Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except Kelsey! This probably will not follow any movie that has been released, so I guess it is considered AU!
Kelsey placed the folders back on the nurse's station before sighing and rubbing her hand over her face. "Time for you to go home." The resident told her, walking by and patting her on the shoulder.
Kelsey was prepared to go home, it had been a long day at work. They had her assisting in the emergency room, and those patients could be beyond frustrating.
She a few blocks away from the hospital, so she made it a habit to walk to work. On nights like this, she wishes that she would have drove. It was a little after midnight, and the air was humid and muggy. A steady rain was falling from the dark skies. She opened her umbrella and began her steady march home.
She was two blocks away from her street when she passed an alleyway. Her whole life, she had always had the common sense to avoid things such as an empty alleyway late at night, but this one didn't seem to be empty.
"Excuse me? Are you okay?" A body sat slouched against the wall, and it stirred slightly when she got closer. She wasn't sure if the figure was a male or female; the body was thin with long hair.
When she was in front of the person, she could clearly see that it was a male. "Sir, can you hear me?" The man jolted back, but there was nowhere for him to go, seeing that he was already flat against the wall. "I'm a nurse, I can help you."
She pulled out her iPhone and flicked on the flashlight, shining it down on the man without blinding him. She gasped quietly as she took in the sight of him. He had on an outfit, black and green, with what looked like a gold breast plate as well. The plate was cracked terribly, and there was dried blood visible.
He was holding his hands against his stomach, and she could see blood on them that was leaking from his insides. But what really shocked her about this man was his face. When he looked up at her, she felt her stomach lurch and the urge to vomit overtook her. But Kelsey was a professional, and she needed to help this man.
He had beautiful green eyes, with black eyelashes making them seem to pop. He had dark circles under them, and his pale cheeks were sunken in.
"God damn." She muttered.
His mouth was sewn shut.
The tears welled into her eyes before she could stop herself. "Who did this to you?" She asked the man, and he looked away shamefully. "Would you like me to take you to the hospital?" She asked him, and he shook his head quickly.
"Well, I can't just leave you here. Would you like me to take you to my house? Like I said, I am a nurse. I can clean you up, feed you, and let you have a place to sleep tonight." The man seemed very hesitant, so she pulled out her badge from the hospital.
She was younger in the picture, but it was obviously still Kelsey. The man nodded carefully, and she smiled at him. "Let me help you up." She gently placed her hands under his armpits. "Don't let go of your stomach." She told him, eyeing the bloody wound. It wasn't too bad, but it needed a few stitches.
The man obliged, and she helped hoist him off the dirty ground. Together, the pair limped towards her apartment. Thankfully, she lived on the bottom floor. She didn't think they could make it up the stairs with this man.
Inwardly, she prayed that he wasn't a serial killer or rapist. She fumbled to unlock the door, and once they were inside, she flicked on the ceiling light. He flinched at the brightness of it. "Stay here for a second." She told him. He leaned against the closed door and waited.
She returned with an old sheet that she spread out on her couch. "I'm going to sit you down right here and take this outfit off so I can clean your wounds." He wasn't much help as she sat him down and removed his chest plate and the long black and green shirt. It was an odd outfit, but it seemed familiar.
She could see what looked like a puncture wound in his stomach, along with many black bruises on his chest. But what really disturbed her was his mouth. "Would you like me to remove this stitches before I go on to anything else?" She asked, and he nodded carefully. "Do not move." She told him.
Kelsey went to her bathroom to search for some items necessary for the removal. Being a nurse had its advantages, she thought as she dug through her well stocked first aid kit. She grabbed a huge handful of alcohol pads, some surgical scissors, large packs of gauze, and gloves. She also found a small sewing kit so she could stitch the wound in his stomach.
"I have some Advil for you, if you would like to take them once I get the stitches off." He eyed the bottle wearily before shaking his head. She sighed. "If you're sure." She brought in a few bottles of cold water and a cold rag from the bathroom. She placed the rag on his head to try to help cool him down and relax him.
"I'm going to start, okay?" She said, slipping the gloves on her hands and unwrapping one of the alcohol pads. She gently wiped off his mouth with pad, feeling bad as he flinched away in pain. "I'm sorry, I really need to make sure this stays clean." She gently began snipping the stitches, making him inhale sharply.
She was using both hands, one to hold his face, and the other to snip. But once she heard his sounds of distress, she removed the hand from his clammy face to gently hold his pale hand. His eyes flickered to hers, and she gave him a gentle smile. "I'm halfway done." She finished cutting the stitches, and when she was finished, she wiped his mouth again with a clean alcohol pad.
"Can you open your mouth?" She asked him, and he didn't move. "I have some water for you, if you'd like it. I think you're dehydrated." She told him, handing him the bottle. He looked at it with confusion, and she could feel herself beginning to get frustrated. She reached over and cracked open the lid, making him jump from the sound. "Please, at least try to drink some of it before you sleep tonight." She moved down to work on his torso, cleaning and closing the wound on his stomach. She had cream to apply to the bruises, which would help them fade quicker and hopefully relieve some of his pain.
While she was working on his torso, she kept glancing up at the man's mouth, where she could tell that he was slowly moving his jaw. He was carefully opening and closing his mouth, and she assumed it probably hurt to move in the slightest.
"I think I'm finished." She told him, helping him sit up slightly. "Can you open your mouth for me at all? I want to look at the wounds from the inside." He watched her wearily as she got close to his face. Anger surged through him as he thought about how the wounds came about, but he jumped harshly as she touched his lips.
She carefully parted them and looked inside. "They aren't too bad, which is surprising, I was expecting something horrible." She felt stupid when she said that. Isn't having his mouth sewn shut bad enough?
She went to the kitchen to throw away her gloves and wash her hands. When she turned around the corner, he had the bottle of water in his hand, gently drinking from it. She watched him carefully, taking in his appearance. He looked like he was once an extremely handsome man.
"Would you like something to eat?" She asked him, but he shook his head. "You can eat in the morning, then." She told him, not liking his sunken face and hollow looking torso. She brought him a pillow and an extra sheet, handing it to him so he could relax. "You need to rest." She told him, lowering the light in the room and flicking own the ceiling fan.
She escaped into her bedroom, pulling out her phone. She dialed his number, which she has memorized by heart, and pressed call. She tapped her fingers impatiently until he answered. "Steve? You will never believe what happened to me tonight."