She had been so happy to release the patient from the hospital that she just had. He was a college student who had gotten into a nasty car accident, and she had worked so hard to save him. He was going to get to go home. She tried not to be proud of her work, because she knew it could easily get her into trouble to think that way, but she was proud to have saved this kid.
She came home and bounded up the stairs, excited to tell Otis of her accomplishments.
She stopped dead when she heard the screaming. It sounded familiar. It definitely wasn't Otis, but it was familiar.
When she opened the door to their room, she saw why. The college student who she had just released from the hospital...
Otis and Baby had him tied to an old door they had found, and were throwing knives at him.
Fury rose in her gut and she grabbed Otis by the shoulder, spinning him around.
"Hey, mama-" Taking one look at her face, he knew something was wrong.
She shook with rage, tears brimming on her eyes. She hated that when she was angry, her body's first reaction was to cry. "H...how...how...could you..."
"W...what?"
"I just released him...he was going home to his family...he...he...I worked so hard to save him!" She slapped Otis across the face, hard enough for him to see stars. His first instinct was to grab her by the arms, but he immediately let her go after he did.
"How the fuck was I supposed to know?!"
"Maybe if you'd stop being such a fucking prick and killing people!" She shoved him back away from her, knowing how dangerous he could be when he was pissed. "Your daddy must've beat your head on the headboard too many times for you too think this is okay!" She cringed as soon as she said it. She knew it was a low blow. It seemed to take the thunder right out from under him, though, as he fell silent, simply swallowing heavily. "I know what you're trying to do, Otis. You're trying to get vengeance for crimes against you you'll never see enough blood flow for! If you would just...Who am I kidding, you'll never fuckin' change." She grabbed her suitcase and started to indiscriminately shove clothes into it.
"Hey, hey wait, where're you goin'?"
"Away from you! You...I should have fuckin' known I couldn't change you. You'll always be that sick fuckin' bastard, torturing people for fun just because it happened to you. How many times have I told you you can't kill enough people to make your parents sorry, Otis? You'll always be that fuckin' scared little boy tied down to a bed somewhere in Ala-fuckin'-bama waitin' for your parents to come in and fuck you and beat you. You'll be that as long as you keep doing this, because it's all you can think about, is hurting people because they hurt you."
Otis reeled for a moment. Her words cut so deep...He couldn't think of anything to say for a moment.
"What, you fuckin' know I'm right so you're just not gonna say anything?"
"Hey, fuck you! Just because you're all pissed off at me because I've got this guy that you just helped. I didn't fuckin' know! You were all fine with this until you realized who it was! You've never said anything before! Especially not when you killed those two guys in the parking lot, mama. Let's not forget about that!"
Baby stood, watching the argument, jaw slack with shock. She had abandoned her plaything for now, and was watching the fight unfold.
"Hey, fuck you!" She mocked him, snarling her lip like he always did. "That all you can say, Otis? Well guess what! Last night was the last time you ever did!" She stormed off.
"What?! Mama, wait!" He was hot on her heels as she slammed the door, making solid contact with his face. He stumbled backward; She was stronger than he was, and the impact of the door was enough to scramble him for a moment. "Shit!" He tore out of the room, down the stair and out of the house. She was pulling away in her car. "No! Wait!" He chased her down the road until he thought his lungs would explode, when he collapsed, gasping for air as tears ran down his face. He knew he had fucked up. He had just lost the best thing that had ever happened to him. The only chance he had ever had at happiness. She was gone.
He flopped in the dirt, too exhausted from the sprint, and too heartbroken to care as the rain started to pour down on him.
Rufus eventually came out and drug his sorry ass in the house, depositing him on his bed unceremoniously.
"Baby told me what happened...I...I'm real sorry, man..."
Otis just looked at him, pulling the blanket up over his shoulders. He was soaked, but he didn't care. Not like she would be there to scold him about it, anyway.