Draya desperately fought to stay awake while Roman's family came in to check on her. She continued to hold his hand before she started coughing. She reached her hands to the tube as the coughing increased. Roman became concerned as he walked out into the hall and called for the nurse. "Something's wrong! She's coughing really bad. I don't know what's happening." He said as he tried to contain the panic in his voice. The nurse quickly came to the room as the monitors sounded various alarms.
"Draya, relax sweetie. This is normal. We can take it out. You're natural instinct is kicking in. This is what we want. You're breathing better and don't need this anymore." The nurse explained as she called for a doctor to come to the room. Draya panicked and frantically tried to grab the tube. She coughed violently as she fought the ventilator to regain control of her own breathing. Roman desperately tried to console her and took her hand. He rubbed the back of her hand as he stroked her hair. He kissed her gently before he began to speak,"they're gonna take it out then you can breathe on your own. Making good progress babe!"He tried his best to keep a positive perspective. He stroke her hair some more as he smiled slightly. It was enough to help her calm down enough to pull out the tube. Draya took her first couple of deep breaths. She looked over at Roman with heavy eyes. She drifted to sleep as Roman sat at her bedside. It wasn't long before he knocked out himself.
The first four days were the hardest for Roman and Draya. Draya was in horrible pain from surgery and other injuries sustained. She grimaced and groaned frequently in her sleep. No matter what position she was in, it was incredibly uncomfortable. The extent of her injuries began to sink in as she realized her limitations. Draya was drifting further and further away from the Draya that she once was. The fun-loving upbeat beauty was being replaced by a withdrawn, helpless, empty vessel. Her eyes were no longer full of the zest for life. Roman began to notice this difference and tried his best to combat it. "Draya, " he began as he sat down on the bed carefully in front of her. "I know this isn't you. I know you are feeling horrible and helpless. You are strong, beautiful, and the baddest woman alive. You overcame so much to make sure your dreams come true and now, you have one more battle to fight. Please don't give upon me, beautiful. I'll be here through it all. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure you get justice. We both know she had something to do with it. I won't stop until she pays for what she did." He said as he looked into her eyes. The passion in his words reignited Draya's slow burning flame for motivation. Later in the week, she started working with PT to learn how to safely walk and get out of bed on her own. She was tolerating foods well and things were finally looking up. She had met all the conditions needed to go home.
After a few weeks of being in the hospital, Draya was finally ready to go home. She spent most of the final week wondering about this moment, hoping for this moment to come. Now that it was here, it was more frightening than exciting. The nurse removed her IVs and reviewed the discharge paper work, which included her prescriptions. Roman smiled proudly as he held out his hands to help Draya stand while the nurse helped her change into her regular clothes. Roman has brought one of his big T-shirts with a pair of sweatpants, hoping to make the process easier for her. He brought her some slide in slippers, which were decorated with her favorite animal: flamingoes. Roman helped her to the bathroom to finish getting ready. She laughed as she caught a glimpse of her baggy outfit. "Babe, I'm drowning in this shirt! It's so big! How ridiculous do I look?" She said as she continued to laugh before the pain brought that to a quick stop. "Ridiculous?" He said with a suspicious brow. " Woah, Woah, Woah! What girl are you looking at?! That outfit was handpicked by yours truly. That is a masterpiece! You are absolutely beautiful no matter what you have on but this right here. Mmph!" He said as he looked at her up and down. Roman didn't care about the clothes she was wearing. He simply saw his future standing before him. He smiled to himself before he walked over and took her hand.
Roman helped Draya steady herself as she stood in the bathroom before pulling her in slowly. She felt slightly unsteady but knew she was safe in his arms. She looked up at him and smiled as she puckered her lips for a kiss. He eagerly obliged before he guided her to the wheelchair. The nurse kindly pulled Draya's hair back into a bun for her as Roman gathered their things. The nurse wheeled her down while Roman followed closely. He leaned over and softly said," Are you ready?" Draya looked up before she began, "as ready as I could be, just nervous." She said before she looked towards the main entrance. Roman carried her stuff out to the car as the valet pulled up. He tipped the valet before opening the door to help Draya inside. Draya slowly rose to her feet as she felt Roman's firm grasp around her. "I got you, don't worry. Just walk slowly and I'm here if you feel weak." She had never felt so safe with any other man, the tone of his words was so sincere and reassuring. Draya slowly climbed before strapping herself in. Roman carefully closed the door and went around back to load up the car with their things. Management had been so kind with the various cards and gift baskets, other wrestlers had flooded the room with cards and other trinkets to show there concern for Draya. She was loved by the locker room even though she had only been there a few months.
Roman climbed into the driver's seat as he started the ignition. He put on his seat belt before he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Roman pulled away slowly as Draya looked over at him, "Babe, I know we have been through a lot with the injuries and everything but I wouldn't trade this time with you for anything in the world. On a more serious note, I was able to file the police report and they opened an investigation to see what caused the accident. They should be able to find the person who did this. We both have a good idea and I told them that too. I will stop at nothing to keep you from getting hurt again." He reached down and brought her hand to his lips. He kissed it gently before caressing it softly in his large hands. He held it as he began to pull out of the parking lot.
Draya looked out the window as she admired the change in scenery. It was finally good to see something other than hospital walls. The two drove along as they made their way to the hotel. The repairs to the condo weren't complete yet and Roman didn't want to take the chance of Lisa finding them at his place. The car slowed to a stop as they approached a red light. Roman glanced over at Draya as he smiled. " We're almost there." He said as the light changed. Roman looked ahead as he eased his foot off the brake. "It feels good just to finally be out of that place. I'm sorry that you didn't get to get your reward." She said as she continued to look out the window. Before Roman could answer her, he felt his phone start to vibrate in his pocket. He pulled off to the shoulder and answered it. After a few moments, he hung up the phone and looked over at Draya. "They need me to come down to the arena tonight. They want to start setting up for my return. If I return soon then that means that I will be on tour in 2 weeks." He said as he pushed his hair back as he sighed heavily. Draya remained by his side the entire time that he was out for his injury and now that she needed him, he was being sent back on the road. Roman looked down at the phone before he looked up at Draya, "I don't have to go. I can make up something and tell them I can't go back just yet. I am more concerned about getting you back to what you love. You deserve to experience this with me." He said as Draya looked into his eyes. She struggled to do so without pain but did manage to lift her hand to his cheek. "I'm down to ride. Whatever you choose to do, I support you. I can watch from the locker room. It's okay Ro, you are about to do something amazing and I want to witness your career take off." She said as she pulled his face in for a kiss. " This is just the beginning and I will be there for every moment. Granted, if I had my way, it would not involve me in these damn braces but I will definitely be there rooting for you. It'll be good to let everyone know that I was okay." She said with a weak smile.
Roman looked up with furrowed brows. "No, Draya. You can not come with me. I can't have you traveling with me like this. You have sustained two very serious injuries. It's hard enough to travel without injuries. When you add a broken neck and a messed up back to that- I just can't let you suffer. All I can think about is you backstage and The Miz having some crazy scheme up his sleeve that puts you in danger. I don't want you to sacrifice your chance to get back to what you love for me. I'll figure something out but I don't want you backstage right now. You're body needs this time to heal." He said assertively. Draya looked down as she thought about what he said. "Well, I guess I'll stay at the hotel until the condo is finished. I can just watch from home!" She said optimistically. The joyful tone gave Roman a bit of hope that sparked an idea. "You know, the money that it takes to rent a hotel room we can put towards getting a tour van. I mean it would have everything that we need and you could watch the shows from the audience. That way you can see my matches and I can have a little motivation to win. Afterwards, we just meet up and drive to the next town." Draya pondered the idea as she looked at Roman's big goofy smile. She thought to herself, 'How can I say no to that face? I know he means well but I don't know. A tour van? We're both still starting our careers. How are we gonna afford this van?' She looked out into the distance as she continued to think. "What the hell, why not. Let's get the van but can we please get a bed that isn't so plush. The firm bed would be amazing if we can get it." She replied with a hearty laugh.
Neither one of them knew where this crazy ride would take them but they knew that they needed each other around for the journey. Others would say that this was all moving too fast but what is life without risks. There was nothing traditional about this couple so why not continue to embrace the spontaneity with open arms. As long as they had each other, they were perfectly happy. After weeks of pain and hospitalization, things were finally starting to take a turn for the best. Maybe the two were on their way to paving their own path in life.
