Title: Floating Up
Chapter 8: Suffer
Author: Kora
E-mail: KrazyKora@aol.com or WinterViolet24@aol.com
Rating: R
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to WWE and all the people and companies who deal with all that legal stuff. I am simply using the characters for my own twisted enjoyment. All warnings featured on Part 1.
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Last time I talked to you
You were lonely and out of place
You were looking down on me
Lost out in space
Laid underneath the stars
Strung out and feeling brave
Watch the riddles glow
Watch them float away
You're falling back to me
The star that I can't see
I know you're out there
Somewhere out there
You're falling out of reach
Defying gravity
I know you're out there
Somewhere out there
-Our Lady Peace, 'Somewhere Out There'
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"Let me see him!"
"Ms. McMahon, he's in the ER, visitors are strictly forbidden from-"
"I have to see him! LET ME SEE HIM NOW!" she roared, continuing to charge forward through the hospital hallways, pushing doctors and patients aside. Papers and objects flew in her wake as she tore a path straight to the ER. The young intern followed behind her, pleading futilely.
"Ms. McMahon! Please," he stepped in front of her, holding his arms out, "Control yourself!"
Stephanie roared and shoved him aside, causing him to forcefully crash into a brick wall. Several security guards jumped up to restrain her once she reached the front desk of the Emergency Room. Vince, Hunter, and Shane, who all trailed behind her, quickly rushed forward to hold off the guards. Heated words and physical measures being tossed about between both parties.
Stephanie thundered past it all, not seeing it, looking past it as she continued forward. She reached the first emergency room and looked through its clear, plastic window. She looked inside and released a blood-curdling scream. A few moments later Hunter and Shane appeared. Hunter took hold of a screaming Stephanie and pressed her into his chest, trying to stifle her cries. Shane just looked into the room wide-eyed, his voice coming out on a tight breath, "Oh god,"
Inside the ER, several doctors, all suited up and ready for operation, hovered over a bloody Shawn Michaels. Tools and instruments were handed back and forth, machines whirring and beeping frantically in some ancient rhythm as they worked. One of the doctors looked up and saw the three spectators standing out front. His eyes narrowed and he cursed. He spoke to the others, then exited the room for a few moments, tossing off his bloody gloves. He emerged a few moments later, looking furious, "What are you people doing here!"
"Doctor, we can explain…" Shane started when Vince McMahon appeared, his face stern and set as he stood up tall, "Doctor, I'm Vince McMahon-"
"I don't give a shit who you are! You people are NOT supposed to be back here! Where's security?" the Doctor asked, looking around furiously.
Vince grabbed the lapels of the doctor's jacket and shook him, face red, "I said, I'm Vince-fucking-McMahon! I make more money than you'll make in a lifetime! No security is coming, no cops are coming. I don't care if our being here breaks hospital codes, I don't care if it's illegal. Those people over there," He jabbed a quick finger at the others, "are with me and if I have to I'll buy you, this hospital, and every other fuck under this building, to keep them right where they are. Or worse, I'll sue you for all you've got without blinking an eye. Now shut up, get your ass back in there and work on that man before I rip your fucking throat out!"
Vince shoved the doctor aside roughly, causing the man to fall over. He crawled away, horrified. Vince turned to his children and nodded reassuringly. He straightened his clothes and smoothed a hand through his hair when the chief of security, several more guards, and other important looking types entered. Vince groaned in exasperation and walked over to them, ready to prove his point yet again that no one threatens a McMahon.
Shane merely rested an arm against the glass of the ER, looking inside with sad eyes. Hunter continued to squeeze a hysterical Stephanie to him. She kept crying and moaning, her knees beginning to cave. Hunter told Shane swiftly that he was going to take his sister some place to sit down and Shane muttered back an affirmative. Once they were outside the ER, Stephanie collapsed into a chair, her agony unbearable as she fell against Hunter's chest, inconsolable.
"D-d-d-did you s-s-see all th-the t-t-tubes? St-ick-icking out of h-him?" She sobbed, her whole body shaking.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, Stephanie. Stephanie, you need to calm down, baby, or you'll make yourself sick."
"Oh god, oh god, " she mumbled over and over like a mantra, rocking back and forth in his arms. Hunter kept murmuring reassurances and running a hand along her back soothingly.
Eventually Shane appeared, looking completely worn. He looked down at his crying sister and closed his eyes tightly, cringing as he squeezed the bridge of his nose before speaking, "Hunter, my father has taken care of the security issue. Enough money insures we won't get sued for the…disturbance and outburst but…we haven't gotten an exact update on Shawn yet. His condition right now is…from what I gather, critical."
"I got that," Hunter grumbled darkly, giving Stephanie another reassuring squeeze.
"Dad's going to get more information for us here in a second but…things don't look good."
"Jesus Christ, Shane, would you shut up?" Hunter hissed, "Look at your sister! She doesn't need to hear that kind of shit, okay?"
"N-N-no. It's o-okay. I wa-want to know," she gasped, looking up with bleary, watery eyes.
Shane knelt down and cupped her face in his hands, "Don't worry, baby sis. It's going to be fine. I promise."
Stephanie tried to give him a smile but failed miserably, instead she reached out and drew him into a small hug, her voice tiny in his ear, "Oh Shane-O, don't make promises you can't keep."
"Stephanie?"
Hunter, Shane, and Stephanie turned their head simultaneously to the unexpected voice across from them. They looked up to see a ragged Kevin Nash. None of them were surprised to see him, as it was Nash who had called them all to tell them about the situation in the first place. His hair was a tangled mess and his clothes were covered in blood. His eyes looked empty and hollow as he spoke again; "I thought that was you. How ya doing?"
Stephanie pulled away from Shane and Hunter, rising to her feet to walk over to Nash, she looked up at him, her fingers lacing and unlacing anxiously, "Not so good. You?"
"The same," Nash said, his voice dry and hoarse.
Shane walked over, one hand in his pocket, the other held out invitingly, "Nash."
Nash took the extended hand in a brisk shake, "Shane."
Once the shake was over Shane's free hand ducked into his pants' pocket to match it's twin and he rocked on his heels, eyeing the blood on Nash's clothes curiously. Eventually he spoke, "So…I'm guessing you found him."
"We were out, getting a bite to eat. I forgot to tell him something and hoped that maybe he hadn't left yet. Ran off in the direction he was going and-and found him. Called the ambulance right away."
Shane clucked his tongue, "Bad?"
Nash pulled at his shirt with one hand, eyes narrowed, "What do you think?"
Shane held up both hands, "Whoa, sorry, easy big fella. I didn't mean to…I'm just…reeling. Handling it in a different way, you know? I mean I just asked cause since you found him, I mean maybe you-you know why this happened and maybe since you found him you could say from first hand how bad it all is."
Nash ignored Shane's questions, instead looking at Stephanie. She was wearing a sparkling evening gown, her hair pulled back, "You look nice, Steph."
"Thank you," she whispered, looking down.
"Real fancy."
"I-I was out to dinner with Hunter when you called my cell phone. That's why he came with me."
Nash looked over Stephanie's head to see Hunter sitting behind them. Hunter had been watching him the whole time with stern, quiet eyes. Nash returned the same predatory gaze, remarking briskly, "I figured as much. Otherwise he wouldn't have much reason to be here."
Hunter didn't have time to rise to Nash's bait when Vince walked over. He held out a hand to Nash, "Kevin, good to see you."
Nash shook his hand, "You too, sir. You and I have…a lot to discuss."
"That we do, if you'd just follow me," Vince held out another hand and Nash walked forward, Vince behind him. A few short steps behind their heels was Shane, not wanting to be left out. Soon the trio were outside, Vince noted Shane and frowned, "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm not stupid Dad, I know you guys are out here to talk business and I want in. I want to know what's going on. I refuse to be kept in the dark about this," Shane said tightly. Vince looked at Nash speculatively but Nash merely shrugged, caring less. Vince nodded his consent and Shane's posture loosened slightly. It always made him nervous to confront his father.
Nash looked at both men and sighed, his voice thick as he looked down, "When I found Shawn…he was crumpled up next to his car and there was…blood just..pouring out of his head. It was even on the car and I thought-Jesus, I thought he was dead but I found a pulse and I picked up my phone and most of it's a blur but…before the paramedics and all of that mess came through I found something. Something I think you two need to see."
Nash pulled out a crushed up bloody ball of paper. He slowly uncurled it and looked at it, his frown growing deeper before handing it to Vince. Shane looked over his father's shoulder as they inspected the paper before them. It was a full-sized blown up high school yearbook photo of Stephanie McMahon. Written on it in sloppy red ink were the words 'Remember'.
"Flip it over," Nash muttered.
Vince did so and he and Shane found carefully typed words reading, 'Because of you, everyone will suffer'. Vince cursed colorfully and crumpled up the sheet again, "Where did you find this?"
"Whoever attacked Shawn just tossed that on him, obviously he wanted it to be found."
"You think it's a 'he'." Shane asked.
Nash looked at him with narrowed eyes, snarling, "I'd say so, shithead! This is just a wee bit incidental, don't you think?"
"Dammit," Vince hissed, rubbing his temples, "Stephanie's...attacker just won't quit. First the damn flyers now this. What game is he playing at?"
"Who the fuck knows and who the fuck cares! He almost KILLED my best FUCKING friend!" Nash shouted, jabbing a finger into Vince's chest roughly, "I want that son of a bitch found and I want him NOW!"
"You don't think we ALL want that!" Shane shot back hotly, "We wanted this fuck long before this but that chickenshit is slipperier than a fucking fish! We don't know what to do about…"
"Shut up, Shane, " Vince interjected swiftly, "This may be what we were waiting for. His attacking Shawn may give us an opening for finding him. This may finally be the slip-up we've needed."
"And what if it isn't," Nash scoffed, "What if the fuck gets away with it! What if he does worse! I mean Shawn isn't-isn't dead so far but who knows what this has done to him! Man split his goddamn head open like a ripe fruit!"
"Kevin, getting hysterical won't-"
"Well what the fuck am I supposed to do!" Nash snapped, his eyes actually becoming glazed with unshed tears, "I love that man! He's like a brother to me and now here I am covered in his blood! I was always the one to protect him and be there for him and now he's in there fighting for his life and there's not a goddamn thing I can do about! I can't just sit here and twiddle my thumbs while he may be dying! I have to do something or-"
"We can do something, Kevin, we can take this photo to the police involved in Stephanie's case and we can-"
"What's going on?"
All three men's heads turned and saw Stephanie standing there, Hunter not far behind. They all clamed up. Stephanie spoke again, her voice more sure this time, "I said, what's going on?"
Vince found his voice first, "Stephanie, it's nothing important-"
Stephanie pointed at the photo, "What's that?"
Vince frowned and clutched it to him tighter, "It's nothing."
Stephanie marched over, hand outstretched, "Let me see it,"
"Stephanie-"
"NOW!" Stephanie snapped, her voice surprisingly loud.
Vince looked at the two men before him and sighed resignedly, handing out the paper ball to her. She unwrapped it and looked at the picture of herself. Her body reared up tightly, her eyes growing misty as she flipped it over and read the back. She looked up from it at the men before her. She couldn't stop her lips from trembling as her cheeks grew red and one tear escaped her eye as she gasped, "So this is my fault."
They all opened their mouths to speak but Stephanie began shaking her head rapidly, crumpling up the photo again, "No, no, don't. Don't say it. Don't say a thing. I know. I know. He's back. He hasn't stopped. He's never going to stop. Not until he's…destroyed everything. Because of me," she tried to hold back her sobs and the result was her voice coming out in choked breaths, "Because of me everyone will suffer."
Hunter came up behind her and gently took her into her arms, prying the picture from her hands. He looked at it and the rage was plainly written across his face as she burrowed deeper into his chest, still trying to hold off her sobs. Hunter held out the photo and Vince took it back. Hunter sighed and wrapped his arms around Stephanie. Running a hand along her hair, asking even though he knew the answer, "Where did you find it?"
Nash sighed, "I found it on Shawn."
Stephanie broke then, her sobs uncontrollable. She began to speak and at first her words were intangible but it was easy to pick it out when she said, "Oh Shawn, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"Shh, no it's not, princess, shh, shh, he would never blame you for this and this is not your fault. It's no one's fault. Now come on, let's go sit back down. Maybe there's some news on Shawn's condition waiting for us." Hunter consoled her, caring her away.
Vince cursed and Shane let out a breath, "Well she would have had to know eventually."
"Why do you say that?" Nash muttered, looking downwards.
"The picture, whoever is doing this I mean, he obviously wanted us to find that. Moreover, he wanted Steph to find it, see it. He wants her to remember something. He knows her." Shane said, his voice detached.
"Yeah," was all Nash could say.
Vince took in a big breath of air, "I'm going to get in touch with the men on Stephanie's case. Let them know about this new piece of information. Until then Shane, I want you to stay here with Stephanie and Hunter. I took care of the hospital staff and doctors. They'll be entirely helpful and cooperative. No one will give you all any trouble. I want updates on Shawn's condition as soon as there are any. He's under my money now and I want him getting the best care possible. They understand that here but just in case there are any questions you give them the answers, got it?"
"Yes sir," Shane said.
Vince clamped a hand on his son's shoulder, "I trust you."
Shane patted the hand soothingly, "I know, sir."
Vince looked at him a moment then gave him a strong hug, "I love you, son."
Shane hugged him back, his voice a bit shaky, "I love you too, Dad."
Vince sighed and drew away then turned to Nash, shaking his hand again, "I thank you for your help, Kevin. Appreciate it too. Please stay with the others. If you need a place for the night turn to Shane. He'll get you money for a hotel nearby."
"Thank you, sir," Nash said.
"Good, good, okay then. I will see you all later." Vince turned on his heels and walked off.
Shane took in a big breath of his own, turning to Nash, "Look man-"
"Don't have to say you're sorry kid. This whole things got us all worked up. Come on, let's head inside and check on Shawn."
"Sounds good," Shane said and the duo headed back inside the hospital.
