Chapter 52

Madison gritted her teeth in pain as the trainer carefully examined her rib area, which was already displaying a few blue and black patches. He shook his head before pulling her black singlet back down. He took his glasses off and walked around in front of her.

"Okay sweetie, in my best guess I'd say you have a least two fractured lower ribs, maybe more. The best thing I can do right now is strap them up for you, but I strongly suggest you get to the hospital first thing in the morning to get some proper tests done."

Madison just nodded glumly as she watched the older man rummage through his medic kit, take a box of what looked to be Panadol out and pass it over to her with a glass of water.

"Take two of those for now to help with the pain and just try to relax tonight" he smiled before turning back to his bag to find some bandages to strap her ribs.

Madison looked down at the strip of tiny white pills and sighed. She hated taking pills. For one she had trouble simply swallowing them; she just could not force the damn things to go down her throat. Secondly, she avoided medication for simple issues such as headaches, aches, and pains because the list of drugs she was allergic to was alarmingly long. She had to be in some serious pain to even consider taking anything and tonight's pain just was not that bad.

She popped the pills out of the packet and stuck them in her black pants pocket before taking a sip of the water she had been handed. She forced a smile on her face as the trainer turned around with the bandages. She handed the strip of pills and the cup back to him.

"That make it any better?" he questioned, placing the pills back in the bag and the cup on the table beside him.

"A little" she lied.

He smiled as he put the different bandages down on the chair next to her, looking at each trying to decide which would best suit the job at hand. After finally deciding on a creamy white one he turned back to face her.

"Okay, you ready?" he smiled, trying to put the young blonde-haired woman at ease.

Madison was about to reply when her attention was caught by the individual entering the room.

"So how is everything?" Scott questioned as he walked over to where Madison was sitting. The trainer looked up and frowned.

"Can I help you sir?" he said, folding his arms in front of him. He could not believe the nerve of this man; just walking into the room without knocking.

Scott frowned back at the man in front of him until he remembered that Dixie had recently hired new medical staff for the Impact shows.

"You're new, right?" Scott said, sitting down on the chair next to Madison.

"That's right."

"Ah, well I'm Scott D'Amore, and this pretty young lady is my wife Madison" Scott replied, extending his hand out to the trainer.

"Oh, I'm sorry. The name's David" the older man apologized, accepting Scott's handshake.

"It's nice to meet you. So how is my wife doing?" Scott questioned, giving Madison a gentle rub up and down her back.

"Well, I was just telling Madison that she has at least two fractured ribs and she should really see a doctor tomorrow," David explained as he picked up the bandages, "I'm going to strap them for now and she's had two Panadol to ease the pain."

Scott sat back in the chair and watched as Madison struggled to remove her black singlet to allow David to strap her ribs. He was going to need to have a serious talk to her later about what had gone down in the match. He had never seen her freeze up as she had tonight, and it was really worrying him. The fact she had allowed Allison to do this much damage to her without so much as trying to defend herself scared Scott. It was obvious to him now that the emotional effect of her falling out with Allison had been much greater then he originally thought. Something needed to be done, and quickly.

As he watched David wrap the bandage around Madison's ribs, he noticed a number of small scars on her back. Frowning, he leaned over to get a closer look. Madison noticed this and began to feel self-conscious.

"What are you doing?" she questioned nervously.

"How did this happen?" Scott replied, running his fingers over one of the larger scars.

Madison did not reply, instead she watched as David fasten the end of the bandage and checked that it was not lumpy in any areas. Scott looked up at his wife.

"Madison, how did you get these scars?" he questioned again, this time more intently.

"I was powerbombed through a wooden table" she sighed. She was tired, sore and just wanted to go home to a nice soft bed. Instead, she knew they were heading for one of 'those' guilt talks.

"When?" Scott questioned, watching as she attempted to get her shirt back on over her head. He quickly stood up to give assistance.

"Here, in TNA" she replied, cringing as she stood up.

Scott looked confused for a minute. He could not remember a time when she had been powerbombed through a table. He looked over at Madison, who was just looking at him with a sad face. Then it dawned on him.

"Oh, you mean when I ordered Team 3D to attack you" he said sadly. He stood up and walked over to the door, his hands on his hips and his head dropped. David looked between Madison and Scott before quickly gathering all the bandages he had not used and placed them in his bag.

"Um, guys I still have a few people who need treatment."

Madison looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry. Thank you for everything" she said quickly before heading towards the door Scott had just exited. She sighed and walked out into the hall.

"Scott, wait please" she called as she watched him march down the hallway.

Scott ignored her and continued down the hall. Madison stood out front of the trainer's room and contemplated whether to go after him. She sighed and started walking in the direction he had taken, cringing as her ribs continued to ache.

"Hey Maddy, you okay?"

Madison stopped and turned around to find Austin following her down the hall.

"Fine. What's up?" she said, forcing a smile on her face. Austin just frowned.

"Let me guess here, since your obviously not going to tell me. Um, broken ribs right?" he declared, his arms crossed in front of him.

Madison rolled her eyes, not in the mood to argue with him.

"Their fractured actually" she sighed, leaning against the wall.

"So why didn't you say that in the first place? I thought we were over these issues, so what's with the lying again?" he questioned.

Madison groaned as she pushed herself off the wall.

"Austin can we please not do this now? I have aches and pains everywhere, I'm tired and Scott's stormed off somewhere in a fit" she said, looking over her shoulder in the direction Scott had headed.

Austin looked over Madison's shoulder before looking back at her. It was only then he noticed her face showing signs of fatigue and annoyance.

"What happened?" he questioned, secretly feeling a little pleased they were having problems already. As much as he wanted to admit he was over Madison, and as much as he tried to convince himself he didn't have a chance, he just could not help feeling the butterflies in his stomach every time he saw her in the hallway or out in the ring.

"He saw the scars on my back. The ones that I got when he ordered Team 3D to put me through that table. I think he's having some guilt issues or something" she muttered, placing her hand on her aching ribs. The pain was getting worse.

"He should be feeling guilty after what he did to you! I mean he could be put in jail for some of the shit he pulled on you when you came in," Austin grumbled.

Madison just sighed again. Part of her could not help but agree with what Austin was saying; Scott had been a total bastard when she came in to TNA, but not without good reason. She had done everything she could to provoke him, and she had known his temper was short. She had pushed all his buttons, and had payed for it.

"Please Austin, I'm really not in the mood for a discussion on domestic violence laws tonight" she softly replied.

Austin bit his tongue and decided not to push the subject any further, for now anyway.

"Well, as long as you're okay. Listen I've got to go, Jack was worried out of his mind about you," he said before leaning in and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, "Take care Maddy" he whispered in her ear before turning around and walking away.

Madison stood there, a little stunned by his actions, and watched him walk around the corner and out of sight. Shaking her head, she turned back and started walking in the direction she had originally been heading only to find herself face to face with a smirking Jeff Jarrett.

"Well, well, well. So this is the notorious Madison Mendes I've been hearing about," he drawled as he wrapped a strand of her hair around his fingers. Madison smacked his hand away and glared at him.

"Oh, a little feisty one too I see" Jeff laughed as he ran his hand down her arm.

"What do you want Jeff" she replied, once again smacking his hands away.

"I was just standing here, wondering to myself just how many other guys you are playing around with behind that fool D'Amore's back. He never was too bright" Jeff mused as Madison continued to glare at him.

"Excuse me?" she shot back, her eyes mentally piercing a hole through his forehead.

"I was just watching you flirt with that loser Aries over there, but then again who can blame you? I mean look at who you're married to!" Jeff laughed.

"Who I'm married to and who my friends are is none of your damn business," she declared before trying to walk past him. Jeff just moved over, blocking her path.

"Get out of my way" she hissed, once again throwing death looks at him. This was not making her mood any better.

"Aww, don't I get a kiss on the cheek too?"

"I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last man on earth, now get out of my way," she growled, once again trying to walk past him. Once again, Jeff moved to block her way.

"It would be wise little lady to remember just who the hell I am, understood!" he declared menacingly as he backed her up against the wall. He grinned as he noticed the growing fear on her face. She was a pretty thing, and it puzzled him just what she saw in an idiot like Scott D'Amore.

"And it would be wise of you to remember who her husband is," came a voice from behind him. Jeff turned around to meet Scott's fist. Madison just looked at her husband in surprise as he stood over the former Heavyweight champion.

"Threaten my wife again bitch and there will be more of that coming your way," he growled as he grabbed a hold of Madison's hand and pulled her over to him "You okay?" he questioned. Madison just nodded, looking down at a pissed off Jeff Jarrett.

"Come on honey, let's get you home," he said as they began to walk away.

"Bet you that's not the first of those offers she's got tonight!" Jeff called out from behind them.

Scott stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Jeff. Both men just stared at each other before Jeff just laughed and walked off. Scott turned to face Madison, who clearly had a look of guilt on her face. He sighed, debating whether he really wanted to know.

"What's he talking about Madison?" he finally questioned.

"He saw Austin give me a kiss on the cheek a few moments ago," she replied, eyes focused on the floor expecting Scott to get angry.

"He kissed you?"

"On the cheek Scott. He was just checking to see how I was. It meant nothing," she quickly stated, her eyes finally rising to meet his.

Scott looked unsure. He had a sneaking suspicion from watching Madison and Austin at ROH that maybe Austin's feelings for Madison ran more deeply then simple friendship. He knew though that she was in no condition now to be having one of those talks, so he let it go. Besides, the still needed to have a chat about what happened out in the ring, but that would have to wait for now too.

"I'm sorry Maddy," he said as they made their way to the back exit of the building.

"For what?" she replied, trying her best to ignore the pain in her ribs. It was becoming more and more difficult the longer she stayed on her feet.

"I'm sorry for being such an asshole" he said, stopping in his tracks and turning to face her " I love you Maddy, and it killed me back there to see the scars of what I'd done to you" he mumbled slowly, his eyes focused on the ground.

Madison sighed gently and took his hands in hers.

"Scott," she said gently, waiting for him to look at her "What happened in the past is just that, in the past okay?"

He looked up at her face and just nodded, afraid that if he said anything he was going to start crying like a little girl. He desperately wanted Madison back in his life, and the fact that she seemed to have forgiven him gave him just that little extra hope that they could eventually repair their marriage. He watched as she once again ran her hand over her injured ribs, and her facial expression gave away just how much pain she was in. He frowned.

"Maddy did you take those pills the trainer gave you?"

"No" she mumbled as they resumed their walk to the exit.

"Why not?"

"I hate them, and you know they make me sick," she mumbled stubbornly.

Scott just shook his head and grinned to himself. Some things never change.