A/N: Didn't meant to leave any confusion so I hope this chapter clears it all up

Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns the characters except for my OCs and the plot.

Someone's squeezing my heart.

It started two weeks ago and today it's grown worse, the squeezes becoming firmer, tighter.

All day it has felt like someone has been giving it little squeezes here and there.

When Vika went up on the stand, when Lissa and her small bump were on the stand, when Rose was on the stand.

Rose…

She stumbled back once with the impact of the bullet and then fell limp, hitting the marbled floor as hard, as loud, and as fast as though she were weighed down with bricks.

My heart was squeezed one last firm time before it burst completely.

She wouldn't open her eyes.

But she was breathing thank goodness.

"Has anyone called an ambulance?!" Tasha shouts beside me.

In front of Rose, sitting on her knees while holding her pregnant belly is Lissa, weeping and sniffling while Christian helps to hold her upright so she won't fall forward on top of Rose with her extra weight. My mother is putting pressure on the wound.

"Straight through the shoulder," she notes aloud. "That's good." Stan hands down his folded over jacket for Rose's head to lay on while I brush Rose's hair from her eyes the way I've done so many times before, willing her to wake up.

There were so many times where I wanted her to just sleep, to relax for a few hours enough to finally get some sleep. I want nothing more now than for her to wake up.

Yeva, Karo, and Vika were swept out of the courtroom in the panic. In fact, the entire courtroom is empty save for the judge who is shouting out orders to the bailiffs, the officers kicking the weapon away out of reach of Adrian's lifeless hand, examining the two dead bodies. One officer comes to stand near us.

Beside him stands Ibrahim who could give me a run for my money for hiding emotions. Not one sign of emotion has crossed over his face. He hasn't moved from the spot he's been standing in since Adrian first reached for the gun. If Adrian hadn't shot himself, I know I would have moved to kill him. I promised that he wouldn't hurt her, that he couldn't hurt any of them any more, and already that promise has been broken.

Dark, evil, emotionally unstable teenager or not…

I'm surprised he didn't go for the insanity plea.

"Move aside sir," a paramedic suddenly appears, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Dimka, let go. They have to take her," my mother instructs.

"I'll go with her."

"Are you fam-"

"Yes and I'm riding with her to the hospital," I interrupt.

The paramedic looks startled and hesitant but a nod from Stan lets him know it's okay.

"We'll meet you there," my mother says.

The ride to the hospital is quiet save for a few occasional updates between the paramedics on Rose's condition and the beeping of her heart monitor. By the time we make it to the hospital and they wheel her away I'm fidgeting and anxious to do something, anything useful that'll help but I know there's nothing I can do except wait. I pace the hospital waiting room hoping Rose doesn't wake up until she's in recovery. I don't want her to wake up scared, confused of where she is, and in pain. I want to be beside her, next to her holding her hand so that she at least has the impression I never left her side.

I wanted to be beside her, holding her hand when she'd been sitting on the stand. Much like Vika and Lissa, she looked smaller than I've ever thought possible. My biggest problem before Rose and I really started spending time together, when I was being stubborn about how I felt about her, was not only her age but how small she was, how young she looked. I worried about how people would talk about us, the way we looked together. Obviously, I've gotten over that fear but Rose has never looked younger, more afraid, more her age than I've ever seen before. My other fear was the affect I'd have on her life. Our age gap was far enough apart to make a difference. She'd be missing out on so many things dating someone older.

I feel so stupid letting so many days pass where we weren't together. I'd give anything to have Rose be alright, to have her in my arms right, safe and tucked away.

"How is she?"

I look up and see everyone standing in front of me.

I shrug and everyone releases a collective sigh.

This day has felt endless. It wasn't supposed to end like this. It was supposed to be at least a bit comforting knowing this was over.

I saw the look of relief on Rose's face after she'd finished giving her testimony. That's how we were all supposed to feel. Relieved. I think it's safe to say that her testimony alone was enough to sway the jury. Her testimony shook me down to the bones. The amount of fear in her voice, the fear in her eyes was enough to send a chill down anyone's back and warm anyone's heart with sympathy. The thought of everything they did to her...how scared and alone she was…

One someone says they've been raped, the first thing that comes to mind, that comes to my mind anyway, is the need to say "I'm sorry that happened to you". With the image Rose painted for everyone listening, it was easy to imagine everything that had happened. Lissa and Vika had talked about their attacks but in limited detail. The danced around the edges of the attack. But Rose described it in excruciatingly gruesome detail that no one can imagine on their own, something that isn't easy to forget. Ibrahim was right in saying that the girls can't change what happened to them. No one can. But I can at least make sure it never happens again. I can do everything in my power to protect them, including over protection if necessary.

"Is anyone here for Rose Hathaway?" Before any of us can respond the doctor, Dr. Odenlenski, spots us. We move as one massive body toward her and for a second she looks overwhelmed with the amount of worried eyes in front of her before recovering. We're all surprised to see Dr. Odenlenski standing in front of us holding the chart I tried my best to fill out when we first came in. I was surprised by how much I could fill out but there was still so much more I didn't know about Rose but I wanted to.

"I happened to be passing by when I saw them wheel Rose in," she explains to us.

"How is she?" Lissa asks.

"She's alright. A little shaken up but she's okay."

"So she's awake?"

She nods. "She was surprised to see me, was a little disoriented but she's fine now. The bullet went straight through and the wound just needed to be closed up with a few repairs here and there on the inside," she answers. There's another collective sigh, this time of relief.

"Can we see her?"

"For a few moments and then I think she needs some serious rest. Most of the reason she stayed unconscious for so long was that she was exhausted."

Again, we're like one massive body, moving into the elevator and up a few floors to Rose's room as everyone fills her in on what happened today.

"My goodness, I can't believe...so this has been a long day for all of you," she notes, leading us to Rose's room. "Testimony, a murder suicide in court, another attempted murder on Rose's life…"

"Not to mention he apparently scribbled a suicide note down before the bailiff tried escorting him away. He blamed Rose for this, took out Camille because she was most important to him. He didn't want to leave her alone and then took out himself," Stan explained, relating what one of the officers on the scene told him.

"Oh my," Dr. Odenlenski gasped as we walked along. She looked from Lissa to Vika. "You poors girls have been through so much already. At least it's over. Hmm?" she asked hopeful.

Everyone nods as she opens the door to Rose's room.

"She might still be awake…" her voice trails off as we walk into the room.

Rose is sound asleep.

"I guess she was more exhausted than I thought." The doctor moves to monitor the few machines Rose is connected to while the doctor instinct in my mother has her doing the samething. Everyone is quiet, giving small gestures to ensure Rose is comfortable without really saying anything.

"Where's Mazur and Kislyak?" Christian suddenly asks.

"Kislyak was in a bit of shock. Guess he never considered angry defendants would try to harm anyone in a courtroom," Stan mused. "I asked one of my patrolmen to give him a ride home. Last I saw, he muttered something about finishing up the paper work."

"And Ibrahim?" Yeva asked.

Stan shrugged. "After they wheeled Rose away he just walked away without saying anything. Honestly he didn't look the least bit shaken or concerned." He shakes his head in disappointment.

"He should be here," I mutter. There are a lot of us here for Rose but there's nothing like having a member of your own family, a blood relative, a parent to comfort you. "Both of her parents should be here."

"If this is how they treat their daughter, maybe it's best that they aren't around," my mother sighs, moving to tuck Rose in a little tighter if that's even possible with all of the tucking that everyone has done.

I want Rose to be awake to see this, to see how surrounded she is by people who love and care about her.

But I'm also glad when it's decided that everyone should leave, get some rest and come back to see Rose tomorrow. Lissa is the most reluctant to go but her exhaustion wins over her protests and with a little coaxing from all of us, a promise that I'll stay here, she agrees to go home.

"I'm not even going to try to convince you to go home and get some sleep," my mother says after everyone has filed out for the night, exhausted from this long terrifying day. "It'll be good when she wakes and sees you."

She kisses my cheek before leaving to catch up with everyone else.

Two weeks of being apart. We're finally alone together and it's in a hospital.

When Rose and I first talked about taking some time away from each other for the trial, I shrugged it off. I knew it wouldn't exactly be easy and I wasn't looking forward to it but I understood why it was necessary. I understood that this was what was best for everyone.

I didn't think about how much I'd miss her. I didn't think I'd feel so off balance without having her around as I'd grown accustomed to. I didn't think I'd feel like part of me was missing simply because she wasn't there.

I never imagined myself as someone that falls head over heels in love with their soul mate. Sure, I always thought I'd be married some day, have kids but this...this stifling, overwhelming feeling, the affect that Rose has on me isn't something I could have ever pictured and it certainly isn't anything I can describe.

The best way I can explain it in simple terms is that somewhere in these last few months, through all of the ups and downs we've endured, Rose has taken up residence in the largest part of my heart. And I don't know when it happened, or how it came to this, or how it will turn out in the future.

But I know that I want to find out.

I settle down in the chair beside her hospital bed and take a hold of her hand. It never ceases to amaze me just how small she actually is in comparison to me. And yet, her fingers feel like they were meant to be matched against my own, our palms aligning, and the smoothness of her skin softening the roughness of my own.

I need her to wake up just for a moment to see the softness of her eyes and kiss her as gently as she's always kissed me.

I need more nights where it's just the two of us alone together talking through a movie, tangled in each other's arms and legs.

I need more days where she laughs outright, loud and without any inhibitions; where her face breaks out to full on smile and her eyes light up.

I want to hold her in my arms and never let go, becoming a 24 hour human body shield so that nothing and no one can ever hurt her again, so that she won't ever feel as afraid and worthless the way she described behind on the stand. Holding her sounds so appealing that I spend a good few minutes contemplating crawling into the hospital bed beside her but I don't want her to be scared if she wakes up and she's disoriented. I also don't want to mess with any of the machinery she's attached to.

For now, holding her hand will have to do, but it's enough.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

It's a gentle feeling. Not even really a tap but more like a light brushing of fingers on the top of my head, moving through my hair. I lift my head up, groggy for a second, struggling to remember where I am when yesterday's events come crashing down.

I sit up right and meet Rose's heavy lidded but open eyes. It had been her fingers moving through my hair.

"I wasn't trying to wake you," she whispers, in a dry apologetic voice.

I rub at my eyes, trying to make sure this is real, that she's really awake, that the trial is over, that this isn't a dream.

Before I can pull any of my thoughts together, she's speaking again, her voice a little stronger.

"I want to get out of here."

I wake myself up a little more, blinking a few times. I'm relieved she's awake and talking. I want to give her a bone crushing hug but decide that might not be the best idea with the bandage wrapped around the bullet wound in her shoulder. I'm worried about the moistness building in here eyes. How many times has she been in the hospital in the last few months?

"I want to get out of here," she says again, more urgent this time.

This wasn't how I imagined she'd wake up but at least she's awake. Now I just have to keep her calm and get Dr. Odenlenski back in here.

"I know but, do you know why you're here? Do you remember what-"

"Adrian," she answers automatically.

She blinks back the moisture in her eyes, struggling to keep any tears from falling and succeeding.

"He shot Camille."

I know from her spot on the ground after she'd collapsed that she saw everything that happened. Stan, Christian, and I managed to shield everyone else from witnessing the bullet pierce through Camille's head splattering blood everywhere. Nor did they have to watch when Adrian turned the gun on himself quickly afterward.

From her spot on the ground where she'd fallen after being shot, Rose saw it all.

As if she hadn't been through enough already.

I nod to answer her question. "Yeah, he did."

There's a pause where she processes this and I think she's remembering what happened before she fell unconscious.

"He shot himself too."

Again, a nod.

"They're both dead."

I have to fight the urge to say "thank goodness" when I answer her.

"Yeah, they're both dead."

She's solemn at first before her eyes widen and she's sitting up straight in bed. "Liss and Viktoria... was anyone else-"

I assure her that they're fine and she immediately relaxes. I coax her to lay back down again and she does so silently.

She toys with her fingers in her lap, toying with the IV tube and the heart monitor on her arm and finger. There's nothing I can say to make this better. Since the first day I met Rose, I relied on the techniques I learned in the police academy and training I went through to become a self defense instructor to make her feel better, to heal her the way I'd helped so many others. It's taken me a while to accept and realize that this isn't a situation where the techniques and usual methods can help.

The best method right now is time, a little bit of patience, and letting her know that we're here and she isn't alone. It's going to be a while before she accept what's happened, to process everything she's been through and everything she saw today in the courtroom and I'm going to be there for her every step of the way.

"Can I leave? Can you get me out of here?" she pleads. The strain in her voice as she struggles to keep herself from crying is heart wrenching. I have to fight myself to not help unattached her from all the wires and machines she's hooked up to and carry her out of here myself.

"The doctor needs to check on you. The bullet went right through your shoulder luckily but Dr. Odenlenski said something yesterday about you having to stay here for a couple of days to monitor the wound."

She's shaking her head before I've even finished speaking. "No...n-no! I want to...I have to get out of here!"

She takes a shake breath and then meets my eyes with her watery gaze. A little calmer now. "I don't want to be here. Just for a little while...I just want to disappear for a little while."

I clutch her hand, the best comfort I can give her right now and give it a light squeeze.

"You're awake now. Let's just have Dr. Odenlenski look you over and we'll see what she says." Before she can protest, I click the buzzer to alert the nurse. A few seconds later a nurse appears with the doctor right behind her.

"You're awake," she exclaims happily through her professional mask. "Has she been awake long?" she directs the question at me.

"Only a few minutes."

Dr. Odenlenski nods as she examines Rose, flashing a light into her eyes, checking the monitors while the nurse jots down everything. Rose turns away at first, resisting the light in front of her eyes and swatting the doctor away who looks as if she expected nothing less.

"The harder you make this, the longer it's going to take."

Rose looks like she's thinking about putting up even more of a fight. Where I'm still holding her hand, I give it a squeeze. She meets my steady gaze and visibly relaxes a little. After a minute, she calms down and lets the doctor examine her.

"You hit your head pretty hard from what I've been told. You've got a bit of a goose egg right here," the doctor explains, gesturing to where she's prodding the back of her head.
"Do you remember what happened, dear?"

Rose is slow to answer before nodding.

"Did you see what happened?"

Again, Rose nods.

The doctor's gaze shifts from professional to sympathetic. "I'm so sorry you had to see that."

Rose doesn't respond. In my hand, her much smaller one is shaking, trembling. I clasp our hands tighter together.

Skimming over Rose's chart, the doctor describes Rose's wounds. "You don't have a concussion. The bullet didn't leave any fragments in your shoulder."

"Do I have to stay here?"

Dr. Odenlenski's eyes flick up from the chart.

"Give me a little time to determine that while we call the rest of your family to let the know how you're doing. Is it alright if I speak to Dimitri outside for a moment?"

Rose looks up worriedly, her eyes widening.

"I won't go far," I assure her. "Just outside the door.

"I think...I think it's best if we put Rose on psyche watch for right now?"

She hesitates. "You won't leave?"

"I won't leave. I promise."

She looks like she's considering saying no to the doctor's request to talk to me outside. I'm about to suggest the doctor just talk to me right here. This does concerne Rose after all but Rose speaks before I have a chance.

"Okay." She looks and sounds so tired, I wouldn't be surprised if she was asleep by the time I come back into the room.

Reluctantly we release our hands and I follow the doctor outside the door. She gestures for the nurse to leave the door ajar before dismissing her politely. As soon as she is gone, her professional mask is in place and she's direct with her words, straight to the point.

"I think it's best if Rose is evaluated by one of our psychiatrist."

I'd suggested plenty of times to Rose that she talk to a therapist or psychiatrist the way Viktoria has and the way Lissa has been considering. Hearing it from someone else though surprisingly irritates me but also emphasises just how much more Rose has to endure before she's really alright.

"She's been through an ordeal. She's shaken, physically trembling. I think a psychiatrist should be brought down, talk to her a bit, and evaluate where her head is at. Leaving the hospital right now could be the worst thing for her with the media rehashing details of the case, some of the town still gossiping."

"I know you're right but Rose has heart set on getting out of here. She's not going to willingly agree to talk to anyone. Not right now anyway," I explain.

The doctor nods in agreement, flipping through Rose's file. "She's still a minor so it's up to her guardian to decide. Who is her official guardian right now?" she ask confused. She's well aware about Rose's home situation. Stan didn't even think about placing Rose and Lissa in foster care. Her filed their case with the department of child services but it was agreed that it'd be best for them to stay in a familiar area throughout the trial as long as there were people to look in on them from time to time. It worked out well until now.

"She doesn't really have one. I'd say it was Ibrahim but...I don't know."

"We'll have to figure something out."

"For now though, is she healthy enough to be released? Assuming we figure out who her guardian is," I add. "I'm sure I've seen as many victims in situations like this as you have and we both know that sometimes, the best thing for them is a little time, giving them some space away from places like hospitals before they even think about talking to a therapist."

"I agree. Has Rose at least thought about talking to anyone?"

"I've brought it up with her a few times and she seemed like she was considering it at least but right now…"

"Right now she just needs to rest," she agrees. "I'll notify Officer Alto and we'll try to figure out her guardian situation."

When I walk back into Rose's hospital room, I assume she's asleep because her eyes are closed but the moment I pull the chair out to sit down, her eyes flutter open. Automatically she reaches for my hands and I wrap both of my mine around hers, engulfing them in warmth.

"She's not going to release me, is she?"

"She thinks it'd be best if a psychiatrist came in to talk to you for a while. You're okay enough to be released but ultimately it's up to your guardian to decide and since your mother isn't here…" I trail off.

"Everything is a mess," she laughs humorlessly. She releases an exhausted sigh and closes her eyes again. I hope she falls asleep, to get at least a little rest. "Dimitri," she murmurs, clutching our intertwined hands to her chest.

"Hmm?"

"I'm scared to sleep."

I pull one of my hands out of hers but only to stroke her hair back away from her face. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."

"You won't leave?"

"I won't leave."

"You'll be here when I wake up?" her voice is barely above a whisper and she's already falling asleep but I hope she hears me as she drifts off.

"I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

A/N: I know this is a short chapter but my plan to write this in DPOV backfired and I ended up writing the rest from Rose's POV.