Tonight had been the night from hell. Two deaths in one night. The first patient, a very kindly man, almost 80 years old, who spoke to her every night she was on duty. He always had a nice word, a bit of advice...and peppermint candy. She always smiled when she thought of him. The second death was a woman no one would miss. A nasty woman, close to 90, who never said a nice word to anyone. She even hated the wonderfully friendly dog that visited with the elderly every week.
Still, two deaths in the nursing home meant hours of paperwork. That's the reason she was leaving more than an hour after her shift ended. And waiting for the bus in Center City Philadelphia, alone, at 12:30am was never a good idea. She wasn't even sure the bus was still running, she simply "hoped" it was.
Robbie glanced at her watch, grimacing as she caught her reflection in the large pane glass window of a closed clothing store. She wasn't vain, but she was far too cute to be out here alone on this relatively deserted street. She smiled at the thought, wishing she actually felt that way about herself. The truth is she certainly generated her fair share of attention. She was the color of rich honey, a warm, silky brown that caught one's eye. Add to that her dark brown eyes, large and bright, sculpted cheekbones, full lips, and a dark mane of hair which she currently wore in a ponytail, and she really wasn't hard on the eyes. Besides, she rationalized, any woman would be stupid not to worry about being out here alone this late at night, right? No matter how she looked.
And even though she wore emerald green scrubs tonight, the outfit didn't hide her figure. The full, high breasts, small waist and well rounded hips was quite a package, albeit a small package since she stood only 5 feet 3 inches. She wasn't "full-figured," sliding her frame comfortably into a size 10 (or a 12 if she was honest), but she certainly had all the right curves in all the right places.
She glanced at her watch again. Only one minute had passed and she wished the bus would arrive already. She had a little cash in her wallet and she would be more than willing to grab a cab if she spotted one, but there was no luck with that either. She sighed and forced herself not to glance at her watch again.
At the same moment she breathed a sigh of relief, noticing the bus turn the corner on its way to her, she also spotted a figure walking in her direction. She quickly assessed it was a male. He wore a dark hooded sweatshirt and tattered jeans. She wasn't sure of his race, but he moved like a young person, someone in his late teens. The skateboard he carried helped with the assessment of his age. Robbie could feel her stomach tighten as he moved closer, the bus was still two blocks away. She was much too preoccupied with the figure approaching to realize the bus was dark and not stopping for passengers. So when it breezed past her just before the male reached her side, she could feel her heart sink.
She closed her eyes for a moment, regrouping. She was panicking for no reason. This guy probably just left work and was simply waiting for the bus to get home, right? She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and stepped into the street to look for the bus again. When she returned to the sidewalk, her companion was standing less than a foot away from her. They stood in silence for a moment.
"Hey ma, you got something you can spare to help me get on the bus?"
She was used to people asking her for help in the city considering the current economic recession. She finally glanced at him. He was white or Hispanic. Definitely not black. He didn't have an accent, but that didn't tell her much about his background. Young, slim build and not bad looking actually.
"Sorry, no." She replied, keeping it short and simple.
She went back to watching for the bus and although every vibe told her she was in trouble, she ignored the warnings, rationalizing yet again that she was just buying into whatever prevalent stereotypes there were regarding young males in the city.
Later she would admit that she wasn't completely shocked when he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her backwards. Her heart hitched and fear climbed up her spine, leaving a cold chill in its place. She had her keys in her hand, the pointy edge between her fingers as she'd been taught by friends. She balled her hand into a fist as he continued to drag her backwards into the dark space between two buildings. He pushed her, face first, against the cool brick, pressing himself against her back, and grabbed her knapsack. She breathed in deeply as he rummaged through it and she prayed silently that it was all he wanted. She heard him discard the knapsack when he found what he was looking for.
"Ten dollars. That's fucking it? What kind of fucking doctor are you?"
"I'm a nurse." She wasn't sure why she corrected him, what did it matter after all? "It's all I have. Sorry."
She heard him swear softly and step away from her. She took that moment to turn around quickly and swipe at his face, the pointy end of her key protruding from her fist. He was quicker, however, and stepped back to avoid the worst of her strike. His movement gave her some space and she tried to run from the dark ally, hoping that since he had her wallet he would not follow. That hope was dashed almost immediately when she felt him tighten his fist around the dark locks of her hair and yank her backwards once again. She fell and felt the cement scrape her thighs and elbows. She'd pissed him off and now she was more scared than she'd been a few moments earlier. What had she been thinking?
"Bitch, are you fucking crazy?"
His fist slamming into her face felt like nothing she'd experienced ever before. There was an explosion of pain in her brain that simply and utterly stunned her. She stopped breathing for a moment, then forced herself to remember how. It was in those few moments that she realized she was still on the ground, lying on her back...and he was now kneeling between her thighs.
"You wanna act like a bitch, you gonna get fucked like one."
He was tugging at the draw string on her scrub pants and she felt panic swell in her once more. She started clawing and crying, screaming and kicking. He was stronger, faster...determined. She felt her pants yanked down, below her hips, the cold concrete digging into her sensitive flesh. She continued to bite, kick, and scream, fighting to protect herself.
Then suddenly, shockingly, he was gone. She opened her eyes, scrambling back as she pulled at her pants. She felt her back against the wall, her entire body trembling with horror. She quickly wiped at the tears blinding her, trying to assess the situation. She saw a larger figure, far larger than the young male, standing between her and her attacker.
"You got what you wanted, fuck off."
The young male hesitated but then grabbed his discarded skateboard and ran off, her wallet in his hand. Her brain processed the need to cancel her credit cards, although they were pretty much maxed out anyway. Her scrubs were ruined, she could see holes where her skin had been scraped. She'd have to replace the scrubs...
She figured the absurd thoughts running through her mind were the result of shock or panic, considering she still sat on the ground, her back against the wall, her body trembling violently. She wasn't sure what to do next, so she decided to watch the large figure, hoping for a clue.
"Yea, a woman was attacked. She's on Walnut at the bus stop on 8th. Nevermind my name."
She watched the figure snap a cell phone shut. She still wasn't sure if her rescuer was male or female. The figure was tall and...large. Not muscular, but big-boned, broadly built...large. Dressed in a green tank top and fatigue bottoms, the bottom of the pants tucked into black boots. The figure knelt in front of her.
"Hey, you okay? I called the cops."
The voice registered. Female, although deep and throaty. Like someone who smoked two packs a day. The face was somewhat flat and colored a beautiful bronze. The eyes were slanted, almost like an Asian person's, and oddly enough, gray. A dark, smoky gray. The eyebrows were dark, thick and unruly, pretty much like the woman's short afro, the nose was crooked, the lips lush and thick. The woman reached out and shook her shoulder.
"Hey, say something so I can go."
"Y-You're leaving before they come?"
"I can't wait. I got work."
"But it's one in the morning."
The woman raised a brow, "yeah, and?"
Robbie shook her head, realizing how invasive and rude she was being. "I'm sorry. Sorry. I think I'm shook up."
The woman didn't respond, standing and holding out a hand. Robbie took it, the soft flesh of her palm brushing intimately against the rough, calloused hand belonging to the woman. The woman pulled her to her feet easily.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. I didn't even see anyone else around. Thank you. I think he was going to—...Thank you."
