Risk: Chapter Thirty-Two

When they arrived at the hospital and Rose dragged Lily inside, Lily was rushed to the back on a gurney, Rose advised to stay in the waiting area until someone came and got her, or informed her of her sister's condition.

Whatever happened first.

Rose must have fallen asleep at some point, as someone was shaking her awake, startling her. Was it a doctor advising her about her sister? Upon looking up, she saw it was no one other than Jake Hawthorne, facial expression rather confused at seeing her there.

"Rose?" he queried, as if he wasn't looking directly at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I—" She still hadn't filled him in completely on the fact she had a sister – a twin, more specifically – and what part she played in her time traveling shenanigans. Now was as a good time as any, she supposed. "Jake, sit down."

As he did, she quickly filled him in on Lily, and how they were related though they lived in different time periods. How they held a special bond – she didn't get into too much detail with that – and how now she was in the hospital because her injuries were too serious for her timeline to deal with.

"I'm scared, Jake," Rose admitted, ringing her hands on her brown skirt. She knew she probably appeared rather ridiculous in her "nurse" get-up, but she couldn't think on that too much. It clearly didn't take precedence, not with Lily behind those double doors, going through – whatever treatment.

Why hadn't anyone talked to her yet?

As if she had willed it, a doctor came out and called out her name. "Aer for Simpson?"

"That's me!" Rose said, getting to her feet and rushing to the doctor. "How's my sister?"

"She lost quite a bit of blood, but you got her here in the nick of time," he reassured her. "She's going to be recovering for a few days, but then she'll be good to go home."

Rose could have cried, she felt so relieved. "Can I see her?"

"In a few minutes; one of her nurses will be out to get you." He looked to Jake. "Also family?"

"Uh—" Jake said unintelligibly.

"A cousin," Rose chimed in quickly. "I called him."

"Alright. Family only can go in," the doctor reminded her, to which she nodded in understanding.

When the doctor disappeared again, Jake said, "You didn't have to lie for me. I was about to go visit my mom anyway. She works thirds, and I was bringing her lunch."

"Aw, that's nice of you," Rose commented with a teeny smile. "Go. I'll be good here."

"I'll be back in a flash, I promise." He held out his pinky, and she childishly took it, them shaking pinkies once before he vanished toward the nurse triage station.

Rose took a seat then, watching the doors for the nurse that would call her back. Just as Jake had returned, mom taken care of, the nurse in question called her name, and she stood quickly to meet her.

"Family only," the nurse stated, looking to Jake.

"Cousins," they both said simultaneously.

"Alright," the nurse said, not seeming convinced, but, with pursed lips, led the way to Lily's room anyway.

Inside, Lily was hooked up to several machines – a heart monitor, a blood pressure machine, an IV drip, oxygen. She looked like a robot and totally out of place. She rolled her head to the side as Rose entered the room, lifting a hand weakly to wave at her – no smile at seeing her, not even a whisper of one. As to be expected, but just once Rose would like to see her lips turn up in a smile.

"Hey, Lily," Rose said softly, taking a seat beside her, not daring to touch her. "How are you feeling.

"Like someone… ripped my guts out," she answered breathily, her eyes barely open as she looked at her sister, then to her guest. "Who—"

"This is Jake, remember? Our cousin?" Rose interrupted quickly, leaning close so only Lily could hear.

"Jake?" Then, as if realization hit her, Lily said, "Oh… Jake. That Jake."

Rose's cheeks warmed at the words "that Jake", knowing what Lily was implying, but she didn't say anything more on the matter.

They talked for only a short time before the pain medication kicked in, and Lily was lulled to sleep. That was for the best; she could use as much rest as possible, Rose knew. So Rose took her leave, following Jake out the hospital and into the parking lot.

"Going home?" he asked, hands in his pockets, and Rose couldn't help but notice he was rocking a bit back and forth, like he was fidgeting.

"Yeah, I think so. It's been a long day."

As she turned to leave, she felt him grab her wrist, stopping her from heading to her car. "Hey, wait." Once she glanced back at him, head tilted to the side quizzically, Jake went on with, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Rose didn't know if she wanted to have this discussion with him; she had a feeling she knew what it would be about, and goodness she didn't want to have to hurt this poor man. Jake was becoming one of her closest friends, and she didn't want to ruin it with… feelings.

However, the emotions had been running around in the air for quite some time, and it was about time they addressed them.

They sat on a bus stop bench, Rose keeping a respectful distance, her hands in her lap, eyes downcast. "What's up?" she inquired, trying to just get this over with.

He didn't say anything at first, and at his elongated silence Rose found herself looking at him; he was staring at her, his brown eyes searching her for something that she wondered if he was able to find. Finally, he said, "Rose, you know I care about you, don't you?"

Despite herself, her heart lurched at the words. Not because she wanted to hear them, but because he said them at all, which she knew would be the start of her problem. "I know. I care about you, too."

"So… what's stopping us from being… together?" He was leaning close now, stopping just a few inches away from her.

Frozen, she said in a hushed voice, "I… I'm—" It was like there was a frog in her throat, she couldn't bring herself to say the words she needed to, not with him hovering so close.

"Do you want to be together, Rose?" he dared to ask, reaching out and brushing a stray strand of dirty blond hair from her face.

"I—" Her eyes searched his, and all she saw was pure innocence. They were a stark contrast from the eyes she'd fallen in love with: dark, heavy, sleepless, full of secrets that she wanted to dive into. It was the thought of those eyes, of him, that seemed to carry her resolve to finally speak her mind. "I'm sorry, Jake, but I don't - I can't."

Despite her rejection, he smiled, though she could tell there was sadness behind it. "I figured. Can I ask this: is there someone else?"

Now her face flushed as her mind instantly raced to thoughts of Levi: of spending time with him, of cooking with him, of folding laundry with him, of taking care of their horses together, of being together at night… "Y… Yes."

"Let me guess: he's not from here, is he?"

She shook her head, swallowing hard. She thought she might start crying, she felt like she was breaking up with him – but it was worse. She was breaking up her friendship with someone she actually did care about, and with him moving, she knew she probably never would talk to him again.

"Welp, Rose, I really do hope that… that he makes you happy. And that he takes care of you. In every sense of the word."

"He… does." As if it was necessary to tell him, she added, "I really love him, Jake."

A small chuckle. "That's all I could hope for."


Lily was released from the hospital after a week. During that time, Rose had continued her studies and had gone about her business as usual in her normal world.

It was so strange being here; there were no imminent threats, no fear of almost dying. It was… boring. Though, it was a nice break from constantly being kidnapped and having an escort to ensure her safety.

Rose invited Lily to stay at her house while she recovered for a few more days; she was sitting up on her own and walking around a bit, but she was in no shape to time travel right now. Rose took care of her needs as much as she could, between work and school. Rose would have invited her uncle to help with nursing her sister back to health, but her uncle, she noticed, kind of… vanished.

She really hadn't seen him in a few days. She would need to investigate that soon.

"Isn't he the drug dealer?" Lily asked flatly when Rose had brought up looking for him after a couple days.

"Yes, which is why I need to search for him," Rose countered, placing a plate with a sandwich and a small salad next to Lily on the bed. "It'll be quick, I promise."

"Rose, I have a bad feeling…"

"So do I," Rose said with a sigh. "If I get into too much trouble, I'll back right out, I promise."

Rose made her way to her uncle's normal corners, parking and searching each area thoroughly for his whereabouts; nothing. At the last stop, it was a warehouse, and she knew that she shouldn't have gone in by herself, but she needed to know if her uncle was okay.

Deep down, she knew her uncle wouldn't go through such lengths to find her; he cared about her, she knew, but as she grew older her definitely distanced himself from her and she grew more independent in that regard. However, she was kinder and more loving than her uncle – proving as much right now.

She entered the warehouse and looked about; it was rather small, so it didn't take long to finally locate her uncle. He was lying on the ground, motionless, and she couldn't tell from where she stood if he was breathing. Upon getting closer to him, sliding on the concrete to reach him, he wasn't, in fact, breathing at all.

He was gone.

It took thirty minutes for the authorities to arrive, her using an old phone she never traded in since her newer one was still in the year C. 845. During that time, she called the one person she knew she could rely on right now, though she had no right to ask for his help in any way. Jake came anyway, waiting with her by the warehouse, holding her by the shoulders while she cried for her uncle.

They asked her tons of questions, but she kept answering "I don't know" to all of them, stating that she'd just arrived on the scene and found him like that. They promised a thorough investigation, and she watched as a coroner carried his body off in a black bag.

It felt like she was in a movie.

"Do you want me to come home with you?" Jake asked as the police officers and ambulances dispersed.

She shook her head, wiping at her face. "I need to… tell my sister about what happened. And figure out what the hell I'm going to do now."

"Alright," he said, sounding unsure about leaving her alone. "If you need anything – anything – you call me."

"I know," she said, then she added, giving him a quick hug, "Thank you."

After returning home, she went hurriedly to check on Lily, relaying to her what had occurred. Lily gave Rose a sorrowful look as she finally said, "I'm so sorry, Rose. Is there anything I can do."

Rose simply answered, "Get me the hell out of here," under her breath, sitting on the edge of the bed, not looking at Lily at all.

Lily then reminded her, "We can do that, you know."

"But you're still recovering," Rose said, pointing to Lily's abdomen as if she couldn't feel the recent surgery she had.

"Recovery, shmeecovery. I'm fine. Let's go home," Lily practically begged, reaching out for Rose's hand then pulling back, as remembering why they never held hands in the first place.

Rose thought for a few moments, trying to assess what was best thing to do. Finally, she nodded, scooting closer to Lily on the bed. "Alright. But you better stick close to me so I can cushion your fall."

"You got it, boss."

They reached out and held one another, the electric shock that went through each other's minds racing through them before settling down, allowing them to be in their own heads but the other's at the same time, as per usual. They waited another moment before a portal finally opened up, and it revealed a familiar room – the Captain's office.

Rose helped her off the bed, allowing Lily to cling on to her. They stepped through, and it was like one giant leap, before they made it across the other side into Levi's room.

Rose landed on her back, rather hard, with Lily right on top of her, as she had hoped.

"Stupid girls, you know better than to land on anything but your feet," Levi's voice rung out, the Captain now hovering over them both.

"We didn't really have a choice," Rose retorted, then she said, "Help Lily up."

He did, assessing the young Private for injuries before assisting her to his bed, coming back for Rose. He grabbed hold of her arm, searching her up and down just as he did for Lily – though she felt chagrin under that hard gaze – and then he released his grip on her, seeming satisfied that she was, indeed, fine.

"You have the whole town in an uproar, by the way."

"What, why?" Rose went over to her sister and sat down next to her, clearly confused by his words.

"Because of that trick you pulled, rumor got around quickly and now people are asking about the time hopper." Levi looked over at Lily. "Seeing as you're alive, Rose's plan worked. I guess to you, it was worth it."

"I'd do it again," Rose said, eyes slightly narrowed.

Levi gave a shrug with one shoulder. "In your shoes, I would have done the same thing. Now the question is, what do you want to do about these so-called rumors?"

Yes, that would be the begging question, wouldn't it?