Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the WWE. Just any OCs!

Summary: AU. "Never take anything for granted. For everything can be taken away in a heartbeat." When a brutal attack causes Phil Brooks to lose his memory, he struggles to not only piece his life back together and regain what was lost, but also to discover who still wants him dead.

Author's Note: Hey, thanks for the reviews! Glad you guys are liking this story! So, this chapter was inspired by a special feature on Punk's DVD, at least as far as medical diagnosis goes. That's where this information comes from. And, as always, clues will be there for you as we continue, so always keep a sharp eye open as we go on. With that said, enjoy and happy hunting! :)

Chapter 14

Darren stepped through the automatic doors of the hospital, his eyes immediately landing on Scott sitting in the far corner of the waiting room. Hints of shock lingered on his paler face, and his red-rimmed eyes were resting on nothing in particular. With a heavy sigh, the Chief crossed the room and sat in the chair beside him, not too surprised when he didn't get any response.

"Sco'," he said quietly, gently resting his hand on the other officer's arm.

A long moment passed before Scott finally raised his gaze to meet the older man's eyes. Darren's gaze saddened when he saw the clear despair in his damp eyes. "Have you heard anything from the doctors?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly.

However, Scott simply shook his head as he looked away again, and Darren sighed as he tightened his hand on his arm in a hopefully comforting way. "It'll be all right, lad," he muttered, hoping that his assurance would prove true. "You'll see." He wasn't surprised to get no response from the other man.

The doors of the hospital slid open again, and Nick hurried through, concern in his eyes as he anxiously looked around the waiting room. Finally spotting the other officers, he rushed over, sitting in a chair on Scott's other side. "What happened?" he wondered, almost afraid to know the answer since he could see Scott was clearly in shock.

Darren took a deep breath as he turned to another one of his officers. "Barbara informed me tha' Sco' called in an ambulance for Phil," he explained heavily. "I'm afraid I don' know much more other than his condition was no' good."

"I... I don't know what happened myself..." Scott murmured in a voice so quiet it was hardly above a whisper. "I just... found him like that... He was just sitting there... I thought he was..." His sentence choked off with fresh tears that threatened to fall, and he closed his eyes as the Chief tightened his hold on his arm.

"He's in critical condition..." he finished once he slightly regained his composure.

Nick's face paled slightly, and he looked up in time to watch as Cody entered through the hospital's automatic doors, his hand wrapped tightly around Layla's. He rose to his feet as his partner approached him, seeing identical worried expressions on the couple's faces.

"Is Phil okay?" Cody asked immediately while his girlfriend sat in the chair Nick had vacated to attempt to console Scott. "Or..."

"Unfortunately, I don't know," Nick answered, his gaze saddening. "We don't even know what happened... But we've had no news on his condition."

Cody sighed heavily, brushing a hand through his dark hair as he lowered his head. "Oh, God..." He raised his gaze again when Nick reached out and placed a sturdy hand on his arm, giving him a small, grateful smile.

The doors of the hospital slid open once more, and Matt slowly entered the waiting room. He spotted the group of despondent officers and hesitantly made his way over. "I... I got here as soon as I could..." he muttered, his gaze resting first on the Chief.

Darren looked up at the young rookie. "I'm afraid to say Phil's in critical condition," he told him quietly. "We have no' heard anything else, so I don' know the specifics. We're hoping to hear something soon."

Matt stared at the Englishman with wide eyes as he slowly sank into a chair across from them. "Critical condition?" he repeated, his voice cracking slightly. He hadn't known Phil nearly as long as everyone else present, but in the short time he had known his mentor, he had become a man he had complete respect for. He couldn't imagine being someone else's rookie.

Darren nodded sadly before he turned his attention to Scott, who had put a hand to his head. "Go and ea' something, lad," he said, gently shaking his arm.

Scott quickly looked up at the Chief, slightly startled. "Oh, Sir, I don't think I could right now..." he began, but his sentence trailed off when Darren raised an eyebrow.

"I am not asking you, Sco'," the older man told him firmly but kindly.

The officer opened his mouth to argue but found that he couldn't. Instead, he simply lowered his gaze and hung his head again. Layla met Darren's gaze and nodded, wrapping an arm around Scott's back.

"Come on, we'll both go, Scott," she said soothingly, starting to try to help him to his feet. However, even though he nodded in response, Scott wouldn't move.

Cody and Nick both moved forward when Layla glanced in their direction, and between the three of them, they got Scott to his feet. Darren let go of the officer's arm, sighing as he watched him be led away in the direction of the cafeteria by his coworkers.

"Let us know when you hear anything about Phil, Chief," Nick said, glancing over his shoulder. "Regardless of... what it is..."

"I will," Darren assured him with a slight nod. He then turned to Matt, who was sitting silently across from him, when they were out of sight. The Chief leaned forward slightly.

"What's on your mind, lad?"

Matt slowly looked up to meet his gaze. "Is Phil going to be okay?" he wondered.

Darren's gaze faltered as he leaned back in his chair again. "I hope so, Matthew," he murmured. Then, a slight smile turned up the corner of his lips. "Phil's always been a fighter. If anyone can pull through whatever happened, it's him."

The young rookie merely nodded in response, and Darren sighed. "Now, I'm no' sure wha' I'll have you do starting tomorrow," he mused, mainly to himself but loud enough for the other man to hear him. "Cody's back in the field with Nick, and I'm no' sure if I'll pu' you with Sco' since I don' know if he'll be able to come in ye'. We'll have to see. Perhaps I'll pu' you and Tren' on something. Or I'll have you do some things around the station until... until Phil recovers."

Matt glanced at the Chief once more when he heard his voice catch slightly on the word "until." The outlook on Phil's condition must have truly been grim if Darren nearly admitted the fear that must have been on everyone's minds, but at least he was clinging to that slight hope that he had the strength to pull through.

Then, Darren looked up when a petite, dark-haired woman entered the hospital, and his gaze saddened as Lynne Brooks anxiously looked around the waiting room. The Chief had called her himself since he assumed that Scott had been unable to, only to find that she truly had not known what had befallen her son.

Lynne spotted the Englishman when he rose to his feet, and she hurried over to him. "Darren, please," she whispered when he wound his arms around her in a hopefully comforting manner. "Please tell me Phil's okay..."

Darren's gaze fell as he looked down at her. "I... I'm afraid I don' know, Lynne," he said quietly. "But from wha' I've been told, he's in critical condition..."

"You don't know?" Lynne repeated, her voice rising as she looked up at him with fear. "What do you mean you don't know?" She smacked his chest hard before tears rapidly filled her eyes and started to fall, dropping her head as she allowed the Chief to pull her closer to him. "Oh, Phil..."

Matt watched the scene in front of him sadly, realizing that the distraught woman Darren was now trying to console must have been his mentor's mother. He sighed as he slowly rose to his feet, struggling to think of something that he could say to her to offer some sort of comfort, but nothing came to mind. Instead, he felt a thin line of tears appear in his own eyes as he turned and hurried out of the hospital.

"This isn't happening... Darren, please..."

Darren sighed, wishing he could tell Lynne that it was not Phil who was in the hospital in critical condition, but no matter how much he wanted to say otherwise, he could not. Instead, he tightened his arms around her, rubbing his hand over her tense back. "Come, Lynne, let's have a sea'," he muttered.

Lynne nodded in agreement, but before she and the Chief could reach the chairs the officers had previously been sitting in, the door behind the front desk opened as Jay stepped into the waiting room. "Darren," he called, his face blank.

The Englishman glanced down at Lynne, who nodded with determination, and he felt her take his arm in her smaller hands as he led her over to where the medic was standing. "Give us the news, Jay," he said, hoping his tone remained steady.

Jay's gaze saddened slightly when it landed on Lynne before he moved his eyes up to Darren. "The surgery was successful," he told them with a sigh. "The bullet's been removed, and–!"

"The... the bulle'?" Darren repeated, his voice faltering slightly as he interrupted the other man, Lynne's face paling drastically from beside him. "He was sho'?"

"Yes." Jay hesitated slightly. "We had to remove it from his lower right side. However, Phil was very fortunate. It came close, but it didn't strike any major organs."

"Thank God," Darren muttered, tightening his arm around Lynne when he felt her lean against him more.

Jay sighed heavily. "He lost a lot of blood, and it was at a critical level when he arrived here. But the good news about that is we were able to prevent him from slipping completely into shock, and there are indications that show he will recover from that," he continued. "A few of the more minor injuries he sustained are a couple broken fingers on his left hand, his right knee has been twisted, he has bruising on his face and torso, and a couple of his ribs are slightly cracked."

Lynne couldn't completely hold back a sob as she closed her eyes tightly, relieved for the support she was getting from the Chief. It was clear her son had been attacked, but who would do such a thing, she had no idea. "So... how is he now?" she wondered.

"That's our concern," Jay told her somewhat reluctantly. "We will be monitoring him closely through the night, and if he remains as stable as he is now, he should be out of immediate danger by morning. Due to the amount of blood lost, his body is very weak. He's still on oxygen since he's not able to breathe fully on his own yet, and we have him on an IV to give him more strength. What concerns me most, though, is that he sustained quite a bit of head trauma. He suffered a fracture on the side of his skull, and there is some swelling of his brain. This could hinder his recovery process, and at this time, there are no signs that he will regain consciousness."

Darren felt his heart drop, but before he could say anything, he quickly turned his attention to Lynne when she let out another quiet sob and slumped slightly in his arms. "Here, let's si' down."

The Chief led the petite woman to the chair nearest them while Jay called for the nurse behind the front desk to get a glass of water for her, and he stayed by her as she sat down. Lynne then reached out and grasped Darren's hand tightly, and he crouched down beside her as a few tears escaped from her eyes.

"Phil..."

"I know," the Englishman muttered, running his thumb over her hand in a comforting motion. "He'll recover. You just have to stay strong for him, Lynne." He smiled slightly when she took a deep breath and nodded.

Darren then looked up when the nurse approached and knelt down next to the chair Lynne was sitting in, handing her a plastic cup filled with cold water. She gratefully accepted it, and the Chief rose to his feet and walked over to Jay when he saw that she would be staying with the officer's mother for a bit. The medic was watching her sadly, only looking away when the other man quietly cleared his throat.

"Tell me honestly, Jay," Darren muttered. "How serious is this skull fracture?"

Jay sighed heavily, holding the manilla folder under his arm a bit more tightly to him. "Well, I won't lie to you. I've seen people with less severe skull fractures die."

Darren lowered his gaze and ran his hand through his sandy hair as he turned away from the medic. He expected nothing different, but it was still something he hadn't been fully prepared to hear. Jay reached out and set his free hand on the Chief's arm. "I know it's difficult to think about, Darren," he continued just as quietly. "But if Phil holds on until morning, there may be hope for him. I would feel better if he regained consciousness because that would give me a better indication on his recovery, but at this point, all we can do is wait and see. It's not impossible that he could come back from this."

The Englishman was silent for a long moment before he took a deep breath. "I'll be right back, Jay."

Jay nodded, watching sadly as Darren walked away from him across the waiting room. He stepped through the automatic doors into the cool night air, pacing a little before sitting down on a wooden bench in front of the small flower garden near the door.

Phil had been one of the officers he had seen true potential in when he had been elected as Chief of Police years before, one that he had wanted to work beside him as Assistant Chief, and it had been a joy for him to watch how he had grown into the officer he had become over the six years he had been a part of the force. And he still had much to learn, he knew, for it was a job where things were always changing, and it was hard for him to accept that Phil may never get that chance. It was hard for him to accept that he could lose not only his career now, but his life as well.

Since the younger man's mentor had been killed, Darren had taken great care to take Phil under his wing and watch out for him. But if anything, the officer had only grown more and had become more determined while out in the field because of the loss. And over those years, Phil had become like family, and vice versa. When his father had died only a couple months before, he had also kept a closer eye on Phil, but once more, the younger man didn't let it affect his job. If anything, it once again only fueled it.

Darren sighed, feeling a thin line of tears form in his eyes. Though he knew it couldn't compare to what he knew Lynne must have been feeling, his own heart had nearly stopped at the possibility that a man he almost considered to be another son to him could be lying on his deathbed. It just didn't seem possible...

This thought caused the Chief to lose the battle to keep his composure, however, and Darren leaned forward on his knees and closed his eyes as he felt a couple tears escape from them.

"So they're gonna carefully monitor Phil through the night since he's still on life support, but he should be out of immediate danger by morning if he doesn't take a turn for the worst," Nick read from the text that Darren had sent him. "The surgery to remove the bullet was successful, but the main concern now is the head trauma he sustained. He has a skull fracture and some swelling of his brain. Chief will update us further when he knows more. He and Lynne are gonna go see him now, but they're the only two Jay's allowing for the time being."

"So, that's somewhat encouraging, isn't it?" Layla asked quietly as she took a sip of the soda she had gotten before taking a chip out of the bag Cody had gotten for them to share. "I mean, it could be worse. At least he's not getting worse since he's been brought in."

"That's true," Cody agreed quietly, tightening his arm slightly around his girlfriend. "But it could be better too. Head trauma is never good."

Scott remained silent, however, as he simply stared at the untouched bag of chips sitting on the table that Nick had gotten for him. The latter noticed and sat down in the chair beside him. "Hey, man," he said gently, setting his hand lightly on his arm. "Did you hear what Darren sent? Phil's improving a little–!"

But he was cut off when Scott suddenly lunged an arm out as he stood, causing Nick's chair to topple over on the smooth floor. Cody watched as his partner hit the ground before pushing himself to his feet too. "Hey!" he snapped angrily, walking around the table to stand by the other officer. "I know Phil's your best friend, but we're all just as concerned–!"

"No, Cody!" Scott yelled, tossing the bag of chips to the floor as well so they landed close to Nick. "You don't know what it's like, okay? You're not the one who found him shot and beaten so badly that you thought he was dead! You weren't the one who had to sit and not be able to do anything while he was dying in the back of an ambulance! You have no idea what that feels like! So don't even try to pretend you know what I'm going through!"

Cody stared at the other man in shock for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Scott..."

"No! All of you leave me the hell alone!" Scott felt tears fill his eyes since it was the first time he had voiced any of the thoughts on his mind as he turned to look at Layla, who was sitting in her seat and looking up at him with fear, and to Nick, who was watching him with disbelief from the floor, before he pushed past Cody and stormed out of the cafeteria, not looking back.

Matt sighed heavily as he pushed the door to the Fuze open for the second time that night, finding it was just as crowded as it had been when he had left after getting the urgent call from Darren. He made his way through the people who had clearly had too much to drink over to the bar, seeing Curt was still sitting at the counter with a couple drinks in front of him. This time, though, he had two blonde women sitting on either side of him and one red-haired woman on his knee while Reks lingered threateningly in the background.

"So, I told him..." he was saying to his captive audience when Matt approached. However, his sentence trailed off when he saw his best friend's despondent expression, and he sighed as he glanced back at his bodyguard. "Yo, Reks."

The three women around him looked somewhat confused, but then they all shrieked and scurried away when the tall, intimidating figure known as Reks stood close to Curt. The latter sighed as he turned to the rookie, tightening his ponytail.

"I may have just had a potential client sent off running," he muttered irritably as he took a sip of one of the drinks in front of him. "One of them may have had some vocal talent. I was gonna find out later." He paused, noticing that the other man's expression hadn't changed at all. He merely continued to stare blankly at his hands folded tightly on the counter. "All right, man, what's wrong with you? Something at work go badly?"

Matt slowly shook his head in silent answer. Curt sighed again, leaning closer to his best friend. "Look, I'm not a mind reader, man," he said, dropping his voice slightly. "What happened? You look like someone died or something."

"Someone may," Matt murmured quietly, not looking at the other man.

Curt's eyes narrowed slightly in concern. He then turned to Eve Torres, who was cleaning a couple glasses behind the bar nearby. "Hey, can we get Matt here a drink?" he asked her.

"No, I don't want one," Matt told her quickly. He watched as Eve shrugged slightly and continued cleaning. "Actually, on second thought, I want the strongest thing you've got."

Eve raised a questioning eyebrow as she set the clean glass aside. "I can do that," she replied. "But wow, what's with the change in attitude, rookie? Bad night at work?"

Matt looked away from her, and she glanced at Curt before she began to prepare the drink the rookie had requested. The indie record dealer turned to the other man, setting his hand on his arm securely. "What do you mean?" he pressed. "Someone could die?"

The other man nodded slightly, not noticing that Eve was watching them curiously out of the corner of her eye. "My... my mentor," he confirmed, his tone wavering slightly. "I'm not sure what happened... Another officer found him somewhere in bad shape. He's in critical condition right now."

Curt looked at Matt sadly, tightening his hold on his arm. "Hang in there, man," he said as he straightened up on his stool. "I'm sure everything will be all right."

Matt nodded slightly, but he didn't appear to be convinced. "Yeah, that's what everyone keeps saying..."

Eve turned her back on the two men, mulling over what she had just heard. Phil was in critical condition. She quickly poured Matt's drink and set it down on the counter in front of him, a slight smile appearing at the corner of her lips. "Here you go, rookie," she muttered with a quick wink. "This should perk you up a little."

Sighing, the Long Island briefly nodded to her as he picked up the glass and took a small, cautious sip of the strong liquor. Eve watched him for a minute before she turned her back on the two men again, a gleam in her eye.

Lynne took a deep breath as she reached out and grasped the door handle, pausing for a moment before she pushed it open to reveal the hospital room that now belonged to her son. She instantly knew that nothing could have fully prepared her for the sight before her, and her breath caught in her chest as her hands flew to her mouth.

Phil was lying still amidst the white, sterile sheets with his eyes closed, his chest briefly rising and falling. His torso was wrapped securely in bandages, and the bruises that marked his face stood out against the paleness of his skin. He was connected to tubes that enabled him to breathe, more machines monitored his heart rate and blood pressure, and an IV was attached to the crook of his arm to supply his body with nutrients.

She felt herself start to shake slightly, and Lynne quickly closed her eyes against the tears that were now burning in them. But she knew it would not block out the low murmur of beeps from the machines or the image of her son that was now ingrained in her memory.

Then, she slowly opened her eyes again when she felt a secure pair of hands land on her shoulders, and Lynne waited until she forced her tears back before she glanced behind her. She saw the small smile that Darren was giving her, and she sighed heavily as she nodded before she slowly walked into the room, the Chief close behind her. The petite woman hesitantly approached the bed and sat down on the cushioned chair beside it before her legs decided to give out on her. She simply stared at Phil before she slowly reached out with a trembling hand and ran her fingers lightly over his cold cheek, not surprised when she didn't get a response.

Lynne then took her son's tattooed hand in both of hers, leaning over and leaving a light kiss on it before a sob escaped from her. "Phil..."

Darren's gaze saddened as he crouched down beside the chair, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, Lynne," he muttered, sighing as he looked down at Phil as well. "It'll be all right."

But Lynne shook her head slightly, still holding Phil's hand close to her as she looked up at the Englishman. "I can't..." she muttered between her tears. "I can't lose all my boys, Darren..."

The Chief tightened his hold on her, sadly watching as she brought Phil's hand to her cheek. He knew that she had been devastated when her oldest son had turned his back on the family years before, only to face the same heartbreak when her beloved husband had passed away only a couple short months before. To lose Phil so soon after would be detrimental.

"You're no' going to, Lynne," Darren tried to assure her as her shoulders continued to shake beneath his arm. "You have to believe Phil will pull through this."

Lynne nodded, but he knew the action was only to appease him. Darren sighed, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket to check the time. "I need to make a quick phone call for tomorrow morning," he said. "Would you like to come with me? I'll ge' you a drink from the cafeteria."

But the petite woman shook her head, trying to wipe her tears away with one hand. "No, I should... I should stay here with my son..." she replied quietly, giving the Chief a small smile.

Darren returned it, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "And tha' is where you should be," he told her. "I'll be back soon."

"Okay." Lynne watched as the Englishman left the room, cell phone in hand. She then turned back to the motionless Phil, once again grasping his hand in both of hers and giving it another quick kiss before lightly running her thumb over it. "I'm right here, honey. You don't have to wake up yet unless you want to, but just know that I'm right here."

Tears once more returned to her eyes when she got no response out of Phil, and even though she hadn't expected one, it was still difficult for her. She wasn't sure how long she sat beside him, simply rubbing his hand as she fought to keep her tears at bay. But then, she leaned a little closer to him when she thought she felt his fingers move slightly against hers.

"Phil?" But she got no answer.

Lynne sighed, sitting back in her seat slightly. The logical side of her told her she had probably just imagined the movement, but her maternal side was continuing to grasp at any hope that her son was waking up.

Then, she gasped quietly when she noticed a single tear fall from beneath Phil's closed eyelid and trail down his cheek, and she couldn't keep back her own as she reached forward and wiped his away. "Oh, Phil..."

It was at that moment she was sure she physically felt her heart break.

The petite woman had stepped out of the room when the nurses arrived to check on all of Phil's vitals, and she had finally agreed to let the Chief of Police bring her down to the cafeteria for something to drink and possibly a small snack if her stomach could handle it. The nurses had left soon after, stating that everything was fine.

This left the injured police officer all alone.

The man made his way down the hallway toward the closed door, the slight limp in his left leg slowing him down a bit as he paused in front of the room. He pushed down on the door handle before stepping inside, a slight smirk appearing on his face when he saw Phil Brooks still had yet to regain consciousness as he lay among the white sheets, surrounded by machines. A slight chuckle escaped from him as he slowly approached the bed, leaning on the cushioned chair beside it as he looked down at the defenseless man. His light eyes scanned over the bruises that marked his face, the bandages wrapped around his torso, the small braces that encased his broken fingers, and the thin cords and tubes that were keeping him alive.

"Not looking so great right now, are ya', Phil?" the man taunted in nearly a whisper, his smirk lingering as his eyes moved back to the other man's blank face. "Just lying there, so still, with a machine to breathe for you. It's amazing how fragile we humans actually are, you know that? It's not too difficult to render the body useless.

"But despite that frailty we all possess, the fighting spirit is much harder to smite, which is why I'm assuming you're still here now. You have a lot to fight for, don't you, Phil? The friends who love and support you. Your lovely sisters. Your little nephews. Your oh so caring mother. So much to keep you going." He paused for a moment. "You've never been one to just lie down quietly and give up, Phil, that's what I've always admired about you. Despite everything, you always fight. But this is the very reason why I've always passed the same message along to people, and you're no exception. Never take anything for granted, boy. For everything can be taken away in a heartbeat."

The man than glanced over his shoulder when he heard nearing voices, a smirk returning to his face as he turned back to the other man. "Well, it looks like we'll have to cut this short," he muttered. "I'll be seeing you around, Phil." Then, he turned away from the bed and left the room, pulling the hood of his dark sweatshirt over his head before shutting the door behind him.

Author's Note: And there's the quote from the summary! So, who is this guy? From this point on, there will be more clues that will lead you to the answer for that question. Not too many in here, but there were some important details that shouldn't be overlooked. For now, though, I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading, your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!