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I can love you better (MLB x Vita)

Ashley stayed asleep the entire ride, her hand still holding his tightly. as if she was afraid he would let go and leave her. She groaned slightly when he nudged her away, she really didn't want to move. Staying in the truck wasn't an option though. She assisted more this time, when he came around to take her from the passenger seat. Groaning again as it caused pain, literally everywhere. When Rafael moved to leave the room, her hand shot out, grabbing his hand. "Don't leave me," she said watching him through one completely swollen shut eye, and the other just barely better. Her hand stayed clamped around his, until he settled in to make the phone call from there.

She refused to sleep now, keeping herself awake with as much effort as she could muster. When he finished his phone call to the hospital she moved herself closer to him. His hand still not allowed to leave her own. "He was going to kill me," she said looking up at the only person she could ever trust again. "I saw it in his eyes, Raf," she drew in a shuddering breath.
 
"I know." Rafael replied with a sigh, knowing and understanding the situation Ashley had been placed in. He was still conflicted, having never been personally invested in someone like this, especially in a situation as dire as this one.

"I won't." He smiled, a comforting gesture that would hopefully ease her suffering, if even for a moment, "Unfortunately, I have to use the bathroom, make breakfast and take a shower." Rafael had a tendency to make jokes in hard situations, a coping mechanism he had picked up a long time ago.

"You want anything to eat? I'd suggest it given the fact that when you start taking these." He took her bottles of medication out of his pocket, rattling them a bit, "You're going to get all sorts of horrible stomach pains on an empty stomach."
 
She squeezed his hand, as he smiled at her. Frowning when he insisted he had to leave her. Pulling her hand from his, so she didn't keep him from doing what he had to. "I don't know Raf, food is the last thing on my mind right now." Pushing herself to a sitting position was hard, but she managed it. Clutching the bedspread to herself, to hide herself from him. What she really wanted right now was her own shower. "I will try to eat though, if the doctor insists," she offered a smile to him. Ashley's eyes travel to the bathroom door, wondering if she would even be able to stand in a shower at this point.
 
"I understand, but you need to eat." Since Rafael was relatively single, his food choices weren't exactly top shelf given his on the go lifestyle. "I think I have eggs and a few cheesesticks." He grinned, "I'll go shopping later on, wasn't exactly expecting guests."

He looked around, "Once you've had something to eat, is there anything else you need?"
 
Nodding her head, she knew there was no way to avoid it. "Uumm, I guess eggs," she started scooting to the edge of the bed. She managed to keep the pain from her face. When her feet touched the floor, she lost all her bravery though. This was going to take bit, everything hurt, she sat taking deep breaths giving herself an internal pep talk. "I can do it though Raf, you're helping me out enough as it is." When he asked the question of her needing anything else, she peeked under the blanket. Rafael was bigger then she was, but the chances of him have women's cloths was basically none. "A shower and a t-shirt would be great, so I'm not walking around your house wrapped in a blanket." She smiled a she looked at him sideways, "or even just naked."
 
"You sure?" Rafael questioned, he didn't doubt Ashley's resolve, it was just sometimes easier having someone behind you to support you when things started to get overwhelming. "I don't mind, really." He paused, "It's why I offered you know."

His room had seen cleaner days, a pile of dirty laundry lay around the hamper, it's insides fairly empty and he had no real excuses as to why the clothes weren't inside, it just happened like that. The nightstands which flanked his bed were littered with medical journals and hardboiled detective novels, their pages marked with scraps of paper and reciepts. A moment later he found the bottle of air freshener, misting the room until a pleasant flowerly scent lingered and for good measure he opened a window to allow a decent cross breeze. "Yeah, if you're going to be in here, I should probably clean up. . ."

Rafael walked into his closet, coming out with a black button down and a pair of fleece lounge pants that had a draw string, "These will probably fit." He placed them upon the bed, "I'll go make some food, I haven't eaten since I've gotten back from the hospital and since I seem to have a few days off, I might as well as try to enjoy it."
 
"I know I just.... feel like I should," Finally getting the resolve to get to her feet, she pushed herself up. Ashley watched as he looked around his own room, it looked much the same as it did when they were kids. The only difference was instead of math books and comics, there were medical books strewn everywhere. She could help but think of how angry Scott would be if she left their room like this. She laughed as eh sprayed the room with air freshener, while it helped it really wasn't necessary. "Have you forgotten, I already know what you bedroom normally looks and smells like Raf." Walking towards the bathroom, her blanket in tow she peeked inside. She was lucky it was a walk in shower and not a shower with a bath tub.

Turning as he walked to his closet, she smiled at the clothes he provided. When her arms were free she would hug him, and thank him properly. "Thanks Raf," she thought about maybe dropping the pet name she had for him. He didn't seem to mind though, so until he said something she would just keep using it. Walking into the bathroom, she dropped the blanket from her shoulders. Looking in the mirror she gasped at her own reflection. She looked like a tiger with the bruises that were starting to form. Two inch thick lines marred her skin, turning from the irritated red, to blueish purple. Reaching in she turned the water on, letting the blanket drop completely to the floor. Her mind was distracted, she forgot to close the door.

The enclosed shower filled with steam and she stepped inside. The water stung at first as it made contact with broken skin. Her mind wandered once again to Scott. First thinking about him coming home to her gone, what would he do then. Then to the scene at the house, his hand tight around her neck. Him forcing himself between her legs. The resolve she had mustered up suddenly fade. She was finding it hard to breath. Her hands braced her against the wall as she slid down, knowing she would only hurt herself more if she passed out.
 
Rafael heard the shower start from the kitchen, the telltale sound eminating from the bathroom attached to the bedroom. He busied himself with making a fairly simple meal for Ashley, a small serving of eggs and cheese. As for himself he doubled almost tripled his portion of the same thing and added bacon along with a few slices of whole wheat toast slathered with Irish butter.

Walking back into the bedroom, he leaned against the wall that sat adjacent to the door that was partially opened that lead into the bathroom, "Foods ready whenever you are." He had never really noticed it until now but this angle allowed him to see the majority of the bathroom through the reflection bound within the mirror, he noticed the bruises had developed further upon her body.

He had noticed that she was bracing herself against the shower stall, "You need help?" Rafael still remembered after all these years the one time he had walked in on her while she was naked, it had been an accident but she had given him a bloody nose and yelled like he had kicked her dog across the room.
 
Just a few more moments of her panic, and Ashley was able to catch her breath again. Using the wall as support she pushed herself back to her feet. Letting the water once again run over her battered body for a few seconds, before finding the soap. Gingerly she washed her skin, everything was tender to the touch. She could see as more bruises began to surface, she looked a lot like a cross between tiger and leopard. The places where the belt broke skin stung as the soap touched them. Rinsing it from her body she braised herself against the wall again.

Her face turned slightly towards the sound of his voice. "I will be right out," she called out. She really didn't want to leave the warmth of the shower. He had said he wanted one too though, so she would need to get out anyway. A couple more minutes wouldn't hurt though right. She heard him again, this time he sounded a bit more concerned, shaking her head she turned off the water. "No, I'm okay," she said as she grabbed the towel off the near by bar. Patting her hair with it she soaked up most of the water. The wrapped it around herself. Looking up from the task she finally noticed the door was open.

Was he watching her shower, then she thought on that more. He had learned his lesson the last time he walked in on her in the shower. She didn't feel bad at all back then for breaking his nose. She still didn't believe that it was an accident. How could he have not heard the shower running at the time. Ashley had left the clothes on the bed, padding out into the room she glared at him for a moment. The snatched the cloths from the bed, this time closing the bathroom door. Moments later she emerged dress in the button down, and lounge pants that were a bit to long for her. Even with the draw string they hung low on her hips. She had the same body shape as in high school. Small framed but curves in all the right places. Raf on numerous occasions was 'forced' to defend her honor, when anyone spoke out of line about said curves. Even then he had proved to be her own personal knight, but she would always return the favor when a girl spoke out against him.

Ashley was all girl, she liked pretty things. In a snap her girly nature would disappear, and she was ready to fight. At least that was the Ashley eight years ago. They were quite the team back in the day. On more then a few occasions people accused them of fooling around, earning them black eyes and busted lips. Padding her way into the kitchen she grabbed the plate from the counter, then head back to the bedroom. Settling herself on the edge of the bed. "You were my knight back then too Raf, just not quite to this extent." She finally said to him, "Kyle started spreading the rumor that I was a slut, and you promptly put an end to it." Taking a bite of her food, she chewed it slowly. "That time that Joe thought he would get a little rough with me at the dance, His face never looked the same after that. You were always there, even when I thought you weren't" Looking up from the plate she patted the spot next to her.
 
It didn't take long for Rafael to find his place besides Ashley, in a way he had a hard time viewing her as the woman he had once known. As it stood, she seemed fragile, at the point of breaking. If anything he felt that he needed to take his time around her, "Yeah, well. . ." His voice trailed as he saddled up besides her with fork in hand, "The whole getting into fights for each others honor was mostly for fun, we really liked to punch people in the face."

Admittedly, back then violence and such things came naturally for them. "We need to stop surrounding ourselves with assholes." Rafael's last relationship had been a resounding failure, lack of communication coupled with flucuating scheduling was a recipe for disaster, "So, once you're done eating, make sure you take some of that medication. I want you to get a lot of rest."
 
Ashley rested her head on his shoulder, taking another bite of the eggs. "Yeah, punching people in the face was a lot of fun," thinking back on it she was sure they tried to find any excuse for a fight. It was funny how she had changed so much from those days. Why she had let Scoot intimidate her so much, to the point of never fighting back was beyond her. "I agree with you, no more assholes," she said with a smile. Taking the last few bites of her eggs. As he mentioned the medication she turned to look at it on the table. "I hate that they make me so sleepy though," she sighed as she stood up from the bed.

Walking out the door, she finally got to see what the rest of the place looked like. A single guy definitely lived here, something she would have to remedy soon. "Ah, this is a lovely place you have here Raf," she turned towards him a little. "Full of.... character," she added making ehr way to the kitchen sink.
 
The bookcases against the wall were an idea, they held books upon their shelves, but they were also crowded with assorted items and piled to the second shelf with haphazardly balanced books. The entire house was a testament to his bachelorhood, for the most part he hadn't had any real complaints, but with Ashley here, he had an idea that she was going to raise a shit storm. "Look, this place is quite comfortable."

Rafael looked around, "Well if you're so up in arms against the way I keep this place, feel free to clean it up." He made a mocking face that ended with an endearing grin, "After you're better that is."
 
Taking as deep a breath as she could, "I don't know if I can last that long though." Out of habit she began to fill the sink with soapy water, dropping dishes into it. This was the only thing about her that hadn't changed. She liked things neat and orderly, she was known for cleanig her own friends bedrooms when she visited. This made her a beloved friend by any of the parents. When the sink was full, and steam rose from the hot water, she started washing what she had dumped into the sink. "You know I can't just sit around doing nothing."
 
"What the Hell woman." Rafael stated, knowing full well that there wasn't a thing he could do when it came to this particular quirk, Ashley had a fondness for cleanliness. It was something he appreciated, but it was definitely something he didn't exactly spend a lot of time thinking about.

"You're injured, you're not supposed to be doing anything." Not that it mattered, but he had to say something. He looked around, "Why don't you go watch TV and eat pizza? That's doing something."
 
Turing around she gave him a mock glare, then went back to washing the dishes. "For one things, there is no pizza here, only eggs and cheese sticks." Rinsing a plate she didn't even look back at him. "Second, watching TV isn't really doing anything either. Besides this will only take ten minutes, I doubt that will kill me." Turning again she smiled, "you could help me, and that will make it go faster." Smiling a little more she splashed a bit of water at him.
 
The water drenched a small portion of the shirt he wore, it's cotton surface partially clinging against his chest, "I'm just suggesting that you should take it easy, because I don't want you to have some life long crippling injury that'll follow you for the rest of your life."

He sighs and takes his place besides Ashley, "Here, let me dry that or at least put it into the dishwasher." Rafael would take the plates and other things offered to him as he shuffled them into the dishwasher, "Seriously, you need to take it easy, perhaps be off your feet for a couple days, for me."
 
Laughing at his wet shirt, she continued with the dishes. This is easy, I'm not lifting anything heavy," she smiled at him as eh joined her at the sink. Handing him a plate she just washed, "fine, I will try to stay off my feet, just for you." With the last dish in the dishwasher, Ashley drained the sink, then dried her hands. Walking into the bedroom, she grabbed a couple of her pills, before going back out to the living room. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge she sat on the sofa, "put a movie on, I'm just going to fall asleep so it doesn't matter to me what you put on."

Waiting for him to start the movie and sit on the sofa with her. Smiling when he finally sat down, she snuggled up against him with her head on his still kind of wet chest. Wrapping an arm around his waist she got comfortable.
 
Rafael couldn't exactly start an argument with her, given the situation he needed to cater to Ashley's whims, coercing her into a sense of passiveness would at least ease her into the state of idleness. Ultimately he just wanted her to stop being stubborn and sit still for more than a minute, "If you keep this up, I'm going to tie you down and pump you full of mild sedatives. Your health isn't something to joke about." If there was one thing he was good at, it was being a pain in the ass.

He'd sit besides her, wrapping an arm around her as she did the same. Rafael didn't exactly own any DVD's, mostly because he had on demand streaming for the rare moments when he had the energy to stay awake after a long shift, "I'm going to make you watch some random action flick, maybe a Spaghetti Western. . ."
 
Ashley rolled her eyes, sometimes he could be a real pain in the ass. He more then likely already knew this so she wouldn't voice her opinion. "I know it's not Raf, I just hate sitting still." She really had no problem with it at the moment anyway. The pain killers were starting to make her drowsy. "Random action sounds great," she snuggled in closer. Taking in the comforting feel of his arm around her. Even now though, it didn't feel the same as when they were kids. She wasn't sure what had changed about it, but it felt better. As if she found a place to she was always meant to be. Her mind never once strayed to Scott, Rafael kept those thoughts at bay.

Scott himself though, found he was thinking of her a lot. He had come home not twenty minutes after Rafael had sped away with his wife. Stomping into the house, his first reaction was anger that none of the mess had been cleaned up. His booted feet crunched the glass, that was strewn across the floor. When he walked through the house to find his bitch wife, she and her belongings were gone, along with the bed spread. Slamming the door behind him he backed quickly from the drive way, heading for the hospital again.

The drive had only proved to make him more angry. He had to get to her before she pressed any charges. Pulling up in front of the ER doors, he didn't even bother turning the truck off. Slamming his fist down on the nurses desk he demanded to see his wife. When he was told she wasn't here, he started screaming. "I know you have her, she is my wife and you can't keep her from me."

The red haired nurse from the night before quickly grabbed her phone, and dialed Rafael. When he answered she went right into talking. "The woman from last night, her husband is here. He thinks we have her here."
 
The phone rang, a timeless tune that reminded him that some how, somewhere the hospital was going to fuck him in the ass. With a tired sigh he answers the phone that is seemingly attached to his hip or this time tucked into his pocket, "Doctor Delacroix." He says with the finality of a cancer patient.

He listens and understands, knowing full well what kind of Hell could be unleashed given the circumstances. Rafael can't tell her that Ashley is here, let alone give her her whereabouts, at least not right now.

I am breaking so many laws right now, at least that's what he thought to himself as he took a deep breath. "Ok, well she's clearly not there. You and I both know that." Ashley could easily hear their conversation, "Politely remind the asshole, sorry. . ." Rafael apologizes, "that she's nowhere near there, that he needs to calm down before you call the Cops, Hell, call the Cops anyway. You shouldn't have to deal with this, this is bullshit." He makes another face, "Sorry for swearing, just really tired and you all did get my impromptu request for days off due to a family emergency, right?"

He nodded and listened, glad to know that his emergency was given the go ahead. Not that they could stop him, but it was nice to have such things on file. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this, but if he doesn't leave. Call the Cops. I'll see you when I get back." They exchange pleasantries and soon hung up.

"Guess whose at the hospital raising a shit storm." Rafael said to Ashley, "This is going to get interesting real quick. . ."
 
"I know she isn't here, and we keep telling him that," the red haired nurses spoke. Her eyes going wide for a brief second as Rafael cussed on the other end. "I just figured that since you knew her..." she was a very observant person. As much as he tried hiding it last night, she saw the personal feelings in his face. "You might want to know that something else happened. Don't worry doctor, I won't say anything." She added the last part to put him at ease. "Yes we got the request, well I was just told about it an hour ago but...I'm sorry I wont call again, I hope everything is alright." They exchanged a few more words, then she hung up the phone.

Mean while Ashley listened to the conversation, only really catching what Raf was saying back. What she was able to hear told her plenty though. Scott was looking for her, and was preparing to take down anyone with him. "I thought for sure it would have been a lot longer before he found me gone." She pushed herself up coming to sitting position. "Is he being really horrible, maybe I should go there and calm him down." This was the last thing she wanted to do of course, but if it got Scott to leave the hospital she would do it. She wouldn't go home with him, ever, but maybe if she told him it was over he would leave her alone. The other part of her brain screamed at how stupid this all sounded, of course he wouldn't leave her alone just because she said it was over.
 
"No, you're going to stay here. You're not in any condition to speak to him, let alone see him. Remember you've taken your medication and you're on strict orders to recover." Rafael said, "Do I need to fully restrain you?" He quirked a brow at Ashley, "Because I will do it."

He knew that Scott would do something like this, given the circumstances he wondered where this would lead. There was no way in Hell he was going to let Ashley go back to him, given his last episode and the fear he saw in her eyes. He just couldn't, "Don't think about him, you've done that for far to long with little to nothing to show for it outside of bruises and fractures."
 
Ashley look at Raf for about a minute with a slightly shock expression. He was right of course she couldn't just go gallivanting off to the hospital to talk with Scott. "Fine, I'm staying geez," she said with a bit of a smile. The pain killers were really having an affect now. With a soft sigh she gave into the feeling. grabbing a blanket from the back of the sofa, she curled back up with Raf. "I know, I just don't want him destroying anything else. Laying her head on his chest she draped her arm over him again. Her eyes were already starting to close, and her body going lax. "Raf... how did I end up with someone like you in my life?" Ashley tried to focus her eyes on the TV screen, but there was no helping the sleep that was coming. Soon her breathing turn lighter, as she drifted off, still holding Rafael tight with one arm.
 
"He won't be able to, once he's dealt with." He smiled, wondering how far it would go, "Luck, I suppose?" Rafael whispered, knowing full well that Ashley was upon the cusp of succumbing to slumber. He readjusted the volume, not wanting to wake her as ideas floated to the forefront of his mind. Scott needed to be dealt with, he was a present danger to Ashley's continued well being and while she's been out of his life for a handful of years, the majority of which had been out of her control. They knew each other well enough that even though they had been lacking in contact, they were able to pick up where they had last left off.
 
Ashley smiled at his comment, though she would probably forget it later. For once in the last three years she felt safe. That feeling mixed with her meds help her drift into a heavy sleep. It would be hours before she woke.

Her eyes fluttered first, as sleep tried to keep her. She could still feel a warm body beneath her, and an arm around her. She shifted slightly, happy to find that Raf had managed to stay with her on the sofa. It didn't look at that comfortable for either of them, but to be here she wouldn't change it. At some point the TV had been turned off, so the room was silent and rather dark. Some light showed through the parts of the curtains that were open. She started pushing herself to a siting position, wincing slightly as her sore body protested the movement. Kissing Raf on the cheek, she slid out of his arm that had been holding her.

He had cooked for her last night, she should at least try and return the favor. Of course it would be exactly the same thing, eggs and bacon, she was sure he wouldn't care though. She didn't make it far to the kitchen before she had to stop. Everything just hurt to much to even move. She braced herself against the wall.
 
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