A/N: I am reloading this fic due to some unfortunate circumstances, so you may have read it before. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it. It is set in Dec. 2001, after the Undertaker threw Jeff and Lita off the stage at Raw.
The only sound I hear is of the clock ticking. It reminds me of the clocks back in elementary school. I remember those clocks well; waiting with anticipation for the bell to ring. That ticking noise is making my headache even worse than when I was brought here. I wait now with the same anticipation as when I was back in school. Only now, it's also with trepidation and anxiety. My mind is spinning a thousand different ways. Where is that doctor anyway? He said I would most likely get to leave, unless I had a concussion. How soon till they get the results of those stupid tests?
I need to get out of here, for so many reasons. I need to check on Jeff, they won't tell me anything about him except that he's suffering from back spasms, and they're keeping him overnight for tests and observation. What does that mean? I need to get out of here to escape the feel of being in a prison. Man, how I hate hospitals. And I need to get out of here to prove to everyone that I can take care of myself. I don't need him. But who am I kidding. I do need him, the sad thing is, he doesn't want me anymore.
I get my determination back, and slowly I pull myself up out of the bed. Oww, how stiff and sore I am. When Undertaker threw me off the stage, I landed on my front side. Instinctively, I put my hands out to catch myself. Stupid move, now both my wrists are taped up for it. I'm pretty sure one, if not both, are sprained. I hope the x-rays came back clean. I clutch my sore ribs as I waddle over to the chair to dress in my clothes. Grabbing my top, I realize that the clothes I have are the ones they brought me here in, and those are my ring gear. That's just great. After slowly pulling on my clothes, I start the task of tying on my shoes. It's a painful task bending my sore knees up to my chest, but I do it. All done, now to flee this chicken coop.
I hear the soft shuffling of my own shoes on the polished hospital floor, as I make my way down the hallway towards the elevators, and towards freedom. My mind flashes unbidden to Jeff, lying helplessly in the pile of busted up equipment. He lay there broken, very still and not moving. The Undertaker said his beatdown was my fault. With everything that has happened in the last couple weeks, I wonder if that's not somehow the warped truth. What did I do to cause so many so much pain? No, I tell myself, it's NOT my fault. I didn't do anything. I am the victim here, along with Jeff. I focus again on my task of escape. I want to stop and ask the night nurse if Jeff's on this floor, if he's nearby and ok. If I do though, she will admonish me for leaving and force me back to my room to wait for the doctor again. I can't wait anymore. I'll ask the main desk lady which room he's in. She won't know I'm also a patient. As I continue to sneak down the hall, I wonder if he watched tonight. I wonder if he saw what happened to his baby brother, if it caused him even a pang of remorse. And would he really care about what happened to me? So many times before, he was my protector, my knight in shining armor. I guess this is the cold reality that it really is over. But I won't be weak. Life goes on, and so will I.
I make it past the night nurse, into the elevator. I travel down to the main floor.
I walk quietly down the long white hallway towards the exit. So much has happened lately, and those thoughts propel me forward, give me the strength to go on. But it hurts both physically, and emotionally. If I admitted it to myself, I'd realize I'm just running away, using the façade of being "strong and independent". As I approach the Information Desk, I hear "Lita? What are you doing?" I whirl around quickly, instantly regretting the sudden move. I clutch at my ribs in immense pain.
"Dr. Dearborn, I, I, I have to go now. You said earlier that I'd get to leave most likely tonight anyway, and you see, I have so many things I need to take care of, and need to be doing, and I want to find Jeff, and I need to call some people and…" I stop rambling, knowing I am busted.
"Lita, you really shouldn't do this. I know you're anxious to go home, but physically, you need to take it easy right now. I was on my way up from the lab with your test results, and you are a very lucky young woman. You only have a mild concussion, along with two cracked ribs and two sprained wrists. And for your information, Jeff is also going to be just fine. He's on the third floor, with a badly bruised back and also a concussion. We're going to keep him overnight for observation, and he can go home in the morning."
"Thank God he's ok." I slumped a little in relief at the news.
"Now, I am going to keep my promise and release you, provided you have someone to stay with you tonight. You do have a slight concussion, and someone needs to be with you at all times" the doctor stated.
"Is there someone I can call to come pick you up?"
My smile dropped into a frown. Dropping my head and I whispered, "No, Doctor. There's no one to call or to care for me."
"Well, then," the doctor began, let me take you back upstairs to…"
"Excuse me Doctor, but she does have someone who cares for her. I'll take care of her tonight. It's ok to release her."
I spin around unsteadily at the sound of his voice. He's here. He came. And I know he came for me. I quicken my pace a step to reach him, albeit gingerly. Stopping in front of him, I look up into his deep brown eyes, so full of concern. Words escape me. Luckily for me, Matt speaks first.
"Hey beautiful"
"Matt, you're here. You came all the way from New York, you…" I start babbling again.
"Lita, sshh, hear me out, ok?." he starts to say.
"Uh huh" is about all I can manage to say. He reaches out and clutches both my hands in his. I'm glad, cause I still feel a tad unsteady on my feet.
"Lita, I have made so many stupid mistakes. I've taken both you and Jeff for granted, and I was a fool. I put my desire to win before my love for you both and it was wrong. Seeing what happened to you tonight tore me apart. I had to come to make sure you're ok. I couldn't live if something happened to you. Can you ever forgive me?"
Tears well up in my eyes, and I can't help it as they silently roll down my face. "Yes," is all I can say.
Matt draws me into a tender hug. Relief floods through my body. It's certainly been quite a night. He wraps his arm around my shoulder, and guides me towards a chair to sit down, so he can go talk to the doctor again. A few moments later, he returns. "Lita, would you like to leave with me?"
"No", I state. I watch his face go blank. Quickly, I realize what I've done and correct myself. "I mean, I want to go see Jeff first, then I'd love for you to take me away from here."
His face lights up. "Me too. I have some things I need to say to him too." Matt then wraps his arm around me again and we slowly make our way towards the elevators again. My exhaustion catches up with me, and I lean a little more heavily on him than I meant to. Matt understands and wraps his arm around my waist a little tighter, cautious of my ribs.
"I love you Lita," he says.
I smile, "I love you too Matt".
Fin.