Chapter One.
Darla sighed as she pulled up outside the familiar apartment block. She pulled her keys free from the ignition and slowly got out of her car. She popped the trunk and grabbed her duffel, slinging it over her shoulder. She pulled her keys free from her pocket and walked up the front steps.
She walked the stairs seen as how the lift was currently out of order. Nothing new to her. She un-locked the door and walked inside. She smiled seeing everything tidy. She made a mental note to thank her room-mate Jessie. She knew when Jessie and the boys found out she had discharged herself from hospital she would be in trouble. She just couldn't stand it in there any longer. She felt like a prisoner.
She dumped her bag on the couch and hissed feeling her stitches pull across her tummy. She kicked her shoes off and peeled her jacket from her frame, placing it on the back of one of the dining room chairs.
Darla made her way into the kitchen and pulled the fridge door open. She reached in and grabbed a bottle of water before closing the door. She walked back into the front room and over to the couch, switching the TV on. It was still early only 11am. She knew that the boys and Jessie would be at work so relaxed back into the couch.
Later that afternoon Darla decided to grab herself a shower to get rid of the hospital smell that lingered on her clothes. All she wanted to do was burn them. She stood under the warm spray, trying not to get her stitches wet. She carefully washed up and rinsed off before dressing in a pair of loose, baggy, black sweats and a hoodie to keep her warm.
She heard the jingling of keys and moved down the hallway to see Jessie push the front door open. Jessie's head whipped around hearing the TV and froze, seeing Darla standing there.
"Darl? What the Hell?" She closed the door behind her before rushing over to her friend. "What? Why? You should be at the hospital" She slit her eyes at her "You discharged yourself didn't you?"
Darla shrugged "I just… I couldn't take it any more Jess"
"Ya know the boys ain't gonna be pleased"
Darla sighed, "Don't tell them yet"
"Honey, I gotta. Ya know Joe and Spink were goin to see you tonight?"
Darla groaned "I felt trapped in there Jess. And don't tell me that if it were you, you would have stayed"
Jess closed her mouth knowing that Darla was right. She wouldn't have stayed. "You know I gotta tell em" She walked over to Darla and pulled her into a loose hug.
"I hate you"
Jess smiled, "I know you do and I'm sorry"
Darla pulled away and walked over to the phone picking it up off it's holder. She walked back over to Jessie and handed it over. "Well, no time like the present" She just wanted to get it out if the way.
Jessie reached out and grabbed the phone, dialling Joe's number.
"No! Wait! I'll get it" Jessie cried as she rushed over to Darla who was trying to reach up and grab a bowl out of the cupboard.
"No it's cool I got it"
"No Darla! You don't, let me"
Darla grit her teeth as she moved out of the way. This is why she left the hospital in the first place. She knew that Jessie was only trying to help but she needed to do stuff for herself.
The girls heard the front door swing open and heard the heavy sound of boots walk over the thresh-hold.
"Hey! She here?"
Darla rolled her eyes knowing that she was in for a huge world of shit.
"Yeah Joey, in here" Jessie called out to him.
Darla turned seeing Joe walk into the kitchen, Baggy, Spink and Billy followed him.
"What the fuck?" Billy growled out, "You should still be in the hospital"
Joe walked over to her and loosely pulled her to him one hand resting on her lower back the other wrapped around her shoulders. "Don't scare us like that again!" He told her, pulling away from her.
She looked up at him with tired eyes "I'm sorry, couldn't stay there any longer" She looked over at Billy then Baggy and Spink. "I just… I felt suffocated" She explained. "I needed to be here"
She heard Billy sigh and turned around to look at him "You promise me you'll be careful and if you need ANYTHING you let us know?"
Darla walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. She had grown up with the boys and she'd met Jessie 7 years ago when she moved into town. They all had one thing in common. They had all suffered at the hands of the people that were supposed to love them the most, their family…
Billy lost his mother when he was 6 years old. He was there when his fuck up of a father, Bones blew her head off because he thought she was having an affair, leaving Billy to bring up his 3 year old brother. Bone's couldn't look at little Joey. He didn't believe that he was his, didn't believe that he was a true Darley. But Billy never doubted it for a second. He always tried to do what was right by Joey even if that meant that he'd have to go without himself. He would die for him if it came down to it.
Darla had been abandoned by her mother when she was 5 years old, that's when she met Billy and Joe. She never knew who her real father was. Her mother was an abusive alcoholic who would drop her panties for any man that would promise her a quick fix. Later in life Darla heard that her mother had turned to drugs and died of an overdose when Darla was just 15.
Jessie was also abandoned by her mother when she was 13 years old. Her mother chose her boyfriend over her daughter and kicked her out. From the time Jessie was 6 years old she had been abused by her mother's boyfriends. So when the time finally came she was glad to be out of her life. Of course in that time she had ran away many times but the police always ended up taking her back to her mother and when Jessie did confess to the police about the abuse her mother always told them that she was lying, that she was an attention seeker and that she would say anything just to be the centre of attention. She'd been with Darla ever since.
Later that night the boys were scattered around the front room. Billy sat on one of the armchairs by the fire, Spink sat on the other, Baggy sat propped up against the fire place and Darla, Joe and Jessie sat on the couch. Darla was fast asleep with her head resting on Joe's chest, his arm wrapped protectively around her.
"You find him yet?" Jessie asked.
"No!" Billy quietly growled back. "But when we do? He's gonna fuckin wish he was dead"
"I just… what if he comes here?"
Billy's head snapped around to look at her "You really think he's that fuckin stupid?"
Jessie shrugged her shoulders "Maybe,"
"Right that's it, Joe you're stayin with them" Billy told his baby brother "If he comes here, ya fuckin call me"
Joe looked down at Darla and then back up at Billy "Not a problem" he looked over at Jessie "That cool?"
She smirked and nodded her head "Sure, as long as you don't mind the couch?"
Joe shrugged "Hell, this thing is comfier than my damn bed"
"I'll stop by once my shift is done later, check in" Billy told them as he stood from his seat. "Spink, Baggy, let's go"
Jessie walked over to the door to see Baggy, Spink and Billy out, leaving Joe and Darla alone.
Joe looked down at her and leaned down to place a kiss to the top of her head. Joe had always had a soft spot for Darla. All of the guys were close to the girls but Joe and Darla were as close as could be. Joe had been crushing on her since they were younger but he hadn't told her in fear that she would reject him and that the guys would rip the piss outta him.
Darla shifted and her eyes flew wide open. She cried out in pain and sat up a little quickly. Her hand clutching at her wounded side.
"You alright?" Joe asked, leaning into her.
She nodded her head "I… I'm good" She lied.
"Liar!" Joe told her as he scooted over a little, giving her some space. He grit his teeth as he watched her face scrunch up in pain. He couldn't wait for the day that he found that prick, Draven.
Darla opened her eyes and breathed it out "I just… need to get my meds" She pushed herself up from the couch and made her way into the bathroom.
"How is she?" Jessie asked
"She's gone to get her meds" Joe sighed.
"What if he does come back Joe?" Jessie asked.
Joe held his arms open for her giving a grin "Come here, sweetheart"
Jessie walked over to him and sat down on the couch, resting her head on his chest as Joe's arms wrapped around her.
"You don't gotta worry about that all right?" He started, "We'll take care of it if he does."
"I know, I just…. can't believe that he'd do that to her. I mean, how can you do that to someone that you supposedly love? How could you beat them so bad that you kill your unborn baby?"
Joe closed his eyes, not wanting to think about it. All he'd done since he found out that Darla was pregnant by that bastard was try and block it out. He had no idea how someone could do that, especially to Darla.
"Shhh… Don't think about that," Joe soothed. "We'll be just fine, you'll see" He placed another kiss to the top of her head and Jessie pulled away from him.
"I think I need a beer, you want one?"
Darla quietly closed the bathroom door and leaned on the counter top. She closed her eyes and let the tears fall freely. She'd heard her friends talking. She couldn't believe what had happened to her. That Draven would even be capable of doing something like that to her. If she was truthful to herself she was scared shitless. She knew the boys would take care of her, of Jessie. But she also knew that they couldn't be with them 24/7. She took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself down. She looked down at her now flat tummy and the tears started all over again. She had been 5 months pregnant when Draven attacked her. He came home one day, drunk and because she didn't have his dinner ready and on the table he started in on her. Swinging his fists until she blacked out. Then next thing she knew? She woke up in hospital, the baby…Gone.