Rosaline

XXIII.

The first thing that I registered was the pain running through my body. Slowly, my other senses began to work. The smell of chemicals and the soft bedding underneath me told me I was at a hospital. I heard murmurs in the room as something warm wrapped around my right hand.

I opened my eyes, then closed them immediately. The room was way too bright.

"She's waking up. Close the shades," A deep voice said. Someone moved closer, their breath warm against my ear and squeezing my hand firmly.

"It's okay, Flower, you're safe. Open your eyes."

Damon?

Tentatively, I slowly opened my eyes to meet his green ones. He smiled and let out a sigh of relief before kissing my forehead. "I knew you were going to be trouble," Damon sighed and I forced out a small smile. My mouth was dry as a desert and I was positive my breath smelled awful. With my free hand, I pushed his chest gently and he moved back to help me up.

I groaned at how sore my body was and saw that my bruises and scrapes had been tended to. Images of the explosion flashed through my mind and the feeling of dread returned. My heart began to race at the warning bells ringing in my head. I had no idea what to do now. I knew it wouldn't be long until the Men in Black found me. I needed to–

A squeeze to my hand brought me back and my eyes darted to Damon's. He was watching me intently. He leaned in closer, his face only a few inches away from mine.

"You. Are. Safe. I won't let anything happen to you while I'm around. I'm sorry that I wasn't with you." Damon murmured as he wiped a stray hair on my face. My heart skipped a beat, the heavy feeling began to dissipate. I pulled away, the close proximity muddling my brain when I needed answers.

"How long have I been out?" I asked quietly.

"About a day. Understandable, since the events that happened were pretty traumatic. You must be emotionally exhausted," a soft voice said. I turned my head to see Maria offering me a glass of water. "Drink slowly."

I gratefully accepted the glass and took small sips of the cool liquid. Damon adjusted my pillows and I thanked him politely. I noticed someone changed my clothes, a shirt and sweats that I didn't own, swamping my body. My head started to throb and I rubbed my temples with a frown. Seeing this, Maria rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out a bottle. She took out two pills and handed them to me.

"This should help with your headache. Does anything else hurt?" Maria asked seriously as she checked my blood pressure. I was surprised at how expertly Maria had gone into nurse-mode, checking my vitals. It was just another thing that made it ironic that I was hired as her caretaker.

"Besides feeling like I was run over by a truck, I am okay," I murmured. I let out a gasp and sat up even more. "What about Julian and Josh? Are they okay?" I asked frantically, moving to get off the bed.