When dawn broke the next day, Serena had already fallen asleep in an extra chair brought into the room. Jeremiah was still downstairs, having been the one to talk with the police over-night about the attack. The officers left about an hour ago now but would send someone once they found Jones.
Vincent wanted nothing more than to pace around the room, but the simple thought of disturbing the fragile woman in bed was incentive enough to stop him. Instead, he remained seated beside her, fixing the covers every once in a while - not because they needed it, but because he wanted them to be as perfect as she had been.
Juliet's left eye was swollen shut, and her entire face was a mirage of reds, purples, and blues. There was a large number of bandages going around her head to cover the large gash from the brick wall. The doctor said she also had a fractured rib, but there was little to be done. It would have to heal on its own.
It wasn't good enough. Vincent wanted Harris in prison. He wanted Juliet to be in perfect health. He wanted Serena and Jeremiah to be in bed with no worries. He wanted Rosaline to go back to whatever hell she crawled out of.
He wanted everything to be justified.
As he thought of all the things he wanted to get done, and all the things he should have done differently, Juliet opened her one good eye. She stared at the ceiling, feeling all the pain wash over her like an ocean of sorrows.
She was alive, but she couldn't remember much after Harris showed up. Did he have her? Had he done anything to her? Was he going to force her to marry him as soon as he knew she was awake?
Her breathing became ragged and her heartbeat erratic as she thought of all the terrible things about to happen to her. Just as she inhaled deeply to calm herself, an aching pain bloomed, causing her to cough harder than she ever had before.
"God Juliet! You're not supposed to be awake for another few hours!" Her hand was grasped by Vincent, who leaned over her in the most protective manner she had ever seen. "Serena, you should see if the doctor is available, he may want to come to see her while she's conscious."
Serena was wide awake already, having been startled by Juliet's cough attack. Upon hearing Vincent's request, she woke up further, knowing her lack of sleep was for the betterment of a friend - one who was lucky to be alive.
Once she was out the door, Vincent turned all of his attention back to Juliet, who seemed more than confused by everything. He watched her one eye water as she tried to make sense of everything.
"But-but Harris was - he was going to-"
"It's okay Juliet, he can't get to you here. The police are searching for him, a couple of them even stayed behind to keep an eye on the building. You're safe," for the second time in the past couple of days, Juliet began to sob, which only made her cough harder than before. It was a pitiful mess of pain and suffering.
Vincent wanted to hold her, but she was forbidden from sitting up for the next day or so. Instead, he stretched himself out to lay beside her and wrapped his arms around her slender frame. There was no other comfort he could give besides himself.
Her tears soon stilled into small sniffles, leaving her cheeks wet. Vincent was too afraid to brush away her tears. He didn't want to hurt her still tender cheeks. It was hard enough for him to hold her. The last thing he wanted was to brush against her ribs wrong.
"How... how bad is it?" He could feel her gulping as she asked. She was afraid to know the answer. No doubt she noticed her eyesight was half of what it normally is. By now she must have known how badly damaged she is.
"You-you have a cracked rib, and a large gash on the back of your head, and-" Vincent couldn't even bring himself to say the rest. How could he say that she won't return to her natural beauty for weeks? Months even? The possibility of never? "He did his harm. He did a lot of harm to you."
Her head fell back against the pillows as she forced herself not to cry.
"There's no place in the world for a broken mess like me..." Juliet's voice cracked before she could continue, but Vincent didn't dare interrupt her thoughts. "I won't be able to leave until I'm healed - or at least until I'm presentable."
Suddenly Vincent was glad they took the mirrors out of the room. He didn't want her to see how much damage was done to her face. He wanted her to stay as blissfully unaware as possible. "You'll feel better in a day or so, and your eye will be better in a week, maybe more. You'll be fine. I swear it."
~One Week Later~
After all the time spent on bed rest, Juliet was able to convince the doctor to at least let her go for a walk. Vincent was to accompany her, as he always has the past week. For seven whole days, he was by her side, helping her eat and drink, and keeping her as comfortable as possible.
After the doctor left, Juliet sat up, and with maximum effort, she stood for the first time in ages. Her legs wobbled from beneath her, but they did not buckle. It was a moment of pride. She felt strong again.
Vincent watched as she took small baby steps, gathering her robe and moving to get it around her body. "Here, let me help."
Her ribs took away most of her mobility, so she didn't even bother stopping Vincent from helping her. It was normal. It was her life now. He easily slid the robe over her shoulders, letting her tie the sash around her slim waist. He detested the yellow color. It didn't seem to fit her anymore. She wasn't the same person she was a week ago.
"How about we get you some new clothes, hm? Something more fitting of such a well-traveled person." She simply gave him a smile instead of a witty remark, whether she appreciated it or was simply too tired to respond, he didn't know.
Her first steps around the room were as smooth as could be expected, but coming to the steps was a problem neither of them thought of. "Well, it was worth a try. Perhaps I should just walk around up here?"
Vincent knew how much she missed the gardens down South. He knew she wanted to stroll through the courtyard. After all the pain she's been through, a little fresh air was necessary. "No, I'll carry you down. Don't bother arguing either."
Carefully, Vincent lowered himself enough to latch onto her legs and waist, making sure not to jostle her around too much. Once she was up in the air and comfortable, he began the descent down the stairs. Though his mind traveled back to the last time he held her like this, he swallowed it all down and focused on the present.
"Ah, look who it is! Our little warrior up and roaming... sort of!" Jeremiah was quick to greet her with as much cheer as possible, followed by Serena who gave the biggest smile she could manage.
"How are you feeling? Better I hope?"
"Much," It was such a simple response for someone like Juliet. "I feel as though I could walk around the world!"
Small laughs followed her, but there was still a tension not even she could cut. "If you are well enough to walk, then why don't you go with Serena? I have some business to discuss with Vincent."
Juliet nodded, turning her head to cue her approval. Vincent complied quietly, turning more and more serious by the second. Serena held out her arm, letting Juliet latch on and have support throughout their wandering. Once they were out the door and exploring the courtyard, the men began talking.
"Rosaline came by earlier. She wanted to talk-"
"Did you tell her to keep the ring?" Jeremiah rolled his eyes, trying to get past the stupid squabbling his friend was stuck on. The way he saw it, they had far more pressing matters than a stupid ring.
"Yes, yes, but that isn't important right now. She made us a deal. So long as we drop the charges, Harris will be put in an asylum. If we continue on to the court, then she'll use evidence against you specifically. You know how she is, she can come up with an elaborate story of how Juliet was having an affair with you, and how the act was started by her own provoking. The courts will side with him if they believe her - I think we need to take this deal."
Vincent wanted justice. He wanted to see Harris Jones behind bars, but if those bars weren't a jail but an asylum, then it might be good enough. He wasn't happy about it, but he would rather see Harris off the streets and away from any other woman.
"Fine, but I want him to stay in there. This isn't a temporary lodging for him. Otherwise-"
The courtyard door was suddenly slammed open, an upset Juliet charging in and looking around like a madman. Serena was following behind, obviously disturbed by something.
"What's wrong-"
"I need a mirror." The demand was simple, an easy request to grant under any other circumstance. However, no one wanted to be the one to fulfill it. "Where are all the mirrors? Why are all the mirrors gone?"
Vincent managed to get a peek outside, spotting young children staring and pointing at them. it suddenly clicked in his mind that they told her, or made some comment to help her connect the dots.
"Get me a mirror or so help me-"
Vincent silently made his way over to the downstairs closet, where they agreed to stash all the mirrors until Juliet could handle the news. Her eye was no longer swollen at this point, but the rest of her face wasn't in a much better state.
He moved the sheets off of the glass and began finding the easiest one to lift. Once he found the one from their room, he lifted it up, turning to Juliet could see herself for the first time in seven days.
She stared at herself long and hard, taking in the discoloration and swelling. For a minute, she couldn't even recognize her own face. When she saw all she could handle, she simply turned away and began to head back up the stairs.
Her door remained locked until the next morning.