Taken In

No Going Back

*Keanu POV*

"Gusto's" had been the name of the club. It wasn't on any of the signs outside, but as I talked to the girls there I'd remembered.
"Look, I really need to speak to your boss. It's urgent." I begged the doorman.
"So you're not coming in here to pay? Y'know how this works bud? You're not getting in 'less you pay up."
"It's about one of the....staff here. Its about Cherub." I tried again.
"Cheri?" A voice called out from behind me.
It was an older woman, with bleached blonde hair and a pair of tattered angel wings on her back.
"You know where Cheri is?" She demanded, stepping towards me.
"...y...yeah I do. Do you know her?"
She sighed, looked around and then nodded at the door man.
"I'll be back in 5, Jordan. Keep the girls in line."
She grabbed me by the arm and we both disappeared around a darkened corner.
"Is she alright?" She demanded again.
"Not really. She's alive, and at the hospital. I found her on the street corner a few blocks from here, nearly frozen to death..."
"Did she OD?" She interrupted.
"...yeah, she did actually. Who are you?" Now it was my time to interrogate, maybe this girl had given Cheri the drugs.
The woman sighed impatiently.
"Angel. Me and Cheri are friends. Look man, you've got to keep her away from here, okay? Gusto gave her some bad shit, I think he was trying to off her. It was cut with all sorts of shit, and he just let her out there into the snow. He said he was looking for her. But I reckon he just wants to make sure she's not a loose end."
Angel checked around us again, paranoid. Then leaned closely and seriously to me.
"You can't let her come back here. Gusto will finish her off for real this time. Nobody except us two know where she is, and that's how it's going to stay... infact..."
Her expression lightened, then she looked at me with a smile.
"You got any money with you?"
"Uh, yeah, why?"
"I need you to spread the word, to the other girls. I'll get you in the door, then just have a drink, enjoy yourself. Any of the girls come up to you, mention that you found a little red head dead in the snow, okay? Say you recognised her from here."
"Oh, I can't do that. Look I don't..."
"Yeah, yeah, you're not that kind of guy. Whatever man. Look, you fished Cheri off the street yeah?" She asked, her tone serious.
I nodded.
"Well, it will have been all for nothing if you don't do this too. Gusto is going to tie up his loose ends by himself, unless you do it for him. I want Cheri to get out, I've seen her these last few weeks..." she trailed off, concern flooding her.
"...she won't survive long. Hell, sounds like she's barely survived this, and it's not often pimps will try killing their girls. Gusto's got it out for her. She needs to dissappear, and you can help her. Please."
I stared at the floor, my whole body in conflict.
"You were here on Friday, weren't you?" She asked suddenly.
I nodded again, and she smiled a wide smile.
"I thought that, I recognised the frightened rabbit look. I'm not usually outside but..." She shrugged,
"...we've got a vacancy. Cherub tell why she's called that? Took her under my wing. An Angel's wing. She's a good kid, and she's been through the mill,"
Then she reached out and grabbed my arm, a serious tone in her voice.
"You gotta look after her, I mean it. Put her on a plane or something, just get her out of this city. I know she's not your responsibility. And I can't look out for her here any more. She's got to get out,"
Then she looked embarrassed, shy even.
"Tell her I said goodbye, and that I love her. Will you do that?"
I took a second, a deep breath, then nodded.
"Okay. I will. Just get me in the door." I spoke before I could change my mind.
Her shoulders visibly relaxed when I said those words.
I took 200 dollars out of my pocket and put it in her hand.
"Thank you, Angel. For doing this' you're a good friend."
Her eyes lit up, and that wide smile spread across her face again. It was the smile I recognised on Cheri's face that first night in the booth, and that same high pitched tone of voice too.
"

Well then, sugar, why don't you follow me inside?"

*Cheri POV*

I woke up again, and this time Keanu wasn't there. A nurse came in and scribbled things on her flip board, changed some of the liquid bags around, injected me with a few more unknown clear substances.
She didn't speak that whole time, didn't even look me in the eye except from a brief and half hearted smile when she entered the room. Her thoughts were clear as she rebandaged my arms and legs.
Another fucking junky.
I closed my eyes. I felt like I was going to cry again, what the fuck was wrong with me.
"Does that hurt?" She asked without slowing.
I shook my head no, not trusting myself to speak.
I had to figure out how to get out of here. I wouldn't be allowed back onto the streets in safety if I didn't face Gusto first. He would be looking for me everywhere. And there was no way he'd just let me wander around the streets and out of his control. I would go back, pay whatever repentance he wanted, then I'd be back on the streets. I couldn't even begin to dread what kind of punishment he would have lined up for me. Realised I was shaking.
"Are you sure this isn't hurting? I can't give you any more morphine today." The nurse said with a note of impatience.
"...no, its fine...really..." my voice was so weak she didn't hear the tears behind it.
I needed to get a hit, badly.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a wave of nausea and vomit came over me, and I threw up over the side of the bed, half in the trash can, half all over myself.
The nurse jumped clear, then cursed. She fetched fresh sheets and a gown, stripped and dressed me.
I tried to croak out an apology, or even a "thank you", but my throat was now ripped to shreds, and the nurse wasn't looking at me, so I gave up.
Where is Keanu? I found myself thinking.
I still couldn't wrap my brain around what was happening, there was a fog all around me, and at least he explained himself as he went.
But it was the middle of the day, he was probably working.
I pushed thoughts of Keanu away, and tried to remember anything of the past week.
I remembered the snow, running through the snow. And I remembered lying in its cold embrace. But what was I doing before that?
I was at the club, it had been early morning. I'd taken something...no, Gusto had given me something.
A special gift, for a job well done, I remembered him saying that.
It must've been strong stuff, Keanu said that I'd OD'd. Again.
Jesus, you're getting bad at this.
So that was it. I'd gotten off my head, and ran for god knows how long into the snow, then OD'd and nearly froze to death. 
No wonder I feel like shit.
A few hours later, I could feel my whole body itching, my head and heart were pounding. They gave me morphine, finally, and I was able to sleep.
I woke up again, and Keanu was sitting there, flicking through the charts at the end of my bed. I was surprised that I felt relief at seeing him.
"How're you feeling?" He asked.
I shook my head from side to side, and he laughed slightly. Not a real laugh, but a humorous one.
"Well I'm not surprised. But you're pulling through, Cheri. Just keep resting is the most important thing. Our bodies do their most important healing while we sleep."
"...didn't know you were a doctor." I groaned.
"Been working at it my whole life. If I wasn't in medical school, I was in a practise."
"Well... practise makes perfect, or so I'm told." My voice was still hoarse and it pained me to speak, but what pained me even more was not speaking to anyone for what felt like eternity.
"Look, Keanu...I think I need to leave...I've got..."
"Gusto?" He cut me off.
"It's all been taken care of."
I stared back at him dumbly.
"What do you mean taken care of." I asked quietly and carefully.
"I mean, I paid him a visit. Not him personally, but the club. I met your friend, Angel?"
My heart sank like a stone.
"They think you're dead, Cheri. We spread the word around that you'd died in the snow. Once you make a full recovery, we can work on getting you out of the city. And then you're free."
I just stared at him.
He sat in the chair next to the bed, and I didn't take my eyes off him.
"...does Angel think I'm dead?" I asked finally.
"No, it was her idea actually."
He sighed, a weighted, pained sigh of a man with a heavy heart and a heavier story to tell.
"She said that she loves you, and goodbye. She wants what's best for you, Cheri. She wants you out of...that life. She said that I had to take care of you."
I couldn't bear to look at him anymore, and I could feel more tears rolling down my face.
"Is that why you pulled me from the street?"
"What do you mean?" He asked quietly.
He tried to lean closer to me, but I backed away as much as the hospital bed would allow.
"Why...why me, Keanu? Angel's wrong; I'm not your responsibility. Why bring me here? I could've died out there in the snow and this would all be over...but now...now you rescued me and...I can't go back...it's the only home...it's the only place I have..."
I couldn't do it anymore, the sobs racked my body and I couldn't breathe through them. I collapsed in on myself, legs pulled tight to my chest. I felt Keanu stand up next to me, unsure of what to do. I tried talking further, but it just came through as delirious cries and sobs.
Then, I felt his arms around me, and I didn't fight it.
Just like in my dreams, like we were back in the booth, I dissolved into his lap, and he stroked my hair. Smoothing it's sweaty strands down with his soft hands, I cried and cried, until I faded into sleep.