Scene 1 - Post-'Sweet 16'.

The headache still hadn't gone. The ringing in her ears – what she hoped was the cause of the headache – had passed a few hours ago, but still her head was pounding.

As was most of her body. She had hit the ground with some force, coupled with Cal's weight on top of her, she wasn't really too surprised she'd have some sort of injury.

She looked herself over in the mirror, no overt signs that she'd just nearly been killed by a bomb, no cuts or bruises to her face or front. She probably had Cal to thank for that.

She turned around and gingerly wrapped her arms around herself, her face registering the discomfort from stiffness and aching already setting into her muscles. She looked over her shoulder – her neck protesting the manoeuvre – and watched in the mirror as she lifted up the back of her sweater.

Her mouth fell agape.

Every notch of her spine was rapidly purpling, a vertical line of bruises.

"Jesus..." a voice announced from the doorway.

Gillian quickly dropped the material, straightening it back down against her jeans. "Cal! Ladies room, again!"

He ignored her and stepped forwards, letting the door whoosh closed behind him. He grabbed the bottom of her sweater and lifted it back up to reveal the angry welts.

"I'm fine," she said quietly, turning so he could get a better look.

"That's hardly fine, love."

"It just," she started, suddenly feeling cold fingers gently pressing at the bruises. "It just means no backless dresses or bikinis for a while. Both of which are an acceptable daily wardrobe choice of mine, of course."

He didn't smile.

She suddenly gave a yelp of pain. "What was that?"

"Get your bag, we're going to the hospital."

"What? No we're not."

"Come on," he held the door open.

"Cal, I'm not going to the emergency room."

"Gillian, you have a bump the size of Mount Rushmore on the back of your head. Get your bag."

She gently fed her fingers through her hair.

"That'll be why you still have that headache." He wasn't about to explain how he knew that, no matter how much she stared at him. "Bag."