Hey guys. Sorry I disappeared for the last week or so, but between Thanksgiving and us nearing the end of the semester here (my first semester of college, almost over), it's been crazy-go-nuts here. I mean...seriously. Anyway, I'm back, and I'm here with the next chapter of the story.
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Lita sat patiently beside Rob's hospital bed. With the morphine finally wearing off, he dazedly opened his eyes.
Rob looked around in a fog. The last he really remembered he'd been in the ring. Evolution had jumped him backstage and brought him out there...for something. Then he could just hear Lita crying, the same sound that had just woken him up. Here...in a hospital room? He tried to sit up and his left leg screamed with pain. That was when realization struck.
"No," he murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and letting his head drop back down to the pillow. He crossed his arms over his face. "No...this can't be happening..."
"Rob?" Lita's voice was so small and shaken. She sounded terrified. He opened his eyes, tried to smile at her, make her think everything was okay. Her expression made it obvious the lie wasn't working. "Hey beautiful, how long you been there?"
"Rob," she stated this time, trying to sound in control, but her voice was still far too high to hide how upset she was. "Do you know what happened?"
"Yeah, Evolution again. I got whacked by a sledgehammer, so I guess I'm on the shelf for a while, right?"
"Um, well..." She wasn't looking him in the eyes. Another bad sign. Instead she was looking desperately over at Kane, as if begging him to take this burden from her. He wouldn't return her gaze, but instead stared unwaveringly back at Rob. "Tell him, Lita," Bubba encouraged softly.
"You got hit really hard. The kneecap was not only knocked out of alignment, but almost completely shattered. But they were able to operate and piece it back together for the most part, using screws and some synthetic materials."
He was starting to get a little more nervous. "So, what does that mean? How long will it be, between recovery and rehab and all that stuff?"
"Rob..." she took a deep breath, her shoulders shaking a little. "The doctors...they're very confident that, in time, you'll be able to walk without a noticeable limp, but to wrestle..." She tried to open her mouth and make the words come out, but couldn't, so she ducked away, shaking her head.
"They don't think I'll be able to wrestle again?"
"They're saying they know you'll never be able to do anything athletic again."
"Well then that's a lie! They don't know me!"
"Rob, please don't get angry..."
"Of course I'm angry! Evolution pulls one bad stunt and I'm supposed to just give up? But you've already given up on me, so what does it matter?"
"No one's given up on you..."
"Oh, no, you haven't given up. You're sure that one day, if I'm lucky, I won't need a wheelchair. That's not good enough, Lita. It's not enough for me."
"But right now that's all we have."
"It's not enough," he repeated.
"Rob," she took his hands hesitantly, afraid he might jerk away. "Rob, I'm not giving up on you. If you want to wrestle again, and you're willing to work that long and hard for it, then I believe you can. And I'm going to be there for you every step of the way. But right now, you can't get frustrated and in a rush. We've got to start this one step at a time. Now please, just calm down."
"Fine," he sighed impatiently. "One step at a time...So...since you don't want me asking when I can wrestle again...Got any idea when I can leave the hospital?"
Lita smiled at that through her tears. "A week, though you have to come back every day for physical therapy."
"Okay, I can handle that. I'm gonna miss you, though."
"No you're not. I'm gonna take that time off to stay with you. Rey will be in charge while I'm gone."
"No way," Rob argued. "I mean, not that I have a problem with Rey being in charge, but I mean, 'No way are you not going back.'"
"You need someone to stay with you."
"I'm fine. It's not like Evolution's going to come after me now; what's the point? I want you to get back in there and take those guys out for me. This has gone on too long."
"See," Kane smiled slightly from the corner. "I told you he'd never go for it."
"Yeah, you guys were right," Lita sighed. "They all knew you weren't going to let me give up on my career for right now, but I wanted to offer anyway. And the offer still stands, for as long as you need it."
"I know. But you and the rest of ECW have business to attend to, and as for right now, I'm out of commission. I'm gonna miss you guys, though."
"Believe me, we'll miss you too. But we'll keep a spot open for when you come back."
"I will come back," he stated seriously.
"I know you will," she agreed softly.
The nurse bustled in with a syringe. "All right, Mr. Szatkowski, time for some more painkillers. The knee been bothering you since you woke up?"
"I haven't really noticed it," he lied. The nurse smirked. "Whatever you say, tough guy. I'm gonna add this morphine to your i.v. just in case you do start to notice it."
"That's fine with me."
The guys got up and started making their goodbyes. "We've gotta get back on the road, man," Stevie said. "But you know we'll be in touch."
Kane just walked by and patted his shoulder roughly, never big on words. Raven said goodbye but sounded cold and distant, hospitals and all the things they implied having always spooked him in some way. Lita remained where she was sitting beside the bed.
"You staying? I released you from your obligations, remember?"
"I'll be gone when you wake up," she smiled angelically down at him. "But I'll stay until you go to sleep."
"Okay," he murmured, the morphine in his system already starting to take effect. "Li?"
"Mm-hm?"
"Since everyone knows now anyway, can I have a goodbye kiss?"
She giggled and blushed a little. "Okay."
Lita leaned down and her flaming hair fell to lay against the pristine white sheets, a few loose strands tickled against the stubble on Rob's cheek. She place her lips against his once, gently, and pulled away. "I love you," she whispered as she stood up, so faintly he wasn't sure if he'd heard it or imagined it. "I'll see you around," she said casually as she headed for the door.
"Li!" he called. She stopped, her back still facing him. "I-I love you too."
She turned, looked at him once last time, winked and walked out. Despite all he'd come to realize, Rob fell into a contented sleep. His career was probably ruined. He'd be away from all the people he cared about for a very long time. His life as he knew it had come to a screeching halt.
But Lita loved him. And he smiled in his sleep.
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That was way too fluffy for me, but whatever. It was about time something happy happened in this fic. Anyway, sorry for the short chapter but I'm running late for my next class. I'll make it up to you...I hope.
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Lita sat patiently beside Rob's hospital bed. With the morphine finally wearing off, he dazedly opened his eyes.
Rob looked around in a fog. The last he really remembered he'd been in the ring. Evolution had jumped him backstage and brought him out there...for something. Then he could just hear Lita crying, the same sound that had just woken him up. Here...in a hospital room? He tried to sit up and his left leg screamed with pain. That was when realization struck.
"No," he murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and letting his head drop back down to the pillow. He crossed his arms over his face. "No...this can't be happening..."
"Rob?" Lita's voice was so small and shaken. She sounded terrified. He opened his eyes, tried to smile at her, make her think everything was okay. Her expression made it obvious the lie wasn't working. "Hey beautiful, how long you been there?"
"Rob," she stated this time, trying to sound in control, but her voice was still far too high to hide how upset she was. "Do you know what happened?"
"Yeah, Evolution again. I got whacked by a sledgehammer, so I guess I'm on the shelf for a while, right?"
"Um, well..." She wasn't looking him in the eyes. Another bad sign. Instead she was looking desperately over at Kane, as if begging him to take this burden from her. He wouldn't return her gaze, but instead stared unwaveringly back at Rob. "Tell him, Lita," Bubba encouraged softly.
"You got hit really hard. The kneecap was not only knocked out of alignment, but almost completely shattered. But they were able to operate and piece it back together for the most part, using screws and some synthetic materials."
He was starting to get a little more nervous. "So, what does that mean? How long will it be, between recovery and rehab and all that stuff?"
"Rob..." she took a deep breath, her shoulders shaking a little. "The doctors...they're very confident that, in time, you'll be able to walk without a noticeable limp, but to wrestle..." She tried to open her mouth and make the words come out, but couldn't, so she ducked away, shaking her head.
"They don't think I'll be able to wrestle again?"
"They're saying they know you'll never be able to do anything athletic again."
"Well then that's a lie! They don't know me!"
"Rob, please don't get angry..."
"Of course I'm angry! Evolution pulls one bad stunt and I'm supposed to just give up? But you've already given up on me, so what does it matter?"
"No one's given up on you..."
"Oh, no, you haven't given up. You're sure that one day, if I'm lucky, I won't need a wheelchair. That's not good enough, Lita. It's not enough for me."
"But right now that's all we have."
"It's not enough," he repeated.
"Rob," she took his hands hesitantly, afraid he might jerk away. "Rob, I'm not giving up on you. If you want to wrestle again, and you're willing to work that long and hard for it, then I believe you can. And I'm going to be there for you every step of the way. But right now, you can't get frustrated and in a rush. We've got to start this one step at a time. Now please, just calm down."
"Fine," he sighed impatiently. "One step at a time...So...since you don't want me asking when I can wrestle again...Got any idea when I can leave the hospital?"
Lita smiled at that through her tears. "A week, though you have to come back every day for physical therapy."
"Okay, I can handle that. I'm gonna miss you, though."
"No you're not. I'm gonna take that time off to stay with you. Rey will be in charge while I'm gone."
"No way," Rob argued. "I mean, not that I have a problem with Rey being in charge, but I mean, 'No way are you not going back.'"
"You need someone to stay with you."
"I'm fine. It's not like Evolution's going to come after me now; what's the point? I want you to get back in there and take those guys out for me. This has gone on too long."
"See," Kane smiled slightly from the corner. "I told you he'd never go for it."
"Yeah, you guys were right," Lita sighed. "They all knew you weren't going to let me give up on my career for right now, but I wanted to offer anyway. And the offer still stands, for as long as you need it."
"I know. But you and the rest of ECW have business to attend to, and as for right now, I'm out of commission. I'm gonna miss you guys, though."
"Believe me, we'll miss you too. But we'll keep a spot open for when you come back."
"I will come back," he stated seriously.
"I know you will," she agreed softly.
The nurse bustled in with a syringe. "All right, Mr. Szatkowski, time for some more painkillers. The knee been bothering you since you woke up?"
"I haven't really noticed it," he lied. The nurse smirked. "Whatever you say, tough guy. I'm gonna add this morphine to your i.v. just in case you do start to notice it."
"That's fine with me."
The guys got up and started making their goodbyes. "We've gotta get back on the road, man," Stevie said. "But you know we'll be in touch."
Kane just walked by and patted his shoulder roughly, never big on words. Raven said goodbye but sounded cold and distant, hospitals and all the things they implied having always spooked him in some way. Lita remained where she was sitting beside the bed.
"You staying? I released you from your obligations, remember?"
"I'll be gone when you wake up," she smiled angelically down at him. "But I'll stay until you go to sleep."
"Okay," he murmured, the morphine in his system already starting to take effect. "Li?"
"Mm-hm?"
"Since everyone knows now anyway, can I have a goodbye kiss?"
She giggled and blushed a little. "Okay."
Lita leaned down and her flaming hair fell to lay against the pristine white sheets, a few loose strands tickled against the stubble on Rob's cheek. She place her lips against his once, gently, and pulled away. "I love you," she whispered as she stood up, so faintly he wasn't sure if he'd heard it or imagined it. "I'll see you around," she said casually as she headed for the door.
"Li!" he called. She stopped, her back still facing him. "I-I love you too."
She turned, looked at him once last time, winked and walked out. Despite all he'd come to realize, Rob fell into a contented sleep. His career was probably ruined. He'd be away from all the people he cared about for a very long time. His life as he knew it had come to a screeching halt.
But Lita loved him. And he smiled in his sleep.
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That was way too fluffy for me, but whatever. It was about time something happy happened in this fic. Anyway, sorry for the short chapter but I'm running late for my next class. I'll make it up to you...I hope.