I'm sorry it took a while to update, I've had a busy week! Plus I got the new Last of Us 2 game on Friday and haven't stopped playing, aside from going to work today and my doctor's appointment Saturday.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

This must be what it felt like for Rose when I lost consciousness after the caves. Except the difference here is that I was unconscious due to blood loss; she has been in a coma for two weeks. I switch the wilted flowers out of the vase with new ones, chrysanthemums, and toss the dead ones into the trash bin. I look over at her and realize just how small she is in that bed; her eyelids taped down, her arms laying on the blanket with IV's hanging out of them, breathing tube down her throat. I think the most startling thing is how pale she looks under the lights.

I pull the chair beside her bed again and carefully take one of her hands in mine, pressing her palm to my cheek. I close my eyes and try to focus on the warmth of her hand, praying that she will walk up soon. No matter how many times Lissa has tried to heal Rose, all it has done is bring her vitals up.

Lissa is not only suffering because her magic is not waking Rose up, but because the bond is gone. Christian was in a panic when they finally caught up with us at the hospital. He said Lissa was distraught when she felt the bond break and demanded that the Guardians turn the car around, but they were bound by duty to take her and Christian back to court.

At least one good thing happened that night. The two of them were unharmed. Rose and I did our duty. But now Rose's life is hanging on the line.

"You really should go and get some sleep," someone says. I look over my shoulder to see Janine standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest with a sad expression on her face. "I haven't been able to sleep," I say turning back to look at Rose. Janine walks into the room and sits down in the chair on Rose's other side, running her hand over Rose's arm.

"Did the doctor say anything about her ribs the last time he was in?"

I shake my head and shudder at the thought. When I searched for her pulse and couldn't find one, I went into autopilot and started CPR. I did it for so long and frantically that I cracked her sternum and broke three ribs. But in the end, I guess we all would rather her living with broken bones than dead. I press my lips to her palm before placing it back on the bed, stroking the back of it as best as I can with the needle in the center of it. I look over at Janine before standing up.

"I'll give you some privacy. Maybe I'll try to get some sleep."

I feel a hand stroking my cheek and I turn my head towards the gentle caress. I open my eyes to see brown ones that I have fallen in love with looking back at me.

"Roza?"

Rose smiles and runs her thumb over my lips before leaning in and replacing it with her lips. I cup the back of her neck and hold her against me, moving my lips against hers eagerly, drinking in the sweet taste of her.

Rose pulls away to breathe and pants heavily in my face, her breath fanning over me. I pull her body flush to my body, drinking to the feeling of her moulding herself to me. I rest my forehead against her with a sigh and rub my hand over her back while her fingers brush over my chest.

"I miss you," she says, and I pull back a little to look at her. But her face isn't what catches my eyes, the room itself does. We are back in the cabin. I shake my head to clear the confusion, but I am still confused about why we are here and not in my room.

It is only a dream.

Rose rubs her thumb over my cheekbone and pecks my lips again. "I don't know how long we have, but I had to see you. Thank you for this morning by the way," Rose says with a smile and I furrow my brows at her.

"You sang to me. I don't know what you were singing, but it was beautiful."

I nod at her cautiously as I try to find any hint as to why I am in this cruel dream. Rose wraps her arm around my shoulders and rolls us, so I am leaning against her chest. "It's a Spirit dream, Comrade. Adrian was able to get through to me earlier, and I begged him to try and connect us through a dream."

I rest my head on her collarbone and press my lips to the silk-like skin, wrapping my arms around her body as her fingers sunk into my hair. "Dimitri?"

"Yes, Roza?"

Rose tilts her head and I can feel her pressing her lips against my head. "If I don't wake up on my own in three weeks, let me go."

I sit upright and stare down at her, my eyes wide. How could she possibly ask me to let her go? Rose sits up too and places her hands on both sides of my face, her eyes imploring me to understand. "I know that it will be hard, but I don't want to be a vegetable. I also don't want any of you to suffer any longer than you have to," she pleads. I place my hands on her wrists and my fingers around them. I don't think I could ever willingly let go of her.

"Rose. I can't," I choke but she shakes her head. "You have to. Please."

Rose opens her mouth to say something but stops as our surroundings start to shift around us. She pulls my face to hers and catches me in a deep kiss, pressing her lips firmly against mine before pulling away. "You're waking up. I love you. Don't forget that."

I jerk awake and sit up slowly, running my tongue over my bottom lip to find her taste still lingering there. I rest my elbows on my raised knees and rest my head in my hands, taking a moment to collect myself. With a sigh, I lift my head and look at the clock to see that I slept for five hours. It's better than what I've been sleeping lately. I get out of bed and walk into the bathroom, grimacing at my own appearance before hopping into the shower.

After spending more time than I should have in the shower, I towel myself down and pull my shaving kit from under the sink. I haven't shaved in a few days, and it is starting to become a nuisance.

I finish up quickly and get changed before heading back to the hospital. I give a nod in greeting to the Guardian posted at the door before he reaches his arm out to stop me. "Is there any change with Guardian Hathaway Jr.?"

"No. She still hasn't woken up."

The Guardian frowns with a nod and steps back to his post while I head to the elevator to bring me up to the third floor. I wander down to Rose's room and double back when I see Abe is sitting at her bedside, looking ruffled and haggard. Abe talks quietly to her for a few more minutes before standing up and kissing her head, smoothing her lank hair down before heading out of the room. Abe looks up at me as he leaves and stops, giving me a once over before coming over and clapping his hand on my shoulder.

"How are you doing Abe?" I ask. He shakes his head and tweaks his lips to the side. "I would like to say that I'm ok, but I'm not." I nod in understand as I take in a deep breath. It is unsettling to see a man who could put the fear of God in you with a single glance look so beat down.

"Anyways. I am going to find Janine, she got pretty emotional earlier. I will come by again in a few hours. Call me if anything changes?" Abe says when he lets go of my shoulder and I step into Rose's room.

"Of course."

Abe looks over at Rose again before he leaves and I settle back down in the chair beside her bed, running my hand over her arm.

I wish our dream could have been longer, I miss the sound of her voice more than I thought imaginable. I look up at the monitor behind me, her vitals are stable for once. The biggest concern we have faced is that her vitals have been fluctuating and it has been putting more stress on her body. I lean forward and rest my head on the bed by her hand, intertwining my fingers with hers and holding them gently. I pull her hand towards my lips and kiss the back of it, letting my lips linger over her skin for a moment before closing my eyes. She does not smell like Rose anymore. She smells sterile.

"Wake up baby, please wake up."

I run my thumb over the back of her hand slowly before her hand twitches in mine, and a choking noise reaches my ears. I lift my head off the bed so fast it could have snapped and see her eyes open and frantic. I bolt up from my chair and rush into the hallway.

"Rose is awake!" I shout to the nurse at the desk before going back to her side. I cup her face in my hands, "Roza, relax. The nurse will take the intubation out." Rose trains her eyes on mine while she tries to breathe around the tub. I step out of the way as the nurse comes in and removes the tub, and I wait idly to step back to Rose.

"Don't try to talk yet, Guardian Hathaway. You are going to be sore. Drink some water first," the nurse says, bringing a cup with a straw to her lips. Rose sips slowly on the water and sighs when she rests her head back on the pillow. Rose moves her gaze back to me and a smile crosses her lips, moving her hand across the blanket towards me.

I step forward quickly and take her hand, bringing it up to my lips and kissing her palm. "I love you," I whisper against her hand. Rose smiles and wraps her fingers around my hand before pulling me closer to her. I look down at her as she stretches her neck up and winces. I lean down and press my lips gently against hers. Rose hums against my lips and I pull away, stroking her cheek.

"You…too," she rasps. I give her another smile and sit on the edge of her bed.

"Are you comfortable? Do you need another pillow? Or another blanket?"

"No, I'm fine. What I would like is for you to calm down and lay with me. You aren't going to break me, Dimitri," Rose sighs and leans against the mound of pillows behind her. I toe my shoes off and get on the bed next to her, wrapping my arm around her waist and kissing her head. I am quite sure Rose has found me next to unbearable since she was released two days again, but I don't want to be away from her.

Rose leans her head against me and sighs happily, running her fingers over my arm. "You know, you don't have to wait on me. I am an adult," Rose quips and I chuckle lightly. Rose's idea of bed rest and the doctor's idea is completely different, and it is almost easier to wait on her. But I don't mind doing it as long as she heals.

"Rose, you keep trying to get up and do things when you know you can't. I'm going to have to tie you to the bed if you don't stop," I say with a hint of humour and she starts to laugh before couching and wincing. She gingerly rubs her hand over her chest, and I wince internally. She doesn't want to admit that her ribs hurt, but I know that they do. I would know, I was the one who broke them.

"Stop it."

"What?"

Rose huffs and shifts around to look at me, half laying on her side, half on me. "Blaming yourself. You did what you had to keep me alive to get to the hospital. They're just bones; they'll heal." I look down at the frown on her face, smirking to myself as she nose flares in aggravation. I tilt my head down and kiss the tip of her nose and run my hand through her curls. "Fine," I say quietly, solely to appease her. Rose narrows her eyes at me before settling down again and rests her head in the crook of my neck.

I rest my head against hers and close my eyes while twirling strands of her hair around the ends of my fingers, humming to myself quietly as Rose's breath evens out. A few minutes later I look down to find her fast asleep in her awkward up-right position. I carefully slide out from under her and rearrange the pillows in a better position and lay her down, tucking the blanket around her.

A timid knock echoes through the room and brush my lips over Rose's before I get up and walk to the door, carefully opening the door to find Christian and Lissa standing on the other side. "Hey, she just fell asleep," I whisper as I slide out of the room and close the door.

"That's ok," Lissa says with a wave, "We were just coming to give you these." Christian extends an envelope to me and I take it with a raised brow, opening the envelope and pulling out the cardstock paper. My eyes widen when I read the tickets and I look back up at the pair of Moroi in front of me with excited expressions.

"I- I can't accept this," I say handing the envelope back, but Christian forces it back into my hands. "Yes, you can, and you will! Besides, we have already put in time off requests for you and Rose, and Guardian Croft approved both."

I shake my head in awe and look back down at the tickets in my hands, my excitement starting to bubble up inside. "I don't know how to thank you for this," I say. Christian wraps his arm around Lissa and smiles. "You mentioned that your mother's birthday was at the end of the month, I figured you could use a little time to relax after what happened."

I smile and look up at my charge, floored by his kindness. It is not common to have a charge that cares about their Guardian, and it is even rarer that they are a Royal. It looks like I really got the best out there.

"Anyways, we will let you get back to Rose. But make sure you tell her that this trip is non-negotiable," Lissa says pointedly as they walk down the hall to leave, waving over her shoulder. I nod and step back into my room with a shit-eating grin on my face.

I am going home to Russia, and I am bringing Rose with me.