Chapter Text
Chapter 6 – Help
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The smile on her face vanished, she gulped pushing down the fear that started rising in her chest. Pat turned and pulled her closer linking their arms, “I’s ain’t gonna ask whas wrong, I’s know ya wonna tell me’s but I’s ain’t goin’ anywhere’s.” Pat continued walking down the corridor, Rosa relaxed into the older women, maybe trusting her was ok.
Maybe trust wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
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Pat came to a stop by an open arch of a doorway, the room beyond was long and thing with several cubicles on either side, separated by chest height blue plastic dividers. Shower head jutted out from the walls, shiny steel metal handles below. One lone drain lay at the bottom of each wall spanning the length of the room, the floor gently sloping towards each one. Each cubical had a small bench in front, large enough for one to sit.
Rosa stopped at the entrance; eyes wide at the realisation of what was happening. The grip on her arm tightened, a comforting reassurance that she was not alone. Pat turned her head, watching for a reaction, a signal she was ok but rosa was already gone. Glassy eyes stared at the wall, unseeing to the present.
Cold water ran down the Latina’s back, gaining a pinkish hue before slipping into the drain below. Her whole body ached, littered with bruises all in different stages of healing; she no longer noticed when new ones bloomed across her skin. No longer noticed the blood running down her back, from cuts that never seemed to heal. Tears didn’t fall from her eyes when the pain became unbearable, when it became too much.
She didn’t notice when the water stopped running, the pipes creaking as they shut off. Hands glided up over her shoulders, rough and callous digging into the marred skin, spinning her round onto her knees. The water splashed around her legs as they hit the floor, sending a wash of pain up her body but she was to numb to feel it.
No tears fell from her glassy eyes as the hands snaked into her hair. No tears fell from her eyes as her mouth was forced open. Shoving her down, filling to the back of her throat until she gagged. Harding more when she whimpered under him. Sometimes he would finish in her throat, forcing her to swallow before pulling away, leaving the small girl on the floor. Other times, when she didn’t do good enough, he would ram her into the wall, pressing her into the tiling exposed pipes scraping into her flesh. He was rougher with her, groping, yanking and pawing at her skin before driving hard into her. She had bled after the first time he raped her, she had cried laying on the floor beneath the shower, blood dripping into the puddles swirling like art in the water. Pain radiated through her body every time, and every time she would pick herself up and turn the water back on. Resuming her shower, pretending as if it didn’t happen. Washing away the feel of the hands, of him, from her skin.
Tears flowed down her face as Pat watched her, frozen in place no sounds escaped the girl beside her as she wept silently. Eyes unmoving from the spot on the wall. Pat wrapped her arms around Latina, gently pulling her into a hug, yet Rosa’s arms stayed rigid by her sides.
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Blinking as the façade faded from her eyes, and her mind returned to the present. Her silence turned to sobs as she all but collapsed into the arms she found herself in, grabbing at the person in a beg not to leave her. Rosa buried her head into the shoulder of the smaller person, as they rubbed circles across her back, soothing the frightened girl.
“Ya’s ok, I’s not goin’ no where’s” Pats voice was soft against Rosa’s hair, as if she was trying to implant the words into her brain, rosa sobbed harder as Pat repeated the words over and over until the sobs quietened and Rosa no longer gasped for air.
“I’m not goin’ ta leave ya’s alone ‘ere, I’m stayin’ right ‘ere and ain’t no one’s comin’ in Cupcake, ya’s safe ‘ere with me,” Pat murmured pulling back from the girl, Rosa looked at her, eyes red rimmed tears staining her cheeks. Her eye widened as she processed what was said, “why” her voice was raw from crying, the confusion that laced the words caught Pat off guard, “why would you help me.” Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke dropping from pats face, the words so full of emotion and pain unable to comprehend why someone would be so kind.
“Cupcake donna’ cry, Rosie look at me,” Pat cupped a hand to the younger’s face guiding her vision back to her, “I’s care about ya, ya matter and ya need ‘elp. I’s ‘elpin’ ya, cupcake, as I’s donna know who made ya mistrust ever’one like ya do but what’ver they’ve said, t’ere wrong.” Pat brought Rosa into another hug, her arms strong and solid around the Latina.
“Now, ya’s clearly donna wanna shower but ya’s have to Cupcake,” Rosa tensed under Pats embrace, fists curling in the older women’s shirt clutching on like a child. Pat though for a minute, Rosa clearly would not shower herself, so she started walking backwards towards into the room. The Latina burring her head further into her shoulder, breathing becoming ragged as they moved slowly towards the closest shower.
Pat continued backwards until she brushed up against the divider, pivoting so that Rosa was now towards the door head curled into Pats neck barely breathing. One step at a time they slowly got closer to the handle, when they were close enough Pat out to turn it on, the pipes creaked before water spurted out over the pair. Rosa cried out as it pattered down her, flinching as the feel of the cold water as it soaked her clothes. Her outcry paining the older women as she held the shaking girl in her arms, slowly stroking her hair wishing that she could ease the anguish the girl was going through.
After awhile of the water coating them Rosa’s cries softened into whimpers and her breathing evened out, “Please, please don’t leave.” It was so quite she almost missed it, but the girl had asked, pleaded in such a broken voice, Pat’s heart broke at the sound. Unable to trust her voice from betraying how she felt, Pat just tightened her arms around Rosa, hoping the girl would understand she was going nowhere.
Rosa relaxed over time, Pat had no idea how long they stood in the water as she calmed down, but slowly the hands unfurled from her shirt and the Latina lifted her head up from Pats shoulder.
“He’s not here,” the words were all but a whisper, self-reassurance that Pat knew were not spoken for her, she stayed silent wating for Rosa to speak again.
“He’s not here,” The words slightly louder now but without the shaking voice behind it, Pat turned her head to look at the girl. Her eyes although puffy from crying were no longer full of fear instead Pat saw hope and happiness all be it concerned happiness. Rosa unhooked her body from Pats, grabbing her hand in the process she stood under the shower water running over her face, a smile gracing her face as she looked around.
“I’m safe.” The words were soft but strong. Turning to the older women, Rosa looked down at their hands, hers grasping the older women’s. “Thank you.” It was quiet, barely audible but heard by both women, Pat simple squeezed her hand, silent acknowledgment that she’d heard.
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It didn’t take long for Rosa to shower after she eventually let go of Pat’s hand, the elder turning round to give her what little privacy she had in the shower. She stripped off the soaked clothes, determined to keep the shower as short as possible even with Pat standing guard, the uneasy feeling that someone him could walk in at anytime was on her mind. Washing and rinsing her hair quickly, letting the water run of clean the rest of her body. Turning off the shower Rosa expected the towel offered to her by the older women, having no idea where the other sourced it from but not caring she wrapped it round her body. Pats bent down, picking up new clothes before turning and handing them to Rosa, she’d didn’t know when Pat had brought clothes with her, but then again, she didn’t know a lot about what had happened in the last few hours.
Rosa dried briskly before donning the clothes provided and stepping out of the cubical with the sodden clothes and towel. Pat took the dirty stuff out of her hands and crossed the room into a cubical which contained a metal trolly, throwing them in, “Ya’ll gets them back tomorrow evenin’, clean n’ dry. They ‘ave a wash everyday n’ the number in ‘em makes sure they get ‘turned back ta ya” Pat answered her question before it was voiced as she made her way back over to Rosa, “Now’s Imma shower to as ya’s got me wet,” Pat turned her back and began her shower prep, “Can ya pick ma stuff up from the doorway Cupcake?”
Rosa nodded before going to collect Pats clothes and sat down on the ledge in front of her shower. The room was silent bar the sounds of the shower running and Pat’s scrubbing, it was a comfortable silence however allowing the women to think and relax in each other’s company. Eventually the shower creaked as it turned off, and Pat got changed. Stepping out she walked to join Rosa, offering her arm to the girl, who linked up and followed Pat back out of the room into the corridors.