Ruby ran through Edith Grove, hoping John wasn't following her. She crossed the River Thames and caught a bus at Clapham Junction. Everybody that was sitting on the bus was looking hard at her, and some of them became pale. Ruby sat in the back of the bus and looked down. Blood had flowed on her white dress. She hid the stains with her backpack. She turned her head and saw her reflection in the window. She blenched and her eyes widened. Tears rolled down her face. He turned her into a monster. Her right eye was swollen and purple, her lips were bleeding, and her nose was obviously broken. She also had bruises on her cheekbones. She hid her face in her hands but jumped as she felt the pain again. An elderly woman came to her, a handkerchief in her hand.

“Oh dear, dear, what happened to you?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Nothing? You've been terribly banged-up!”

The woman sat next to her and patted her shoulder.

“What happened?”

“I argued with my father and... I slapped him. I don't know why I did that, I didn't think before reacting, and he punched me.”

“Oh, I see. Oh Lord! Have you seen your neck?!”

She slipped a hand into the pocket of her coat. She took out a small mirror she handed to Ruby. Ruby took it and, panicked, looked at herself in it. She prevented herself from screaming of terror. Her face was hideous, but her throat seemed to be even more hideous. John's hand was printed on her neck. The shape of the fingers was clearly marked on her skin in a purple colour. She could even distinguish his wedding ring. She bursted into tears. The woman wrapped her arms around her, trying to comfort her.

“Do you have somewhere to go?” she asked.

“I'm going to my boyfriend's house. He gave me the address.”

“Where does he live?”

“In Hampton Hill. I hope I didn't get the wrong line.”

“Well, there are no more buses that go to Hampton Hill. Get off at Feltham. Then, take the line 285. It will drive you to Hampton Sainsbury. Once you get here, you'll have to walk for almost 30 minutes. There will be signs, don't worry about the direction. Otherwise, go to a telephone box and call him.”

“Thank you, madam.”

“You're welcome. Do you want me to help you to get a bit cleaner?”

“Oh, it's okay. Actually, whenever I touch the skin it hurts a lot. I can't handle it.”

“I'm terribly sorry.”

Ruby started to sob and the elderly woman gave her the handkerchief she was holding. Ruby thanked her and tried to wipe her tears despite the sharp pain. The woman raised her eyes and looked around.

“Oh, next station is Feltham. Remember: take the line 285 and get off at Hampton Sainsbury.”

“I will. I don't know how to thank you.”

“You don't have to. The only way you could thank me would be that when you see someone in trouble like you are, give this person a helping hand.”

“I will. I promise.”

“Take care of yourself, and good luck.”

“Thank you very much.”

She quickly hugged the woman and stood up. The bus stopped at Feltham and when the doors were about to open, she turned around.

“Your handkerchief!”

“Keep it, you need it more than I do.”

“Thank you again” she smiled.

The woman gave her a sincere smile, and she got off the bus. Much to her suprise, it was heavily raining. But she didn't even try to protect herself from the rain with her bag or something else. She saw a sign showing the way to Hampton Hill. She began to walk, following the direction shown by the sign. She let out cries of pain as the raindrops hit her wounds. After a while, she stopped and looked around to see if there was a phone box somewhere. She found one at the corner of a street and ran to it. She quickly pulled the heavy door and slithered into the booth. She opened her bag and took out Brian's phone number and a few coins. She slipped the coins into the slit and dialled his number. Three rings and a crack.

“Brian May here.”

“B-Bri?” she stuttered weakly, feeling she was about to cry again.

“Ruby? Ruby is that you?”

“Yes, love.”

“What's the matter? I can hardly hear you.”

“I left home, Bri.”

“What?”

“I left home” she repeated. “He hit me.”

“Oh shit! Are you alright?”

“I don't know” she sobbed. “I don't even know where I am. I wanted to go to your house, I'm sorry. I'm in Hampton, for sure, but I'm lost.”

“Ruby, dear, calm down and breathe. Just give me a minute.”

“Okay.”

She heard him put the handset on a table; then, she could hear him talk to his mother. “He's panicked...”

“Ruby?” he said.

“Yes?”

“Tell me where you are. We're taking the car and we're going to pick you up.”

“Uh...”

She looked all around her.

“I'm near Hampton Sainsbury. There's a pub in front of me. There's also a shop and the neons are still on.”

“What's the name of the shop? Or what kind of shop is it?”

“It's... uh... They sell televisions. I can see a lot of TV sets behind the shop window. The name is... TV Land.”

“Okay, I see where you are. Are you in the phone box in the corner of the street?”

“Yes...”

“As it's raining, don't move. Stay inside. We'll be there in five minutes. When you see our car – do you remember what our car looks like? – just go to TV Land. We'll park here. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Hold on, Ruby. It's going to be alright, okay? We'll take care of you. I'll prepare you a bedroom only for you. It will be next to mine, so if you need anything you can come and tell me. We're leaving now. Don't move out of the telephone box.”

And then, he hung up. Ruby bursted into tears. She took the handkerchief the woman on the bus gave her and wiped her tears. But she had almost forgotten that her face was seriously injured; the pain was so terrible and unbearable that she fainted. Her body heavily fell on the floor, letting the handset dangle above her head.

Five minutes later, Ruth and Brian parked the car in front of TV Land. “TV Land, what a shitty name...” he thought. They looked around but Ruby was nowhere.

“Where's she?” Ruth said. “Can you see her?”

“Not at all. Wait for me here, I'm going to check the telephone box she called from.”

“Okay.”

He opened the door and got out of the car. Before crossing the road, he made sure once again that Ruby wasn't here before going to the telephone box. He shook his head and crossed the road.

“Ruby?” he called. “Ruby where are you?”

As he was about to reach the corner of the street where the telephone box was, he abruptly stopped. He screwed up his eyes; he could see a dark figure lying on the floor of the booth. He recognised the white dress.

“FUCK!”

He sprinted to the phone box and pulled the door open. He knelt down and made her face him. When he saw her face, he jumped and screamed in terror. He shook his head and reacted. He grabbed the handset and placed it back on the machine; then, he took her bag and closed it correctly. He threw it across his back before trying to lift her up. He moved her arm across his shoulder and carried her. He made sure he hadn't forgotten on the floor and left the booth. Slowly but surely, he carried her to the car. Ruth quickly got out of the car.

“Dear Lord! Is she alright?”

“I think she fainted. She's still breathing.”

“Oh, look at those marks on her neck!”

“Fucking hell, what a monster!” he roared, thinking about her father. Ruth opened the back door and Brian laid her down on the seats.

“Bri, maybe you should stay with her on a back seat, otherwise she'll panick if she wakes up.”

“Yeah, you're right.”

He opened the opposite door and slithered into the car. He rested her head on his knees, stroking her hair as Ruth drove through the streets of Hampton. Five minutes later, they parked in front of their house. Harold – Brian's father – got out of the house to welcome them.

“Where is she?” he asked to Ruth.

“She's lying on the back seats. Can you help Bri to carry her? She's unconscious.”

“Okay. Go inside and hold the front foor open.”

Ruth nodded and obeyed. Brian opened the door of the car and got out.

“Bri! Let me help you.” his father said.

“Thanks! Can you help me to pull her out?”

“Step back.”

Brian stepped back and Harold stretched his arms out to seize her under the shoulders and pulled her out of the car. Harold wrapped her waist with an arm and took hers and wrapped it around his neck; Brian imitated him. He closed the car door with his foot and they carried Ruby inside the Mays' house. Ruth closed the door behind them and ran to the living room. She threw away all the things that had been placed on the couch and showed them the way. They carefully laid Ruby down on it. Ruth got a blanket and spread it on her. Brian took a chair and put it down next to her; he sat down on it and held her hand.

“Ruby, can you hear me?” he whispered, trying not to cry. “Ruby? Can you hear me?”

“That's good, Bri” Ruth said, “talk to her, try to reassure her, she can hear you.”

Ruth quickly climbed the stairs and went to the bathroom. She opened the medicine cabinet and took disinfectant, plasters and cotton. Meanwhile, Harold was preparing a cup of tea for her. Brian was still sitting next to her and tried to talk to her without crying.

“My love, it's Bri, you're safe now. You're safe. Wake up, honey, wake up.”

She heaved a barely audible moan. Brian held her hand tighter.

“Ruby, love, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand.”

Ruby squeezed his hand. Brian smiled on relief and turned around.

“Mum! Dad! She's waking up!” he shouted before facing her again. “Ruby, you're safe now, you're in my place, he won't come here. You're at home now. You're at home.”

She weakly blinked. Harold came to the living room with a cup of tea and scones. Brian smiled at him and whispered “Thank you”.

“Brian...” Ruby weakly whispered. “Brian...”

“I'm here, dear. Next to you. Dad prepared some tea and scones just for you. Do you like scones?”

“Yes... I like... scones” she stuttered, smiling.

Ruth appeared and watched her waking up. Eventually, Ruby opened her eyes. She looked a bit confused but as soon as she saw Brian, her face lit up with a smile. Then, she saw his parents.

“Hello, Ruby, I'm Harold May, Bri's father. Do you feel better?”

“Yes, thank you. Nice to meet you.”

“Ruby? It's Ruth, do you remember me?”

“I do!” she whispered with a smile. “What happened?”

“I don't know, dear” Brian said. “You weren't at TV Land when we arrived, you fainted in the booth.”

“I'm terribly sorry for bothering you... Coming here was the only solution I thought of, I'm sorry, I don't want to impose myself.”

“Ruby, Ruby, you don't have to be sorry” Harold smiled. “We're glad you called us instead of staying at your house or in the street. Do you want to drink a cup of tea? I prepared one for you.”

“Thank you very much Mr May.”

“You can call me Harold, dear. Brian, I'm going to prepare a bedroom for her. The one next to yours, just in case.”

“Thanks a lot dad.”

Harold smiled and patted Ruby's shoulder before standing up and climbing the stairs. Ruth sat down on the arm of the couch.

“Do you want me to disinfect your wounds now or after your tea?”

“Now, please. The tea will comfort me after that.” she laughed.

“Okay. Are you strong enough to sit up?”

“I guess so.”

Indeed, she could. She sat up and pulled a face as the pain came back. Brian stood up and let his chair for his mother. Ruth sat down on it and took the disinfectant and cotton. She carefully poured disinfectant on a piece of cotton and applied it on her swollen eye first. Ruby let out a cry of pain and bit her cheek. Brian took her hand and she squeezed it. She almost passed out.

“Hold on, Mum! She's about to faint again! That was due to the pain!”

“Oh, shit. Eat a scone, Ruby, sip the tea.”

Ruby nodded and ate a scone before sipping out her tea. Then, Ruth applied the cotton again. Surprisingly, Ruby could handle the pain. She squeezed Brian's hand and finally, she let go. Ruth taped a plaster onto her nose and slipped braided cotton in her nostrils.

“It will absorb the blood.” Ruth said. “You can eat and finish your tea, now.”

“Thanks a lot, Ruth.”

“I'll bring you to the hospital tomorrow, okay?”

“Why?”

“I'm afraid he broke your nose.”

Ruby sadly nodded.

“By the way, have you had dinner already?”

“Not yet. But I'm not hungry.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.”

Harold went down the stairs and came at them.

“Your bedroom's ready, dear. It's next to Brian's.”

“I think I'll go to bed after this cup of tea, if you don't mind.”

“Not at all! Ruby, you're home now” Harold said. “It's your house too.”

“Yes, Ruby, you're home. The bedroom is yours now. You can decorate it if you want.”

“It's really nice from you to take care of me like that. I don't want to bother you...”

“Love” Brian interrupted, “you're not bothering everyone. At least you're safe here and it won't happen ever again.”

She smiled at him, holding back the tears. She finished her cup of tea and her scones. Brian helped her to stand up. She hugged Brian's parents before climbing the stairs, followed by her boyfriend. He showed her the different rooms of the first floor. Then, he brought her to her bedroom, where Harold had put her backpack on the bed. It was a nice bedroom whose walls were painted blue.

“Blue's my favourite colour” she smiled.

“I'm glad you like it, dear. Do you have something for the night?”

“No... But I'll sleep with a normal dress.”

“No, no, no. Let me go get you a shirt.”

He turned around and got out of the room. He went up to his and opened his wardrobe. He picked up a shirt randomly before getting back to her.

“You can wear this. Tomorrow after my exam, I'll buy you pyjamas.”

“No, I'll be okay, Bri.”

“Ruby, my love...” 

He placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

“... you live here now.”

She smiled and hugged him.

“If you want, there's a brand new toothbrush in one of the drawers in the bathroom. You can use it. Just write your name on it.”

“Thank you, Bri.”

“I let you change your clothes. I'm going to bed too. I'm next door, so if you have any problem, wake me up.”

She nodded and kissed him, despite the pain of her wounded lips. He got out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. She removed her white dress and let it fall on the floor. She put on Brian's shirt, which was a bit too large, but after all, it was only for a night. She grabbed her bag and put it on the floor. She slithered under the fresh sheets and rested her head on the pillow. She switched off the light thanks to a toggle switch above the bedside table. She quickly fell asleep, tired of this terrible day.

Unfortunately, her dreams were terrible too. Her mind was replaying the argument with John and the moment when he beat her. She jumped and woke up. Terrified, she started to cry. “He'll find me here, he'll find me here...” She placed her hands on the sides of her head. She tried to relax, but she couldn't. She silently stood up, and walked up to the door. She opened it and went to Brian's bedroom. She was about to knock, but the door was open. She sneaked into the bedroom and closed the door. She walked up to Brian on tip-toe, and gently shook him.

“Brian?”

“Ruby?” he mumbled, half asleep. “What's wrong?”

“I'm having nightmares, I'm scared.”

Brian smiled. She was like a vulnerable child. He didn't know why, but this situation made him love her even more. He moved aside and patted the space next to him.

“Come sleep with me. I'll protect you.”

She smiled and lied next to him. She snuggled against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, and both fell asleep. For the rest of the night, Ruby didn't have any more nightmares, as she was protected by the man she deeply loved.