I wake up to the sound of a tea pot whistling, laying on a couch in an apartment I don't recognize. I try to sit up but I'm in so much pain, I notice my chest is bandaged. I must have made a noise because I hear someone come to me.
"Whoa whoa, sit tight okay Ma'am." The stranger spoke calmly.
"Where am I? Who are you?" I asked with a firm voice.
"I'm Steve, I saw those guys attacking you, luckily I got to you in time. I brought you to my apartment." He answered as he kneels down right in front of me.
"Why would you bring me here and not a hospital?" I ask suspiciously.
"I'm still planning on taking you to the hospital but you collapsed in my arms and I didn't have a vehicle or a phone with me and I thought I would let you wake up first, I didn't really think it would be a good idea to drive you while you were unconscious and you wake up finding yourself in a strangers car." He explained.
"Oh....okay." With that he reaches to me with his hand and that causes me to flinch and scoot myself away from him and cover my chest with the blanket that's on top of me that I just noticed. He reverts his hand seeing that he scared me.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I was just going to give you a warm washcloth," he calmly told me. "May I?" I nod and he gently pats the washcloth on my cheek and cleans my wounds, he opens up my bandage just a little to check it, there is so much intensity in his eyes. Yep, these are definitely the same eyes that I saw before in the ally. I flinch and he gives me a sympathetic look. "Sorry....yeah, your definitely going to need to see a doctor, your still bleeding," he informed me. After he cleaned me up he hands me a cup of tea, "here, this should calm your nerves a little." I'm very hesitant but I do drink it but just a little bit. "What's your name?" He asked me after a few minutes.
"Why do you want to know my name?" I again ask suspiciously.
"Well, I would like to know who I'm talking to and just in case you pass out again before we get to the hospital I can tell the doctor." He gently responded.
"....Iris." I told him after a few minutes. "What happened to...."
"I'm afraid they got away...." I'm starting to really get worried and scared. "Don't worry, I'm sure they both have records and won't take long to find them, trust me they won't be stupid enough to come after you again....if you want to tell the cops when we get to the hospital I can describe them for you if you want." This was not giving me any comfort at all! That doesn't mean they wouldn't come after me again!
"I won't need help remembering what they look like!" I spoke very snippy with a heavy eye roll.
He's being very nice and he did after all save me but after my track record with men and from what happened tonight I don't trust him one bit. I notice him looking down at himself for a few seconds.
"Why don't you and I change out of these clothes and...." He started to propose until I stop him.
"Great, I knew it, I knew there was some reason why you saved me! Why would I take off my clothes? Did you think I would fuck you right here just because you saved me?" I rant with a very bitter tone.
"Whoa, I wasn't trying to say that at all." He quickly denied while putting his hands up slightly to convey surrender, "I didn't mean to make you think that, I just thought you would like to go to the hospital without a torn bloody shirt and want to freshen up a little bit first. You can use my bathroom."
"Oh....I'm sorry," I quietly apologized slightly embarrassed....but only slightly.
"It's okay." He softly replied.
"Yeah, that would be great."
He nods and hands me a shirt, luckily those two bastards didn't rip my bra or pants. I walk into his bathroom, turn the sink on and take a hard deep breath. While I'm waiting for it to get hot I look in the mirror and I'm about to remove my bandage just a little to see my chest for myself but I suddenly can't do it, I don't want to see it! I notice the couple gashes they left on my cheekbone and lip, I try to wash my face but it's so painful, I can barely touch them. I begin to get flashes of those two men....him touching me, holding me down where I couldn't move, the rage in both their eyes....seeing the knife right by my face....feeling it pierce my flesh and I sob as the running water muffle them from Steve but just to make sure he can't hear me I cover my mouth with my hand.
After I was able to calm down and compose myself I change my shirt, it's pretty big on me but it's better then what I was wearing and I walk out and he also has a clean shirt on getting his keys. I hadn't even realized his shirt was covered with my blood until now.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Where are we going?" I asked a little confused.
"The hospital." He answered. God, I'm not thinking straight!
"Oh yeah, sure."
We're going down the elevator to his parking garage and he's trying to help me walk since I'm so sore but I refuse to let him help, "I'm fine, I can do it myself." I strongly state and jerk my body away from him, he doesn't say anything he just steps away from me. When we do get down to the garage I notice he has a car and motorcycle. "I usually use the motorcycle but of course we'll take my car." He explains with a slight grin, I just nod in approval.
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We've been here at the hospital for hours, I told the cops everything and Steve hasn't left my side, he's sitting in the chair across from me. I can't believe he's still here, he's making me a bit uncomfortable, it's hard to explain why since he hasn't done anything but be a gentlemen....but I know he's not, all men are the same!
I've been waiting for about 25 minutes for the damn doctor to show up with my test results. She has already stitched me up but am waiting to see if I have any internal injuries, just to be safe. "You don't have to stay with me, I'm fine now."
"I'm not going anywhere until I know your home safe." He insisted.
"But I don't need you anymore, I'm fine." I confidently state.
"Well, with all do respect Ma'am I don't care, like I said I'm not leaving your side until your safely home." He gives me a firm voice and look like I couldn't change his mind, our eyes are glued for a few seconds before the doctor comes in and interrupts us.
"Okay, we got some tests back. First, like I said before you are very lucky that they didn't cut any deeper, those will take some time to heal....you do have a concussion but other then that your okay. Now have you ever had a concussion before?"
"Yes....5 of them," I quietly revealed after a few seconds, Steve looks at me a little stunned.
"Wow okay, well I would make sure someone comes and keeps an eye on you. Do you have a relative you can stay with?" She asked me.
"No....I will be fine, like I said it's not my first concussion."
"That's exactly why I want you to be with someone." She strongly advises. "Now, who's going to stay with you?" I don't know what to tell her.
"I will, I will be there with her." Steve blurts out and it's my turn to look stunned.
"Great, I'll get your medication for your stitches and you can get out of here." She says before leaving the room.
"Thank God." I exhale, Steve extends his arm to help me step off the bed but I don't take it, I force myself to get down by myself even though it hurts like hell.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Steve questions me.
"Yes, I can do it myself. I don't want your help." I strongly declare.
"Okay." I hear him mumble to himself as I walked past him and out of the room.
Steve drops me off in front of my apartment. "Okay bye," I quickly spoke before starting to open the door.
"Wait, how about I come by tomorrow and check on you, I told the doctor I would...." Steve started to offer.
"No, you don't have to. Look, I know you just said that to shut her up. I'll be fine, so just leave me alone, good-bye." I quite coldly interrupted him mid sentence.
He was going to say something else but I got out of the car and shut the door before he could and went inside quickly. I look out the apartment door window and he leaves a couple minutes later and as I'm slowly and painfully walking up the stairs to my floor I do feel a little guilty of how I acted but I was never going to see him again anyways. Besides I'm not falling for it, there has to be a reason why he's being so nice, especially since I have been nothing but rude to him and I'm not going to be fooled by his good looks. Yeah, he's VERY attractive and in a romantic comedy or a fairytale he would be the leading man but I know that fairytales don't exist. When I was little I would watch movies like Cinderella and Snow White to escape from my father, wishing that I could be them by getting out of my terrible home and into the arms of Prince Charming but those are just fairytales.
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Author Notes: Isn't he sweet staying and worrying about her? I know she is still being mean but it's going to take a lot to win her trust.