Ellie eyes fluttered open.  Something had woken her but her head was still hazy.  She closed her eyes again but suddenly all the memories of the previous night came flooding back.  Ellie wanted to cry but she wouldn’t let herself.  Sean would be here later and she didn’t want to look like she had been crying so she held it in.

BAM BAM BAM!

Ellie jerked her eyes open again.  Someone was pounding on the door, that’s what had woken her.  Ellie looked at her clock as she climbed from her covers to put some pants on.  6:45, who the hell is here at 6:45 on a Sunday morning?  Ellie asked herself as she made her way to the door.

“What are you doing out here?” Ellie asked.

“I’m coming home.  I’m sorry I woke you El.  I left my key last night and I don’t have enough cash for the cab that is waiting,” Marco explained as he went to his room to get money.

“Wait a minute, you didn’t come home last night?” Ellie asked smiling as she followed him.

“I’ll tell you about it when I get back.  Just let me go pay this guy.”

Ellie was surprised; since they have been living together Marco had never spent the night with someone.  He had dated a few guys but had never stayed out all night with one.  He must really like this one, Ellie thought to herself.

When Marco came back in Ellie had coffee going and was pulling out some fruit and a bagel.  “You making me some?” he asked as he sat at the kitchen table.

“You want regular or strawberry cream cheese with your bagel?” Ellie asked as an answer.

“Depends, what kind of fruit do we have left?”

“Blueberries,” she answered.

“Regular.”

“So are you going to tell me why you’re just now getting home?” Ellie said with another smile.

“It’s not what you think dirty girl,” Marco said returning the smile.

“Well what is it.”

“I spent the night in the emergency room.”

“What happened are you hurt?” Ellie asked; the smile had disappeared.

“No I’m fine, Tyler fell down the steps coming out of Irene’s diner and hit his head on the metal sign post.”

“Aren’t there only four steps there?”

“Yes, but someone had dropped a tube of lipstick on the top step and he slipped on it and fell head first onto the sidewalk.”

“Is he okay?” Ellie asked trying not to laugh.

“It’s not funny El but yes he’s fine.  Slight concussion and had to get six stitches but he’ll be fine.

“God that’s awful.  Man it took forever in the emergency room didn’t it?” Ellie asked.

“Well it was pretty busy tonight.  Tyler was almost finished when Will, Craig’s roommate, brought Craig in.”

“What happened to Craig?”

“Well after we left the club and he wouldn’t come with us he got slammed.  When he finally got home he fell while relieving himself and broke three ribs on the bath tub.”

Ellie couldn’t help it this time the laughter bubbled up at the thought of Craig falling into the tub.

“I stayed with him cause Will didn’t want too, the doctors thought he had been in a fight because of the eye.  They kept asking him who had done this to him and he kept saying the bath did it,” Marco said very close to laughter himself.

“Paige will love that.  Well I guess you did have a busy night,” Ellie said still smiling.

“That’s not all.  Someone else was at the ER last night or I guess this morning,” Marco said his smile now gone.

“Who?” Ellie asked taking a bite of her bagel.

“Sean.”

“Sean what happened?”  Ellie asked the bagel forgotten.

“Broke his hand.  He’s fine too.” 

“When did he break his hand?” She asked confused.

“I was sitting with Craig waiting for the doctor and I heard his name called.  I looked out the curtain were we were and I saw him.  While they were checking Craig I went over to see if he was okay.  He told me to leave and I asked what was going on.  He said you told him about Aidan and everyone that kept it from him could go to hell.”

“He didn’t take it very well,” she said looking at her hands.

“Yeah I figured.  When I asked him how he got hurt he said he punched a wall at his shop.  I asked him if I could call Jay or Shelby for him but he told me no.  So I left him and took Craig and Tyler home.”

Ellie buried her face in her hands taking a deep breath.  “I was so stupid last night,” she said through her fingers.

“You weren’t stupid you told him the truth.  You did the right thing, he’ll calm down.”

Ellie looked up, tears wet on her cheek and said, “Yeah I told him the truth but I slept with him first.”

“You slept with him.  What the hell happened last night?”

“He was just so…I don’t know.  He said he still loves me.”

“Oh El, what’s he going to do now?”

“He told me to make sure Aidan was here this morning and he would be back,”  Ellie said wiping her nose on a napkin.

“How about I go pick Aidan up for you and you get a shower and get ready for when he comes,”  he offered.

“No Marco you have been up all night.  I’ll get him.”

“I’m fine El.  Just go get yourself together and I’ll have Aidan back in a bit.”

“Marco”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“You go check up on Craig today and we’ll call it even,” he said and walked out the door.

Ellie knew she was lucky to have not only Marco but Ava and even Paige.  She knew if Sean didn’t kill her later today she could take this hurt to her friends and they would try to make it better.  Ellie was afraid that it couldn’t get better this time.  She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that her life was about to change.