Palas

37. "A deal is a deal, baby!"

Rosie stumbles in late at night, her puking waking me up. As the lovely person I am, I hold back her hair and pat her back. Although she mutters about panda bears and flying koalas, I'm sure she's okay when she doesn't fail to insult me.

"You look awful," she mumbles in between gasps of air. "Really... awful."

"Have you looked in the mirror?" I wonder. During day time I would have agreed with her that she looks better than me, but in this case I am certain that I am the better-looking-one.

"I don't need to, you'll still look terrible. Did Harry finally come between your legs or what's up with that face?"

"What? No!" I exclaim dropping my hands from her body. "Stop mentioning Harry to me that way. He's just a friend."

"Well, did your boyfriend finally make it here then?"

"No, Rosie. Now either close your mouth or puke, but stop talking to me."

I walk out of the room only to be called back seconds later. I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway knowing she's on the ground. The cocktail of drugs and alcohol making her so sick that her diner is now in the toilet for me to see. Luckily I am immune for excreta thanks to my dad.

So I sit down and stroke her back, clean her mouth, make her gargle, put her under the shower and am surprised she's letting me do it all. She even lets me dry her body, showing me her bruises. Inside and out.

If anything I feel more in my element than I have since coming here. Rosie is like my father except for the rude part. But she is the lost soul Niall talked about and like with my father, I want to take care of them. So when she lays down in her bed, almost in a deep coma and whispers why I am doing this all for her, I answer: "Because that is what I do."

She is vast asleep within seconds while I lay down again, very much awake. By the time Harry knocks on my door I almost doze off again. It is the worst feeling to almost fall asleep again when you have to get up.

My head pounds when I sit up straight and my foot hurts. The bandages on my hands are gone from all the tossing and turning I did this night. I can't seem to sleep right here, not like I do when I know my father is around. You would think that with Rosie in the room it would be different, but there is something else I am missing.

Speaking off him, I really have to call him today. And James to whom I feel guilty for even thinking the way I did yesterday. I'm not ready to face those thoughts again so I push them to the back of my mind as I struggle to walk to the door.

"Hey," I manage to say with a raspy voice.

"Good morning, you are actually dressed this time," he says and I look down to my clothes.

I slept in my working clothes and I am going to just wear them again. I place my finger on my lip and point to the corner of the room which he can't see. He knows what I mean though and stays in the hall as I spray on a lot of deodorant and brush my teeth and hair. Rosie sleeps through it all.

"Done," I say grabbing my bag and my keys and I close the door. "She came in so late that I barely slept." I decide right then and there not to tell Harry about my 'real' night. Still protecting Rosie, I think.

"I slept like a baby," he speaks and we start to walk to the tower.

"I hope to sleep like a baby tonight. I mean after everything what happened yesterday, you would expect a good night's sleep, but Rosie seems to ruin that." And my head.

"You can save everyone today. That will put you to sleep."

"Oh poor baby, did you had to work too hard yesterday?"