by Stephanie Meyer

I don't own them don't claim to have no money only for fun

Billy looked up at the sound of her voice. They still weren't speaking. It had been two months since
they had broken up. In that time, she'd lost her grant, disappeared to Africa, and returned. Of course,
he'd heard all this through the grapevine. She still wouldn't even look at him. She was giving orders to a
nurse. Then he noticed the man that had come up to her. She was still trying to sign her charts, but he
was mauling her. Billy clenched his jaw. He was jealous and he knew it.

Diane tried to ignore Paul's hands. "I just have to finish this chart."

"You were supposed to be off thirty minutes ago."

"I had a patient code. What was I supposed to do, say 'sorry your heart's stopped , but Paul is
waiting'?"

His grip tightened painfully on her waist. "Don't start with me, Diane. You don't want a scene."

"I'm sorry. I'll only be a minute. Why don't you wait in the car, OK?"

"Fifteen minutes or I will come and get you."

As Paul left, Diane looked up to see Billy staring at her. "What?"

"He's awful...possessive."

"It's none of your business, Billy."

"Look, Diane." He approached her. He was standing right next to her when he spoke again. "I just..."
he trailed off.

"Just what, Billy?"

"I still care about you. I just want you to know if you need anything, I'm here."

"Wouldn't that make me dependent on you again?"

"Diane..."

"I don't have time for this, Billy. I've got to go."

"I just want to be your friend."

"You forfeited the right to have any 'wants' with me two months ago." She took off down the hall.

"Diane! Diane!" She didn't stop. "Damn it!"
 

Diane was trying to concentrate on the chart in front of her. The throbbing pain in her arm was
distracting her. She knew she should have somebody look at it, but that would involve answering
questions she didn't want to think about.

"Diane?" She looked up to see Dennis standing in front of her.

"Dennis."

"I heard you and Billy exchanged insults last night."

"Yeah, well, good news travels fast."

"I never saw how you two stayed together. I chalked it up to temporary insanity."

"Excuse me?"

"Diane, come on? You and Billy could hardly stand each other one minute and the next you're all over
each other. You were upset. It was understandable that you reached out."

"You think that explained our relationship?"

"What else?"

"Did you share your opinion?"

"I may have mentioned it to Billy, why? You walked out on him so I assumed you had come to the
same conclusion."

Diane shook her head. "Unbelievable, unbelievable." Disgusted, she left Dennis in the middle of the
bustling hallway.

When Diane got to Paul's apartment, she was still deep in thought. If Dennis had accused Billy of
taking advantage of her , was the whole fight an implanted idea? She didn't notice Paul until he grabbed
her still sore arm.

"You're late!"

"I was busy."

Smack. "What did you say?" Slap. "Come on, speak up." Shake.

"Don't touch me! You think you're big just because you can smack me around? Forget it! I'm leaving."

"Like hell you are."
 

It was one a.m. when Diane crawled out of Paul's bed. She literally crawled. She didn't know if she
could stand yet. She threw on her discarded clothes and started to gather all of her things. She stuffed
clothes, papers, and toiletries into a duffel bag. She gingerly stood up and slipped on her shoes. She
was out the door without waking him. Where was she going to go now? She knew where she wanted
to go, but did she have the courage to go there?

Billy woke up to the sound of pounding on his front door. He looked at his clock. It was almost three
a.m. Who could it be? He stumbled into the living room.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" He tripped over his gym bag. "Damn. Who is it?"

"Diane."

"Diane?" Billy unlocked the door. "What...." His question died on his lips as he opened the door and
saw her.

"Can I come in? I'm sorry to just show up. It took me almost an hour to work up the courage to come
here. I can't go home. It's not safe. I don't have anywhere, anyone else to go to." The last part was
choked as she tried not to cry.

"Yeah, come in." He ushered her in and switched on the light. It didn't improve what he saw. "What
happened? Wait, first I want to check you out."

"Billy.."

"You're standing on my doorstep looking like someone used you for a hockey puck, and you don't
think I'm going to check you out? Go into the bathroom while I grab my bag."

Diane did what he said. She knew she was hurt.

Billy joined her in the bathroom seconds later. "What happened?" he asked as he checked her pupils
for signs of concussion.

"I told him I was leaving, and he said I wasn't."

Billy's jaw tightened. "Same guy at the hospital?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to have to take off you shirt."

She did and winced.

"I know it hurts." He examined her bruises. They were bad. He felt her ribs. She gasped. "I take it that
means they hurt. Diane, I can't fix you up here. You need to get to a hospital."

"Billy, no. It's not that bad."

"Your ribs could be broken! You could puncture your lungs or your heart. Hell, I don't know how you
got this far."

She couldn't look at him. "Billy, he didn't just hit me. I had to get dressed before I left."

"I'll kill him."

"Billy..."

"He raped you, Diane, and you don't even want to get treated!"

"Nobody will think it was rape."

"Did you say no?"

"Yes."

"Then he raped you."

"I didn't fight back hard enough! It's my fault!"

"Diane, it is not your fault."

She shook her head.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." He gently helped her back into her shirt.

"Not Chicago Hope, please? I can't.."

"I'll take you to county. Then I'm going to beat the hell out of this bastard."

"Billy..."

"Damn it, Diane! I love you, and I'm not going to let him get away with this!"

"You love me?" She looked into his eyes.

He licked his lips. "Yeah."

She smiled.

"Come on. Let's get you to County."
 

Mark Green looked at Carol. "Who brought her in?"

"A friend. He claims she showed up at his door at about three and he convinced her to come in."

"Do you believe him?"

"He seems nice enough. He's worried about her. She's not afraid of him. She doesn't seem inhibited by
his presence. They're being candid. Yeah, I believe him."

Mark entered the room. "Ms. Grad, I'm Dr. Green. I'm going to take a look at you. Can you tell me
what happened?"

"I had a disagreement with my less than significant other."

"It's more like he beat the crap out of her," Billy broke in.

"And you are?" Mark asked.

"Billy Kronk. Friend."

"Mr. Kronk, I'm going to ask you to wait outside."

Diane panicked. "No, don't make him leave. I want him to stay."

"We're going to have to do a full exam...."

"X-rays, cbc, pelvic, I know the drill." Diane's voice was shaky, but her head was held high.

"She needs some chest films. I think she's got a couple of cracked ribs. No concussion, but a CT
would be a good idea. She'd had a past head injury. She'll also need a rape kit." Billy's hand was
intertwined with Diane's as he spoke. She held on to it like a life line.

"You're a doctor." Carol stated.

Billy and Diane exchanged glances. "Yeah, surgeon."

"Ahh, a cutter." Mark smiled.

"Hey, so sue me. Wait, never let a doctor say that."

Diane was being admitted for observation. Her ribs were cracked and her movement needed to be
limited. Billy had to leave, but he needed to know one more thing.

"Where is he now, Diane?"

She wouldn't look at him as she answered. When he left she knew what he was going to do.
 

As Paul was walking through the building's main lobby, he heard someone calling his name. He turned
around only to meet a fist. And it didn't stop there.

Danny Nyland was pulled out of a minor trauma by a phone call. "Hello. Where have you been?
Watter's has been going through the roof. Wait a minute? You're where? Oh this is rich! Yeah, I'll be
there in twenty. Man oh man."

Billy and Danny walked out of the police station. "So why were you in there?"

"I smashed in an upstanding business man's face."

"Brown eyes, blonde hair, nice suit before the blood stains?"

"Yeah, how..."

"He was in the ER when you called. Why?"

"Let's go to county. I'll show you."

Diane looked up to see Billy and Danny standing in the doorway of her hospital room.

"Billy, you promised..."

"I had to tell him. He bailed me out."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Billy."

"You won't call the cops. Somebody had to do something."

"Whoa," Danny broke in, "are you saying the guy you socked did this to Diane?"

"Yep."

"Wish I'd rubbed salt in his wounds." Danny grabbed her chart. "This is bad, Diane. There's old,
untreated, preexisting trauma documented."

"He hit you before."

Diane wouldn't look at them. "Yes."

"You have to call the cops." Danny was vehement.

"I don't have a choice now. I've got to tell them what happened to save Billy's ass."

"See? I did this for more than just teaching the bastard a lesson."

"You have to tell Watters."

"They're discharging me tomorrow."

"Then we'll admit you or at least get you a bed in the hospital," Billy replied. "It's the safest place for
you now."

Diane nodded.
 

"She's where!" Phillip exclaimed.

Danny sighed. "At county. Billy's with her. At least he's with her now that I bailed him out."

"I don't want to know yet. Why is Diane at county?"

"She didn't want anybody to know."

"This just gets better and better."

"Phillip, she's talking to the cops. We'll get everything squared away."

"Who is Diane pressing charges against, for what, and why does it involve Billy in jail?"

"Diane was beaten Phillip, badly. And it's not the first time. She showed up at Billy's last night barely
walking by herself. At least three cracked ribs. Billy took her to county. Then after she was admitted,
he went and beat up the son of a bitch."

"Get legal up here." Why couldn't they just have a normal day here at Chicago Hope?