I lay on the bed with my face stuffed into the pillow. The dress I had worn earlier was tossed into the sink, soaking with salt water. I made it through the lunch itself before having an accident of epic proportions.

And now I was laying in a ball on our bed in a t-shirt and boxers, moaning quietly while I pressed the heating pad to my lower abdomen. I knew I wasn't going to get an easy period when I woke up this morning. I felt heavy deep in my pelvis and once I started my period, the cramps only got worse.

I heard our front door shut and I sucked in the moan that tried to slip through my lips. I tried not to tip Dimitri off often about how bad my periods got. He felt bad enough about them and knowing he felt bad made me feel worse. It was one of the only ailments he couldn't fix.

I made a squeak when Dimitri came into the room, no longer able to hold it in anymore. Dimitri moved around the bed and sat beside me, rubbing his hand over my lower spine.

"How bad is it today?"

"It's a nine on the Riker scale," I moaned into the pillow.

"Did you take the pills your doctor prescribed?"

I nodded. "I maxed out on them. This is worse than usual," I said. I turned my head so I could look at him, my brows pinched tightly.

"Roza, I think I should take you to the hospital," Dimitri whispered and I shook my head.

"No. They'll just send me home," I moaned.

"Roza. Please. I know that this isn't normal. Please let me take you to the hospital, at least then they might be able to give you something for the pain," Dimitri pleaded as he rubbed my back. I whimpered and clenched the heating pad.

I didn't say anything, and Dimitri sighed. "Rose. You've only been home for thirty minutes and you've bled through your pants. I'm taking you to the hospital, whether its in the car or by ambulance. Something is wrong," Dimitri said firmly as he stood up. I closed my eyes and sighed, sitting up. As soon as I sat up, I knew he was right that I bled through my pad and pants. I got off the bed and went into the bathroom to change and clean myself up, slipping socks onto my feet when I came back out.

Dimitri had a worried and sympathetic look on his face when I came out. He wrapped me up in his arms and kissed the top of my head.

"I hate seeing you in this much pain," Dimitri whispered into my hair. I nodded and rested my cheek against his chest.

"I know," I said quietly.

I looked at the fluid drip down into my IV with tired eyes. With the amount of pain I was in, they set up an IV to give me fluids and pain medication. Now I was just laying on my side in a daze. We were waiting for a specialist to come and see us.

Delia, one of the Ekons from a local hub, spotted us on our way in. She knew I was a Dhampir, and the fact that I was in this much pain was a red flag for her. She convinced the ER doctor that I needed to see a specialist, and that my pain wasn't normal.

Whatever Delia told them worked because I was rushed through. I was slightly humiliated when they made me put on their weird underwear, but after a while, I started to find it surprisingly comfortable and I didn't need to worry about making a mess.

"How's the pain now?" Dimitri whispered as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"About a five," I mumbled quietly. Dimitri nodded and leaned forward, kissing my head tenderly.

"How much longer?"

"Soon, Roza, soon," Dimitri whispered. I nodded and closed my eyes. I was grateful for the pain medication for numbing the pain, but I hated the feeling it gave me. I must have started to doze because I jumped when the curtain around my bed was pulled back.

"Rosemarie Hathaway?"

"Yes," Dimitri replied as I groggily rubbed at my face.

"My name is Dr. Kincade. I hear that you are having some bad menstrual pain and bleeding?"

I nodded. "I've always had bad periods, but today has been the worst. I bled through in less than an hour and I can barely breathe with the cramps."

Dr. Kincade gave me a small smile as he came around to the other side of the bed. "I'm just going to feel your abdomen if that's okay?"

I nodded and shifted onto my back, my face pinching up as my muscles moved and I felt that tight pull behind my belly button again. Dr. Kincade started palpating my abdomen and I groaned. Dr. Kincade apologized as he examined me.

"Any chance that you're pregnant?" he asked.

I shook my head and made a noise. Dimitri stroked my head again.

"No. She takes tests every few months because her period is irregular. She just took one last week," Dimitri filled in when my face pinched again. Dr. Kincade nodded and let me roll back onto my side.

"I'd like to get an ultrasound done. Is your flow usually heavy?"

"Very. And always painful. Sometimes I can't breathe," I said. The doctor wrote a few things down on the sheet and asked a handful of questions about my cycle and pain. It took about forty minutes to get an ultrasound, but it was almost as unbearable as the cramps.

They let Dimitri stay with me, which I was grateful for. I gripped his hand tightly as the ultrasound was done, gasping a few times at the pressure.

"Can you feel this?" the technician asked. I focused on where she had the wand, but I couldn't feel anything.

"No, not really. Everything just hurts," I whispered. She nodded and tapped on the keyboard, no doubt taking pictures. I looked at Dimitri with tired eyes and his lips pulled tight. Once the technician was done, I was brought out to a room to wait. Delia had come by to check on me, offering me a warm blanket. I thanked her and she nodded, smiling softly at me.

"You know, I was here the day you were born," Delia said softly, tucking the blanket around my legs.

"Really?" I asked, a small smile on my lips.

"Mmmhmm," Delia said as she smoothed the blanket out. "This one was in such a tizzy. You were having some respiratory problems, and Dimitri was pacing outside the NICU. I was surprised that he didn't barge in on his own. I went in and checked on you so that he would calm down."

I smiled and reached for Dimitri's hand, squeezing his softly.

"You big softy," I whispered.

"Hey, this was all new to me. I was a mess until I knew you were alright," Dimitri said, leaning forwards and kissing my hair. Delia smiled at us when her pager went off. She looked at us and gave us both a tight smile.

"I got to go, I'll come to check on you in a little bit," Delia said softly as she patted my feet. I nodded and closed my eyes again, rubbing my face. I was ready to go home already. Dimitri moved to sit on the edge of my bed, rubbing his hand soothingly over my back. I tried to smile at him, but I was so tired I couldn't muster one. The medication didn't help with how tired I was either.

I jumped when the curtain moved and Dr. Kincade came back in, holding a tablet in his hands.

"We got your ultrasound results back. Those combined with your symptoms, we believe that you have endometriosis," Dr. Kincade said. I blinked up at him.

"Why do you say that?"

"During your ultrasound, we saw some deposits, and when we ultrasound your ovaries, they wouldn't move. That is usually an indication that endometriosis has spread to your ovaries. They will move when pressure is applied, but in your case, they wouldn't. It would explain your symptoms and the pain. But to see deposits on ultrasound would mean that there is a lot of endometrial tissue," Dr. Kincade said as he wrote on a prescription pad.

"I would like you to take this every six hours. No other painkillers aside from Tylenol while you are on this. You can also take it off your menstrual cycle as well. It will help with the pain and decrease flow. I am also sending a referral to a gynecologist. They can help you set up a treatment plan."

"It's treatable?" Dimitri asked.

"The disease itself, no, but medication can be used to make the symptoms tolerable or lessen, we will need to do a deeper follow-up. Your diagnosis will need to be confirmed, most likely with surgery. But, if you opt for the surgical diagnosis, some of the endometrial tissue can be removed. Some have reported some relief," Dr. Kincade said as he tore the prescription off the pad, "I'll have a nurse come by to discharge you."

Dimitri took the prescription from Dr. Kincade and he left the room, leaving the two of us alone.

"What did he prescribe me?" I asked.

Dimitri looked the prescription over. "It's like Advil, but much stronger. It's the equivalent of a T3."

I nodded and sat up, swinging my legs over the bed and reached for my sweatpants. If I was going home soon, I would spend the rest of my time here with pants on.

I chewed my thumbnail as I moved my cursor over the screen, my eyes trained on the words.

"Okay, that's enough," Dimitri said as he plucked the laptop off my lap.

"Hey!"

"Roza, you've been researching for two hours and the only thing it's done is scare you. Take a break. You'll know more when you see the doctor in a few weeks," Dimitri said as he closed the laptop.

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying not to pout. He wasn't wrong, all it had done was scare the shit out of me. The more the read, the more I spiralled. Dimitri sighed and leaned over me, kissing the top of my head before stroking my cheek.

"Breathe. Take a break. We could go down to the Halloween haunt if you want?" Dimitri encouraged with a small smile. I looked up at him and shrugged.

"I don't know about the haunt, but maybe we could go to that bookstore? The one that has that awesome café inside?" I asked with a small smile.

"You're offering to go to a bookstore?"

I shrugged. Dimitri nodded and I got up, going for my purse that was in our room. I grabbed a sweater and met Dimitri at the door, rising up on my toes to kiss his cheek. I smiled at him and let our hands swing between us as we walked. The bookstore wasn't too far from our place, and it was still nice enough out that walking was fine.

I was starting to get excited about our wedding. We picked a day near the beginning of November, and we were only two weeks away.

"Are you excited about your bachelor party?" I asked with a smirk.

"Yeah. Ivan is more excited, I think," Dimitri chuckled. I grinned at him and let go of his hand so I could put mine in my pockets. I took a deep breath in and smiled at the smell of wet leaves. Dimitri said that he never found the smell appealing because it was too similar to the smell of decay. I couldn't help but love it. I loved the smell of the rain on the pavement, and when it rained on the leaves, it made me feel nostalgic.

"Did you ever see any of my Halloween costumes growing up?" I asked.

Dimitri's brows pinched together. "I remember a fairy once, but I think you were a little young then," Dimitri said, "Why?"

I shrugged. "Just curious."

Dimitri smirked. "Liar. Why?"

I shrugged again. "I just wonder sometimes what parts of my life you saw."

Dimitri wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Was there a particular costume you wondered if I saw?"

I smirked. "Maybe. I remember when I was sixteen Lissa and I dressed up like fairies. Not like I did as a kid, but I remember it being my favourite costume, aside from the one from my freshman year in university."

"I didn't get to see that one," Dimitri pointed out.

"It was Harley Quinn," I chuckled. Dimitri groaned and shook his head, reaching for the door handle when we got close.

"I'm glad I didn't get to see that one. I probably wouldn't have let you go out," Dimitri chuckled.

I snorted a laugh and walked into the bookstore, heading straight for the café at the back. I glanced at the board and ordered drinks for both of us. I took our drinks and looked for Dimitri. The only downside of this bookstore was that the shelves were taller than Dimitri. I looked between the stacks, weaving through a few of them before I found him at the end of one, a tall blonde talking to him.

I walked closer and cleared my throat lightly so I didn't startle the one.

"Thanks, babe," Dimitri said taking his drink. The woman turned and I smiled when I saw her face.

"Emily! When did you get back from Africa?"

Emily smiled at me and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. "I just got back last night. I wanted to grab a few new books and ran into Dimitri. God, you look amazing!"

I smiled at her. "Thanks," I said quietly.

"Big day is coming," Emily said excitedly, "I cannot wait to see you both."

"I'm getting pretty excited too," I chuckled, looking around the stacks. I spotted a section between two rows and bit my lip, excusing myself away. I glanced to where I left Dimitri and Emily and plucked the book that caught my eye off the shelf, looking at the back of it.

I read over the back of it and flipped through the pages when Emily's voice made me jump.

"That isn't light reading," she chuckled as she came to stand beside me, "Nor is it a random choice. You okay?"

I weighed the book in my hands and shrugged. "Dimitri took me to the hospital a few weeks back because of pain, and they think I have this," I said handing her the book. Emily frowned at the title and looked up at me.

"Have you seen a specialist yet?"

"In a few weeks. Dimitri told me I wasn't allowed to research anymore because I was scaring myself," I said with a little chuckle.

"He's right. A lot of the stuff on the internet isn't right. That isn't the best source either," Emily said before looking over the titles and plucking another one off the shelf, "Try that one instead. I don't know if you were ever told, but I was a doctor for a little while. If you have questions, you can always call me."

I took the book from Emily and smiled. "That means a lot, thank you," I said quietly.

Emily nodded and squeezed my shoulder. "I know it seems scary right now, but it may not be anywhere near as bad as you think. Take some deep breaths and just log everything. That way when you see your specialist, you know exactly what to tell them."

I nodded and took a picture of the book before setting it back on the shelf. "Thanks, Emily," I said.

Emily smiled and patted my cheek affectionately. "Of course."

I went back to find Dimitri and found him hunkered down on one of the couches by the window, eyes trained on the page. I browsed through a few more stacks before plucking a book off the shelf that looked good and sat beside Dimitri, resting my legs in his lap.

"Good talk?" Dimitri asked quietly. I looked up at him and then back at my book, shrugging.

"Yeah," I said quietly.

Dimitri rubbed his hand over my shins. "Good."

I smiled and frowned, setting my book down in my lap as a familiar shiver ran down my back. I looked out the window before standing up.

"Roza?"

"We aren't alone," I whispered, taking a deep breath and finding Emily's scent still lingering in the air. I left Dimitri where he was and moved through the stacks, finding her near the back.

"Em; we got to go," I said urgently, gripping her wrist as I pulled her with me back to Dimitri.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Strigoi," I said as we rounded the corner, bumping into Dimitri. It didn't take him long to figure out what was wrong. He wrapped his arm around me and the three of us made our way out of the store. We were only a few minutes walk from the hub.

I had stupidly forgotten my stake at home, and I was kicking myself for it. Dimitri kept me close to his body, his head swivelling around as we walked. I told him when the feeling started to come back, and I managed to push Emily over the protective warding around the hub just in time for the Strigoi to catch up with us.

Dimitri shoved me over the warding so roughly that I lost my footing and skidded across the pavement. I hissed when my jeans ripped and the asphalt cut my legs, but I was more horrified at the scene in front of me.

It was four against one.

I pushed myself up and followed Emily inside, looking to get help. I knew that I was more of a detriment to Dimitri without a stake, so I did the only thing I could.

I found Alberta and Stan in the living area, already on alert.

"Dimitri's outside alone. There's too many of them," I panted, pointing towards the door. Alberta moved towards the door and Ivan came out of the back room, his own stake in his hand. I followed both of them back to the door. At least if I watched, I could warn Dimitri.

When Alberta opened the door it took everything in me not to run out after her. The sound that vibrated through my ears didn't sound like mine, but it was. Hands gripped my shoulders, holding me back over the ward lines.

I thrashed against those hands because my own instincts were in overdrive. Alberta took down the final two Strigoi, but it didn't matter to me.

All that mattered was that Dimitri was laying on the concrete, his head bent at an odd angle.

Don't hate me!