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Lisa (no login)
Posted Nov 18, 2006 3:09 AM
For Disclaimer and other details please see chapter 1.
CHAPTER 25
Staring up that the pale ceiling Lenny tried to keep her breathing even. It should have been easy but still she felt the fear clutching at her chest tightly. “Maybe it will help if I count the cracks in the ceiling ... again.” She whispered to herself and tried to concentrate. She pulled a face when she spotted the cobwebs in the corners. The paint up there must have been white at one time but now it was more of an unpleasant yellowing shade. God this place was filthy and they called this a hospital. She blinked and almost laughed out loud when she caught the direction of her thoughts. “Yeah because that’s really the thing to focus on here Lenny.” She muttered to herself. And then she felt like an idiot. Perhaps those thoughts had been inappropriate but at least it had been giving her something else to think about.
All she wanted to do was turn over and close her eyes but she couldn’t even do that. Well she could probably manage the whole closing her eyes part but it was as if she was even too afraid to do that. If she did then who knew when she would open her eyes. For all she knew she might not even open them again. God she had to stop thinking like this. She was fine ... she was not dying and it was not the end of the world.
Then she frowned as she thought that she heard something outside the room. She wanted to turn her head towards the door but instead she waited. Yeah she was right. There was definitely something happening out there and she sighed heavily as she realised that the people that worked here really had their work cut out for them. Not only did they have to work in such a high-pressure job that meant a lot of hours but they also had to deal with all kinds of nuts and whackjobs. She was about to turn her attention back upwards so she could continue criticising the cleanliness of the hospital when she realised something. That noise was getting louder.
-o0o-
Shrugging off the member of staff that was continually trying to block his path Chris shook his head. “For fuck’s sake what the hell do you think I’m going to do?” He almost yelled as once again the man stepped in front of him and shot him a harsh look. “I’m not planning to walk in there and commit a crime! I just want to visit a friend!”
“That is not good idea right now sir.” The nurse said in low tones. “We really feel that she should be left in peace to get some rest. This has been a very difficult time for her.”
Rolling his eyes Chris stopped dead in his tracks and just eyed the man that stood in front of him. “No shit Sherlock!” He snapped out and felt the fear creeping up on him. He couldn’t let that happen. If he managed to keep up this whole anger thing that he had just had going on then the likelihood of anything else creeping in was much lower. “But it hasn’t exactly been a picnic for me either! I just need to see with my own eyes that Lenny is ok.” He cringed as he realised that she probably wasn’t going to be ok ... at least for a little while. Hell it wouldn’t surprise him if she were unconscious after that belt that she had taken. The fact that he had had to be physically restrained from going after Paul after the match was neither here nor there.
“Like I said ... that’s not a good idea right now.” The nurse said on a sigh. He hated this part of his job. But what else could he do. If only this guy knew that he was doing this for his own good as well as for everyone else. Plus the woman in question had been very specific in who she wanted to see and who she didn’t want to see.
Lifting his hand Chris shoved the guy to the side with one simple movement. “Well tough!” He snapped out. “I just want to make sure for myself. If she’s sleeping rest assured that I won’t wake her up.” He threw the last words over his shoulder as he took the few short steps that would bring him right up to the door and he put his hand on the door handle. He took a deep breath before he opened it and stepped inside before he could change his mind.
-o0o-
Hearing the door open Lenny rolled her eyes. She didn’t even think about looking head towards the door. “I said that I didn’t want to see anyone.” She muttered. “I don’t care who you are ... you can just get the hell out of here.”
“My, my Lenny.” Chris said and tried to make his voice sound like it was filled with his usual humour and sarcasm. “Such a warm welcome. I’m feeling so underwhelmed.” Inside he felt anything but like his own self. He hadn’t quite expected her to be like this. Something wasn’t right but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Oh well, at least she was awake ... at least she wasn’t out of it.
Feeling her eyes open even wider Lenny gulped and was sure that had been audible from where he was standing. Where the hell was he standing anyway? Oh yeah, there he was. He had just walked right up to the side of the bed. “But Chris, I’m sure that this is the kind of reception that you get wherever you go.” She pointed out and could only hope that her voice was filled with her usual piss and vinegar. “Um, not to sound rude or anything but shouldn’t you be on your way to the next city by now? You have a show to do tomorrow night remember.”
“Again with the warm and heart-warming words.” He pointed out and forced a laugh out of his throat. “I thought that since I was the one to kick you in the head that I should make an effort to come see if you were all right.” He looked her over and couldn’t honestly see anything that said she wasn’t. But why were they making such a fuss, why were the keeping her here in hospital.
She wanted to nod her head but just smiled. “I’m fine.” She said automatically and then saw the disbelieving look on his face. “Are you getting ready to call me a liar? I’m telling you that I’m absolutely fine Chris ... at least I am right now.” She grinned goofily. “I have no idea what they’ve been pumping into me but it’s fabulous. So, I’m kind of feeling no pain.” She said but didn’t add that she hadn’t exactly been feeling any pain before that either. Just a strange feeling of numbness.
“They’re giving you painkillers?” He asked and then told himself that he shouldn’t be surprised. He had felt the force of the kick that he gave her. If he had been on the receiving end of it he was pretty sure that he would be in need of some pain killing himself. “So you’re going to be kept in huh? Looks like you’ll be missing a few shows.”
“Yeah I would imagine so.” She said and hoped that her voice was coming out with the breezy tone that she was looking for. “Hey at least it will give me a break from all of you jackasses.” Then she narrowed her eyes and tried to fix them on him. “But just how in the hell did you get in here?”
He laughed. “I tried the traditional way. I used the door.” He said and shot her a smug smirk.
“God you are just so very funny aren’t you?” She said and rolled her eyes making him laugh again. “No, I meant how did you get in here when I told them that I didn’t want to see anyone? I was very insistent about that in fact.”
Thinking about it for a second he shrugged. “I just shoved the Nazi nurse that was blocking my path till he wasn’t.” He said and that pretty much summed it all up.
“How very caveman of you.” She said on a sigh. If it was that easy for them to get in to see her after she had said that she didn’t want to see anyone she wondered why in the hell she had bothered in the first place. Then she let her gaze soften as she looked at him. She could see something in his eyes and it was something that she didn’t want to see at all. “Chris, you don’t have to feel guilty you know.” She pointed out in a soft voice.
He snorted out a bitter sounding laugh. “Yeah right because I was just the person who kicked you so hard in the head that it almost came flying off your shoulders.” He said and bit at his lip when he realised how angry that had come out sounding. “I am so sorry Lenny. I never meant for that to happen.”
“I hope not!” She said and tried for some humour but was pretty sure that she was lacking in that department. “It wasn’t your fault Chris. It was ... well it wasn’t anyone’s fault.” She finished finally on a heavy sigh.
“Bullshit!” Chris snapped out angrily. “It was Levesque’s fault and we both know it! I have no idea what he thought he was doing!” He began to pace a little at the side of her bed. He had noticed the chair there but it had never occurred to him to sit in it. “He’s supposed to be a fucking professional for Christ’s sake! I see now why Kevin wanted me to keep an eye on you out there tonight. Guess I fucked that up royally huh?”
She had been about to butt into his sentence when he had said that about Kevin. Then she was sure that the painkilling drugs that they had her on right now were definitely beginning to affect her in an adverse way. There was no way that he could have just said that. But she also knew that Chris wouldn’t lie about something like that. What would he have to gain out of it? “Kevin asked you to watch out for me?” She asked and then tried to act completely unaffected by that simple statement. “Still Chris you shouldn’t be heaping the blame on your own shoulders. I’m a big girl and I know exactly what kind of work I’m in. I know that if I’m not constantly vigilant that someone could get hurt. I wasn’t and it turned out to be me.” She pulled a face. “Just one of those things.”
“Stop being nice Lenny.” He said but the words came out with no bite whatsoever. Finally he pulled the chair closer to the side of her bed and let himself fall into it gratefully. When he was sitting he caught her hand in his. “If you want to be pissed then be pissed. Lose it ... get angry ... for fuck’s sake do something.”
But she just shook her head. “Don’t feel like it right now Chris.” She admitted. “If I change my mind I’ll let you know.”
-o0o-
“What the fuck did you think you were doing out there?” Kevin roared at the top of his lungs. Everyone else in the locker room had pretty much cleared out the minute that he had stormed in here after Paul. It was taking every bit of willpower that he possessed to stop himself from pounding the other man into the floor right about now. He couldn’t believe the way that Paul was just moving around the locker room as if everything was normal ... as if nothing untoward had happened. “Fuck! Look at you! Do you even care that she could be seriously hurt? Do you even think about the consequences of your actions Paul?”
Before he could think about it Paul let out a bark of laughter. “You’re a fine one to be lecturing me on the consequences of my actions.” He pointed out coldly. “You’re the original fuck them over artist. You’re the first one to do the damage before they can stick their knives in you.” He added and then glared at the other man. “Or is that behaviour limited to people that you haven’t fucked?”
“You cold son of a bitch!” Kevin yelled then rushed to close the distance between them. It wasn’t until he had his friend pinned up against the lockers that it hit him. He could see it all in Paul’s eyes so clearly. His friend was terrified. He could see it. Just looking at him he could see the fear in him and just how strong it was. That was why he was being so cold. He was trying to keep it all out. If he acted like he had done nothing wrong then maybe it would all be ok. But just because Paul wanted it didn’t make it so ... for once in his life. Taking a step back he shoved Paul back against the lockers one more time and let go of him completely. “I can’t believe I’m here wasting my time with you when I should be at the hospital with Lenny.”
Just hearing her name mentioned in the same sentence as the word hospital was enough to have Paul squeezing his eyes shut tightly. He didn’t want to think of her there and he hated the fact that it was his fault that she was there in the first place. It had all happened so slowly. The way that they had sort of stumbled towards the end of the match. But every second he had been aware of her just lying there on the edge of the ring not moving so much as a muscle. At one point he had been terrified that she wasn’t even breathing. Then he had had to stand there while the medical team and the paramedics attended her to. All that he knew was that she couldn’t move. They had put her on a backboard and secured her head. And this was one time when he was sure that they weren’t doing it for effect.
He hated himself.
Opening his eyes he was about to say something to Kevin, he was about to say that he would come with him to the hospital but his words died in his throat when he noticed that the other man was gone. He had already raced from the room to go and see how Lenny was. He shoved the last of his things into his bag and walked to the locker room door. Placing his hand on the handle he paused briefly before opening it. He was sure that he knew just what kind of reception he would get once he left this his last safe haven.
-o0o-
Moving as quickly as he could Chris burst out of the hospital doors and dragged in a huge breath once he got out there. It was all ... well ... surreal was the best way that he could come up with to describe it. His lungs felt like they were burning. Hell he hadn’t been able to get out of that place quick enough once they said that he had to go. Lifting his hand he tried to look at his watch but it wasn’t easy ... his vision was all blurred. Damn, he must be more tired than he thought. But at the same time he sniffed indelicately. Lenny had been right. He had to get a move on if he wanted to get to the next city in time to get some sleep before all of this crap started all over again. He had passed Earl in the waiting room. He hadn’t spoken to him but it had been enough for him to know that she wasn’t going to be on her own.
Then hearing someone say his name he jerked his head up. It was Nash. He had thought that he recognised the voice. He nodded, as the other man got closer to him. “You can’t see her man.” He said in a quiet sounding voice.
“What? Why the hell not?” Kevin asked as some of his anger at this whole situation kind of spilled over again. “I better get to see her!”
Again Chris shook his head. “Nope ... if you go in there right now you’ll just be wasting your time pal.” He said and knew that it was the truth. “Not only does Lenny not want to see you but she’s just been taken away for some tests.” He said and felt the sickening feeling welling up in his stomach once more.
“Tests?” Kevin asked as he snapped his attention back to the other man. “What kind of tests? Is it serious? Do they know anything at all?”
Shrugging Chris just stood there for a moment. “I don’t know how serious it is.” He replied. “I think I heard them say something about another x-ray ... apart from that I’m pretty much clueless.” He said and looked down at the ground while he kicked at it with the toe of his shoe. “Anyway ... I’m out of here man.” He added and for a second he paused wondering if he should share his suspicions with the other man before deciding not to.
“You’re going?” Kevin said and he was surprised at that.
“If she doesn’t want to see any of us then who am I to mess with that order?” Chris asked deliberately not mentioning that he had pretty much done just that. “See ya Nash.” He muttered before he could say anything else then began to walk across the parking lot. He only had to look back once to know that Kevin was already racing into the place. Some guys just wouldn’t listen. “God I hope I’m wrong.” He muttered to himself but some pieces were starting to fall into place and he hated it. But if he closed his eyes he could see the way that she hadn’t turned her head to look at him once. Of course that was only to be expected with the way that they had basically had her head fixed in place to stop her movement. Surely that could only point to one thing.
Plus there was also the fact that when he had been holding her hand he had caught himself nervously crushing the hell out of the appendage. And she hadn’t said one single thing. “Fuck ... I hope that I’m wrong.” He repeated as he began to hurry to his car. |
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