till' we meet again, william schofield

twenty

twenty

THREE DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE

THE BIRDS CHIRPING wasn't enough to get Rosine out of bed. For the past couple nights she slept in between her sister-in-law and brother, both of them rubbing her back and patting her head as she cried. Timmy had even laid with her a bit. His chubby hands poking at the tears that escaped her bloodshot eyes. He would kiss her cheek, like she did to him when he cried, kissing away all the escaping tears.

She most likely smelt like underarms and depression, but she couldn't find it in her heart to care. She couldn't find the strength in her body to get in the shower. All she could think about was the picture of that woman she saw— Elizabeth.

She hated herself for ruining a relationship. Why didn't she ask if he had a woman? Why did she assume he stayed single in hopes of seeing her one day? There weren't enough words in the English or French language to describe how stupid and dirty she felt.

Lara had been forcing her to eat, but the only thing she agreed to was jam and toast. Her chin quivered and tears brimmed her eyes every time she took a bite. She felt as if she didn't deserve to eat. She couldn't stomach eating.

Blake and Lara constantly tried to coax her into coming for a walk, or taking Timmy to a different park with them, but she couldn't risk seeing him in public. She knew she was in a big city, but her mind often got the better of her and convinced her she'd see Will, his fiancée or the man she met at the door.

She called in to the clinic the day she went home, feeling broken and betrayed. She explained she had come down with a sickness and didn't want to potentially infect a patient. As she looked back on it, her excuse was ridiculous. The clinic was for aquatic therapy. Betty didn't question it though. She only said they'd miss her, and hoped she would stop by before leaving for Canada.

Her heart yearned to go see Alfred and ask what she was suppose to do now. It almost felt impossible to just go back to Canada and pretend this never happened, like her trust in someone hadn't been shattered and then smeared on the walls. Part of her didn't know how to approach Alfred after her panic attack the last time she saw him. She knew he would understand, but she didn't know how to explain. Or if she wanted to explain.

Apart from sadness, she felt angry. Will and her had survived a situation that most people would've died trying to get out of— but they survived, together. She felt her face get red and her skin get hot when she thought about his lack of respect for her and their experience together. She would've told him, had it been her with the fiancée. She would've respected him and told him. She would've never used him for his body, no matter how much she missed and wanted him.

As she laid in bed, her greasy red hair sprawled across the pillows, she looked out the window. It was probably midday, as the sun was high and bright. She studied the bird perched on the branch directly outside her window. It almost felt as if the bird was studying her too, with it's black dots for eyes looking directly at her.

She closed her dry lips together in an 'o' formation before letting a small amount of wind escape. The whistle she produced was shaky, yet high pitched. The bird only moved slightly in response.

"Stupid bird," she grumbled before turning over. She pulled the covers closer to her body, as the coolness of her new position seeped into her bones. She sighed, closing her eyes as she prepared to fall asleep once again, exchanging her troublesome mind for a couple hours of peace.

Her eyes fluttered as she counted back from ten, imagining sheep jumping over a fence to soothe herself. She licked her dry lips as she felt her mind get emptier. The ghost of a smile played at her lips as she fell asleep. The last sound she heard was the harmonious singing of the bird outside her window, playing a calming tune.

not edited. enjoy :) this wasn't originally apart of the chapter plan (that's why it's way shorter), but i felt as if seeing how Rosine is taking things was important before hopping into the end :)