Kate opened her eyes slowly, feeling groggy and completely disorientated. She blinked, and saw the hospital room around her, and all the memories came flooding back. She gasped, and began to shake. She looked around and saw a nurse, who was looking back at her with an expression of great pity. The nurse came over, and tried to smile.

"I'll go and get Liz," she said gently. Kate was unable to speak. She looked at her left arm – it was in a cast up to the elbow. It hurt a bit. But her head felt like it was going to explode. She wished it would.

Liz appeared in the doorway, looking kind of tired. Kate realised it must be the middle of the night. Liz sat in the chair by her bed. She was holding a file. Kate knew that what was in that file would determine a lot of things. She looked at Liz with one question in her mind.

"He didn't..." Liz began. Kate felt her eyes flood with tears – and they were tears of relief, but they soon turned into tears of despair. It had been so close. And what he had done to her filled her head like a horror movie that she would relive over and over. Liz continued to speak gently.

"Your wrist is the only injury that will take very long to heal. The scratches and bruises will be almost gone in a week or so. But you might want to consider-"

"I don't want to see a shrink," Kate said firmly. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about what happened with someone that she didn't know.

Liz nodded. "Well, if you change your mind, just ask. You'll have to come back in seven weeks to get the cast off. Just in time for Christmas," she smiled.

Kate nodded.

"Do you want anything? Something to eat or drink?"

"I don't suppose you can knock me out again? And I guess vodka isn't on the menu?"

Liz smiled sympathetically. "You guess correctly."

"In that case, uhm, water?"

"Coming right up. Who do you want to see? Your mother is here, and your friend Shannon is still waiting. And," she frowned, "a boy, Rick. He didn't-"

"No! Rick's here? He's my boyfriend," she said. As she said it, she wondered how she would ever think of kissing him again without thinking about... Liz must have seen it on her face.

"How about just your mother first?"

Kate nodded gratefully. "I'll send her in with the water."

Kate nodded, and lay back on the bed. When she closed her eyes, she still saw him. She kept them open, and stared at the light on the ceiling above her. They'd put her in a private room.

Johanna walked into the room, almost dreading what she would see. She tried not to gasp when she saw her daughter – Kate was covered in bruises; her body looked completely battered. Johanna almost dropped the water. She went to sit in the chair beside her daughter's bed, trying not to start crying again at the sight of her.

"Hi Mom," Kate said, purely because someone had to speak first.

"Hi, honey," her mother replied. She didn't ask if Kate was okay. She knew the answer. She took hold of her good hand, and squeezed it.

She spoke without uncertainty – she valued honesty, and she was always down to earth. "I don't think there's anything anyone can say to make this better. But anything I can do to make things easier, I'll do. If you prosecute, your father and I will make sure he gets the worst punishment possible. If you want, we'll go back to New York – or anywhere you want. I can work shorter hours and be there for you if that's what you need. I know it won't be enough – but let me help you however I can."

Kate nodded, and smiled at her mother. They might not always be the best of friends – but when she needed someone to fight for her, she had the perfect person.

"I want to prosecute," she said firmly. "And I think... I think I want to stay here."

"Stay here?" Johanna couldn't hide the surprise from her voice.

Kate thought about it. "Yeah. I have friends here. And I have Rick."

"Motorcycle boy?"

Kate smiled. "Motorcycle man." And then she smiled more. She thought it would have been months before she could smile. And she hadn't even tried. Johanna saw the smile, and realised her daughter was far stronger and braver than she had ever imagined.

"Well," Johanna said, "if you want to stay, you'll stay."

Kate nodded. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For not wrapping me up in cotton wool. For letting me choose."

"I trust you," Johanna said simply. Kate saw the pain on her face, and realised something.

"He didn't... He didn't rape me, Mom. He tried, but I stopped him. I may not have put up much of a fight – but at least I did that."

Kate could see the relief wash over her mother. But it was short lived.

"He may not have... But what he did to you, it's just as bad. And in the eyes of the law, it's just as bad."

Kate nodded. "But I have something, at least. Something to hold on to."

Johanna pulled her into a hug.

"I love you so much. And I have always been proud of you. Don't retreat inside yourself, okay? Don't hide anything – you don't have to be strong for me."

Kate felt the hurt inside her, and the memory. She wondered if she could keep this up. Then she saw that there was someone in the doorway. Rick was standing there, his tear stained face reddening with anger at the sight of her.

"I won't," she said to her mother.

"Did you kill him, Rick?" she asked.

Rick looked stunned. He didn't even know if she was joking. He didn't know what she was trying to do.

"No," he said. "But I-"

"Don't. I'm glad you didn't. This is my mother, Johanna."

"We've met," Rick said, trying to calm down as he went into the room.

"Oh. Good." She smiled.

"How are you smiling?" Rick couldn't stop himself from saying.

"I don't know. Shock, drugs... Could be either. And also because... Because he didn't manage. Because I fought him and I won a little, and I'm going to win more. He is going to jail. I'm stronger than I thought."

Rick stared at her. "He didn't...?"

"I'm still a virgin for you, Rick," Kate said, and he had to laugh at that. Especially because Johanna was in the room. She smiled too.

"I think this is my cue to leave. I'll be outside," she said.

Rick took her place on the chair by the bed. "I think I need some of these drugs that they're giving you," he said.

"They are pretty good," she said. "And also... If I let myself slip, I have this feeling like I'll fall into a pit and I'll never be able to climb out. And I don't want to be in a pit. That would mean he had won. And I have so many good things in my life."

Rick thought he understood. "I think I'm not too far from the edge myself."

"That's okay. We're always on the edge. Just don't jump," she said, catching his eye. "Because we have a lot of great things ahead of us."

Rick sighed. "I can't believe you're the one comforting me," he said.

"Life's weird. You don't know what happened – you never will. That's only in my head. And it's finite. But for you, it's the worst you can imagine. I think it's harder for you."

Rick shook his head. "You don't have to be so strong. You can lean on me."

"I like being strong. I don't want to be a Victim. This is not going to define my life. Or even my birthday. Which was wonderful, by the way." She shuddered, but hid it. Rick noticed, and worry flashed across his face. She saw it.

"Okay, maybe you can pull me back every now and then," she said gently. "Tell jokes or something."

"Tell jokes?" Rick said as if this were the most absurd idea in the world. Kate laughed.

"You're always being funny. Be funny."

Rick stared at her. "I can't just be funny."

"I managed earlier. Don't be a wimp."

He laughed. "Don't call me a wimp."

"I'll call you a wimp if you're being one."

He laughed again. They sat talking about nothing in particular until Kate was tired, and had to sleep again. Rick said he would sit with her, but she told him to leave. He agreed, reluctantly, and went out to see Johanna and Shannon, who were talking in the waiting room. And they had coffee. The door closed behind him.

He didn't see the anguish that covered Kate's face as soon as he was gone.

Thanks for reading, and for all the wonderful reviews. They really mean so much to me. Please keep writing what you think - even if you don't like it, I want to know. Take care, lots of love, Z xxx