Hot breath hits the back of my neck as his harsh hands pin me down, as I struggled in fear, my mouth opening to scream but my head feeling too foggy, whatever had been on the cloth he had held against my face making me feel woozy. I had to scream, I had to... 'Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh'

My head hurt, the pounding in time with my pulse, other aches and pains feeling insignificant against the constant thump, each beat bringing a wave of nausea. I felt hands on me and whimpered in fear, my memories still at the front of my mind.

Something was over my mouth, I felt the panic climbing as I fought to stay free, to wake up and escape, I had to, he would take me again... my hands coming up to claw at my face, I needed to breathe...

The constant beep was soothing, I ached all over and the brightness of the room hurt my eyes, I sensed two figures sat in chairs next to the bed, they were talking quietly, but I couldn't make out who it was, but I knew they were there for me. I slipped back into sleep.

'Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh' my own scream woke me up, from the nightmare of my memories, my body rising against the tubes and needles attached to me and I cried out again in pain as my body took over from my mind. "Anni..." I hears Dads voice next to me, a hand coming to take mine as I pant, trying to quell the dizziness. "Dad" I whispered before black spots took my vision and I pass out again.

When I wake this time, I am more aware, I knew I was in hospital, the typical pea soup green walls and antiseptic smell, I turned my head slowly not wanting the pounding in my head to come back. Dad was sat in the chair next to the bed, asleep, he looked rough and I wondered how long I had been here. "Four days" came Virginia soft voice and my gaze moved to her, sat next to Dad. She looked as tired as he did, her eyes red rimmed and clothes wrinkled.

"I would ask how you are feeling but I think that's clear" she said, straightening and pushing a button above my head. "I am glad you are awake" she added, pressing a kiss to my forehead before nudging my Dad with a smile.

"Anni!" he bolted upright in the seat and his eyes found mine. His watering as he clasped my hand."Anni" he whispered this time. "Hey Dad" I croaked back as the door opened and a nurse came into the room.

Smiling at my Dad as she started to take readings, her gaze moving over me. "Well, its good to see you awake, the doctor will be along in a minute, but let's see what we can do about getting you comfortable" she moves around, showing me the controls for the bed, help me raise it so I am more upright. pouring a little water into a cup, and cautioning me to sip it.

A knock on the door precedes the arrival of the doctor, his gaze down as he enters, my notes in his hands. "Mr and Mrs Bennett" he shakes hands with Dad and nods to Virginia before looking at me. "Miss Bennett, it's good to see you awake, how are you feeling?" he puts down the notes and comes up to my side, sliding a pen torch out of his pocket and checking my eyes.

The bright light hurts at first but its not as bad as it had been. I tell the doctor how I feel as he checks me over, before stepping back with a nod and addressing us all.

"You came in with concussion and some lacerations to you side and head and other bruising, I understand you fell off a table" he looks at me and I nod. "Well, I think the worst is over, but you will need to take it easy and rest for a while, the cuts have been glued and will heal but will be very tender, your reflexes are still a little slow so I want you to have a further 24 hours observation before we consider discharging you" he took a deep breath before continuing, "You have also had a couple of panic attacks since you have been here and I would like to refer you to a counsellor, I understand you saw one previously but not since you moved here, would you consider that?" he asked and I looked down, my hair falling forward to screen my face as I shake my head.

"They don't help" I croak out, feeling my eyes fill with tears as Dad takes my hand in support.

"Maybe we can talk about it another time" he tells the doctor and I relax as I hear him agree.

"Okay. Now we will see how you feel over the next couple of hours and then we can get you off all these machines and mobile, I will arrange for a light lunch for you, see how you manage with that."

I nod, keeping my head down, as I wait and I hear the doctor and nurse leave. "Anni?" Dad asks squeezing my hand gently and I look up at him. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asks carefully.

"It was a set up to embarrass me, to make me run away" I whisper and see the look of pain cross his face. "Its not your fault" I tell him but he shakes his head denying what I say.

"It is, not directly maybe but because of your mothers lies, I had a patch where I was depressed and angry with everyone, Gini and I almost divorced, I felt I was to blame for everything that went wrong, with you, and with my new family. I pushed them away believing they would be better off without me" I watched Virginia wrap her arms around him in support. "The boys got caught up in the fallout, they only heard part of the story, one day when your mother called me back, they thought it was your fault I was breaking down, it wasn't, it was your mothers lies" he trailed off, tears now failing form his own eyes.

"They know now, we have set them straight, they are sorry for what they did, but we have told them to stay away from you, I won't... we won't let anyone else hurt you" Virginia adds stretching her hand over to rest on top of ours. "I promise"

I let the tears fall silently as I listen, the hatred for my mother growing each time I heard the fallout from her lies. I had to tell them everything, we had to start with a clean slate. I looked away and focused on the sensor on the ceiling, not wanting to see their reactions to what I was about to share.

"I was 14..." I paused working up the courage to continue.

"AnnI?"

"I... I had finished my exams and mother had signed me up to summer school classes, so I was out of her hair. Some colleague of hers was running the classes at the university, he was some big wig professor that she wanted to impress. It was the last week of the summer classes and he insisted on seeing me in his office at the end of class, he locked the door when I went in, I tried to get away, I called mother and I know she heard everything he did to me I tried to fight but he held a cloth over my mouth and I couldn't... do anything, and mother, she didn't come for me... when he was finished he let me out with no fear or regrets, told me no one would believe me over him" I could hear Virginia muffling her sobs as she realised what I was saying.

"I told mother he made me feel uncomfortable at the beginning of the course, he would watch me, run his hand down my Arn, if he was near, but she told me I was imagining it, that I felt uncomfortable because I recognised how powerful he was, but she was wrong."

I took a deep breath and continued. "I had nightmares, I wasn't eating and kept myself locked away in my room, I lost weight and when I spoke to mother about it, she told me rubbish, I know the call had connected and she heard what happened but she told me it was all in my imagination. She arranged for me to see a counsellor but it didn't help, she would argue with what I said, twisting my words, making me doubt myself and prescribed something that made me feel numb"

"The pills, do you still take them" Dad croaks out and I shake my head.

"No, I pretended to, after I had taken the first couple, I realised what mother was doing, she was hiding what had happened, he had been right, no one would believe me... I learnt to be invisible, I studied and I made sure I would not be alone with anyone again without a way out, or something to keep me safe"

"I wish I had known, you could have called me" he whispered out and I turned my gaze to him.

"I couldn't, while she was lying to you, she was lying to me, you were happy with your new family and didn't want me, she gaze me your new mobile number and I phoned and left messages but you never called me back, I believed her, you were gone"

"I don't have a new number" Dad stuttered out slowly, understanding dawning as he gripped my hand. "She set us up"

"What happened to that professor?" Virginia asked quietly and I sighed.

"He recommended mother for the department chair job and backed her every time she wanted him to" I whisper out, tuning out the swear words Virginia was muttering under her breath.

"Did he come near you again?" Dad asks and I hear the pain in his voice.

I nod once, "I got away that time, I became good at hiding" I say with a wry smile.

"Why change her mind now?" Virginia questions puzzled and I laugh bitterly.

"This was her dream job, the once in a lifetime opportunity and I helped her get it, I had been useful but she got what she wanted" I explain.

"The professor?" Virginia guessed and I nod, leaning back against the pillows, feeling the toll of my confession draining my energy.

"Do you need anything?" Dad asks softly.

I shake my head. "I think I will rest for a while" I look between them, knowing I had just dumped a lot of information on them. "I know you will want to talk about what i've said, go home and rest, I will be okay" I tell them but they both shake their heads.

"We are not leaving you alone" they say together in unison and I smile a little at them.

"Thank you" I whisper again and let myself drift off, praying that the nightmares stayed away.