❦Rose x James❦

"You look like shit," Jared said to his brother when two days later finally convinced James to leave Rose under the care of the nurses and doctors, so he could have a rest.

"That's the last of my concerns, if you don't know, Jared. I didn't sleep in almost 48 hours so I'm sorry if I don't look like a fucking prince."

"You're not going to last much longer if you don't sleep, James, you're going to be useless for her if you continue this way. And for the love of God, take a shower."

James had to admit that Jared was right. He accepted to go to his brother's house and finally let the hot water do its job. Eating a proper meal and finally sleeping in bed, also helped him. He slept for almost 10 hours straight and none bother him.

After the fight he hadn't talk to Samuel despite they crossed paths at the hospital. The only ones who talked to him were Louis and Annie but considering the situation sooner than later everybody needed to put the pants on and talk like the adults they were, preferably before Rose woke up because the last thing they wanted was to add a problem to the ones she already had.

The last thing they wanted was her scolding them all.

"Samuel gave you a good fucking blow, didn't he?" Jared said that late afternoon when finally James woke up. The bruise on his jaw was still visible and when he touched still hurt. Both brothers were eating the dinner that Jared's maid had prepared and it seemed James' appetite had returned.

"I did the same."

"Yes, I know. Do you want me to congratulate you for behaving like a fifteen years old boy, James?"

"What do you want me to do, eh, Jared? Stay there hearing him, blaming for what happened? The fucking Samuel and the bullshit he said about me not caring about my wife. Fuck him."

"No James, I didn't expect you to be impassive but… he's your family."

"Well, tell him that."

"I told him."

"What? When?"

"You're not the only one frequenting a Coldwell, James."

"Oh, for God's sake. Tell me it's not what I think."

"I'm not, then."

"Rose is in comma, my in-laws except for Louis think I'm the worst husband in the whole world, I'm seriously considering quitting my job and now you're telling me you're fucking Samuel?"

"If it helps you, then I'm not fucking him yet. We're just talking ok? Just that. I'm not going to do anything that could put him in some risk. Not when has two little boys. Don't worry."

"Rose won't be happy."

"Tell your wife her brother is a big boy. But it's not Samuel the one I want to talk about. It's another thing. Listen, I know he said things he shouldn't and things aren't true at all; but there's one thing that's true and you can't protect Rose by yourself. You just can't. Rose needs several eyes around her from now on and I'm going to tell you something that is going to upset you more than anything but this is the solution I thought about: Contact Aron."

James furrowed and abruptly stood up from his chair: "No. Absolutely not. Did you lose your mind?" Jared shook his head. "No? Well, right now you're not being very coherent. You're telling me that I should call him… the mafia? Killers!"

"Since when you're so decent, good citizen? You're accomplice of a crime even if we don't talk about it," the oldest Walsh said and James scoffed.

"Don't come at me with that. It's not the same! It is not the same!"

"James! Open your eyes! Your love for her isn't enough to protect her! Today is a bullet in her shoulder, tomorrow is going to be her head if you don't leave your stupid resentment outside of this! Who do you think is guarding the backs of her rivals? God? They've mobsters taking care of them and you two need to do the same. The Irish aren't involved because they won't kiss English asses, but they'll do it because you're a son of Ireland... And you're his family."

"Fuck that."

"You don't want to bury her, James, and me neither, she's like my sister and if it depends on me then I could do that. But you're her husband and it's your duty to protect her even if you don't do it the way you want to." James, despite all the hours he could rest, felt tired and plopped down on the chair again. "At least talk to her about this when she's awake again, alright? Maybe this is something you two need to talk alone," Jared finished.

Rose woke up a day later and if doctors and nurses didn't move out of their way, then James was going to run over them, he didn't care, his eyes were on her. There was his wife, still covered with some bandages, bruised but awake and opened her arms when she saw him. Finally the couple could hug eachother again.

"Rosie. My Róisín," he said, kissing her briefly. "You're back, sweetheart."

"I am, ketzele! You're not going to get rid of me that easy."

"I don't want that, love. You know I can't live —"

"Jamie, what happened?! Your face… you're hurt," she said brushing his cheek with her fingertips.

"Rose, you're the one in a hospital bed, you should be worried about yourself, not me. You were shot."

"You're not answering me. What happened to you?"

Your brother was an asshole.

"Nothing. And I promise I'm fine, Rosie. It was an accident. It's not me, you should be worried about. How are you?"

"Tired, hurt, I'm still confused. Doctors asked me but I don't recall the events. Annie and Sam know, I guess."

"Yeah, they know. Your family talked to police but there's no news."

"That's not new," she said "they never do their job."

James chuckled and felt relief in his soul: that was his woman. He sat on the edge of the bed and carefully took her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. "You really scared me, love," he whispered, caressing her too. Rose hid her face on his chest.

"There's nothing on the other side," she confessed. "No lights, no bright clouds… nothing. I don't want that. It was awful. Without you there's literally nothing."

"We're here together again, Róisín."

The words Jared said suddenly had a new meaning. "We need to talk about what we're going to do in the future, love. But not now… and not here."

"Ok. Later, then. I love you, ketzele. And I was afraid of not telling you again."

The days that followed, Rose kept improving and slowly was becoming her old self again. Samuel remembered why she was the oldest sibling after she knew the reason James had a bruise on his face. Her mother, and even grandmother, saw a very angry Rose who couldn't believe they could treat her husband that way. But after the storm, things in the family were calm again. Louis was the only one who didn't suffer the effects of the storm called Rose and he was very happy about.

"I love you, too, Róisín. I love you so much."

.

"I'm tired of being here, Jamie," she said three days later with her head resting on his shoulder. He played with her hair. "I'm tired of my family. Don't get me wrong I love them and I always will but right now they're suffocating me. My mother, my bubbe, my brothers…"

"They're worried."

"Yes, I know. But I can't bear with this anymore. I can't move without any of them being right here. I know I sound like a bitch after all what happened, but I just want to go home and be with you. Only you. I want our lives back, I want our privacy. I want to talk to you not feeling they're listening every fucking word I say to you."

"Are you thinking about discharging yourself from hospital?" he asked because felt Rose wasn't saying everything.

"Yes. If tomorrow doctors don't authorise it, then I'm going to take full responsibility for it."

"Your family won't like it."

"I'm 30, James, what are they going to do? Tie me here? And Samuel who's the only one who can talk out loud knows he fucked up, so he won't do it."

"I want our lives back, too. Thorn House is cold and empty with you there. I don't fully agree, I'm saying this because your fucking brother will think I encouraged you to leave the hospital, but I want you with me there. Alone."

"He won't think that, ketzele," she said as he leaned over to kiss her, his hand caressing her neck. "I need you."

"Me too."

The doctors suggested another week. Or at least four days more but Rose didn't accept it. She was going to go there and have all the necessary appointments but she needed to be at home with her husband and no one else. The idea of being in the hospital for a week was going to drive her crazy.

But her way out of the hospital wasn't going to be the way Rose thought.

Among other people who went to visit her was Ruth Bishop. She went to see Rose and left a bouquet of flowers on the table in front of her bed. Even in such place surrounded by ill people and death, lady Bishop didn't lose her natural elegance.

"You're leaving then," she said.

"This afternoon," confirmed Rose. "Finally."

"Glad to hear that, Mrs. Coldwell. Did you think about leaving an impression?"

"An impression? I thought surviving a head trauma and a bullet was impressive enough."

"It is. But how many people know about it? I've been thinking about something else," the woman said. "I know police didn't catch the guilty yet."

"No. I'm Jewish, lady Bishop, since when police care about us?"

"You're right. And also a woman, so that's why we need to do something. Something that also will help you with your campaign. Imagine if the press knows that a political leader was shot and everything remained the same."

"I'm not a political leader! I'm barely beginning!"

"You're the head of the BSP! You're a leader, Rose, and it's time you start to see yourself as one. You have a friend in the London daily, isn't it? Katherine Bridges."

"Katie, yes."

"Well, Mrs. Coldwell. Call her, we're going to move the foundations a bit. Have you ever considered being an actress?"

James, that was there, began to cough and Rose had to pat his back. His mother was an actress and it wasn't something he'd like to remember, let alone associate acting with his wife. The couple exchanged glances.

"Did I say something wrong, Mr. Coldwell?"

"No, Lady Bishop, it's… it's nothing."

"I'm sorry if something I said upset you. It was just a way to express my idea. See? If your Rose pretends a bit, like — leaving the hospital in a wheelchair and the press takes a photo of her, it's going to cause something in society. Even more if they know police didn't do anything."

"I'm not going to leave the hospital in a wheelchair when I can walk!"

"You're just pretending, Rose," said Ruth.

"If it helps to catch the guilty," add James shrugging.

"Do you agree?" Rose asked him, surprised.

"Why not?"

James pushed the wheelchair ramp down. His wife covered with a blanket, her hair undone, held her mother's hand and at her side was her old grandmother. Katie was taking notes while asked her questions that both women practiced inside the bedroom a couple of hours before when Rose called her. Katie's colleague took photos of Rose, being careful to aimed at her bruised face. Curious walkers, some street workers and other people started to surround her, trying to know what happened and who was the young lady who was leaving the hospital.

"I like him," the older woman said, smiling, while Rose rolled her eyes.

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Exactly what Ruth planned.

The protagonist of the staged play let out a sigh when was finally out of the view of strangers and could be alone with the ones she loved.

"I didn't know you sent one of your men after her, father," said Ramses Neville reading the newspaper the next day. This time Katie insisted the news needed to be in the front page and the editor agreed. So there was the photo of Rose Coldwell leaving the hospital after being shot to whole London knew about it.

"I hope this is worth," she said letting James embrace her.

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"I didn't," replied his father coldly.

"You said —"

"I said I was going to wait to see who she was... and my men did finish their work if I ask. Till this day, they never failed."

"Who did it, then?"

"I don't know but it wasn't me. But there's something else that upset me," Richard Neville said looking at the newspaper. That man in the back, the black haired guy. I know him."

"Who's that?"

"The leader of the Black Shamrock. Aron Walsh. What is doing that asshole behind her and her husband?"

"The husband is another paddy, isn't it?" his son replied. "Maybe are friends."

"Aron Walsh doesn't have friends outside his group. I think our little woman has the Irish guarding her back now."

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