Ah, fuck, Rose thought to herself, forgetting entirely about the lie she had entangled them in and how now Olivia would be involved. She sincerely hoped that tomorrow morning, after he woke up, all the memories would there, and they could go back to being strangers and on their merry way. Though Rose would hate to just part ways, having felt a sort of connection to the man before her, but she wouldnât expect him to want to continue knowing her after all o this. She glossed over his initial question and just hummed softly at the last one, squeezing his hand comfortingly. âWeâll see if it triggers anything.â Though she had no such intentions of bringing Liv here. Drawing her attention back to the dog tags, Rose sighed, and she reached over to trace them with her fingers. âI donât know but Iâm sure we can find out.â She murmured, eyes widen as she caught her words because wouldnât she as his fiancee know that? âI meanâŠyou never really talk about itâŠso I never really knew were you stood.â She lied and it was a half â truth. He hadnât talked about it but the fact that it was because they had met literally a few hours prior was left unsaid.
Rose was thankful for the distraction as she heard the noise of kids coming into the room, dashing for the opposite side where Owenâs roommate was. She scrunched her eyes, really taking them in and realized it was Siggy that was there. Her eyes widened and she made a mental note to check on her later on. Before she could think on it any further, Owenâs comment drew her attention to Clarissa as she entered the room, Olivia with her. She groaned silently â One thingâŠwhy couldnât one thing go the way she wanted. âIâm sorry, Rose. I had to bring Siggyâs kids here, so I figured youâd want to see Liv too. Iâll take her back once theyâre done over there.â Rose nodded at Rissaâs words, a thankful smile on her lips. âItâs alright; I appreciate all the help, really.â She said as she took Liv from the carrier and cradled her in her arms. âThanks, Riss.â With a nod, Clarissa dropped the carrier on the floor and walked out of the room, the faint mutterings of I need a coffee, being heard.
With a snort of amusement, left her before she turned back to Owen, knowing there was no way to avoid this now. So, she smiled at her fake fiancĂ©e and walked back over the bed, sitting down next to him so he could see Olivia more clearly. âThis is Olivia.â Roseâs tone was full of all the affection and love in the world as she said her daughterâs name. A tone that was so unfamiliar on her lips and reserved only for the bundle she carried in her arms. âSheâs just about to turn 6 months old and sheâs a fussy little thing but thatâs probably because sheâs spoiled rotten.â Rose chuckled, lifting her gaze for a moment to meet Owenâs. It was supposed to be a quick glance, but his eyes captivated her for a second too long and she had to inhale sharply to center herself again and draw her attention back to the baby in her arms. What the hell was that? âSheâs beautiful, isnât she?â
Owen tried hard to remember anything about any military time and he squeezed the dog tags tightly in his hands. He tried as hard as he could but nothing came to mind so he let the tags fall out of his hand and land on the bedsheets. It was already killing him to not remember anything. He leaned back against the bed and closed his eyes until the baby had gotten in. He couldnât help but smile as he saw Rose holding the baby and he couldnât find himself looking away. She looked beautiful at that moment and if he hadnât been told by multiple people that he was engaged to her, then he wouldnât believe it. He sat up on the bed, pushing past the bit of pain that was coming from the wound. He knew that he was in no shape to hold anything heavier than the dog tags so he didnât even ask to hold Olivia.Â
Ten minutes passed and Owen was starting to feel sleepy, head resting against the pillow on the bed, eyes close to closing. Eventually, he fell asleep, sleeping for about an hour. When he woke, his head hurt a ton and he looked around quickly to try and gather his thoughts and emotions. He took in a breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. âWow...â He said as he groaned. He reached for the dog tags that had fallen to the bed and he looked at them for a second. He closed his eyes, still trying to remember, memories suddenly rushing into his head from war.Â
His body seized up, the memories were not pleasant and Owen let them finish playing out. He finally opened his eyes and looked over towards Rose, eyes wide open, not in full realization as it was only his military time, but it was something. In his eyes, fear could be seen, scared of the memories that were coming up in his mind. âI remember something...military...Itâs..not good...â