Lover's Guilt
Category: Wrestling
Pairing: HHH/HBK
Rating PG-13
Genre: H/C, Angst
Summery: Shawn gets sick and Hunter feels guilty

Shawn was feeling miserable. The last thing he wanted to do right now was go out and wrestle. Unfortunately, that's exactly what he was getting ready to do. He groaned softly as he leaned down to tie his boots, holding his throbbing side. He didn't know what he'd run into but he'd been feeling this throbbing for a few days now.

He straightened up, groaning a second time and jumped when he felt strong arms encircle his waist.

"Easy Sweetheart." a familiar voice whispered in his ear. Shawn smiled a little and relaxed against the strong chest of his lover, Hunter.

"You alright Shawn? You're looking a bit peaky." Hunter asked him, looking concerned.

"I'm fine Hunter, stop worrying about me." Shawn told him.

"You sure Baby?" Hunter pressed.

"Yeah, I'm a little stiff, that's all. I gotta get to guerilla," he turned and recieved a kiss from Hunter. "Wait for me."

"Sure Baby-Bear." Hunter replied as Shawn ran out of the room.

--

Shawn entered the ring, wanting nothing more than to be back in the hotel room lying in bed. His abdomen and stomach were twisting in pain. As his opponent entered, Shawn had to steady himself on the ropes to aviod taking a nose dive to the mat.

He was wrestling Adam tonight so he knew he'd be in good hands. As the two locked up, Shawn promised himself that he'd tell Hunter that he wasn't feeling well as soon as he got to the back.

That thought was abruptly interupted as a kick to the abdomen left Shawn on his knees in pain that had nothing to do with the move. The white hot pain left him gasping for air and he groaned, unable to stop himself from vomitting all over the mat. He didn't notice the referee coaxing him into laying on his side or Adam kneeling next to him and asking what was wrong.

Shawn did feel hands on his face and his head being lain in someone's lap. He could hear voices around him and recognized his lover's.

"Hunter!" he managed to cry out.

"Shhh settle down Baby-Bear, I'm here." came the comforting voice of his lover and he realized it was Hunter's lap his head was resting in. He could only catch snatches of conversation through his pained and sluggish mind.

"...holding his side..."

"...serious pain..."

"...sick...fever..."

"...hospital..."

Shawn felt his body being lifted onto a stretcher and an oxygen mask being placed over his face. He heard Hunter at his shoulder, telling him that everything would be ok. Before he slipped into darkness, Shawn felt Hunter gently press his lips to his forehead.

--

When they got to the hospital, it didn't take long for the doctors to determine that it was Shawn's appendix that was making him sick and rushed him off into surgery. Hunter was left to worry in the waiting room, accompanied by Adam and their boss Vince. The look of the pain on Shawn's face was seared into his brain and it was killing him. Why didn't he insist Shawn get looked at?

"He'll be ok Hunter, he's strong." Adam comforted.

"Anything could happen on that table Adam, and he's so sick. I mean damnit I'm supposed to protect him and take care of him! I didn't see it though. I couldn't see how sick he really was. I didn't force him to stay in bed or go to a doctor. Its my fault." Hunter rambled

"Stop it Hunter." Vince butt in.

"Calm down, its not your fault. You'll be no good to Shawn if you end up in a hospital bed too."

Hunter sighed, knowing it was true. He covered his face with his hands and Adam gently rubbed his back as his friend cried out all of his guilt and worry.

--

It was hours before the doctor came out with news. Hunter jumped out of his seat when the family and friends of Shawn Michaels were called for.

"Doc, how is he?!" Hunter said, his panic returning at the solemn look on the man's face.

"Good news is we removed the appendix, the bad news is that it had already ruptured so the infection and pus inside it released into his abdomen. We removed what was left of it and drained as much of the pus as we could." the doctor explained.

"Will he be alright?" Hunter asked fearfully.

"We call what Shawn has Peritonitis which is treated with very strong antibiotics. So we're pushing those in an IV and making sure to keep him hydrated. Right now its really a wait and see, he has quite an infection. I'm sorry I can't give you anymore than that." the doctor said.

"Can I see him?" Hunter wondered.

"Sure, he should be out of recovery by now." the man told them. They followed the doctor upstairs and down the hall to a small room at the end. Hunter went inside and sat down next to Shawn's bed. He reached over and brushed Shawn's bangs off his feverish brow.

"Its ok Baby-Bear, I'm here now." he whispered. His eyes purposefully ignored the nasal cannula that was helping provide Shawn's lungs with oxygen. He noticed Shawn's dry, chapped lips and sent Adam to get ice chips. When the man returned, Hunter took the chips of ice from him and wetted Shawn's lips with one.

"I'll take care of you Baby. I won't mess up this time, I promise." Hunter muttered, not seeing the shared look between Vince and Adam.

--

Hunter sat by Shawn's side, cooling his skin with a wet cloth, coaxing him to drink little sips of water even though he was barely lucid enough to remember his own name, and calming him through the terrifying fever dreams. He was determined to make up for not helping his lover sooner.

He wasn't taking care of himself though. He barely ate or slept and refused to move from Shawn's bedside. Finally the doctor decided to have him sedated and put in the bed beside Shawn's. Adam took up caring for the both of them and kept Hunter in his bed no matter how hard he fought to get back to Shawn.

"Hunter I told you you'd be no good to Shawn if you ended up in a hospital bed. Now you lay back and let me take care of both of you. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of him. Rest. You don't want to be over here when Shawn's fever breaks do you?" he urged. Hunter shook his head and finally, reluctantly, laid back in his bed looking over at his lover.

"Is he getting better?" Hunter asked.

"His fever's coming down. The doctor says it'll break soon. Now if you lay here quietly, the doctor says you can get up at 5. Ok?" Adam comforted.

"Fine." Hunter muttered.

--

Hunter did as he was told like a good little boy so the doctor let him go back to sit by Shawn. Adam still kept a close eye on him and made sure he ate and slept. 'An extremely irritating mother hen,' Hunter had called him to which Adam proudly (and immaturely) responded 'takes one to know one'.

Four days, two hours, and thirty-five minutes after Shawn had been admitted (Hunter had counted); his fever had finally receeded below 100 degrees. When he woke, his eyes were not clouded by the fever or medication.

"Baby-Bear! How do you feel?" Hunter exclaimed, seeing that he'd woken and letting his relief show.

"Sore. Why am I in the hospital?" Shawn asked, frowning. He didn't remember anything.

"You collapsed in the ring Baby. Don't you remember?" Hunter reminded.

"Y...yeah. What was wrong with me? Am I ok?" Shawn croaked, his voice scratchy from being so sick.

"Your appendix burst Baby-Bear. You've had a high fever for a few days but you're ok now." Hunter assured him.

"Will I have a scar?" Shawn wondered, lifting his pajama shirt and running his hand over the bandage on his abdomen.

"Just a small one." the doctor answered, interupting them. "May I look at the incision Shawn?"

Shawn nodded and the doctor removed the bandage, revealing the slightly pink wound. He pressed on it and Shawn moaned in pain.

"Hurts?" the doctor asked.

"A little." Shawn answered.

"Well there's no more wound discharge. That's a good thing. The redness and swelling has gone down with your fever so as soon as it breaks, we can probably send you home." The doctor told him, putting a fresh bandage on.

"Just rest." he said as he left. When he'd gone, Hunter wrapped his arms around Shawn's shoulders and kissed his forehead.

"Don't you ever hide being sick from me ever again!" he muttered into Shawn's hair.

"I won't. I promise." Shawn replied, cuddling against Hunter's chest.

"You'd better not Baby-Bear, I love you." Hunter whispered, kissing Shawn's neck.

"Love you too." Shawn murmered before falling into a deep sleep against Hunter's chest.

END