I was dragged reluctantly into consciousness, my body complaining as my mind pulled itself out of the blissful fog. I dared to open my eyes, and my vision was assaulted by sunlight and a white ceiling. I winced, blinking, and turned my head away from the sharp light.

Too quick. My world rolled about me and nausea shot upwards from deep in my stomach. I took deep breaths, and thankfully managed to hold the contents of my stomach where they should be.

Okay, so no moving.

Slowly, I opened my eyes again. Blinking quickly, they adjusted gradually to the light that was pouring in, and I looked around slowly.

I was in a large, clean, black and white room that I didn't recognise. A hotel? No, too personal. There was a large ranch slider to my left, which was the cause of my temporary blindness, and a door was open opposite me, leading to an adjacent room. My eyes were drawn upwards to a large bit of dark wood. I followed it, and came to the realisation that I was in a four poster bed.

Wow, fancy.

There was other expensive-looking furniture in the room as well, and I was suddenly bewildered.

Where the hell am I?

A flash of metal caught my eye, and I turned my head ever so slightly to take in the surroundings on my right. There was a metal pole beside the bed, and my eyes followed it upwards to where a medical-looking bag hung from it by a hook. A plastic line fell from the bag, and disappeared under the blankets towards me.

An IV? What was wrong with me?

I could hear voices next door, and I closed my eyes again, listening. I could distinguish two males. One spoke in an annoyed, professional manner.

"… but where do we find that out? She had nothing on her except for a phone, which was locked. No ID or anything…"

"She must have family or friends somewhere. We'll wait till she wakes up and ask her"

"That's if she's not terrified of us…"

Terrified? Who were these guys?

I frowned as I tried to remember how the hell I'd gotten here, but the searing pain in my head wasn't letting me do any thinking. I had to get up, figure out what was going on.

Worried, I pushed myself into an upright position, and immediately regretted it. The room swam around me, and my head throbbed in agony. I cried out, I couldn't help it. My body slumped against the headboard, and I let out a sob of pain, gasping as the room slowly stopped swirling.

The voices stopped, and I heard footsteps moving towards my room.

Fuck, they're coming.

Instinctively, I looked around me for a hiding spot, but that brought on another wave of pain and nausea, and I realised that if I wanted to stay conscious I'd have to keep still. I held my breath as two men entered the room. They both stopped a few metres short of the bed, watching me carefully like I was a trapped animal, and I took that few seconds to study them both.

They were young, and looked very similar – brothers?

The first man looked a little older. He had a short, neat beard, and was wearing a shirt, tie and dress pants. The younger man beside him was in an expensive looking black jersey and jeans. Neither of them looked like they'd slept in a while, and after a moment the older man approached me cautiously.

"Hey there. My name's Bradley. I'm a doctor. You took quite a beating, and my brother Harvey called me over to make sure you're alright. How are you feeling?"

His voice was gentle and soothing, and I let out the breath I'd been holding. It took me a while to find my voice.

"I'm… my head. It hurts".

Bradley nodded.

"You're about due some more painkillers. Do you mind?" He gestured to my right, and I looked over to see some medical supplies laid out on the bedside table.

They could be giving you anything!

The voice in my head was guarded, warning me.

But I'm in so much pain…

While my inner voice snarled, I looked back at him and nodded slightly.

He looked relieved at my response, and made his way around to sit on a chair at my side. While he was busy, I looked back to the second man.

His brother, I knew it. They were so alike. He approached me slowly, and sat carefully on the end of the bed. I flinched as the mattress bent under me, but met his gaze steadily.

"I'm Harvey Specter" he started carefully.

"I found you last night in the alley, and brought you back here to my place to make sure you were alright".

He watched me closely, as if expecting a reaction.

An alley? What happened to me last night?

I tried to recall my memory, but the fog of pain was impenetrable. I could only blink back stupidly.

Realisation dawned on his face, and he frowned, looking over to his brother.

Bradley was inserting a needle into my IV tube.

"There you go. That should help the pain" he said soothingly. He met his brother's eye, and shook his head ever so slightly.

What were they hiding from me?

"What..."

Suddenly a wave of warm drowsiness rolled through me, and I groaned as my muscles could finally stop bracing against the agony in my head and abdomen.

Bradley smiled as I visibly relaxed before him.

"Better?"

"Mmm…" I nodded slowly, struggling to keep my eyes open. The bed felt so comfortable…

Harvey smiled too.

"Sleep now, you need it". They both stood up.

What? No... Don't leave me…

"Wait… what… what happened…" I mumbled, but they ignored me.

As they left the room, the warm darkness embraced me once again.

This time I recognized the room as I groggily opened my eyes. The pain in my body was bearable now, and I looked around me once again.

The light coming in through the ranch slider was pink with evening shadows, and I could make out the skyline of Manhattan beneath the setting sun.

I realised Harvey was sitting to my right, in the chair his brother had previously occupied. He leant on his elbows on the bed, his hands clasped in front of him. He too was watching the sunset, his handsome face creased with worry, and he hadn't noticed that I was awake.

"Um… hi" he looked at me as I creaked out the words, and smiled softly.

"Hey, sleepy head. How are you feeling now?"

I took a mental record of the pain in my body. Head? Tolerable. Stomach? Nothing I couldn't handle. But there was something else too. A dull throbbing between my legs. Down there.

What the fuck had happened to me?!

Suddenly spooked, I pushed myself up into a sitting position, scrabbling slightly against the duvet beneath me. Harvey sat up too, and placed a hand on my upper arm to steady me.

"Hey hey, careful." He warned gently. But I wouldn't be consoled.

"What happened to me?" I asked, trying to sound calm while my heart pounded.

Harvey looked down briefly, and then out at the sunset again. He appeared to be bracing himself. I frowned.

"Hey! Tell me!" I yelled at him, my voice cracking and panic flooding my veins.

He was undaunted by my raised voice, and turned to meet my gaze evenly. There was sympathy in his expression.

"You… you were out last night. I saw you in The Red. When you ran I got worried about you, and so I decided to find you and make sure you got home safely. You were down the sixth street alley and…"

He broke off, struggling to get the words out, but he didn't need to.

A mixture or emotions coursed through me: Fear, anger, pain, embarrassment…

My world spun and I realised I was gasping like I'd been under water.

Harvey watched as memories of last night came back to me, each one a harsh and cold slap to the face. Tears started to roll down my face as I sat frozen, losing myself in the sensations of memory. The cold rain, the rough alley wall, the hot blood, the man…

My heart went into overdrive, and I started hyperventilating. Desperately, I looked to Harvey for help as my throat started closing and my vision went blurry.

A panic attack…

Suddenly Harvey was moving. He pushed a syringe into my IV tube and expended it slowly, watching me carefully for a reaction. I looked back at him like a deer in headlights as a warm emptiness overtook me. My tears stopped flowing, and my breathing slowed as a fog filled up my head. I felt like a zombie as he placed his hand on my upper arm.

"I'm so, so sorry. I should have gone after you sooner. I should have…"

He trailed off, looking down again as he realised his words were of no comfort. But I didn't need comfort. Whatever he'd given me had worked.

I was fine.

"I'm fine" I said in monotone, staring blankly at him.

The look on his face said he didn't believe me, and he opened his mouth, before deciding there was nothing to be said. We both looked out at the orange glow over the city again.

"You hungry?" he asked quietly, as if worried that I'd break at any second.

I smiled.

"Starving".

The rest of the apartment was much the same as the bedroom, I realised as I sat nibbling on some lasagne. Crisp, black and white furniture decorated the spacious, open plan apartment, which had extensive views over the city centre.

Harvey handed me a cup of coffee, before sitting down next to me at the island bench.

"Where's your brother?" I asked, avoiding any topic that would lead to what had happened last night.

He knew what I was doing, but he wasn't going to press me.

"Brad's at work. He's a doctor at Princeton Hospital"

I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee. It was warm and smooth down my throat, and I closed my eyes, enjoying it. When I opened them, Harvey was watching me closely.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious.

He sighed.

"Emma, you should… you need to talk abo-"

"No". I cut him off abruptly. His face fell slightly, and I felt bad.

"I know I should, and I will. But not now. Please".

The last word came out as a plead of desperation. He frowned at me, but let it drop, taking a bite out of his meal. We sat in peaceful silence for another minute, enjoying the evening view.

"Do you have family you need to contact? Parents?" Harvey asked.

I shook my head.

"Nope".

He wasn't going to ask me to elaborate, but I could feel his frustration, so I sighed and gave him something.

"My parents died when I was 3. Car crash. I live by myself in a small apartment, studying at Massey".

He looked at me, and I looked down. His gaze was so strong, it made me feel tiny.

"I see" he eventually said, returning his attention to his dinner. I was grateful that he didn't ask further. My past was not something I liked talking about. Nor was my entire life, really.

The rest of the evening passed quietly. We finished our dinner, and I found out he was a lawyer at Pearson Hardman. One of the Senior Partners even – hence the expensive apartment. Afterwards we watched some TV. Although most of the time I could feel him watching me, as if I were a bomb about to go off. I ignored him, trying to appear at ease as my body ached and my mind whirled in the fog it had become.

Eventually I stood up and stretched.

"I'm gonna go to bed" I said, yawning.

He nodded.

"I'm right down the hall if you need anything".

Just before I left the room, I turned back.

"Um, Harvey?"

He turned on the couch.

"Yea?"

"Thanks". I sounded silly, but I was sincere. And he knew it.

He nodded, smiling slowly, and I left the room before it got more awkward.