A fractured fairytale

57

Rose woke a few times in the night, either from the pain in her ribs or the ache in her head. I retrieved a glass of water and some pain killers that would alleviate both before she passed out once again. Her skin was still cold to touch so I made sure to keep her close to me, buried beneath the duvet and blankets I'd tossed over her.

When she finally came to, the next morning, she stretched and then let out a soft cry at the pain it caused her ribs. I reached over on instinct, wanting to soothe her, and trailed a finger over her hairline. Even with her eyes still squeezed shut, she smiled. "Hi."

I dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Hi," I whispered. She finally peeled her eyes open and blinked up at me. I could read the confusion clouding her gaze and her brows scrunched in the most adorable way. "How you feeling?" I asked her, nodding down to her stomach.

It took her a moment and then everything seemed to come crashing back. She flinched, her eyes wide and lips parted, as though the memories alone caused her pain. I clenched my fists at my sides. "I'm okay," she said with a nod. As if to prove it, she started to shuffle up into a seated position, her eyes squeezing shut a couple of times and a few pained hisses leaving her pursed lips.

I took her hand in mine and squeezed, hoping it would offer a little comfort, although I felt helpless. With my other hand, I grabbed the fresh glass of water off the bedside table and handed it to her. "Here, you can take some more pain killers now."

She frowned. "More?"

My lips quirked. "You don't remember waking up and taking some earlier?"

She shook her head, her gaze dropping to her lap. "No, I don't."

I decided not to comment any further, although I imagined her memory loss had something to do with how much she'd drank last night. She sipped the water and threw a couple of pills onto her tongue before swallowing them with another mouthful of water. "Thanks."

I nodded. "Do you want to shower?" She still had blood smeared across her face and I wanted nothing more than to get rid of it because every time I caught sight of it, my blood boiled. "And I can go and grab you some food from the kitchen?"

Her gaze flickered to the opened drapes on the far side of the room that allowed the sunlight to flood into the room. I'd not long opened them but thought it might make her feel better to have some sunlight illuminating the room when she finally woke. "Do we have time?" I narrowed my eyes and she looked back to me with raised brows. "What time is it?"

I glanced at my alarm clock. "Nearly midday."

She shot forwards and then wailed at the pain. "Careful," I said, placing my hands on her shoulders to keep her still.

"Midday?" she exclaimed. "We're really, really late for school!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Of course, that's what she was worried about. She started to wriggle again and I added a little pressure to hold her still. "Rose."

"We've already missed our tutoring session this morning and most of our classes, we need to go."

"Rose, you're not going to school today," I told her.

She blinked, eyes widening. "Of course, I am. It's Wednesday."

"Rose."

"I've never missed a day of school."

"Well, now you have. You were wondering around town at two in the morning with glass in your feet and a cracked rib. You've earned a day off."

Her head dropped, gaze falling to the covers that were still tossed over her, leaving me looking at the top of her head. "I guess," she muttered.