PART 51
ABOUT A ½ HOUR LATER
Dr. Smith reappeared in the waiting room, catching the attention of the five people inside. Jay had since gotten Adam to come back into the room. He didn't want him out in the hospital by himself, especially not after what he had told him a little while earlier. When the two men returned to the waiting room, it got dead silent. No one dared to say anything, not even sorry, or any other form of condolence. They knew it wouldn't help Adam any. Stephanie had to force herself to look away. She was afraid if she kept her eyes on Adam for too long she would break and run over to him and try to comfort him. He looked awful… he was no longer trying to hide his emotions, no longer trying to hide the fact that he wanted to absolutely die. Chris made eye contact with Adam once, and he damn near broke himself. He already felt horrible enough about Britney and the baby, but seeing the look on Adam's face… it was heart wrenching. The five of them looked up at Dr. Smith expectantly.
"Well, I've just gotten word from Dr. Johnson… he's the surgeon operating on Shane… and he's given me an update on his condition," he said. He watched as the group stared at him, awaiting for an answer. They all looked so tired and upset, he hoped that this bit of news would cheer them all up at least a little bit.
"I'm happy to tell you that Shane is out of surgery and he's just waking up… his surgery was successful and he's going to be just fine," Dr. Smith said, breaking out into a small smile. Vince returned the doctor's small grin.
"Thank you… can we see him now?" he asked hopefully. Dr. Smith nodded.
"Yes, I can take you all up there now." The group stood, stretching as they all made their way to the door. Dr. Smith almost frowned, none of them looked too happy. He supposed that they were glad Shane was alright, but they were probably still a little numb after hearing what happened to Britney. Once they got outside of the door of the waiting room, Jay saw the look on Adam's face, so he grabbed Dr. Smith's arm.
"Do you have any news on Britney yet?" he asked, watching as Adam's head snapped up. Dr. Smith frowned, shaking his head.
"Nothing's changed. She hasn't gotten any better, but she hasn't gotten any worse either. How long she stays unconscious will really determine her chances of leaving here with no damage," he said.
"So that means the longer she stays unconscious… the worse her chances are?" Jay asked fearfully. The doctor nodded, turning and leading the group in the direction of Shane's room. Jay winced as he looked at Adam's face… he suddenly regretted even asking about Britney. The group was led up a flight of stairs and down a hallway, when Dr. Smith stopped at a door.
"Maybe you guys should go in as groups of two and then have someone go in alone… he needs rest, and a bunch of people crowding around him probably wouldn't be best right now," Dr. Smith suggested. They nodded, and then he said something about going back to Britney and left them in front of the door. The group debated on what groups they would form to go in and see Shane. Vince didn't want Stephanie to go alone, so he figured he would go in alone. He also didn't want Adam and Steph to go in together, as the two of them were the most likely to break down. The only problem was, he wanted Jay to go in with both of them, because at the moment it seemed like he was the one doing the most comforting. Suddenly, Chris piped up.
"How about I go in first alone… I won't be long. Then, Vince can go in with Steph and Adam and Jay can go in together," he suggested. They all nodded, and Vince was now very glad that Chris was there to take charge of the situation. The Canadian disappeared into the room, leaving the other four standing by the door. Stephanie turned to Vince, sending him a sad look.
"I'm scared Daddy… I don't think I can go in there without crying," she said. She knew her father didn't like it when she cried, and she just didn't think she could handle hearing him today. He nodded sympathetically.
"It's okay sweetheart, you can cry. You have every right to," he said softly, and Stephanie gave him a teary smile. A few minutes later, Chris stepped out, holding the door open for the two of them to enter. Taking Stephanie's hand in his, Vince stepped through the door to see his son.
IN SHANE'S ROOMShane looked up as Jericho left his room and his father and sister entered.
"Hey guys," he said, sending them a tired smile. Stephanie could feel the tears pressing at her eyes already. Shane looked so weary… she just couldn't believe her big brother had been shot. Even if he was okay, just the thought that she could *possibly* lose him scared the living hell out of her.
"Hi Shane… how are you feeling?" Vince asked, putting his arm around Stephanie's waist tightly, as though he was the only thing holding her up. Shane frowned as he saw his baby sister… she looked incredibly upset.
"I'm feeling okay. I'm still in pain, but I'll live," he replied. "Um, Dad? Could you excuse us for a minute? I want to talk to Steph alone," he requested. Vince was hesitant, but he okayed it when he saw Shane sending him a look that send he could handle it. The WWE chairman nodded, stepping out the door and leaving his two children alone. Once their dad was gone, Shane looked at Stephanie.
"Come here Steph," he said, opening his arms to her. She walked over and sat down next to him on his bed, allowing him to wrap his arms around her as she broke into sobs. Shane winced painfully as he shifted so he could hug her more tightly. It almost brought tears to his own eyes to see her cry like this over him. He ran his hand up and down her back as her shoulders shook.
"Shane… I… I thought I was going to lose you," she said, finally breaking away from him and looking into his eyes.
"You know, for a little while back at that house, I thought I was going to be gone too… I guess God has a few things planned for me still," Shane said. Stephanie couldn't believe how positive he was being, especially right after being shot. Then again, he always had been an amazingly strong person. With herself and Britney around all the time, she supposed he had to be.
"Oh, Shane, I'm just so glad you're alright," she said, a few more tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Me too… now stop crying over me," he said softly. Stephanie laughed quietly.
"I'll try," she said, offering him a small smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him once more. Shane looked up and saw Adam and Jay standing in the doorway. He cleared his throat, getting Stephanie's attention. When she saw the two Canadians in the doorway, she moved to stand.
"We can wait a few more minutes if you guys want to talk some more," Jay said apologetically. He hadn't meant to interrupt, he just thought it would be best if all their visits were kept short so Shane could get some rest. Stephanie shook her head.
"No, that's okay Jay… I'm done anyway," she said. She leaned down and kissed Shane on top of the forehead and walked away. "I'll see you in a minute," she said to Jay, before closing the door behind her.
"Hey McMahon, how you feeling?" Jay asked, grabbing a chair and sliding it across the room so he could sit next to the bed.
"Okay Reso… it hurts like a bitch, but I'm feeling okay. I'm alive, and that's all that matters," Shane said positively. He didn't notice Adam wince at his words, but Jay did. It was just another reminder of the hell Adam had to be going through right now. Adam stood at the door, not moving a muscle since he had walked in the room.
"So when do I get out of this room and get to go see Britney?" Shane asked eagerly. He thought maybe the doctors had told them when he would be released, or at least allowed to get up and walk around. Jay's smile faded, and he immediately looked over at Adam. The taller man's gaze was now fixed on the floor, as though he was fascinated with something on the tile.
"Um… Britney's not… she's not awake yet," Jay said, in a tone so quiet Shane could barely hear him. Shane looked at him in surprise.
"What? Well, what the hell's going on? Why hasn't she woken up yet?" he asked, worry filling his eyes. Jay suddenly wished Adam wasn't in the room… he'd have a much easier time explaining it without having to look back and see the toll it was taking on him.
"She, uh… she's just still unconscious. They… the doctor's said the longer she's out… the worse her chances are of leaving with no damage," he said, suddenly finding himself fixated with the floor too. He couldn't bring himself to look at Shane now either. Damn it Jay, get a hold of yourself. No one else is being strong right now… you have to step up to the plate.
"Oh… oh my God," Shane said slowly, suddenly realizing what it was Jay told him. There was a chance she wouldn't wake up. There was a possibility that he would never get to see his baby cousin again. Shane suddenly felt worse than before. Oh God…
"There, um… there's more," Jay continued. He looked over at Adam once more, praying that he wouldn't freak out when he told Shane. He had to tell him about the baby… Shane had just as much a right to know as they all did. Jay just hoped that Adam would take hearing it again okay.
"Oh, God, more? I don't know if I want to hear it," Shane said, all the positive thoughts he'd had in his head flying out the window. Jay frowned, I don't know if you want to either.
"Well, it's about the baby. The doctor said that… well, he told us if we'd gotten here sooner they could have done something… but there was just nothing they could do. We were too late," he said quietly. He watched as Shane's expression changed, his words sinking in to the man's brain.
"She… what? The… the baby's dead?" he asked in disbelief. Upon hearing his words, Adam jumped, pulling the door open and running out, slamming it shut behind him. Jay turned back to Shane, nodding sadly. He knew he should be going after Adam right now, but at the moment he felt kind of frozen, like he couldn't move at all.
"Oh my God," Shane said again. The baby is dead. Brock killed my little niece or nephew. "Damn it!" he screamed suddenly, causing Jay to jump. "I'm going to find that bastard and MURDER him for what he did to her!" Jay put a finger to his lips, trying to calm him down.
"Shut up man… look, just try and calm down alright. It can't be good for you to…"
"CALM DOWN?! Did you hear what you just said to me Jay? Brock killed Britney's baby! I'm going to return the favor!" he cried determinedly. Jay nodded, his head going back to the door that Adam had ran out from.
"Okay, okay. I really need to go find Adam and make sure he's okay. Just try and get some rest okay? Do it for Steph… you saw how upset she looked. Don't worry her anymore by acting like a maniac," Jay said. Shane nodded and laid back down. After he was sure Shane wouldn't try to get up or anything, he went out the door, jogging down the hall to find Adam again.
ABOUT 2 HOURS LATERIt was now 3:38 A.M. Chris and Adam had been at the hospital for nine and a half hours, Stephanie, Vince, and Jay for eight. All of them were extremely tired, but they couldn't sleep. A nurse came in about an hour earlier and recommended that all of them, especially Adam, leave and get some sleep and come back later in the day. If the situation wasn't as serious as it was, Jay would have laughed at the look that Adam gave that woman. But the situation was dead serious, and so was his response.
"Excuse me, but could you please put yourself in my shoes? The doctor told me my baby was dead and he wasn't sure when my girlfriend would wake up, if she even does. Don't you think I'll want to be around if it happens?" he said in disbelief. The older woman nodded, leaving the group alone.
Now, an hour later, they were still waiting. Adam began to feel a little guilty for making everyone stay with him all this time.
"You guys can go if you want," he spoke up. "I'm staying here, but there's no reason you should all have to stay." Chris firmly shook his head.
"No way Adam. We're all in this together," he said. Adam almost smiled… he was glad that at least in a time like this he had a lot of support. It was just a shame that his support was just as heart broken as he was. He rested back in his chair, closing his eyes in hopes that maybe he was just dreaming. Wouldn't that be nice? He wanted more than anything to open his eyes and be back in his hotel room. Maybe it was a dream. After all, it felt like it couldn't be real, like it was some horrible nightmare that he was just waiting to wake up from. Maybe everything, the whole thing with Torrie leading all the way up to being in the hospital now was just a dream. He would open his eyes and Britney would be next to him. Adam slowly opened his eyes, hoping to find that he was laying in bed with his girlfriend at his side. But when he opened his eyes he didn't see Britney… he saw Stephanie, Vince, Jay, and Chris… and they were still all in a hospital waiting room. Feeling the beginnings of tears threaten his eyes again, Adam quickly shut them again. About 20 minutes later, he opened them again. He hadn't been sleeping… he was much too afraid of missing something to do that… he was just hoping he could pretend he wasn't there. This time, he saw Dr. Smith in the doorway.
"What is it Doc?" Chris asked, hoping that the news he had was good. He wasn't really wearing any expression at all, so the blonde man couldn't be sure.
Suddenly, he broke out into a smile, and the group's eyes widened. "I have good news… she's awake."
Their initial reaction was for all of them to break out in huge smiles, even Adam. They were so grateful that she was awake. They all started hugging, and it was probably the first really happy moment they'd had since they all had arrived. Then, a question popped into Vince's mind.
"Are we allowed to see her now?" he asked, hoping that they would be allowed. He suspected visiting hours were most likely over, but he was willing to fight for a chance to see he niece.
"Well, technically I'm not supposed to let you because it's so late, but if you promise to be quiet on the way up there, I'll bend the rules for you just this once," Dr. Smith replied, holding the door open for them. They all stood, following him out the door and through the halls. On the way their, Jay looked behind him to see Adam, and he was confused at his expression. He didn't look happy at all. Letting go of Stephanie, he slowed down and waited for Adam to catch up.
"What's wrong man? Aren't you glad she's awake?" he asked curiously. Adam sent him a look that he couldn't quite read. He *was* happy when he heard… he was extremely happy. Hell, if he didn't think he'd look like an ass he would have done a cartwheel down the hallway. Knowing she was awake meant she would most likely be okay… it was the best news he'd heard all day.
"Of course I am," he said, sending Jay an almost hurt look. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know, I'm sorry… you just look a little upset that's all. I was thinking you'd be jumping off the walls," Jay replied. He hadn't meant to offend him, but he could just tell something was up. He knew Adam too well to know that something had to be wrong.
Adam knew he should be ecstatic, and when he first heard the news, he was. But then, as they were walking down the hallway, a thought occurred to him. If Britney had just woken up, Dr. Smith probably just ran out of the room to get them so they could see her in case she fell unconscious again. She probably didn't know anything about Shane, or anything about the baby. As much as he was going to hate doing it, Adam wanted to be the one who told her about the baby dying. He'd much rather her hear it from him then from some strange doctor. Still, he was dreading the moment coming more than anything in the entire world. Looking at Jay with tired, sad eyes, he answered him.
"Jay, I have to tell her about the baby."
Thank you guys so much for all the reviews!!! You're the best! Well, what do you think of this chapter?
