Thorns

chapter forty-eight.

rose.

I feel hazy, my eyelids dragged down like weights and there was an excruciating stinging pain at my left hip. Why couldn't I stay away from pain? Broken ribs and now what? A stab to the hip. Well done Rosemarie. When my eyes finally decide to open, they feel crusty and my hands move to rub the sleep out of my eyes, and that's when I realise the IV stabbed into my vein, a saline drip dangling beside my bed. Hospital, the little fùcker. I hated this place. My head spins as I scanned the room, an itch felt on my leg as I wiggled out of the covers. My fingers trail to the soreness on my side, tracing over a bandage. I hear voices, my eyelids immediately shutting as I pretend to be asleep.

"Remember you can't lay down next to her because mummy's in a lot of pain." Zayn.

"Remember boys an hour and you all need to get packing." Paul?

"Daddy it smelly." Lucy.

"Longest time I've seen her sleep." Zayn muttered, the presence of the boys are felt in the room.

"So how exactly did it happen?" I hear Niall spoke, shuffling heard in the room.

"I don't know, I was unconscious. Only Lucy and Carl saw what happened."

"So he stabbed her?"

"That's what the doctor said, she's going to be okay though. I don't know how she managed to remain conscious for so long."

I decide that it was the right time to pretend to wake up, pretending to stretch in my sleep but then realising the pain it caused to my hip and causing me to yelp and fold into a foetal position.

"Ro! You okay?" Zayn is quick to lean over, checking that everything was okay. I notice the swelling and bruising of his face had healed only slightly, indicating I wasn't unconscious for long.

"I'm fine." I reply, my voice crackling like the sound of a lollipop wrapper being scrunched.

"For once in your life can you tell the truth?"

"I feel like shït." Niall cackles out into laughter at my statement, Louis also letting out a small chuckle.

"Have they not given you any pain medication?"

"How the fück am I meant to know?" I retort, annoyed that he didn't know. How long had he left me here alone?

"Mummy." Lucy is soon by my side, a frown adorning her adorable face.

"I'm sorry Luce, mummy's in a lot of pain right now."

"Boys we need to leave soon." Paul spoke, my eyes snapping towards him.

"Leave?"

"The boys have a job which requires them to travel." He responded with a stern glare.

He hates you, you're just troubling them.

"Yeah, we have the flat for you back in London, you'll love it." Zayn smiled, me not reciprocating.

"London? Isn't that where Carl lives? He'll find me. He'll kill me this time." I didn't realise I was speaking out loud until Lucy bursts into tears, running into Zayn's arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm in pain. I have no filter." I apologise, but that doesn't stop the glares.

"You should all just leave, I feel uncomfortable." I speak, watching them discuss to one another using eye-contact before leaving the room. Louis is last to leave, turning around to glance at me.

"He still loves you, you know."

"Who? Carl?" I ask, my heart threatening to just shatter.

"No, Zayn."