know about that." Rose said, shaking her head. "Every single magic lesson we have, my magic seems to only get worse. It feels more wild, uncontrollable and unpredictable." She paused, exhaled deeply and in pure exhaustion. "I just… want this to all go away."
"What do you want to go away?" Emily asked gently.
"My magic… these nightmares… my… memories." Rose whispered as tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over. "I just want to forget Kevin and all that he would do to me. You, Brooklyn, Elisa and the Clan are all I have left in this world. Everything else in this world just doesn't make sense anymore… It is unknown, confusing, complex, and straight up terrifying. I don't know what to do."
"Rose," Emily said, grabbing onto her arms. "Are you still seeing a psychiatrist for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and grief counselling? Is that helping at all?"
At that, Rose flung Emily's hands off her arms and scoffed slightly.
"No." Rose said, deciding to be fully honest. "I only went there one time to appease you and Brooklyn. I haven't returned since then."
"Rose!" Emily exclaimed in disbelief, her jaw dropping slightly. "Are you kidding me right now!? You've got to keep going for your mental health!"
Rose gritted her teeth and suddenly whipped around to face Emily.
"Emily, a Human Psychiatrist can't help me."Rose spat out. "Not when my problems are all revolved around unknown magic, and evil-demonic like presence around me. Nor would they understand my personal life, as my husband is a GARGOYLE."
"Maybe not." Emily argued back, trying to remain calm. "But if you explain just your abusive history with Kevin, and leave out everything else out, then they can maybe still help you process those abusive memories better… help you heal…"
"You don't understand, Em." Rose suddenly gasped out, turning from her and feeling more angry and alone. "It's not that easy and this is much bigger than just my mental health. These memories are haunting me because this dark… something… is forcing them upon my mind. I can feel that same icy-cold, dark, death-like presence all around me, and I feel like I've been invited to sit next to death itself. I'm so afraid to open my eyes during my nightmares… so I just endure the memories and torture."
"Why?" Emily asked her in surprise.
"Because if I open them, I'm so sure that I will see what has been following me around in the shadows, and it terrifies me." Rose finished saying quietly. "I feel like I'm going to see Kevin's… corpse or something, standing above me."
Emily stayed silent for a few seconds, before she sighed heavily, and placed her hands back upon Rose's shoulders.
"Tell Brooklyn." She offered quietly. "Please, Rose! If you're not going to seek out professional help, which I understand how you might not want to, but please ease my anxieties and tell Brooklyn." She paused and blinked a few times. "I'm actually quite shocked that you haven't told him any of this yet. I'm curious… why haven't you?"
Rose sighed again, held herself tightly and slowly turned to face her best friend.
"Brooklyn is very protective over me, Em. You know this." Rose explained. "While I love it and am thankful for him doing so, I fear that If I tell him what's been going on with me, then he'll tense up and stress himself out in trying to stay guard over me. I need a husband… not just a protectorate or… bodyguard. He'll force me to sleep and will stay by my side all night long, putting off his other duties and… it'll be just like when he was worrying over my safety when Kevin was still alive."
"So? What's so wrong with that?" Emily asked, trying to convince her. "I know Brooklyn will happily stay by your side so you can sleep. He loves you and only wants the best for you!"
"He has other responsibilities, Emily!" Rose cried out, tossing her hands out. "He can't!"
"He can." Emily argued, giving her another look. "You're his wife. Nothing else should come first, and if he doesn't put you first, which seems unlikely with how you've described you're guys' marriage, then he and I will have a little chat… "
Rose gritted her teeth and slid her fingers up through her hair in frustration, disheveling it slightly.
"He does put me first…" Rose argued weakly. "It's just that…"
"It's just that you're making up any excuse to not feel like a burden to him." Emily shot out, nicking yet another truth nerve with Rose, who stared weakly up into Emily's sharp eyes. "Don't feed me that crap, Rose. You and I both know that Brooklyn wouldn't mind, and he'll insist on it, in fact. I know he has other duties to attend to each night, but he cares about you, your health and safety, first and foremost. Try it for a short time… even if it's only a week or something. That way you can at least get caught up on your sleep. Plus, he'll be relieved that you are opening up to him and striving to be honest with him. Honesty means a lot to him…"
"I know." Rose said, keeping her hands through her hair, grasping it into fistfuls. "I just haven't wanted to make a big deal over… nightmares, ya know? I feel like a child who's afraid of the dark or something… and it's embarrassing!"
"You said it yourself, Rose." Emily said softly. "You are afraid to open your eyes because it feels so real. And if you suspect that it could be related to Kevin, then you have to say something."
"I know, I know!" Rose muttered, groaning and sitting back down on the chair. She closed her exhausted eyes and cupped her neck to massage it slightly, and felt cornered. "I haven't told him yet because of how he reacted with any mention of Kevin. Brooklyn would go out of his own mind with fear and worry for my safety… and would get so angry. I mean… we're talking murderously angry. Now that he's gone, we honestly don't talk about him because it brings so much tension, and I don't want to have him carry that burden anymore."
"You guys never talk about Kevin?" Emily asked gently, sitting down next to her.
"Nope." Rose said quietly, resting her head against the chair's headrest, resting her eyes. "Kevin is kind of a taboo subject and we both avoid it at all costs."
"That's not good, Rose! I don't care if he's a taboo subject!" Emily interjected. "Yes, he might be difficult to discuss, but he's a huge part of both of your guys' new life whether you like it or not, and you guys need to discuss it. That's why I think seeing someone professionally and seeking out counselling is a good idea. If Brooklyn has a hard time talking about it, then you can at least still safely address it with someone and get through that past traumatic memories in your mind. That's crucial for your healing process and closure."
"I understand what you're saying." Rose replied, opening her weary eyes. "I'll speak with Brooklyn about what's been going on… and maybe you're right. I know he'll be willing to put off his duties and patrols for a few nights to stay by my side… I just feel bad. Nighttime is the only time we get together, and he's already sacrificed so much for me."
"Marriage is give and take, Rose. It's a compromise and sometimes a sacrifice." Emily said gently, smiling at her. "But don't forget, that you've sacrificed a great deal for him, as well. I mean, hell, look at how exhausted you are! Part of it is because you aren't sleeping due to these nightmares, but you've also sacrificed a normal Human schedule and have joined his nocturnal clock. Trust me… talk to him about your nightmares and the weirdness you feel that is… watching you, and I know he'll help you sleep."
Rose stayed silent for a few seconds, with her eyes shut, and warily opened them.
"Okay." Rose finally whispered.
Emily nodded her head and kept Rose's hands in hers.
"Thank you." She said softly. "And during that time of catching up on your sleep, think about talking to Puck about your magic problems. And if it's still bothering you, then maybe take a break from everything… magic lessons included, and see if any of that helps you? If you get sleep but are still being bothered by memories of Kevin, then please promise to call that psychiatrist back, okay?" Emily paused and stared hard into Rose's eyes. "I'm serious. If you don't go, then I will call for an appointment, kidnap you, and drag you into the phsyciatrists' office myself, if I have to. I don't wanna babysit you, but I will, if need be. From sister to sister, I can do that much for you, okay?"
Rose smiled at her best friend with a grateful smile and more tears welled up in her eyes, until they spilled over unwillingly. Emily instantly groaned and pulled Rose into a tight hug, rocking her back and forth.
"Oh Rose." Emily whispered, tears coming to her own eyes, her voice shaking. "It'll be alright. Okay? I'm here for you always. You don't have to suffer this new life alone! And though I'm so happy that things are good between you and Brooklyn, what happened with Kevin will not just… disappear as much as you probably want it to. Okay? It does no good for you to just sink your head into the sand and pretend that it didn't happen, because I'm sorry to tell you this, but it did happen."
Emily stopped talking for a few seconds, as Rose cried silently in her shoulder, and when Emily spoke again, her voice was shaking with emotion.
"Rose, you were abused horrifically and painfully… and went through the most unspeakable things. It's going to take time for you to heal from and you're gonna need to ask for help. With that, please remember that it's okay to ask for help from your family- me, Brooklyn, and the Clan. It's okay to seek out professional mental health help, and to rely on those around you. That's why you have us…"
"I don't want to be a burden to anyone." Rose cried out quietly, shaking with her sobs.
"Oh honey, you're not a burden." Emily said smoothly while rubbing her back. "You're the furthest thing from that. Brooklyn will say the same thing and you know it. That's just your 'past Rose' talking, with all the insecurities that you felt with Kevin, as well as exhaustion. It'll be okay. Get rest, ask for help, and take things day by day, or… night by night, in your case. And if that's too overwhelming, then take smaller steps. Take it minute by minute if you have to… but I'm here for you. It'll be okay… and if not… well then, a girl's movie and junk food night might call our names soon."
With that, Rose began to laugh through her tears shakily, and pushed herself up from Emily's hug, wiping her tears away. Emily smiled at her, laughing slightly as well and wiped her own tears. When Rose had pulled herself together a bit more, she made sure her makeup wasn't smeared and clasped Emily's hand in hers.
"Thank you so much, Emily." Rose said softly. "You're right. I shouldn't hide from this anymore. I'll talk to Brooklyn when I get off tonight and explain everything to him. Hopefully I'll get sleep and if sleep doesn't help me, then I'll call the psychiatrist back."
"Pinkie promise?" Emily asked her, holding her small pinkie finger up to her face in which Rose giggled and shook her head slightly, teasing her.
"What are we? Five?"
"Six, actually." Emily teased back, winking at her. "Promise to not hide anymore?"
Rose rolled her eyes and hooked her pinkie around Emily's, sealing the deal, smiling. "Okay, I promise."
Content with her answer, Emily released her pinkie, helped her stand up and wrapped her arms around Rose's neck again, hugging her tightly. After a few seconds, she released her and both started to walk towards the break room door.
"Okay, well on a positive note." Emily said, hooking her arm in Rose's. "Thanks for talking to me. I know it hasn't always been easy for you to open up- but it makes me feel good that you do."
"Thank you for listening to me and my seemingly endless drama." Rose smiled and replied back. "I feel so bad that I'm the center of attention as of late… but…"
"Oh, you know you love it." Emily teased her.
"I do not." Rose laughed, shaking her head while placing her hand on the door handle. She opened her mouth to speak again when a female voice, the same one from her dream, suddenly was heard in her head.
Rose…
Gasping, Rose quickly turned around and faced the empty room- looking around it warily. Emily had just begun to speak again, but stopped and stared at Rose; her eyes growing large with fear.
"Uh… Rose?" She asked, looking around the dark room. "What… what's wrong?"
Rose listened for a few moments, but as soon as that voice came, it was already gone. Emily grabbed her hand and looked fearful.
"It's not uh… that dark presence you've been sensing lately, is it?" Emily asked her warily. "Because if it is, I swear to you, I'm gonna freak out…"
"No." Rose answered her, deciding to keep the honesty streak up. "It's uh… more weirdness, I'm sorry to report. Before you woke me up, I heard a female voice calling my name in a dream… or… something. I didn't have any particular dream that I can remember, and haven't heard the voice before, but it was real. This voice…" Rose paused from speaking and shook her head slightly. "... sounded so afraid and desperate… like she was in trouble, and was calling my name for help."
Emily stared at her with wide eyes and stayed silent for a moment, looking confused.
"And you have never heard her voice before that dream?"
"No, never." Rose answered, looking around once more. Once she realized that there was nothing there, she shrugged her shoulder and looked over at Emily. "But I heard her voice again, just now, and it's strange to me."
Emily stared at her, pulled her lips tightly into her mouth and nodded her head at her, as if she was forcing her to believe what Rose was telling her. Rose exhaled a laugh out and shook her head.
"Are you sure you want me to reach out to a psychiatrist?" Rose asked her teasingly. "Hearing voices, seeing nightmares and feeling demonic beings nearby? Do you know what that would sound like to a normal person, especially a psychiatrist?"
"Something asylum worthy. Ya know, the whole padded cell thing. Yeah, without a doubt." Emily responded instantly, tugging the break room open, instantly blinding Rose by the bright lights. Rose laughed at her best friend and walked out of the dark room, closely followed by her best friend.
"Right." Rose laughed, as they continued to walk down the long corridor of the emergency room. "I don't know what to think about it, but I promise, I'll seek help to try to get over my memories with Kevin. I pinky-promised…"
"Yes, you did." Emily said, letting go of her arm. "I'm gonna hold ya to that promise and will be keeping tabs on you."
"If you must." Rose teased her. They were about to continue to speak, when suddenly a man, dressed in a white coat, walked in between them, cutting through their enclosed arms; knocking them roughly apart.
"Ugh… hey!" Rose said angrily, but the man ignored her and kept walking as if he didn't just bump into them.
"Hey! Asshole! Rude much?!" Emily yelled after him, and he finally stopped and faced them. Rose instantly saw that it was an attending doctor by the name of Samuel. He had bright blond hair, blue eyes and was a nice-looking man. However, when he turned to face them, his blue eyes were anything, but friendly.
"Oh sorry…" he said in an unapologetic and icy tone. "Didn't see you there."
"Really…? You didn't see two females walking down the hallway, and didn't feel it when you rudely bumped into them?" Emily snapped back at him, her sassiness coming out. "Are you blind or just stupid?"
Samuel's icy blue eyes bored into Emily's, and glared at her.
"Do you often get away with your annoyingly disrespectful outburst or it is only tolerated by society because you're pregnant?" He shot angrily back at her, making both girls gasp. Emily's eyes widened at his disrespect and Rose could feel her anger rising uncontrollably within her.
"Excuse me?!" She asked him in disbelief. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!"
"Emily…" Rose warned, as the man glared at her even more angrily.
"The man who can get you fired for speaking to me like that. So I suggest you turn right around and head back to your station before I am forced to tell your attending MD that you are out of your area." He answered coldly, but then turned to Rose.
"But you, I'm over." He said, glaring at Rose. "I covered a patient for you while you were sleeping on the job, Connelly. Keep it up, and I'll have to write you up for being unfit for workplace duties."
With that, Rose's mouth dropped open and she looked over at Emily, who looked back at her in shock, but seemed just as defeated.
"I- I wasn't…" Rose said, trying to defend herself when he suddenly walked away from her, and didn't give her another moment of his time.
"You're welcome."
Rose watched him walk away with narrowed eyes, and after a few seconds, Emily scoffed and looked enraged.
"Okay… WHAT the hell?" She yelled out, holding her hands up. "Who was that? And why does he have a stick up his ass?"
"His name is Dr. Samuel Miller." Rose explained to Emily, eyeing the guy walking away from them. "He's a new attending doctor here on rotations."
"He's a new attending?" Emily asked her in disbelief. "Since when? I haven't seen him before now. I normally know all the assholes and how to avoid them."
"I believe he was transferred here from Boston Medical, three weeks ago." Rose answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Or so I was told. I was working under Bailey Rodriquez for a few months and then she was transferred over to General ER where you work and is your attending. I now have Dr. Know-It-All under the Trauma unit."
"Lucky you." Emily said sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips. "I can't believe I haven't seen him yet. Did Boston Medical not care for his shitty attitude so they transferred him to New York?"
Rose laughed, and the two began to make their way down the hallway where they would have to go their separate ways.
"Probably." Rose said. "Well since you've only worked here one month and have been under Bailey's care; he rarely comes out from his cave so it doesn't surprise me that you haven't. My trauma team rarely sees him when he's needed, but then somehow shows up when we least want him to… like now." She paused and sighed, rubbing her head. "It's been so frustrating…"
"I'd say." Emily sympathized, looking at her with worried eyes. "That sucks. I'm sorry. Having an asshole boss is the last thing you need right now."
"It's life." Rose said, shrugging. "I'm getting used to being shitted on."
"That's the attitude to have." Emily said dryly, but then tilted her head at her. "So what's his deal then? Does he treat everyone like that or is it just you?"
Rose laughed at her, and then turned to face her.
"Um… well. He's pretty anti-social with other people, but I'd say that I'm a… uh… special case with him." Rose explained slowly, and watched as Emily glanced over at her with wide eyes.
"A special case?" Emily asked. "Uh-oh… I smell another story coming."
"Oh yes." Rose said, sighing. " Since you've been hired only a month ago- I never really got to tell you what happened here. But long story short, Samuel began to flirt with me the second I got hired on, after Brooklyn and I got back from our Honeymoon. I was only at this job for two weeks, and it was his first couple days on. At the time, like I said, he was serious about his work and didn't really have the best attitude, but he seemed like a really nice guy to me, and I thought we were becoming friends… but ya know, that's not what was on his mind."
"Oh boy… " Emily said. "I see where this is going."
Rose smacked her lips together and nodded her head slowly.
"Yuup. So, that being said, one night after a long shift, he asked me out and I kindly turned him down and told him no. When he asked why I wouldn't go out with him, I said that I was married, and ever since then, he has been the rudest slimeball of a guy I've ever come across, since Kevin." Rose told her. "I don't know why he took my gentle rejection so harshly, but I have zero patience for him now. He is beligerant, abusing his power of being an attending to ridiculous amounts of insanity, is constantly on my ass about stupid things, and finds every opportunity to do what he did just now to mess with my patients while I'm away… and in this case, he somehow knew I had fallen asleep in the break room…" Rose paused, crossed her arms over her chest and exhaled sharply. "Which is… so freaking annoying."
"Uhm…" Emily exclaimed a bit dramatically, while waving her hand in her face. "Hello?! Rose…! File a hostile workplace environment! You put up with abuse for too long with Kevin. Don't let some asswipe come in and try to poison your life again. Seriously, don't put up with it for one second more." She paused, huffing slightly, and then grabbed Rose's arm, pulling on her sleeve. "Actually, you're coming with me right now. We're gonna tell the Chief what's going on."
They walked down the hallway for a few seconds, before Rose stopped her and grabbed onto her arms.
"No, Emily." Rose said. "I'll deal with him later. Samuel is all bark, but no bite, and is just a sore loser. I've been doing just fine by ignoring him. Plus, with him being a rotating attending, he'll be out of here in the next few months, hopefully, and onto another Hospital. I can deal with him, by ignoring him, till then."
Emily stared at Rose with wide eyes and instantly she shook her head.
"Orrrr…" Emily suggested a bit smartly and sarcastically. "You can report his sorry ass to the Chief and not put up with anymore harassment! That's what this is, Rose, and it's bullshit! Report him so Mr. Attending gets written up! I don't care if he's a doctor and we are paramedic technicians, what he just did and said was plain disrespectful and uncalled for!"
"Em, I-" Rose began to say, but stopped when her beeper suddenly went off. She quickly grabbed it and glanced down at the small screen, reading, 'Trauma 1- TEAM.' Sighing, Rose quickly put it back on her pants and began to walk quickly down the hallway towards trauma 1, right as the intercom beeped over their heads.
"Incoming ambulance- trauma 1 team to room 1."
"Duty calls." Rose said, as Emily followed her down the hallway, grabbing rubber medical gloves as she went.
"We'll chat later." Emily said, grabbing her own gloves and began to walk backwards down the opposite hallway, watching as Rose walked towards the trauma bay. "I've got my own patient's to attend to. Good luck with your trauma! I'll see you when you get off, okay?"
"You got it." Rose answered her, smiling.
"And you're still okay taking me home?" Emily asked her a bit louder, as they continued to walk away from each other. "I also can't believe that you're driving Brooklyn's motorcycle to work…"
"Hey, it's fun, and is a great way to get to work." Rose laughed, still talking to her as they went their separate ways. "And yes. I'll see you then! Bye."
"See ya." Emily answered and then quickly walked away.
With her gone, Rose walked briskly down the quiet hallway towards the trauma center, while putting on her medical rubber gloves, she felt a small sense of relief after having talked to Emily about what has been going on in her life.
Rose continued to walk in silence, and since she was in a quieter hallway, there wasn't anyone around her. That silence instantly brought panic to Rose, and she suddenly felt that familiar evil and unknown dark presence suddenly grow nearer to her. She could feel it behind her, in every shadowy crevasse of the hallway's shadows, and it made her neck hair's stand on edge.
Rose slowed her walking, until she stopped, and listened carefully to what she could hear and feel. To her left, there was an open and empty patient room, which was dark. It's window was blacked out with curtains, and Rose didn't know what she was doing, until she began to slowly walk towards the open door, clenching her fists as she went. Keeping her body out in the hallway, she slowly peaked her head past the door and looked into the deserted room. She had to adjust her eyes from the bright hallway lights, to the extra darkness in front of her, and was breathing deeply as she listened closely to what she could hear or feel.
To her shock, the room was at least ten degrees cooler than the hallway which gave her instant goosebumps on her arm, the more she stood there, the icier it became. Taking a few steps closer past the door frame, her magic suddenly sparked inside of her, angry, electrified and ready to defend her from whatever was in the room. With every small step inside the icy room, she suddenly felt a very dark and evil presence nearby, one that nearly took her breath away.
Rose's breathing increased as a cold sweat began on her brow, as she pushed the door open a bit more. Once she did, she nearly fell over by the stench that seemed to smack her in the face. There was a terrible smell nearby, and was the obvious smell of death and decay, making Rose panic more.
Did someone die in here? She thought to herself in panic, but the more she thought of it, the weirder the situation was. She worked in a hospital- and while she had smelled death and decay, this was an odor that occurred if someone had been dead for days… maybe even months, and they did not keep patients for that long before transferring them down to the morgue.
Then, before she entered the room, she suddenly saw a very dark and black figure cross the room and stand in the darkest corner of the room, glaring back at her.
Breathing erratically, Rose froze and couldn't believe what she was seeing, or doing as she wasn't running away. Paralyzed by fear and even curiosity, she blinked a few times to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. However, with every blink, the demonic-looking shadow wasn't seeming to go away. The dark figure was tall and slim and looked similar to a Gargoyle, but the way she felt staring at it, she knew it wasn't. Not even close.
"It's nothing…" Rose whispered to herself, as she slowly raised a hand to find the light switch. "This is just my imagination… it's nothing…"
As she moved her hand, the dark thing seemed to know what she was doing. Suddenly, she froze- her finger inches from the light- and suddenly couldn't seem to move anymore as its presence hit her soul. It was icy-cold and dark; like she was once again drowning in the East River, and felt like death. The longer she was alone, the more terrified she felt and nearer the presence seemed to get to her.
Rose's magic suddenly slid out from her fingertips unwillingly, and instantly shot a red-streak of electricity out across the room. Her magic hit the dark shadow and a shriek, unlike she'd ever heard rang through her ears, snapping her out of the daze she seemed to be in.
Screaming out in shock and terror at the unearthly shriek, Rose quickly flipped the light switch on, instantly turning on the bright light, and bathed the room in white light. Rose pushed past the door, stepping into the lighted room, breathing deeply and quickly grabbed a clipboard that was on the counter next to her. She held it above her head and would use it to hit whatever it was.
However, now that she could see into the room, nothing was there.
Blinking in shock, she looked around while slowly lowering the clipboard. When the coast seemed clear, she quickly placed the clipboard back down on the counter and walked into the room a bit more. There, in the corner, was some black-looking ink on the tiled floor. Rose's eyes slowly narrowed at it and began to step closer to it.
Something was really there! Rose thought to herself, and slowly lowered herself to her knees in front of the black ink-tar looking stuff on the floor. Whatever it was, it smelled terrible, and she wasn't about to touch it. However, as she sat on her knees in front of the small black puddle of goo- she suddenly heard an angry growl from the adjacent bathroom. The door was half-open, and like the room once was, it was pitch black.
Rose's breath caught in her throat, and she could feel the room begin to become icy once again. Her eyes widened, her heart was racing in fear, and her magic was now forming in red-electrified balls of wispy smoke; readying herself for whatever was in there, waiting for her. Watching her.
Rose slowly stood up from her knees, when the presence suddenly grew stronger around her soul; and she knew whatever was in the bathroom had magical properties of its own, and it was evil. The lights in the room suddenly began to flicker, on and off, making Rose cry out. Jumping back, she realized that whatever was stalking her only thrived in the pitch dark. Then, before she could stop it, the lights went out in the room, and with a whoosh of icy wind, the door slammed shut, encasing her in pitch blackness.
"NO!" Rose screamed out and dove for the door, and chaos ensued. The black creature suddenly shrieked out and burst out of the bathroom. With blind and panicked throws, Rose willed her magic to burst out of her hands in every direction. The creature was flying all around her, crawling on the walls and ceiling and was coming closer to her. The smell was horrendous, the sight more terrifying than she could ever imagine.
Screaming out, she fell to the ground after tripping on something, and fell against the wall.
"SOMEONE HELP ME!" Rose screamed out, as she threw magic in every direction. With luck, one of her balls of magic slammed into the creature's chest and knocked it back towards the bathroom. With that, the door suddenly was wrenched open, bathing the room with bright light from the hallway. Rose's eyes widened and looked over at her savior, who to her displeasure, was the attending doctor, Samuel.
His eyes were widened by the pitch blackness and smell that hit his nose, making it scrunch up in disgust, and then down to her. She quickly hid her hands from him, as he opened his mouth into a snarl.
"Connelly!" He snarled. "What is the meaning of-?"
However, before he could finish reprimanding her, she forced herself to stand up and belined it out of the room tugging him with her and slammed the door shut behind her, gasping in panic. Samuel looked over at her with wide, shocked eyes, to her gasping in panic and shaking in fear.
She closed her eyes and clutched her heart as panic still flowed through her.
"What the hell is going on here?" He demanded. "Didn't you get the page to head to Trauma 1?"
"Y-yes." She managed to say, shaking.
"Then why aren't you there?" He asked, still staring at her and the closed door with narrowing, suspicious eyes.
"I…" She began to say, looking into his bright blue eyes, and shook her head. "Sorry, I was on my way to the trauma, when I heard a…uh… scream and came to investigate. I thought I saw something in there… like a patient or something, and it surprised me is all."
"What surprised you?" He asked, his eyes narrowing. "There wasn't anything in that room."
"Yeah…" She lied, trying to keep her cool. "I gathered that after you opened the door."
He raised an eyebrow at her and then looked at the shut door.
"Are you afraid of the dark or something Connelly?"
Forcing anger down into herself, she finally nodded her head and continued to lie.
"Yup. Yes. That's it… and when the door slammed shut, I must admit I got a little spooked. That's all."
Samuel took a deep breath and shook his head at her.
"Ookay, whatever you say." He said, as both of their beepers went off again. They both jumped slightly at it and he seemed to become even more angry.
"We gotta go." He said, walking away with Rose on his heels. As they walked quickly together, Rose glanced over at him and had a few suspicions of her own.
"Not that I'm not grateful that you opened that door." She told him. "But how did you know where I was?"
"Because I'm your supervisor and saw you weren't at the trauma in which you were paged. The patient isn't yet here, so I took the time to quickly try to find you." He answered angrily. "I needed to make sure you weren't sleeping on the job again, as you've taken a liking to do lately. I was walking along this hallway when I heard you scream. I didn't know it was you, of course, until I opened the door and saw you on the floor."
"I don't sleep on the job." Rose told him angrily, walking into the trauma corridor. "I was taking my lunch break and ended up dozing off on accident."
"Whatever." He snapped, turning to face her once they were in front of room 1; right as their patient was being wheeled in by stretcher, with medics and EMTs leading the way. He and Rose grabbed a face mask, placed it over their mouths, as he continued to reprimand her, "Focus on what's in front of you, Connelly. I expect my teams to give their patient 110%, and nothing less. If not, then there's no place for you here."
With that, he walked in with the patient, as the medics began to give the report of the patient, who had apparently gotten into a car crash; and Rose was left alone in the hallway, closing her exhausted eyes and pinching the top of her nose, willing patience into her being. He was right, she needed to focus on the task in front of her, but her mind was a million miles away. What happened in that empty patient room was beyond unnerving and something straight out of a horror film, and she had played that dumb character that walked into the evil creature's trap by investigating. However, by doing so, she knew it was no longer a figment of her imagination, but was real. Something very real, very dark, evil and death-like was following her around and obviously wanted her.
She didn't know what was going on, between that evil darkness in the room that she was now sure was real and what it wanted, to the female voice calling for her help in her dreams; but Emily was right. She needed to tell Brooklyn- her love and guardian, what was going on. She didn't know if it was Kevin's presence or not, but whatever it was, it wasn't good or normal. Something evil was surrounding her and wanted her dead.
It was as if her inevitable death, in which was trying to grasp her between Kevin's murderous hand or her own will, was still following her around and awaiting the chance to take her down at the first opportune moment.
Shaking slightly, she opened her eyes, took a deep breath and quickly walked into the trauma room behind the stretcher, willing her attention and focus to be on helping the hurt person, and only them. Everything else could and would wait, including the dark ominous creature-presence that attacked her.
However, as she worked on getting the hurt patient's vitals done, the hair on her neck stood slightly, and knew that somewhere in a dark corner, the evil being was somehow near her, watching her once again. Goosebumps spread all over her body, and that iciness began to spread in her mind, making it increasingly difficult to focus on what she was doing. It felt as though she was drowning again, in the East River, and her mind was fuzzy.
"Connelly!" Samuel barked from across the table, staring at her with angry eyes. Rose's eyes whipped up from what she was doing and met his gaze. "Vitals!"
Nodding in silence, Rose forced her fuzzy mind to forget the being that was somewhere behind her and to focus on the task at hand. She had never felt this haunted by it before, and now that she investigated it, the creature-thing seemed to increase its hold over her. Tears filled her eyes, as she was scared and beyond stressed and exhausted.
She longed to off work and to be finally in the safety of her husband and mate's arms. She didn't know how Brooklyn would react to what she was about to tell him, but she knew he would protect her from whatever evil was trying to grasp onto her, and that things would, even for one small moment, feel completely normal and at peace.
And that small hope was enough for her.