The man didn't take her home, Scarlett never thought for one minute he would and so, when the burly framed criminal stopped his tracks at the tunnel entrance and bid her farewell with, "I'll be seeing you soon Darling" followed by elaborately puckering his lips and racing back into the darkness – she wasn't surprised at all.

Looking down she brought her shaky hand up to pivot the nurses watch clinging to her pocket so that her eyes could just make out that it was now, Two AM. Tears began to escape Scarlett's eyes and she looked up at the star studded sky with an exhausted, exasperated groan.

Using the back of her hand she wiped the dribble from her nose and began to walk away from the tunnel quickly. This was Gotham at its worst – night, and when Scarlett turned the corner to lead her back onto the street she'd been snatched from, still clad in her blood stained shoes, her legs pumped mercilessly.

The sprint gave Scarlett a way to exert her fear and her heart pounded against her ribs even when she'd reached the apartment door. Shaking furiously it took what felt like an eternity for Scarlett to wriggle her keys from her pocket, slam them in the door, open it and race upstairs to tackle the door with the small '5' stuck to it with another elusive key.

When the door closed Scarlett collapsed her weight against it, she sighed harshly before her breathing became more rapid and she had to fight to remain calm.

"What just happened?" The question was rhetorical but hearing her voice inside her own apartment was soothing; her shoulders relaxed. It was a big effort standing up but she managed to wobble over to the kitchen counter unit and grasp the surface for support. "What just happened?!" She asked aloud again with more confusion before choking with emotion.

Trying to piece together everything was difficult, like attempting a puzzle, – a blank puzzle – Scarlett flicked her eyes to the clock and in despair, covered her eyes with her cold hand.

In the bedroom Scarlett discarded the dirty scrubs she wore and put them into the corner wastebasket despite the way they filled it entirely – she couldn't wear those again. Under the covers of her duvet, Scarlett glazed over her eyes with thoughts of what happened that night but gradually the strain of her exhaustion won.

Sleep was all she needed right now.

Scarlett woke up heavy, she must have slept in the same position all night and as she began to move her joints cracked back in protest. A groan came out of her mouth as she heard the noisy chorus. Leaning over the bed a curtain of blonde hair fell around her only to be pushed back by a ruffling hand.

Resting her head in her palm Scarlett pivoted her head slowly to look at the enormous alarm clock atop the bedside draws – it reminded her of the family that no longer lived five minutes down the road. The clock was huge, at least the size of the average human head and a sentimental trophy from the American carnival that annually came through her hometown. Even after a few years living in Gotham homesick was a reoccurring feeling.

This particular morning though, the clock gave no good news; Scarlett was supposed to be at work ten minutes ago. With the stress of yesterday, Scarlett's usual reaction of jolting awake and racing out the door immediately was replaced by a long elongated curse mumbled into her chest.

"Shit"

Half an hour later Scarlett was finally ready but she took a seat on the bar stool and began to spoon cereal into her mouth. In her time of employment at Gotham General she had never been late once and given the situation, she felt that a bowl of cereal was no less than she deserved.

Even if it tasted like toxic mould.

When the phone on the wall rang, the banshee like scream it emitted made Scarlett spasm violently and her arm spattered milk onto her skin, in frustration she slapped the counter with her palm and composed herself before answering the call.

"Hello?" Her voice was normal.

"Scarlett, it's Andrea from reception I was just wondering if everything was ok and whether you'll be coming into work today? Jennifer took your first patient and I need to know so I can find someone to cover?" Scarlett winced at the patronising undertone of Andrea's voice and though she see the woman, she visualised her tapping an artificial nail impatiently on the white china teacup that would be half filled with a decaf latte by now.

She cleared her throat, "Sorry Andrea, yes I'll be arriving in…twenty minutes at the latest, but could you make a quick phone call to Linda at HR and tell her I'll need to see her today; whenever is convenient"

Stepping from the phone after she exchanged formal goodbyes with Andrea made Scarlett catch her appearance in the mirror, a little more concealer under her eyes wouldn't have gone a 'miss but it was too late for vanity now and picking up the same routine as usual she ran out of the door.

Distraction was what she needed and work was exactly the distraction that Scarlett diagnosed as a solution for keeping the assault of questions in her mind at bay – it was no good though. As time ticked by she was clumsier, couldn't focus and by three o'clock she received the call sending her to Human Resources.

"Linda, I'm so sorry for the short notice"

Linda was a pleasant woman, aging gracefully but still keeping her fist gloved in the same iron she had twenty years ago when it came to making sure things at the hospital ran like clockwork. She smiled politely and gestured for Scarlett to take a seat,

"No trouble at all Scarlett, is there something specific I can help you with?"

At first Scarlett hesitated but kept her confident posture to ask, "Is there a way I could take some time off work? I know its protocol to give some notice but I'm not feeling one hundred percent myself"

Linda made a concerned face and leaned forward on her desk in attempt to make the setting less formal, "Nothing's wrong is it dear?"

Quickly Scarlett held both her palms out to the head of HR and shook them in sync with her head as she smiled, "No, nothing out of the ordinary Linda, just the workings of a virus I think. I should be better in…three weeks?"

"Susan from Physio' came down with something a couple of days ago, maybe it's catching" She remembered offhandedly and turned to the file in front of her. "That will be fine Scarlett, if you need extra time please call the front desk but, as I'm sure you're aware, the hospital's paid sickness leave only extends to three weeks, any time after that will be unsettled financially"

Scarlett was aware of that fact, it was the reason she had asked three weeks, losing three week's pay definitely wasn't something she would like to experience. She nodded the confirmation and smoothed down the front of her scrubs. Happy to leave the uncomfortable plastic chair, Scarlett turned to leave before she was stopped.

"Oh and Miss Sinclair, you can start you're leave as of now…you really are looking very peaky" Linda nodded warmly and before walking calmly back down the corridor Scarlett accepted the gesture,

"Thank you so much for this, I appreciate it"

The hospital toilets were empty when Scarlett quickly stepped inside after retrieving her bag from the staff room. Extracting the neatly folded pile of clothes from the bag slowly Scarlett switched her clothes from the crisp white scrubs to simple blue wash jeans and a powder blue t-shirt that covered her arms.

It was nice having the Gotham afternoon air rush past when she quickly stepped out of the automatic doors, and then a squeezing sensation grabbed Scarlett's stomach in unison with the realisation that she had to face the sewer tunnels again.

Then another epiphany made Scarlett frown - she didn't know the way.