Saving Jane

Chapter Eight: "She Believed Him."

A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one. Nasty internet problems. Ugh! Anyhoooooo, a big thank you to ShesGotHighHopes for being so encouraging. This one's for you!

XOXO

~ Jane

Jane-G

"What the fuck did they do to you, Janie?" Dom whispered softly into Jane's hair. "What the fuck did they do?"

She didn't bother answering; she was too busy soaking his shirt with her pent up tears. She'd never cried while being held before. It felt strange, yet wonderful, as though no one could hurt her. Feeling so safe in Dom's arms her tears soon stopped flowing freely and she simply reveled in the feel of his protective arms around her. It was so stupid to let him hold her, to trust him; he could reach up and snap her neck any second, overpower her and rape her. It would all too easy for him. He was certainly strong enough. But she didn't care, not when she felt so safe and cared for. She couldn't find it within herself to care; she was too tired, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. Malnourishment hadn't done her any good over the years either. Maybe she should go see a doctor; her ribs her hurting a lot lately and it might be a good idea to see if she could get something done for them before hitting the road in a few days. And she was leaving – at least that's what she kept telling herself.

She pushed the unpleasant thoughts away slowly started fading. Her vision was clouding and she suddenly felt so exhausted that Dom had to catch her and hold her up.

"Janie?" he said in surprise, but she didn't answer. "Janie!"

His voice began fading, as well the sight of his concerned eyes looking down at her.

Damn it all, she was fainting! She thought that kind of thing only happened in the movies.

Dom-T

The hospital room seemed cold to Dom, and he tucked the thin blanket further under Janie's chin. He took off his jacket and placed it over her, careful not to wake her up.

It was about three in the morning and he hadn't slept, yet he felt strangely alert knowing that he was Janie's only protection. The others had gone home long ago on his orders, leaving him alone with her. When she'd fainted at around five o'clock that afternoon he'd rushed her to the ER, everyone else following behind in their own cars. He'd cut off everyone else ahead of him and demanded that Janie be taken care of; the nurses and doctors didn't resist for long, they weren't given much choice in the matter.

The doctor said that she'd been exhausted and malnourished for too long and that she needed to recover slowly. He had severely reprimanded Dom and Mia for the heavy foods they'd been giving Janie, as well as for not bringing her in sooner. The guilt Dom felt was overwhelming, especially when they had to take her into surgery.

He demanded that he be allowed to sit with Janie, even though visiting hours were much earlier in the day. He hadn't left her alone since, only walking around the room to stretch his legs and use the john, and even then he kept the door open so he could hear her if she called for him.

The kiss of exhaustion hadn't quite caught up to him yet – he was still running on the adrenaline of fear from when Janie had fallen into his arms hours before. Rushing her to the hospital like a madman hadn't helped.

And now he was just sitting there in that cold little hospital room waiting for something to fucking happen.

"Dom…"

Jane-G

Jane's eyes shot open and she took in her surroundings from the corners of her eyes, an old habit she'd formed out of brutal necessity. Cold, plain, white. An iv stood next to her, the metal glinting at her. The barest movement of her arm told her that the iv was connected to her right arm, which felt weak and limp. On her other side, she saw Dom, head down, a look of contemplation on his attractive face. She felt the warmth of his hand on hers, and something inside her brightened a little. There was no reasonable explanation for it, but then again reason had often escaped her of late.

"Dom…" she whispered, mostly to herself.

She turned her head to look at him as his shot up. He looked like a deer caught in her headlights. She smiled at him, a soft, hazy look in her eyes. She began to wonder if she was even conscious.

"Janie?" Dom said. He looked concerned, poor man.

"I'm fine," she said. "I scared you though, didn't I?"

She gave him a mischievous wink, feeling in the mood to flirt for some unholy reason. In the recesses of her mind she knew she'd regret it later, but she just couldn't seem to help herself.

"I like your eyes," she said, curling on her side facing him. She snuggled deeper into the thin blanket and watched him. "They're like hot chocolate in the winter time; makes me feel all warm."

She sighed and imagined that this was what it must feel like to be high or drunk, like floating on a light, fluffy pink cloud of warmth and fun. She felt kind of silly. She giggled.

Dom looked at her with confusion and more concern. What a stick in the mud…

"Janie, you're not talking sense," he said. "It's the drugs, the morphine they gave you."

"Morphine?" she said with a high-pitched giggle. "Why would I need morphine? I'm not in pain!"

She tried to get up to show him but he pushed her back down by the shoulders.

"They had to do surgery. You almost died on the operating table, Janie." Poor Dom looked sick from the thought. She felt sorry for him.

Then the word 'surgery' registered in her brain.

"Surgery?" she said, suddenly beginning to feel tired. She looked in his eyes, sorrow and shame filling her heart. "You know then, don't you? You all do?"

They knew about her scars. The beatings. Everything. She'd get taken away. Thrown into the unforgiving, merciless System that other abused teens were forced into. Her life would be over…

"Yeah, Janie, I know. And nothing bad is gonna happen to you, do you understand? Nothing!" he whispered. His eyes met hers unflinchingly, and she smiled.

For reasons she couldn't quite understand, she believed him.