Trish hurried out of the locker room, intent on checking on Jeff. Once out there, she realized that she could only press against a wall, unable to move because the backstage area was in complete chaos. It was always busy but the last time she had seen it anything even close to this was the night that Paul destroyed his quad.
But even that night hadn't been as bad as this was.
There were people everywhere you looked. Stagehands and Agents walked around, telling everyone in sight to clear the way so the EMT's could get down to the ring. Paramedics rushed past her, loaded down with supplies. Wrestlers congregated around monitors, all of their attention on the medics working on their injured co-workers. Vince McMahon stormed past her, berating the prop manager for not noticing that the ladder was faulty.
Amy rushed through the pandemonium and over to her, shouting her name frantically to garner her attention. "Trish! Trish!"
"Amy!" She cried out in response, glad to see someone who felt the same as she did. The normally unflappable redhead's face was pinched in worry and fear. The two friends embraced, grasping onto each other like they were their only lifelines. They drew back and she saw that her friend was close to tears. "You ok?"
"I just can't believe that this happened."
"Me either." She admitted in a tone that was hushed and tight with control. It was obvious that she couldn't lose it like she wanted to, that she had to try to be the strong one. Not only for her self but also for her reeling friend. "Have they told you anything?"
"No and they won't allow Matt or me to go down there. That's not sitting well with Matt at all. He refused to come back here with me, so he's waiting by the curtain." She swallowed thickly and blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. "I want to go down there so bad."
"I know that it's hard to sit here and feel so helpless but we'd only be in the way if we went to the ring."
"I know-" The taller diva bit her lip, hazel eyes misting over once again. "But he was bleeding…"
Her eyes widened. In her haste to get out of the locker room to check on him, she hadn't looked back at the monitor. The fact that he was bleeding was not only unwelcome news but also an indication that whatever was wrong, was worse than the bumps and bruises he usually sustained. "From where?"
"I'm not sure." The admission was quiet, agonized and followed by a sigh. "I just saw it on the canvas by him."
They lapsed into silence, neither one knowing what to say. She wrapped around her arms around herself and mentally began to pray that he'd be all right.
"Clear the way!" A voice bellowed and paramedics ran by with an occupied stretcher. Both women leaned closer as it passed them, trying to see if it was Jeff but brown hair that hung over the side clued them into the fact that it was Rob.
Each of them heaved a sigh and crashed back against the wall in defeat. But they didn't remain in that position long as another stretcher was wheeled into view.
Red.
All Trish could see was a red. It covered Jeff's face and had dripped down onto the collar they had wrapped around his neck. Her stomach churned at the sight and a shudder worked its way down her spine. She thickly swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat at the gruesome sight.
"Oh my god." Amy gasped out, taking a step or two away from the wall but froze as it drew closer.
The stretcher passed by them, followed closely by a tense looking Matt. He called out to them that he was going with his brother in the ambulance and for Amy to follow in the car. She nodded mutely, her expression hovering somewhere between shock and dismay, but made no attempt to move.
She noticed her friend's petrified state and laid a hand on her shoulder, finding her voice. "Amy?"
The redhead didn't respond, just continued to stare off into space at something only she could see. Her hand squeezed her friend's shoulder and tried to break her out of her trance again, her voice stronger than before. "Ames…"
But just like before, there was no response.
She released the other woman's shoulder and stepped out in front of her. Tears slid freely down the taller woman's face and her lower lip trembled. She pushed down her own urge to cry and focused on getting the redhead moving. "I know that you're scared and I am too. But we need to go to the car and follow them to the hospital so we can find out how Jeff is."
"Huh?" The reply was dazed, disorientated. Hazel eyes blinked and more tears spilled from them, "What did you say?"
"We have to get to the hospital." She replied slowly, eyes locked on her friend's.
"Oh yeah," Amy nodded unsurely, her expression still devastated. "The car's…somewhere."
"I'll drive." She stated firmly and took her friend's arm, propelling her along with her.
Trish slumped in her seat, her head resting against the wall. They'd been sitting in the waiting area of the emergency room for over an hour and still hadn't heard anything on Jeff's condition. But that fact told her that whatever was wrong with him wasn't something minor. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will the thoughts of paralysis out of her mind.
"Hey," Matt's voice was softer than normal. "We're going to find a vending machine and grab some drinks. You want anything?"
"No thanks, I'm all right." She politely declined the offer, her eyes fixed on the doorway that Jeff's stretcher had disappeared behind.
"Ok." He followed her gaze and sighed, "We should be back in a minute or two but if anyone comes out with news about Jeff, try to get them to wait until we get back."
"I will."
"Thanks Trish."
She waited until he walked away and closed her eyes, once again battling the pressure that had been building behind them since the ladder collapsed. Her fingers hurriedly swiped at the few drops of moisture that escaped the shut lids, not wanting Matt or Amy to come back and find her crying. It wasn't vanity or fear of being vulnerable that made her wipe away the tears. The reason that she did it was because she knew that in emotionally tense situations if one person cried, it would get someone else crying. Since Amy had broken down at the sight of Jeff on the stretcher, she knew that if she came back and saw her crying that she'd break again.
Matt had enough to deal with already without having to comfort two sobbing females. He was being strong for them since they arrived at the hospital, comforting Amy and trying to be positive for her. But one look into his eyes and you knew that it was killing him not to know anything about his beloved baby brother's condition. Every time the door opened, he jumped out of his seat then a joke about his eagerness when it wasn't someone with information on Jeff.
Dragging in a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down and opened her eyes. She stood up and stretched to get the blood flowing to her legs again. Her body was aching from sitting in that chair for so long but she didn't want to venture anywhere in case someone finally came out. She grabbed a magazine off the table and flopped back down in her chair, expelling a loud breath as she began to aimlessly leaf through it.
The door opened and a doctor stepped into the waiting room. He looked around uncertainly then consulted the chart in his hands. "Is there anyone here for Jeff Hardy?"
She jumped to her feet, knocking the magazine to the floor, "We are!"
The doctor looked confused at that and frowned slightly. "We?"
"His brother and his brother's girlfriend just went to get some soda's. They should be back really soon-"
"I'm sorry but I can't wait for them." His tone was flat, unaffected. "I do have other patients to check on."
She understood his reason but his attitude was less than satisfactory. When she was attending medical school, they preached the importance of being personable and courtesy to patient's families. This guy had obviously failed bedside manner 101. She quickly pushed her feelings about the man aside, "Fine. Then you can tell me how Jeff is."
"Are you family?"
Trish knew that if she answered that honestly, he wouldn't tell her anything. So she had to lie in order to get the crucial information. "I'm his fiancée."