Dani was out of hospital and at home, physically recovering quite well. She still ached in certain places but there was nothing that would cause long term damage. Her mind, however, was in tatters. She was jumpy and untrusting, frightened and alone. Even in a crowded room, she felt like the only one there because no one knew, no one could help. Her family had been a great help, giving her space when she wanted it and help when she needed it but they could not comprehend how she was feeling and thinking. Jade tried to be around her older sister all the time, as if she was protecting her but this just made Dani feel uncomfortable. Shelly was smothering Dani, mothering her to an extent where she couldn't take anymore. Rhys was still extremely mad. He knew and understood how vulnerable Dani was and he wanted the two men responsible for putting her in such a condition to pay for it. Brodie was trying to be the best friend she had been in the past few years but things weren't the same anymore. Dani was glad of her company though. Brodie was someone who didn't ask too many questions and always said the right thing to make her feel better. Kirsty, however, didn't come near Dani. She was racked with guilt over her feelings for Kane and had no idea what to do. She couldn't switch off her feelings, not for Dani and not for Kane. Kirsty decided that she had to sort it out. She had to find out if her strong feelings for Kane wer mutual or unwanted.
She set out for the wharf, where she'd arranged to meet Kane. She'd told him that it was urgent and important and that he had to be there. Kane was curious and rushed there as soon as he could. When he arrived, he saw Kirsty, sitting down on a rock, looking like she had the world's troubles on her shoulders.
"Hey, Kirst, don't look so down, eh?"
"What's there to be happy about, Kane?"
Kane didn't have an answer. He didn't want to be too pushy or arrogant and mention himself so he stayed quiet.
"Exactly! This is a mess, Kane."
"It's not a mess."
"It is, we don't even..."
"What?"
"I need to know how you feel about me, Kane."
Kirsty's question frightened Kane. He'd never expressed his feelings before and it embarrassed him to just say how he felt. The truth was that he loved Kirsty like he'd loved no other. Kirsty was special and he wanted her to know that.
"I like you, Kirsty."
"What do you mean by like?"
"I mean that I like you."
"Kane, don't be funny with me, this is important. I need to know if this relationship is worthwhile, if it's not then I've got a sister back home who needs my comforting."
Dani, Kane thought. If only he hadn't touched her, if only. He sensed that Kirsty was really worried about Dani, but he loved her. Could he tell her? He wanted to.
"So...come on, Kane."
"I...I..."
"KANE!"
"Ok, fine...I LOVE YOU!"
Kirsty was stunned. She hadn't expected Kane to say that. She'd expected him to say that he had strong feelings for her or that she was just a bit of fun but not that he loved her. That's when it hit her. Her feelings were strong, extremely strong...she loved him too.
Kane waited. It seemed like ages before Kirsty said anything. He was scared of her answer, he couldn't believe he'd just told her that he loved her.
"Oh my god, Kane, I love you too."
Kirsty got up off the rock and gave Kane a hug. The couple then kissed, passionately, ecstatic at their feelings for each other.
"You're the only person I have ever loved, Kirsty."
Kirsty was touched. Niggling at the back of her mind, however, was Dani and the rest of her family and how they'd react. Could she tell them? Or would it just destroy Dani totally?
Whilst Kane and Kirsty were revealing their feelings at the wharf, Flynn was over visiting the Sutherlands. He knew how troubled Dani was and he so badly wanted to help her. Only Dani and Flynn sat on the couch in the living room. The family had agreed to give them some privacy. Dani was nervous about telling anyone how she felt but she knew that Flynn was only here to help.
"Flynn...I'm scared. I don't know how else to describe it."
"You've every right to be scared, Dani, but what I'm trying to say is that you have no reason to be scared anymore. Josh is in prison and Kane obviously doesn't want to hurt you anymore, he saved your life."
"I know, and I'm grateful, but it doesn't help me up here. I still see them, I still see what they did."
"It will take time, Dani. Getting over something like this is not going to happen overnight and it will be hard work."
"I'm prepared for that, Flynn, I just want my life back."
"Well, hopefully I can do that for you, get your life back for you. No one likes seeing you like this, we all want the old Dani back. All I can tell you to do is think positives. As we did before, think of all the good reasons for living."
"The good reasons have all become bad ones, Flynn. When you asked me before, the first thing I said was my family. Now, It's different, it's all changed. Mum is totally smothering me and dad is just angry, all the time. He lashes out at anyone and everyone and that's my fault. Jade is trying to be all nicey nicey but, oh, she just doesn't get it. Brodie is great but she feels awkward around me and then Kirsty, I've not seen Kirsty lately, it's like she's avoiding me. How can all of that be a good reason for living?"
At the mention of Kirsty's name, Flynn had put down his head. He knew why Kirsty was avoiding Dani but he could not bring himself to tell her. She was so vulnerable and helpless, something like that could destroy her for life and make her do something really stupid.
The talk continued like this, going nowhere. Flynn thought it might have been doing some good letting Dani get her feelings out in the open but Dani wasn't so sure. It was like she was in a trap, trapped there for life and only Josh and Kane had the keys.
Whilst Dani was trying to rebuild her life, Josh was in prison, not quite knowing what was going on. He went through in his head so many times what had been said in the caravan and what had been done in the caravan but it just didn't seem real. He mostly saw Dani's face. The way she normally looked at him with respect and love but in that caravan, she looked at him with fear and amazement. He knew that Dani had not yet told the police what happened, she wasn't up to it yet but he'd given his version of events. He initially tried lying but it was no use. Kane, Dani and Flynn were all witnesses to what he'd done so he'd told the truth. He told how he snapped and just went for Dani. He'd also agreed to take a psychiatric test.
In Woodvale Prison, Josh had a cell mate. He was in jail for murder. He'd told Josh all about it like he was proud. He'd been robbing a superstore when the manager had walked in. The manager was his all time arch enemy and he'd shot him, five times in the chest. He was serving a life sentence. Josh told his cell mate, "Kracker", what he'd done to Kane but he missed out the parts where he'd hurt Dani. That's what he was most ashamed of. Over and over again he saw her face, the fear, the terror, it haunted him in his sleep but he knew it was his fault and he must pay.
She set out for the wharf, where she'd arranged to meet Kane. She'd told him that it was urgent and important and that he had to be there. Kane was curious and rushed there as soon as he could. When he arrived, he saw Kirsty, sitting down on a rock, looking like she had the world's troubles on her shoulders.
"Hey, Kirst, don't look so down, eh?"
"What's there to be happy about, Kane?"
Kane didn't have an answer. He didn't want to be too pushy or arrogant and mention himself so he stayed quiet.
"Exactly! This is a mess, Kane."
"It's not a mess."
"It is, we don't even..."
"What?"
"I need to know how you feel about me, Kane."
Kirsty's question frightened Kane. He'd never expressed his feelings before and it embarrassed him to just say how he felt. The truth was that he loved Kirsty like he'd loved no other. Kirsty was special and he wanted her to know that.
"I like you, Kirsty."
"What do you mean by like?"
"I mean that I like you."
"Kane, don't be funny with me, this is important. I need to know if this relationship is worthwhile, if it's not then I've got a sister back home who needs my comforting."
Dani, Kane thought. If only he hadn't touched her, if only. He sensed that Kirsty was really worried about Dani, but he loved her. Could he tell her? He wanted to.
"So...come on, Kane."
"I...I..."
"KANE!"
"Ok, fine...I LOVE YOU!"
Kirsty was stunned. She hadn't expected Kane to say that. She'd expected him to say that he had strong feelings for her or that she was just a bit of fun but not that he loved her. That's when it hit her. Her feelings were strong, extremely strong...she loved him too.
Kane waited. It seemed like ages before Kirsty said anything. He was scared of her answer, he couldn't believe he'd just told her that he loved her.
"Oh my god, Kane, I love you too."
Kirsty got up off the rock and gave Kane a hug. The couple then kissed, passionately, ecstatic at their feelings for each other.
"You're the only person I have ever loved, Kirsty."
Kirsty was touched. Niggling at the back of her mind, however, was Dani and the rest of her family and how they'd react. Could she tell them? Or would it just destroy Dani totally?
Whilst Kane and Kirsty were revealing their feelings at the wharf, Flynn was over visiting the Sutherlands. He knew how troubled Dani was and he so badly wanted to help her. Only Dani and Flynn sat on the couch in the living room. The family had agreed to give them some privacy. Dani was nervous about telling anyone how she felt but she knew that Flynn was only here to help.
"Flynn...I'm scared. I don't know how else to describe it."
"You've every right to be scared, Dani, but what I'm trying to say is that you have no reason to be scared anymore. Josh is in prison and Kane obviously doesn't want to hurt you anymore, he saved your life."
"I know, and I'm grateful, but it doesn't help me up here. I still see them, I still see what they did."
"It will take time, Dani. Getting over something like this is not going to happen overnight and it will be hard work."
"I'm prepared for that, Flynn, I just want my life back."
"Well, hopefully I can do that for you, get your life back for you. No one likes seeing you like this, we all want the old Dani back. All I can tell you to do is think positives. As we did before, think of all the good reasons for living."
"The good reasons have all become bad ones, Flynn. When you asked me before, the first thing I said was my family. Now, It's different, it's all changed. Mum is totally smothering me and dad is just angry, all the time. He lashes out at anyone and everyone and that's my fault. Jade is trying to be all nicey nicey but, oh, she just doesn't get it. Brodie is great but she feels awkward around me and then Kirsty, I've not seen Kirsty lately, it's like she's avoiding me. How can all of that be a good reason for living?"
At the mention of Kirsty's name, Flynn had put down his head. He knew why Kirsty was avoiding Dani but he could not bring himself to tell her. She was so vulnerable and helpless, something like that could destroy her for life and make her do something really stupid.
The talk continued like this, going nowhere. Flynn thought it might have been doing some good letting Dani get her feelings out in the open but Dani wasn't so sure. It was like she was in a trap, trapped there for life and only Josh and Kane had the keys.
Whilst Dani was trying to rebuild her life, Josh was in prison, not quite knowing what was going on. He went through in his head so many times what had been said in the caravan and what had been done in the caravan but it just didn't seem real. He mostly saw Dani's face. The way she normally looked at him with respect and love but in that caravan, she looked at him with fear and amazement. He knew that Dani had not yet told the police what happened, she wasn't up to it yet but he'd given his version of events. He initially tried lying but it was no use. Kane, Dani and Flynn were all witnesses to what he'd done so he'd told the truth. He told how he snapped and just went for Dani. He'd also agreed to take a psychiatric test.
In Woodvale Prison, Josh had a cell mate. He was in jail for murder. He'd told Josh all about it like he was proud. He'd been robbing a superstore when the manager had walked in. The manager was his all time arch enemy and he'd shot him, five times in the chest. He was serving a life sentence. Josh told his cell mate, "Kracker", what he'd done to Kane but he missed out the parts where he'd hurt Dani. That's what he was most ashamed of. Over and over again he saw her face, the fear, the terror, it haunted him in his sleep but he knew it was his fault and he must pay.