A/N: Call of Duty brain rot has set in lolol I hope y'all enjoy it! Leave a review and let me know what you think!
Eleanor was a simple woman, or so she liked to think. She went to work, back to her apartment, and sometimes she'd hit the gym. She was what most people would call bland, a wet blanket. Boring.
She was single, with no kids, and no man in her life - it was lonely sometimes, sure, but she liked it. It gave her time to focus on the thing that really meant something to her - her practice.
"Doctor Laswell, the next patient is ready for you," the nurse called into her office.
Eleanor rose from her chair, glancing over the chart in her hand before she entered the room with a small smile. "Hello, how are you guys today?"
The young couple looked from the young puppy in the woman's lap and then back to the doctor. "We're doing okay, just here to get Bella's shots up to date."
Taking the squirmy little thing from her owner, Eleanor cuddled it to her chest, chuckling when it gave her a few sloppy kisses on her cheek. "You're so sweet, aren't you, girl."
Eleanor loved her job. She had always had a knack for taking care of animals - for the most part, all they wanted was a warm place to sleep, some good food, and love. They were simple, easy to read, and never meant you harm unless you gave them a reason - they were with you for life, unwavering and full of devotion.
Eleanor quickly administered the medication to the puppy, rubbing the sore spot down with her gloved fingers gently. "You're so brave, Bella. Such a good girl," she cooed.
Giving the nurse the puppy's record to update, Eleanor turned and handed the dog back to her owners. "Okay, you're good to go for now. Just stop by the ladies at reception to make sure you get the appointment set up for her final round of shots, okay?"
The rest of the day went by in a blur, animal after animal treated, and, as much as Eleanor enjoyed her job, she was ready to get home to her warm bubble bath. She washed her hands and bid her staff goodbye as they filed out one by one until she was the only person left in the office. She turned the lights off, making sure everything was as it should be before she locked the door and walked to her car.
She unlocked her car before she got to it, ready to sit down and give her aching feet a rest. She reached out to open the door when she felt something hard hit her across the side of her head. She fell to her knees, her vision blurring as she crashed to the ground. Her palms and knees burned as the asphalt scraped away the skin. She blinked quickly, trying to clear her sight.
"Laswell?" The man asked from above her, his voice almost a growl. When she didn't answer he grabbed a handful of her brown hair, pulling her face to look at him. "Are you Eleanor Laswell?"
Eleanor gasped, pain shooting through her head. "Yes, yes, that's me."
Her sight finally cleared and she struggled to sit up, seeing two large men with masks covering their faces. One had a gun while the other continued to land hit after hit to her, her body, her face, anywhere he could. She was crying now, her arms covering her face as she tried to protect herself as best she could.
"Tell that bitch to make it right," the man sneered at her. "Or you're dead."
She was left in the parking lot by herself, blood coming from the cut on her head and her lip. She dug desperately in her purse, finding her phone and pulling it out with shaking hands. She was still crying, tears mixing with the blood that dripped onto her scrubs.
"Laswell," her aunt's voice came from the other end of the line. "Hello?"
Eleanor sobbed into the receiver. "Aunt Kate?"
"What's wrong," Kate asked instantly, her voice tight. "Ellie?"
"There were these men," Eleanor explained the situation as best she could through her panic. "Can you call an ambulance to the office? I don't think I can drive."
"They're on the way, Ellie, just stay where you are," Kate told her. "I'm on my way to you. I'll see you in a bit."
A few hours later, Eleanor and Kate had finally been reunited in the emergency department of the hospital. Eleanor was cleared to go home as soon as the bags of antibiotics and fluid were gone - just as a precaution, they told her. They had given her an injection for pain, but still, she found her head throbbing with every movement.
"Okay," Kate mumbled under her breath, pacing from one end of the room to the other. It seemed like time was in an endless loop - Kate would stop to ask questions, jot them down on a notepad, grumble to herself, and then go back to pacing. At times Eleanor could've sworn she could see the older woman looking at her, her eyes filling with tears before she would excuse herself into another room.
Eleanor frowned, watching Kate's back disappear into the tiny bathroom once again. She wanted to follow her, to check on her, but the pounding in her head kept her seated. Slowly, she brought the ice pack back up and pressed it against the offending pain, grimacing when the ice pack made contact with the bruise surrounding her eye. The television was on in the background, the volume whisper-low, but she paid it no attention.
It wasn't long before Kate came back out, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. She gave her niece a small, tight-lipped smile. "Allergies."
"Aunt Kate, please you need to sit down and stop worrying. You're going to raise your blood pressure." Kate still paced the length of the room, just a little bit slower. Eleanor tried to cut the tension with a joke, "Or walk a hole in the floor. They probably wouldn't appreciate that..."
Kate didn't fall for it and, instead, she came over and surveyed the damage to her niece's face with a grimace. Gently, she turned her face from one side to the other, her fingers grasping her chin. "Oh Ellie," she whispered.
"I'm okay," Eleanor tried to soothe her. "Kate, I'm okay."
Kate almost glared at her, no true malice for her niece, purely frustration at the circumstance. "You're telling me that you're not in pain right now?"
"It'll heal," she said softly. "Come on, you've been waiting on me hand and foot since you got here. I haven't seen you in almost a year and I've missed you."
"Oh, Ellie, you know I've missed you too," Kate's eyes softened slightly and she nodded, sitting on the bed beside her. "Okay. Do you need anything?"
Eleanor took her hand and simply held it - something she'd done as a child that still brought her a semblance of comfort. The older woman rubbed her hand softly, her eyes trained intently on her niece. "This is enough for now."
Kate nodded and sighed. "Okay, okay."
They sat there quietly for the first time since Kate had arrived. Eleanor's mind was whirling with thoughts and memories. Most from the attack, but in between the awful there were also some from when she was a child - so she chose to focus on the good ones. She peeked around the icepack and asked, "Do you remember the first time you and Rachel took me ice skating?"
"Oh God. You were a wreck - you looked like the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz when he first started walking." Kate laughed. The memory curled the corner of her lips - the younger woman's superpower if she had one - and she shook her head lightly. "You know, if it were up to Rachel she'd be here too - you are her favorite person."
Eleanor gave her hand a small squeeze, taking her chance to change the subject. "How is Aunt Rach?"
"She's doing well," Kate admitted. "She's at an art show in New York right now."
Eleanor had always been envious of her aunt's artistic ability. Sure, she could draw the basics, but Rachel's work was nothing short of beautiful. She wasn't even ten years old the first time she met Rachel. She was tall, thin, and willowy - she looked like something from another planet to Eleanor. She was gorgeous. That day she took the time to show Eleanor how to draw a rose - something the younger girl kept close to her heart for years to come.
"She's talented and she knows it," Eleanor said fondly. "I miss her."
Kate agreed, a flash of pride in her eyes. "She would love for you to come stay with us - for as long as you'd want to. We both would."
"That's very kind," Eleanor felt a surge of appreciation for her words but still disagreed. "But I'll be okay back at my apartment. Plus, I don't want to impose."
"Impose," Kate huffed with a roll of her eyes. "You live alone, you don't have any kind of protection. Your building's security is lacking. And plus, you're my favorite niece."
"I'm your only niece," Eleanor sighed. She knew Kate was right, but she didn't want to place any more worry or guilt on her aunt's shoulders. She was still frightened, though. "How does Rachel stay safe while you're gone? Does she have a gun?"
Kate nodded seriously. "Yes, she does. She carries it in her purse, with a concealed carry permit, of course. I taught her how to shoot when we first started dating, just in case."
"Of course you did," Eleanor smiled as best she could, wincing when her split lip seared with pain. "So do you think I should get one, too?"
Again, Kate nodded. "You know my stance on that. However..."
Eleanor raised a brow. "What?"
"I think I may have a solution," Kate admitted. "You aren't going to like it, but remember, this would be temporary. Just until I know I have the people who did this to you."
Eleanor was curious, sure, but she also knew she likely wasn't going to like what Kate had to offer. She waited, watching as the wheels in her aunt's brilliant mind spun, slowly clicking the puzzle pieces together. She pulled out her phone, tapped some buttons, and finally looked genuinely relieved since the first time she'd arrived. "It's damn near perfect."
"What are you thinking," Eleanor questioned. "You look like you've solved world hunger."
"I have someone coming to keep a watch on you," Kate told her. "He'll be the one with the gun, so you don't have to worry about that. He'll stay with you until we get these bastards. Until you're safe."
"Are you talking about a bodyguard?" Eleanor furrowed her brows. "Kate, c'mon. I don't think that's necessary-"
Kate cut her off. "I have just the person in mind. I've worked with him for a long time, completely trust him. He's top of the line, Ellie."
"Do I have a choice," Eleanor asked softly, the answer already known.
Kate, again, gave her a small smile. "No."
That evening, after she was released from the hospital, Kate helped her back to her apartment. She was scuttling around from one window to another, checking the locks as Eleanor was nestled in her chair, her body still aching. She had a tablet in her hands, reading over some of the charts of her patients. She couldn't be at work until she was fully cleared, but she still accepted the simpler cases so people wouldn't have to go to the next town over to keep their animals healthy.
"You should be resting," Kate chirped from the doorway of the kitchen. "But because I know you aren't going to listen I brought you a cup of coffee and a bagel."
Eleanor gave her aunt a small smile and thanked her with a nod, taking the cup from her hands. Kate lay the plate with the bagel on the table beside her. "I wonder where I get that stubborn quality from?" Eleanor joked.
"Watch yourself, smart-ass," Kate chuckled, shaking her head lightly. "But seriously, don't overdo it, kiddo. I know you want things to stay relatively normal, but you still need to take it easy, okay?"
The younger woman nodded. "I promise."
A knock at the door shattered the silence and Eleanor gasped and looked to her aunt. Kate stood, her hand by her gun on her side, and walked toward the door. She glanced out of the peephole and lowered her shoulders, her hand moving from her gun to the doorknob. She opened the door and stepped outside, her voice met by another deeper one.
Eleanor strained her ears to hear the conversation outside, but couldn't make out any distinct words. Kate's comfort with the person on the other side calmed her worry, so she sat back and took a bite of her bagel. When she heard two sets of footsteps enter her apartment she pretended like she didn't notice, too absorbed in her work, but in reality, she was hyper-aware of the large figure shadowing her aunt.
"Ellie," Kate's called, breaking the silence. "This is John, he's a friend of mine and a damn good soldier. He's going to be watching over you until we're sure that you're safe."
Eleanor glanced up from her work at Kate before her eyes shifted over to the large man behind her. Eleanor gave him a tight grin, rightfully nervous about having him in her home. He was a stranger, after all, even if Kate did vouch for him. And she knew Kate was only able to stay for a few more hours - with her important work and all.
John gave her a quick nod, his hands in his pockets. "Nice to meet you, Eleanor."
"Thank you for your help, John," Eleanor said quietly.
John gave her a wink and it was then she noticed how absolutely blue his eyes were. "Your aunt's told me a lot about you."
Eleanor smiled at him. "I wish I could say I've heard a lot about you, but Kate keeps me in the dark about most things."
John chuckled. "Sounds about right."
"Anyway," Kate cut their conversation. "The arrangement is simple - John stays with you as much as possible. Of course, you're allowed your personal space, but he needs to be within arms reach of you if you're out. And always in the apartment with you."
Eleanor opened her mouth as if to say something, but her aunt held up a finger, signaling that she wasn't finished speaking. "I've spoken to the landlord of your office, Ellie. As soon as you're cleared you can go back to work, but John will be there with you."
Eleanor raised a brow. "Don't you think a random guy, no offense, John, just standing in the corner of my office is going to weird out some of my patients? Make them uncomfortable?"
Kate shrugged her shoulders and frowned. "I don't care about their feelings, Ellie. I care about you staying alive."
"It's my job, Aunt Kate," Eleanor sighed.
Kate nodded, coming to sit on the arm of her chair. "I understand that, but your life is more important."
Eleanor bit back a retort after seeing the look on her aunt's face - she'd seen that look plenty of times and she knew no one had ever won a battle against it. She sank back against the cushions of the chair, her arms crossed over her chest like a petulant child. "Fine."
Kate squared her shoulders, a grin curling her lips. "I'm glad to see you're taking this well."
"This is well?" John piped up quietly behind her.
Kate turned slightly. "This is her being easy. You've got your work cut out for you with this one, John."
John sighed. "I've taken down entire platoons of highly trained soldiers, Kate. I think I can handle a little woman."
Kate chuckled. "You've only just met Ellie. Don't underestimate her."
"Underestimate a Laswell," John murmured with a smirk. "Never."