Protection

Chapter 11.

The following morning I woke up in a bed that was familiar but not my own. I quickly worked out I was in a hospital. The first person I saw was my mum, nervously gnawing on her nails.

"Oh my God- Rosa I- How are you sweetie?" She choked out through floods of tears. She pulled me into a big embrace with a familiar smell- lavender, soap and honey. The smell that had lulled me to sleep as a small child, and was now comforting me as nearly an adult.

"Mum I'm fine I just banged my-"

Then the realisation all came flooding back to me. Like the first time, my memories had been temporarily erased, causing me to feel as if I had no problems. All of a sudden, this safety net of protection was cruelly ripped away from me and the memories came gushing through the open wounds of my awareness.

"Oh my God- where is he I- what have they done with him- Mum please-" My throat was quickly closing up at the thought of my attacker still being out on the streets. I felt physically nauseated at the notion that he was still on the loose. Questions raced through my mind like angry wasps at a picnic. What if he's still waiting for me? What if next time I don't escape?

"I'm sorry sweetie, but he ran off. Rob phoned the police and while his back was turned he escaped. The police have a good idea of where to find him though so don't worry." She squeezed my shoulder affectionately, then looked back towards the door. I momentarily forgot what I was doing.

Rob stood in the doorway, the left side of his face bruised and scratched from the fight. He was still beautiful though. The most perfect boy in the world.

"I'll leave you two to it." My mum said quickly, stroking my cheek before she left, shutting the door behind her. As soon as we heard the little click, Rob took two long strides across the room straight into my arms.

He searched my face and body for any serious injury with his eyes. His vision clouded when he saw the bruising down the side of my body and the massive lump on the back of my head.

"I should have been there sooner." He said dismayed, his face turned away from me in obvious disgust at his own actions. His shoulders slumped defeatedly and a vein in his neck pulsed eratically.

"No Rob, there was nothing you, or anybody else could have done to protect me any further. You were there, and you saved my life. Again. Don't you realise that just your presence makes me feel better?" I whispered to him, my hand teasing the hair at the back of his neck, coaxing him to turn back around. He sighed, and the tension from his neck and back left, leaving only the quiet defeated shell of his body.

He turned around to face me. "You're still the most beautiful girl in the world, even with all of that bruising on your body." He half smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I love you." I croaked out, sounding particularly unattractive.

"Haines," He started, "I loved you from the moment I saw you, stood there looking so lost and confused in HMV"

Tears started blurring my vision. Even when I was at my worst, Rob was there with his kind words and love.

"Don't cry darling, they'll find him."

He leaned over and I shut my eyes. As he kissed my throat, I felt his eyelashes fluttering against my lips. I realised that I loved this man, all of him, not just his good looks. But his caring and his protective instinct, and his arrogance and his self-criticism. Everything that made him what he still is.

So as I lay there in silence, I let him talk. And I just lay there stroking his hair, pondering on how even in the direst of situations, love really does conquer all.