Dark Angel (A 001 prequel story)

16 - Recovering

Floating in the darkness was so nice.
Some lights flashed, then pain slithered into that place.
She hated pain, but wasn't strong enough to free herself from its sticky tendrils.

"Rose? Rose!" an angelic voice called her.
She wanted the light, the peace, not to drown again into the pain. Because she had been drowning. The agony had been unbearable. And she didn't want to go back there.
"Rose, I'm here. Wake up, please".
But how could she say no to an angel?
Was an angel worthy the sorrow of hell?
Rose lingered. She came back aware of her body, of her aching head.

"Hey there. Welcome back" the voice said softly when all she saw was a blur of lights and colors.
She blinked, but even her eyes were sleepy and slow.
It took her a while to see the silhouette of that angel and then recognize his face.
Peter.
She had so much to tell him, but a wave of burning pain shook her. She couldn't speak. She could barely breath.
"Don't move. Relax" he said alarmed "You're not strong enough. Not yet. You can rest. I'm staying right here".
Her eyes closed again and she welcomed the numbness, the floating freely in the darkness.

She feared waking up again, but she needed to make contact. Luckily the pain was more manageable, but her brain felt drowsy under the effect of too many medicines and painkillers.
Her hands felt so distant. Moving her fingers was like using telekinesis on a far ship. But then she felt more confident fingers wrapping around hers. And that touch flooded her with new energy.
Her eyes adjusted to the lights and shadows and she was able to see Peter again.

"Hey Rose. Are you feeling a little better?".
"I'm sorry" she said, feeling her throat burning like she had been choking on a mouthful of sand. She couldn't recognize her own voice.
Peter's face broke into sorrow "You should have let me help you. But hey, you're here. We are both here. You'll be alright soon".
His lips pressed on her hand as he squeezed it into his hands.
"What happened?".
"Eight is gone" his face saddened, revealing the agony behind his eyes "You were already under exhaustion. The illusion almost killed you. Your heart stopped beating for a while".
Damn, she was dead.
"I'm here now" she said to comfort him.
He nodded, his beautiful eyes teary "Yes, you're here and I'm not letting you go".
But her mind was already drifting away, back into the darkness.
"Good" she murmured before falling back to sleep.

She hoped never to face that pain again.
Waiting for her throat and her body to recover was a terrible torture.
Peter was patient and spent most of the time next to her. But she hated how her pitiful conditions made him sad.
Brenner looked also anguished when he visited her, forcing a smile when he saw her awake.
"Finally you're back with us" he said looking at her hand squeezed under Peter's hand.
The young man didn't look at the doctor and didn't give any sign to be willing to leave.
Brenner seemed not minding his presence and pulled a chair to sit next to her bed.
"I have promised you that you wouldn't face this again. I'm sorry I couldn't prevent this from repeating" he bowed his head in penitence.
"Other people were attacked. How are they?".
"They are alright now. You were the main target of the illusion, so the effects on you were worse".
Rose felt relieved that she was the only one who risked not to wake up again. Then another awful image came back to her mind.
"And Jason?".
His face cracked, like he was about to cry. He lowered his head and pressed some fingers against his temples to collect himself.
"He's gone. The bullet caught an artery. There was nothing we could do".
Rose gasped for breath as the sorrow choked her.
They both faced shipwreck. Only she survived it.
Jason and his kindness. He always had a smile for her, even when she couldn't offer him more than her friendship. He was ready to help her anytime. He could have fought to let her take a step out of the building and take that breath in the open air that she was craving for.
She couldn't believe that few hours earlier he was there, positive and gentle as usual. And now he was gone.
And what for? Whose fault was that?