A/N: Once again I am thanking everyone that is supporting this story. I really love you all :). I'm glad to hear that almost everyone said they weren't expecting what happened in the last chapter.

Extra Disclaimer/warning: I do not own ER. Also, there is more some talk of rape at the very end of this chapter. Nothing graphic, but I feel obligated to warn everyone.

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The bar was more crowded then Neela had thought it would be, but the atmosphere and alcohol seemed to be just what she needed to relax. With Abby at her side, Neela was seated at the bar when the crowd began to cheer wildly. Heavy music began to fill the air and she heard Abby chuckle beside her.

"Now I know what everyone is talking about."

Neela turned to see what Abby was referring to and found Ray's band on stage. Her eyes were instantly glued to him, and she found herself wondering if he ever ran out of energy. The music pulsed through the bar, through the people dancing, and vibrated through Neela. The crowd loved them.

Neela got to her feet as the first song ended, screaming and cheering with everyone else. Abby was jumping up and down beside her, looking like a teenager again instead of a prestigious doctor. Neela was hoarse by the time his band left the stage, and she took a few sips of her beer to wet her throat. She was fairly certain nothing could ever rid her of the image of him rocking out on stage. His voice behind her made her jump.

"Hey, I'm glad you came."

He slid onto the stool next to her and ordered a beer. He was smiling charmingly at her, and she noticed with a wrinkle of her nose that his shirt was sticking to his body from sweating.

"I said I would," she responded causally, brushing off the sincerity behind his words then added, "I'm glad I did. You put on a great show." Neela couldn't help smiling as well when his face instantly lit up at her compliment.

"You were awesome, Ray," Abby added and Neela suppressed a laugh when she saw the blond was practically drooling over the next band that had gotten on the stage. Ray's smile wouldn't be leaving for a long time now, Neela was sure.

She tapped her nails against her glass as she watched him down his own beer quickly. The band that was now playing was much softer than Ray's band had been. Ray shifted in his seat for a moment before turning to her.

"Dance with me?" he said in a little bit of a rush, looking hopeful that she would accept. Neela looked warily out in the dim bar to the many other couples dancing.

"I…"

Abby nudged her hard in the ribs, and Neela blurted out. "Sure!" She threw a glare at Abby over her shoulder, and Abby gave her thumbs up in return. "You know, I can't dance very well," she informed him with a hint of nervousness.

She was glad for the darkness of the dancing area as she faced him. She was certain she was blushing as she felt Ray put his hands on her waist. She automatically reached for his shoulders, sliding her hands up behind his neck. The doctor in her frowned at the sticky and feverish feel of his skin, but she knew it was only because he had just come off stage.

"I can't either," he confessed. "But it can't be that hard."

He sounded pretty confident so she followed his steps, trying not to crush his toes with her heels. She wasn't sure if they were actually dancing or just sort of swaying back and forth. Either way it did not matter to her because she simply enjoyed being close to him, feeling him near her.

Oh, why the hell not. She leaned closer, resting her head against his chest and listening to his steady heartbeat.

A distinctly feminine voice reached her ears now, and she wondered when the bands had changed because she didn't recall it happening. Had they really been dancing that long? Neela pulled back from Ray to look for Abby at the bar, but couldn't see her. Ray looked down at her questioningly, but she avoided his eyes.

"Ray…I saw a message on our phone from your mother…" she started to say. There was a remarkable shift in tension between them, but before he could say anything she continued, "I don't know what is going on, but I'm really sorry."

He forced a short laugh. "It's not like it's your fault that any of this shit happened."

"No, but I'm still your friend if you need me," she protested. Neela didn't want to argue with him, and she could tell from his body language that he was getting defensive. Maybe the situation was still too fresh in his mind for him to talk about.

On a whim, she stood on her tip-toes and pressed a brief kiss to his lips. He responded softly, leaning his forehead against hers, most of the previous anger evaporating from him.

"If you need anything…" she whispered, trailing off and leaving the rest unspoken.

They stayed locked closely and probably intimately to anybody who could see them, for a couple more minutes. She longed to stay there all night; one of his hands was on her spine, fingers tracing the vertebrae up her back and one of her hands was stroking his hair away from the back of his neck.. She opened her eyes, searching his face worriedly, but his eyes were closed.

"Are you sure you're all right?" He was going to get angry if she kept asking. She couldn't help herself. None of this would happen like this on a normal day. On a normal day, they wouldn't be this close, and they could never be without him making suggestive remarks to try and get her to sleep him with him.

"Neela, I'm fine. I promise," he sighed. "And I'm…sorry I drug you into all of this." He finally opened his eyes, meeting her concerned gaze. She shook her head.

"You didn't…" She forced a smile. "What are roomies for?" Neela caught a glance of her watch and couldn't believe how much time had flown by. It was after eleven at night. "I should probably go," she whispered. Neela hated to leave him now, but if she didn't get some sleep then would be cranky tomorrow. "I have to work at six."

He nodded, swallowing hard, before finding his voice. "Yeah, of course."

"I'll see you later, okay?" she replied, hesitating to break contact with him.

"Yeah. Night, Neela."

It seemed awkward now that they were apart. She wished him a good night as well before leaving with Abby slowly. He watched her make her way through the crowd. She glanced back once or twice before he lost sight of her. A friendly slap on the back brought him back to the present. Brett smiled at him, a beer clutched in one hand.

"Don't look so gloomy, man. Have a drink with me. I found some hot chicks who want to meet you."

For whatever reason, meeting new groupies didn't seem appealing to him tonight.

"You know what, Brett? I'm going to retire early tonight. Enjoy your company."

Brett looked dumbfounded before a grin crossed his face. He raised his beer to Ray's retreating back. "Thanks, man!"

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A Few Days later…

Their apartment door slammed shut, and there was the sound of Neela dropping her keys and purse on the floor. No doubt they would be scrambling around tomorrow, looking for them. There was silence besides that so Ray looked over the back of the couch to see what was wrong. She was leaning against the door, head buried in her hands.

"Bad day at work?" Ray inquired even though her body language made that obvious.

He pushed the mute button on the TV remote as Neela dropped onto the couch beside him. She reached for a water bottle sitting on the coffee table and took a sip. Neither of them really knew whose it had been, but she didn't care at this point. She wanted to answer his question with something along the lines of 'you wouldn't believe how bad it was', but he did know. He had worked shifts that had been as bad as hers. Hell, she had shared some with him.

"Horrible. Bloody horrible," she finally answered. "Spent a couple of hours working on a rape case. The poor girl was sixteen or seventeen. Her bloody disgusting boyfriend forced her to have sex. Not once, twice."

Ray winced sympathetically for not only Neela, but the young girl as well. He had only done a few of the rape exams himself. The victims were usually always young, innocent women, and it made his blood boil in anger every time he saw them. If it was in his power, he would personally kill the men who had harmed them that way and made them cower in fear from him. He usually didn't have to do a lot of the cases, however, because he was a male. Not only did the women sometimes fear him, they preferred to talk to a doctor of their own gender.

"How can men be such pigs?! He forced himself on her, and then made her believe it was her fault!" Neela was staring at him hard enough to make him squirm. It was as if she was looking for some genetic flaw or reason for men's cruelty. Her expression softened after a moment. "I'm sorry, Ray. It's not your fault. I'm just upset."

"You're right to be," he said right away. "How is she doing now?"

"Better than before. I sat with her for probably an hour and let her talk to me. She's not pregnant, thankfully, but the things she described to me…" Neela felt thick tears gathering in her eyes and choking her up. She had suppressed her own tears in front of the teen, and now they were all rushing forward.

"Hey, come here, roomie."

Ray held his arm to her, and she curled into his side, tears falling silently down her cheeks. The tears were staining his t-shirt, and she was holding onto him as if he would suddenly leave. Their position was ironically reversed from over a month prior.

"You know the same goes for you, right? If you need anything, you can come to me," he said, turning the words she had used on him, back on her.

Neela nodded against his chest as her shoulders continued to shake from the force of her sobs. She realized she was lucky to have him not only as a friend, but a roommate. He wasn't going to leave her high and dry; she trusted him that much now. A couple of months ago that would had sounded like something he'd do. Now was different than then. Now they had been through too much together to abandon each other.

TBC. Don't worry too much. There is lots more sad stuff coming, I promise. There's a lot of story left. Anyone excited or is it just me?