9

Today was the day I was being let out of the hospital. I'd been under observation for a few days now, once they had gotten the blood back into me it was just a case of rest and recovery. I'd quickly understood what the doctors had meant when they told me the hardest thing to recover from was the coma. It took energy and effort for me to simply move my leg, sitting up was a challenge. One of the criteria I needed to pass to be discharged was being able to stand up and walk a few steps. I'd had a go yesterday and failed, but was trying again in a few minutes.

My whole body felt weak. My muscles had wasted away even in the 2 weeks I had been in the coma. It was cruel really. This would be hard on most people, but it was especially hard on me. It wasn't so much the fact that I wouldn't be able to guard for a while, it was the fact that I had spent so long building those muscles, and in 2 weeks they were gone. That was hours and hours I'd spent in the gym each day gone, wasted. I tried not to dwell on it.

My attention was pulled by the doctor walking into the room.

"Ready to try again?" he asked, coming to stand beside me. I nodded and heaved my legs over the side of the bed. Even that took effort.

"Sorry, there was a queue at the coffee machine," Dimitri said, bursting into the room and coming to stand next to me. He had been here every day since I had woken, not all the time (I'd quickly gotten fed up with him being a mother hen) but I was so grateful not only for the company (he'd refused to only visit during visiting hours and the hospital staff didn't want a fight) but for the support and encouragement he'd been giving me. Pushing me physically in a way that echoed our old student-mentor roles, but also pushing me mentally to challenge the ideas and misconceptions I'd developed about both him and our old relationship over the years.

We'd made headway, coming to the conclusion that we were both in the wrong, but that circumstances and timing had also played a huge part in the demise of our relationship. We hadn't talked about the mistakes in detail, we weren't ready for that yet, but we had brushed over them, agreeing to talk about it in the future when we both felt more trusting and secure.

"Ok," I whispered under my breath as I readied myself to stand.

Pushing off the bed, I gingerly put my weight onto my legs, easing away until I was told by myself. It was hard sure, but I was much better at standing now than I had been on day 1.

Slowly, I pushed one foot forward, then the other, until I had taken 6 steps, the Doctor and Dimitri keeping close as I walked in case I fell.

"Have I done enough yet?" I hissed, my body was getting tired and my legs were starting to shake.

"A few more," the doctor said in an encouraging voice that made me want to slap him silly.

I managed 4 more steps before my legs gave way and Dimitri caught me.

"Enough?" I asked, crossing my fingers and hoping that it was.

"Yep". The doctor signed my discharge papers with a flourish and smiled at me.

"You've done remarkably well Rose," he said as he walked out of the room.

"Get me outa here!" I whispered, turning to Dimitri (who was still holding me up by the waist, his back pressing into mine). Our faces were inches apart.

"My pleasure," he whispered.


It had been agreed that I would be staying with Lissa whilst I recovered. Dimitri had offered to stop at my place to look after me, but I thought that it was a bit soon in our newfound friendship for that. I didn't want to risk anything that could ruin us, and so, I was dropped off at the palace.

"Rose!" Lissa squealed as she came running towards me. Thankfully, I had been dropped off at the private entrance. I was in a chair for now, and I dreaded some young guardians seeing me. I would be whipping their asses soon enough, but I would never live it down if they saw me now. Regardless of how I got the injuries.

"I have been so, so worried," Lissa sobbed as she crashed into me, bending down so she could embrace me in the chair.

"I'm alright, I'm alright," I whispered into the shoulder, revelling in the scent of her hair and the sound of her voice. I couldn't imagine not being here for her.

"Let's get you inside," she said, straightening up and moving to push my chair in. I'd never realised how important disabled access points were until now.

I hated that I was so dependent on everyone, and just the 2-minute journey pissed me off big time.

"Hey Rose," Christian called as he ran to hold the door open for Lissa to push me through.

"Humph," I grunted at him.

"Well, at least we know this hasn't affected her attitude folks," he announced grandly.

I flipped him off and he grinned.

"You're going to be stopping in the room right next door to us," Lissa told me, tearing my attention from Christian. He didn't seem pleased at all by this news.

"Worried I'll put a stop to your love life?" I teased, rejoicing at the scowl that filled his features.

Lissa shot him a glare.

"I've also arranged for people to come in twice a day for your physio sessions, you will be doing them here until you can get to the gym."

For that, I was grateful. At least I would be away from prying eyes whilst I build up my muscles enough to walk. Hopefully, I would be out of the chair by the time anyone saw me.

My attention was pulled by someone entering the room.

"Your majesty," Hans said, bowing in a sign of respect to Lissa before he turned to me.

"Good to see you alive Hathaway."

I grunted.

"Quite the run-in you had, why were you out there anyway?"

I mumbled something about a hike and thankfully he dropped it, sparing me the embarrassment of my idiotic mistake.

"Well, I just wanted to talk about how coming back to work will work and fill you in on what has been happening," Hans said, changing the subject.

"Is there somewhere we could sit your highness?"

Lissa nodded and took us to her meeting room, kept for the most private of meetings.

One Hans had sat down (the fact that I was already sitting was really starting to grate on me), we got straight to things.

"So," he said, getting out a few papers from his bag, "Let's catch you up on everything you have missed".

I nodded.

"As you know, Dimitri was scheduled to take over leadership at the start of this week. He opted to push it back another 2 weeks because of your condition".

I hadn't known that but didn't let on.

"He has however taken on some of the responsibilities and will increase until he gets the full amount in 2 weeks time. This means that your role is ready for you now if you want to come back."

I felt like Hans truly understood the pain and frustration I felt at doing nothing and was offering me a lifeline.

"My doctors said I could go back to desk work in a few weeks, so I'd probably be ready to start on Monday".

Hans smirked.

"Steady Hathaway, I'm all for you returning as soon as possible but I don't want a team of angry doctors on my hands".

I groaned.

"I can't just sit and do nothing all day," I whined.

"From what I hear, you're going to be doing a lot more than nothing. You're in for a hard few months of training Hathaway". He looked pointedly at my chair and I rolled my eyes.

"I could compromise though," he continued. "What if I brought a few documents here for you to look over, you could familiarise yourself with the new role and start to take on the smaller tasks until you are a bit stronger?"

I wanted to argue that I would be fine to return to the office, but I could see in Hans's eyes that this wasn't changing. Working here at the palace would also mean I was less likely to run into anyone.

"Okay," I said firmly. "I accept".

"Good. Now let's get on to the more serious stuff".

Hans laid out a series of photos and documents in front of me to look at.

"Since your attack a few weeks ago, there have been three others close to court".

I picked up the photos that were hard to look at, all depicting scenes of strigoi attacks.

"How many strigoi?" I asked, still studying the photos.

"Different each time, ranging from about 3 to 10. We have evidence to believe that it is a group banding together."

"That would fit with my intel," I said, feeling a pit of dread in my stomach at the thought.

"Well," Hans said, gathering up the papers. "I just wanted to let you know, obviously you will have to monitor this closely when you take over in a few weeks".

I nodded, lost in thought.

"I'm glad you are still with us Hathaway," Hans said, pausing at the door as he left. I turned and gave him a tightlipped smile.

I had my first physiotherapy session after lunch as it was just as hard as everyone had warned me. It was clearly going to take a long time to build back up all the muscle I had lost, but the stubborn bitch inside me refused to give in. Whilst this was motivational, it meant I was exhausted by the end of the session.

There was a knock on the door, and Lissa popped her head in.

"All done?"

"Yeah, I nodded, as the trainer bowed to Lissa and headed out.

"There was a delivery for you whilst you were in your session," Lissa said, striding into the room with a bunch of flowers in her hand. They were exquisite white lilies.

"I'm glad whoever sent these didn't go for roses," I joked as I took them from her. Lissa's living room was full of bunches of flowers from well-wishers, and the vast majority of them were roses.

I pulled out the card that was fastened in the middle and handed Lissa the flowers to hold.

Inside was a small, plain white card with writing on one side.


Rose,

Be ready tonight for 7, formal clothes, no arguments.

Trust me.

D


My mouth dropped open and Lissa hurried to my shoulder to read the note.

"What's happening tonight?"

I groaned, realising I probably had a lot to fill her in on.

"Well... I promised Dimitri a date".

Her expression gave me pre-warning.

"What happened to the ban on saying his name?" she screeched. "What has happened between the two of you!"

"Honestly not much Liss," I said calmly, grabbing her hand in mine. "We've talked a lot since he has come back to court and... well my near-death experience pushed us to have another go".

I had actually shocked Lissa into silence.

"Has... has anything happened?" she asked, getting her tongue back.

"Well, not really..."

I didn't want to get into this.

"I can tell when you hide things, Rosemarie Hathaway".

I screwed up my face.

"We are going to talk about this later".

I knew from her tone of voice that when she decided 'later' had come, there would be no getting out of the conversation.

"For now, we have to get you ready for your hot date!"

Looking down at my watch, I saw that she was right.


Lissa fussed over me for at least an hour until she decided that I was finally ready. I was wearing a simple burgandy dress with flats (I could barely walk in normal shoes, let alone heels) and she had done my hair and makeup. A knock at the door startled us both and I hastily applied my lipgloss.

"I'll let him in, you finish up," Lissa said, hurrying out of the room.

Once I was sure I was ready, I wheeled myself into the living room.

My jaw nearly dropped open when I saw him.

He was wearing a pair of black trousers with a white shirt, his hair brushed and gelled back. It was a whole look.

"Have a great time!" Lissa called as Dimitri wheeled me out.

"Ugh," I moaned, "It's like having a second mother! I'm surprised she didn't tell me to be back by 10!"

Dimitri let out a low chuckle.

"So what do we have in store for tonight Comrade?" I asked as he wheeled me out of the back entrance to the private quarters of the palace.

"A fancy meal, just as I promised".

My stomach dropped a little at his words. I was looking forward to spending time with him, but I hated the idea of others gawking at me and my chair.

I shouldn't have worried, after all, this man knew me better than I knew myself. Even after so many years apart.

I realise when he turned up a street that took us to the woods surrounding court that we wouldn't be going to a restaurant.

"You abducting me Comrade?" I teased.

He laughed, the beautiful sound ringing through me.

"Just wait".

As we hit the trees, I saw a flicker of light ahead. Once we were a bit closer, I could make out the most perfect scene I had ever seen. There were candles surrounding a picnic blanket that had cushions and blankets on it.

"Dimitri..." I whispered as he stopped us. "This is... incredible."

He moved in front of me and held out his hands to help me stand.

Once I was seated comfortably, he flopped down next to me and wrapped a blanket around our knees.

"You do have food right..." I asked, just as my stomach let out a loud growl.

Reaching behind him, he pulled out two pizza boxes that had been kept in an insulated box.

"Your favourite".

"You are actually going to make me cry," I whispered, overcome by the thought he had put into this night.

"When I saw you..." Dimitri whispered, resting a hand on my cheek. "When I saw you lying there and I thought I had lost you, I realised I needed to do everything I could to make the rest of the time that we have left together as best as I can".

I smiled and leaned into his touch.

"I'm ok. We're ok".

He took a deep breath and gave me a tight nod that gave away how he was struggling to keep control of his emotions.

"You don't need to," I whispered, catching his hands in mine. "Don't hide from me".

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"We're doing things differently this time, remember?" I prompted.

He gave me a rueful smile.

"I remember Roza, I'm trying. I've kept things hidden for as long as I can remember".

I leant forward and pressed a tiny kiss against his soft lips.

"I want everything," I whispered against his lips. "Happy Dimitri, sad Dimitri, angry, confused, hurt, lustful, I want to see it all".

Pulling back, he ran a hand over my hair and nodded, emotion shining in his eyes.

"Let's eat".


The pizza was good, just as good as going to a fancy restaurant and I loved that it was just the two of us. Once we were finished, we shuffled a little closer.

"How do you feel?" Dimitri asked, concern lacing his words.

"Tired but happy," I told him truthfully.

Standing up, he started to shuffle the blankets around.

"Lay back," he whispered and I did.

Moving laying down next to me, he pulled my body to his, sharing his warmth and comforting scent.

"So," he whispered into my hair. "Shall we do this again?" I pulled back to look up into his eyes.

"I want nothing more".

Slowly, he brought his lips to mine, brushing in a light kiss and pulling away to look at me again. My lips were heavy and parted. Tilting my chin back, I kissed him back, slow and steady, but letting him know I wanted more.

After a few seconds, he pulled back, a soft humorous smile on his face.

"Steady there," he murmured, voice thick and deep and clearly just as affected as I was. "You're only just out of the hospital. We need to take things steady".

"Damn you and your common sense," I said scowling, making him chuckle.

Looking up at his face, I couldn't get enough. It was like I had been living in black and white and I was suddenly now seeing colour. The world seemed brighter and softer at the same time, and I could stare into his eyes for the rest of my life.

I lifted up my arms (with some effort after the rigorous physio session) and ran them through his hair, pulling him back down to me. I laid back fully so that he was leant over the top of me.

"Kiss me," I whispered, desperately needing the feel of his lips on mine.

He paused, looking at me as I laid before him, his eyes skimming over my face and hair, before stopping at my lips. He leant down and kissed me softly. We kissed gentle, open-mouthed kisses, feeling the softness of each other's lips, but after a while, I needed more. I met Dimitri's tongue with my own and felt a shock of electricity flood my body. He let out a groan that showed he clearly felt the spark too.

Pushing into me, he deepened the kiss, our tongues dancing together as his hands roamed from my arms to my hips. Squirming, I needed more. Dimitri pulled away and was just about to say something when a crashing in the trees made him just in front of me, stake in his hand.

After a few seconds, out dhampir eyesight was able to make out the black and white uniform of a Guardian and he relaxed.

The guardian crashed through the trees, coming to a stop only when he was stood in front of us, panting heavily. He seemed to be fresh out of an academy.

"Guardian... Guardian Belikov... you have to ... come back".

Dimitri frowned, and I couldn't help but judge the young man for his fitness. How was he expected to fight strigoi if he couldn't run?

"Why?" Dimitri barked, his voice cool and authoritative. The voice of a leader.

"There's been... an attack". The guardian was clearly getting his breath back now. "Another attack".

Dimitri frowned.

"I'll be staying here for a little while longer. I'll stop off at the headquarters on my way home, even though I'm not on duty..."

"No," the guardian interrupted, showing a tremendous amount of bravery to dare interrupt Dimitri Belikov. "You don't understand. The group of strigoi have attacked again".

Dimitri's frown deepened.

"It can wait".

Even 18-year-old Rose wouldn't have argued with that tone of voice.

"No," the guardian whispered. He was pale and sweating, clearly horrified by what he was about to say. "You don't understand. Guardian Croft needs you now. "They have attacked 4 places at once".