A/N: Thankies for the reviews, faves and follows! This chapter was difficult, but interesting :)

Disclaimer: I do not own St Trinians or its characters, I am only playing with them a little.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

A mirage of thoughts, sounds, emotions, feelings, they came to her.

"Please Annabelle, stay with me…"

A pressure on her lower stomach, it caused a spark of pain, yet it was nothing compared to the burning exploding around her skull.

Sirens, they came closer, someone above her seemed to sigh with relief, the pressure on her stomach increasing.

"A little longer now okay, just hold on…"

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

She was somewhere else now, something was moving quickly, she could feel the vibrations from the floor make their way up the metal frame of whatever it was she was on.

"17 year old Annabelle Fritton, stabbed in lower abdomen, two blows to the skull!"

"She crashed once on sight! Managed to get her stable on travel but needs an operation immediately!"

She managed to open her eyes a crack, then immediately closed them, the lights above her were painful to even think about how bright they were.

So instead, she closed her eyes again and fell into unconsciousness.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

Now she felt strange, she could hear things slightly, such as quiet conversations, a chair moving, muttered words. She could feel things too, the cool sheets below her, an uncomfortable pillow behind her head, something, thankfully, warm gripping onto her hand. She guessed it was someone else's hand, as she felt, what she presumed, was a thumb rubbing the back of her hand.

But she couldn't open her eyes.

"The doctor told me it was common for someone to go into a coma after a hit to the head like you had. Told me it could be weeks until you wake up, months even. God… please wake up Annabelle. This is all my fault… please wake up so I can apologise already, I'm sorry, please Annabelle, please…"

She couldn't take the sound of that person's pain, couldn't take the regret she heard in their voice. So she let her eyes roll back into her head, and fell into the dark again.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

People were talking around her again, this time it seemed to be two more girls.

It was obvious who they were the minute they started talking.

"Honestly B, what do we do with you?" an American accented voice sighed, the person ran their hand over her forehead softly.

"Yeah, we escape the cops and come too little old England, only to find it seems to be just as bad here."

The first voice hissed.

"Alex, shush."

"Don't worry Pipes, B's girl is sleeping."

"But the walls have ears Vause."

"Do they? Where? Oh my god, do they have noses to?"

Piper giggled, "Maybe, who knows."

"Then I feel sorry for Nichols' toilet…"

There was a snort of laughter, Annabelle smiled mentally, her two Yankee friends always knew how to cheer her up, even without trying it.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

"Now Annabelle, this is starting to get rather silly. Us Fritton women don't just lie down and take what the world gives us! We stand tall and declare that we won't be staying in this horrid place and that we'll be off like a prom dress! So you must wake up so we can leave this hospital, and get you home, to St Trinians."

There was a few seconds of silence, almost like this lady was expecting her to jump up and start singing.

That didn't happen however.

Instead the silence was filled with barely hidden sobs.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

The hand was still there, slackened somewhat, but it was still there.

But why was it there? In fact, why was she there?

What had happened?

She must have twisted somehow, in her 'sleep'. Because next thing she knew, a shooting pain flared across her stomach.

Then it all came back, the park, the talk, those guys, the fight.

The knife.

The pain.

The blood.

Red.

Red.

Just like before.

Red staining the white of snow, defiling the innocence.

Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump!

"Whoa! Belle calm down!" she felt two hands holding onto her forearms, the beeping in the background somewhere getting louder and faster as her panic continued to rise.

Then more hands were on her, she thrashed, thoughts coming back, memories. Then the hands on her were of those men, restraining her to do what they would please.

Then there was a pain again, she silently screamed as it shook through her. Something wet was flowing down her front. The people around her started to shout again.

"She reopened the wound, get her down to surgery, keep pressure on it."

Then she was moving again.

To where she didn't know, not that she could find out anyway, as the sounds faded out again.

~Ax~

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Annabelle frowned, that sound was increasingly annoying.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

She had told Chrissy about this, she didn't want to be woken up by stupid alarms, if anything an annoying song would be better.

Annabelle felt exhausted, she wanted to sleep a little longer.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

That sound certainly wasn't helping either.

But then her eyes started to twitch, the beeping increased in speed.

"Belle? Are you waking up? Oh please, please say you are waking up…"

The hand in hers tightened a little, the touch feeling welcome to her deprived sense.

"If you can hear me, then squeeze my hand, can you do that Belle?"

Her fingers tingled, she frowned a little, why was this so damn hard?

First, her little finger twitched, then her middle, until finally, all of them started to curl around the hand she held in hers.

There was a gasp, then a sound of a button being pushed, and then the hand tightened around hers again.

"Yes, that's right B, that's it, can you open your eyes for me too?"

Annabelle's frown deepened, her eyes twitching madly.

Finally they cracked open.

And like before, snapped shut again, letting out a light hiss of pain.

There was a mumbled apology and then the light from behind her eye lids seemed to dim somewhat.

"I've darkened the lights Belle, it should be okay now, can you try again for me please?"

Belle complied.

Everything was white, the ceiling, the floor, the bed sheets, her clothes. From what she could see, the only source of colour was the girl sitting besides her.

And god, when Annabelle saw her, her breath was taken away.

She didn't notice the bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, the red rimmed eyes from tears held back, the pale skin and old makeup on her face. Because she was beautiful.

So beautiful.

Kelly smiled, and cupped Belle's cheek.

"Thank you."

Belle realised she must have spoken out loud; she did not feel embarrassed however. What's embarrassing about stating the truth?

Then a nurse followed by a doctor speed walked into the room, and further conversation was stopped.

~Ax~

Annabelle had woken twenty minutes ago, she had been confused at first, lost on what had happened.

The doctor had to explain about the attack, how she had been hurt and that the men had been arrested.

But then Annabelle asked the one question all in the room were dreading.

"So… how long was I out for? And why are my hands and ankles tied down?" she asked, pulling uselessly at the bounds around her wrists, her voice was still painful and scratchy from misuse.

The two professionals in the room glanced at Kelly who nodded in understanding. The two left the room, leaving Kelly and Annabelle alone in the silence.

"So Kell… how long-?"

"You had to be bounded because you started to have some sort of terrors every now and then. You would thrash and re-open your cuts. So after the second time, they tied you down, for your own safety."

Annabelle nodded; she knew her injuries, a cut deep in her stomach and two head wounds from her fall. Apparently she not only hit the ground, but the bench they had been sitting on as well. She had a bandage around her head as well as the scar.

"But how long have I been here Kell?"

Kelly sighed and held onto Annabelle's hand, not willing to admit it was for her own comfort more than the brunette's.

"Annabelle…" she ran her other hand through her hair, knowing the girl wouldn't like this one bit, "… you've been in a coma for six weeks."

Annabelle froze, her whole thought process did.

Six weeks?

Six weeks of her life that she had lost?

She shivered unconsciously, it was too much like last time.

Belle glanced down to her arms, her eyes widening and her heart stopping.

Her sleeve hand rolled up, showing to all the world what was cut into her arm.

Kelly followed her gaze, her eyes softening as she saw why Annabelle's heart monitor had sped up so quickly.

"It's okay Belle, I know."

Annabelle ducked her head, she couldn't even move her hands to hide the evidence. She could only sit there with the scars on show.

Kelly wouldn't like her anymore. She would be repulsed. She would feel hatred.

That's all anyone can feel for you though, isn't it?

A voice snarled in her head, and that was the dam breaker for Annabelle.

She hunched over, her shoulders wreaking with sobs.

Immediately Kelly brought her into a warm embrace, letting the tears fall.

"It's okay Annabelle, this doesn't change anything."

Annabelle stilled.

What?

"What?" she voiced her thoughts, looking up nervously into Kelly's sad, but comforting eyes.

"It doesn't chance a thing. I will not. Leave you. Maybe one day, you could talk to me about it?"

She cared.

She cared.

She cared, and she wouldn't leave.

Annabelle started to cry again.

Only this time, she wasn't crying because of sadness.

A/N: Thanks for reading, please leave a review and tell me what you think :)