Marinette sat in a hospital bed with her knees up to her chest holding Juleka's hand. Marinette didn't want to be there but it was the only way in which she could catch the man that did this to her. She couldn't speak a word as she had sustained trauma to her vocal cords. A nurse had put a neck brace on her as soon as he saw the bruising on her neck, afraid that she had sustained damaged her cervical vertebra. 

Marinette had woken up in her bed wearing a long sweater that she had no recollection of putting on, her apron hung up on her closet door in a dry cleaner bag, and an ice water bottle was placed on the back of her neck. All this came across as an apology for his actions. She rightfully remained terrified that  he would return. She grabbed a steak knife and locked herself in the bathroom trembling with. 

'What if he returns? I can't save myself… I couldn't save him…'

Juleka had found Marinette locked away in the bathroom crying hoarsely. Juleka had to calmly coax her out. Which led Juleka to take Marinette to the hospital just for the slight chance that this ChatNoir would be locked up for his violation of human rights. 

A middle-aged female nurse came into the little area and closed the curtain giving privacy causing Marinette to squeeze Juleka's hand tighter. The nurse explained who she was and what was in her hands. "Marinette, My name is Diana and I'm sorry to hear what has happened to you. This isn't going to be easy but I'm glad that you're brave enough to try to catch this man that did this to you."

Marinette watched the nurse as she carefully laid out the kit explaining each piece. She did the least eviase oral swab first. Talking through every moment as the nurse knew that the kit could be just as traumatic as the attack. She put the swab in a plastic tube and sealed it for the lab. Next was the vagnial swab.

"Miss I'm sorry that I have to ask this but I'll need you to reposition."

Marinette took a deep breath as she land down and spread her legs. The test felt obtrusive. She squeezed Juleka's hand as tight as she could. Marinette was fragile down there after what that beast did. He called her a guinea pig. A nickname that caused her to squeeze Juleka's hand even tighter. 

Juleka's phone buzzed but she ignored the sound as she felt consoling Marinette came first. Marinette did not deserve this, nobody deserved this. She wanted to tell Marinette that everything would be okay, that everything could go back to the way it was but she couldn't lie. The little things that Juleka knew about survivors of sexual assault was that they would be plagued by the nightmares. Nightmares that would lead to them down that path of blaming themselves.

"I am here for you." Juleka said, patting the top of their hands.

Marinette stared at the ceiling fearing if she looked at Juleka she'd cry. And she was tired of crying. She was tired of everything, her body, her mind, all of it wanted to shut down. Pretend like this nightmare didn't happen. But if she closed her eyes, the beast's soulless greens stared back. Eyes that were to haunt her so.

"Tha… you." Words that took so much strength to say and yet they were not fully formed.

Juleka's phone buzzed again. She looked at the caller ID making sure it wasn't her brother attempting to contact her. The contact name Evacuation Station displayed on the screen.

Juleka picked up her phone thinking that it was a call about bailing her brother out of jail again or something along those lines. But whatever it was she knew that her mother would like to be informed about Marinette's situation.

"Mom?" Juleka asked as her mother answered with panic in every syllable. Making her sentences into nonsense.

"Luka… is in the h-h-hospital." 

"Mom…" 

"H-h-hes in critical condition. H-he w-was somewhat coherent enough to get himself here."

"Is he in the ICU of Lariboisière?" Juleka crossed her fingers that he was in the same hospital. Not that she wished her brother ill will. She wanted to be able to visit him if God forbid he was on a ventilator or one breath away from death.

"Yess.."

Marinette listened to Juleka's half of the conversation wanting to be relieved that Luka was alive. She wasn't. He was in the Intensive Care Unit, a space for critical patients. She could only imagine what Hell he went through.

'It hurts.' She thought. She wanted to tell Juleka to go and be with Anarka. She needed her daughter in this time of crisis but she couldn't say it. 'I don't want to be alone.'

Alone was when the shadow man showed his face. To toy with her. To hurt her. She didn't want him to come back. She hated everything he had done to her, to Luka. To the Couffaine family. They did not deserve the grief this bastard of a man had caused.

"All done." Diana gently smiled as she covered Marinette and let her have the opportunity to decide whether her knees would stay bent or she would relax them.

"I do apologize but the results will take a few days."

Marinette attempted to nod as confirmation that she understood.

"In the meantime, I do think it's best if you stay here, at a hotel or at a friend's place." She added as Diana had got a brief idea of how the attack happened. She recommended that victims who were attacked at their home stay away at least for the first night. 

Juleka nodded as she agreed with the nurse's suggestion. She had just gotten off the phone with her mother giving a brief summary of Marinette's status.

 "I think she'll stay a night here." She looked over at Marinette's fearful eyes. "Or not?"

Marinette did not want to stay at a place that could easily be invaded by HIM. He possessed power, power that made any and all places unsafe.

"We will figure out something else instead." Juleka added as she let the Nurse go and attended to other patients.

"Marinette, I am going to have Rose come and switch places with me. Luka is in the ICU and Mom needs someone with her. I promise I will find out the details of his condition and come right back."

"Sor…." Marinette tried to apologize as she felt if she just let herself die in the beginning all this would go away. It was all frustrating. 

'If I could only rewind time.'

"I'm sure Luka just picked a fight with the wrong crowd." Juleka added as she could see Marinette eyes water. "It was bound to happen."

'It's my fault. He's not okay. That he'll never be okay.'