DPOV
"Yes?" I answered my phone when it interrupted my training. It had been nine years since Rose, my Roza, had run from the Academy and I still held out hope each unknown number call was her or news of her.
"Is this Mr Dimitri Belikov?" a female voice tentatively asked.
"May I ask who's calling?"
"I'm Ms Jane Martinson, a nurse at Our Lady's hospital, Portland."
"Yes, I'm Dimitri Belikov. Why?" Who on earth could be in the human hospital while I was at the Academy where Lissa was now Headmistress.
The news she delivered shook me to my core. "A young Miss Johanna Hathaway has been admitted with significant injuries and you're down as her and Ms Rosemarie Hathaway, her mother's next of kin. Both are currently unconscious. Could you come, and quickly?"
I took a steadying breath. "I'll be a few hours, will they be okay for that long?" Fear for Roza and her daughter threatened to freeze me.
"They are stable. Though it would be good if you could get here as soon as possible."
"I will do my best." I hung up and shot into action.

"Yes Dimitri?" asked Lissa when I rushed into her office in a panic.
"I just received information on Rose's whereabouts. I need a jet to Portland, ironically enough. Now."
"Something's wrong, isn't it? You're frantic."
"I have to go alone, Lissa. I'm sorry. I have to, to keep you safe, Rose would never forgive me."
She still didn't understand I loved Rose. She still didn't realise.
"I'll have one ready in twenty." Lissa reluctantly let me go alone. Her power as Queen and Headmistress allowed nearly anything to be possible.
"Thank you." I bowed and left for my dorm.

Three and a bit hours later I was at the front desk of the hospital, fearing for Roza's life.
"Yes, sir?"
"Hi, I'm Dimitri Belikov, I was called about Rose Hathaway and her daughter?"
"Ahh. Miss Rosemarie is in room 502. Miss Johanna is room 329- paediatric wing, she needed to be rushed into surgery. She's stabilised again now."
"Who is in worse condition?" It was all I could do not to sound as frantic as I felt.
"The daughter."
"Thank you." I nodded and muttered a constant string of Russian curses as I made my way to room 29 on level three. Indeed the unconscious and injured 8 year old was Roza's and in the paediatric wing. This was all my fault. All my fault. If only I'd stopped Rose, if only I'd known she'd run away I would have stopped her. I should have been there to protect her and her daughter.

"You must be Mr Belikov, Johanna's other next of kin?" a doctor asked as he entered and noticed me in the chair by Johanna's head.
"Yes. How is she? What happened?" I sounded like a frantic father, oddly enough. And in a way, I guess I was since Rose had nominated me to be contacted if she couldn't be. I'd always sworn a child of hers would be one of mine, and now was my chance to prove that.
"She and her mother were in a crash. Her school bus spun out of control on the return from a school summer camp and wrapped around a tree. They suffered the worst of the injuries, because they were sitting in the most vulnerable spots."
Poor Roza, that's the second time now she's been in a crash and in one of the worst spots. And poor Johanna too. So young, so, so young. "And Johanna's injuries? How bad are they?" I demanded.
"There's quite extensive damage."
I nodded.
"She has three broken ribs, spiral fractured right Ulna, and four centimetre hairline fracture along her right humerus, as well as a diagonal fracture along her left radius. Glass penetrated two and a half inches into her right deltoid, an inch into her right femur, and half an inch into her right flexor carpi. Surface scratches to her head, neck and left side. Her spine may be a little bruised, but not enough to cause damage now or in the future. We've sewn up all we can and, as you can see, reset and cast as many breaks as possible." That was horrible. Even I knew that meant she truly was lucky. At least nothing had gone near her heart and her lungs were okay. And Rose doesn't believe in guardian angles and miracles.
"And Roza? How's her mother?"
"Her mother is in much better condition. A few of the same muscles penetrated by glass, but nowhere near as deep. One broken rib, a concussion, broken femur and traumatised patella. Both girls are extremely lucky, Mr Belikov. And healing remarkably fast."

That was natural for dhampirs, but that was because of what we did for a living and genetics. It wasn't too unusual for human doctors to make that kind of comment, though they found nothing unusual about it. To human doctors it was just luck and miracles. Or medication.

"When will they be allowed home?"
He turned thoughtful. "In about a week, ten days at most with the rate they're healing. Miss Johanna maybe a little earlier; despite more extensive damage she's healing faster than her mother."
"Thank you, Doctor. Her mother is my world, as is she." I realised how true my words were. Especially about Johanna.
He nodded and smiled hopefully. "I will return before I leave at 11 tonight."
"Thanks," I repeated.
Again he nodded before leaving.

I so badly wanted to see Rose, but I somehow just knew she'd want someone by Johanna's side. Pulling out my phone, I called Lissa.
"Dimitri, have you found her?" she answered.
I sighed sadly. "Yes, I have. I'm currently in Our Lady's hospital."
She gasped. "Is she okay? Should I come heal her?"
"Lissa, please, stay put. She's in a human hospital and recovering quickly. Out in ten days at most if all goes well."
She sighed regretfully. "I'll have accommodation-"
"I'll be at the hospital the whole time, Lissa."
"Oh..."
"Lissa, I can't leave her side, or little Johanna's." I didn't realise what I'd said until it was too late.
"Who's Johanna?"
"Her daughter, Lissa."
"Rose has a child!" she screeched in disbelief.
"Yes, Lissa, Rose has a daughter. Who's currently barely stable. I'm not leaving their sides until they can come home."
"Are you going to bring them back with you?"
"I don't know, Lissa. I'll talk to Rose, but I don't know if I'll have any success. If... if she won't, I don't know if I can come back myself. I won't let her slip through my fingers again, Lissa."

After this and all these years, if Rose would let me join her, I too would abandon duty. There was no way I could let her go. It killed me to learn she'd gone missing, I would not let the love of my life walk away again, not without me by her side. This time I would chose love, just as I had always known I would. Right from the cabin I'd accepted she came first, that there was no way I could put a Moroi life before hers. And even from the charm I'd known she'd always be important in my life. I had to protect her and Johanna, I just had to.

"Y-you'd walk away too? But why, Dimitri? You're one of our best guardians!" Lissa sounded on the edge of tears, and I didn't blame her.
"I love her, Lissa. I love her so much it hurts. I have to be there for her and Johanna. I just have to." I hardly ever revealed my heart, but Lissa had to know what her childhood friend meant to me.
"Wh- what?"
"I love her, Lissa. I won't let her slip through my grip again."
"You love her?" She sounded surprised and wounded. "You've loved her since you brought us back? What Victor Dashkov insinuated was true?"
"Basically. As for Daskov, not true." Well... not totally true.
"I see." With that, she hung up.