Warning: Contains mature material/adult themes.
Author's Note: Thanks, vausesandspanishharlem, for the lovely review as you always so kindly leave. This chapter has a lot of heavy angst throughout as well as some strong comfort/fluff mixed in. Feel free to leave a review; I really do appreciate those. And they do very much so encourage me to keep writing...just saying. I hope this chapter's okay.
Chapter Ten
It was a late Friday night when Lorna lie restlessly in her bed. Fear sat in the pit of her stomach. Her relationship with Vinny slowly began to turn into a living nightmare. She couldn't do anything without his two sense. If she wore something too tight, showing off her body, he was sure to force her to change it and—if he so desired—would smack her with a belt, he almost always had at hand. Had she eaten any type of carb, he yelled at her to run a lap up and down her street. Hanging out with her best friend would bring out an unrelenting rage in him. She quickly realized that it was best to just do whatever he asked of her. To save her from unfathomable pain.
She wrapped herself tightly in the blankets, hoping it would somehow lull her to sleep. The faint sound of something tapping on her bedroom window hit her ears and quickly deterred sleep even further from her grasp. She sighed, throwing the blankets back off and forcing herself out of bed. Her legs carefully led towards the window. What she found brought a quivering terror through her body, and before she could run, the window was thrown open and in came the intruder.
Her body rapidly became tucked into a rough arm as the person climbed back out the window with her. Fear grew stronger. What the hell was happening? Was she seriously being kidnapped? The person who kept a tight grip on her covered her mouth with a firm hand making sure she had no way to scream for help. She felt herself being thrown into a vehicle but couldn't make out anything with how dark it seemed to be.
The door slammed loudly behind her, immediately causing a jolt out of her. Terror tore through her. She prayed mercifully that she wasn't about to be murdered. The last thing she wanted was for her life to end before she even had the chance to live it. A hand slowly came close to her mouth—bringing with it a horrifying sensation—and she could feel it shoving some sort of liquid down her throat. Seconds after the fact, a strong haziness overtook her and she found herself finally being reacquainted with sleep.
When her eyes finally opened, Lorna found herself lying on a table in what appeared to be a heavily sterile environment. Her eyes took a few minutes to properly focus and when they finally did, she noticed the hovering of a clump of blurred faces over her. She tried to speak but quickly realized the mask covering her mouth and grew uneasy. Her body felt weak and paralyzed in her current predicament. No matter how much she tried to move, her body didn't budge an inch.
"Ya finally awake?" Vinny's voice empowered the room as he came quickly to her side, staring down at her with an unreadable expression seeping through his brown eyes. He placed a hand on her arm, his fingers cold and rough against her fragile skin. "Good news, Lorna—you'll never have to eat again or gain any weight!"
Lorna peered back up at her boyfriend with both fear and confusion. Was he the one who kidnapped her? This whole ordeal was puzzling to comprehend. It made no sense to her. What was going on? She silently wondered. A sharp pain tore through her abdomen causing a loud yelp to escape from her. "What-what are ya talking about? Where, where the hell am I?" She inquired, her voice muffled by the mask.
The Italian boy smirked, pressing his nails gruffly into her arm. A chuckle escaped. "I'm glad ya asked," he started off, staring down at her with menacing orbs. "Ya see, I had Gino come sneak ya outta your house for this particular procedure to happen. I can't have ya eating any a that shit food ya like and getting fat on me, can I? Well, now, we ain't gotta worry about that because your stomach's been stapled. Ya ever try to eat that nasty crap again, you'll vomit."
Eyes widened in horror, Lorna shook her head in disbelief. How could he do something so vile? And no one questioned his antics? To say she was horrified at such a thought would be an understatement. It sickened her that no one stopped him from having this done to her, something she knew she'd never consent to. Yes, she wanted to keep her figure, but she wouldn't allow her body to be cut into just for that.
"Don't look so sad," he growled, letting a hand run distastefully through her untamed curls. "Now you'll never have to worry about your weight again. It's a good thing, ya ungrateful whore."
Breathing heavily, Lorna shoots up in bed and stares bewilderedly up ahead at the wall. The nightmare makes her stomach churn; she loathes how she can't seem to get past it. The memories haunt her tremendously. It only hyphens her fear of being slowly lured back to the man that's only ever shown her abuse and pain. Tears quickly pool in her eyes. The pain seems to never cease; there's always something that winds its way back.
The door to her room slowly creaks open making her eyes avert towards it. Both Nicky and Alex enter with caution; their eyes filled with a deep concern as they come to sit on either side of her. "Ya gotta tell us about this nightmare. You've been having it almost every night for the past two months—enough is enough, kid, you have to open up about it. Ya wanna stop this from happening, yeah?" The redhead softly inquiries, taking Lorna's hand tenderly in her own and peering down at her in compassion.
"Vinny," is her muttered response, her eyes gazing down at her comforter.
The two share a quick glance before focusing their attention back on the Italian. Alex runs a hand soothingly through her brown waves, trying to make her feel comfortable. It hurts to know that her best friend doesn't feel safe enough to talk with them about what she's dealing with. "What about him? What that fucker do to ya now? Come on, Lorn, talk to us. We wanna help ya. Why are ya so scared?"
"I'm sorry," Lorna responds, her hands messing about in the fabric beneath her. The memories are right at the tip of her tongue, yet—no matter how hard she pushes—they refuse to spill out.
"Sorry, sorry for what? What the fuck do ya have to be sorry about? Lorna, why do ya always do this? Why do ya always think you need to apologize for what ya can't control? What is it; what's making ya do this? Do you think you're not worthy of our love? Is that what it is?" The black-haired woman inquisitively questions, lifting her friend's chin so that she's staring at her.
Biting the inside of her mouth, Lorna slightly shrugs. She tries to tilt her head away but Alex won't release her hold. A sigh makes its way out of her mouth. "I don't…I don't wanna be a nuisance or nothin'. Besides, it ain't no big deal. Just a stupid nightmare," she tries to brush it off.
This time it's Nicky who speaks up, her hands cupping softly around one of the brunette's. "Baby, you are far from a nuisance. What the—how can ya even think that? And it is a big deal—you've been waking up in a sweat nearly every night since ya moved in. You need to talk about it with us. This isn't going to go away just because ya want it to. I wish it was that easy, Lorna, because you don't deserve to deal with it but that's not how shit works unfortunately. The only thing that's gonna help is for you to open up and tell us what's happening. What's making you have these nightmares? You don't need to be afraid—we're both here for ya, kid. For fuck's sake Alex is your best friend, has been for decades, you should know how much she cares for ya. And I already made it pretty clear how much I love you. So, what's the problem? Why do ya constantly think otherwise?"
Her mind races a mile minute. Lorna pushes away from their touch, instinctively presuming her most common position of hiding her face in her knees while rocking rhythmically back and forth. It's too much. The words, the pain, the feelings—she can't handle it. "I shoulda never moved here," she whispers shakily, her words muffled by her pajama pants.
"Stop this, Lorna, please!" Alex merely pleads, her eyes desperately staring her over. She reaches her arms out for her distressed best friend, wanting terribly to hug away all of the hurt. "Come here. Let me comfort you. Please; you need comfort."
"I can't handle this, I need it to stop."
Watching her sadly, Alex pats her lap and opens her arms for the hysterical brunette. "Then come here. Let me hold you, kid—I promise it'll calm ya down," she pleads. A bout of relief washes over her when she feels the weight of her best friend finally hit her legs, though she quickly realizes how light the girl is and sighs. Her arms encircle protectively around her waist. "It's all gonna be okay, Lorn. You're safe with us, I promise. Ya just need to let us help you, yeah? If you talk to us about the nightmare, it'll start to go away."
"His brother," the brunette timidly whispers, her orbs gazing blankly ahead at the colorless wall. "He, he took me."
Running a hand soothingly through her hair, Alex stares down at her with concern. She arches an eyebrow, "Vinny's brother took ya? What do ya mean, Lorn?"
Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, the shorter woman clings closer to her friend. The memories are still raw—still fresh, yet, she knows she can't keep them in too much longer. If she ever wants to get past this, she knows her only option is to talk about it. "I was trying to fall asleep when, when I heard something out the window…so I went over and there was a person out there. Before I could get my dad, the person t-took me," she quietly answers, still not allowing her eyes to open.
Not quite sure what to say, Nicky only rubs a soothing hand up and down her back—waiting for her to go on.
"When did this happen? Was this before Mikey died?" The black-haired tenderly inquiries, rocking Lorna softly in her arms while trying to piece together her friend's story somehow.
Lorna slowly nods her head, feeling a rush of tears come to her eyes. She bites the inside of her mouth subconsciously in effort to keep herself from falling apart. "My senior year a high school—the person put me in the back of a car and forced some kinda medicine down my throat…it-it made me fall asleep. Don't know what it was because it was so dark in there and-and—I can't, just never, never mind."
"You can tell us, sweetie, we're here to help you," Nicky soothingly assures, grabbing one of her hands and bringing it to her lips for a soft kiss. Her eyes gaze empathetically into the brunette's. "You're doing a good job, kid. Don't shut off now. This is exactly what ya needa do. You're allowed to let your emotions out."
"I woke up and saw Vinny," Lorna whispers, her body lightly tremoring at the thought. The pain easily builds with each word she speaks. This is something she never planned to share with anyone. Something she didn't think needed to be shared. "He told me it-it was his brother who kidnapped me…so-so he could, so he could—" A loud sob overpowers her, forcefully halting her from continuing. Her hands grip instinctively onto her stomach as if to stop the pain that her mind's making her think is there.
Shaking her head in anger, Alex pulls her friend closer. It infuriates her to know that something horrible happened to her and yet she had not a single clue about it. Such knowledge only fuels the rage she has for Vinny even more. "So, he could what? What did that asshole do to my best friend, huh? It's okay, Lorn, you're safe. You don't have to be scared to tell us. We're here to help ya through this, yeah?"
"He had his brother kidnap me and take me to a hospital because Vinny—he wanted, he wanted me to never be able to eat bad food again. He made me get my-my stomach st-stapled."
The older two women are taken aback at such a statement. They both glance at each other, not quite sure how to feel about hearing that. The rage and anger only worsen for Alex. She must grit her teeth in effort to keep it from showing. The last thing she wants is to mistakenly have her best friend think that the anger is towards her when that couldn't be further from the truth. "He did what to you? Vinny had ya kidnapped, drugged, and forced to undergo some dangerous procedure without ya even knowing? That fucking scumbag! Just when I think he can't get any worse, he does—Lorna, why didn't ya ever mention this to me? Why wouldn't ya tell me he did this to you? I don't even understand how he got away with such a cruel thing…what the fuck?"
"Is this why ya won't eat? Does it hurt you?" Nicky throws in her questions, brushing her hands through Lorna's messy brown waves. As a therapist, she thought she'd seen everything but this—this is something she's never encountered before. She has no clue how to process such information.
Giving a small nod, a rush of tears come barreling down Lorna's porcelain cheeks. "Vinny's uncle was a doctor and he made him believe that I wanted this. No one in my family knew…except Mikey," sniffles course through at the mention of her late older brother. Aside from her mother, he was the only one at home who seemed to care for her—especially when it came to her relationship with Vinny. He did everything he could to stop the man from controlling and abusing her.
"Oh Lorna," Alex soothes, cradling her closer as her eyes peer sadly down into the other's. She gives a comforting kiss atop her head, wishing longingly that it would take all this pain from her. "Why didn't ya tell me? Were ya scared? I don't get it…help me understand what ya were thinking, please. I wanna help you but I don't know how."
"I couldn't—it hurt too much too think about! It still does. Why are ya forcing me to talk about it? Stop!" The brunette cries out, frustration gradually building inside of her.
Nicky inhales a deep breath and releases it slowly. She gives a look towards the black-haired woman, silently asking her to allow her to try to calm Lorna. Her eyes watch as the other answers with a slight nod while very carefully placing the distraught brunette in her patiently waiting arms. She lays her girlfriend's head gently on her chest, stroking her hands lightly through her hair.
"No one is forcing ya to do anything, kid. If you wanna stop, go ahead. You shared a lot with us tonight and we're both very proud a ya. I know it hurts thinking about what that monster did to you but I promise the more you talk through it, the easier it will get. You're a strong, strong girl—you'll get through this, doll. Just let us help ya, yeah? You can't keep all this to yourself. That's too much for one person!"
Dropping a soft kiss to her head, Nicky carefully lays back against the mattress with Lorna wrapped protectively in her arms. She gazes tenderly in her eyes. "Let's get ya back to sleep, hmm? You look drained. It's okay; I'm gonna stay with ya. No more nightmares, baby."
The petite Italian instinctively nestles closer against her warmth and feels her eyes slowly droop shut. Her head nods slightly against the other's chest. Very rapidly she feels herself being whisked away into a much more peaceful slumber.
Alex gazes in astonishment; she quirks an eyebrow at Nicky. "You really love her, huh? It's obvious she loves ya right back—I've never seen her so comfortable with someone other than her brother and myself."
Gently lifting the comforter to wrap around the two of them, Nicky nods with a compassionate smile on her face. Her brown orbs stare intently up at her housemate with an overpowering amount of sincerity. "I love her with my whole heart. Ain't ever felt this way for someone in my entire life. All I want is to protect her and show her what true love is. Your best friend will never experience abuse again, Alex; the only thing I have for her is love and compassion."
Red sat in her kitchen with her morning tea, looking over the newspaper when the creaking of footsteps caught her ear. She lifted her face slightly over the paper to find her new housemate's presence. The sight of how pale and sickly she looked brought a maternal worry over her. "You don't look well, Nicky. What's the matter?"
"This is what happens when I don't do heroin," Nicky groaned out, trying to walk slow to ease the overwhelming amount of nausea her body seemed to be cursed with. The last time she felt this bad she had only herself to get her through it. Her mother refused to allow her daughter back in the home—not when it would ruin her reputation among her group of snooty rich friends.
Getting up from the table, Red made her way over to the young twenty-four-year-old and stared her over suspiciously. "No, this is what happens when you put poison in your damn body. You make your body depend on the shit and then as soon as you run out, you get sick. Don't you think that's a sign?"
The disheveled redhead only gave a slight shrug. Hell if she knew what her body did and didn't like. All she knew was that heroin helped her through life; it helped to forget her bigoted mother. "The shit's all I got. The fuck ya expect? My mother didn't give a rat's ass about my choices. Why is it such a bother for you? Ya barely know me," the words came out of her mouth out of impulse.
Heart strings were heavily pulled on at hearing the other's words. Red let out a breath of air; she longed for nothing more than to somehow help this woman. Whether she agreed or not, Red knew that Nicky desperately needed a mother figure in her life. If she ever wanted to turn her life around, that was, and deep down, the Russian matron prayed for that to be the case. She couldn't live with herself to see someone so young continue to spiral down such a dangerous path.
"You have me now; I'm here to help you. I took you in because you're too young to let yourself continue such a risky lifestyle. How sick do you feel?"
Such words were like a dream. Nicky longed to believe them but she couldn't. She barely knew this woman; how could she tell if she honestly wanted to help her? "Just nauseous is all," she apprehensively answered, arching her eyebrows while giving an unreadable stare towards the taller woman. Her eyes searched for any sign of deceit in the other's.
Red instinctively grabbed the redhead's hand and led her to a chair at her kitchen table. "I'll make you a cup of peppermint tea. Something my babushka used to make me when I was pregnant. Had the worst morning sickness one could ever imagine. You like sugar or cream in your tea?" She asked, walking over to the counter to grab a mug from above.
"Babushka? What is that—Russian or somethin'? Isn't that some kinda scarf? Your scarf made ya tea? The hell?" Nicky quirked an eyebrow in wonder, resting her head against the top of the table. Her face turned so that her eyes could peer over at the middle-aged Russian.
With a small chuckle, Red filled the mug with water and placed it in the microwave for a minute. She turned to glance over at her new housemate. "Are you accent-deaf or something? You don't hear my thick Russian accent when I speak? Yes, babushka is a Russian term—it means grandma. My grandmother is the one who made me tea. We come from Russia, except for my boys—they're pure citizens of the states," she answered, searching the drawers for her box of tea assortments. Grabbing hold of it once found, she brought it over to right below the microwave and took out a peppermint tea bag.
"Guess I didn't pay attention. How long ago did ya move here? What made ya wanna move to a whole new country?" The questions easily slipped out of Nicky's mouth, subtly easing away the ill sensation.
Steeping the tea gradually in the hot cup of water, a smile slowly made its way to the Russian's face. "It was a dream of my husband and I to open up a bakery but there was no way we could do that in Russia. Plus, my parents and grandparents already had plans to move out here so there was no way I wouldn't move as well. Oh, God, that was thirty years ago—Jesus, I feel old now," Red muttered, carrying the freshly-steeped cup of tea over to Nicky and placed it front of her.
Nicky gratefully grabbed hold of the mug, bringing it to her lips for a much-desired sip. The herbal taste slightly reminded her of the first time she put a cigarette in her mouth, only a little less satisfying. "Thanks," she mumbled into the cup before placing it back on the table in front of her. "How many kids ya got? And how come your house seems so lonely? Don't they live here?"
"Full of questions, aren't you?" The red-haired matron smirked, resuming her seat on the other side of the table. "I have three boys but they're all living on their own. The oldest is twenty-eight, twenty-six, and my baby is twenty-three. I lost my husband a couple of years ago due to a heart attack. He enjoyed my pirozhki's a little too much; I warned him that it wasn't good to eat five a day but God-forbid he listen to his wife!"
"I, uh, I'm sorry to hear that about your husband," Nicky uncomfortably shifted in her seat. Empathy was something that hadn't come easy to her. Something no one ever showed to her. She focused on her beverage, taking another long sip.
Red gave a small shrug, finishing off the rest of her own tea—that now seemed cold to her teeth and made her shiver a sliver. "Eh, I've come to terms with it. Besides, we knew for a while that his heart wasn't in good shape; death was bound to happen. Now, I just focus all my time on keeping up with the bakery. Exactly what he'd of wanted."
The redhead only offered a small smile before glancing into her half-full mug. Conversing with people was never easy but she'd be lying if she didn't believe this to be one of the best conversations she had in a while. She could listen to Red's stories all day; it almost brought a warm, fuzzy, sensation over her. She felt as though she was visiting a grandmother. The feeling was pleasant and she prayed this wasn't just a temporary thing—she wanted to build a relationship with this woman. Maybe even someday consider her a mother-figure.
Nicky sits in her office, a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other. She hasn't had such a slow day in months. It makes her anxious to sit around waiting for her next patient. A sigh escapes her as she flips the page; she couldn't sit like this forever. She had to somehow busy herself to make the time pass quicker. Rummaging through her junk drawer, she yanks out her old iPod and placed the ear-buds into the proper ears. With the loud music blaring through her ears, she smiles and kicks her feet up on the desk.
Jamming along to the music her iPod plays, she doesn't notice the door to her office opening or another person's presence entering inside the room. Not until the sound of screaming and yelling occurs does Nicky take observation of her surroundings. Rapidly, she shuts off the device—throwing it back in its drawer—and stridently makes her way over to intervene.
When the brunette woman turns around and Nicky realizes it's Lorna, a rush of concern brushes over her. She pulls the petite woman into her arms, worry creased on her forehead. "What's going on? What's the yelling about? Are ya hurt, kid?"
Keeping her head down, the young Italian fiercely shakes her head. She snakes her arms tight around Nicky's neck, hiding her face in the crook of it. "He, he found me. I can't escape him. I-I don't know what to do, Nicky," her voice timidly whispers as she tightens her grasp. She thought Vinny would finally be out of her life once her best friend found out but sees, now, that that's only worsened things. She should have never said a thing to anyone.
"Shh, shh," the taller woman tenderly soothes, wrapping her arms protectively around her waist. She gently carries her over to the chair behind her desk and sits down cradling her tight against her chest. "You're safe here. I've got ya, kid. I'll protect you; I promise. Where is he? Is he outside my office? Is that who I heard yelling?"
"He saw me at the bakery and-and I got scared so I came here because I thought maybe I was just hallucinating but he f-followed me and said if I don't go back with him, he'll-he'll kill me."
Rage slowly making its way to Nicky's surface, she tightens her hold on the quivering brunette. "He's not laying a damn finger on your precious head; I won't let him. I'll call the damn cops if he doesn't leave. He ain't welcome in my office. Not when he fucking forced a sweet angel like you to have your precious skin cut into—my god, he needs to rot in prison! What the fuck is wrong with him? How, how the hell can he do something like that to you? You're just the sweetest woman ever…no one has the damn right to hurt you," she hollers, the anger starting to get the best of her. Closing her eyes for a moment, she lets out a sigh and pulls herself together. The last thing she wants is to let the fury control her; what's important, she knows, is making sure she keeps Lorna safe.
Shrugging, the brunette only clings tighter to Nicky. "Don't call the cops—it's obvious th-they don't care. And it'll just make him have even more reason to wanna kill me. I don't understand, Nicky—why, why won't he just leave-leave me alone? I told him I don't wanna be with him anymore but, but he-he still wants me to come back."
Kissing the top of her head softly, the redhead feels a slight pang in her chest. She pulls her girlfriend closer, resting her chin gently over the top of Lorna's head. Her hands brush delicately through her brown waves. "I have to call them, baby; it's part a my job. He's not gonna kill you! I'm here, I'm gonna keep ya safe. You'll just have to stay with me for the resta the day, that's all," she soothes, nuzzling her chin against the other's soft hair. Anger slowly begins to bubble at hearing such. "Vinny's a narcissistic asshole, that's why. All he wants is for you to crawl back to him so he can keep ya under his control. He's fucking evil. And there's no way in hell I'll let him take you away. You need to be loved; real fucking love, sweet girl. What the fuck he did to you, that's not fucking love."
Lorna closes her eyes, letting out a sigh. "He'll never stop, will he?"
"Oh yes he will, kid. I'm calling the police right now and telling them he's got a gun inside my private office building. They'll have to come arrest him. And even if he's only in prison for a few days, I swear to you that I won't fucking let him anywhere near you ever again. In fact, neither will Alex. You know we'll keep ya safe," she firmly assures, kissing her head soothingly before taking out her phone and dialing the police.
Once she hangs up with them, only a couple minutes later, she focuses her attention back on the terrified brunette in her arms and caresses a tender hand along her face. Immediately, she becomes highly alarmed at the sensation of a substance coming into contact with her hand. She brings the hand up towards her eyes to more closely examine and becomes increasingly worried to find that it's blood. Strongly concerned, Nicky lifts Lorna's chin and gasps at the large (bloody) gash across her cheek. A lump forms in her throat at such a sight. Her eyes pour compassionately down into the other's.
"Did Vinny do this to ya? What he do, huh? What that asshole do to ya, baby?" Nicky shakes her head angrily, her arms only tightening around her girlfriend's quivering waist. She grabs multiple tissues off her desk and gently places them over the cut. "I'm so sorry, kid—how bad does it hurt?"
Lorna gazes down at the floor. A faint tear makes its away along her bruised cheek. "He, he um had a knife and-and dr-dragged it down my face. Warning me how-how he'll do worse if-if I don't g-go with him."
The redhead gulps at hearing that. She feels physically ill to know what's been done to such an angelic young woman. It makes her blood boil. She takes Lorna's head and very gently lays it on her chest while continuing to hold the tissues against her bleeding cheek. "My poor baby," she murmurs, eyes soft with empathy for the woman she loves. Her arms wrap even snugger around the other's petite body. "You're safe, Lorna, you're staying right here with me. I won't let him near ya. Over my dead body. You are not that man's property; he doesn't fucking deserve a damn ounce of your sweet precious love."
The other's intense shaking only makes Nicky hold her closer. She lays her head softly atop Lorna's, hoping to somehow soothe away her pain and fear. "It's okay, baby; you're gonna be okay. I'm not letting him touch another hair on your head, I fucking mean it. I love you; there's no way in hell I'm letting anyone take ya away."
The sound of a gunshot going off has both women jolt in fear. Nicky pulls Lorna closer, trying to hide her from whatever's lurking outside her office door. She hopes and prays he doesn't come in.