When Spirit Shows It's Thorns
Chapter 18
I came to when someone grabbed me, rolling me over. I opened my eyes to see Dimitri being held down beside me, his face full of horror. "So much blood," he repeated over and over as he fought the medics that were looking him over. Through my hazy vision I could see his arm was covered in blood. I gasped and tried to sit up. I felt like my head was about to split open and the motion just made me dizzy. As I tried to call out to him, blackness took over my vision once again.
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I awoke to the horrible sounds of sirens. A medic was sitting next to me and the corner of his lips slightly lifted when my eyes finally opened. He was trying to talk to me, but I couldn't make out the words. They sounded so far away. I tried to ask him what was wrong with me, but my sight went dark again and the world faded away.
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I could hear a constant and steady beeping noise and tried to force my eyes open. They were just too heavy. I felt so detached from my body. Flashes of Dimitri bleeding and surrounded by medics went through my mind. What had happened to us? I tried to remember, but it just caused my head to hurt even more. I was relieved when everything faded away again.
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As the blackness abated, I could hear the annoying beeping sounds again. They seemed to always come and go. I tried to figure out what they were, but I couldn't get my eyes to open. The more I fought the quicker the world around me faded. Maybe if I didn't fight so hard, maybe if I just let go, the blackness wouldn't claim me again. I let go of all thoughts. "You need to wake up, Rosemarie," Whispered through my mind. Who was Rosemarie? The voice started to fade away again and I fought to listen. The beeping sounds became closer together and then I was plunged back into a dark and silent world.
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"Her vitals have been continued to stay stabilized over the last 48 hours. She will wake up when her mind is ready to." I could hear voices again. Were they talking about me, to me? Had I been asleep for that long? I tried to open my eyes, but everything felt so detached from my mind. I tried to tell them that I wasn't sleeping, that I could hear them, but the voice faded away and left me to steady rhythm of beeping noises once again.
"Rosemarie, it's time to wake up." That voice again. Was she crying? I tried to gather all my strength to force my eyes open but the needles of pain shot through my mind again. I stopped fighting and the pain waned away. I could hear the steady beeps, but somewhere far away I could hear someone crying. The cries were soft, but heart wrenching. If only I could touch them, I could comfort them.
"Doctor," I heard a new but familiar voice call out. I heard footsteps as they came closer. Everyone was talking again but I couldn't make out their words. They were talking to fast. Something cold touched my skin and I wanted to get away from it. The voices were too loud. I wanted them to stop.
The voices began to fade again but I fought with everything I had. I didn't them to go away.
"You're so close Rose, come on baby, you can wake up. You have to wake up." The words became clearer again and something warm wrapped around my hand. I tried to hang on to it; maybe if I anchored myself to it, I could keep the blackness away.
I was hit by flashes of images again. A red headed woman was crying as backed away. I wanted to run to her, but strong hands held me back…A little blonde girl laughing next to me…Sitting at a table with several other people as they joked around…..Looking into the face of the blonde haired girl, but she was older and there was blood all around us, both of us were crying.
Then there was nothing but blackness again. I gave into it this time. Is that why I couldn't wake up? Did something happen to the blonde girl? Is that what happened to me? The question floated around my mind over and over. I couldn't come up with an answer, so I slept. Sleeping always made the pain in my mind go away.
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I dreamed. I dreamed and dreamed. With each dream came more and more flashes of the blonde haired girl. Lissa, her name was Lissa and mine was Rose. Memories, I decided on. These weren't dreams, but memories. Janine, Lissa, Mason, Eddie, Stan, Petrova, Kirova, person by person, they all joined the others. Dimitri. Sassy Molassy….who says that? Oh God, Mason! Abe….every person came with a new memory. Tasha, gun, Lissa! Running, feeling something hit my back, pushing me down even further. Dimitri. Oh God!
My eyes flew opened, as I heard terrified, heart stopping screams near me. I franticly looked around trying to find the source of the scream. Teary blue eyes met mine. They were trying to talk to me, trying to calm me down. That is when I realized the screaming was coming from me. I stopped once I realized the room had filled with several other people. Janine, Abe, Eddie, Adrian….I was going through names as I saw each face through the handful of doctors and nurses that where pushing them back.
Tasha. Gun. Me. Lissa. Running. Crashing. Gunshot. Falling. Dimitri. Blood. The memories washed over me in quick bursts. It played on a loop in my mind as I searched for the two people that should be here. They were the most important.
"Oh God," I pleaded aloud. I looked around wildly, trying to locate them. Each scan of the room caused my hope to slip further away. I began searching out my mother, but stopped when the sound of a door opening jerked my attention toward the foot of my bed. My eyes met a set of worried brown orbs. I sobbed in relief as a flushed faced Dimitri fought through the crowded room to wrap me in his arms. I held onto him as tight as I could as I cried into his neck.
"Roza, Oh my Roza, shush now, it's okay. I'm here Roza. I'm here." He said his hold never releasing. Slowly my sobs calmed and I pulled away, looking back towards the door.
"Lissa," I asked. I thought I would hear her voice carry through the room. She must have come in right behind Dimitri, but was just hidden behind everyone, unable to fight through the crowd. She didn't answer though.
"Where is Lissa?"
