Just like he'd promised, Emmett came back to visit me in the small, plain room early the next morning. I was asleep when he arrived, and awoke to him pressing my nose with his soft index finger. When my eyes opened, his face filled my view – his blue eyes shining with amusement. "Good morning, Rosalie!"
I stifled a groan and slowly came around from slumber. It wasn't any later than 10am. I had actually slept. Had that been due to the blue-eyed, black-haired boy before me? He had stalked my dreams, after all.
"Morning, Emmett." I reached up to wipe my stinging eyes, catching the IV in my vision. I realized the transfusions had finished. I groaned, causing Emmett to laugh softly. The laugh rattled through his body, his chest bobbing from the sound. He was so beautiful, so incredibly beautiful.
He caught my wrist just as it was about to reach the bed, and turned it to study the IV. "Don't worry too much about this; Edward says that you should be able to go home tomorrow."
I smiled softly, grateful for the much awaited information. "Best news I've heard all week."
He smiled back at me and hesitantly reached for my hand so that he could squeeze my fingers. "I have work at 11, but I promised you I would come back."
"No one keeps promises to me," I said softly. "I was expecting you not to turn up."
"And leave a beautiful girl like you all alone?" Like the day before, he leaned on the railing on the bed, his elbows either side of his beautiful face, and stared at me with sharp, open eyes.
I managed a smile; I felt like jelly just looking at him. "Alone, my thoughts will kill me."
He nodded, as if he understood, and brushed pieces of my blond hair out of my face. "You have bruises under your eyes."
"I don't sleep much." Were they really that noticeable? Or was he just observant?
This time, his soft smile seemed sad, almost. "I understand."
"Do you not sleep?" I searched his pale, perfect face with careful eyes; looking for any sign that indicated he wasn't as happy as I thought. There was no evidence – just a slight droop of the skin around his eyes.
He shrugged, though it seemed distant and half there. He was clearly uncomfortable. "Not really. Partly because of my job."
I nodded, resting my head back against the pillows and staring up at the tiled ceiling. I could feel his presence at the side of me, covering me with overwhelming comfort that was nearly replacing the cold.
With Emmett around, the silence was bearable. It wasn't until he left that I felt all my dark, cold emotions rushing back. He was like the sunshine in my life; peeping through the rain clouds when I needed him the most. Without him, I felt empty, lost and afraid.
Hot tears dripped down my face without meaning, and I mentally hit myself for being so weak. Nothing had particularly gone wrong so far, and I was crying? There was no reason for me to cry, except for the crushing, bone-deep emotions that were eating me from the inside out.
The silence killed me – they took over. There was nothing I could do, but question my sanity in times where the silence was actually silent.
Edward and Carlisle came in sometime later, only to find me inside a mental lock-down. My hands were clenched around the railings on either side of the bed, my body rocking back and forth in a somewhat comforting motion, and a gargled gagging sound seemed to be coming from my mouth. My mind was on fire; noisy and deadly. Very deadly.
Edward reached for me first and tried unsuccessfully to unclasp my bone-white hands from around the metal. Carlisle was at the other side of me, resting his strong but steady hand in the middle of my back in an attempt to stop my rocking.
When their strategy seemed to fail, Carlisle grasped underneath my armpits, unwrapping my hands, and pulled me up. At the same time, Edward grabbed both my ankles in one of his large hands, and in seconds I was flat on my back, sobs escaping my open mouth.
Carlisle removed his hands, shifting them so that they were resting softly on my shoulders so that he could hold me to the bed. "Rosalie? You're alright. It's just Carlisle. You're going to be okay."
Edward appeared in my view from the top of the bed and stared down at me in concern. "Hush, Rosalie. You are working yourself up."
With nothing but the urge to cry, I eventually spread limply in the bed and tried to steady my sobs. On instinct, my hands went straight to my ears; as if I could find the strength to block out their isolated screams.
Time passed with no feeling. I was completely numb and lost. I barely acknowledged what I saw or what I heard, except for the distant screaming that I thought was coming from me and the fast voices of Edward and Carlisle as they talked.
Eventually, everything stopped. Time came to a standstill. The silence was silent.
It was dark when Emmett finally came back to visit me. His bright neon uniform didn't go unnoticed in the dark room, and it made my vision slightly fussy for the time being.
When Emmett's pale face came close to mine, I saw the concern on his face as he took in my physical state. "Rosalie?"
Carlisle was situated beside the bed – observing me with intelligent eyes. "We needed to restrain her, in attempt to limit the risk of her injuring herself more." He meant that they had restrained my hands and feet from moving, for my own safety.
My eyes were desperate as I looked through the haze at Emmett. He was my escape, my beautiful angel.
His soft, large hand rested gently on my warm cheek and I felt a tear roll down my cheek onto his hand. "Its okay Rosalie, its going to be okay."
"Emmett," I sounded drugged, dazed and very broken. "Make them stop."
"Make who stop?" He whispered, very close to my face now.
"The voices. Emmett!" I screeched and then broke into a sob. "Please make them stop…"