051. LIES

Every passing minute began to take its toll on Rory's mental well-being.

Rory continued to fake a smile and push herself to make Doctor Khan happy, pretending never to be in pain or upset. She could tell whenever she said or did something that made the Doctor proud; a look of joy flashed through the woman's eyes as she nodded along, scribbling words onto her clipboard.

Even the simple "thank you" Rory gave her last night almost pushed the woman to tears. And so, Rory did her best to keep speaking, even if it was just her basic manners of "please" and "thank you" while spoon-fed jello.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Good," Rory said quietly. "Tired."

"Did you not sleep well?"

She hadn't slept at all. But wanting to push forward the narrative that she was getting better, she replied, "Adjusting."

"Adjusting," Doctor Khan repeated to herself, writing something down in her notes. "I can understand that. It might take some time. But, as long as you're not in pain or scared-"

"I-I'm not."

Reaching a hand forward, she caressed Rory's cheek. "That's good to hear, sweetheart. And look at your overnight progress with how much you're talking now! I'm so proud of you, Rory!" she exclaimed. "Is there anything you would like to do today, my sweet girl?"

Rory's attention went to the double set of doors. "Outside?"

Doctor Khan followed her gaze. "You would like to go outside?"

Rory nodded.

"Of course! That sounds like a great idea! It's a beautiful day."

After finishing her meal alone in her room, Rory got out of bed and went outside with the Doctor. She wanted to tell herself that she was just pretending to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful day, but she would have been lying. Just outside the bedroom door led to the backyard. The vast fields appeared to be never-ending from where they stood, and Rory wondered how there were no other homes in sight.

"Where am I?"

Doctor Khan secured her arm around Rory's waist as they walked. "A few hours outside of the city."

"Why?"

"Because it's a relaxing place to recover."

"Relaxing," Rory agreed with a nod. Her replies were short, but they were surprised by how frequently she spoke. "I like it," she whispered, eyes roaming the forest of a backyard.

"Me too."

Rory's steps came to a sudden halt as she noticed a man following from a few feet away. "Who is that?"

"Security." Stroking her back in a comforting fashion, Doctor Khan added, "A precautionary measure to keep everyone safe. But I, for one," she waved him back with her free hand, "Find it to be a bit crowding when they follow me around."

Rory watched as the heavily armed guard retreated. Eyes scanning every inch of the man's face, Rory realized she had never seen him before - which was odd, considering she had become familiar with Harry's security team.

"Who do you work for?" Catching the woman's side glance, she quickly added, "Nevermind. Sorry I-I asked."

"No, that's alright. I'm just still surprised to hear you talking so much," Doctor Khan said with a smile, "I was told you were a curious little thing. But I hadn't experienced the so-called Rory charm. At first, I was worried you didn't like me."

Eyes falling to the ground, she muttered, "You're the only one I like now. Let alone trust."

"Oh, honey. That breaks my heart to hear."

"Can you take me somewhere else to recover?"

"I can only be involved in your recovery. Unfortunately, I have no say in where that happens." Doctor Khan gave the girl a sympathetic look. "But to answer your question, I work for the Romano family, who-"

Taking a step to the side, Rory forced the Doctor's touch to drop. Hearing that name made her instantly regret saying she liked or trusted the woman seconds ago. If the fear across her expression wasn't already evident, one could easily hear it in her trembling voice as she whispered, "Y-you work f-for-"

"Rory, honey," Doctor Khan said softly, stepping forward, "Breathe. I work directly under Stefano - not his nephew."

Rory knew the name Stefano Romano, but she had never met him. However, her fearful, trembling body and voice didn't result from his name - it was his nephew.

Does Doctor Khan know? Rory wondered.

"I assumed there was something when Harry tried to demand Giovanni could never step foot onto the property while you are here."

"H-he did that?"

Doctor Khan nodded. "Oh, yes. It was quite the scene."

Hearing that only stayed in Rory's mind for a brief moment; that's all she would allow. Harry keeping Gio away from her didn't change anything - it was the least he could fucking do.

"What happened..." Rory looked down at her bandaged arm, "to me?"

"Let's sit." Doctor Khan led them to a bench and waited until Rory was comfortable before answering, "You were attacked in your apartment."

Rory's brow furrowed. "By who?"

"I don't know."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. I overheard that they wanted anything they could get their hands on that night... you know, money or jewellery."

Confusion washed over her expression over the answer. Someone went all the way to her apartment to find cash or valuable items to steal? On the top floor? Surely someone on the first floor would have been easier - and a much cleaner escape being close to various exit points.

"A-and then they-" Rory's eyes drifted down to her arm, "-they stabbed me?"

Doctor Khan placed her hand on Rory's. "Based on the angle of the cut, I believe they were being reactionary, which tells me you tried putting up a fight. Clearly, they acted impulsively, and you getting injured was the unfortunate result."

Rory's head turned towards the house. Something wasn't adding up, but the memory of that night was a blurred mess in her mind. All she had to go off of was the Doctor's word. And yet, hearing fragments of the supposed story didn't help paint a picture in her mind.

"Rory?" Doctor Khan softly spoke, regaining the girl's attention. "Are you alright?"

With a forced smile, Rory nodded. "Thankful," she lied in a whisper. "That Harry found me. For your help saving me." Watching the light breeze blow through the bushels of flowers, Rory tried to regain a sense of calmness. "I'm tired."

"Let's get you back inside."

Tired was an understatement.

Rory was exhausted.

Exhausted from being somewhere she didn't know and with injuries barely explained to her. She was drained of the lies and secrecy.

But most of all, she was exhausted from being in Harry's life.

She wanted to cry and scream out her frustration.

She wanted to run away from it all.

But doing so would take time. It would take a strategy and a plan to make it out.

Rory didn't care if her Dad would disapprove. If he wanted her to live her life until she was ready to go, she couldn't do it while feeling suffocated by the lies and deceit that surrounded Harry's world.

"Did you enjoy coming outside?" Doctor Khan asked as she guided Rory up the short set of stairs to the patio deck.

"Yes." Rory nodded. "Am I allowed to go outside whenever I want?"

"Of course. But just so you aren't alarmed, security will follow you."

Rory looked at the guards one final time before heading inside. "Do they stand there all day?"

"They do."

"That must get boring."

Doctor Khan smiled as she helped Rory get comfortable in bed. "They'll be okay. You just focus on getting some rest, alright?" She reached her hand forward, tucking Rory's hair behind her ear. "I'm very proud of you for trying something new so quickly and going outside. Maybe tomorrow we can try having a meal outside of your bedroom."

"That sounds nice." It sounded like torture, but Rory guessed her honesty wasn't the best approach to take and risk ruining the moment. "How did you start working for Mr. Romano?"

Doctor Khan's smile grew. "I was heading home after a late shift from the hospital, and I missed the bus, so I decided to walk. Not the safest option that late at night, but I was exhausted, and my judgement wasn't the best. Anyway," she waved her hand aimlessly, "As I was walking, I heard these grunts of pain coming from the alleyway right next to my apartment and out walked his tall, rugged, deviously handsome man. You know, the kind that makes you stop for a second and take it all in."

Rory knew that feeling all too well.

"To this day, I blame my exhaustion over being so silly towards a man's appearance," Doctor Khan teased. "I could see him holding onto his side and the blood soaking his clothes. He said he had just been mugged. I asked him if he was alright and if I could call for medical attention. After endless arguing, because he clearly needed a Doctor and refused it, I told him I could stitch him up in my apartment, conveniently next door."

Rory noticed how her cheeks reddened, and her gaze fell to her lap.

"Anyway, to make an already long story short, I fixed him up, and he went on his way. I assumed that was the end of the mystery man until the next day after my shift. He was waiting near my bus stop and offered to drive me home as a thank you. I gave him my number and said to call if he ever got mugged again, and the rest is history." The woman gave Rory a sympathetic look. "I understand not knowing is frustrating and hard at times. Trust me, I do. After two years of stitching up his body and pulling out bullet fragments, only then did Stefano tell me his name."

"It took two years? Why?"

"Because it was for my safety. Sometimes not knowing is what's best. The less you know, the better and safer you'll be." Doctor Khan got up from the bed and walked towards the door. "No one wants to waste their time torturing someone for information when they have none."

Those words should have served as a reminder; sometimes, knowing nothing was better than knowing anything.

However, Rory found it to be a load of utter bullshit.

When she knew something, she got hurt. And when she knew nothing, she still got hurt.

But knowing the role she had to play, Rory forced her infamous smile and nodded, pretending she agreed and understood the Doctor's thinly veiled warning.

Once the bedroom door shut, leaving her alone to sit in pure silence, Rory didn't plan to sleep. Instead, she thought of her escape plan; the length of time she would need to keep pretending she was getting better to earn their trust.

Even with a bandaged arm and no memory of how she ended up here, Rory was not one to be underestimated.

And she was determined to prove it to them all.

The hours passed on similarly to the day before.

Rory would rest. The Doctor would check in on her. She would eat and go through her memory tests.

Now Rory ventured outside a handle of times to go for a walk. She told herself it was a strategy, but in reality, she just enjoyed being outside. It was less suffocating than the bedroom could be at times. And it reminded her that she wasn't trapped in a box; there was still a life worth living outside the four white walls.

"She's dead!"

At the first sound of his cry, Rory turned her head to the bedroom door.

"She's fucking dead! And it's my fault!"

"Haz!" A voice that sounded like Colson's yelled. "Snap out of it! She's not dead!"

Rory couldn't hear anything after that aside from muffled voices and the sound of footsteps against the hardwood floors.

Harry thinks I'm dead? No, he knows I'm alive. I hear him asking about me whenever Doctor Khan leaves the room, Rory thought to herself. Doctor Khan even brought up their conversation to me! Harry knows I'm alive!

Her brow furrowed as her attention remained on the door.

So, why is he yelling that I'm dead and it's his fault?

Not wanting to keep staring at the door and have her thoughts go to him, Rory made her way to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. Staring at her reflection, for the first time in what felt like forever, she honestly looked at herself. It confused her, to say the least, to see the person in the glass. Was it her exhaustion? Or was that genuinely how she looked?

Dark circles around her eyes were far more prominent than ever before. The colour was drained from her complexion, making her look washed out. Her eyes showed no signs of life.

No wonder people thought she had died. She certainly looked dead.

Picking up her hairbrush, she slowly worked on detangling the knots from her hair. Doctor Khan usually did this for her, but Rory felt the need to do something for herself.

She moved the fallen strands all to one shoulder. That's when she spotted it. A mark. Pressed into the skin of her neck. Rory had never seen it before - probably since this was the first time she had focused on her reflection since entering this house.

Raising her hand to the spot, her hand hovered over the area. Hesitation froze her movements - like she thought it would hurt to touch.

Leaning closer to the mirror, she further inspected the mark. It wasn't a bite from a bug or spider - that she knew. Her eyes narrowed. Confusion filled her head. A puncture wound?

A figure suddenly appeared behind her. It should have scared her that someone could walk into her room in complete silence. If the Doctor could do it so easily, who was to say someone who wanted to hurt her again couldn't?

"I'm alive, right?"

Doctor Khan smiled. "Of course you're alive, sweetheart. Why would you ask that?"

"I heard Harry yelling." Rory caught the Doctor's worried expression before it quickly vanished. "He was saying I was dead."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"I know what I heard," she gritted through her teeth, a hint of defence lacing her tone.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to insult you. I'm just surprised I didn't hear it as well. Maybe it was the television? I always have to tell those boys to keep it down."

Why is she lying to me?

Rory forced a weak smile and nodded. "I guess the volume being too loud would make more sense."

"Well, either way, the only thing you need to be worried about is getting better. Now, come on, let me help you braid your hair for bed."

Rory maintained a pleasant look as the Doctor led her to the vanity and sat her down, but her mind was spinning. Why was she being lied to all of a sudden? What was Doctor Khan hiding by not telling her the truth? And if she was (somehow) innocent, why was she so quick to brush off her concern?

"I have a task for you tonight if you feel up to it," Doctor Khan said, running the brush through Rory's dark chestnut hair. "I brought you a journal. The next time you go outside for a walk, bring it with you and try writing something down. You can write about anything you want... whether that's what's happening inside your head... or something you like about the scenery... Anything. And it's up to you if you want to share it or keep it private."

And once Doctor Khan dismissed herself for the night, Rory picked up the journal and headed outside.

Instantly the cool night breeze sent a tingle down her spine and allowed a smile, a real one at that, to curve onto her lips. The pure joy didn't last long. Her joy dimmed as she noticed a heavily armed guard by the door.

Two more men stood a few feet away on either side of her. She took a step forward and noticed the two followed suit. Were they going to follow her every move? Raising a brow, she found the sudden desire to test her theory. She took another step forward. They followed. She took one more. There they were again, following right behind. She took a step back - trying to trip them up. And yet, like they expected it, both took a step back.

The game was only fun for so long. It only reminded her of where she was - stuck in a house on a vast property without answers to why she ended up here or how long her stay would have to be.

Settling down on the bench, her eyes roamed the expansive fields of green, wondering just how far they went. If she ran off to explore, would the guards chase after her or shoot her down?

There was a side of her that was tempted to test it.

Instead, Rory released a heavy sigh and opened her journal. She was at a loss for what to write. What was there for her to reflect on? The white walls of her bedroom? How she saw that stupid snowglobe every time she opened her eyes and wanted to throw it across the room? The sound of Harry's voice from outside her room? How she desperately wished her Dad would answer her cries?

Finally falling on a decision, Rory pressed the pen against the first page and wrote the biggest lie she could think of:

I'm happy to be alive.

At least that could cover her ass if Doctor Khan decided to betray her word and take a peek inside. Rory liked Doctor Khan; she honestly did. But even liking and feeling safe around her wasn't enough. Not when there were so many questions and unknowns looming in the air. And especially not when Rory didn't know when she could go home.

If she even had a home to go to.

Did her friends at least know where she was?

Shit. Benny and Mia must be terrified.

Pressing the pen back to the page, Rory quickly scribbled down a reminder to ask the Doctor about her friends.

Rory's favourite part of sitting outside alone was getting lost in the time that passed. She never knew how long she sat outside for; minutes sometimes felt like hours and vice versa. It always left a pleasant surprise when she returned to her room.

She felt she could sit out here for hours, especially at night. It was so quiet. Almost eerily so. But she enjoyed it nonetheless.

Finding pure joy these days felt rare, and so she knew to cherish this activity close.

When the brisk night air finally won, Rory got up from her spot and turned back to the house. She realized she hadn't spent time observing the place she was staying in from the outside. It was lovely - a cottage-style house with large flower beds. Eyes travelling across each window she could see, she guessed what rooms each one would be. A sitting area? The kitchen? A bathroom? She had no idea.

Her curiosity lasted a second too long as she noticed a familiar figure standing by one of the windows.

Harry.

He hadn't spotted her, or if he had, he currently wasn't looking at her. Harry was far too consumed by his phone call - one that appeared to be an unpleasant conversation by the way his jaw clenched, and he seemed to yell every word.

Not knowing when to pull attention away from something was a fault of her curiosity. Because that one extra second she spent staring at the house led her to his window. And the extra second she spent staring at his window led Harry to meet her gaze.

The tension in his posture instantly disappeared; his eyes softened. She noticed the way the crease between his brows vanished. His jaw fell slack.

Rory stared at him, and he stared right back.

She didn't know where the appearance of nerves had come from. It's not like he would come outside and try to talk to her. That's the last thing she wanted. And yet when he didn't make a move, she felt slightly disappointed.

Fucking pathetic, the voice in her head sneered. He only feels bad for you because you're broken. Remember? That's what he called you. Broken. To him, you're just a worthless, broken whore that-

Rory forced her eyes away from the window, shutting off the voice. With haste, she headed back inside and closed the door. The door was locked, but that didn't feel like enough. She moved the chair from the vanity and hooked it securely under the door handle. But still, it didn't feel like enough.

Nothing felt like enough.

Even in a house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by armed guards, she felt the most unsafe she had ever been.

Crawling into her bed, Rory hid under the covers and cried herself to sleep, waiting for morning to come and for her day to repeat all over again.

Unknown to her, Harry stood on the other side of the door.

A gun in hand.

Ready to take the pain away.

21/09/2022: just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you for 5K on this story. the fact that it's made this far is mind-blowing to me. love you all so much and thank you thank you thank you for your support. xo 

alright. now you had 2 chapters of peace. i think that's enough. 

let's just say, the drama is about to get... wild?