Won't Regain Consciousness

They had hit hard and fast. We had been expecting an attack of some kind, it was a large event with Royal Moroi and the Queen. Of course, they attacked. But we weren't expecting those numbers or for how organised they were.

Luckily, we had overprepared.

It was a rush of chaos, avoiding Strigoi and guardians as they fought around us. Dimitri and I worked together to protect both Lissa and Christian. Most of it was a blur, I remember one second Dimitri was beside me and the next he was gone. My heart was in my throat, the panic for him wanting to take over but I could hear his voice in my head telling me to keep going.

I got them to safety, both unharmed. I wasn't as fortunate but I was doing better than others.

The last Strigoi was killed, any that were left ran off as the sun rose. The loss to our side was minimal, Moroi using their magic to help fight was our saving grace. Guess it will help Christian's push to get the Council more on board with the idea of defensive magic.

Making sure they had Royal Guards to protect them, I went in search of Dimitri. We had headsets to keep in contact but I had lost mine at some point. Asking around didn't help, either Dimitri wasn't responding or he had lost his too. I hoped it was the latter.

The Strigoi bodies littered the ground, some with holes in their chest or back, others burnt. The bodies of fallen guardians and Moroi mixed within. Blood was everywhere. The once orderly room trashed and smelling of death.

Still, I haven't found Dimitri.

My panic was getting harder to push down. I had asked some others as I passed them if they saw Dimitri, it seemed that everyone saw him at one point or another, but no one knew where he was now.

I swear, the moment I find him, I was going to punch him for making me worry this much. I welcomed the anger, holding on to it so that I didn't feel the fear that was spreading the longer he was missing.

"Hathaway!"

I spun, glancing across the room towards the guardian calling my name, waiting expectantly. The fear took over me at his dark expression.

"He's over here!"

I ran, pushing past others without a care, all that mattered was Dimitri. There were two other guardians, I reached them as they were lifting a body off of another. My eyes widened when I realised who it was.

I fell to my knees beside him, hands reaching out. There was so much blood covering Dimitri's face and body that I couldn't tell what was his and what wasn't. He was surrounded by dead Strigoi and a few guardians, his stake still in his hand.

I was afraid to touch him, to feel for a pulse and find nothing. I couldn't tell if his chest was moving, lying so still that he could be mistaken for dead.

Tears welled up in my eyes, blinking rapidly to keep them from falling. Dimitri isn't dead. He isn't dead!

With a shaky hand, I pressed two fingers against his neck, releasing a breath when I felt his heartbeat, it was slow but it was there. "Thank god," I moved to cup his face, looking over for injuries, "Dimitri. Time to wake up, comrade."

Touching his hairline I felt a cut, blood slowly seeping from it. One of the guardians had already thought ahead, bringing a first aid kit over. I reached into it and pulled out a gauze, pressing it against the cut. The fact Dimitri didn't respond brought the panic back.

"He needs a doctor," I ordered, not looking up at the people around me. My voice was surprisingly calm considering how I felt inside. I heard the scuffling of feet but didn't bother making sure they were following through, instead, I looked over the rest of Dimitri's body for any more injuries.

It was hard to tell with his duster and uniform on, and I was too scared to move him in case something was broken. Carefully, I unbuttoned his shirt. His skin was bruised in parts but the colouration was not too concerning. My hand slid along his skin and up towards his neck and froze.

It wasn't a bite but it was close. Hidden by his hair and collar were two deep scratches running down the side of his neck. I pulled more gauze out, pressing it against them, praying that they didn't go too deep.

A combination of the head wound and the blood loss could be why he still hasn't stirred. I looked back at his face, silently begging for him to open his eyes. "We need a doctor now!"

All the blood covering him and the floor made my stomach turn. How long had he been lying here bleeding?

"You don't die on me, comrade. I swear I'll kill you." The tears were gathering in my eyes again, harder to stop from falling now.

"Rose!"

My head snapped up, recognising Lissa's voice. "What are you doing here? It isn't–"

"Let me heal him." Her voice was commanding. I didn't try to argue as I pulled back so she could see the wounds. With a determined look, she laid her hands over them.

I watched the wounds close with bated breath, disappointment flowing through me when he didn't wake up after Lissa pulled back.

"Why isn't he waking up?" I asked, leaning forward to cup his face again, "Dimitri?"

"He still lost a lot of blood but he'll be okay," Lissa assured me, her face drawn in exhaustion. She had been healing others.

I held Dimitri's hand, refusing to let go even as he was loaded up on a bed and then to a van to take him back to Court. Refusing to leave his side until he wakes up.

Please, wake up Dimitri.