Chapter 14: Touch and Go

East Rutherford, NJ

"Where is she?" Vince bellowed at the collected stars that sat in the waiting room. If they cared to notice, they'd see their boss was shaken, upset and more worried than they've ever seen him before. "Is she okay?" he asked, his eyes zeroing in on an unseeing Phil.

"She's still in surgery," Brock answered when Phil and the two Shield members remained silent. The man couldn't sit still and paced laps around the small room, making the non-company occupants nervous with his predatory stalking.

"This is my fault," Vince sighed, raising a shaky hand to his brow, not noticing the instant attention it drew from the men around him.

"What do you mean it's your fault?" Brock growled out of heaving lungs, face red with pent up fury.

"Dana White and I took way too much pleasure in letting her firm know why their clients were abandoning ship. We told them they were going bankrupt because all of her clients were leaving with her and this son of a bitch…" Vince shook his head, choking on rising emotions.

"He's the one?" Colby asked with tears building in his eyes.

"He's the one what?" Phil asked, looking between his friend and boss.

"He hurt her badly once, Phil, and that's all I can say. Apparently Joe and Colby are already aware of the situation and if they choose to tell you then that is their choice but it won't come from me," Vince told him while staring at his hands in his lap. "Where is Jon?" he asked, looking around the waiting room.

"He, uh, isn't allowed here," Phil answered, staring straight ahead while he felt his boss' eyes drill into the side of his head. "She doesn't want him here," he sighed, getting up to join Brock in pacing.

"I don't want to know," Vince shook his head, unwilling to process one more thing other than this young woman's well-being. "I'm going to assume since she doesn't want him here then she won't want him taking care of her while she recovers. Phil, she called me right before this happened," he cleared his throat, trying to calm himself once again. "She said you were taking some time off. You're one of the few people she trusts," he said leadingly, seeing Phil nod his head adamantly before he retook his seat.

"I'll take care of her. As soon as they release her, I'll take her home with me," he took in Vince's nod before turning to the Samoan when he felt him tense beside him. "Joe, I know what you think but it won't be like that. You two need to work, Brock is going home to his family and I have a big empty place that she can convalesce in. I promise I'll take care of her and bring her back when she's on her feet," he sighed, watching the big man's jaw clench.

"Let's not argue about this, Joe. We need to think of Mick and how she's going to flip her shit when she wakes up soon with strangers around her. She trusts Phil and he'll take care of her and be on his best behavior while he's looking after our interests," Colby stressed at his friend; Phil raising his hands in surrender.

"Really, Phil? You've got a thing for her?" Brock cocked his head at the scowling Phil, not getting a response. "Too bad she's head over heels for Good," he chuckled, shaking his head before he spun around when the doors opened.

"Who is here for Mikaela Tomasini?" the surgeon asked, glancing around.

"She's mine," Brock said, stepping forward. "You can talk in front of them; they're family and he's her boss," he pointed at the others.

"We got lucky and it was just a poke of the rib into the lung. Trust me, if the wider portion of the rib slipped in, things would have been a lot worse. We got it under control and she's breathing on her own. She has an extensive amount of bruising and lacerations that we cleaned up and will heal with time and care," he read off her chart. "I understand this was an attack on her person," he glanced up at Brock.

"Yeah, she was jumped heading into the stairwell at our hotel," he nodded, crossing his big arms over his chest. "Her attacker is somewhere in this hospital under arrest with an armed officer posted at his door. How long before she'll be released?" he asked, holding out his hand to stop the doctor before he spoke. "Let me make myself perfectly clear, I want her out of here and moved to a safe location that we've decided upon to recover because that man is alive and on-site. And I do mean as soon as she can safely be relocated, not what you prefer, and one of us will be with her at all times here. She doesn't do well with strangers, as your staff will soon learn. Make sure you note her chart about that," he stated with finality, the look on his face leaving no room for misinterpretation.

"Given your preferences, I'll have to start with at least two days and then we'll go from there. I'll make sure she has a room with an extra bed so that one of you can stay," he nodded his head at Brock; writing her aversion to strangers on her chart before glancing among the collected men. "She's in post-op and should be coming out from the anesthetic soon. We'll have her moved to that private room shortly after but until then, two of you can go in at a time to see her now," he gave them a short smile before his eyes widened when he looked beyond them.

They turned as a unit to see Antoine leading a pack of Italian men into the waiting room; Jon was hovering further behind them.

"I think the Mafia just arrived," Colby mumbled with wide eyes; his attention turning to Joe who stalked past them to stand before Jon.

"I thought I told you to wait in our room and I'd call you. What are you doing here?" Joe growled at Jon, trying not to feel bad when he shoved his hands in his pockets and lowered his head.

"You were taking so long I had to come and see if she's okay," he mumbled with a hitch in his voice.

"She was in surgery, Jon! That shit isn't quick!" Joe snapped, trying to get a handle on his temper when his friend clenched his eyes.

"I called Antoine; he is her family and would want to know," Jon shrugged.

"Who are the rest of these guys?" Joe asked; looking over the rest of the rather large, rough-looking men crowded into the room.

"More of her cousins," Brock answered, stepping forward and motioning her kin out into the hall. "Come on, A, we need to talk," he smirked.

"I would think so," the tall Italian nodded his head with darkness in his eyes. "Hey Brock, she wasn't…you know?" he asked softly; keeping his sad eyes trained on the big man.

"No, she wasn't," Brock shook his head; seeing the instant relief flash across their faces. "Let's go outside, get some air and talk some business," he told Antoine. "I'll be back to see Mikaela in a minute," he directed her cousin out the door by his shoulder while he spoke to Joe on the way by. "Phil and Vince go in first, I'll talk to her after they leave and I would prefer it if either you or your partner over there stay the night," he told the Samoan; who nodded his head.

"I'll stay," Joe told him with a quick glance at Jon; knowing he wasn't present for the arrangements they made, he saw a look of curiosity in his eyes.

"Wait a fucking minute, Brock," Phil shot out of his seat and stalked over.

"Phil, you have an early spot in the show tonight and you went through hell in your match. You need your rest so you can do your segment, pack and get your ass back here afterwards," he turned towards his friend, knowing he'd put up a fight over this.

"I barely sleep and I sure as fuck won't get any today after all of this!" Phil shouted back, stalking back and forth while glaring at the Beast.

"Keep arguing with me about it and I'll change the plans; take her home with me instead," he smirked, seeing Phil's fists clench but knew he won when he jerked his head at Vince and they accompanied the surgeon to post-op.

"If he's staying tonight then I am too," Colby stormed up, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine! If one more of you interrupt me walking out this door…" he ground out of clenched teeth, shook his head and nodded at Antoine.

'At least Lesnar knows why they are here,' Jon nodded his head at the Italians as they passed before he returned his gaze to Joe. "How is she?" he asked quietly, darting his eyes at Colby when he huffed and walked back to his chair. He knew his friends were livid with him but hoped Joe wouldn't cut him off like Colby. Considering the big man's silence, he wasn't sure he hadn't pushed him away too. "Joe, please…I know I fucked up; I keep fucking up with that girl but I love her and I need to know she's okay," he pleaded with his friend; who looked to be on the verge of caving in before his attention was drawn to their stable mate.

"Finally figured that out, did ya, Jon?" Colby snorted, rolling his eyes with a shake of his head. "It only took her almost dying at her rapist's hands for you to realize it, huh? Or maybe it struck you when she limped her bloody, beaten body to you afterwards; just wanting to get to you, be in your arms and found a ring rat there instead!" he said in a low growl, getting to his feet and squaring off against his friend.

"Colby, you need to calm down, bro," Joe raised his hands but Colby swung an arm, batting them aside.

"Fuck that! He needs to realize what he's going to lose if he doesn't get the fuck over it!" he shouted at Joe while glaring into Jon's eyes. "I know you had a shitty home life, man. I know your childhood sucked beyond measure. I also know you crawled out of it on your own and, yes, you took a huge fucking setback that put you in a horrible place, but that girl saw something in you worth saving and pulled you out. She put you back where you wanted to be; where you belonged and stayed beside you through the whole thing and helped you get here. She helped us all get here! The sum of your life fucked up your head, stunted you emotionally and left you damaged. I get that; we had tons of conversations about it in the past," he took Jon's face between his palms and pressed his forehead to his; tears in both their eyes. "You have every right to be confused and try to navigate your feelings but not at the cost of her! So you know what you need to do, Jon? You need to get the fuck over it; whatever has been eating away at you enough to hurt that girl, get the fuck over it, find your fucking balls and tell her how you feel before she disappears on us!" he pushed Jon in the chest every few words in his rant, backing the man up a few feet with each shove. "That's right; I said us! You brought her in, Jon, and she cares about me more than my family. I am not losing my sister because you're a pussy," he gasped out of a heaving chest.

"Colby…" Joe reached out, laying a sympathetic hand on the younger man's shoulder. Jon wasn't resisting Colby's shoves; he just hung his head and took the verbal and physical abuse. Even now, his eyes were still trained on the floor with tears falling from his face.

"If you think for a second that she didn't love you before, Jon, then maybe you should remember that she set you up for life with a nice stash of cash, put the Tampa house in your name and helped you get the job you've always wanted. She could have walked away from you after she landed Vince's account at the retreat but she stayed because you needed her; because you asked her to. You definitely know where you stood with her when she admitted that she loved you," Colby ran out of steam, looked sadly at his friend before he shook his head and moved to stand by the door Phil and Vince had gone through.

Joe stared back and forth between his two distraught friends; both were crying and falling apart at the seams. He was positive he'd be in the exact same position if he didn't feel like he had to hold it together for them. 'One at a time,' he told himself, reaching out and pulled Jon into a tight hug. "The surgeon said we got lucky and the rib didn't penetrate too deeply into her lung. She's breathing fine on her own now except for the pain that comes with a broken rib. You know how that is," he said softly in Jon's ear, feeling his head nod. "She has a lot of lacerations from the punches she took; plus the fall down the stairs, and will be bruised up pretty badly but will recover in time with rest," he patted his back, pulling back to look into Jon's solemn blue eyes.

"I'm not leaving; I'll stay out here but I'm not leaving her," Jon leveled his gaze on Joe's, almost daring him to say otherwise but got a short nod in return.

"We don't have much time with her. We're leaving town in the morning for the Smackdown taping. Brock is going home to his family…" Joe trailed off, clenching his jaw.

"We can't leave her here alone. What aren't you telling me, bro?" Jon asked softly; his eyes holding his pain for all to see.

"Phil is staying with her until she's released and then…taking her home with him," he ran his hands through his hair in frustration when Jon instantly began to pace, placing his right hand on his left collarbone, and strummed his fingers. "He asked for the time off after his match, Jon. That is what he wanted her to hang around the arena for. He's hurting and burned out; needs a break. He can take care of her until she's back on her feet. He'll bring her back to us when she's better," he sighed; knowing what was running through his friend's head.

"Bring her back after he makes her his; takes her from me," Jon mumbled to himself, grabbing fistfuls of his hair while he stalked back and forth.

"No, he won't and you need to have more faith in her. She won't just fall into someone else' bed just because she's upset with you," Joe grabbed his shoulders, stopping him in mid pace. "He promised me he wouldn't try anything and…I plan on spending all my days off there to 'help out'. He doesn't know that yet," he smirked, squeezing Jon's shoulder to reassure him.

"What about Galina and Olivia? You need to be with your family, Joe," he glanced up into his friend's gray eyes to see a flicker of sadness.

"She's my family too, Jon. My girls love Mikaela and understand my need to be sure she's okay. Olivia told me to make sure she gets better soon so they can go swimming in your pool again," he chuckled; feeling a little better when Jon broke a smile.

"You know your family is always welcome, Joe. Mick loves that little girl of yours. I admit I was surprised how well she took to Galina and Leighla but the way she fawns over Olivia; it just floors me. She'd do anything for that kid, bro," Jon shook his head; a sad smile on his face.

"Well, how is she?" Colby pounced on Vince and Phil the instant they stepped out of the automatic doors.

"Still out of it but I'm positive she could hear us talking to her," Phil replied, looking shaken from the visit. "He tried to strangle her," he said shakily, turning his attention to his boss when the older man covered his eyes to hide his tears. He knew Vince felt like this was his fault; it wasn't true but he couldn't be convinced of that right now. In an act that was completely out of character for him, Phil placed his hand on Vince's shoulder and jerked his head towards the door. "Let me help you back to the hotel, old man," he gave him a small smile when his boss nodded his head, gratefully accepting his offer.

"You three will be written out of Raw to watch over her until Phil returns tonight," Vince said numbly while Phil led him towards the exit.

The three Shield members stood there awkwardly; all wanting to go see her but Brock said he wanted to go in next. They sent random glances to the door to see if the big man was on his way back in but didn't spot him.

"So how long do we wait?" Colby asked; glancing at Joe who shrugged his shoulders.

Just then a terrified scream split the silence and all three of them knew who it was. Joe slammed a big fist into the red button that opened the automatic doors and they took off at a dead run. What they found when they entered the room damn near drove them to madness.

As fate would have it, a male nurse came in to hook her up to the monitor when she was coming to. Mikaela went into instant panic mode when she found an unknown male near her while she was helpless and began to struggle; not enough to do him any harm but in her condition, she could hurt herself. The man had already attached the wrist and leg restraints and was just about to secure her midsection when Jon grabbed him by two fistfuls of his scrubs and dragged him out the door.

"Let me go, let me go," Mikaela chanted over and over; struggling against the restraints, tears streaming from her frightened eyes at her helplessness.

"Hold on, baby girl," Joe said softly; working on her right wrist before moving to her ankle while Colby worked quickly on her left.

"Joe, get them off! Colby, please…" she sobbed; thrashing about in the bed.

"Stop struggling, Mick; you don't want to hurt yourself," Colby said as calmly as he could, watching her jerk her entire body to be free. As soon as the straps were loose, he crawled into bed next to her, pulling her head on to his chest, legs entwining with hers. "It's okay, sweetheart," he whispered soothingly into her ear.

"Do you want to tell me what the fuck you were doing?" Jon growled low in his throat, pinning the man against the wall opposite her door.

"Her chart…" he stuttered; his eyes going wide when Brock wandered up with a furrowed brow.

"What the fuck happened?" Brock asked; peeking into the room to take in Mikaela crying hysterically into Colby's chest, shaking like a leaf. "What about her chart?" he shouted at the captive man, grabbing it out of the tray outside her door.

"It says she reacts poorly to strangers…she began to fight when she woke up…" he said in a rush, averting his eyes from Jon's furious gaze.

"That doesn't mean you TIE DOWN MY WOMAN!" Jon screamed in his face. "She just woke up disoriented in a strange place after being attacked by a man! She doesn't like to be touched by strangers as it is, you fucking idiot!" he gritted out of clenched teeth; only releasing him because Brock took a hold of his shoulder.

"From now on, no one touches her unless one of us is present. There is another one that will be back to stay with her until she's released. We react badly to strangers touching what's ours too so change this fucking thing before someone gets hurt," Brock hissed; tossing her chart at the nurse before turning to enter the private room. "Are you okay, darlin?" he asked softly, placing a tentative hand on her shuddering shoulder.

"No, I don't want to be here. That man…" she choked up, clutching on to Colby's shirt, "and I was…couldn't move…and Jon got him away," she sobbed out, taking Joe's hand in hers when he placed it on her hip. "Joe, I was…I was…so scared," she cried out in a tiny voice.

"Easy, beautiful," Joe sat next to her, brushing her hair back out of her eyes with his free hand. "It's okay now. Jon got rid of him. We're here and not leaving until Phil gets done with his segment tonight," he said softly, trying to calm her down with the timbre of his voice.

"Calm down, Mick. We won't let anyone hurt you," Colby ran his hand over her arm, pressing against her shivering form to lend comfort. "Try to rest, sweetheart," he kissed the top of her head before settling his cheek against her hair.

"These two are staying with you until Phil is done tonight, darlin. You won't be alone for a second. The Doc says you'll probably be released in two days. Calm down," Brock patted her shoulder when she seemed to get flustered. "Phil said he'd stay with you and then take you back to Chicago to his place until you're back on your feet. He's taking time off to heal up anyways so the two of you can do it together, okay?" he asked, getting a shaky nod in return. "Your tamer is outside. Do you want to see him?" he cocked his head, nodding slowly when she lowered her eyes. "Think about it and if you want him, I'm sure he'll be close enough to hear you whisper his name. I'm going to head back to the hotel to pack; gotta get home to the family but you call me if you need anything and I'll come running," he palmed her cheek, taking in another nod.

"Brock…thank you," she said in a hoarse tone, tears still falling down her cheeks.

"You're welcome, darlin," he smiled; kissing her forehead. "When you get back on your feet, you owe me another round so get better soon. Take care of her, guys," he nodded at Joe and Colby before stepping out and pulling the door shut behind him. "Don't give up on her if you love her, man. She's stubborn, vindictive and for the first time, nursing a broken heart. If you think you were the only one confused over your feelings then you're wrong. She told me she didn't think she could love anyone; that she wasn't the type for someone to love her, that she's broken, but she loves you. It doesn't matter if Phil treats her like a queen and never makes her frown once for the rest of her life. She didn't choose him to give her heart to. I won't lie to you, Good; this isn't going to be easy. You hurt her and it'll take work to get her to open up again but if you love her then you'll bug the shit out of her until she gives in. Hurt her again and I'll fucking kill you," Brock grinned; slapping him on the shoulder before he walked down the hall.

"What is she to you, Brock? I thought you two hated each other," Jon asked before he got five feet away.

"I was a definite asshole whenever we had contact with each other. It's the way I am and I didn't like how bossy she was," he chuckled, placing his hands on his hips while he thought about their past. "She finally got sick of my ass and called me out in the ring one day. I thought I'd go in there and scare her a little; put her in her place. Fuck, I was wrong because what I ended up with was this slip of a thing flying all over the fucking place, beating the hell out of me and taking my punches like a man. The only time she panicked or showed any kind of emotion was when I got her on the mat. I knew that look, Jon, I've seen it before," he bit his bottom lip and shook his head before he continued. "It passed in an instant; she put the mask back up, did some wiry shit with her body and slipped my hold. After that she had a smile on her face every time she connected with a hit or kick, man."

"She knew she could beat you so she lost her fear," Jon nodded his head in understanding.

"We both walked away bloody; I got it worse though, but I had to admit I respected the hell out of her after that. We still sniped at each other; she still thinks I'm an asshole and I still think she's a bitch but we battled it out and ended up respecting each other as fighters. It wasn't lost on me that she used that fight as a statement to the other fighters. No one fucked with her after that and if they tried or talked shit about her, I handled it without her knowledge. It usually only took them finding out she went toe-to-toe with me to straighten them out," he shrugged; taking in Jon's proud smile. "She's one of a kind, Good; fix this shit or miss out on something amazing," Brock smirked, turning on his heel to head out again.

"Is Antoine handling business?" Jon called out to his retreating form.

"He's discussing options with Gi and the others. They might be walking the other side of the tracks than their cousin but they don't take kindly to someone fucking with their family," he nodded, turning back after he hit the button to open the doors. "Excellent call, by the way," he smirked.

"She did it for me once," Jon shrugged; turning to look in the small window in the door to see his lady fighting off sleep. Colby had an arm under her head; holding her left hand over his heart while their legs remained twined together. Joe sat in a chair beside her; holding her right hand in one hand while he stroked her arm with the other. They were trying their best to calm her down so she'd sleep but it wasn't an easy task considering how they found her. 'I love her; I'd give anything to be in there right now,' he thought; sighing heavily as he rested his head against the door, keeping a watchful eye on his girl.

Joe startled awake a few hours later to a strange noise. He still had Mikaela's hand in his and glanced up to see her and Colby sleeping soundly in each other's arms. His brow arched when a strap went flying across the room from the other side of the bed and Jon's head popped up a moment later.

"What are you doing?" he asked; quirking a smile at the scissors in his hand.

"Making sure no one ties my girl to a bed again…other than me," Jon shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "I didn't mean to wake you, man. I just had to do something; the sound of her screaming was stuck in my head. I can't stomach the thought of her being that scared again," he shook his head, staring longingly at her lying in Colby's embrace.

"I saw red when we ran in here to find her terrified and tied down like that," Joe said in a low tone, gently running his hand over her hair. "I'm not used to seeing Mikaela afraid of anything. It really threw me. The son of a bitch is lucky you got a hold of him first," he smiled up at Jon when he moved to his side and cut off another strap.

"I almost lost it, man. I saw that terror in her eyes; flashed back to her nightmares and the details she gave me about her first attack, I just wanted to kill the son of a bitch that put that fear back into her eyes," he shook his head, focusing on the last strap before he glanced up and saw those eyes staring at him. "Mick…" he gasped; straightening up on his knees.

She was quiet for what seemed like forever; her black gaze darting from his blues to the cut restraint in his hand. "Thank you…for that," she whispered softly, staring at the strap.

"You don't have to thank me. I don't ever want to see you like that again," Jon shook his head, tossing the cut strap across the room with the others. "Princess…" he started but his words died in his throat when she clenched her eyes and fisted Colby's shirt, startling him awake.

"Mick?" Colby said sleepily; focusing his attention when he felt her burrow into his side.

"Don't call me that, Jon. You don't get to call me that anymore," she said in a hitched voice; tears building in her eyes.

"Hey," he stood up, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned her face back towards him. "You will always be my Princess. You'll always be my baby. You'll always be mine. I was an idiot; a scared idiot that didn't know how I felt and when I finally figured it out, I didn't think you felt the same way. Mick, I've never known love before you. No one has ever loved me once in my entire pathetic life and I didn't know what love was but I do now. I love you and I'll do everything I can to prove it to you," he said in soft rumble, rubbing his thumb over her cheek to collect stray drops of tears.

"I can't do this right now," she shook her head, burying her face in Colby's chest. "Please…leave me alone," she sobbed; whimpering a second later from the pain that shot through her side.

"Calm down, baby girl," Joe said softly, trying to ease her turbulent emotions. "Crying like that; shaking like that is messing with that rib," he settled a hand on the top of her head, lending his comfort to ease her inner turmoil.

"Okay, Princess, I'll leave you be for now but I'm not going far. I just can't lose you, baby," Jon leaned forward, placing a kiss on her cheek before he whispered in her ear. "I swear I won't let another soul hurt you ever again; including me, and I won't let anyone else have you. You're mine and I love you, Mick," he pressed his forehead against her temple for a second before walking out the door.

Joe and Colby held and pet Mikaela until she eventually calmed down. This woman had come to mean the world to them and they couldn't bear to see her in any form of pain.

"He's not going to give up on you," Colby sighed; looking deep into her onyx eyes. "He wasn't kidding when he said he didn't know an ounce of love in his life. That guy had the worst childhood you could imagine. He had a horrible fucking life, Mick, and you know it got worse just before he met you. So when you and your big, beautiful heart came along and fell in love with him; he didn't know what he was feeling was love because he never felt it before. But you know what?" he tilted her face up, resting his forehead against hers. "He fell hard and not because of what you were capable of doing for him. He fell because anyone that gets to see the real you can't help but fall. Look at the big Samoan over there," he pointed at Joe with a grin.

"Shut up, fool," Joe grumbled with a smirk. "Don't let him trick you, baby girl. He says he loves you like a sister but it's all a smoke screen. What brother do you know will leave an indention of his body against yours like he is now? He hasn't moved an inch since he got you in his arms," he laughed; play slapping at Colby who kept trying to smack his arm. "I'm taking a picture and sending it to Leigh," he chuckled, pulling out his phone.

"Shit, she'd probably tell me to move over to make room for her. Have you seen how mad she gets when we train; thinking we're too rough on Mick? How sad is it when my girl cheers you on when you beat my ass?" Colby laughed softly in her ear.

"You two are something else," Mikaela giggled; clutching at her side from the movement.

"Are you okay, beautiful?" Joe asked when he noticed her grimace.

"I'm fine, big man, but I'd be better if you'd get up here and leave an indention too," she whispered with solemn eyes.

"Are you sure, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, Joe. I need two of my favorite guys to make me feel better; to feel safe again," she gave him a small smile; patting the bed. Colby lay on his side, pillowing her head on his arm while Mick remained on her back. Joe settled on his side facing her with a big hand resting on her abdomen. "Thank you, big man," she sighed; feeling the tension bleed out of her.

"It is my pleasure, Mikaela," he kissed the side of her head while Colby did the same on the other side. "You know he's right outside, baby girl. He isn't going anywhere," he whispered in her ear. "Get some rest, sweetheart," he smiled when she covered his hand with her small one.

"We'll be right here if you need anything, Mick," Colby added; snuggling into her side.