Chapter Text
“I’m glad I finally got you out of the house,” mused Elena, Daisy’s best friend. It was Friday night, and she’d picked the hacker up from her apartment to bring her to her rich cousin’s party. “I was starting to get worried.”
Daisy rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. “You know what I’ve been working on. I’m busy, just not in the same way you are.”
Elena briefly looked away from driving to give her friend a once-over. She shifted her gaze back to the road. “You’ve got those bags under your eyes again, chica . You haven’t left the house, won’t talk to anyone, and won’t sleep. You can’t live like this, letting your hacking consume your life.”
Daisy sighed, shaking her head as she watched the city lights of a Friday night in Los Angeles go by. “I do what I have to. One of these days you’ll be glad I did.”
Elena rolled her eyes. “There you go again, thinking you can get into the bank’s databases. Dios Mío , if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were crazy!”
Daisy smirked at that, just as Elena pulled into a space in front of the party house. “Maybe I am.”
The girls got out of the car, making their way to the front doorstep. Daisy knocked, and a moment later a shirtless young man clutching an entire bottle of whiskey opened it.
He smiled dopily when he saw the women. “Hello, ladies.”
Daisy scoffed. She didn’t tolerate much, and misogyny was one of those things she didn’t tolerate. Without a word, she pushed past the man, purposefully bumping into him with her shoulder. When she stepped inside, she was immediately met with loud music and voices emanating throughout the house. It was dark, save for colorful lights flashing here and there. It was so overstimulating that she could feel the vibrations of the music in her own chest.
“I have someone for you to meet,” Elena told Daisy, snapping her back to reality. Daisy turned to her friend, giving her a look. Elena raised her hands in defense. “Hey, hey, I really think you might like him.”
Daisy rolled her eyes but allowed Elena to lead her out into the backyard. Her cousin had a pool , with color-changing lights illuminating it. Daisy was astonished; she knew Elena’s cousin was rich, but she had no idea he was this rich. Growing up in foster care, anyone who had a home with more than one bedroom seemed decadent to Daisy.
It was March, so it wasn’t exactly hot out yet, even in LA. Regardless, a dozen guys had taken their shirts off and plunged into the water, shooting the water basketball and shouting at the top of their lungs. Another group of guys was gathered around an outdoor bar, chugging beers and loudly cheering at a March Madness basketball game on the TV.
Elena led Daisy to the bar and got the attention of one of the guys. When he turned around, he did not impress Daisy. He was dressed like a frat boy, with curly hair, a polo shirt, and khaki shorts, his ball cap sitting backward on his head.
He smiled smugly at Daisy, leaning heavily onto the bar behind him as he raised his beer to her. “You must be that Elena girl Francisco kept talking about,” he said to Daisy, then took a swig. He swallowed and held out his hand for her to shake it. “I’m Josh.”
Daisy narrowed her eyes, looking down at his hand, then crossed her arms over her chest instead. “Do I look like I could be related to Francisco?”
Josh looked Daisy up and down. “Guess not,” he responded.
Elena shook her head in disappointment. “No, no, idiota . Elena is me . This is my friend Daisy.” She wrapped her arm around Daisy’s shoulder, pulling her in close. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
Josh smirked and nodded in agreement.
Daisy pushed away from Elena’s grasp and stepped back. “Alright, that’s enough,” she muttered, turning and walking away. She’d never gone to college, but she knew enough to spot a toxic frat boy from a mile away. She was mad Elena ever thought he’d be a good choice for her.
Daisy felt her friend pulling on her shirt sleeve as she kept walking. She finally stopped and turned to an apologetic Elena. “I’m sorry, I really am,” Elena said.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “He’s a frat boy , Elena. Neither of us ever hang out with guys like that, and for good reason.”
Elena shrugged. “My uncle sent Francisco to a fancy college in the East. He made friends.”
Daisy scoffed and stepped to the edge of the pool, sitting down on the lawn chair and staring at the water. Maybe Elena was right. Maybe she did need to get out more. She was so caught up trying to make her life better with money that she didn’t see her life passing before her eyes. She was almost twenty-five and had never had a serious boyfriend. She’d spent the last three months completely alone, save for grocery runs and Elena visiting every once in a while.
Elena sighed. “I’ll go get us some beers,” she told her friend as she turned to leave.
Daisy continued to stare at the water, how it rippled every time the basketball guys splashed around. She could still hear the music coming from the house and the loud shouting of the guys at the bar, but it all became background noise to her thoughts.
That is, until the man sat down next to her.
“What’s a girl like you doing, sitting here all alone?” came his gravelly voice. Daisy turned to see another frat boy, an almost carbon copy of Josh, except his shirt was blue. She could tell he had been drinking. “I’m Luke. Wanna get a drink?”
Daisy rolled her eyes. “I was doing just fine on my own here, thanks.”
Luke smirked and stood, grabbing Daisy’s bicep and pulling her towards the pool. She struggled against him as he tried to push her in. “Loosen up a little!” he told her as he laughed.
“Get the hell off me!” Daisy shouted, finally pushing away from his grasp.
Suddenly the boy’s flirtatious attitude turned to drunken anger. He clenched his jaw and fists. “No one rejects me.”
Daisy saw the fury on his face and sized him up. He was a good few inches taller than her, and probably had about thirty pounds on her, but he was skinny. She could definitely manage.
Luke angrily chucked his beer bottle to the ground, causing the glass to shatter all across the pool deck. Daisy had to jump to avoid the glass, and she was glad she’d worn her Docs. Upon hearing the loud crashing noise, a crowd started to gather and the guys swimming in the pool stopped playing basketball. Daisy spotted a frightened Elena among the other people, holding two beers, carefully watching the situation unfold.
Daisy smirked at the man, a little amused. “What, has Daddy never told you no before?” She stuck out her lower lip in mock pity.
Daisy felt the pain before she realized what happened. He’d struck her across the face with the back of his hand, causing her head to lurch to the side, her face blossoming in burning pain. She grabbed her abused face, glaring at him.
“No one messes with me,” he muttered, his breathing heavy.
“And no one messes with me ,” she responded as she stood up straight. The people in the crowd started to gasp or laugh. Encouraged, Daisy raised her fist and delivered a punch to his jaw, just enough to catch him off-guard. But he was stronger than she anticipated, and one more blow sent her stumbling off her feet, her head slamming and her ribs cracking as she hit the pool deck.
The next thing Daisy knew, Luke was straddling her on the ground, swinging punches at her left and right. She was able to block his blows for the most part, with the occasional punch to her face slipping in. She mentally hit herself for ever thinking she could win this fight. Here she was, a hacker dressed in all-black and dark makeup, getting absolutely demolished by a skinny frat boy in front of a bunch of spoiled rich kids. Boy, was this humiliating.
“Get the hell off her, man!” shouted someone. Josh and another guy were grabbing Luke and dragging him away from Daisy. She groaned in pain when he was finally off her. Her ears rang and everything seemed muffled.
“Is she okay?!” came someone’s panicked voice. It took Daisy a second to realize the voice belonged to the party host, Elena’s cousin Francisco. He and Elena stood over her, concerned.
“I’m fine,” Daisy muttered, her pride hurting more than anything else. She coughed to the side and spat out blood, then tried to sit up. Elena helped her get to her feet, then wrapped her arm around her waist to support her.
“I’ve got her,” Elena told her cousin with a nod. She started to lead Daisy back into the house then to the front yard toward her car.
Daisy pushed away from her friend. “ Chica , no, come on,” Elena protested. Daisy ignored her as she leaned over and vomited onto the grass. Her head was pulsing in bursts of pain, making her nauseous.
Elena scowled and approached her friend when she was finally done throwing up. She gently started to lead her toward the car. “Come on,” she said as she helped her into the passenger seat. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“No, please,” Daisy mumbled in protest, her face scrunched up in pain.
Elena shook her head as she turned the key in the ignition. “You must have a concussion. You can’t sleep this one off, Daisy, I’m sorry.”
Daisy didn’t protest again as she laid her head against the headrest, closing her eyes. Her head throbbed and throbbed in pain, her chest ached, blood trickled down her face. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to go to the hospital after all.
“Brought you some coffee,” Dr. Lin said to Dr. Simmons as he handed her a takeout cup. “The old man was closing up shop for the night.”
Dr. Simmons turned away from her computer and scowled. “Patrick, you’ve been my best friend for eight years. You know I much prefer tea.”
Dr. Lin shrugged as he set her cup down on her desk and took a sip of his own. He swallowed. “He was out. Figured you needed some form of caffeine.”
Jemma yawned and nodded in agreement as she took a sip of the coffee. She hated the taste, but knew she desperately needed it. “Eighty-hour work weeks, stress at every moment, no time for parties at the prime age of 26, and barely paid at all,” she mumbled as she set the cup down. “Oh, the life of a resident.”
Patrick smiled and patted Jemma on the back. “Just a little longer until we’re on our own,” he reminded her. “And then all the years of studying ‘til three in the morning and working our asses off will pay off.”
Jemma smiled and nodded at that, then left the computer station to see her next patient. She went up to the ER nurses’ station and grabbed the patient’s chart, flipping it open and beginning to read it as she took another sip of coffee. She trashed the coffee then found her patient’s station and opened the curtain.
On the bed lay a young woman with dark hair, dark makeup, and dark clothing. Her face was bloody and beginning to bruise, and she was holding her side to support it. Another young woman was sitting in the chair next to her, holding her friend’s jacket, and the two were talking quietly.
“Hello,” Jemma said, announcing her presence. Both women turned to see her. She smiled. “I’m Dr. Simmons. Ms. Johnson, right?”
Daisy swallowed and shifted her weight on the bed. “Just Daisy is fine.”
“I hear you got a bit banged-up?”
Daisy nodded again as Jemma grabbed some latex gloves, sliding them on. “You should’ve seen the other guy,” she mused, smirking.
Elena shook her head in amusement. “He was a stick .”
Jemma chuckled as she sat on the swivel stool and scooted in close to her. “I’d imagine he’d have to have been pretty strong to land you here.” She grabbed a flashlight out of her lab coat pocket and shined them into her eyes, checking for pupil dilation. Satisfied, she slipped it back into her pocket. “We can contact the police for you so you can press charges, if you’d like.”
Daisy and Elena shared a look. Daisy turned to the doctor. “No, thank you.” She sighed. “He has way too much money. He and his lawyers would win in a heartbeat.”
Jemma sighed a little, disappointed for her. She hated the justice system. Nonetheless, she respected her patient’s wishes. “So you’ve been having some concussion symptoms?”
Daisy nodded and Elena spoke for her: “She could barely walk, and she threw up all over the ground. She did again on the way here. I had to pull over.”
Jemma pursed her lips as she examined Daisy’s face for signs of damage to her skull. “I’ll order some scans to check on that. We may have to keep you here overnight.”
Daisy groaned in annoyance. “I have things to do…”
“Like what, sit on that computer all day again?” Elena questioned. She shook her head. “No, no, your health comes first.” Daisy rolled her eyes.
Jemma looked Daisy up and down. “Anything else bothering you?”
“Her ribs,” Elena replied for her. Daisy groaned in annoyance again. “I heard them crack!” Elena insisted.
Jemma tried to hide her smile, amused at their bickering. She stood and grabbed the hem of Daisy’s shirt. “Do you mind if I take a look?”
Daisy slowly shook her head, then Jemma lifted her shirt. She was already starting to bruise. She ran her fingers down her sides, causing the girl to wince in pain. She took out her stethoscope and pressed the circle to her chest, listening to her heartbeat.
“Could you sit up for me?” she asked. Daisy obeyed, slowly sitting up with Jemma’s help. The doctor lifted the back of her shirt and pressed the stethoscope to her skin, listening to her breathing. She pulled her shirt back down then took the stethoscope out of her ears and put it around her own neck. “Your breathing sounds normal, so I’m not concerned about any punctured lungs.”
“Well that’s good,” Daisy muttered with a chuckle, but it was painful, so she immediately stopped laughing.
Jemma nodded. “I’ll also order an x-ray of those, just to be safe. I’ll have the nurse bring you some ice packs when she comes to dress your wounds.” She grabbed a suture kit then sat back down. “I’ll get started stitching this big one up,” she told her, pointing to the large cut across Daisy’s cheekbone.
“How much is this gonna cost?” Daisy asked.
Jemma looked up from opening the suture kit, a little surprised. “Not too much if you have insurance.”
Elena snorted. “Does this girl look like she has health insurance?”
“Well–”
“I don’t,” Daisy said, groaning.
Elena smirked a little. “Your project better work out then, because you’re gonna need the money.”
Daisy rolled her eyes in annoyance, then winced as Jemma injected lidocaine into her wound.
Elena looked at the time on her phone. “Gosh, it’s 2 AM and I have not eaten anything since lunch,” she said. “You guys have a cafeteria?”
Jemma nodded. “Right out the ER to the left,” she replied as she wiped the cut with disinfectant.
“I’m gonna go grab myself something, and you too. I know for a fact you have not eaten today.” Daisy rolled her eyes in annoyance as her friend left.
Jemma furrowed her brow. “You have to eat, Ms. Johnson,” she said as she began to stitch her up. “Especially as you heal from this.”
Daisy shrugged. “I’m a busy woman. And I said call me Daisy.”
“Whatever you’re busy with, it’s never more important than your health,” the doctor told her, throwing in another stitch.
Daisy sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
Jemma offered a small smile. She’d taken a liking to this patient, with her stubborn tough-girl attitude. Not to mention, she was very attractive. “So, where are you from?”
“Around here, South side.” She smiled at the doctor. “You’ve got an accent. What about you?”
Jemma smiled as she threw in the final stitch, tying it off. “Originally, Ashburton, in Devon,” she replied. Upon seeing Daisy’s blank expression, she said, “England.”
“Ahhh,” Daisy said, finally understanding. “Very fancy. Why would you come here of all places?”
Jemma laughed. “Oh, you know. My best friend and I moved here after med school at Cambridge, and I wanted to try something new.”
“You wanted to get away from your family, you mean,” Daisy said, knowing exactly what was going on.
Jemma pursed her lips. Daisy was right, but she wouldn’t admit it. She silently trashed her gloves and shoved her hands in her lab coat pockets.
“My apologies, sorry for pressing,” Daisy said a moment later.
Jemma smiled. “It’s quite alright, Daisy. I’d best be off, then,” She turned to leave, but Daisy grabbed her hand, stopping her.
“Hey,” she said, smiling at the doctor. “Thank you for taking care of me. It means a lot.”
Jemma furrowed her brow in confusion. “It’s just my job.”
“Yeah, but you’re nicer than any other doctor I’ve had, really.” She met Jemma’s eyes. “And prettier.”
Jemma smiled and stepped a little closer to Daisy. “Why, thank you.” She was quite flustered; here was this attractive woman…flirting with her?!
Daisy smiled back, grabbing a pen off the clipboard on the counter and grabbing Jemma’s hand, writing her phone number on it. “Just in case I have any…medical questions,” she said.
Jemma looked up at Daisy, shocked. She blinked. “Oh, okay, yes, yeah, of course,” she stammered, flustered. She blushed a little and pulled her hand away when Daisy was done writing. “It was, uh, nice to meet you, Daisy.”
Daisy smirked, amused at Jemma’s awkwardness. “You too, Dr. Simmons.”