Paul sat and stared but he wasn't looking at anything. Every minute that dragged by felt like a year. Not knowing how long would he have to wait for news was killing him. Suddenly he focussed on someone who was approaching him. It was Vince, his face looked deeply shocked, probably much like his own. "Where is she Paul? What's happening?"

Paul tried to respond but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. "Paul! What happened?" Vince demanded.

"She's alive," Paul managed to mumble. "At least she was when we got here."

"Daniel told me that they had to shock her heart. My god, my baby girl." Vince flopped down in the seat next to Paul and Paul saw that he had started to cry. He could not remember seeing his father in law cry before. As Vince had flopped down Paul saw that Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella had been standing behind him.

"We nearly lost her in the ambulance," Paul mumbled. "They had to shock her four times. I thought she was dead Vince." He felt tears running down his own face now.

"We'll get out of here guys," Daniel said quietly. "I'm sure they'll take good care of her now."

"Daniel, what happened?" Paul asked.

Daniel just wanted to get out of there, he hated hospitals and he hated to see Paul and Vince struggling like this. There was nothing he or Brie could do to help now. As he hesitated he saw his wife sit down next to Paul. "We don't know what happened Paul, we found her," she told him gently.

Paul looked at her despairingly. "Who would do this to her? And why for God's sake? Why would someone try and beat her to death?"

Brie glanced at Daniel, they both realised that Paul didn't know what else had been done to his wife but they had both seen the marks on her legs and the missing underwear. Brie began to shake again but she was not going to be the one to tell him, she just couldn't do it. Instead she said, "Guys, I thought about something in the car on the way here. I don't know if you've considered it but..." her voice trailed off.

"Go on, what is it?" Paul prompted her.

Brie gulped, "Well... I thought... Why was Steph out there? In the parking lot I mean? Why would she be there?"

Paul realised that Brie was right, it was strange that Stephanie had been out in the parking lot and he hadn't considered it before now. Brie continued her thought, "I can't help thinking... It must be someone that she knows, that we know I mean."

Paul felt shock hit him yet again as he realised that she may be right. "You're saying that she went out there to meet whoever this was?"

"I don't know," Brie shrugged. "I'm just saying that we should consider it."

Daniel felt dazed as he heard this discussion. Someone we know did this? He thought, Who the hell do I work with that could do this to Stephanie? He felt like he was going to be sick. "Brie, we should go. Do you guys need us to call anyone for you?"

Paul stood up. "No, I'll do it. Thank you Daniel, I'm sorry about how I yelled at you. If it wasn't for you..."

"Thank Brie not me, it was Brie who saw her and insisted that I had to go over and investigate. I was about to leave."

As he was saying this Brie had also got to her feet. Paul surprised her by hugging her. "Thank you Brie. If you hadn't been there she would be..."

"Don't say it. She's not going to die."

Paul released Brie and Daniel said, "If we can do anything just call."

"Thank you," Paul nodded and then the two men hugged briefly.

Neither Brie or Daniel knew what to say as they left so they just walked slowly away. Daniel had noticed that Vince hadn't said anything and he was sitting with his head in his hands. He hoped the old man would be okay, many people didn't like him but he'd always been good to Daniel and his wife. Either way no one deserved this to happen to their daughter.

Paul sat down and tried to think about what needed to be done. It was obvious that Vince wasn't going to be able to call anyone, he was a wreck. Paul put an arm around him, "We need to call Linda and Shane, Vince. What do we do about the girls? Do we have them fly down here too?" As he asked the question he already knew the answer. He imagined his three daughter's faces as he told them mommy was dead and he knew that he couldn't do it. The girls would have to stay home until he knew for sure what Stephanie's condition was.

Vince hadn't answered Paul's question anyway, he just sat there crying. "I'm going to go outside and call them Vince, will you be okay?"

"Yeah," Vince managed to grunt.

Paul headed down the stairs and across the ER reception area and out of the huge entrance doors. He thought about his wife being hastily wheeled in here surrounded by the crowd of doctors. How long ago had it been? He had no idea. As he walked outside he noticed that it was snowing but strangely it didn't feel as cold as it had earlier in the parking lot. He saw his own breath as he looked around. It was very peaceful out here, there was nobody around. He noticed a tree decorated in coloured lights. Oh God, he thought, it's only a couple of weeks until Christmas. How will we get through that without Steph? He felt tears stinging his eyes again but he managed to suck it up for now. He had to make these calls.


Back at the arena after they had collected the phone and completed another search of the area around where the assault had taken place, discovering nothing, the two police officers had headed into the building to try to find someone who knew what had gone on. It was strange that there was nobody out there in the parking lot when they had arrived and even more strange that no one had walked out of the building whilst they had been out there searching. They had only just walked into the building and started to proceed along the hallway when they saw a group of four men approaching them.

Seeing the huge black male police officer approaching with his attractive young partner next to him Seth Rollins looked at to Dolph Ziggler, "I don't like the look of yours much."

Dolph laughed, "She's not your type bro, she's hot."

"Something funny gentlemen?" The male officer asked. The wrestlers all stopped in front of the two cops but no one said anything. "I'm officer Henry, this is officer Williams..."

Thinking of the striking similarity between this guy and wrestler Mark Henry, Seth Rollins chirped, "You got a brother?" Dolph laughed again and Kane turned away trying to hide his grin.

Officer Henry clearly wasn't amused. "Comedian huh? Name?" Seth sheepishly told him his name and was then asked, "Do you want to tell me anything about what happened in the parking lot?"

Unwisely Seth made another wisecrack. "I would officer but I can't see from in here. X-Ray vision is something I admit to not having."

"I think that mouth of yours could use a night in the station."

Officer Williams intervened and pulled her partner aside and reproached him quietly, her irritation obvious, "Shut up Chris, we're here for information not to see who has the biggest dick." Officer Henry was angry at the way she spoke to him but decided that if she wanted to ask the questions so badly she could, if she made a mess of it then it wasn't his problem. Who did she think she was? They give him this rookie to work with and only two weeks in she talks to him like that? She wouldn't make it far in this job.

Officer Williams turned back to the four wrestlers who were patiently waiting to be asked another question, "Gentlemen we got a report of a woman being seriously assaulted in the parking lot. We got here after the paramedics had already taken the victim away, does anyone know anything about who it was or what happened?"

Everyone shook their heads and said that they knew nothing. John Cena added, "We've been in the locker room for a while, kind of lost track of time."

For the first time Kane spoke, "What about when Brie ran in?"

"Brie?" Officer Williams asked. "What's her surname please?"

"Brie Bella."

"You think that she may be the victim?"

Kane shook his head, "No, she ran into the locker room looking for... Guys you don't think it could be..."

"Fuck off man," Ziggler insisted. "No way."

"Sir tell me in more detail what happened and what you are thinking."

Instead John Cena spoke, "Brie came in looking for Vince McMahon. She seemed panicked... Vince has a daughter but it can't be..."

"The daughter's name?"

"Stephanie, but it can't be her."

"Why is that sir?"

John realised that there actually wasn't a reason why it couldn't be Stephanie. "Who would hurt Stephanie?" Was all he could say.

"No one comes to mind? Someone she doesn't get along with? Does she have a husband?"

John raised a hand, "Wait a minute now, Paul would never hurt Stephanie."

"Paul is the husband?"

"Yes ma'am but I'm telling you he wouldn't do anything to hurt her, this must be someone else," John insisted.

Officer Williams was making notes of all of this, "When was the last time any of you saw Stephanie... What is her surname?"

"Levesque," John replied. "But she uses McMahon. I've not seen her for some time. Guys?"

No one else had either and they shook their heads. Ziggler said, "I just don't see this being Steph."

"Is there likely to be anyone else in the building who can help us sir?"

John shook his head, "I doubt it, I'd bet we're the last ones out."

"Thank you gentlemen, give me all of your names." They did so and were told that the officers would be in touch if they needed anything else. The wrestlers all left in shock at the news that someone may have assaulted Stephanie.

The two police officers set off for the hospital, it was time to talk to the husband. Officer Williams had already decided that she would be the one to handle that too, her partner clearly had no idea how to speak to people properly and she was supposed to be learning from the guy? If anything it should be the other way around. She couldn't have him upsetting the husband with insensitive questions.

Meanwhile Officer Henry was irritated, his rookie partner actually hadn't done that bad a of a job with her questions. He would let her keep taking the lead and she would make a mistake soon. Then they would see who the smart ass was.


Stephanie's attacker raged silently.

You think you can ruin my life, bitch? Let's see you do it now. I doubt you'll be capable now, even if you do live. You'll probably be a vegetable or something.

Maybe she didn't even see me, maybe I panicked for no reason? Sure, her eyes open but I'd already hit her on the back of the head real hard so maybe she couldn't see properly? Hell, I cracked her head that badly the second time that maybe even if she does live she won't remember what she saw or that it was me? I should read up about head injuries.

If she does live and if I don't immediately get arrested I need to kill her as soon as possible in case she somehow does remember in the future. I can't take that chance. I need to be careful though, there will be no point if I get caught. I can't lose everything, especially not my kids.