Chapter 22
It was after midnight when five tired rockers boarded the private jet only to find out they would have to wait. Richie had filled them in on what had happened and the apprehension of what had happened to Dominique hung over the group like a thick cloud. They each found a place to get comfortable and proceeded to wait.
The pilot made his way out to the passenger area to speak to them. “Mr. Corinthos said to help yourself to the bar. He and Mr. Morgan should be here as soon as they wrap up their business.”
“Did he give any indication as to how long that might be?” asked Richie.
“An hour at most.”
“Thank you.”
For almost two hours, Richie’s mind was a hurricane as he waited for Sonny to return with Dominique. Was she safe? What had Santadio done to her? He tried to focus on the conversation of the other guys but it was difficult.
Finally, they all saw the lights of a car flash as it made its way to the jet and they looked out to see that it was an ambulance followed by a limo. Seconds later, the attendants on the ambulance were unloading a stretcher and bringing it up the steps. All five men watched silently as Dominique was brought through the living area and taken to the back room. It was clear that the situation was serious; her face was swollen beyond recognition and an IV hung from a pole at the head of the stretcher. Her left arm lay across her chest in a splint.
Sonny followed the stretcher, his own arm in a sling and blood on his shirt and hands. He was pale but moving on his own. He didn’t stop with the guys but continued on to the room with Dominique.
Jason stopped however and said, “The threat of Santadio is over.”
Richie nodded, then asked, “Did he have Dominique?”
Jason nodded, “Yeah, he did, and he shot Sonny in the shoulder when we got there.”
“How much damage did he do?”
Jason shook his head. “We brought her straight here. Sonny doesn’t trust the hospitals here so we’re taking her to Dr. Drake on the island. The attendants are with us and they’ve started an IV with pain meds and antibiotics.”
“Has she come to at all?”
“Not that I know of.”
The pilot announced, “We’ll be taking off in about ten minutes. Please prepare yourselves.”
The six men took their seats as the small crew prepared the jet for take-off. Once more, Richie’s thoughts were completely on Dominique. Santadio had beaten her severely this time and he was worried about the injuries he’d inflicted. It hadn’t escaped his attention either that it had been Dominique’s left hand. Where was the ring he’d given her? It really didn’t matter. He was going to put a diamond on her finger as soon as she was had healed.
As the jet leveled off, Jason unbuckled his seatbelt. “Why don’t you go back and sit with Nikki?” he suggested to Richie.
“Sonny won’t mind?”
“He’s probably asleep by now. He took something for the pain.”
Jon nudged him. “Go on, Rich.”
Hesitantly, Richie headed back to be with Dominique. He wanted to be with her but he was scared of what could possibly be wrong.
Stepping into the dimly lit room, he quickly scanned the room to see Sonny asleep in the chair in a corner across from Dominique. The attendants were sitting in chairs near Sonny.
“Can I help you?” asked one of the men.
“I just wanted to be with Dominique,” answered Richie nodding towards her. “Has she woken up?”
“Not yet but she has massive head trauma and we also found tracks where Santadio shot her up with drugs.”
Richie’s heart dropped. She had worked so hard to get clean and now this was a setback.
Moving to the bed, he took a seat beside her and tenderly reached out to caress her cheek….the one not quite as battered. “What did that monster do to my beautiful princess?” he whispered. He looked her over, taking in the bruises and cuts. Richie knew without a doubt that Santadio had raped her as well. He didn’t need to see those bruises and as the image of this man who claimed to love Dominique raped her ran through his mind, he felt a wave of nausea wash over him and he had to get away.
In the other room, the men looked up and Jon asked, “Are you okay?”
Richie shook his head as he collapsed in his seat. He hung his head to hide the tears that were sliding down at will. He managed to choke out, “No!”
Tico was sitting beside the guitarist and put his hand on his back. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Richie lifted his head and wiped his face. “He beat the hell out of her because she was with me....because she loves me. No one needs to tell me what else he did to her either. She’s told me everything he’s done to her in the three years he had her….in detail.”
“She survived it though….because she loved you, Richie,” pointed out Jon. “She had her dreams of you to keep her going and now she’s got the real thing….she’s going to fight for that.”
“What kind of life is she going to have if she never comes around? She’s got massive head trauma.”
“Take it one day at a time,” said Alec.
“And keep your faith that you two will be together,” added David. “She loves you a great deal. Tonight was the first time we’ve ever met her and it’s so clear how she feels about you.”
Jason spoke up, “Dr. Drake is going to give her the very best care and Sonny will fly in anyone necessary to help her.”
“I figured that,” acknowledged Richie.
Everyone settled in for the rest of the flight to the island. Richie wanted to go back to Dominique but the guys convinced him to relax and get some sleep; Dominique would need him later when she had woken up.
