Chapter 22 – Discovery
A/N: Yeah…it continues.
Rob was walking in the hallways for some unknown reason. He just felt he had to walk somewhere for a while. Stuff was going through his head a lot now. Mostly Sam-based thoughts, of course. He was still surprised she had decided not to destroy him. He knew he deserved it, but for a different reason. She thought he had cheated, that was her thought pattern. He wanted her to destroy him for letting himself get set up. How could he be so stupid? He had lost this person he truly, utterly loved. He knew even if the truth came out, there was a chance she wouldn't come back to him.
He envied Raven so much. He could be near her any time he wanted. He could hug her and comfort her; she looked at him like a friend and a companion. He missed her looks period, even the ones she shot him when she was pissed. He was the happiest he had been since the break-up when she looked at him with utter anger. It's why he wanted to face her that night. He just couldn't take being so far from her anymore. Perhaps this was what she realized when she didn't beat him up as he figured she would.
He raised a brow, suddenly seeing people bounding right at him. He stopped; stepping aside to watch Shawn and Hugh run by as if they had seen a ghost. Rob scratched his slightly unshaven chin, confused. He looked down the hall, and then down when something caught his eye. Leaning down, he touched a strange spot that must have dripped off one of them as they ran. Looking at his finger, he watched as the red liquid ran down his hand.
"Blood." He said to himself. "What the hell?" He stood up, flicking it off his hand and looked down the hall. There were more droplets dotting the area. They sure didn't look like they were the ones leaking it. A ball formed in the pit of his stomach, as if he knew something was just terribly wrong. He speed walked, hurrying down the halls.
It didn't take a genius to realize the extent of the trouble once he stopped at a smashed door. He entered without hesitation, turning on the closest light possible. He felt his stomach almost turn over at the sight before him. Blood splattered everywhere. And, even worse, there was Raven. He was lying prone on the ground, his own blood covering nearly the entire top half of him. Fighting the urge not to puke as this had to be the worst sight he had ever seen, he instantly was by Raven's side and rolled him onto his side as carefully as he could.
Instantly Raven started coughing, the blood that was starting to accumulate in his mouth exiting to fall on the already blood-soaked rug.
"Raven. Jesus Christ." Rob used pillows to keep him propped on his side; he knew the way the blood was coming out he would drown in it if he didn't. He grabbed the covers and tried to clear off the blood to find out where it was coming out, since it was obvious it wasn't just from his mouth. He was tempted to call for help, but he knew if he did before at least trying to stop the blood-flow Raven would die. He found the wounds, and to cover them he pulled off his shirt and started ripping it to shreds, making crude bandages. He started to wrap them around wherever he saw needed it.
"Rob?" he suddenly asked, his voice raspy. Rob looked at him, shocked he was even still awake.
"Don't speak, buddy." Rob said. "Rest."
"…Where's Sam?"
"I don't know. I can't leave you yet. I need to stop the bleeding I can stop."
Raven seemed to try to move but instantly his now semi-cleaned face was masked with pain. Rob frowned, starting to worry.
Rob only knew Sam had entered when he suddenly felt a hand grasp his ponytail and wrench his head backward. He let out a gasp of shock, and he found himself facing an irate Sam.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" she demanded, pushing him hard into the wall. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"
"Sam, no, it wasn't…"
She punched him in the face. He let out a cry as he felt his nose probably breaking. She was about to hit him again, but a single voice stopped her.
"Sam?"
She turned her attention from him in an instant.
"…It wasn't him." He managed to say in a loud whisper. She went to Raven's side as Rob continued to hold his now bleeding nose.
"Rob, get help. Right now." She commanded sharply. He nodded, more to himself, and ran out of the room, holding his nose slightly as he went. Sam looked over her half-destroyed boyfriend in utter horror.
"Oh my god, Raven. Raven, what happened? No, never mind; don't speak. Please don't die on me."
The words had come in one breath and were said quickly as she instantly starting panicking at the realization just how bad off Raven was. Raven, however, didn't listen to her.
"Sam…" he trailed off, lifting his hand, no matter how much the pain hurt him. She reached out and lightly took it with her own.
"No, Raven, don't…"
Raven had a coughing fit, letting up some a little more blood. She started really feeling terrified.
"I think I'm dying." He said softly, trying not to notice the tears beginning to stream down Sam's face.
"Don't say that, Raven. Please don't. I can't do this without you." She pleaded.
"Sam…listen." He spoke slowly. "I heard…Sam, Rob didn't do a thing. Don't be mad at him." He took a small breath. "…I wanted to tell you but…"
Again he stopped, this time shuddering slightly. She knew it had to be killing him to even speak slightly.
"It's okay, Raven. Just…don't speak."
"I…have to get this out." He insisted.
She frowned, trying to control herself from completely losing it.
"…I love you, Sam. I'm glad I could tell you that…one more time."
"It won't be the last time. Help is on the way." She argued. He gave a faint half-smile, his face a bit saddened looking.
"Touching you, feeling you…this was worth it. This pain was worth those moments…you made me whole, Sam."
Sam felt the tears sliding down quicker now. She was starting to really wonder about his chances of survival. "Raven, don't leave me."
"…I'm trying not to." He offered, trying not to show his pain as much. "I'm trying…but Sam…if I don't make it…don't lose out on any happiness…anything, anybody you can find…don't let life pass you by. Sam?"
"Yes?" she asked, leaning forward.
"Please…hold me, for a while." He pleaded. She seemed hesitant, knowing stuff had to be broken inside him. "Please, Sam."
And she did. She carefully pulled him into her lap. He clenched his teeth in pain, but let out a sigh the minute he was situated. She partially cradled him, his blood now running on to her. She didn't care. She stroked his face, not knowing what else to do.
"I love you." She whispered into his ear. He smiled again, acknowledging her words.
"This is all worth it." He repeated, his head lulling to the side. "Sam…"
His eyes closed. She felt her heart almost drop. Had he died?
"Raven? RAVEN?!"
At that moment, the help had arrived. The people instantly rushed to him, and she was forced to untangle herself from him and give the paramedics room. Rob touched her shoulder as she watched them starting to work on him vigorously.
"I'm sorry, but you two have to leave." One spoke to them.
"What?! I have a right to stay here!" Sam instantly argued. "I want to ride in the ambulance with him."
"I'm sorry, miss, but we need all the room we can get with this."
"I am not…"
"Sam, come on." Rob instantly said, seeing a fight in the making. "I'll drive you there, okay?"
"But…"
"You'll help him more if you take your friend's advice." The paramedic stated simply. She seemed to be stand-fast still, but finally sighed and backed down, allowing Rob to pull her out as they put him on the stretcher carefully, all speaking about different things wrong and how he's doing.
She was drenched in his blood, and she noticed Rob was too. As the stretcher with him in it was rushed out, they followed it, all the way out to a waiting ambulance in the parking lot of the hotel. When he was put in, and Rob again had to stop her from complaining about not being able to go, they watched it drive away.
"Where is your car?" she demanded, her eyes still streaming tears slightly. "Come on, hurry up."
"It's over there."
In no time, they were following the vehicle in complete silence. Sam was shaking now, the effects of seeing her boyfriend half dead finally hitting her. She stared out the window, trying to stop what felt like unstoppable tears from falling. What if he died? She kept asking herself that. What if he was gone? How could she go on? Why hadn't she come earlier…?
"They're doing everything they can." Rob offered, as if reading her mind.
"He's going to die." She whispered, her eyes down casting to her feet.
"No he isn't." he assured.
"How can you say that? Half of the blood in his body is on a cheap hotel floor!" she said, suddenly angry. Rob didn't flinch.
"If you give up on him he'll die for sure. He'll make it, he's a ECW star. He's been through hell and back."
She wiped her eyes angrily, trying to calm her emotions. "He said I was worth dying over. How am I supposed to respond to that? No one should lose their life over me and my fucking selfish ways. I should have never gotten involved with him, he wouldn't have…and he wouldn't be…"
"Involved?" Rob asked. He couldn't stop himself from questioning it.
"Rob, I love him. I know I shouldn't be telling you this…I'm sorry. But god Rob, what if…what if he dies? What am I going to do?"
"You'll get revenge on the bastards who did this." Rob said, still keeping his eye on the roads. He didn't want her to see the pained expression that instantly came into being the minute he found out the new information.
"Like I even know who did it." She sighed. "Like I'll ever know who did it…"
"Now that's something I can help you with." Rob said quietly. She looked toward him.
"What do you mean?" she asked, sitting up.
"I saw 'em running off. How do you think I found him? Shawn and Hugh, the bastards. Guess they realized how smacked around he was and ran off."
"They did it?" Sam asked. Her face seemed to instantly darken at the mere mention. Rob noted it when he glanced her way.
"You can't do anything about it now." Rob reminded. "So if you want to do some aggressive tactics against them, I suggest you keep it in until you at least know about Raven. You don't want to take it out on a doctor or something."
Sam sighed, not answering, but her slow slouch into the car's seat answered for her. She would take his words to heed. She tried not to notice the blood that was soaking into her clothes and caking on her skin. She didn't have a chance to clean any of it off. When she saw it, it made her want to puke all over again. But at the same time, she couldn't keep her eyes off it, how it so easily stained her once pure white shirt…and she wondered, with a shudder at the thought, if the stuff that was on her would be the last thing she touched of him that was warm.
By the time they reached the hospital, new tears had begun to fall, though this time she had control of herself more. In fact, she had suddenly become oddly calm. Rob, seeing she had managed to sedate herself for a second, finally started checking on his nose. He allowed the pain to come through a little, and he winced just touching it lightly. It was probably broken. She had one mean right hook when she was mad.
When he looked up, she was already gone, probably entering without him. He sighed, shaking his head, walking toward the double doors to the inside himself. Rob just knew that this was the start of a very long ordeal.