So here is the next (and last) chapter for today. It's possibly a difficult read but this will pretty much be the worst it will get.

Chapter 4.

Joey was sitting in the waiting room, hoping to hear about Lauren soon. It had been more than an hour since they'd arrived at the hospital and she'd been whisked away to be treated as soon as they were through the doors. Joey was getting more and more agitated as the minutes ticked by. He glanced at his watch and saw the time was almost six in the morning. Maybe he should try calling her parents again? Then again, he wasn't sure if that was what she would want. It sounded like she'd had a pretty big row with them the day before so he decided he'd wait until he'd spoken to her.

"Lauren Branning?" a nurse asked.

"I'm her cousin." He said, standing up. "How is she?"

"Come with me, sir." She said. Joey followed after her, through the double doors and finding many people in the room. "Doctor Welsh, this is Lauren's cousin."

"Ah..." He walked over to him, consulting his notes, "Does she have any other family coming down? Next of kin?"

"I haven't been able to get through to her parents and she doesn't get on with them that well so I'd like to check with her before I try them again." Joey said, "Lauren and I are family, in the mean time, I'm sure I can help you with any questions you have," he added. It was a slight lie as he barely knew her in great detail but he couldn't stand the thought of not being here with her now. He couldn't leave her on her own.

"Okay, well, your cousin has been through a lot, I'm afraid." He said.

"Do you know what happened to her?"

He nodded, "We fear we do. There is a large quantity of alcohol in her system and you were obviously aware she'd been beaten." He glanced over at Lauren, "A doctor will be coming down shortly to do some other tests on her."

"What sort of tests?" Joey asked.

The doctor looked uncomfortable, "There is evidence she may have been assaulted. The doctor will be doing a rape kit to collect any evidence she can and examine her so we'll have a better idea then."

Joey paled at hearing the doctor speak those words. "Is she awake?"

"She briefly recovered consciousness when she first got here but we've given her a mild sedative because she became quite distressed."

"Can I see her?" Joey asked in a whisper.

"Yes. For a while at least." Dr. Welsh said, "When they come to do the tests, the doctor will ask you to leave Lauren while that's done."

"What other injuries does she have?"

"Her cheekbone is fractured. As is her clavicle and a bone is chipped in her left wrist. Her right arm is broken in two places. Several of her ribs are broken or cracked. There are also many cuts and bruises. A nurse will be suturing the worst cuts in a few minutes."

"When will she be able to go home?"

"It depends on how she is when she wakes up again and also if the bones can be realigned properly with casts. If that's not possible she may require surgery which will mean a longer stay in hospital."

*JL*JL*

Joey walked quietly over to Lauren's bed. A nurse brought a chair over for him to sit on and he dragged it closer to the bed, sitting on it and staring at her face. There were bruises and cuts all over her face, which in itself was slightly swollen at her jaw and cheek yet she still managed to look beautiful, "Hi Lauren... It's Joey," he whispered to her. He wanted to touch her, offer her some physical comfort but he was scared he would hurt her even more or scare her if she was to wake. He moved his arm and rested it on the pillow, his fingers lightly brushing her hair back from her forehead, his eyes moving over her face and checking the cuts and bruises she had. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Lauren." He said softly.

*JL*JL*

Joey was sitting out in the waiting room again while the female doctor did the tests needed. He felt sick at the thought of someone doing that to his cousin, or any other women come to that. Why her though? He got to his feet and began to pace backwards and forwards, his frustration at the situation building within him. He pulled out his mobile and saw the time was now half eight. He thought again about phoning her house but he couldn't do it. He couldn't until he knew it was what Lauren wanted.

*JL*JL*

"You can go back in and see her now..." a nurse said to him softly, startling him from his thoughts.

He walked in and saw Dr. Welsh standing near Lauren's bed. He rushed over to her and stood the other side of the bed, "What did the tests show?" Joey asked.

"We'll be able to give Lauren the results in a while. We're rushing them through, given the seriousness of what has happened." He replied cautiously.

Lauren stirred on the bed and Joey carefully took her fingers in his and leaned down by the bed, "Lauren, it's me, Joey." He told her gently. His other hand brushed her hair back from her face, pushing it behind her ear. "Can you hear me, darling?" he whispered. She moaned softly, moving slightly and groaning in pain. "It's okay, Lauren. I'm here for you." He said, leaning forward and kissing her softly on the cheek. He sat down beside the bed, staring at his cousin and wondering what was bringing this reaction out in him. He didn't know her that well. And despite his intrigue with her he'd hardly spent any time with her in the few months he'd been on the square. Joey couldn't deny though that he felt something for her. He felt the urge to protect and care for her. He just hoped she would let him do that.

*JL*JL*

Lauren tried to open her eyes, wincing as the harsh lighting of the room hit her retinas. "Mmm." She moaned.

"Lauren?"

His voice startled her and she turned her head and peered at him through her heavy eyes. "Joey...?" she breathed, "What happened?"

"Let me get your doctor..." he said, trying to stand but her hand squeezed his tightly and she wouldn't let go.

"Tell me, Joey."

He sat back down and lifted her hand in his, "You were found outside the tube station. You'd been attacked, beaten." He told her gently, not mentioning his involvement at all. "Do you remember anything?" he asked her.

"No." She whispered although Joey wasn't sure he believed her. He could see the fear on her face and deep within her eyes.

"Do you want me to call your parents?" he asked. She shook her head, tears falling down her face. "Okay..." He leant down and kissed her bruised knuckles gently, again wondering what was going on with him. This was not how he usually behaved.

*JL*JL*

She was sleeping on the bed and Joey still sat at her side. He could see she was starting to feel the pain more as she moaned gently and shifted on the bed. He moved closer to her again when he saw tears on her face, his thumb tenderly brushing them away. Her eyes opened and she stared at him, watching him carefully.

"Can I go home soon?" she whispered.

"We'll ask the doctor when he's next here." He told her, "I spoke to your dad when we were on our way here in the ambulance." Her eyes widened, "I got the impression you had some sort of row yesterday." She nodded, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really..." she answered.

"You can trust me, babe." He said to her, "You do know that, don't you?"

"Yes." He stared at her and saw the resignation on her face when she realised he wasn't going to give up. "Mum and dad were having a go at me about the number of nights I go out and the amount I drink." She swallowed, "I guess they were right though, weren't they? This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been drinking, would it?"

"You don't know that, Lauren."

"I think we both do." She said bitterly.

"So what happened after the row?" he asked her.

"I started to leave the house and Dad told me that if I walked out of the door..." She stopped speaking, her eyes closing.

"If you walked out of the door, what?" he prodded, hating to push her but needing to know.

"He basically said not to bother coming back." She whispered and Joey clenched the fist he wasn't holding her hand with. "When I got home last night I went back to the house but the keys wouldn't open the door. I couldn't get in the house. I was going back to the station so I could get some money out and get a cab to a friend from school."

"I thought you said you didn't remember?" he asked her gently.

"It's only bits..." she said, tears rolling down her face once more.

*JL*JL*

"Lauren, my name is Dr. Welsh. I've been treating you since you arrived here." The doctor explained to her gently. "I'd like to go through some test results with you." He looked in Joey's direction and Joey got to his feet, respecting Lauren's privacy while the doctor broke the news to her.

She squeezed his hand as tight as she could. "You can say anything in front of Joey. He's family," Lauren whispered.

The doctor cleared his throat, "Okay, if you're sure. As you can see you've got a cast on your left wrist, a small bone was chipped. Your other arm is broken in two places. That arm is also in a cast. We've taken x-rays and we've managed to realign the bones in place without the need for surgery so they should heal nicely but you'll need to come back for a check up so we can confirm everything is still okay in a few weeks time. Your cheekbone and clavicle are both fractured and you have several broken and fractured ribs." Joey squeezed her hand gently. "There is another matter I need to discuss with you, Lauren. It's of a delicate nature."

"It's okay." She whispered, instinctively trusting Joey.

"We did some other tests after we'd sedated you when you first got here."

"What sort of tests?" she asked hesitantly.

"When you arrived it appeared you may have been assaulted. We had a female doctor do a rape test kit on you so the police will have the evidence they need if they catch someone." Lauren said nothing but her fingers tightened on Joey's. "We rushed the results through and I'm afraid it's not good news, Lauren."

"Tell me?" she murmured.

"From the results and what the doctor saw when she examined you, it confirmed you were raped." He looked at the file, although it was just a delaying tactic, "the results show there were at least five separate samples." He added gently.

"Five!?" Joey gasped and Lauren pulled her hand from his, closing her eyes and letting the tears run down her face as she processed all this information.

"I'll leave you with your cousin." Dr. Welsh said softly, closing the curtain surrounding her bed as he left.

Joey stared at Lauren, seeing the emotions openly written across her face, "I suppose you think I deserve it?" she whispered, unable to look at him.

"No, I don't, Lauren." He said truthfully, "I would never think that of you. No woman ever deserves something like this to happen to her." Yes, he'd been shocked when he heard the doctor saying that five men had done this to her but he could never blame her for what happened. She wouldn't have had a chance against five men, drunk or sober.

"I thought I'd dreamt it..." she whispered.

"You remember?"

"There are gaps." She whispered.

"You can get through this, Lauren. I'm gonna be here for you, I promise. If you'll let me," he told her gently. The corners of her mouth lifted in the smallest of smiles. "I really think I should call your parents." He added softly.

This seemed to upset her more than what the doctor had told her, "I don't want to see them. I don't want them to know." She begged him earnestly. He looked at her in surprise, "Please Joey. Do this for me?"

"Okay." He reluctantly agreed although he knew he wasn't going to give up trying to convince her.

TBC

A/N: Sorry! I promise it get's better for Lauren from here. Which is obvious because Joey's with her now... Send me a review and let me know your thoughts... No flames though please!