I can love you better (MLB x Vita)

Well, he couldn't exactly back out of this now. Their history and all dictated a certain amount of loyalty, at least given his own code of conduct or morality. Either way it was definitely going to get a whole lot more interesting with this on his plate.

He'd slip the piece of paper into his coat pocket, stashed alongside the other notes and things he needed to remember throughout his shift. If anything it didn't look any different from all the other things he had placed in there, that is if anyone decided to become curious and look through his pockets. Rafael always had these ideas floating through his mind, he liked to analyze a situation and deduct what would happen from the information he had garnered.

"Ash, you're lucky I like you." He held onto her, his old best friend. "I won't ditch you now."

Ashley sighed a little when he went back to holding her, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her face against his stomach. "It isn't luck Raf, people find it hard to resist my charms." She smiled again, "I know you won't ditch me. Hopefully we can at least slip back into what we had eight years ago." Hearing footsteps coming down the hall, she straightened then slipped back under the blankets. She knew it wasn't Scott, visiting hours weren't for another thirty minutes, but a nurse would find the position very odd. "Will you be back before I leave tonight," she asked just before a chubby male nurse walked into the room.

"Good morning Dr. Delacroix, I didn't realize you were still here." The man glanced at the clock, before he approached Ashley's bed. "Weren't you suppose to be off a while ago?" The guy was new, and obviously not paying attention to what he was doing. Her grabbed her right arm, covered in bruises. Even the light pressure hurt a little, and Ashley sucked in a quick breath. "Or did you get wrangled into staying longer?" Still not paying much attention he lifted the arm to take her pulse.

"Ok, you need to stop that really hurts," she pulled lightly on her arm until it was free. She rubbed the sore spot on her arm a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even bother looking at your chart." As if seeing her for the first time since he walked in, the mans eyes widened a little seeing the bruise on her cheek. "Car accident huh?"

"We'll see about that." Rafael replies with a soft smile, he can understand where Ashley is trying to come from, that hope can be a beautiful thing. Unfortunately he's been burnt way to many times and seen how such things end. "Either way, things will get better Ashley, promise."

"I wish!" Rafael exclaims, "I just had to check on her, doing my final rounds before I get to go home and come back once I step through the door. . ."

The RN laughs, "I hear that."

Rafael lingers for a moment, watching the RN and Ashley. He waves goodbye to her and gestures that he'll call her soon. As it is, he can't stick around any longer, if Scott were to show up while he's in this mood he's liable to kill the man with just his thumbs.

The drive home is uneventful, his own thoughts in turmoil. He doesn't make it to the bed, he sits on the couch and exhaustion pulls him into oblivion.

He dreams of Ashley, of their shared past. There's also a clown with a flamethrower and a rampaging Chinchilla. Rafael's always had weird dreams. . .

Ashley nodded her head as he waved good by, and gesturing that he would call her. Moments after he left Scott showed up, it was still a while before visiting hours. He more then likely forced his way pass. The male nurse looked up from what he was doing, looking at the clock. "Normally visiting hours aren't for another twenty minutes, but seeing is she is awake I just won't say anything." He finished taking the vitals, and left.

Scott had managed to actually keep a smile on his face. It left as soon as the nurse did. "Hey babe, I am so sorry about last night." He pulled the chair closer to the bed, and took her hand. "I shouldn't have blown up like that. I just really hate it when I come home, and the house is a mess, and you have just started dinner." He had an almost sincear look of apology on his face. "I was already havign a bad day, with Jack showing up drunk. I was tired and I guess I just lost track of my temper. You know I love you, and I promise I will be better."

There was a small voice in the back of her mind trying to tell her he was lying. Her need for wanting to believe she made the right choice in a man shoved that voice aside. "I know Scott, and i sorry. It won't happen again ok, next time the house will be spotless and dinner will be on the table." Ashley lifted his hand to her lips, "I shouldn't have lost track of time like that."

Hours later, with much convincing from both Scott and Ashley, she was walking through the front foor of her house. Furnitur was still knocked over, and broken glass covered the floor. The first thing she did was head to the kitchen and grab a broom. "Hey baby, I got to head to the site, please have this all cleaned up by the time I get home." Smiling she nodded, and began working on cleaning the place up. Her eyes kept going to the phone on the table, wondering when Rafael would call. The pain made the job of cleaning this up harder, but she had to get it cleaned up. Leaning the broom against the wall, she picked up the phone. Dialing the hospital, when someone picked up she talked as sweet as she could. Telling them that Raf had given her his personal number in case something came up, but she lost it on the way home. It took a few minutes to convince the older woman on the other end, but she got the number.

Hanging up she dialed Raf's number sitting herself on the arm of the sofa. "Come on Raf pick up."

Rafael fumbles for the phone, his motions groggy and half dazed as guttural groans escape him. The number shows up unknown through weary eyes. "I swear to God, if this a telemarketer, I will murder you dead." He says that aloud while the phone continues to ring. "Fuck me." He mutters, hitting the green icon with the fury of an angry god. He actually manages to answer the phone this time.

"Dr. Delacroix, thank you for calling Our Lady Mortuary, you kill 'em we chill 'em." He manages to remain 'civil'. The tendrils of sleep still grip him as he edges down upon the couch, his head tilted in an angle that'll probably give him a sore neck if he were to fall asleep once more. He partially hopes this scares the other person off the line, if it's someone important he'll pretend it was his evil clone.

Ashley laughed, "well that is an interesting way to answer a phone. I woke you up though, sorry." She had figured he would be awake by now, but then again he had already been up all night, and well into the morning. "I was just calling to see if....no you know what never mind. I shouldn't have called you Raf. I wasn't thinking." She laughed a little, that is exactly what got her in trouble in the first place.

"Hey Ash." Rafael says, he's still sleepy and he does what he can to power through it, "No, don't worry about it. Hang on a second." He goes through the motions to save this number into his phone, a momentary curse escapes him as he fidgets with screen. "Ok, number saved. Glad you called." He smiles, knowing she won't be able to see it.

"Don't worry about it, really." He would say, finding a comfortable spot upon the couch, "I sleep whenever I can, I crash pretty hard. Hell, when you come over I'll probably be nodding off, it's like my thing now." He smirks, "How are you feeling? What's up?"

Ashley sinks down into the sofa, pulling the throw blanket over her lap. "Uumm ok," she laughs as she hears him loosing some battle with his phone. "Was the phone winning," she asked with an amused tone. "Are you sure though, I mean I can just call back later, or be patient enough for you to call me." She felt horrible, she really should have thought about this before she even picked up the phone. He was probably exhausted, and she had kept him in her room for a while passed the end of his shift. "Feeling ok though, a little sore. That happens I'm sure when you are trying sweep up broken glass. I was just sitting down for a break and thought I would call." She laughed a little, "the nurses at the hospital are pretty easy to lie to by the way. It only took me a couple tries to get your number out of them."

"I'll have to tell them to not give out personal information, if anything they could have taken a message or directed you to my voicemail." Rafael wasn't mad at Ashley, just at the idea it was that simple to get his number from work.

"I'm glad you called. Good to hear that your recovery is going well." He didn't like the fact that she was cleaning up, probably the remnants of yesterday's fiasco that had had brought her into the ER in the first place.

"Remember to take it easy." Rafael reminded her, "You have to heal well, those injuries need time to fade." Though with Scott around that would be complicated at best.

"Yeah you might want to do that, you got lucky this time that I am not some creepy stalker patient of yours." Standing up from the sofa, she picked up the broom again. Sweeping what was close by into a pile. She would have to figure out a way to pick up the turned over furniture, with out injuring herself more. It didn't take long for her to get winded, needing to sit down again.

"I know Raf, I'm trying to take it easy. If I don't get this all cleaned up though it will only make him mad again." As she spoke to her best friend, she didn't hear the sound of Scott's truck pulling into the drive way. He had come home only because he forgot the keys to the storage shed at the sight.

Scott walked through the door, envisioning that his wife had done the things or at least was well on her way to getting their home back to normal. It had been their agreement, she'd get to stay home and take care of that part of their life and he'd be the bread winner.

He was doing his part, Ashley was not.

There was no need to talk, if she couldn't hold up her end of the bargain, why in the Hell was he holding up his? He took the phone away from her, shutting it off as the screen went dead. "What the Hell are you doing?" His voice getting louder with every word, his hands balling into fists as one hand shot forward, flattening out into a heavy handed slap that would send Ashley down, his other hand squeezing down upon her throat. "I ask one simple thing, and you can't even do that." His fingers digging ever deeper into her throat.

She heard the heavy footsteps on the porch just before the door opened. "Raf, I'm in trouble, Scott's...." she managed before Scott came through the door. She closed her eyes as he ascended on her, flinching when he took the phone. "Scott.. please I was.." she didn't get to finish before his hand shot out. She hit the floor, jarring her broken rib. The pain shot through her body, it took a second to catch her breath. "talking to...." Again her words cut off, with his hand around her throat. Her fingers grasped his as the air was slowly taken from her. She was beginning to see stars from the lack of oxygen.

Scott didn't want to hear Ashley's excuses, it was always something with her, some little nitpick that drove him over the edge. Here he was busting his ass off while she sat around and did nothing.

It was unacceptable, it was bullshit.

"God damn it woman." His fingers were definitely digging deeper into her neck, there would definitely be bruising there tomorrow, but he just didn't care.

He backhanded her hard once more across her face, a solid echo lingering for a moment in the room, "There's always an excuse!"

Ashley's fingers continued to claw at his hand, as it tightened even more. "Scott.. I can't.... breath," She was answer with the back of his hand across her face. The room went dark for a moment, her head was spinning. Her hands loosing the fight in them, began to go lax. The blackness creeping back, it started with the edges of her vision.

Scott's consumed by anger with equal amounts of hatred, his own hardships being projected upon Ashley, "Now maybe you'll start to behave." He shakes her violent, "God damn it!"

He would have slapped her again, but this time his hands work upon her clothing, something she didn't deserve since he paid for everything that she took for granted. In time her bruised body would be exposed to him, her clothes cast aside amongst the chaos. "You don't deserve these." His words filled with hatred.

The shaking brought her back from the darkness taking over. Tears rolled down her cheeks now, her saving grace was his attention to her clothes eased the grip on her throat. Ashley pushed at his hands, as he removed every stitch of clothing from her. "Scott... Scott please stop," she strained against his hold. Every time her hands grabbed his they were pushed aside. The already ruined clothes from last night were cast to the floor with the wrecked. Squeezing her eyes shut, as he held her completely exposed. "Please..... stop," she said between sobs.

Ashley's pleas fell upon deaf ears as he removed his belt, gripping the metal buckle as the leather strap unraveled to reveal a sizeable length of leather. Blow after blow would land upon her body, concise strikes against her breasts, stomach and thighs.

His strikes left red streaks in their wake, he wouldn't stop until Ashley was a mewling mass of wounded flesh beneath him, he kicked her legs open, exposing her pussy between quivering beaten thighs, "At least you're good for one thing."

Scott unzipped and dropped his trousers, his throbbing cock pressing against the boxers he wore and that to would soon fall. He took her then and there, impaling her with a rhythmic thrust that mimicked his hatred for her.

This was the worst he ever did, it all started last night. Ashley cried out with the first few swings, but eventually those stopped. She barely even fought him as he forced himself between her legs. A smile cry as he forced his way in, then nothing. Her eyes stared unseeing at the white ceiling. Her body jerking with each of his thrusts. Tears mixed with the blood from the new cut on her eye. She only had to wait for it to be over, he would leave again as he always did. Leave her exactly where he left her until he decided medical attention was necessary. That was always how he did it, and Scott was a creature of habit.

As with most things, even his euphoric release was short lived, a low grunt escaping him as he filled his beaten wife with his cum. This time around he wiped himself off with her shirt, eventually throwing it over her face so he wouldn't have to see her any more.

Scott found the keys he had left behind, securing them in his pocket before he stomped through the living room, his boots crushing glass beneath with every step. He would readjust his belt and clothes, taking a passing glance in a nearby mirror to make sure he looked presentable, "Make sure all this shit is cleaned up before I get home."

His parting words were finalized with a slamming door.

As always she stayed where she was, if she moved it would only bring his attention back to her. She breath heavily as she kept herself from crying more. She jumped when she heard his heavy boots stomp across the floor. Shaking her head in agreement, as she heard the door open. Then slam closed, rolling over finally. Ashley waited for the sound of the drunk backing out of the driveway. Before pulling the on the phone cord. Phone in hand, she hit redial, when she heard the phone being picked up on the other end. "R-Raf, I ... need you," she cried into the phone. Everything hurt, she wasn't able to tell if anything else was broken.

Rafael quickly picked up the phone, knowing that it was Ashley on the other line, though upon hearing his voice a part of him fell into despair for his friend, but a welling anger simmered beneath the surface, "I'll be there, I'm picking you up. I have to hang up now, but I'll be there."

He fished through his coat pockets until he found the scrap of paper that held her information. In mere moments he was out the door, still in the clothes he had worn last shift, the idea of sleep a distant memory as his truck's engine roared to life.

Minutes Later . . .

Rafael was outside her home with a first aid kit in hand, he always kept one in all his vehicles, a just in case precaution that had never been used until now. His heavy knocks shook the door, "It's me." Was all he said.

"Ok," is all she managed. Dropping the phone as he hung up she didn't bother to move. She drifted into the darkness that tried to claim her earlier. It was the only peace she would find at this moment. Her eyes would flutter open after a few seconds, how much time had passed since Raf hung up. Then she was out again, this time until the heavy knocks on the door. Her eyes came open again, she made an attempt to move, but she hurt to much. Looking at the door, Scott hadn't locked it on his way out, she sent up a silent prayer. "It's......open," she cried out, hoping he could hear her. Thoughts of here still being exposed didn't even matter at this point.

Rafael thinks he hears something, a soft voice and he tries the door, finding that the knob gives way as he pushed his way through the threshold into a broken home, glass, mirrors and furniture cast aside and yet he finds his way to Ashley, his eyes not recognizing the fact that she's naked, a sense of professionalism overtakes him now as he checks her vitals.

"I'm getting you out of here." He says to her, Rafael manages to find the bedroom, removing the comforter that sat disheveled upon the bed as he uses it to wrap Ashley in some form of modesty, "This is going to hurt."

He warns her before he picks her cocooned form up, cradling her body against him as he leaves this place behind. Eventually he opens up the truck passenger door, balancing Ashley's weight against his chest as a hand fumbles for the handle. He seats her gently in the passenger seat, taking care to avoid the injuries he knew of before closing the door.

He returns inside the home to take the medication that he had prescribed to her earlier, along with her cell phone and purse. Rafael resists the urge to set the entire home on fire as he exits with his first aid kit in hand alongside the other things he had taken for Ashley's sake.

"I'm taking you back home with me, you're going to lay low until you're better and we'll figure this out." He says this aloud for her benefit, but it also helps him think about this situation he's gotten himself into.

He heard something and that's all that mattered, she heard him open the door. Heard his footsteps over the mosaic of broken glass. She wanted to drift back to the darkness, but she kept herself awake. She shook her head as best she could. Crying out as he picked her up from the floor, even his warning didn't help. She had kept herself from moving to keep from feeling any of it. as far as she could tell, there was nothing else broken.

She kept from complaining as he set her in the passenger seat of his truck. He leaves her again, closing the door of the truck. How did she get herself into this? She had always thought she would know when to get out. Scott would have killed her today, if he hadn't given into his own angry lust. She feels the vehicle rock as Rafael gets into the drivers seat. "I... I'm sorry Raf," she said, reaching a hand out for his. "I... should have... listened to you," the words came out broken as she cried. When her hand found his, her eyes drifted closed. The small contact was all she needed, before she slipped back into the peaceful darkness.

Rafael held her hand while he drove home, he didn't know what to say to Ashley, he's never been truly invested in a situation like this. Sure, he's had his fair share at the hospital, but he had never been conflicted by actually knowing the person.

There was rage, sadness and the need for vengeance, he just didn't know what path to pursue and yet amongst these thoughts he was still able to find his way home. "Hey Ashley." He nudged her awake, taking care to avoid any areas that were potentially bruised, "I'm taking you inside."

Rafael would pocket her phone and medication before exiting his truck, he'd come back later for her purse as he stuffed it beneath some random blankets and books he had stored in the back months ago, this time though he was more prepared as he held the key that would open his front door in his dominant hand.

Ashley slipped into his arms with relative ease, doing what he could to mitigate the pain, but there was only so much he could do given the circumstances. In time he'd find himself inside his home, weaving his way through his bachelors pad until he came to the bedroom, nestling Ashley upon his bed. "I'm going to call the hospital, tell them I won't be making it in for a few days."