When Spirit Shows Its Thorns

Chapter 19

My eyes fluttered open to Dimitri sitting next to me. Though rimmed with dark circles, his eyes were filled with relief. He looked like he had not slept in days. "Roza?" his voice was so scratchy. I tried to speak, but my throat was dry and my voice cracked. I felt him pat my hand. "Do you want some water?" He hesitantly asked. Before I could even nod to him, he brought a Dixie cup to my lips. "Small sips, Roza" he gently coaxed.

Even taking his advice of small sips, the water felt solid going down. My throat was so dry and raw; it felt like I was trying to swallow small shards of glass. How long had I gone without drinking anything? I took a fourth sip, squeezing my eyes shut and swallowed. I whimpered against the pain and Dimitri lowered the cup. Opening my eyes, I gave him a grateful smile and allowed my head to fall back against my pillow.

The motion brought the attention to dull ache on the side of my head. Wincing, I reached up to soothe it. Dimitri caught my hand and I looked at him questioningly.

"You'll disturb the stitches." He murmured. I grimaced in understanding and dropped my hand into my lap. I tried to speak again but I was only able to expel a few croaky sounds. Giving up, I pointed to the water again. Once again he brought the small cup to my lips. This time, I gritted through the pain and with each small sip, my throat slowly found a little bit of relief.

As Dimitri refilled the cup, I tried to ask what had happened. He tells me to let my voice rest and gives me a sad smile. I shake my head and look around the room. It is empty except the two of us. "Where," I croak.

"The hospital, at Court." His voice is still an exhausted rasp. He looks so tired and gaunt.

"W-why?" It hurt to speak.

"Shh, Roza. I'll explain everything. Try not to speak, Milaya." He soothed. "Tasha…I'm so sorry Roza…Tasha she had a gun." His eyes looked pained and began to moisten. "She tried to kill you, but Lissa was able to warn us and she-she….She was running to you. I don't think I could ever understand, or be so grateful for your need to protect one another. When you saw her running into the path of Tasha's aim, you tackled her. I tried to protect you both. I tried, Roza, I really did. Instead, the three of us crashed to the ground together." My eyes grew wide. Lissa, it was all coming back to me now.

My mind began racing. Flashes of the ordeal went through my mind again, pausing on the scene of Dimitri with a blood covered sleeve. I looked to his arm and saw his shirt had been replaced. I ran my hand down his arm and felt no bandages beneath the fabric. "Dimitri," I asked. "What…. happened? What…. won't…. you… tell… me?" My throat flamed from my broken words.

Dimitri's thumb smoothed over my lips. "Shh, let me finish. Please?" my brow furrowed, but I nodded in agreement. "You probably would have been okay, but with my weight thrown into the mix, you hit the ground hard-harder than you would have. The three of us were all tangled up and you ended up cracking your head on the concrete. You kept her safe, Roza…Lissa is okay, but you…Roza you hit your head so hard." His words halted and his face paled even more. He took a deep breath in and released it. "That was five days ago. " Taking another breath, his lowered his head to rest beside my arm, my hand immediately buried itself in his mussed hair.

"Blood…arm?" I croaked. His head lifted and he grimaced. Sitting up, he brought the water to my lips again. I took a few sips and shook my head. "Blood…" I tried to speak again.

"I guess Tasha didn't notice that I was running after you, but it's all okay. Adrian healed me up pretty good. My shoulder is sore, but I'm not seriously injured. Lissa tried to heal you, but Court officials dragged her away as soon as the medical team deemed her unharmed. The Queen is keeping her locked away safe until things die down. Adrian tried to heal you, but he had used so much spirit on me, it had drained him. He didn't realize your injury was the most critical. He came by yesterday while I was grabbing some coffee. He was able to heal you some. He isn't as strong with healing as Lissa and even though he waited so long after healing me, he was only able to heal you enough to wake you up."

I pointed to the cup again, this time taking it from Dimitri and shakily bringing it to my own lips. His hand followed the cup, keeping vigil just below the bottom rim, in case I dropped it. After I handed the cup back to him, he began again. "You got so upset before anyone could say anything, your blood pressure spiked and they had to sedate you. They kicked everyone out for a while. The let you parents stay the night with you since they were blood relatives but no matter how much we pleaded, they didn't let me come back until this morning."

"Bond?" I asked. I remember trying to reach Lissa through the bond.

"Adrian thinks it's still there, but between the concussion and the drugs, you can't access it. It probably doesn't help that they have been keeping Lissa on a mild sedative." My eyes widened again in question. "It was her choice. Since they won't let her wander about court, she couldn't heal you. She didn't want to put any more stress on your body than you already had." He explained. I nodded again in understanding.

"Tired," I told him. His fingers ghosted over my cheek and he told me to get some sleep. "Need…..you." I told him, patting the bed next to me.

"Okay, Roza, but if they make me leave again, the blame is all on you." he said as he climbed into the small space beside me. Just feeling him next to me gave me strength to close my eyes and drift into a peaceful sleep. I didn't mind when the gentle whirring sounds and beeps faded away this time.