Punk stood still at the door, looking over at AJ lying on the hospital bed, still and weak. She had breathing tubes down her nose and mouth, and she had a considerable amount of cuts and grazes over her face, some being so deep that they had stitches in them. He never wanted to see her like this. He was mad, he still was, but never did he wish any hurt or physical pain on her.

"Who are you?" Jeremy asked, softly placing AJ's hand back down on the bed, looking over at Punk with seething eyes.

"Is she ok?" Punk asked, walking further into the room.

"Dude... you aren't staying in here until you tell us who you are." Jeremy said as Punk looked across at him, gritting his teeth inside his closed mouth, so much hatred towards this man even though it was him that had been sleeping with his wife for two years.

"It's Phil, Jeremy." Erica said, "Why don't we all go to the cafeteria." Erica suggested, wanting to give Phil his own space with AJ.

"Phil... as in, Phil who has been sleeping with my wife for the past two years? Phil who knocked my wife up. That Phil?" Jeremy looked across to Punk who placed his hands in his jean pockets awkwardly, just as a nurse popped her head into the room.

"Ok... this is an intensive care unit. Two visitors at the max." The nurse reminded the crowded room as she disappeared.

"Mom... Jeremy... why don't you head on out just now?" Erica suggested as Jeremy folded his arms, staring across at Punk who had no time to stare back at him, he was too busy looking at AJ.

"I need a cigarette anyway." Jeanette said as she lifted her purse and headed out of the room, Jeremy slowly following behind whilst keeping his eyes on Punk the entire time, shutting the door over behind them to leave Punk and Erica with AJ.

"What even... what happened to her?" Punk asked, taking a seat beside the bed, slowly reaching out for her hand and pulling away. He wasn't going to attach himself. He was here to make sure she was ok and that was it. So he could go home and assure the kids their mother was perfecty fine.

"She was in a car accident." Erica folded her arms as Punk sighed, leaning back on the chair with folded arms as he listened to the oxygen pump through the tubes, "Fractured skull, few bruised ribs. They reckon she'll be ok." Erica said as Punk shut his eyes at all the painful injuries Erica listed. He was a boxer and he'd never even had a fractured skull.

"Did she just... crash?" Punk asked, turning to Erica as she shrugged.

"Who knows." Erica said, "If you ask me... she done it to herself." Erica admitted as Punk turned back to AJ with a sigh. If that was the case, he couldn't help feeling like he was to blame. Yeah, he may not have physically droven the car, but he'd drove AJ herself to feeling this way. He hoped this wasn't deliberate.

"I don't know what she wants me to do, Erica." Punk shook his head, "I can't take her back. I won't take her back. Not after keeping everything from me. I... I told her she could have access to the kids, I said I'd help her out with finding a place close by. I don't know what she wants me to do." Punk said.

"You don't get it, Phil. She's trapped now. You... you've driven her back to that place she ran from years ago. Jeremy is refusing to divorce her." Erica said.

"Why? Why is he still interested in her after she ran. If I was him I would have divorced her the minute she took off." Punk said with confusion.

"Because he's weird, Phil. Ok... he isn't right. It's like he's obsessed with her." Erica said, "You cant't... you can't leave her here." Erica said.

"I have no choice. She was the one who lied to me. This is her mess. She... she needs to sort it out herself. What she does with her husband isn't my business." He said as Erica shook her head.

"Look at her, Phil. Look at what this is doing to her." Erica said as Punk stared at his ex with sorrowful eyes. It hurt him that she was hurting. He still loved the woman. He didn't want to, but he wasn't in control of his feelings. But their love had been shadowed by this lie, and he still could not make any promises that he would take her back. He didn't think he ever could.

"I'm not playing the bad guy." Punk made himself clear, "I hate seeing her like this, ok... this is killing me. She looks in so much pain, so weak and small, and I can't do anything about it. But I am not about to swoop in and rescue her from her own mess." Punk shook his head, "I'm here to make sure she's ok, and that's it." He drew a line with his hand.

"Don't you look at her and still feel something?" Erica asked with a sigh. Unlike her mother, she knew what her sister wanted. She wanted this man, and the life she had with her children back in the states.

Punk stared at AJ, a million things racing through his brain. His mind said no, his heart said yes. He was still deeply and now confusingly in love with her, but this wasn't going to make him take her back. He wasn't taking her back. And that was final.

"No." Punk said bluntly as he turned to Erica, standing up from the chair, "I'm going to call my sister, I left her with the twins in a rush. I'll be back soon." He said, walking out of the room and down the hospital corridor, shaking his head as tears welled in his eyes. He hated seeing her like this, he hated knowing that maybe a part of him and what he said to her drove her to this, but like he had said to Erica, he wasn't playing her knight and shining armour anymore.


Punk had stuck around at the hospital through the night, sitting in the closed off cafeteria, opened for visitors to sit, the catering part closed of course. He had contacted Chaleen to make sure she was ok with the twins. He rushed off so quickly, he didn't even remember if he asked if she would be ok to look after them, but she seemed to be fine, told him the twins were still sleeping.

He felt hopeless sitting here, nothing he could do or say to make things better for AJ. He didn't want to seem like the bad guy, but he made himself clear, he wasn't considering taking AJ back, just because she was in hospital. Harsh? He didn't really care. She had gotten herself into this situation. She had to get out. He told her he would help her, he would help her find a place in Vegas, he would let her see the kids as much as she wanted, but he wasn't getting with her again. He could never trust her again. Not even if he wanted to.

And then there was the conversation he had with Erica, about Jeremy refusing the divorce. What did she want him to do about that? He couldn't divorce Jeremy for April. This was all her mess, fractured skull or not, she had to get herself out of it.

He sat spinning his phone around on the table at one of the plastic seated booths, very dimly lit as he leaned back, hearing footsteps approach him, turning around and spotting Jeremy walking by, taking a seat across from him.

"I'm not really in the mood, man." Punk waved his hand, wishing to just be alone right now, to sink in his thoughts and unknown feelings.

"What did you say to her?" Jeremy said, "Erica seems to think she done this to herself, and if I find out that you have to do with it I'll..."

"You'll what?" Punk challenged, "You'll get rid of me?" He laughed, "I want to get the fuck out of this place believe me, I want to get out of your wife's life, but guess what... she carried my kids for nine months, and gave birth to them. I can't neglect her. I can't take my kids from her." Punk explained, "You can have her, dude. I'm not interested anymore." He shook his head.

"Then why are you here? If you aren't interested?" Jeremy asked.

"I wanted to make sure she was ok." Punk explained, "For Dylan and Heidi's sake." Punk said, "And anyway... why are you even with her? She left you, man. She upped and ran away in the middle of the night, came back eight years later having had other relationships." Punk said, "Why don't you just divorce her?"

"That's what you'd want. Wouldn't you?" Jeremy smiled to Punk who shook his head, "I love her." Jeremy shrugged.

"Well... not to dampen your mood anymore, but she doesn't love you." Punk said, "You want to trap her in a life she doesn't want to live? If you love her, you'll just let her go." Punk said.

"I want to make it work with her." Jeremy explained, "What you two have... had... it was what we were meant to have. I know she was happy with you. I just... I want to treat her right." Jeremy said.

"Well... that's the only thing I'm interested in. Treat her right, the rest is none of my business." Punk admitted.

"You know... we had sex the other night..." Jeremy began as Punk clenched his hands into a fist by his side, looking down so not to lose his thin temper, "She said your name a few times." He said.

"What do you want me to say? Sorry?" Punk shrugged, "Talk to her about that, not me." He asked, not wishing to discuss AJ sleeping with him less than fourty eight hours ago. It was too soon to be comfortable with that kind of conversation.

"I just thought you should know. She clearly still loves you." Jeremy said, "I'll take care of her, you know." Jeremy said as Punk nodded.

"She doesn't want you to take care of her though. That's the problem." Punk said, "No one wins or gains anything in this situation. I'm left alone, she is left in a relationship she doesn't want to be in, and you're left in a relationship you want but isn't mutual." Punk shrugged, "At least I know I made her happy. I don't think you can say that." Punk said.

"I'll make her happy." Jeremy said with determination, "I'm positive we can make this work. Me and April can have our life here, the kids can visit, you can move on. Maybe the fact she'll be so far away is good." He shrugged, "I know that right now, she isn't all that excited about being with me, but I can turn it around." Jeremy tried to convince Punk.

"I don't think you can." Punk shook his head with honesty, "But I admire what you're doing. At least... at least I don't have to be scared of her winding up in a dumpster somewhere. She's safe here." Punk shrugged.

"She is." Jeremy nodded, "It'll all work out the way it's meant to." Jeremy said as Punk just nodded, watching as he stood up and headed out of the cafeteria, leaving Punk sitting, continuing to spin his phone around on the table, sighing to himself and wondering when his life had become so distructed.


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