I relayed the traumatic events that had just happened both to the doctor and Dimitri, uneasily leaving out a few details that regarded Dimitri.
I knew that it was a stupid idea, especially considering the fact that the man threatened Lissa just as he left but I was determined to get the information out of Dimitri and find out who this man really was before I started telling people all about him. I mean sure he wanted me to deliver a message, but that message was only to Dimitri. What would happen if I were to tell others? Would he hurt Lissa? Would he come after me again? I didn't know, but at that stage, I really didn't want to find out.
"So you have no idea who your attacker was?" Dr Olendski asked after she made me repeat the story a few times, interjecting to ask questions along the way.
"No" I replied, my insides churning as I feed her more lies. I forced my face to stay stoic and avoided eye contact with Dimitri, something I knew he could pick up.
"And you have no idea what he wanted? He never said anything to you?" She pushed. My eyes quickly flickered to Dimitri who stood in the corner of the room. As soon as our eyes met I felt as if he could tell I was about to lie before I even did so. It frustrated me to no end that a man that I had known, in person, for a short amount of time, could read me like a book.
"No, he said nothing at all." I said firmly, hoping to get her off my back. All I wanted to do was to get out of here and start asking Dimitri questions. Dimitri swallowed, slightly raised his eyebrows and squinted his eyes together in a way that suggested he didn't believe me one bit.
"Well then, I can't hold you in here. I'll just relay your injuries so that you are fully aware, although I am quite sure you are already conscious of them. You have a broken finger, some fluid around your left ankle- which will require a minimum of three days rest, numerous bruises, a broken thumb and your right hand has… well its hard to know what it is. I can't be sure whether it is a message or a gang symbol or just something this guy made up on the spot. Regardless of what it is though, you have a pretty nasty carving on your hand Rose. I'm sorry. " She looked at me with sad eyes, conveying empathy with her whole body.
"Now, your thumb is bandaged with a splint, try not to move it much because you only narrowly avoided surgery for it and as for your right hand, wash it out three times a day, and immediately follow that with some anti-bacterial cream and also keep it bandaged for the duration of a week." She said.
"Oh and I would like to see you in one weeks time to check on your hand and do some more x-rays on your thumb. Remember Rose, keep it rested, I know you too well and surgery will put you out of action for longer than resting it will. Trust me." With that, she gave me the anti-bacterial cream and signed me out.
Dimitri and I walked silently towards my, our, dorm and my breathing got shallower as I thought about the conversation that I would, no doubt, be having in a few moments.
The dorm room came all too soon and I stood in front of it aimlessly as Dimitri studied me. He too waited until he realized that I was not going to make any attempt in opening the door.
Dimitri's intense stare made me squirm and I was desperate to find out all I could about my attacker and the connection he had to Dimitri so I pushed the door open and stood with my arms crossed (as well as I could with my injuries) and waited for him to say something.
"Rose, what happened? I know you were lying to that doctor, so don't try and fool me! Did you get into some kind of trouble with someone? Is that it? You know you can tell me" He finished, concern written over all of his features.
I started laughing cynically for a moment at his words before it turned more hysterical. "Did I get in trouble with someone? Oh that's fucking rich! And 'oh you know you can tell me'. Really? Because it seems to me you forgot to tell me about a fucking psycho hell bent on avenging his dead brother!"
Tears streamed down my face as I hiccup and my body shook. I was hysterical and confused and terrified, not to mention still pissed off and hurt by his earlier admission of never seeing me again after this trip.
Dimitri rushed up to me and guided me to sit down on the bed. He knelt down in front of my and held my hands in his.
"Tell me everything Roza." He stressed and I got the impression that he had an idea about what I was yet to say.
"The man who attacked me, he said I was to tell you a message. He said something about avenging his brother's death. He's going to kill your family and anyone you've ever cared about. He…" I bit my lip not wanting to continue, hoping that if I didn't all of this wouldn't be really happening.
Dimitri's face was pale and I could see the wheels turning in his head.
"Tell me Rose, what else did he say." He looked apprehensive, gripping my hands tighter in his.
I took a deep breath.
"He said that he is going to start with me. He thinks I'm your girlfriend. He threatened to kill me if I made any noise and when he pulled out a knife I made a noise involuntarily. That's why he broke my finger, he was going to break them all but he heard you. I think he would have carved that thing into my arm regardless of whether or not I spoke though." I blurted everything out, I needed him to reassure me that they had the wrong guy or this guy is legally insane, anything that could explain why this guy was determined to hurt Dimitri so much.
Dimitri brought his hands to his face and looked like he was fighting back tears. He muttered sorry over and over again as I sat there helplessly and still confused.
"Dimitri? He threatened Lissa, how does he even know who she is? And there is one more thing. He said that after his brother died he used connections to have Ivan murdered but that wasn't enough for him. He felt like he had suffered more than you." I whispered and tears trickled down my own cheeks. I was so overwhelmed.
"Yeah" he chuckled darkly. "I figured he was the bastard that killed him." There was a moment of silence. "Look Rose, I have to go. I think if I leave here he won't have a reason to harm you." He made a move to exit the door but before he could I stood before him, a murderous glint in my eyes.
"Oh no. I just got attacked because of some feud between you and a, clearly, mentally unstable person. You are going to sit down and tell me everything. You owe me that." I muttered, dangerously calm. Dimitri seemed to think there was no point in fighting and walked back to the quilted bed.
Dimitri intertwined his hands in a firm grip, inhaling and exhaling multiple times, seeming to struggle to put his thoughts into words.
"When I was overseas my superior ordered a night attack on a group of people who were supposedly causing havoc amongst the residents. I was put in charge and my team and I set out. When we got there we saw the most horrible things, I won't relive them to you because no one should ever know that man is capable of such things, but I will tell you that I have never seen such horrible things in my entire life. We ended the lives of all those who were doing these things, or so we thought.
"One man was hiding and he shot a man in my team. I shot him. He was the only person I'd shot on the mission and the first and only person I'd ever killed. I, stupidly ran to his body and looked for I.D. I found out his name was Robert Doru and some other soldiers grabbed me and screamed at me to run back to the base. Turns out there were more men and we were severely outnumbered.
"We made it back fine and no one else was hurt but later that night, when the guys found out I'd killed Robert Doru they told me that he and his brother were notoriously known for being insane, like mentally unfit and they warned me to be careful because there was no telling what his brother Victor would do if he got his hands on me. They told me the larger possibility of him going after my family and that's what got me scared, that's also partially why I came here. I thought I'd be in a win/win situation. I'd get to meet you and spend time with you and he'd never find me here so you'd be safe and so would my family. Obviously I was wrong and I am so sorry about that Roza." He reached out to stroke my cheek as he apologized. I simply nodded and hoped my eyes could convey my understanding because I couldn't trust my voice.
"I thought they were exaggerating, I mean in a war there is no way of knowing who killed who but…" He trailed off, breath shaky.
"But Victor has connections." I finished for him quietly and he nodded his head in agreement.
"I don't want to fight anymore, I haven't for almost a year but it seems even if I don't go back this is going to follow me and my loved ones and I don't know what's worse." Tears streamed down his face and I pulled him into a hug.
"Sometimes I think if I go back to war then he'll leave everyone alone. Sometimes I think if I go back to war he'll kill my family and I'll have left them defenseless and sometimes I think he wouldn't be able to retaliate if I was dead."
"Don't you dare think like that! You'll get through this, you are so strong and if you let me in then I won't let you go through this alone. We can make it through together." I rushed my words out, feeling vulnerable, knowing that he could laugh in my face and tell me I am just some silly little teenager. His reaction surprised me; it looked like he was trying not to cry even more. I could see him struggling with all of this. He had let down his walls so much and he didn't like to be seen as weak, he, in the time I've known him, has always been strong and dependent, even when going through tough times but he had let me in so much.
"I don't want to die if that's what you are thinking, I just couldn't live with myself if my family died over this. I just don't know how to keep everyone safe. I mean even the police are no help with all the connections he has, as soon as word gets out to him that the police are looking for him I know without a doubt that my family will be gone within an instant." He wiped his eyes free of the tears and we sat next to each other on the bed in silence.
Dimitri reached for my hand and held it in his, even brought it up to his lips and gave it a quick kiss.
"I won't let him hurt you again Roza, I promise I won't." He said, his Russian accent thicker and more pronounced than usual. After looking down at our hands, he looked back up and into my eyes.
"Roza…I just… thank you for everything, I've never felt like this before, everything just feels so easy and it's so foreign to me. I don't even know what I'm doing." He inched closer to me as he spoke, whether it was involuntary or not, I didn't have a clue.
"About before, I couldn't bear not seeing you after this trip. It was stupid that I didn't tell you before, I was just feeling…" He trailed off, looking squarely at me.
"Feeling what?" I whispered to him, my breathing a little shallow.
Dimitri hesitated for a moment before responding. "This" and he closed the gap between us.
Our lips met briefly before he pulled back, staying so close that the slightest movement would cause our lips to touch again. I was quick to close the gap and our lips met for the second time. His tears had run down to his lips and I could taste the salt on my lips. It felt like time was suspended but it ended all too soon.
Dimitri got up and crossed the room, almost immediately after breaking the kiss.
"That shouldn't have happened Rose. I'm sorry I shouldn't have kissed you. It was out of line." He muttered, no ounce of emotion on his face.
"It's not like I was complaining." I replied, confused by his reaction.
"Yeah well, don't get used to it." He said coldly. My eyes widened in shock.
"What about saying that stuff about how you felt?" I answered, not recovered from his sudden change in personality.
"It doesn't matter how I feel Rose. I am a soldier and…you are just a child." He said in a monotone. His words shook through my body and I couldn't decipher my feelings, as I was feeling too many too quickly.
"Asshole." I muttered in shock, walking quickly to my door and knowing that I didn't want to share a room with him tonight.
He sighed. "Rose where are you going?"
I stopped halfway in the door and turned around. "I'm going to go do some childish things" and with that I slammed the door shut.