Red Shadow

30

Burning. Burning pain. That's what it felt like to wake up with a breathing tub down her throat. She started gagging from the feeling and the guys immediately woke up.

"Hey!" Damon yelled going to the door "Something's wrong!" He called out and a couple nurses came flooding in.

"Nothing's wrong. She's fighting the tube. It's good," the nurse said while walking over. She took it off the machine and pulled it out of Rosemary's throat. She coughed a few times before taking a large breath. "Are you with us Leigh? Can you open your eyes?"

Rosemary heard the nurse and tried to open her very heavy eyes. She was met with bright lights causing her to squint and blink a few times. She saw the smiling nurse over her and she furrowed her eyebrows. She looked down at herself and saw all the tubes and wires hooked up to her. She immediately went to rip them out but the nurse held her shoulders down.

"Hey don't do that. You need those to get better," the nurse said and she scowled.

"I'm fine," she said in a broken voice. The tube had irritated her throat when she fought it.

"Ace, listen to her," Damon spoke and Rosemary snapped her head towards him. The nurse stepped away and Damon leaned over her. "Four days without you throwing insults at me. I was starting to go insane," he said giving her a small smile. She noticed the unkept facial hair and how messy the hair on his head was. His dress shirt was all wrinkled and the top buttons were undone. He was so thankful to see those eyes again looking back at him. She looked away and to her other side.

"Hey," Vince said looking at her. She furrowed her eyebrows and intensified her glare.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I care and I needed to know you were okay," he answered. Rosemary had forgiven him but she wasn't ready for this type of interaction. She definitely didn't need the stress right now.

"I'm fine. You can go now. Thank you," she said to him and he just nodded standing up. He was hurt but he wasn't expecting anything more than that.

"Just call if you need anything princess," he said and Damon scoffed.

"You'd be the second one she'd call," Damon said and Vince just scowled walking out.

"Bonanno set me up. He's a traitor," she said as soon as Vince left the room.

"No, no he isn't. The Colombo's forced him to do it at gun point. He tried to warn you by saying it was dangerous. He thought you might turn it down. He was here the first day. He called me the second the Colombo's left and I immediately went after you," he told her while holding onto her hand. She just nodded and remembered everything that happened.

"They tortured me," she said quietly and tear slipped her cheek. Damon sat on the bed facing her and wiped it away. "They cut and hit, they waterboarded me, they carved into me," she said and another tear fell.

"You don't have to talk about now," Damon told her and she nodded. He could remember hearing her screams. How agonizing they sounded.

"It hurt so bad," she said and Damon's eyebrows knit together. He repositioned and laid down next to Rosemary.

"I got you Ace," he said and wrapped an arm around her. "You're okay," he comforted and she leaned into his side hug. Tears fell down her cheeks as she cried.

"Why did you stay?" She asked between hiccups. He frowned and looked down at her.

"I had to. You mean too much," he told her and brushed his hand through her hair.

"No, no. I can't go through this again. I can't-you can't leave. They always leave and I-I-"

"Hey, listen to me Ace. I'm not going to leave you. I will never let you suffer by yourself again. I can promise you that," he said to her and she didn't really know what to say. She believed him but she had also believed Vince. Something about the way he said it was different. Like he really was planning to keep that promise.