The paramedic cleared his throat as he tried to get Erin's attention, and Penelope gave him a small shrug, not wanting to let go of the woman in that moment. Not when she was still memorizing how she felt in Penelope's arms, how alive she was. Another, more irritated, cough came, and she let out a deep sigh as she gently pushed away from Erin, cupping her face as she stared into her eyes. "We have to head to the hospital now, Erin. I will be right by your side, and Alex will follow along once she's cleared the house. Okay?"

The woman gave her a small nod as they turned to look at the paramedic. "All right, if you'll just follow me over to the ambulance, I'll give you a quick look over and then we'll head to the hospital." He reached out to touch Erin's shoulder, only for her to flinch away into Penelope, a strangled whimper slipping from her lips as she turned her face into Penelope's shoulder.

"I hate to ask this, but is your partner a woman? I think that that might make things a little easier for everyone."

He nodded and made for the ambulance, Penelope and Erin trailing after him. It wasn't hard to hold Erin close as they climbed up into the back of the ambulance, and they took a seat on the stretcher as they waited for the partner to appear. "I'm sorry for being so clingy," Erin whispered in her ear, and Penelope shook her head a little before turning her head and kissing Erin's head softly.

"You were just rescued from a horrible situation. I'd be surprised if you tried to pretend like everything was fine. But just know that we are going to be with you every step of the way, until you feel strong enough to stand on your own once more."

"Thank you." Erin let her head thump against Penelope's chest as the female paramedic climbed into the back, smiling politely at them as she held out her hand. "I'm Alison, and you must be Erin. I'm going to check your blood pressure and some other things while my partner, Ben, drives us to the hospital." Erin nodded a little as she shook the woman's hand. Penelope followed suit as Alison started to run through her tests. Penelope tried not to flinch when Alison rolled up the sleeve of Alex's sweater to reveal a series of nasty looking bruises that ran up the length of Erin's arm. "Does your other arm look like that, too?"

"Yes. He, he had to hold me down because I fought back so much. That was what I had always been taught to do, to fight with every fibre in my being until there was no strength left in my body. He was stronger than me, but I still fought back."

Penelope pursed her lips together as she struggled to keep her sobs inside. Erin needed her to be strong in that moment, and she knew that she could more than be that for her. Meeting Alison's eyes, she saw that there was a well of deep sympathy in her gaze, and Penelope let out a tiny sigh as she scooted closer to Erin. "You must have been so strong, Erin, if he had to hold you down so hard to leave bruises like this. Now, when we get to the hospital, are we going to need to do a rape kit?"

"I suppose that you can, but I don't know what good it will do, he didn't rape me last night. I don't know what he was doing, but I could hear him pacing above me until well into the night."

"Well, it will still be good to have it on hand, because any tearing or bruising to your vaginal area would still be evident. Anything that can be used to build a case against who hurt you, in order to convict them, should be documented."

Erin nodded a little as she let out a shaky breath. "I know, but I don't want to be a burden. I just want to go back to living, since everyone that I love thinks I'm still dead."

"We'll call your ex-husband once we're home, and set up a reunion when you're ready, Erin. Whatever you need, we'll do."

"Thank you, Penelope." A tense silence fell over the back of the ambulance for the rest of the ride there, and Penelope ran her hand up and down Erin's arm as they went. Finally, they arrived at the hospital, and Penelope followed the stretcher in to the private room. She knew that the staff was being kind to them, and she was grateful for that, since Erin didn't need to be on public display as they discussed what had happened to her.

She tried to tune out Alison talking with the nurse, since she knew most of what was being discussed already, instead focusing on Erin, threading their fingers together as she tried to calm herself down a little more, knowing that Erin would be better in the long run if she was steady around her. "Alex said that we're going to set up camp in her house, since she thought that you'd want familiar faces around you, and my apartment is a little too small for three of us. I hope you don't mind us just commandeering your life like this, but…I just want you to be safe and secure in the knowledge that there are people who love you and want nothing but the best for you."

"I knew that from the moment you started answering my calls, Penny." Erin gave her a small smile before looking over her shoulder at the nurse. "But I think that they're waiting for us."

"It's okay, we want you to feel comfortable with what's about to happen. I know that you would probably like to have your friend present as we do parts of the rape kit, but I feel like there are things that should remain private between the two of you. Speaking from personal experience, I was glad that my nurse suggested that my best friend step out of the room for the few minutes it took to take pictures and swabs. I promise, your friend will be right outside the room, and I will bring her in the moment I am finished and you are in a gown. Will that be all right?"

Erin looked at Penelope, and she could tell that she wanted to say yes, so Penelope quickly nodded, hoping that Erin knew it was all right to shoo her from the room for a few minutes. "That would be fine. And perhaps, by the time you're finished with everything, Lexie will be here, too, and everything will be better."

The nurse gave them an understanding smile, and Penelope tried to return it before she looked back at Erin. "I will run to the vending machines a moment, I have a few dollars in my pocket. Is there anything that you'd like?"

"Coffee. I know, it will be horrible, but I have missed caffeine while I was down in the basement. And something sweet, pick whatever you think I'd like. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Erin." Penelope squeezed her hand tightly before letting go and making her way over to the door. "I will be back soon, I promise you." Taking a deep breath, she gave her the sunniest smile she could muster before scurrying from the room, knowing that if she didn't leave in that moment, she would break down crying, and she might never stop.