How long has passed between the rape and her treating him? That gap could play a large factor. Also, does he recognize her or not?
Along those lines, what if the rapist is now elderly and no longer capable of hurting anyone? Maybe he has dementia and does not remember his crimes? Would revenge be ethical, or satisfying?
Does the rapist have family that the nurse must confront? A son or daughter perhaps, and do they know about their father's past? Maybe they follow in his footsteps? Maybe they're desperate to cover it up?
This is an amazing setup.
Lois, a 59 year old nurse is working yet another double shift in the ER when a patient comes in. He's 83 years old, early stages of dementia, and just had a stroke. She doesn't think anything of it until she looks at the chart. Arthur Wilson. That's when she freezes.
She was 15 when it happened. She was selected to join the primary church choir by Pastor Art. He was like a second father to her, always doting on her like she was one of his own. He was 49 years old, married with grown kids already that had all moved away, but he treated her like a daughter. At least until that day. He invited her to dinner at his home, built next to the church. She didn't question why Mrs. Wilson wasn't around when he said she was out with some friends. She felt like a grown woman when he let her have a glass of wine with dinner, and felt even more invigorated when he let her have a second glass. But then she felt weird, like her body wasn't listening to her commands. She tried to push him away, but she couldn't. Her arms wouldn't move to push him off, or stop him from taking her clothes off. Her pleas were slurred and she couldn't stop Pastor Art as he stripped her and raped her on the bed he shared with his wife. At first she thought it was all a bad dream, until she woke up the next morning. The only thing that hurt more than her head was her vagina. She spent the rest of the next week in bed, crying over how she was violated by her own pastor. What made her sick to her stomach was how from that point on she was pressured to never say anything. Besides, who would believe a 15 year old girl over a 49 year old married pastor?
Come back to today and the patient in Room 27 is the same one that raped her all those years ago. But as much as she wants to hurt this guy, she can't. It happened so long ago, and he's CTD, circling the drain. Even if he survives this stroke, according to the charts he has dementia. He probably doesn't even remember his own name, let alone her. Besides, she needs authorization from the next of kin, who should be arriving shortly.
When 64 year old Barbara arrives, it takes her a little while to recognize Lois. They went to school in the same town, but grew up a few years ago. Barbara moved away from her family as fast as she could. She never told anyone outside of her therapist and her husband what her father did to her all those years ago, how he molested her from childhood and raped her repeatedly starting when she was 11 and going on until she moved away at 17. She never told anyone about the two abortions she was forced to have after her own father impregnated her in her teen years. And as strained as things are, she'd be damned if she let another soul find out about his past. The only thing she could hope for was that Art would die a painful death and burn in Hell for what he did to her. As much as she wanted to be the one to send him, she couldn't. Barbara thought about smothering him in his sleep, but that was too gentle a death and the hospital has too many cameras to get away with it. If only there were some way she could beg this nurse to kill him for her. But then again, he just had a stroke and he's losing his mind. He'll be dead soon, and his evil with him.
Unless this nurse plays hero and keeps him alive. What to do, what to do?