His Dolly

15. Never Dolly, never.

A pounding head woke Dolly. Trying to open her eyes, pain blasted through her eyes up through her head. A pained groan escaped her. "Hold up, hold up" A delicate voice sounded to her side. "Call Roberto... Hold on darling let me just give you a little something heeerre." The drawing out of the last word seem to match the sharp sting that suddenly appeared in her upper arm. Dolly felt the burn of something foreign invade her veins before disappearing again. Within a few minutes she could almost feel the pain shrinking back into the base of her skull. Still afraid to open her eyes incase the pain came back she decided to just let her ears do the work and listened to the world around her. Soon she felt the tapping of shoes on the wood flooring. The wood flooring alone let her know that she was still in the mansion, which lead her to assume that the tapping was Roberto. "What's wrong?" His voice was husky and tired sounding. The delicate female voice answered. "She's awake. I gave her the pain relief as the doctor told me. You might have a few minutes before they take her under again." Dolly could almost feel his aura as he moved towards her. She heard the scraping of chair legs across the floor before the smack of the chair being put in place.

"Open your eyes for me Dolly". Afraid to disobey him. She slowly opened her eyes and after a while of blinking her eyes finally opened wide but then returned to squinting. "Turn down the lights Dakota." As the lights faded Dolly felt a familiar hand graze across her cheek. Without meaning to, a hiss escaped her as the sharp pain ripped through her cheek bone. "I'm so sorry Dolly." The quiver in his voice in the last word made her turn sharply towards him. She took note of the single tear that he could not keep in. The single tear that now ran down his left cheek. She tried to raise her hand to catch it. She had no idea why. Her arm almost feeling like it was not her own just fell back limp onto  the bed. "I came back as soon as Miles rang me. I'm so sorry Dolly. He wasn't meant to be back till the evening. He won't hurt you any more I promise." He bowed his head afraid to look at her anymore. Afraid that more tears may fall or worse that he may see blame in her eyes. "How long have I been out?" A soft hand took hers at the other side of the bed than Roberto and the soft female voice answered. "Just less than a day and a half Darling. How are you feeling Dolly?" Dolly turned to see a woman no older than herself. She had long blond hair that was set into thick perfect waves, Wide blue eyes separated by a little button nose. "You... you tried to stop him. You tried to help me." The blonde girl nodded, the sorrow in her eyes was evident. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted. "Dakota" Roberto's voice was sharp and angry. "Leave" The blonde girl, Dakota scurried away without even looking back at Dolly. "Dolly look at me." She turned back to Roberto, a heavy fuzziness beginning to drift in her head she knew that she would be return to sleep in no time. "I'm so sorry Dolly. He should never have touched you. He should have known who you were. You should never have been touched." Dolly let his words sink in before the sudden realisation hit her.  Her anger gave her a sudden burst of confidence. "Are you saying it would be ok if it were someone else? If it were another girl?" She nodded slowly towards the door behind Roberto. "If it had been Dakota?" Looking closely into his eyes, he gasped at her accusations but he could not deny them. She could almost make out the guilt, the fear, the shame swirling behind his eyes. "Well, then I am glad it was me. She said, closing her eyes she turned away from him knowing that the darkness of sleep would take over soon.

The quiet humming of voices woke her a while later. "How is she doing?" Silas, it was definitely Silas. "She was so lucky Silas. The damage could have been so much worse. I keep pumping her with drugs, I know that if it wears off fully she will be in excrutiating pain. He could have killed her." A lowly sob escaped Dakota. "Fuck, Dakota, all I can think about is that it could have been you. I don't know what I would do without you?" Dolly could hear the soft smack of lips, knowing that Silas had kissed her. " He caught Annie as he walked in the door, She was just so relieved that he was distracted that she ran without thinking and hid. When I went to find out what had happened he already had he by the neck at the top of the stairs. She was crying for him to let her go. I saw her hit every step as she fell down the stairs. He's always been a bit psycho but I've never seen him that deranged. Was he like that all the time with Annie?" By the end she was full on sobbing. Dolly felt it was best to open her eyes to see if she could help the crying girl in some way. "Are you alright?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper. Throat pounded with every syllable. "Oh Darling. Rest yourself?" Dakota hurried over to the bed to try and stop the rising Dolly from sitting up. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her cheeks stained from crying. Dolly could help the sad expression that let her eyes as she looked on the girl. It didn't seem like her life here was easy. "I am ok Dolly." Dakota looked back at Silas. "Em... Do you mind sitting with her while I just clean myself up?" Silas nodded and lowered himself into the seat that Roberto previously held at Dolly's Last memory. "I'm sorry Dolly. I didn't hear you scream. I should have been there. This shouldn't have happened." Silas lowered his head, the guilt over taking him. He could not look at her anymore. Bruised and cuts littered her body. The left side of her face almost unrecognisable.A little pained chuckle escaped her. "Dolly? You spoke to Roberto then."  Silas' couldn't even return his gaze to her. "Listen..." Dolly was quick to cut him off. "I don't wanna talk about it Silas. An awkward silence filled the room. But Dolly didn't like it. "Silas... Dakota seems nice" Silas looked up suddenly to see an attempt of a smile. He could the pain she was in from the bruising was making it hard. "She is. She will take good care of you." Dolly stared him down enjoyed the distraction from taking about events that had caused her to be in situation she was in. "I can't have her Dolly. He will never let me keep her." The door opened to reveal the return of Dakota. She had a fresh face of makeup on, looking flawless as if nothing had happened. Silas jumped up to leave almost running. "Silas" Dolly stopped him from his exit. He looked back at her she could see how nervous he was about what she would say next. "It wasn't your fault". Silas nodded as he turned and walked out the door. Dakota started to move a few things around the table that was in the corner of the room. When she began to move towards the bed again, Dolly noticed the syringe in her hand. "I am just going to give you some more pain meds. I don't want them to wear off fully in between." Dolly nodded as Dakota moved closer as if to give her permission. "What was the damage?" Dolly asked. Dakota sighed."You were lucky Dolly. A few ribs broken but besides that just some awful bruising. The doctor said you were lucky you even survived or didn't crack your skull or break your back. It will take a while but you will be fine. The Doc will be back this evening to check on you. But you need to rest, Dolly." It wasn't long before sleep over took her again.

An angry voice woke Dolly. "Why the fuck are you even here? What the fuck is so special about you?" Nothing, she new that herself, there was nothing special about her. She didn't need miles to be pointing it out to her. But what had she ever done to him? "His best friend. He killed his best friend because of you? More than twenty five years of friendship, worth nothing because of you. Lar should have just killed you, would have been doing Roberto a favour." Dolly kept her eyes closed. If she could feign sleep just a bit longer she may be able to avoid him. She could hear the click of high heels on the wood floor. Knowing that it was Dakota, she felt safe enough to let the drugs take her back under. 

It was a while before Dolly woke again. Somehow her mind seemed to be more clear this time. She could hesr the voices of two men beside her. "She didn't deserve this Roberto. How could you let this happen?" She could tell the voice was lowered for her benefit but there was still an anger about it like she had not heard before. "Do you think I dont know that Matteo? Do you think it's not eating me up inside that I caused this? Maybe if I hadn;t taken her? She would be in this state? She blames me for it." Dolly could hear the heartbreak in Roberto's voice but still choose to stay quiet she wasn't quiet ready to talk to him. She still questioned what happened to other girls in the house. "No Roberto it's not your fault and I'm sure she knows that. She dosen't seem like that kind of girl... But you knew what he was like. God knows Annie was here enough from him..." Matteo just seemed to be getting angrier. "Don't look at me like that! You hardly thought she fell down the stairs that often. You can't have been that stupid or were you just that ignorant." Dolly herd the shuffling of feet as they moved closer to the door. "Matteo..." Roberto started but was cut off. "And stop faking Dolly, I can see you jump every time I raise my voice."

"Shit" She mumbled before she could stop herself. She opened her eyes to find both men staring at her. So she began to sit up. "I didn't want to interrupt. I'm Sorry... Nice... to see you again Matteo." She muttered, it still causing her pain to speak. Matteo returned her greeting with a little wink. Matteo moved towards her. Raising his hand he started to stroke her hair. "You gave me quiet a fright my little Irish lass. How are you feeling?" Dolly looked up at him as he stroked her hair like a pet. "Erm... better. My head feels a lot clearer." Roberto spoke from the other side of the room from which he still had not moved. "The doc was around earlier, he said you were doing good. He lowered the dose of your pain meds so you won't be so out of it now." Dolly nodded her understanding to Roberto. "I don't blame you Roberto." She said as she lowered her head and began to pick at the blanket that was laid over her. She heard movement around the room and then that familiar index finger curl under her chin to lift her head. When she looked up Matteo was gone and Roberto was beside her. Eyes up Dolly. She could almost hear his usual chant to her. She looked up into his eyes and saw the smallest of smiles begin to appear.

And so before she lost her courage she asked "Is that my future? When you get bored of me? Who ever can do whatever, whenever they want to me." She fought with herself to keep eyecontact as she spoke. She knew she was crossing a line by facing up to him like that. But at this stage she had precious little left to lose. "Dolly you don't understand... If you think for one second I will ever let you go you are sorely mistaken. And if another man were to ever tough you again HE WILL meet the same fate as Lar! Do you understand me Dolly?" With every word he seemed to move in closer to her. She nodded as she leaned back on the bed. He had never been angry with her before. His eyes were getting darker with each word. "No Dolly, don't be afraid of me... please. I will never hurt you. But the thought of someone hurting you does something to me. I can't control myself. No one will ever hurt you again but I will never let you go."

With his final speech he nodded his head to her and turned to leave. He looked back at her when he reached the door. "Never Dolly, never."