The Tangled Rose (Book One in the Tangled Series) (Editing)

Chapter 14

***One Week Later***

Oliver and Eric have been checking up on me over the past week. It's nice to have something to make me smile during the day so that the fall at night isn't so bad. I had the same nightmare twice last week; when I watched Kyle get killed all over again and each time I couldn't do anything.

The funeral is today, and I think my body is doing well with the healing, but I still need to go in a wheelchair which sucks. Mike called a couple days ago and was asking if it was okay if he comes to see me and I told him that he shouldn't because I will be down soon enough. I know he is worried, but it would just be a waste of money if he came to see me since I'll be down there soon. Today they are releasing me out of the hospital and Eric is gonna be taking me out of the hospital.

Eric pops into the room while I am laying in bed.

"Hey, Rose. I bought you a dress for the funeral." He says handing me a shopping bag from target.

"Thanks... I appreciate it." I take it trailing off while my gaze redirects back to the tile floor.

"Umm I'll leave you too it then," he says with a faint smile and walks out the door. I don't' know what to say to him. I feel like I'm hurting him... I'm not trying to.

"Hey Rosalie, how are you doing today? Are you excited to finally leave?" the nurse says coming into my room.

"Yeah. I am actually." I say with a fake smile as she walks up to me.

"Alright let's get you ready to go," she says with a smile as she helps me into my black dress... the color of darkness, loneliness, the color of me.

After the small struggle of getting dressed, I now have a cast that covers my left foot all the way up to my knee and a cast that covers my forearm and just a little above my elbow.

I sit in the wheelchair and the nurse wheels me out to the hallway before handing Eric my belongings.

"I'm ready," I say without giving him eye contact.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We pull into the parking lot of Wavecrest Gardens in Far Rockaway, NY. There is a man waiting at the front door that looks to be like Oliver.

"Is that Oliver," I ask glancing over at Eric.

"Yeah, he and I share an apartment together for now." He says turning off the car and starts to get out of his Ford F150 before he turns toward me for a moment. "I'm going to grab the suitcases just stay here. Umm is there anything I can get you?" he asks not sure quite what I would need. I just shake my head and he gives me a weak smile before closing the door and heading inside with Oliver.

I don't really know how to act around him. Hopefully, I can try to stay away from him when we get back home. My eyes start to water at the thought of the whole reason for going home. Kyle. What if I break again... Who am I kidding I am broken and that's not going to change.

My train of thought is cut off by the sound of a clash in the back of the car. Turning my head, I see Eric and Oliver tossing their bags into the bed of the truck. Oliver hops into the backseat sitting in the middle and Eric slides into the driver's seat starting the car.

"All right let's do this." He says pulling out and onto the road to the airport.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We finally arrive in St. Louis, Missouri my hometown. As the plane lands coming to a stop and I wince in slight pain. It reminds me once again for just a brief moment what I went through, but I push it down. The flight attendant talks on the speaker and people grab their things from above as they start to exit into the airport. I am seated in between Oliver and Eric; with Eric being next to the aisle he stands up glancing down at me for a brief moment and there is slight pain that I see within his eyes before it disappears, and he pulls down both suitcases. He looks down at Oliver and nods towards the suitcases before lifting me into his arms making me gasp in shock.