Twisted Virtue - Jack Dawkins

bugger off Sykes

TW: Bad language, graphic images, vulgar language, underage relationships, abuse and sexualised language

The door shut behind him and Dodger was stood stationary in shock of what he was witnessing. Nancy stared at him with widened eyes and opened her mouth to say something, anything . Just something to explain what was going on and why she was dressed that way. But no words escaped , nothing she could have said would have made the situation better. Bill smirked at how agitated Nancy's new look made Dodger. He shook his head slowly and blurted out " Why do you look like one of the tarts down the pub?" Nancy looked down to the floor, everything was going too fast, the room was becoming hazy. Fagin was getting annoyed at how opinionated Jack was being about the whole Bill situation. " Shut it Dodge, if you're going to say anything , compliment Nancy about how well she looks, so grown up." Dodger stared daggers at his mentor and then pushed his way forward advancing on Bill. " Is this your doing ? What have you done to her." Bill just shrugged at his handiwork " I made her look beautiful. Like a real woman, shame you can't see true beauty when its right in front of your face Top Hat." He sneered and laughed at Dodger advancing even closer to him. " TRUE BEAUTY !? She is truly beautiful but not when she looks like a girl about town! Nance is a natural beauty, you don't have to force her into these clothes at her age. " He got right in up Bills face , locking eyes with the stocky man and bitterly whispered " If you can't see her natural beauty and have to make her look false to like her then Shame. On. You!" Bill shoved him backwards and the boys hat flew off of his head as he landed against the table. " I'd watch your mouth if I were you Top Hat. You wouldn't wanna get on the wrong side of some people would you?" This didn't deter Jack though, he was in a fit of fury so he ran straight back at Bill. " Piss off Sykes no one wants you here. Leave Nance alone for a bit will ya?" Before he could do anything, Bill struck him hard across the face and Dodge fell to the floor nursing his cheek. "BILL!" Nancy shouted in defence of Dodger. " You stay out of this my girl or you'll be sorry when you come to live with me." This quieted the girl down and she began trying to focus on breathing but couldn't catch her breath properly. 

Fagin approached Bill and tried to apologise for Jack's behaviour, "Bill I'm sorry about all of this, I'm sure Nancy thanks you for your efforts... Don't ya Nance?" He tried grabbing the girls attention and he looked back waiting for her to chime in. Her eyes were fixed on the boy who was almost knocked out cold on the floor, but he cleared his throat and she looked at the two and nodded. But Bill was having non of it " You ought to teach that boy of yours to respect his superiors Fagin. I need to get off anyway." He grabbed his long trench coat, walked past Nancy kissed her roughly on the cheek. " I'll be back My Girl. Red is your colour, it makes me want you even more." This comment made her internally cringe. As he had his back to them all, walking out the door, he heckled " Next time Fagin, make the corset tighter around her chest." If Dodger wasn't so dazed on the floor he would have been back up on his feet and trying to fight Bill for that remark. When he was gone, Fagin sat in his arm chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose and he noticed that his boy was still on the floor " Dodge gerrup" Dodger didn't budge so Fagin decided to give him a minute. Whilst all of this was happening, Nancy had left her state of stillness and subservience and was desperately looking for something to fan herself with as she could feel beads of sweat falling down her forehead, her palms becoming increasingly clammy and she noticed that she couldn't breathe at all , so her chest began to make panicked, breathy noises as it was searching for air. They were fast and desperate, Fagin clocked and ran towards her as she leant against the mantle piece for support to stay stood upright, wiping her forehead and her eyes flickering as she began to see black spots. Everything was happening all at once and she lost consciousness and fell forwards ,down towards the ground into Fagin's arms. Dodger was still on the floor and at the same time the boys all came bounding in from their trip out to the market, parading around the living quarters with metal trays , kettles and keys. Fagin laid Nancy on the floor carefully and boomed loudly , quieting down the rowdy lads. " LADS! ONE OF YOU GO DOWN TO THE ALLEY NEAR THE SHOE MAKERS AND GET MR DORES TELL HIM ITS URGENT. "

  Mr or Dr Dores is one of Fagin's associates who used to be a doctor at the local clinic but he got caught stealing a watch in town so had his medical licence revoked by the magistrates. Eric shot out the door like a bullet whilst the other boys surrounded Dodger on the floor. Charlie got him some water and a piece of bread, Sam was helping him stand and allowing him to lean on him for support, and Peter was pressing a cold rag on his head. "Thanks Lads, the big ugly brute got me a bit too good." Dodger told them as he tried laughing off the situation. He went to go and sit on a chair in the lounge but he noticed Nancy lying on the floor, as white as a sheet, one hand on her chest and another around  corset. "Nancy!.. Fagin ! It's Nancy she's fainted." Fagin walked in smoking his pipe, carrying a cup of water for Nancy and noticed the Dodger was okay. " Oh good Dodge you're up. I know she has, a doctors on his way now for her. Do us a favour and keep an eye on her, make sure she's still breathin' , you can tell from feeling her wrist, it's called a pulse. Make sure that its still beating, and rub some of this water on her forehead so she doesn't overheat. " Jack nodded. 

By the time Mr Dores came in , Dodger was up and about with a slight migraine but nothing too serious, tending to Nancy, he kept one hand wrapped around her small wrist to make sure that he could still feel the regular beating sensation. Fagin led Mr Dores in and told Dodger to back away but the furthest he could get the concerned boy to leave the girl was on the armchair in the corner of the lounge, and even then he watching the doctors every move intently, making sure nothing else happened to his girl. Dr Dores picked her up off of the floor and lay her on the oak table to examine her fully, this is where he found the root of the problem. He used his medical scissors to cut the back of her corset open and free her from her bony trap , so he could listen to her back with a medical contraption. This grasped Dodgers attention and he attentively watched and became fascinated with the doctors workmanship. As the corset was broken and loosened , her chest and stomach began to contract erratically, gasping for as much air as possible. She began to shake as her sweat had turned cold and she was still completely unconscious ( almost dead looking.) When he had finished examining the girl, he laid her in her hammock in one of her more comfortable and left a wet rag on her head.

" What's the verdict Dores?" Fagin asked the man whilst looking at the sickly girl. He sighed whilst putting his coat on and answered " She'll be fine Fagin, she should wake up in the next hour or so. But might I ask why a girl her age and stature has been wearing a fully boned corset, that tightly might I add ?" Fagin stared into space, sucking on his lip trying to conjure up a plausible answer that wont make him out to be a git. "That is umm.. that's a complicated story for another day Doctor." Dores left the matter as it was and as he bid farewell to Fagin , Jack and the boys and taking one last glance at the girl, he turned and told Fagin " I recommend, one to two days worth of rest. No running the streets with the lads, keep monitoring her breathing because there is a respiratory disease she may have called asthma, many of the youngens are developing it because of the Soot and fumes in the city. And no more corset wearing for her, am I clear ?"  Fagin nodded quickly and Dodger gave him a worried look. " Very! Thank you for your time Dores." 

As the sun went down and the moon came up Fagin had to do the boys their dinner, as Dodger refused to leave Nancys' side. He was holding one of her cold, still hands and was running his fingers through her hair. She finally began to stir and wake up, this alerted Dodger and his eyes flickered towards her. She was slowly moving and opening her eyes and she noticed Jack looming over her straight away. " Shhh, take it slow Nance." He whispered to her soothingly. " Did he hurt you Dodge?" Dodger was quite moved that after being unconscious for four hours , she still asks him if he is alright the moment she wakes. " He got me , but I'm fine now, I'm more worried about you my girl." This name now gave Nancy a queasy feeling in her stomach and she winced " Please don't call me that no more, that's what he calls me now, and I don't like it." Dodger respected her boundaries and noticed how fatigued and lethargic she was so he began to rub a finger up and down her nose to calm her and her eyes were slowly becoming heavy and closing. "Come on Nance, you get yourself to sleep ,they've put you through enough today." She looked up at the boy in adoration " And you Dodge, please get some sleep for me. I'll be fine." So he squeezed her hand once more, let her sleep and nestled into his own hammock for the night.