The Rules Simply Don't Apply to Me

Night sky floods his sight as he rests. He can feel something sting his entire left side. Rafael swings hitting Marcel so hard he knocks his glasses to the floor.

"Ah,"

"Aye, that hurt," Rafael replies, looking around the room, attached to a fluid drip. "Where are Orlando and Louis?"

"I have no idea," Marcel says, standing up looking at his bruised cheek.

"How long have I been out?" ask Rafael, as he slowly pushes himself up.

"Over 36 hours. I came in after class, and put you on this fluid drip, and antibiotics. The ibuprofen should dull the pain," answers Marcel, as he places his hair in a ponytail.

He walks over to Rafael, and attempts to lift up his shirt. Rafael pushes his hand back.

"Aye yo, I ain't wit that," he screams pulling his shirt down.

"So I guess you're with the bleeding out? The wound getting infected, huh?" asks Marcel, grabbing his things walking toward the door.

Rafael attempts to get up, and finds himself stopped, bent over the bed in pain. Marcel turns to look at him. He eyes like a fawn. Marcel places his bag on the floor, and helps him back in the bed. He then turns, grabs his bag, and attempts to leave again.

"Okay, don't leave. I need your help," pleads Rafael, with tears in his eyes.

Marcel stands in the doorway. He doesn't turn around, but he doesn't continue through. He just stands there.

"Please."

Marcel drops his bag, and closes the door. "You can't treat me like crap. I need to clean your bandage, and get you food."

Marcel grabs his bag from the floor and pulls it beside the bed. Rafael moves over to give him room. As Rafael lifts up his shirt he realizes he doesn't have anything on but the shirt.

"Don't worry, I didn't do anything to you. I had to cut your underwear and pants off to make sure you didn't have any more wounds. I needed to also get those bloody clothes off the sheets. I had to throw away four sets of blankets and sheets," exclaims Marcel, as he dabs a liquid solution on Rafael's stitches.

"Ah, ah that hurts."

Marcel smiles.

"Are you taking pleasure in this?"

"Absolutely not. You never take pleasure in another's pain," he replies, wrapping the entirety of Rafael's waste. As he tapes the edges, Rafael touches Marcel's eye right above where he bruised his cheek.

"I didn't do that to you did I?"

"Unfortunately, I can't contribute this black eye to you," Marcel replies looking down at the wounded area.

"I'm sorry I hit you man. I didn't know what was going on."

"It's okay. I have taken worse hits," Marcel says smiling off the conversation, as he picks up a tray of food. "You need to eat."

"Are you leaving?"

"That was the plan, but I don't have too. I don't have to work, and my husband thinks I do. The eye, I got from him," replies Marcel standing by the door.

"Then you have to stay. Please?"

Marcel places his back against the wall and hesitantly responses, "Okay."

He then takes his computer out of his bag, and sits at the desk adjacent to Rafael.

"You a nurse?"

"No, a nursing student. I am in my Senior year."

"That's wassup."

"Yea, its kicking my ass, and this isn't helping. I've been worried about you, the last 2 days."

"Oh yea?"

"Yeah."

"How about you take a little bit of time from that, and watch TV with me?" asks Rafael hitting the empty side of the bed.

"What about, I ain't wit dat?"

"Aye man, you seem pretty cool."

"Whatever," Marcel says sitting on the empty side of the bed.

Rafael turns on the TV and sees his own face. He quickly the channel stopping at Family Guy, "This is my show."

"Mine too."

They laugh throughout the night, and Marcel eventually falls asleep on Rafael's arm. He wraps his arm around him, pulling him close. Marcel nestles into his slender built chest, and lets out a lite snore. Rafael smiles, and kisses his forehead. Marcel opens his eyes for a brief moment, and close them back.

The Next Morning

Marcel wakes up resting upon Rafael's bare chest. He looks at him for a moment, and realizes just how attractive he is. His full pink lips, and bushy eye brows. As he looks up, his hair brushes Rafael's goatee, stirring him out of his sleep. Marcel pushes back out of fear, and jumps out of bed. Rafael stretches as Marcel puts on his pants.

"Where are you going?"

"I have class soon, and if I don't go make dinner I might get something worse than a black eye," replies Marcel.

Rafael stretches again yawning. Marcel turns to him, and turns back quickly. Rafael's manhood is causing the sheet to protrude. Out of sheer embarrassment Rafael gathers the sheets about his midsection.

"Aye, why do you put up with that?"

"I'm married, and I vowed til death do us part."

"Damn, and you're religious?"

"I would say spiritual, not religious."

Marcel walks over to Rafael's side, unhooks the drips, and hands him two pill bottles. "These are antibiotics, twice a day with food. These are for pain, as needed. You have plenty of water, and breakfast should beeeeee..." Marcel says, walking to the door opening it, "Yup, right here. If you need anything this is my cell phone number."

As Marcel attempts to hand the sliver of paper to Rafael, he grabs his wrist, and pulls him down, bumping his wound. Rafael tenses up, but smiles, as they are inches from one another.

"Thank you," Rafael says, moving a piece of hair from Marcel's face.

"You're welcome," Marcel says, standing, moving toward the door.

"What's your name?"

"Marcel, and you know you are going to have to turn yourself in someday, right?"

"I'm Rafael, and The rules simply don't apply to me."