The Runaway's Caregiver

(This is a lightly edited role play story co-authored with Pissyprincess, based on a storyline we created together.)

Anna didn't care that it was pouring rain and her sweatshirt was soaked. She didn't care that she had been biking at least forty miles without a helmet, on a bike that wasn't hers. She didn't have a phone. She didn't have ID. All she had was $20 in her pocket, the clothes on her back and a stolen old ten-speed bicycle. But that stolen bike was her ticket out. That was just how it had to be.

Anna had taken her window of opportunity when she had it. There wasn't time to plan. There was only time to go.

She was exhausted. It felt like she'd been going for hours--she must have been because she knew the distance she'd covered would have been an hour drive in a car. She'd stayed off the main roads as long as she could but eventually had been forced onto the only highway that went to the next town. As soon as she had made it into town, she had veered off the road again, finding a path where motorized vehicles weren't allowed. If he was looking for her, it would be in a car.

Anna didn't have a watch and didn't know what time it was, but she could tell the sun would start setting soon--and didn't have a plan for what would happen when it did. She knew only roughly where she was, and the path she was on was following the river on the outskirts of town where there were more homes than businesses.

The adrenaline from fleeing had worn off but a new wave surged in her as she wondered how she would find shelter that night. $20 wasn't enough for a hotel, and she wasn't sure if the town was big enough to have a shelter. What could she do? Knock on someone's door and hope for their pity? It seemed so dangerous. But if she didn't do that... would she have to sleep outside? That's when the full gravity of the situation hit her. She was homeless.

Tears of fear felt hot as they mixed with the cold rain on her cheeks. "Fuck," she muttered, wiping snot from her dripping nose on her shoulder.

Seeing she was approaching a bend in the path that she had no business taking at that speed in the rain, she started to break quickly. Too quickly. And she hadn't seen the large bump where the cement had cracked when she'd looked away momentarily to wipe her nose.

The wheels started to slide as they hit the uneven ground. Anna just had time to realize what was happening before she hit the cement and everything went black.

****

Something Alex almost always did, whether it was raining, snowing, or whatever, was take a talk in his local park. Since losing his wife and grown daughter two years ago in a car accident, he had barely held on to life, but he had. Part of how he did it was routine, including exercise every day, no matter what. When the weather was really bad he did push-ups at home, and walked up and down his stairs over and over while listening to an audiobook. But the weather wasn't that bad today, since it was just pouring rain.

He had a compact umbrella in his coat pocket, but he liked feeling the rain on his face and didn't even use it. He could feel the rain cleansing his soul, just a little, as he walked in his small city's big central park. When he and his wife had chosen their house a quarter of a century ago it had been in large part because it was adjacent to the park. No need to cross a street even, because his fenced back yard opened onto the park through a gate.

The park was beautiful, in part because it was designed by the famous Olmsted firm, founded by Frederick Law Olmsted, who had helped design New York City's Central Park. Their park was like a smaller but still spacious version of that--with wilder areas, mowed picnic areas, bridges over streams, and paths through the woods. It also had a bike path that went through it, and even connected with the neighboring big city to the north. As the rain eased Alex saw some ducks out, playing in the pools of water caused by the earlier downpour.

And then he saw the body--lying crumpled next to a tree and a turned over bike. Running over he saw that she was a beautiful young woman.

"Oh God," he said in shock, even though he wasn't really religious, as he knelt down and gently felt her pulse on her neck.

She was totally out, but he could see that she was slowly breathing.

Reaching for his phone to call 911, he immediately felt that it was missing from his left front jeans pocket where he usually put it.

"Damn!" Of all the times to forget his phone, he cursed himself--the one time he truly needed it.

The park was completely empty because of the storm, and so there was no one who would hear him even if he yelled. Since the temperature was only in the 40s, he felt the cold was a real danger. Her cheek already felt so cold. Wondering if he was doing the wrong thing, he gently lifted her into his arms and started carrying her home.

As he held her body against his and walked, he could feel one of her breasts pressing against him. Trying to ignore that, he looked over her injuries. She had a bump on her head and a red spot, but it didn't look too bad. The worst were her hands, which she'd clearly put out to brace her fall, and which had apparently scraped hard on the rough old cement of the path. Both hands were cut and bleeding slightly.

What was a beautiful woman he'd never seen before doing riding a bike in the rain in what he thought of as "his park"? He knew many of the regulars at least by sight, but she was a stranger, maybe in her mid-20s. And she wasn't even wearing a helmet? As he clutched her, and was now breathing heavily as he walked back to his house, even though she probably weighed maybe 130 pounds or a bit less, he looked at her lovely black hair, wet with the rain--and then he felt her stirring.

As he carried her to his backyard gate, he saw her eyelids flutter, and then even saw her beautiful blue-grey eyes for a few seconds, and heard her moan, as he finally got her into his warm house.

Alex said, while still holding her cradled in his arms, now in his nice warm living room, "Oh good, Miss, you're waking up. I'm sorry that I took... liberties...with you, but you had an accident and bumped your head. You were unconscious, and I'd forgotten my phone. No one else was in the park, and it was so cold, and so I carried you to my home. I'm just going to call 911 now. So I'm going to put you down gently on my couch if that's okay, and then go get my phone. Are you in much pain?"

****

She moaned a little, trying to process the words she was hearing. Her head was throbbing and she wanted to keep her eyes scrunched closed from the light, but he was asking her questions, she realized.

The pieces weren't fitting together in her mind. Cold. Wet. Pain. Someone carrying her. An unfamiliar man's voice. But the only thing she really picked out of the words he said was 911.

"No," she begged, her voice sounding weak and helpless even to her own ears. "Don't call. Please."

His hold on her shifted as he lay her on a soft couch. The movement, though slight, made her realize her shoulder and neck ached.

She knew she was inside and out of the rain, but shivers still ran through her body. She tried to curl up a little but as soon as her hand brushed against her body, she let out a little whimper and didn't try to move again.

****

"But why not?" Alex said softly, kneeling down next to her, and ignoring the muddy water that was still dripping off of her and soaking into his couch.

"I think you might be confused, because of the bump you got on your head. But you're scraped and cut, especially on your hands, and I'm worried that you're getting hypothermia. Seeing you shiver like that makes me think we should get you into a warm bath right away, even while we wait for an ambulance to arrive. Can you tell me your name? Do you know the date and where you are?"

Alex's phone was still upstairs, but he was about to sprint up there to get it and dial 911. But she had a curious urgency to her voice about not calling that somehow kept him in place. She looked lovely, in spite of her disarray.

****

"P-please don't call 911," she begged.

It didn't matter to her that she was scraped up and disoriented and had a headache. A hospital could disclose her name to someone calling to inquire. She couldn't risk that.

"I-I'm afraid for my life. Please, I don't want my boyfriend to find me." He wasn't wrong about how cold she was though. She felt little shivers run through her body despite being out of the rain. "But I think you're right about the bath," she said meekly.

****

"Oh, I'm sorry about... your situation," Alex said with feeling, adding, "Okay, let me pick you up and take you to the bath, and I'll bandage your hands, while we think of what to do."

As he carried her up the stairs in his arms, Alex's mind was whirring with the complexity of the situation--a dangerous boyfriend, and an injured and beautiful woman who would need to stay with him probably for a while. And a problem even more pressing... how was he to get her undressed and in the bath with her badly scraped hands? He knew he was going to need to undress this shivering woman, and bathe her. He could already feel his loins stirring at the thought, which he tried to dismiss.

Setting her down gently on a cushioned chair in the large bathroom, Alex turned on the water and started filling the bath up.

"You're shivering so badly, and your hands are so scraped and bloody, that I think I'll need to undress you and put you in the bath. We'll leave your bra and panties on, and so it'll be almost like you have sort of a swimsuit on. But I can't leave you alone at all. I'll need to monitor how you're doing closely for the next day or so, to see if I need to drive you to the hospital in spite of what you say--because you lost consciousness."

****

She nodded in understanding. She didn't need to look at her hands to know they were in bad condition. She wasn't sure if she'd broken any bones in her hands or wrists because she was unwilling to try moving them. There was blood and gravel and the last thing she wanted to do was try to fumble with her clothing. Under normal circumstances, she would, of course, be reluctant to have a perfect stranger undress and bathe her. But these weren't normal circumstances, and she was in no position to argue with the man who had likely saved her life.

"I think I can stand, at least long enough for you to take my pants off," she said, trying not to wince too obviously as she scooted to the end of the chair. Seeing as she couldn't use her hands to help push herself up, she felt a little off balance as she got to her feet, but Alex stabled her with one hand so she wouldn't fall.

****

Kneeling on the floor, Alex unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, and then started peeling the soaked and muddy fabric down her body. Her flesh was somewhat chilled, emphasizing the need for the bath, but as she got her jeans over her hips and partway down her thighs, his face was now just half a foot from her panty-clad pussy. Her white cotton panties were soaked too, and so not much was left to the imagination. Her dark triangular bush was somewhat visible, and Alex swallowed as he felt his manhood stiffen even more in his jeans. He had a sudden strange desire to hold her ass checks and kiss her pussy right through her wet panties, but obviously he resisted.

Instead he said, "So sorry for this, but you'll need to sit back down again so that I can get your pants the rest of the way off without making you fall. You still haven't told me your name. I'm Alex, by the way, and although I'm sorry about your situation, it's still nice to meet you."

****

She let herself fall back on the chair so he could finish pulling her pants off that were stuck around her ankles.

"Thanks, Alex," she said shyly. "I'm...uh--Anna."

She didn't know if it was a good idea to tell him her real name or not, but he was being so helpful and, much as she didn't want to admit it, she was desperately in need of help.

Once her pants were off, she put her arms above her head, knowing her sweatshirt would come off next. She'd never had someone bathe her before. The idea, had she been focused on it, might have felt weird. Or maybe even pleasant, had the situation been different. But for the time being, she was much more focused on warming up in the bath and was eyeing the steaming tub longingly.

****

Alex said warmly, "Hi Anna, welcome to my home. As long as you don't need to go to the hospital you can stay here as long as you need to."

He felt the water in the tub with his hand, and said, "It's just right," and tuned off the water.

He then started lifting Anna's soaked sweatshirt over her head, and as he did, saw that she wasn't wearing a bra. Anna's medium-sized breasts were a lovely shape, and her brownish nipples were erect. As he gently got it over her head, he felt like saying that her breasts were beautiful, but stopped himself. What was wrong with him that he was already turned on by this vulnerable woman, who clearly needed help?

Instead, he gave her a little smile, and then picked her up yet again, and as he did one of his hands was now feeling the side of one of her breasts, as he gently put her into the tub. She was still shivering a little, but clearly the water was a comfort.

Getting his first aid kit from a cabinet, he moved the chair next to the bath to sit on, and then began gently washing her hands, applying a little antibiotic ointment, and then bandaging them. He wrapped all around her hands with the heavy-duty hospital-style roll, which he realized would immobilize her hands.

When he was more than halfway done, he said, "Just to let you know, I live alone here, Anna. Lost my wife and daughter a few years ago in a car accident. Still getting over that. Anyway, there's plenty of room for you to stay, and I'm happy to have the company. But because of your head injury, as I said, I really can't leave you alone. I know a little about head injuries, and if the person seems to know who and where they are, and aren't feeling too much pain, it's usually okay to let them heal naturally, although it takes a while. There!"

Done now with the bandages, he looked openly at Anna's breasts, which were out of the water and lightly streaked with dirt. Her hair was also muddy.

He added, "Since you were lying in that deep muddy puddle, your hair really needs washing... and your breasts too. May I?"

****

"Of course," she murmured, and even managed a slight smile.

Alex had been very gentle and focused on bandaging her hands. Nevertheless, she'd seen his eyes drift to her breasts once he had finished giving her medical attention, but she didn't mind.

In her mind she had already consented to him washing her body, and the point was to clean her whole body. But he was clearly trying to be polite. Anna could feel though that the presence of a young nude woman in his house was making him slightly uncomfortable--and yet also a little turned on. It struck her as amusing that she was the vulnerable one, completely as his mercy, and he was the one feeling uncomfortable.

****

Anna seemingly didn't mind being mostly nude in front of him, and in fact seemed slightly amused and pleased as he looked at her pretty breasts. No doubt she was still a little in shock, although her shivers had finally passed as she was now warm from the water.

"Well then, Anna, if you could dip your hair down into the water, while keeping your hands out of the water, I'll support you as we get that dirt off of your body and out of your hair. I'll support you with one hand, while with the other I'll swish the water around your hair and your breasts."

As she dipped down in the big tub, he did as he said and supported her under her back with his left arm and hand, while with the right he first caressed her hair, and got some dirt and leaves out, and then caressed her breasts and washed them.

Anna's breasts were beautiful in the water, and he cupped and felt them as he washed her tits. He couldn't believe he was doing this, and she was willingly letting him. He caressed for a few seconds longer than were needed to get her breasts clean.

Then he lifted her up, and started gently shampooing her hair, then conditioning it with a rinse, and finally was very gently brushing her hair out in the bath. As the bath cooled slightly, he added hot water to keep her warm. As this was happening, he talked idly about his cats Janice and Heather, the first white and the second grey, and it almost seemed normal having this nearly nude woman in his bath with him washing her.

****

Anna felt herself relaxing far more easily than she would have expected in her current situation. Alex was so careful with her. He had taken the utmost care when cleaning her scraped hands and wrapping them--perhaps a little excessively--in bandages. It had actually felt rather nice and soothing to feel his touch as he'd washed the smears of mud off her breasts. Perhaps he had lingered a moment longer than necessary there, but she hadn't minded. It had been a long time since someone had caressed her with such care. His big, gentle hands made her feel safe.

She couldn't remember ever being helped bathe before, but something about the tender way Alex touched her was comforting. Her eyes closed and she let out a little sigh as he combed her hair.

The heat of the bath had finally penetrated her chilled core, and she started to feel her muscles slowly easing the tension she had barely been aware she was holding throughout her body. As she relaxed and started to feel more comfortable, she became a little more aware of her surroundings. Including the man who had saved her...

He must have been about twice her age, but clearly in very good health as he hadn't seemed to struggle with carrying her at all. He had dark hair and kind, green eyes--he was a rather handsome man, she realized. For the first time since being there, Anna started to feel more aware of the fact that she was almost naked in front of him.

He said he had cats. She liked cats. And he'd had a wife and a daughter too. That made him feel trustworthy, even though she knew those things didn't guarantee he was a safe person. But the one thing Anna was sure of was that he felt a hell of a lot safer than where she had come from.

"Thank you, Alex," she said, as he squeezed water from the ends of her now clean hair. "This bath has made me feel like a new woman."

Anna was all too aware that her condition, beyond being warm and clean now, was still poor, and she knew every ache would come back the moment she tried to move. She hoped he would pick her up again when it was time to get out so she wouldn't have to try to struggle to her feet, but she was too embarrassed to actually ask him.

****

Alex finally said, "Glad you're feeling a bit better, Anna. Well, my new temporary roommate, I'd better get you out of there before you start getting sleepy."

He pulled the plug and the water started rapidly draining, but since she didn't make a move right away to get up, he put a towel on the chair, slowly and carefully picked her up out of the bath, and then gently set her on the chair. He then started drying her with another towel, including her hair. As he moved around her to dry her, he knew that the bulge in his jeans was somewhat visible--but she seemed enough of a woman of the world not to be too shocked, he hoped, or perhaps it was more her lingering shock at her whole situation that made her not react to the situation of a strange man taking care of her, and aroused by her.

Alex went on, "I've got an extra bathrobe you can wear. If it's okay, I'm going to dress you in one of those, and then carry you downstairs and put you on the cushioned chair near the kitchen while I heat up some leftovers for us. I have some pretty good pasta and veggies that we can top with fresh grated parmesan cheese, if that sounds okay. Are you still feeling mentally together, more or less? You know how you ended up here, and you still don't want to go to the hospital?"