TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER. DARK THEMES AHEAD.

AN: Some of you are very observant; all your questions will be answered in due time. Not this chapter, but over the next few. I'm sorry I haven't been very responsive in PMs; I have to go to a dark place to write this and it's taking a tole on my psyche a bit.

Previously on Permission:

Shaking his head, Colin walked around the bush in question ready to heckle the passed-out partygoer when he actually gasped in horror. Beaten and bloody, Rory was lying unconscious in the fresh mulch of the garden.

Chapter 18

He immediately leaned down to check for a pulse and sighed when he realized she was still breathing.

"Rory? Rory, can you hear me?" Colin spoke close to her ear but didn't want to move her for fear of a neck injury. When he received no response, he grabbed a piece of ice from his drink and put it on her cheek.

"Rory, come on now. Wake up!"

A moan escaped her lips and her eyes started to flutter but not open.

"Rory, it's Colin. I'm going to call 911. I'll tell the others and be right back! Don't move!" Colin reached into his jacket and used his cell to call 911. He walked into the ballroom and frantically searched the slimming crowd.

He saw Stephanie. His girlfriend was dancing in the center of the dance floor with the two other girls left at the party. He rushed up to her and she giggled and stumbled, "Hi boyfriend. You're cute."

"Steph, you have to sober up. Rory's been hurt."

Steph stood still for a moment, her eyes wide. "What happened? Where is she?" She swayed from the alcohol, but adrenaline was starting to replace her buzz.

"In the courtyard. Don't let anyone see. I need to get in touch with Logan and Finn. She was supposed to be in Logan's room." He kissed her cheek and pulled out his cell, calling Finn first. When he received no answer, he dialed Logan's cell. He heard the ringtone behind his back and turned around to see a frantic Logan running up to him.

"Dude, have you seen Rory? I went upstairs and she wasn't in the room. I tried calling her cell and her jacket was still at coat check with her phone in the pocket. I just got off the phone with Frank and he said he dropped her off at the hotel around midnight."

Colin did not want to be the one delivering this news, "I honestly don't know exactly what happened, but I found Rory in the courtyard all bloodied up. Someone really did a number on her. I called 911 and they should be here any minute now."

As he was finishing his sentence, Stephanie walked up, smacked his arm, and gave him a death glare, "Colin McCrae, how could you play such a mean trick on me?"

Colin, rubbing his arm, was getting angry quickly, "What the hell Stephanie? Why aren't you out with Rory? Can't you be useful for one goddamn minute without me holding your hand?"

"Because Rory's not back there! I went out there in a panic only to realize you were playing a rather mean joke on me." Colin's eyes grew wide and he paled rapidly.

He turned to see an enraged Logan, eyes wide and hands twitching,"What do you mean she's not out there?!"

Colin didn't say anything but instead raced to the courtyard, Logan and Stephanie hot on his heels. He stood in the spot where Rory had been and noticed the trail of dirt that led out the gate and towards the street. He followed the path all the way to the street and scanned the sidewalks for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

About that time, the ambulance and responding police vehicle pulled up to the hotel. He raced over to the paramedics getting out and began to ramble, "I called you guys about my friend and she was hurt in the back in the courtyard but I ran in for help and we came back out and she was gone and she legitimately cannot die because I have several people in my life who will kill me if I'm the reason she's dead."

The paramedic was a light skinned African American woman who quickly assessed Colin and responded, "Let me go grab the police officer so you two can talk. You can give him a statement and description of your friend for the report." She walked away and began updating the police officer about the case.

Logan walked up behind his friend. "Do they know where she is? I called Rosemary and she said Finn had come back to her place, but his phone was dead. I told her that he needed to get back here now because Rory was in trouble."

"I don't know…"

Logan had paled to the color of snow and found his legs giving out from underneath him. He sat down on the curb as a buzzing filled his ears.

Rory. was. Missing.

Rory. was. Hurt.

Rory was the last thought on his mind as the world faded out to black.

After waking a passed-out Logan, Colin and Stephanie put Logan into the back of Colin's SUV and followed the police officer back to the station in order to give their statements. Upon arrival, they were asked to sit in hard plastic chairs near the front of the station and were individually called back to give their accounts of the evening.

"What the hell are we doing just sitting here?! Rory could be out there bleeding and dying and we're just sitting here!" Logan slammed his hands on his legs and put his head in his hands. The emotions inside him were running rampant: fear, anger, love, resentment, self-loathing.

Colin was about to try to calm his friend whenever the policer officer they had given their statements to came over to them again. "Kids, we have some good news. We've located your friend and she's alive. You'll be happy to know she's being cared for very well."

Logan responded immediately, "Where is she?"

The officer sighed, "Unfortunately, we're not allowed to give the exact location without explicit permission from that person in question and that wasn't an option when we located her. We're only allowed to let you know she is ok. We're going to close the missing person's report and you all are free to leave." The officer walked away and headed towards one of the back offices, leaving three puzzled young adults in his wake.

"Colin…" Logan's anger was very quiet. "Is he correct…legally?"

Colin kicked at the ground, unable to meet Logan's eyes, "I'd need to do more research, but from what I know…yes."

"Can you get someone on the phone who does know?"

"No needs to start a legal war up here Logan. We know exactly where she is, he gave us the perfect hint." Stephanie spoke up at this moment, holding the attention of the other two.

"What?"

"He said she was being cared for very well. Where else would an injured person receive the best care?" Stephanie crossed her arms and eyed both boys, waiting on her responses.

Logan's face turned red, but Stephanie cut him off before he had time to make any snide remarks, "The hospital. We just need to divide and conquer since there's more than one hospital with an ER in Hartford."

"Call Finn. The three of us can each take a separate one and Finn can take the fourth."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Rory groaned and flung her arm out to smack her alarm clock off.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

She kept feeling around to turn off the awful beeping when she felt warm skin. Her eyes opened slowly, the light from outside seeping into the room. She felt disoriented as she glanced around the room and realized she was in the hospital.

She noticed several bodies in the room: Logan (the warm skin who she thought was her alarm) was sitting in an armchair to her right, his head resting on the edge of her bed. Colin and Stephanie were in the empty hospital bed across the room and Rosemary was scrunched up on a tiny cot in the corner of the room. Only Rory was awake. She ran her hair through Logan's blonde tresses like she was absently petting a cat and he stirred.

"You're awake." He smiled widely. He kissed the side of her head tenderly, avoid the cuts and bruises covering a majority of her face.

"W..Water?" She croaked out hoarsely. Dr. Hullcolby had warned her she might feel strange after they'd gotten back her lab results.

Logan held a pale pink cup with a straw to her lips and she drank for a moment, "Thanks."

He sat back down and grabbed her hand again, "Can you…can you tell me what happened?"

Her eyes darkened measurably. They sat in silence as Rory mulled over her thoughts. What had happened?

Void of any emotion, Rory responded, "I can tell you what I remember. I had come back from my apartment and I was walking in the guest entrance on the side of the building. I had already been feeling strange, but by the time I got back, I could barely walk. Frank helped me inside and on the elevator. I got off on our floor when suddenly I felt someone grabbing me and hitting me in the head. Hard. After that, it was basically just a huge fight. I was kicking and punching, but I was so weak. The next thing I knew, the guy got one good knock to my head and I was knocked completely out. The next thing I remember is walking into the E.R."

She looked around the room and noticed that Colin and Rosemary had woken up as she was talking. Steph was still sleeping on Colin's chest, snoring ever so slightly. "Hi guys."

"What kind of tests did they run?" Colin asked, wide-eyed and pale.

She shrugged in answer.

"I…well I wasn't sure who you'd want to call. They didn't say how long you'd be here." Logan uncharacteristically stuttered, unsure how to handle himself. Rory seemed so…robotic.

Rory kept her eyes on the pale blue blanket on her lap and spoke as calmly as possibly, "They only admitted me for observation since I was drugged. GHB. Wanted to make sure I didn't have an adverse reaction. I should go home today."

Several intakes of air alerted Rory to the fact that her friends did not know that. She saw in her peripheral vision as Logan's face was a sickly green hue.

She looked over at Rosemary, "Where's Finn?"

The redhead sighed, "In the hallway. Want me to go get him?"

Rory looked slightly puzzled but nodded. Rosemary stood up and exited.

Rory turned to Logan, "I want Francine. Not my mom, dad or the Gilmores. Can you call her for me? Also, I'm starving…think you can find me a snack? Pop tarts maybe?" Her voice had softened towards the end.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. He looked happy to have something to do. "Absolutely."

Logan motioned Colin with his head. Colin got the jist, "Rory, now that you're awake, I'm going to take Ms. I-Drank-Too-Much home. We'll come check on you soon."

She smiled, but it hurt so she stopped quickly, "Thanks Colin."

He silently picked up Stephanie and exited behind Logan. The sleeping blonde never woke up.

In the space where Colin exited, Rosemary entered with a sheepish Finn behind her. He somehow managed to look much older and younger in the same moment. His haphazard hair and face scruff aged him, but he seemed to be hiding behind Rosemary like he was a young child scared to show his face.

"Finn…" Rory's voice was shaky, but it forced the Australian to look her in the eyes.

"I need you." Big fat crocodile tears were running down her face and burning some of the open wounds. Fast as lightning, Finn was laying down beside her in the bed and sobbing on the top of her head. She sobbed with him and the entire room echoed with their pain. Rosemary sighed in relief and exited the room, leaving the best friends alone.

They stayed in this position for a long time, until they were interrupted by Dr. Hullcolby.

Dr. Hullcolby, an attractive middle-aged Asian woman with long black hair, eyed the pair with a soft smile, "Rory, can we have a few minutes to talk?"

Rory glanced up at Finn, "Is it okay if Finn stays? He's my brother and can hear anything you have to say. He's on my release."

The doctor looked down at her chart, "Indeed. Well, first I wanted to let you know that the blood and vaginal swabs came back negative for all the STI's we can test for. You'll have to come back in six weeks for an HIV test, but we'll have you on medication until then for safe measure. You've already gotten the dose of emergency contraceptive. We'll do another blood draw to make sure all the GHB is out of your system. If it is, we'll start up the papers for your discharge. I'll send home a starter pack of bandages for those cuts and some pain medication to help with the healing. I want you on strict best rest for a week. I'll write a letter for your teachers and anyone else who needs it. My nurse will have it in your discharge packet. Any questions?"

Rory's face held a glazed look, so she simply shook her head.

Dr. Hullcolby's face softened even more, "Rory, you survived. Hold onto that until you can figure everything else out. A victim advocate will come give you a few resources before you're discharged and recommend local therapists and groups that meet. You will get through this."

The doctor turned her attention to Finn, "She's going to need a strong support system. Keep her close." Finn nodded and tucked his head further down behind Rory's.

The silence was deafening between the two.

Finally, Finn broke the silence, "Did he.." He couldn't finish the sentence, his voice too thick with emotion.

"Finn, he raped me too."

And the tears started again.