Keeping You Safe
Nico barely left her room to get ready for school. Though the worst of the pain was gone, it still hurt her when she moved. Her phone rang for the fifth time as Patrick left the flat and she answered. "Hey.."
"What's wrong?" Dylan questioned, seeing Patrick get into his car and drive away, he looked up at the flat.
"Nothing, just don't feel too good that's all." Nico sighed, standing in front of the mirror, lifting her top to see her skin almost completely covered with dark purple bruising. Seeing it, she was unable to hold back the half sob, she bit her lip.
"So why are you crying? Nico talk to me."
"I can't." she said quietly and quickly hung up, throwing the phone at the mirror.
Maxine quickly rushed into the room, hearing the smash and she saw her curled up on the floor. "Come here..." she said, going to move her.
"No!" Nico shouted out, causing the older woman to jump back in shock.
Composing herself, Maxine knelt back down to the young girl's level. "Nico, I've been there. It won't get any better if you don't tell someone." She sighed when she shook her head. "Nico you can't let him get away with this, I won't let it happen again."
"You don't have a choice."
"Yes I do."
"How? Mum can't come home yet."
"She will soon."
"You can't tell her! It will make her ill again." Nico looked up at her.
"Nico, Sienna would do anything to protect you."
"I said no!"
Maxine sighed. "What about Dylan then?" She looked up as the buzzer sounded. "That's probably him now." Maxine gave the young girl a moment to answer her before going to the door, pressing the intercom. "Hello?"
Dylan sighed heavily hearing the voice. "Maxine let me in, I need to see her."
"Alright, come on." Maxine pushed the button and walked back to Nico. "He's coming up, and I don't think he's gonna leave till you talk to him."
"Oi! Why aren't you in school!?" Trevor shouted to his son.
"I'm on the way! Just got to do something." Dylan spoke and walked inside, shutting the door behind him so Trevor couldn't follow.
"Talk to him, Nico. Let him in. I'll be back later, I have to take Minnie to the childminder's." Maxine spoke and left the room, getting Minnie ready to go, and she left the flat, avoiding looking at the teen boy as she passed him.
Nico sighed heavily and slowly got up off the floor, sitting on the bed.
"Nico?"
"In here..."
Dylan slowly made his way toward her bedroom, not sure what he'd find. He walked inside and saw her, he knew something had happened.
Nico kept her eyes firmly on the ground, refusing to see the concerned look she knew he had.
"I know what you're doing." he spoke, walking toward her and he knelt in front of her, forcing her to look at him. "Let me help you."
"There's nothing you can do..."
Dylan shook his head and held her hand. "Don't protect him. It doesn't matter who he is to you he has no right to hurt you."
She shook her head. "I know he doesn't... but there's nothing that you can do."
He sighed and stood up to sit next to her.
Instinctively she leaned toward him, and he gently put his arm around her, pulling away when he heard her make a pained noise.
"Sorry..." she said quietly. "It's just bruising..."
"Don't you dare apologise. You've done nothing wrong." He told her.
She sighed and pulled his arm back around her and she wrapped her own around him. "You make me feel safe..."
Dylan said nothing, only holding her close to him, thinking of a way to get her out of the situation she was in.
Maxine returned to the flat a short while later, seeing Dylan's coat and school bag still in the kitchen. "Nico?" she called through, walking toward the bedroom, looking in through the open door. She saw Nico curled up on the bed, turned toward him, seemingly asleep, Dylan had his arm around her, a dark look in his eyes.
He looked up, distracted from his thoughts, seeing Maxine. He slowly got off the bed, being careful not to wake Nico. "Sienna needs to be told."
Maxine nodded. "But Nico won't listen to me." She spoke as they left the room.
"She won't listen to me either, but if you don't I will. I'll tell her everything, who I am to her, what's going on."
"You don't know where she is."
"Wanna bet?"
Maxine looked at the fifteen year old. She could see how much Nico meant to him, could see he was willing to do anything for her. "Fine." She nodded.
Dylan grabbed his coat and bag and left the flat. He ran to the bus stop as the bus got there and quickly got on before it left, heading toward the hospital Sienna was in. Once off the bus he made his way to the hospital, walking inside to the reception. "I need to see Sienna Blake."
"Can I ask why?" The receptionist looked at the boy with a strange look, taking in his appearance.
"It's about her daughter, she's... a close friend of mine, and I think she's in trouble."
The woman looked at him for another moment, and after deciding he was telling the truth, she stood up and showed him to Sienna's room. "Sienna, you have a visitor."
Sienna looked up from her conversation with Miriam and looked at the boy walking in.
Miriam looked at her. "I'll come back." she smiled and left the room.
"And who are you?" Sienna turned her attention to the teenage boy in front of her.
"I'm Dylan..." He looked at her. "I'm a friend of Nico's."
"And what are you doing here? Is she ok?"
He shook his head. "She doesn't know I'm here, she doesn't want me to tell you anything, but I feel like I have to."
"What's happened?"
Dylan looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction, trying to put it into words.
"Dylan!"
"I think Patrick's hurting Nico." He blurted out. "She won't let me near her, if I go to hug her or anything she'll react like she's in pain."
"What...? He wouldn't do that. He told me he wouldn't. He loves his family, he's changed."
He shrugged. "Maybe I got it wrong, but Maxine doesn't strike me as one for battering a 15 year old kid. And he's been acting really weird with her since the whole Peri thing."
Sienna sighed and rubbed her head. "Okay... Right. Leave it with me. Thank you for being a good friend."
Dylan nodded. "Sorry I couldn't come here with anything happier."
"It's fine. And Dylan?"
He looked at her.
"I know you're a bit more than a friend."
He dropped his head, smiling slightly. "Yeah... That."
Sienna smiled. "Well at least I know I won't have to come after you for hurting her."
He nodded. "I would never. You've got my word on that."
Sienna stood up and walked to him. "Trust me, I know. And I'll be holding you to that."
Dylan nodded. "Well I should be getting back." he turned and left, going back to the village.
Sienna watched him leave and sighed heavily. She had to find a way to get back to her daughter.