"Rosalie?" I vaguely noticed that someone was holding me, lightly shaking me to get my attention, though I was unable to respond to them. "Rosalie, breathe for me." I was pulled from my sitting position and felt a soft material underneath me. "Deep breaths, c'mon Rosalie. Rose! Breathe!"
My breath came to me all at once, and I hazily heard myself coughing. I felt like I had a ton of water inside my ears, but the screaming overtook any outside noise that was coming from reality.
I opened my eyes – which I hadn't noticed were closed – and looked up to see Emmett's clear, glass blue eyes. I blinked, thinking it was just a dream, but he was still there. "Emmett?" I rasped quietly.
He smiled reassuringly and the dimples made me smile. He was the most beautiful person in the entire world. His eyes were clear yet full of concern. "Rosalie, are the voices still there?" His voice was incredibly soft.
I attempted a small look to the side, noticing Carlisle was very alert and aware; leaning on his knees eagerly. He was waiting for my walls to come down so that he could assess me.
A shiver racked through my spine and I tried to stop reaching to cover my ears. I nodded weakly, hoping they wouldn't catch it but they did.
Emmett moved forward slightly, hesitating only for a small second. He reached out to me and I slowly sat up in the bed. He lifted me up as though I weighed the same as a feather, and sat me on his lap when he sat down. "Are they in your head, Rosalie?"
I nodded weakly against his chest, knowing very well that Carlisle was taking every part of it in. My walls were coming down and I was debating all the possibilities. It could go wrong in so many ways. I was becoming vulnerable.
"Are they nice? Or mean? What do they talk about?" Emmett continued to ask, rubbing soothing circles into the palms of my hands to soothe me. I felt safe enough wrapped up in his strong arms.
"Mean." I whispered, barely recognizing my own voice. I sound tiny, and so very scared. "They tell me to do things sometimes. They talk back at me a lot, tell me I'm worthless."
Emmett continued to ask me questions for what seemed like hours, and Carlisle joined in occasionally, though most of the time I refused to answer him. Near to the end of it, my thoughts were getting hazy and I was unable to pick up the conversation or understand what was going on. I just wanted to scream in frustration, or hit someone, mostly myself. I just wanted to curl there in Emmett's arms and fade away.
"Rosalie?" Through the haze, I heard a faint call of my name and I momentarily stiffened. Was this one of the voices? No, it was too quiet to be one of them. "Rosalie." It called again.
I swallowed, trying to clear my dry throat. "Yes?" I whispered, absolutely terrified. I was so confused, so lost and hopeless. I didn't even know where I was.
"Rosalie, its Carlisle. We need to do some tests, alright? I do believe you may be suffering from a condition called Schizophrenia. Research using brain-scanning equipment will show changes in the speech area of the brain when you hear voices if you are Schizophrenic. It's going to be alright, Rosalie. Do you want Emmett to come with you?"
I nodded softly, barely focusing on Carlisle's face or what he was saying. The only thing keeping me semi-sane was Emmett firmly holding me in his arms. He never let me go, and I was glad, because I didn't know what would happen if I lost touch with reality.
When the tests were over and Emmett brought me back to the hospital room, I sat up on the bed feeling a lot more aware than I previously had been. I had grown such an attachment to Emmett that I was sure wasn't healthy at all. I couldn't stop thinking about him – I just needed him with me all of the time. It was really difficult to not be near him.
He studied me with those gentle, beautiful, blue eyes and offered me a small smile. "What are you thinking about? Such a deep thinker."
I shrugged, a shiver rippling through me gently. He didn't fail to notice it. "I don't know. A lot of things. And you…"
He smirked. "Me? Hmmm, think I approve of that."
I smiled back at him, my heart warming again. Why was he so beautiful?
After a while, I began to get tired, and Emmett seemed to notice. Without asking for my permission at all, he gracefully climbed up onto the small bed and wiggled his way in so that he could pull me to his chest. His large hands gently brushed my hair and I felt myself getting tired. I fell asleep to the sound of his beautiful voice. I wondered how he was such a good singer.
"May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it's time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
Know in your belly
You're never alone…
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone…"
I felt a warm, soft kiss on my forehead and then heard his voice close to my ear. "I love you, Rosie…" I wasn't sure if I was already dreaming, but it was the most beautiful thing.