Thank you for the reviews! For the guest that asked, LAC means looked after child so a child in foster care or in a children's home.
Stevie looked down at her niece in her arms. Her love instantly poured onto the girl. She moved her arm to stroke the girl's brown hair. It was so soft, she just wanted to comfort the girl – to take all of her features in. She could sense that the girl hadn't heard what she had said to Faith. She needed her to know though, she needed to protect her. She wanted to show the girl that she was a safe person, that she was someone who Ellie could rely on.
"Ellie, the picture you have of your mum, Faith showed it to me. She showed it to me because I know who it is" Stevie explained. Ellie tilted her head to look at the woman. She needed to show the woman that she was listening, and she could carry on speaking.
"She's my sister, I am your aunt, Ellie" Stevie explained, and Ellie nodded. She was in shock. She couldn't get any words out. She was scared to speak, nervous to say the wrong thing. What did this mean? What would happen next?
"What now?" Ellie managed to squeeze out nervously.
"Well, there are a few things I need to check but baby girl, I will make sure that you are mine. I promise that I will look after you now. You have me, so now and forever" Stevie said taking a hold of the girl's hand before pulling the girl into her arms. She felt the girl wince as her left wrist was pushed between Stevie's stomach.
"But first we really need to sort out that cut and your wrist" Stevie said thinking out loud as she rested her chin on top of the girl's head. Gently, Ellie nodded but didn't made any attempt to move. They stayed there for a bit longer before carefully Stevie pulled away hearing a noise outside the cubicle. Faith re-entered the cubicle carrying equipment for the stitches. Stevie smiled, she could always rely on her friend.
"I'm away to speak to Dylan" Stevie whispered as she took a step towards Faith. Faith nodded.
"Don't leave her" Stevie warned glancing again at her niece, afraid to let her out of her sight.
"Of course I won't" Faith reassured her and Stevie nodded feeling comfortable now leaving the girl.
"I will be really quick, I promise" Stevie said going back to the girl and taking a hold of her hand. Ellie nodded and Stevie excited the cubicle. She gave one last glance back to Ellie before going to find Dylan.
"Dylan, do you have a minute" Stevie asked nervously as she noticed Dylan writing up notes. Dylan nodded and guided Stevie towards his office. They both sat down.
"You know that I wouldn't do this unless it was really important, but can I please finish my shift a couple of hours early?" Stevie asked quietly. Instantly Dylan worried.
"Is everything okay?" Dylan asked already knowing what answer Stevie would give him.
"Em, yes. Well, I mean kind of. I've just found out that I have a niece. She really needs me. I let Emma down and I can't let Ellie down. She's all I've got left of Emma, I need to be there for her" Stevie explained, and Dylan nodded. He definitely hadn't been expecting that.
"I also treated her today" Stevie said wanting to cover all her grounds, "but it was before I knew she was my niece."
Dylan nodded. That hadn't even crossed his mind. He could see how deeply this had effected the consultant.
"We will be fine without you for a couple of hours. Thank you for telling me, Stevie" Dylan said and Stevie.
"I'll still be in the hospital for a bit if something happens that you really need me for, but she needs me more" Stevie explained. Dylan nodded before Stevie excused herself.
Stevie near enough ran to the cubicle. She walked in to see that not only had Faith stitched up the cut, but she had also made work putting the cast on.
"Almost done now" Faith said smiling towards Stevie. Stevie walked towards her niece and stroked her hair.
"I'm here now, I've spoken to my boss, and I don't need to leave again, I'm here now" Stevie said as she kissed Ellie on the top of the head.
"I'll give you both space" Faith said smiling at her friend supportively, but Stevie grabbed her arm.
"No, please stay" Stevie begged, and Faith nodded. She glanced outside to ensure that she wasn't needed anywhere else.
"Ellie" Stevie said as she sat herself on the bed. She pulled the girl's hands onto her lap and kept a tight hold of her hands. She looked at the young girl.
"Please tell me what happened" Stevie begged. Ellie nervously bit her lip. She could trust her aunt, she needed to tell her.
"Please let me in, baby" Stevie begged.
"He's done it a lot but today was different" Ellie admitted. Stevie tilted her head. Ellie was stuck. She didn't know what to say or how to get the words out.
"Who is he? What did he do?" Stevie asked noticing how much the girl was struggling.
"John, my care worker. I didn't want him to do it. I've never wanted him to do it, but he said it was a fun game. But it wasn't fun, it was never fun for me. Then today..." She started to struggle. Stevie stroked her hand encouragingly. She needed the girl to know that she was doing the right thing.
"Today was worse than it had ever been. It hurt so much, and I needed to get him away from me. I pushed him really, really hard but he pulled me up with him and then threw me against the desk. I fell and hit my head" Ellie explained, and Stevie nodded.
"What was different today?" Stevie asked. She needed to know more.
"Usually he just used her fingers or his tongue but today…", she said before drifting off. Stevie looked at her begging her to say it. She needed her to say it.
"Tell me" Stevie said encouragingly to her niece moving even closer to her. Ellie moved her mouth towards her aunt's ear. Ellie needed to get the words out, but she was terrified. She didn't know how Stevie would react.
"His willy" Ellie whispered, and Stevie's breath was caught. She grabbed the back of her niece's head and brought it towards her rocking the girl as she sobbed.
"You are such a brave girl, you are so brave, my baby" Stevie mumbled into the girl's hair.
"Faith, rape test" Stevie said lifting her head up to look at her friend keeping her hands wrapped tightly around her niece She lay back on the bed and pulled the girl on top of her. Faith nodded and left the cubicle. Deep down, she was sure that this had happened, but she so much wanted to have been wrong.
Faith returned and explained that the Sexual Offense Officer would be on her way.
"Listen, they are going to do an examination on you, but I will be here the whole time" Stevie explained.
"What will they do?" Ellie asked nervously.
"They'll take pictures of all the marks and will assess you to see that intercourse took place. They'll take swabs to link it to him. Do you have your clothes that you came in wearing?" Stevie asked and Ellie pointed to the yellow bag.
"They'll take them too" Stevie stated.
"But they are covered in blood" Ellie admitted embarrassedly.
"I know but that will be evidence" Stevie said softly.
"But Faith said it was my period" Ellie asked confused, and Stevie shook her head.
"I really doubt that it's your period. It will either be your hymen tearing or tears of the vagina wall, probably both" Stevie said, and instantly panic filled Ellie's face.
"Please don't worry about any of this now. I will explain everything to you afterwards, I promise. I will speak you through anything you need to know about periods and puberty. I will also go over any questions you have about sex and what you went through today. I will be as honest with you as I can be, I promise you" Stevie said kissing the girl on the head again. Why was her little girl going through this?
Faith returned with the test. She had been additionally trained to complete this. She had debated getting another nurse or doctor to complete this but felt that she had the relationship with both Ellie and Stevie that it was for the best.
"I think you should get her into a gown first" Faith whispered, and Stevie nodded.
"Ellie, we are going to take pictures of all the marks, but it is easiest for this to be done if you change into a gown. Just keep your pants on just now" Stevie said "I'll help you"
Stevie started lifting the girl's vest top. Ellie was very hesitant about this.
"I'm a doctor, Ellie. I've very used to this. Let me help you" Stevie said firmly. She lifted the vest top off the girl. Ellie instantly covered her chest, but Stevie was just glad to have the top off. Stevie tied the gown before helping the girl slide the joggers down.
"Lie back on the bed" Stevie said as she sat the bed up. Ellie nervously did exactly as she was told.
"We need your pants off now. I'm just going to pull them down" Stevie instructed.
"No" Ellie said pinning her legs together.
"Hey" Stevie said, "Tell me the part that is worrying you the most".
"There is blood" Ellie admitted, "And I don't want anyone seeing down there".
"The blood is a result of the attack and what happened to you. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I understand that you won't want people looking down there, but we are nurses and doctors. We want to help you" Stevie explained, and Ellie nodded slightly. She was still nervous but allowed her auntie to pull down her pants. Stevie folded them and put them in another bag.
"You are being so brave" Stevie said as she sat at the girl's waist. She kept a tight hold of her hands and spoke comfortingly to her whilst Faith did everything she needed to.
"I've got swabs, and there is evidence that intercourse has taken place. I've also put disposable stitches in as well. It's definitely not your period" Faith explained. Ellie didn't understand half of what Faith was saying to her, but her aunt's confident stance made her feel at ease. They took pictures of all the bruises and marks across her body.
"Stay with her whilst I go and get a few things for her to change into" Stevie instructed, and Faith nodded. Stevie ran to find what she needed.
Stevie re-entered the cubicle, and Faith excused herself. She knew that her friend would be able to get the girl's gown sorted herself. They didn't need two of them.
"You are so brave" Stevie said when she returned. She sat back on the bed and helped the girl untie the gown. Once it was off, Ellie wrapped it tightly across her chest. Stevie started putting the girl's vest top on. She placed a pad in the new pants she had found and handed it to the girl.
"Just use the sanitary pad just now until the bleeding has stopped. I'll explain it all to you" Stevie explained. Ellie just nodded taking it from her aunt. She tried to do it herself but realised that it was really challenging with only one hand. She couldn't really use her left hand because of the cast.
"Let me help you" Stevie said as she helped the girl stand up and pulled the pants up for the girl.
"Thanks" Ellie blushed. They were just pulling the joggers up when Faith burst into the cubicle.
"They are arresting John, you might want to watch" Faith said turning to Stevie who nodded.
"Ellie, I think you need to see this too" Stevie said, "You need to see that he is being punished".
Stevie held Ellie in front of her and guided her to the waiting area. They were right next to the cubicle and although they could see John, he couldn't see them.
"John Branston, we are arresting you on suspicious of the rape and sexual assault of a minor. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention something that you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be taken as evidence" The officer said before handcuffing John.
"Come here" Stevie said as she put her arms underneath the girl's armpits and lifted her into the air. Ellie tightly wrapped her legs around her auntie's waist and leant her head on her shoulder. She doesn't think there had even been a time that she had been lifted up. It was such a special feeling for her, she had never felt like this before. It felt so nice, she hoped that she would continue to feel this way.
Faith came up behind them and stroked the girl's hair. She just wanted to offer her some comfort.
"Ellie" A woman walked over to them with a police officer. Ellie instantly held tighter to her aunt. She didn't want to be taken away from her.
"The police need to speak to you now" The woman replied.
"Sorry, who are you?" Stevie asked abruptly.
"I'm Lynn, Ellie's social worker" Lynn replied.
"Okay, well I'm Stevie Nash. I've just found out that Ellie is my niece" Stevie said direct. "My sister's …"
Stevie was interrupted before she could reply.
"Emma Nash" Lynn said, and Stevie nodded. It just confirmed what she already knew.
"So how do I go about getting custody of her?" Stevie demanded. "She needs me".
"Well, I'll see about getting her placed with you as an emergency for the weekend and we can meet on Monday" Lynn explained, and Stevie nodded.
"She needs to come home with me" Stevie explained, and Lynn nodded.
"Shall we find somewhere private to do the police interview?" Lynn asked and Stevie nodded. She still hadn't put Ellie down and the girl wasn't showing any signs of wanting to be put down. Stevie guided them to a free relative's room.
"So we can do a quick interview just now and then a full statement at the station on Monday, or we can go to the station now but it will be quite a while" The police officer explained.
"Quick one now" Ellie said and the police officer nodded. They had enough information to charge him with the evidence that they had found.
"I'm just going to record it now" The police officer explained as they sat down on the sofa. Stevie instantly sat right next to Ellie and took the girl's hands in her own.
"So can you tell me when this first started?" The police officer asked.
"Pretty much when John started working at Derry House" Ellie mumbled, "think I was 8 or 9"
The police officer nodded. Stevie closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Her niece had been dealing with this for over 3 years.
"And can you describe to me exactly what happened yesterday" The officer asked, and Ellie looked at Stevie. Stevie squeezed the girl's hand tightly and gave her an encouraging look, silently reassuring her that she could carry on talking.
"Well, I was in my bedroom because I go there quite a lot as no one will annoy me. John came into my room and locked the door. I knew what was going to happen because it always happens. Today, he said that I was ready for more, that my body was changing, and he could do more with it. He started how he always does. He pushes me back onto the bed and holds me down. He said that my chest was better now, that now he could do stuff. He sucked it really hard, and it hurt. He did that right the way down. I froze, I couldn't move. I learnt from the other times that moving made it worse, I was just to stay still and let him do it" Ellie said before stopping to take a deep breath. She had tears streaming in her eyes.
"You are doing such a good job" The police officer explained.
"I'm so proud of you" Stevie muttered into the girl's hair as she held her tightly.
"Then he pulled my pants down and like used his tongue. He said I was ready, and he put his willy inside me" Ellie said before bursting into tears.
"It really hurt, and he didn't stop. He kept moving and he was making lots of noises and somethings happened" Ellie spouted off. She became rambling, barely able to be made sense of.
"I'm so sorry" Stevie said as the tears escaped her eyes.
"We'll leave it at that just now" the police officer explained. "You did such a good job".
"I'll give you some time" The police officer said standing up and giving them some space. Stevie nodded as she sat back and pulled the girl into her arms.
"I'm assuming she's had the morning after pill?" The police officer asked, and Stevie nodded.
"When can we go home?" Stevie asked Lynn.
"I've got my manager coming with emergency paperwork" Lynn explained, and Stevie nodded.
"I'm going to get her discharged then" Stevie said, and Lynn nodded. Stevie stood up and Ellie was instantly at her side.
"No, don't leave me. Please don't leave me" Ellie sobbed.
"Okay, you can come with me" Stevie said as Ellie clung to her. Walking over to the nurse's station, Stevie quickly started filling in the discharge forms as Ellie lent against her aunt.
"Right, I'm going to quickly grab my stuff and get changed" Stevie explained as she walked towards the staffroom. Ellie was quick on her aunt's heels. Stevie grabbed what she needed before heading to the bathroom.
"Will you be okay to wait here whilst I get changed?" Stevie asked "There isn't enough room in the cubicle".
"I need the toilet" Ellie admitted nervously.
"Right, you go in the one next to me and wait for me when you are done" Stevie explained, and Ellie nodded.
Stevie changed as quickly as she could. She came out of the cubicle expecting to see Ellie there.
"Ellie is everything okay?" Stevie asked softly knocking on the door. "Can you let me in?"
Nervously, Ellie opened the door. Stevie walked in and leant back on the toilet door.
"What's the matter?" Stevie asked leaning forward closer towards the girl.
"I need to pee to but it hurts" Ellie admitted nervously.
"Oh sweetie, I know" Stevie said taking a hold of the girl's hand.
"Try to relax, you are okay" Stevie said as she bent down rubbing the girl's hands softly. Stevie stayed with her until she was sorted. They then left the toilets and were ready to go. Stevie quickly signed the emergency document and that was Ellie in her care for at least the weekend.
"Text me if you need anything" Faith said patting Stevie on the back. The woman nodded. She was glad to have such a supportive friend. She was sure she was going to really need her in the next few weeks. She had never looked after a child.
"You have been so brave" Faith said as she brought the young girl in towards her. Ellie relaxed into the woman's hold.
"Let's go home" Stevie said as she took a hold of the girl's hand. They walked towards the exit of the ED.
"Let me know if you need anything, Stevie" Dylan called.
"Thank you" Stevie said as she directed the girl to her car. "Jump in"
Arriving at Stevie's flat, it suddenly dawned on Stevie that she had nothing for the girl.
"Right, you'll have to borrow my clothes just now. We'll go to the shops soon though, okay" Stevie said, and Ellie nodded.
"Do you want to talk now?" Stevie asked and Ellie looked around. She was debating whether or not to tell the truth.
"Hey, I want the truth from you" Stevie said nudging the girl.
"I'm really tired" She admitted, and Stevie nodded.
"It's been a really long day" Stevie said, and Ellie nodded as she rubbed her eyes.
"Would a nap help?" Stevie asked and Ellie nodded.
"Let's get you in some comfortable clothes" Stevie said as they walked into her bedroom.
"We'll snuggle up in bed and put a film on" Stevie said throwing some jammies at the young girl.
"Sorry about the mess" She said kicking some of the dirty clothes into a pile. Ellie just shrugged before nipping into the bathroom to change.
"Em…" Ellie said after she was changed and looked at Stevie.
"What do I do about this thingy in my pants" Ellie admitted confused.
"Are you still bleeding?" Stevie asked and Ellie shook her head.
"Rip it off and roll it in toilet roll" Stevie instructed, and Ellie returned to the bathroom to do what she was told.
"I'll explain everything when you are more awake" Stevie explained, and Ellie nodded. She just wanted to sleep.
"Jump in" Stevie said as they clambered into bed "I don't bite, well I do when I'm hungry".
Stevie opened her arms and Ellie fell into them. She wasn't sure what had come over her, but the tears just started and when they started, she couldn't let them stop.
"Hey, everything is going to be alright" Stevie said as she held the girl in her arms. She hadn't been expecting this, but she was going to be there no matter what. Stevie lay rocking the girl until she drifted off to sleep.
Please let me know if you are still reading! Any idea if there have been any mention of Stevie's parents?