Jack woke up to find Rose curled up against him, his arms wrapped tightly around her. I thought this day would never come, he thought. She was sleeping deeply. There was no sign of the terror that had plagued her the night before. He wished things could stay that way. He didn't know how long it would be before she woke up, but he was determined not to move until she did. The last thing she needs right now is to wake up alone.
She didn't begin to stir until the early afternoon. Jack watched silently as she opened her eyes and raised her head. She looked at him and blinked. Then blinked again.
"I told you I wasn't going anywhere," he said gently.
"I didn't believe you." Her voice was hoarse.
"Yeah, I know, but it doesn't matter. Feel any better?"
"I actually do feel a little better." She sounded surprised. "I'm sorry about last night," she added, ducking her head in shame.
"You don't have anything to be sorry about."
"I-I just fell back into your life, this horrible, ugly mess—" Her face twisted into a grimace.
"There is absolutely nothing horrible or ugly about you," he insisted. "I don't know what happened to you. I'm sure I can't even begin to understand how hard it's been for you, but I want to. If you'll let me. Rose, I love you. Maybe you didn't believe me when I said it yesterday—and maybe you don't believe me now, but it's true. I've literally spent the last three years trying to find you. I'm not letting you go now, no matter what."
She studied his face. "You don't look like you're lying."
"That's good to know, since I'm not."
They didn't go anywhere over the next week. They barely left each other's sight. They also didn't talk very much. Jack didn't know what to say. He didn't know the right words to make her trust him again. He desperately wanted to ask what had happened during their time apart, but he knew asking would just push her further away. She would tell him if—and when—she wanted him to know.
Rose was in a daze. There were times when she was sure it was all nothing more than an extremely vivid dream, but then there were times when she was sure it was all real. She wouldn't let him touch her during the day except for the occasional brush of his hand against hers. At night, they lay as close to their own edge of the bed as they could. Jack would stay awake and wait for her nightmare to begin. At the first sign of distress, he would pull her into his arms. She would bury her face in his shirt and cling to him. He'd stroke her hair and whisper soothingly until she fell asleep again. He'd lie there holding her, refusing to fall asleep himself until he was certain the nightmare wasn't coming back.
As the second week began, Jack noticed that their supply of food was dwindling. He also realized that he was probably no longer employed and would, at some point, need to be. He wasn't sure how to deal with the situation. He didn't want to leave Rose alone—didn't think she needed to be alone, for that matter, but he wasn't sure if she could handle leaving the apartment. She was finally starting to seem somewhat at ease. She still flinched if he moved toward her too quickly, but she was starting to talk a bit more. Now that she was eating regularly, she was starting to lose her half-starved look. She was even sleeping better. The nightmares were still coming, but it was getting easier to calm her down.
Finally, he brought it up. "Rose?"
She was curled up on the floor next to the window, watching the people below. She turned to face him. "Jack?"
In spite of everything, just hearing her say his name made him feel warm inside.
"We're running low on food," he said, deciding it was best to tackle one issue at a time. "Do you need to stay here, or can you go with me to get some?"
"Take me with you," she said quickly.
Once on the street, Rose's fear of the outside world overcame her fear of being touched. She grabbed his hand and held on as tightly as she could. Jack didn't know if it was a good sign or a bad one, but he quickened their pace anyway.
That night in bed, he was startled to hear her speak. "I know how much trouble I'm causing you," she said quietly. "You don't have to do this."
"I never said I had to do anything." He rolled onto his side so he could see her. "Rose, I want you in my life. I don't care what it takes."
She rolled onto her side as well. "I won't even let you touch me."
"Doesn't matter. Doesn't change how I feel."
"If you knew all the things I've done, you'd feel differently."
"There is nothing you can say that would make me not love you."
"Promise?"