Chapter 21
A few hours later, Harley was not surprised to see not only Steve walk inside the hospital, but Paul was with him too. This definitely wasn't going to be pretty, especially after what Terri told her and vice versa. Paul walked over to Harley immediately, seeing the tears stinging her eyes, and pulled her into a very gentle embrace because of his massive size. Taker would maim him if he hurt her in any way, shape or form because it seemed as though the big man genuinely cared for her.
In his own sick and twisted way, maybe Taker even loved her, though Paul refused to delve deeper into the mind of his mentor.
"Where's Mark?" Steve demanded flatly, arms folded in front of his chest, wearing a pair of skintight blue jean shorts with a simple black tank top, a gold chain around his neck, black shades on top of his head.
It took Harley a few seconds to process that because, to her knowledge, Steve had never called Taker by his real name before. "He's sleeping, Steve…" She sighed when he simply brushed past her, heading toward Taker's room, but Harley stopped him by grabbing his arm, forcing him to turn around as their eyes locked. "Please don't, not yet."
"He has the fuckin' right to know, Harley." Steve growled, not amused in the slightest and shrugged her hand off of his arm, pissed beyond belief. That was until the tears started cascading down her cheeks, Steve's demeanor instantly changing. "Aww hell honey c'mere, I didn't mean to make ya cry…" He sighed when Harley just buried her face in his shoulder, his strong arms wrapping around her in comfort, nodding at Paul silently to assure the big man she was alright.
"Harley, we're going to have to tell him eventually. He has a right to know what the hell is going on." Paul stated, causing her head to slowly lift as she stared into Steve's blue eyes, knowing he was the one who told her best friend.
"Thank you." There was no way she would ever be able to repay Steve for doing that because Harley honestly didn't know if she ever could.
"No problem, honey, but Show is right. We gotta get this shit handled and Mark needs to know what the hell happened and why. If what ya told me on the phone is true, we gotta serious problem on our hands." Steve explained, not even wanting to think about the possibility of a WCW guy invading their locker room, blue eyes turning to ice instantly. "How long has he been sleepin'?"
"A few hours at the most, he woke up after I got off the phone with you…" Harley didn't even want to know what Steve had done to his cell phone when she called to tell him what she'd found out, swallowing hard. "He asked me what was wrong and I told him nothing. He knows I'm hiding something from him, but luckily the nurse administered some more pain killers and knocked him out before he could fully grill me on the subject." She felt terrible, but Harley simply couldn't tell Taker who Hunter's accomplices were.
"Well he's gonna find out right now." Steve stated, seeing the fear enter her grey eyes, wiping the tears away instantly with the pads of his thumbs. "Do ya want me to do it alone? Show can stay with ya while I handle this, Harley."
"No, I want to be there with you because I have a feeling he's going to fly off the handle and I may be the only one who can calm him down." Harley stated, ignoring Paul's incredulous look, though it was true. She'd been the one to calm Taker down after receiving a lethal chair shot to the skull by Sean during a match on Raw. Harley should've suspected it then…she felt stupid now and lowered her head, eyes widening at the next voice that sounded behind her.
"Where's Mark?" Glen Jacobs demanded, having also been called by Steve, Harley staring at the Rattlesnake intensely.
"Why would you…"
"He's closer to Mark than anyone in the company." Steve replied flatly, no remorse in his voice, glad he had called Glen. "Those little bastards are gonna wish they'd never been born when we're through with 'em."
Unfortunately, Steve wouldn't be there to witness it because he was going off of the road in a few weeks for neck surgery. They were doing a storyline where someone was going to run him down with a car in the parking lot at Survivor Series, which was the next pay-per-view coming up. Steve didn't have a problem with it, knowing if he kept going the way he was, he'd end up paralyzed and in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
That simply was not happening.
However, Steve would get his own payback when he returned to the WWF, determined not to let this neck injury end his career.
"Damn straight they will." Glen stated, walking toward Harley, his eyes narrowed slightly because Steve told him about them. "How is he?"
"He's frustrated and hates being bedridden. He wants to know who did this to him, but I lied and said I didn't know yet…" Harley sighed heavily, knowing these three men were going to tell Taker whether she liked it or not. She couldn't possibly fight all of them off, not even if she barricaded Taker's hospital room door or padlocked it.
They'd find a way in.
Glen understood because he knew how volatile Mark's temper could be, refusing to call him Taker when they weren't on the road. He was Mark Calaway, a man who was attacked viciously from behind, and nearly lost his life. Glen's best friend and the best man at his wedding...Glen wanted to rip Hunter, Nash and Sean limb from limb, not believing he still had to work with the little punk. Then again, they were enemies and Glen could hurt him in the ring anyway he pleased, knowing Vince wasn't crazy about Sean Waltman to begin with, especially since he'd jumped ship from WCW to WWF several times.
"Can we at least wait until he wakes up on his own?" Harley suggested weakly, seeing all three men stare at her hardening, and folded her arms in front of her chest. "He's been through hell and you three just show up here on a whim! You're going to let him wake up on his OWN and then we can tell him together, do you understand me?"
Paul smirked; knowing when Harley got riled up, not a lot could stop her. He watched as Steve and Glen stared at this petite woman in sheer bewilderment, chuckling from low in his throat. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head, letting her know that they wouldn't just barge into Taker's room and wake him up.
"How about we go get something to eat and…"
"I'm not leaving him." Harley immediately cut Paul off, shaking her head and pulled away from him, grey eyes moving down the hallway where Taker's room was. "You three go on, I'm not hungry anyway."
Steve frowned, wondering exactly when was the last time Harley left the hospital, stepping forward. "Honey, when's the last time you left to get some air?" He asked softly, ignoring Paul's warning glare, seeing the tears shine in her eyes. "Harley…"
"I'm not leaving him." Harley whispered determinedly, showing just how stubborn she could be, sniffling a little. "I haven't left and I'm not leaving until he does. Then I'm going with him back to Houston to help him recover. I'm not leaving his side, Steve. I…" Her voice broke on that simple word, not able to continue what had been burning on the tip of her tongue for awhile now.
"You don't have to leave him, Harley, but you also can't run yourself down. We're just concerned about you, sweetheart." Glen stated, knowing he hadn't been around that much, though he'd done whatever Mark asked of him as far as Sean went. He'd heard the rumors and beat the little piss ant to a bloody pulp in the ring several times.
"I'm fine, I just don't want him asking for me and I'm not there. I promised I'd be there for him. I'm not leaving his side."
"Just relax Har, you don't have to leave. If you want, we'll bring you back something." When she nodded, Paul held her for a few more seconds, knowing she needed as much as comfort as possible. "Just don't run yourself down, alright?"
Nodding, Harley heaved a sigh of relief, glad they didn't fight her on this, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. She was steadfast. She was not going to leave Taker's side until he asked her to. Even then, Harley would put up a fight, honestly not caring about having a broken heart anymore because she completely surrendered it to him that night at the bar. The night she made a choice and took a chance, allowing him to guide her to his room, where he made passionate love to her…Harley often thought of that night when she sat besides Taker's bedside, holding his hand while he slept.
"Harley, Mark's asking for you." Doctor Laughlin announced from behind, causing all four heads to turn around, a soft smile on his face. "All of you may join her, but please keep it down."
"Thanks Doc." Paul shook the man's hand that saved Taker's life, following Harley down the hallway, along with Steve and Glen, hoping they didn't just jump right into talking about the attack.
Taker looked toward the door when it opened, having been staring out the window of his private room, those captivating green eyes locking with grey. Harley instantly went to his side, Taker not even needing to extend his hand, pulling her down until their lips met in a soft kiss. If Harley was shocked he did that in front of the guys, she didn't show it and smiled down at him, running her thumb gently across his eyebrow.
"You asked for me, is that what you wanted?" She asked quietly, watching as Taker's head moved back and forth, shaking his head.
"All of that and more, though we'll have to wait until a later time." Taker replied, instead opting to pull her in bed with him, ignoring her protests, wrapping his strong tattooed arms around her waist. "Quiet woman, I'm not made of glass."
"But your stitches…"
"Enough Harley." Taker whispered, his mouth right by her ear and nipped it for added effect, smirking when she flushed a deep crimson red. He'd missed that, remembering how red she'd gotten around him when she first debuted in the company. "What are you three doing here?" He asked, suddenly directing his attention toward them with slightly narrowed eyes.
"They're here to see you." Harley said as Taker's arms tightened more around her, swallowing somewhat hard even though she trusted him completely. He would never hurt her.
"That much is clear, angel, but I want to know why." Taker knew Glen rarely left the road for anything other than his lovely wife, Tabitha, so something definitely was going on. "Glen, this is an unexpected surprise." Taker's voice was deceptively calm, though his eyes were spitting venom, continuing to hold Harley against his body.
"This isn't a visit out of the kindness of my heart, Mark." Glen said flatly, walking over to stare down at his best friend, ignoring the deathly glare. "You're Mark right now, so you can stop glaring at me. I'm not scared of you."
"What's going on?" Taker demanded gruffly, running a hand through his hair, which was pulled back in a low ponytail. "Glen…"
"It's bout yer attack, Taker." Steve respected the man's wishes not to be called by his real name, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Ya see, I gotta interestin' call from Harley yesterday and she told me that someone came to visit her."
Harley physically froze in Taker's arms, turning red again, not believing this was happening.
"Who came to visit you?" Taker demanded, suddenly staring down at her through cold eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? I knew something was bothering you, especially since you were crying, trying to convince me it was nothing. You lied to me, Harley."
"I-I didn't mean to!" Harley suddenly cried out, tears streaming down her face all at once, the emotion of this entire situation finally coming out. "I-I can't tell you who came to see me, I promised…"
"You do realize I can always find out from the nurse's station." Taker informed her lamely, though didn't release her, simply stroking her hair to try calming her down. He hated seeing her tears. "What did this person tell you?"
Harley suddenly visibly paled, burying her face in her hands, sighing when Taker gently nuzzled her neck. "Your attack…it goes deeper than either of us realized." She whispered, not trusting her real voice at the moment.
"What do you mean?" He pressed in a deep soothing voice, holding a hand up when Steve went to speak, wanting Harley to tell him. "Harley, you can tell me anything, I want you to trust me."
"I do." She whispered softly, sometimes hating the effect Taker had on her as he gently but firmly gripped her chin, forcing their eyes to meet. Tears instantly filled hers and Harley blinked, feeling them slide down her cheeks, Taker brushing them away with the pad of his thumb. "Taker…"
Taker knew this was not going to be pleasant, especially when she started crying, clearing his throat gruffly. He absolutely hated to see women cry, especially Harley, kissing the top of her head affectionately. He knew he couldn't push her to tell him, but only the truth would sound from her lips, shaking his head silently when Steve stepped forward again. Only Harley would tell him the truth when she was ready, her body curled up against him, his arms instantly circling her body.
"Leave us." He ordered, green eyes never leaving the angel in his arms, knowing she was exhausted from whatever was bothering her. At the very least, now he knew exactly what was bothering her, remembering how she'd come in his room the previous day with red bloodshot swollen eyes. She'd been crying then and she was crying now, which unnerved Taker, though he wasn't about to upset her any further. "When she's ready, she will tell me the rest of it. I only want to hear it from her mouth, do you three understand?"
"You sure about that, man?" Steve finally asked in a reluctant voice, watching Taker nod without hesitation, Harley instantly falling asleep against him. "Mark…"
"What?" He stroked Harley's raven hair, loving how silky it was against his fingertips, such adoration and feeling swimming in his eyes for her, even as he was forced to be bedridden in a hospital.
Just the look in Taker's eyes answered any questions he might have had regarding Harley, nodding. "You know how to get a hold of me if ya need me, man."
Taker nodded once, Harley's breathing evening out instantly, his heart secretly breaking because she had cried herself into an exhausted sleep. He knew she hadn't been sleep well since she found him lying in a pool of his own blood in the hotel. If holding her in his arms made her sleep better, Taker would do it in a heartbeat, just wanting to feel her in his arms for the rest of his life.
"The same goes for us, big man." Paul clapped a hand on Glen's shoulder, seeing the hesitation in the man's eyes, knowing Glen probably wanted to speak to Taker alone briefly. "Come on, Glen, they need rest right now. You can talk to him later."
Deciding that was best at the moment, Glen nodded, promising to come back tomorrow since he was staying in town for a few days. Taker thanked him for coming in a quiet voice, knowing they had a long talk ahead of them, most of it regarding the woman in Taker's arms. Taker was determined to fight for her, his hand running up and down her back soothingly, watching as she snuggled against him.
"Sweet dreams, angel." He whispered, softly brushing his lips feather lightly against her lips, a low groan escaping him followed by a sigh.
Within moments, Taker fell asleep with Harley in his arms, right where she belonged.