Mentions of sexual assault. Depression. Rough waters ahead, me hearties

Strategic Retreat

The next morning dawned early and bright for the couple. Disi's eyes popped open, this time with the full knowledge of what she'd done. What the heck was she doing allowing herself to be seduced by the glorious specimen of male in the bed? This was God's personal gift to women; she had no right to keep him all to herself. Ignoring her tears at this dose of cruel reality, she started detangling herself from the sexy male under her. Her plan was to make her escape from the bed and flag down a cab to get her back to her crappy one-bedroom apartment. She didn't even know where she was! The club was a ways away from her home; she'd gotten a ride from Sarah straight from work on Friday night. Was it really Sunday morning already? She had to work tomorrow! Not to mention that she'd fucked a total stranger at least three times in the last thirty-six hours. What the heck was wrong with her?

Shaking her head as the tears continued to spill down her cheeks, she reluctantly pulled away from her lover. She would never see him again after this; he didn't know enough about her to track her down. An Adonis-like figure like his deserved better than some fat chick like her. She moaned as she slowly stood up from the bed, letting his massive cock slide out of her. He felt so good inside of her! But it wasn't meant to be. Judging from the opulent room she was in, the two of them would never work out. Where was she?

"I gotta get out of here," she muttered to herself, searching for her clothes. She found them hanging neatly in the clothing store masquerading as a closet in the sleeping man's room. She wasted no time dressing. Her purse was on the bureau and she was disappointed to discover that her phone was dead. Damnit! She shouldn't have wasted the battery on music before going to the nightclub. In her defense though, she hadn't expected to go home with an obscenely sexy demigod and need a ride home afterward. Blinking away her frustrated tears - God, how much had she cried since meeting her lover? - she snuck out of the room. It took her a minute to stop gawking at the house beyond the room she'd just exited. This wasn't some simple, well-to-do construction worker she'd hooked up with. The house sparkled with good taste and opulence. It was beautiful and it was huge. Whatever his inheritance was as a child, he must have invested very well to be able to afford all this! Her child would never live this life. She would apply for Welfare if necessary to keep her baby fed and clothed, but Tyr would never accept her or her child into a world like this. It was too nice, too clean, too perfect.

"Can I help you, miss?" a male voice said to her left as she gawked at the classic chandelier in the hallway. Disi jumped guiltily and whirled to face him. He was a butler. Tyr Anasazi had a goddamn butler in his house. No, it was definitely time for a graceful exit.

"You're not English," she said quickly, backing up towards the stairs.

"No, I'm not," he said with a kind smile. Somehow that scared her more than if he was being rude. She stumbled down the stairs and ran out the door without another word. Gregory watched her go in confusion. Then the door of the master bedroom opened and he forgot about the confusing woman altogether. His employer was vibrating fury, his usually chocolate brown eyes a furious amber as he searched for the new lady of the house. The sight of the open front door only seemed to enrage him more.

"My liege," Gregory bowed to the man. "You must calm yourself if you intend to pursue the Lady. She doesn't know what you are."

Tyr took a deep breath and silently counted to ten in his head. When he opened his eyes, they were their normal color. "She left me," he said evenly.

"Yes she did," his manservant said.

"She gave me everything precious to her, including her scent, and then just walked away."

"That she did."

"She expects me to be okay with that."

Gregory smiled and laid a warm hand on the man's muscled shoulder. "Then the Lady will just have to learn differently, won't she?" He smiled at his master until the furious man smiled back to his relief. Gregory Sentos was the great, great, great, great grandchild of Lawrence Sentos, a family that had been serving Tyr since his arrival on the planet over a century ago. He was one of the few human beings who knew that an alien was among them. It wasn't that big of a deal, the exiled king could project a human form and did so regularly. It was only when his emotions got the best of him that his less-than-human traits started to show. He must feel deeply for the young human girl who had just freaked out and ran away from the house.

"Gregory, please go get my Jag. I need to make sure she gets home safely with my child before I decide what to do about her."

"Yes, my lord," his servant nodded, heading out the back door to Tyr's extensive car collection. Gregory had always enjoyed the mix of classic and modern styles in the showroom masquerading as a garage. He quickly got in the F-type Jaguar and pulled it around front for his master. The girl was nowhere to be seen. She must have booked it down the front driveway to escape the mansion. Tyr was fast to enter the car, ignoring the decadent interior as he literally followed his nose to his woman. She walked to the crowded Sunday afternoon mall, charging her phone for an hour as she sat at the food court and cried. After that, she flagged down a cab and Tyr followed her straight home. She was still trembling and crying when she emerged from the car.

She was in the city's old Children's Hospital area, in a rundown neighborhood off the Red Mile where people celebrated The Flames' hockey victories. Looking at the houses in this area, they probably needed to be condemned. Little Disi walked quickly to a large stucco building that was a little more run-down than most on the block. His eyes narrowed dangerously. She'd run from him… for this dump? Trying his hardest to get his emotions under control, he turned around and drove home. It would only scare her if he showed up outside of her home right now. No, he needed to play this smart. He already knew where she worked and where she lived. She'd also let slip when her next shift was during their time together. He would have to plan a little surprise for his reluctant bride.

… …

Disi threw herself on her secondhand futon and sobbed her heart out. She was terrified right now. Quickly she called up her mother, her mind blanking on her next steps now that she wasn't a virgin anymore.

"Hey Babygirl! How do you?"

"I… I…" She took a deep shuddering breath and tried to control her need to start bawling into the line. "I'm in trouble, Mama. I did something truly stupid and now I don't know what to do!" Even she could hear the barely controlled panic in her strained voice. "I can't believe this is happening. I keep expecting to wake up and this be a particularly bad nightmare. But I keep not waking up! The cabbie thought I was crazy, pinching myself over and over on the way home."

"Qudsiyya! Calm down," Darlene said as her daughter babbled into the line. "Take a deep breath and tell me what's going on." She then sat and listened in disbelief as her innocent, disgustingly wholesome daughter described the details of her drunken weekend. This was Qudsiyya they were talking about! Her level-headed daughter who was addicted to routine and was afraid of mind-altering substances. Since when did she get drunk and go home with a stranger? While her brain wanted to blame those Canadian friends of hers and condemn her actions, her sweet child was dishing out such a healthy dose of guilt and self-recrimination that she didn't feel right targeting the emotionally destroyed young woman. The older woman had been arguing with her daughter over her choice of forever home since the child had accepted the scholarship to the University of Calgary six years ago, so she could appreciate just how much the roof must have fallen in for the usually secretive child to call and confess her indiscretions to her mother.

"Sweetheart… Are you sitting down right now?"

"I… I am, Mama," Disi sniffled, massaging her temples to try and stave off the pounding headache there.

"Good. Now, first off, did he hurt you? Are you alright?"

"I'm… I'm okay, Mama. He didn't- I barely noticed when he… I was sooo drunk that night… But how can you still care? I went home with a stranger and had sex with him! I fucked up, big time! I could be-"

"Hush now, little one. No matter what you've done, you're still my child," Darlene said soothingly, ignoring the profanity just this once. The girl was very upset right now after all. And rightly so. She could barely believe what the girl was telling her. Her daughter was not to type to be so careless. She would have expected this type of news from one of her sons, honestly. They tended to be rash and impulsive. Qudsiyya needed her compassion right now. Not her scorn. "What's done is done, Babygirl. There's no getting back the past. What we need to focus on right now is the physical fallout of your actions. I would suggest that you go to the Emergency Room and get yourself tested for diseases and pregnancy. Those results will take a few days to come back. Have the hospital contact your family doctor with the results so that they get back to you as soon as the results come back. In the meantime… Do you work tomorrow?"

"I do," the girl responded, sounding less panicked now that her mother was offering practical advice and not freaking out on her.

"No you don't," Darlene said firmly. "You need time to process what's happened and recover properly. My suggestion; take tomorrow off. There's no telling how long it will take for you to be seen in the hospital. I would suggest making an appointment with your family doctor - cut out the middle man - but those appointments could take days and you need to start the process immediately. If you have HIV, Syphilis, or Chlamydia, you'll want someone to know right away so that you can start treatment immediately." She listened to her only girl-child sob at that and wished fervently that she was somehow able to put her arms around her daughter. "Maybe I should come up there. It would take a couple of days but I have enough vacation time to cover a two-week trip up if you want, Babygirl."

"I… I'm just so lost right now, Mama. Um… Let me get the test results back and I'll tell you if I need you up here or if I'm coming down for a few weeks. I… I don't even know how to explain this to my boss. She might kill me herself; she's always been protective of me. I still can't believe this is happening. I'm not like this. I've always been-"

"I know, Babygirl. We need to take this one step at a time. Go to the hospital and have yourself checked out. You're still on birth control for those painful periods of yours, right?"

"I take them daily with my blood pressure pills. I missed yesterday's and today's because I wasn't here to take them. But-"

"Take your dose for today, Babygirl. Then head to the hospital. I'm not worried about pregnancy, I'm worried about disease right now. Have yourself tested for everything they can think of. Call me as soon as you get the results. I don't care what time of day it is; I'll answer. Have you taken your pills yet?"

"I was going to wait until I got off the phone with you, Mama."

"Take your pills now. When you hang up with me, it should be to get a cab to the hospital. Time is of the essence, sweetheart. Go ahead and take your pills." The girl did as she was told, too distraught to even think of disobeying.

"Alright, I've taken the dose."

"Good. Now, hang up and call a cab. You need to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Have you eaten today?" She chuckled when she heard her daughter's stomach rumble loudly through the phone. "I wish I could be there with you, Babygirl. This is a huge thing you've done. You need your family around you right now."

"I'm so ashamed, Mama," her daughter whimpered. "I don't know what came over me." The sound of Qudsiyya's quiet sobs broke her heart.

"It's alright, my poor baby. We're going to get through this. Together. Now, fix yourself something to eat and call a cab afterward to get yourself through traffic and to the hospital. Call me once you're home again."

"Oh Mama, there's no telling how long it's going to take to get through Emergency. It's noon now; it could be-"

"I don't care. Call me the minute you're back home. You need support right now. I'll talk to you then, understand?"

"Yes, Mama. I love you."

"I love you too, Babygirl. We'll talk more about this once your bloodwork is in. Go eat, child."

"Okay, Mama. Bye." She didn't wait for the older woman to respond as she clicked the 'end' button. Thank God her mother hadn't decided to shun her. She didn't know who else to call if she had. And getting some bloodwork done at the Emergency Room was an excellent idea; she was surprised that she hadn't thought of it herself. Her mind was a mess after the last couple of days. Of course, she wasn't pregnant. While she was using the Pill for its original purpose since she'd been a virgin all these years, it was still technically birth control. Feeling better about the whole terrible situation already, she decided to go out and get something to eat instead of cooking. With the day she was having, she felt that she might burn down her apartment if she turned on the stove. It might be a horribly unsafe, crappy apartment, but it was where all her stuff was. She could afford better, of course. But she was saving up to buy a house in one of the new communities that were springing up around the Calgary General Hospital. Right now she was twenty minutes by bus from the Foothills Medical Center. That was where she was headed right now. The last thing she needed was to run into a coworker at her job.

Shuddering at the thought of being recognized, the girl grabbed a shower and changed into a loose pair of sweats and a comfortable top before heading out to get something to eat. It was a little warm for her attire, but she was too upset to care at this point. After eating a breakfast sub, she ordered a cab and went to the hospital. All things considered, it didn't take that long to be seen by the staff. She was settled in the corner of the large room, charging her phone and trying to avoid the disapproving gaze of the matronly triage nurse. Once the girl had explained that she'd had unprotected sex with a stranger, it seemed that her compassion had dried up for the crying girl. In fact, she was almost sure that this was the reason for her four-hour stay in Emergency so far. Everyone who had been in the Emergency Room with her had gone in to see the doctors already. Sighing and grabbing another tissue, she settled in to wait. Two hours later her name was called. Ignoring the disapproving glare from the triage nurse once again, she wiped her face and threw out her pile of used tissues before following the friendly ER nurse in to see the doctor.

When Dr. Hiatus saw his patient working her way through a fresh box of tissues in the examination room, he resolved to have another talk with Mindy, the current triage nurse. This poor woman was not 'a self-righteous slut in for weekly disease testing'. Here before him sat a devastated girl who'd made a grave mistake. She didn't deserve a six-hour wait in the ER for simple bloodwork. The Emergency Room wasn't even that busy today. His paternal instincts kicked in automatically and he hugged the miserable child tightly.

"Tell me what happened," he commanded her gently.

"I was out celebrating my friend's engagement on Friday night when I saw this… Dear God, he was so overwhelmingly attractive. I was drunk as a skunk, but I still approached him and when I ran away, he followed me back to my table. I don't know why I let him, but I was so drunk that I let him take me to his home, and then we… we…" she broke down sobbing before she could finish her teary confession.

"It's alright, sweetheart. You don't have to say anymore. One thing though, before we get started: was it consensual? Did he give you anything to drink? If you were drunk, he could have-"

"No, no," she said quickly, shaking her head for good measure. "I just… It never occurred to me to stop. I'm not like this, I swear. I've never been with a man before. I lost my virginity to a complete stranger!" Disi started sobbing again. "I don't know what came over me! I could have anything now. I barely know the guy's name!"

"Shh… It's alright, little one. It's going to be alright. You came to the right place. We'll get you looked over and take some bloodwork. It's too soon for a pregnancy test, but you should be able to handle that in a few weeks."

"I'm on the pill for my periods. They're extra painful for me. So I'm not worried about pregnancy. I just want to make sure that I don't have AIDS or something else horrible."

"I can appreciate that you take the pill, but no form of birth control is 100% effective, Quid-"

"Disi."

"Disi then. There's always the possibility that your birth control might have failed you. Should you miss your period next month or the month after, I would suggest taking a pregnancy test before visiting the doctor about it. Are you regular?"

"As clockwork," she sniffled.

"Then I want you to keep that in mind. As to the disease part of it, I'll send the nurse to take some blood from you. We'll perform a pelvic exam on you - with one of the nurses present, of course. And I think that a doctor's note giving you a couple of days off is in order. This is an emotionally charged time for you after all. We should have the results back in a few days." The man looked over her personal information. "Your doctor is still Dr. Fairbanks, right?

"Yes, doctor."

"I will leave a message for him on Monday that you need these test results back immediately. He may decide that an appointment is in order to disclose the information, but that's out of my hands. Until then, I think it would be best if you stay home. I'm going to write the note for a week and fax it directly to your employer. Do you know the number?"

The girl was already looking up her work information. She gave it to him when she found it. "Do I still need to call the unit?"

"No. That's the point of faxing it. Just take some time and figure things out. Do you want the number to EFAP? They might be a good resource for dealing with all the emotional baggage that comes with a situation like this."

"I… I would appreciate that very much, doctor. I always thought that my first time would be on my wedding night. This is… Well, this is obviously not the way I dreamed I'd lose my virginity." She looked down and started fiddling with her hands.

"Yes, well… How about we do that pelvic exam now? We can do the bloodwork right after and you can be on your way."

"Yes, doctor." He handed her a drape, instructing her to take off her clothes from the waist down and lay back on the stretcher while he found a nurse to observe. Disi did as she was told, the humiliation of the situation bringing her to tears yet again. She let them leak down the sides of her eyes and into her hair as she waited for the doctor to return. He'd given her an out for her guilt. By claiming 'rape' she could have absolved herself of all responsibility. But it wasn't her style to shirk her responsibilities. She might have been drunk, hell, he might have slipped her something in that beer he gave her. But she'd been perfectly aware of what she was doing that night. For the life of her she just couldn't figure out why she let it happen.

"Oh honey. You must be exhausted from crying like that all day," a sweet voice interrupted her musings. Disi blinked and looked at the nurse.

"H-how did you know that I've been-"

"I've been watching you on and off since you arrived in the ER. Every time I pass by, you're reaching for another tissue." Disi gawked at the woman, unable to think of anything to say.

"Alright, ladies. It's time for Disi's pelvic exam. And I think that a pap smear might be a good idea under the circumstances. Spread your legs under the sheet, little one." Taking a deep breath, Qudsiyya eased her legs apart and let the doctor work. He and the nurse stared at her nether regions for a few minutes, poking and prodding her before opening her up and doing the smear.

"There is a lot of swelling and bruising in there. Are you sure-"

"I'm sure, doctor. This is all my fault."

"I find that it takes two to tango, Disi. Accepting all of the blame is unrealistic." She took a deep, shuddering breath and stared at the ceiling.

"You're going to have to forgive yourself eventually, little one. It was a grave mistake to be sure. But it was a mistake. Unless you went to the club with the intention of having a one-night stand."

"God no! I've been out with the girls lots of times before. The plan was the same as always. Have a few drinks, dance, and go home. There was nothing in the plan about meeting an African battle god and giving him my most precious gift. I don't know what came over me…" The girl started crying again.

The nurse and doctor exchanged looks and the doctor left.

"My name is Holly and I am going to collect your bloodwork for today. Did you want to get dressed before we get started?"

"Yes, please," she sniffled painfully. Holly stepped out of the room for a few minutes so that the girl could clean herself up and dress. The tissue box was almost empty so she came back in with a fresh one.

"Alright, which arm is best for this?"

"I'm a lefty, so most people use my right AC Fossa for blood draws."

"Very well," Holly said and got to work. The silence was deafening as she collected the blood from her patient. "Your veins are very good, Disi. I believe that is the fastest blood collection I've ever done. Go home, eat, and get some sleep."

"Okay, Holly," she sighed. She went and flagged down one of the cabs outside of the hospital and got a ride home. She ordered a pizza and turned on the TV, watching blankly as tears continued to leak out of her puffy, red eyes. How could this be happening to her? Her entire image of herself was falling apart and she was headed for a breakdown. The doorbell rang just then and she paid for her pizza. Her landlady came to the shared entrance of the old house just then. Looking her over, the nosy woman decided to interrogate her tenant.

"I haven't heard from you all weekend, Disi. What's going on? I thought you were on a diet." She added with a pointed look at the pizza in her arms.

"Not today," Disi sighed. "It's been an exhausting weekend for me. Bad things happened on the unit. I just want to eat in peace and go to sleep. Goodnight, Sally." The landlady watched the girl drag herself down the stairs in alarm. Disi never called her by her first name! It was always 'Ms Sally' or 'Ms Winters'. Whatever happened must have been huge! Resolving to get the full story in time, Sally headed back into her apartment.

Disi, already suspecting her landlady's plans for her, sighed again and dug into her food for the night. The food was delicious but she hardly tasted it over her terror that she might be diseased. Putting the other half of the pizza in the fridge, she showered again before calling her mother.

"What did they say?" the woman asked without preamble.

"They said that they wouldn't be able to figure out if I'm pregnant for a few weeks because it takes time for the egg and sperm to meet inside of me. I have to wait for a missed period in the next few months and then take a pregnancy test. As for the rest of it, they did a pelvic exam, a pap smear, and bloodwork. They said there's a lot of bruising and swelling, but otherwise, I'm okay physically. The doctor gave me a week off and recommended that I talk to the Employee Family Assistance Program during that time."

"That sounds like a reasonable course of action, Babygirl," Darlene said tiredly. She yawned, she was usually in bed by now because she had to wake up at five in the morning. But her daughter was more important. They spent a few minutes praying over the distraught girl before the upset mother signed off for the night. She extracted a promise to call tomorrow from her daughter before she let her go. This was a disaster and she refused to allow her little girl to go through it alone.

Disi dressed in an oversized nightshirt and went to bed. She'd expected to toss and turn all night, but she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.