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, guys, I'm here with a bit of a quicker update! Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter! Well, this thing is almost done on my end! I have about a chapter or two to write, which leaves about five to seven more to update. So, we're getting down to the wire! If you have any theories, feel free to leave them in your reviews! We'll see a couple new characters included in here and possibly some clues, so always keep your eyes open! Enjoy and happy hunting! :)

Chapter 25

Thx for the nice pic of ur sons, kiddo :) Congrats to both u and Charity! Sorry it took so long for me to reply. U know me and technology :) Doesn't help that i'm out hunting in the wilderness either! But nice job to both of u! Can't wait to see the little munchkins for myself. We'll catch up when i get back to the city.

Nick smiled broadly as he finished reading the text message he had received that morning from his former mentor, Michael Hickenbottom. He had been one of the first people he had texted a picture of Nicholas and Phillip to the first night they spent in the hospital, and that it had taken so long to get a response from the retired officer when he was on one of his hunting trips didn't surprise him. Technology wasn't necessarily Michael's strong point, but the little to no service in the woods made it difficult to reach him. He was just glad that the picture had gotten through to the older man for him to see, and he was greatly looking forward to showing off his kids to him when he got back to civilization.

Slipping his cell phone back in his pocket, Nick turned to the man who was now walking next to him. "Thanks for stopping by, man. I know you're gonna have a busy day ahead of you."

Cody chuckled quietly. "Man, if I could be in Darren's position and spend the whole day here with you guys, I'd be a happy guy," he muttered. "Not that I'm happy about the number of us in the hospital, but I'm kinda dreading the questioning I have to do in a few hours. Darren put me on it."

Nick nodded slightly as he and Cody slowly made their way down the nearly empty hallway of the hospital, squinting slightly in the bright early morning sunlight filtering in through the blinds. "I've done an interrogation before. It isn't too bad," he said. "But you're my partner. If I didn't have this injury or two little guys who constantly need my attention, I'd be there with you." He held up his right arm for emphasis, which was supported by a sling.

"I literally feel your pain," Cody replied, making the other officer laugh. "So, the surgery went well, I take it? And the wife and kids are okay?"

"Yep, all good," Nick confirmed with a smile. "No complications with the surgery. And Charity, Nicholas, and Phillip are doing well. We're all going home tonight."

Cody smiled. "I'm glad to hear it, man. That's where you guys need to be."

"Yeah, I can't wait. And fortunately, Jake was nice enough to construct a second crib for us since it'd be hard for me to do with my arm." But then, Nick's smile slowly faltered. "So... at least you caught one of the guys you think is responsible for the assault on Phil, right? No matter who it is..."

The dark-haired officer opened his mouth to reply, but someone else spoke up first. "You don' have to concern yourself with tha' a' the momen', lad. You have enough to worry abou'."

Both Cody and Nick turned to see that Darren was approaching them from the other end of the hall, a small smile on his face and a steaming styrofoam cup of tea in his hand. "Oh, I'm not really worried about it, Chief," the latter said, returning the look when the older man stopped beside them. "I just wanna know how the interrogation goes. I mean, Phil's a good friend of mine, so..."

Darren's gaze faltered slightly as he took a small sip of his tea. "I know, lad," he replied quietly. "Bu' since we have someone in custody, hopefully we will ge' some answers now."

Cody briefly glanced at his watch. "Speaking of that, I think I'm gonna head out, guys," he told them. "I have to stop by my phone company and get a replacement cell before the lawyer gets to the station, and you know how long that can take."

"Do you feel comfortable with all this, Cody?" Darren asked, turning his attention to the other man. "I know it's your first interrogation, bu' Adam will be with you to help."

A confident smile graced Cody's features. "I'll be fine, Chief," he answered. "The guy kidnapped me, after all, and I have your statement about his attempted assault. So, we'll get him for something at least. And if he did have a part in the attack on Phil, I'll find out about it, as well as who his accomplice is."

Darren chuckled as he patted Cody on the shoulder. "That's the spiri', lad. Call me when the interrogation is over."

"You've got it, Chief."

"Go get 'em!" Nick grinned when Cody rolled his light eyes in return, laughing a little as his partner then hurried down the hall. "He'll be fine."

Darren nodded slightly, a small smirk turning up the corner of his lips, before he turned back to Nick with a quiet sigh. "So, everything wen' all right with the surgery, then?" he wondered. "No complications?"

Nick's smile lingered as he rolled his right shoulder a bit for emphasis. "Nope, all good, Chief!" he assured him. "I'll have my arm back in no time."

"Tha' is good to hear." Darren sighed, taking another small sip of his tea. "I wanted to thank you, Nicholas."

"For what?" Nick looked at the Englishman with confusion. "I didn't do anything, Chief."

Darren chuckled. "Well, lad, wha' you did for me was no' expected of you," he muttered. "You did no' have to push me ou' of the way of tha' gunman. I'm just relieved tha' you were no' seriously injured in doing so."

Nick smiled. "Course I had to," he replied quietly. "You're my friend, Darren. You've done a lot for all of us while you've been Chief. Any one of us would have done it without a second thought. I'm just glad you're not hurt."

"Ah, you shouldn' worry abou' me so much," Darren said, his smile lingering. "I'm no' getting any younger, and I certainly don' have many years on the force left. Bu' you have your family now and hopefully quite a few years of service ye'. I' has been a pleasure watching you grow as one of my officers once you graduated from the Academy. Honestly, I wasn' sure how well you would do when I first me' you when I spoke to your class tha' year, bu' you have proven me wrong ever since I gave you a chance and selected you as a rookie on my force. Bu' regardless, thank you for wha' you did, Nicholas. I greatly appreciate i'."

"Yeah, I was a pretty immature asshole, wasn't I? I barely scraped through your selection." Nick grinned broadly before the look waned slightly. "But anytime, Chief. And I mean that."

Darren chuckled quietly again, patting the younger man on his uninjured arm. "I know, lad," he told him. "Now, if you don' think your wife would mind, why don' you show me those sons of yours before I go check on Phil?"

Matt found a spot to park as close to the hospital as he could, quickly putting his car in park. He pulled off his seatbelt and stepped out, locking it up behind him before he started to jog toward the building. He had been on his way to the station when he had been alerted that Barbara had been brought to the hospital the night before, and he sighed quietly to himself. He knew something had been off about her, but he hadn't known to how much of an extent.

The rookie slowed to a stop when he saw the small flower garden that was near the front doors, and he quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching before he reached out and quickly picked a single pink flower. Smiling slightly, he hurried through the sliding doors and stepped into the lobby, making his way to the front desk. Matt caught slight movement out of the corner of his eye, turning in time to see the back of a blond man's head as he came through the doors that led to the patients' rooms, a slight limp to his step as he made his way out of the hospital. But then he smiled at the dark-haired receptionist sitting behind the desk when he approached.

"I'm here for Barbara Blank," he told her, quickly lowering the flower to his side when he noticed her gaze had traveled to what he was holding.

The receptionist smiled slightly as she checked her computer. "You must be another coworker," she said, her gaze traveling over his dark uniform.

Matt arched an eyebrow. "Another coworker?" he repeated.

"Yes, your Chief came in with her last night, and another young man just stopped by to see her," the woman explained, turning to the rookie with a small smile. "Room 24A."

"Um, thank you..." Matt briefly returned the smile before he turned and walked through the doors that would bring him to the hospital rooms, slightly confused by the receptionist's words. He didn't think that anyone else at the station would have had the time to stop by to see the night dispatcher before they started their shifts, knowing that he only had a little bit of leeway since Adam hadn't given him his assignment yet.

But he didn't have anymore time to think about these things when he reached the room he was supposed to go to, and he glanced inside to see that Barbara was sitting up on the bed, looking through a couple of magazines as the television played quietly in the background. She had an IV in the crook of her arm, but other than that, she appeared a little better than when he had left the station the night before. She had some more color in her cheeks at least.

Taking a deep breath, he reached out and knocked a couple times. He waited until Barbara looked up before he took a few steps into the room, a small smile on his face. "Hey, Barbie," he said.

"Hi, Matt," Barbara replied, setting the Cosmo magazine aside as she turned her full attention to the rookie. "I've gotta say I didn't expect to see you here."

Matt chuckled quietly as he slowly approached the bed. "Yeah, well, I just thought I'd stop by to see how you were feeling before I went in for work," he muttered. "You're looking a little better."

Barbara smiled slightly, though the look didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm feeling a little better," she agreed quietly. "They said I'd be able to go home this afternoon since they just wanted to keep me last night for observation. That is, if I sign a couple forms to set up appointments... with... a nutritionist here..."

The rookie looked at her curiously when her sentence slowly trailed off, seeing she had lowered her gaze from his. With a quiet sigh, he took a couple steps closer and sat on the bed next to her. "How long have you been training to be a model, Barbie?" he asked.

A moment passed before Barbara looked back at him, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Um, about six months," she answered. "Why?"

Instead of answering right away, Matt shook his head slightly, his thoughts seeming elsewhere. "I should have known..."

"Known what?" Barbara wondered curiously. She glanced down at the IV that was hooked up to her arm to give her nutrients, feeling slightly self-conscious.

Matt turned back to her. "I have a friend back in Long Island that I still keep in touch with," he explained. "She had trained to be a model for a couple years before she was finally accepted by a top fashion line. And she would do the same thing, Barbie."

Barbara looked at him for a long moment before her gaze saddened. "She would... keep track of calories and... things like that?"

"Yes," Matt confirmed with a nod. "Of course I was worried about her, but she claimed she was fine. She's been seeing a nutritionist for over a year now, and she's happy with her job and everything." He paused and met Barbara's gaze. "So I guess what I'm trying to say is if you, like, want or need to talk to anyone..."

"I'll keep that in mind," Barbara said, her slight smile lingering. "Thanks, Matt."

"No problem." Matt returned the look before he sighed and rose to his feet. "Well, I suppose I'd better get to the station. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Well, thanks for stopping by," Barbara replied. "Good luck at work today."

"Thanks." Matt started to make his way toward the door of the room, but then he stopped when he remembered what he had brought into the hospital with him. "Oh, wait! This is for you."

Barbara looked at him curiously, and her smile broadened slightly when the rookie hurried back to the bed and held out the pink flower to her. "Thanks so much," she told him, taking the small gift from him. "It's really pretty."

"No problem." Matt chuckled quietly as he then began to back up toward the door. "I'll see you around, Barbie?"

"Yeah, for sure. Thanks again." Barbara's smile lingered as Matt quickly left the room, and she sniffed the flower before setting it next to her on the bed and returning to the pages of her fashion magazine. The night dispatcher only got a little further before she looked up again, her gaze landing on the flower next to her as her smile once again broadened.

"All right, Phil. Slowly now."

Phil took a deep breath as he slowly sat up on the bed with Darren and Jay lingering near him, wincing slightly when he felt some pain in his ribs. Both the Chief and the medic reached out to him, but he held up his own hand to stop them. The pain wasn't nearly as severe as it had been for however long he had been in the all-white room, and he proceeded to slowly sit up completely away from the propped mattress.

Jay chuckled when he saw the officer's smile as he looked back up at them while Darren shook his head slightly, fighting to keep back a similar look. "All right, Phil, I need you to tell me how you're feeling," he said. "Though it's good to see that you're able to up on your own now. That's an improvement."

The officer looked up at the medic, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Um, I'm feeling okay," he muttered. "A little uncomfortable here, but that's really it." He gestured to his ribs that were still healing.

Darren exchanged a look with Jay before the latter smiled as he leaned forward slightly. "How about your head?" he asked, setting his hand on his own. "Are you feeling dizzy or experiencing any pain?" The swelling of Phil's brain had been steadily decreasing, the fracture in his skull healing. But if he was feeling any adverse effects, he wasn't sure about allowing him to get out of bed, no matter how determined he was to do so.

Phil appeared thoughtful for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I'm okay," he answered.

Jay smirked slightly. "You're not just telling me that, are you?" he wondered. He knew the other man well, and even though he was suffering from memory loss, he was seeing more and more subtle hints of the dark-haired, tattooed man that he had come to consider a friend every day.

The officer gave him a small smile in return. "No, I'm not," he told him.

Darren sighed, leaning forward a little himself. "All right, Phil," he said. "We will see how this goes. Bu' if you feel tired a' all, or if you feel dizzy in the least, we need you to tell us immediately. All right?"

Phil nodded slightly. "I will," he assured him.

Jay met the Chief's gaze. "Ready?"

Darren nodded in return, and both he and the medic reached out and carefully took Phil's arms. The younger man allowed them to gently pull him off of the bed and slowly help him into a standing position. The officer wavered for a minute, briefly closing his eyes as he attempted to gain his balance before he smiled at Jay and Darren.

"I'm okay."

The Chief sighed quietly, lightly squeezing Phil's arm. "I'm glad to hear tha', lad," he replied. "All right. Carefully, now."

Phil nodded, his hazel eyes set ahead of him as he slowly began to take a few steps forward, the Chief and Jay close on either side of him. He had to lean on them somewhat for support, grateful for their guiding arms as he kept going. But all that mattered to him was that he was finally getting out of bed for the first time that he could remember.

Jay and Darren helped Phil until they were about halfway around the room when the officer mentioned that he was a little dizzy, and the latter hurriedly grabbed the chair beside the bed for him to sit on for a few minutes until he felt up to continuing. Phil's attention was drawn to the television high on the wall as he leaned forward on his knees slightly, seeing that the baseball game the Chief had found had come back from commercial. Jay kept a close eye on him for a minute before he turned to the Englishman and nodded toward the door, and they both wandered over and stopped in the doorway.

"His progress is encouraging," the medic said quietly, a smile on his face. "I didn't expect him to get too far today. But who knows? In a few days, we may have him walking around the room a couple times or even in the hall out here. We'll just have to take it slow. But at least he's able to get out of bed now. When he first came in, I had my concerns about the skull fracture. But it seems like he'll be making a full recovery in good time."

Darren returned the look. "Yes, i' is good to see," he agreed. "I've been seeing bits and pieces of him the past couple of days."

Jay's smile broadened. "I have too," he replied. "It's good to see Phil coming back."

The Chief chuckled quietly before his smile waned a bit. "Tha' i' is. Is there any improvemen' in his memory?"

"Well, aside from remembering the two of us and from time to time Lynne, not really," the Canadian native told him with a sigh. "But we'll have to give that time too, Darren. It could be anytime."

Darren nodded in silent response. Jay reached out and patted his arm before he took a step back into the room to make sure Phil was all right. The Chief was about to follow him when a familiar face out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. "I'll be right back, Jay."

"All right, Darren."

The Englishman turned and started to make his way down the hallway to where some vending machines stood, slowing to a stop behind two men in uniform who were buying a couple sodas. "Excuse me?"

The couple members of the hospital's security staff turned around at the sudden voice, and the shorter, lighter-haired one smiled in return. "Chief Matthews," he greeted, quickly shaking his hand.

"Hello, Ambrose," Darren replied with a slight smile as he reached into his suit pocket. "I would have given these back to you sooner, bu' I didn' see you when I was here before."

Dean looked at what the older man pulled out, and he chuckled quietly as he reached out and took his handcuffs from him. "No problem," he told him, putting them on his belt. "You needed them more than me. Glad they were useful."

"Yes, they were very helpful," Darren muttered almost thoughtfully. "Really helped the case my officers are working on."

"Glad to hear it." Dean then glanced at the man next to him, who had dark hair that was streaked blond on one half that was tied behind his head, as he bent over to grab the soda out of the vending machine that he had gotten. "Oh, by the way, Sir, this is Rollins."

"Just Seth, Chief Matthews," the other young security guard clarified as he straightened back up, holding his free hand out to the Englishman.

Darren smiled slightly as he shook it. "Ah, yes, I remember seeing you at the Academy, Seth, as well as Dean here," he replied while Dean turned to quickly buy his own soda from the machine. He paused for a moment, thinking about the last time he had encountered one of these young men, before he sighed. "I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you both."

Seth nodded in return while Dean looked at him curiously over his shoulder. "Sure, Chief," he muttered. "What do ya need?"

"One of my officers was admitted here a few nights ago," Darren explained. "Because of his condition, Jason Reso has only allowed myself and some of his close friends and family to visi' him. Last night, there was an intruder in his room, which is why I needed your handcuffs, Dean. I was hoping, if i' would not be too much trouble tha' is, tha' maybe one of you could stay around this area if Jason or myself are no' in the room with him. I am here a lo' of the time, bu' there are times were I need to be a' the station, and Jason has a lo' of patients. I am just worried abou' the safety of my officer."

Dean stood up once the machine vended his drink and turned to face Darren. "That's Brooks' room, right?" When the Englishman nodded in response, he glanced at Seth. "I don't see that being a problem, do you?"

Seth shook his head as he glanced at the Chief. "It shouldn't be," he added, taking a sip of his soda. "If, for some reason, one of us can't be in this hall while you guys aren't here, Roman could always do it too."

"Reigns was transferred here at the same time we were last year," Dean quickly explained. "We've been close ever since. Don't worry, Sir, he can be trusted."

Darren chuckled quietly. "For some reason, I seem to remember the three of you causing a bi' of trouble in your days a' the Academy," he muttered, causing both Dean and Seth to smile. "Bu' if you could keep an eye on Brooks when Jason and I canno', tha' would be greatly appreciated."

Seth nodded, his smile lingering. "Consider it done, Chief," he told him.

"Yeah, we'll make sure Officer Brooks is well taken care of while he's here," Dean said in agreement.

The Englishman sighed with relief. "Thank you both," he replied. "I'll be here until later tonight, so you won' have to worry abou' i' until then."

Seth nodded. "Sounds good to us. We're here all night."

Darren smiled slightly, glancing over his shoulder when he heard a door open to see that Jay was leaning out of the officer's room. "Phil's ready to go," he announced.

"I'll be right there." Darren watched as the medic disappeared back into the room before he turned to the young security guards. "Thank you once again, gentlemen. We'll be in touch."

"Talk to you soon, Chief," Dean said with a nod, taking a sip of his soda.

Chuckling quietly, Darren turned and walked back to the room Phil was using, stepping inside and seeing that the dark-haired man was looking up at them expectantly. "All right, Phil," he muttered, reaching out and lightly taking his arm. "Le' us keep going, shall we?"

Phil nodded as he smiled slightly, allowing him and Jay to help pull him to his feet. As they slowly continued to make their way around the room, Darren couldn't fight the small smile that was forming on his face. It was a relief for him to see the younger officer's fighting spirit still remained after all that had happened. He couldn't ask for more than his recovery, but he knew that he could only hope that for the other man's own sake, his memory would return soon.

Cody stretched out his neck as he made his way down the staircase that would bring him to where the holding area was located in the basement of the police station, his footsteps echoing seemingly loudly around him. His nerves were steadily rising with each step, and he took a deep breath in an attempt to settle them. This was his first interrogation, and he would be questioning a man who had not only kidnapped him, but was possibly involved in the assault on one of his best friends. He felt slightly better that Adam, who was in a meeting with the lawyer he had assigned for Michael Brooks, would be with him, but he felt that if he wasn't able to charge the older man, he wasn't just letting himself down, but Phil as well.

He had never felt so pressured in his time on the force.

"Hey, Cody."

The dark-haired officer stopped at the sudden deep voice, a small smile appearing on his face when he saw a man with a buzz cut and sleeves of tattoos walking toward him from the direction of the work-out facility wearing a dark tank top and sweatpants, a red gym bag draped casually over his toned shoulder. "How's it going?" Cody wondered, the look lingering as he shook the other man's hand when he approached before giving him a brief one-armed hug. "It's been a while, Randy."

Officer Randy Orton returned the smile as he nodded in agreement. The St. Louis native had transferred to Chicago from Missouri over ten years before and was one of the few officers remaining who had worked with Darren before he was Chief and the station had been under the strict and watchful eye of Adam. Cody had been fortunate to have the now senior officer as his mentor when he had joined the police force as a rookie, and he couldn't have asked for a better guiding hand and friend.

"It has been a while," Randy agreed with a slight nod. "And it's going all right. I've been having a lighter schedule lately, which is good since I can be home for Alanna a lot more often." He arched an eyebrow. "You seem tense. Everything okay?"

Cody sighed quietly. "Yeah, fine," he answered. "But that's great about you being home more often. I'm sure Alanna misses her dad when he's away."

Randy smiled in return. "She's a bundle of energy," he muttered, chuckling quietly at the thought of his three-year-old daughter. But then, he met Cody's gaze. "So, I've heard that Darren put you on an interrogation. Is that what's got you so tense?"

Not seeing any way out of it, Cody nodded slightly. "I'll admit I'm a bit nervous," he replied. "But Adam will be with me, so..."

"He taught me everything I know about interrogations," Randy said thoughtfully. "If he's there to help you, you'll be just fine."

Cody felt a small smile appear on his face. "Thanks, man."

Randy reached out and patted him on the arm. "I trained you well." Another small smile appeared on his face. "Hey, if you're not busy one night, how about we go out for a couple drinks and catch up?"

"Sounds good to me, Randy," the younger officer told him with a nod. But then, a quiet sigh escaped his lips. "Well, I'd better get going..."

"Go make me proud, kid," Randy muttered, his smile lingering.

Cody weakly returned it before he continued to walk down the dimly lit hallway to where their interrogation rooms were while Randy made his way up the stairs to the main level of the police station. He took a deep breath as he rounded the corner, his blue-green eyes landing on the door ahead of him nervously. He hesitated for a brief moment before straightening his shoulders slightly, crossing the rest of the distance in only a few short strides before he pulled open the door and stepped inside.

At the table across from him sat Michael Brooks, who was staring straight ahead of him with an impassive look on his face. Adam stood in front of the long two-way mirror along one wall with a man wearing a dark suit whose longer black hair was tied back behind his head, speaking with him in quiet tones. At the sound of the door opening, however, the former Chief glanced over his shoulder and gave a small smile to the younger officer.

"Cody, this is Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah," he said, gesturing to the other man. "He is the lawyer we appointed for Mr. Brooks in his defense."

"Nice to meet you, though I think I may have seen you around before," Kofi added, holding his hand out to Cody.

"I think we have," Cody agreed as he quickly shook it. "Are you a friend of Phil Brooks? I think I saw you at his surprise birthday party last year."

"Ah, so that's where I've seen you before," Kofi muttered with a smile.

Cody returned the look, but before he could say anything, Adam cleared his throat and held out a manilla folder to him. Cody took it in his hand before he turned to Michael, a smug smile appearing on his face as he approached the table. "Good to see you again, Brooks."

Michael smirked slightly as he met the other man's gaze. "As I said before, pity you escaped last time," he muttered.

Chuckling quietly, Cody pulled out the chair in front of him and sat down, leaning forward on the table to meet his gaze better. "I wouldn't flaunt that around too much," he cautioned. "After all, you will be serving time for kidnapping an officer, and there's nothing that your lawyer can do about that. The Chief of Police has also filed another charge of attempted murder, considering that the car that belongs to the gunman who attempted to shoot him belongs to you. And that also brings me to your third charge, which is shooting an officer. Also to add to your list of offenses, one count of domestic disturbance."

As he was speaking, Cody set each form from the manilla folder on the table in front of the arrested man. Michael eyed each one nervously before he turned his gaze to the lawyer who had been hired to represent him. Kofi just met his gaze sternly, knowing that all he could do at this point involving those four charges was try to negotiate for the least severe sentence he could.

"What are you calling for?" he wondered.

However, Cody shook his head slightly as he glanced back at Kofi, noticing that Adam was watching him thoughtfully as he chewed his fresh mint gum and leaned back against the wall behind him with his arms crossed. "I'm not finished," he told him before he turned back to Michael. He pulled out one more form and set it on the top of the others. "I want to know about the assault on Officer Phil Brooks."

Author's Note: And, a bit of a cliffhanger, lol. But, there are a couple key details in here that shouldn't be overlooked, even if they weren't necessarily clues. Did you spot them? If you did, feel free to leave them in your reviews! OTherwise, more will be revealed as we continue on. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!