Your Mark on Me

Chapter 9: The Morning After

The events of the evening were mushing together, a jumble of images, flickering lights, noises, laughter, Brian yanking my arm, I kept losing my phone, then my panties, then the phone turned into the panties, someone was singing, there was a car driving past, blinding me over and over with the headlights, I was naked and everyone was shouting "kiss, kiss, kiss", but I couldn't move, then I was walking to my house and Chloe and George were having sex on the lawn in front of it and I thought "Oh, that's convenient, I needed to get my keys from them anyway."

I woke up on a lumpy bed, the mattress of which must have been covered in plastic, because it crinkled in an annoying way at my every little move. By the smell of antiseptic and by the blue gown and thick socks I had been changed into, I knew I was in a hospital.

My head was pulsing with a nasty headache, my mouth tasted like I'd being chewing on sawdust all night, and my stomach felt like it was still trying to digest it.

I reached out to my phone lying on the bedside table — the only other furniture in the room except for the bed and a plastic chair. The time read 8:35. When I unlocked it, the screen became covered in notifications: nine missed calls from Chloe. A couple from an unknown number, which I assumed was George's. Six texts, all from her:

"Where are u?"

"Did u go outside with Brian? Can't find him either."

"Pick up the phone woman"

"Seriously, where are u, I'm getting worried?"

"Pls ring back we need to go".

The last one had been sent two hours ago, so I assumed she left without me. I wondered if she found my purse, or if she had any idea of what happened. Brian must have left right away, or else someone would have noticed his broken nose and wondered how it came to that.

I texted back:

"I'm at the hospital but I'm fine. Will explain later. Btw do you have my purse? I need my keys and wallet."

I got up slowly, careful not to upset my achy head, and sat on the edge of the bed. How did I get to the hospital? The last thing I remembered was crouching behind some dumpsters, waiting for someone. Who was I waiting for?

I jumped off the bed, despite the headache. It had all come back to me.

I opened the door and walked out to find myself in a long corridor, smelling strongly of bleach. A couple of people rushed past me, completely ignoring me. A man pushing a cart nodded at me, and I uttered a quiet "Good morning" in response. Finally, a young nurse with olive skin and long black hair tied in a pony tail spotted me.

"I see you woke up." She smiled, displaying two rows of perfect teeth, and gestured me back to the room. "The blood sample we took earlier has been analyzed. We didn't find any evidence that your drink was spiked; unfortunately, some of these substances can become undetectable within hours of consumption. To be sure, we'd need a urine sample. As for the other thing", she lowered her voice, even though nobody was close enough to hear the conversation, "as for the other thing, there are some other samples that we'd need to take, but you must give consent to proceed with the investigation."

"The other thing?"

"The man who brought you here seemed to believe that you were sexually assaulted. Judging by the state you were in, it seems highly likely. I'd definitely suggest going with the investigation. Even if you don't want to press charges now, it would be wise to have the evidence, should you change your mind later."