“That will be . . .” The man took one look at me and acted like he had seen a ghost. “Young lady, are you all right?”
“I’m . . . I’m . . .”
I felt someone touch me on my shoulder and then materialize next to me. It was the woman: Hannah. She was striking. She had skin the color of buttermilk, blond hair, blue eyes, and high cheekbones. She reminded me of a model who I had seen one time in a commercial for shampoo. Her hair was fluffed out and big, too.
“Are you okay, sweetie?” she asked, but I could not respond. I was shaking like a leaf and my vision was going in and out. The throbbing between my legs was indescribable. She looked at the man at the counter. “What’s wrong with her?”
He shrugged. “Beats me. She asked for a ticket to NYC, and when I looked up, she was looking all sick and crazy.”
“Hannah, maybe you shouldn’t touch her,” Shawn suggested.
I did not even turn around to see what he looked like. I couldn’t move.
“Fuck you, Shawn!” Hannah stated with aloofness. “This baby’s hurt.”
“All I’m saying is—”
Before Shawn could finish his statement, Hannah was gasping at the sight of blood gushing down my legs and onto the floor.
“Oh my Jesus!” Hannah exclaimed. “Call an ambulance!” she instructed the counter man. She looked into my eyes. “Baby, baby, we’re going to get you some help!”
“This is insane!” Shawn said. “We’re going to miss our bus. Now we won’t get back until Monday.”
I could not see Hannah, but I heard her curse Shawn the hell out. “Shawn, what part of fuck you did you not understand? I’m not leaving this baby here like this. Help me get her to a bench.”
“I’m not touching her,” Shawn said.
“And you’re not touching me, either, never, ever again, you bastard!”
Hannah tried her best to guide me to a bench across the lobby. My eyes were like slits and I could see the three young guys from outside rushing in, toward us, and could hear the man on the phone calling 911. Then everything faded to black.
11:12 a.m.
My eyes flickered at first and then I managed to keep them open for a few seconds. All I saw was a bright light and wondered if all the rumors were true about death. Was I seeing “the light”? Was God going to allow me to go to heaven even though I was tainted, scarred, and worthless? I shut my eyes and prayed for Him to take me instead of sending me to hell. I had lived there for fifteen years already and I desperately needed a break. As I got to the part about walking through the valley of death, I heard Hannah’s voice.
“You okay, baby girl?”
I opened my eyes and saw her getting up from the chair beside my hospital bed. Ah, an overhead light? Now I could make things out more clearly.
“Let me go get the nurse.” She started toward the door. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait!” I exclaimed in a panic.
Hannah turned to look at me. “They need to check you out, ask you some questions.” She dropped her eyes to the floor. “They did a rape kit on you. It was kind of obvious; a lot of tearing.”
“I don’t want to answer any questions. I want to leave this place.”
“The hospital? They’re not going to let you out of here until you’ve improved. Not a chance.”
I stared at her and fought back tears. “I don’t want to be here, in Atlanta. That’s why I was at the bus station. I’m not answering any questions and I’m not pressing any charges.”
“So you were raped?”
I fell silent and then attempted to sit up, searching the room for my clothes. “Where are my clothes?”
“They were ruined, covered with blood. They disposed of them.” She walked back over to the bed. “Look, we’ve yet to even be formally introduced. I’m Hannah.”
“Yes, I know. I heard Shawn say your name.”
She grinned. “Did you hear me call him a cheapskate?”
I smiled. “Yes.”
“We’ve established that I’m Hannah—and you are?”
“Nobody.”
“Seriously, you didn’t have any ID on you. They gave me your money, though. I put it in the side pocket of my purse.”
“Thank you.” I lay back down. It was too painful to sit up. “Thanks for everything.”
“Can I go get the nurse now? I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
It felt strange to have someone care about my welfare. Until the night before, I thought that two of my so-called friends had my back. Instead, they had set me up to be brutalized. I couldn’t understand why they would do such a thing. I had never done anything to them.