Author's Note: Decided to try and catch up on this story again, so you're getting another chapter! Anyway, it's almost 2004! Wow… This story's been around for 9 months. It really doesn't seem that far along… Still, that means I've been posting about 4 2,000 word chapters, or so my calculator says. Whatever, I don't trust it ~.^ Anyway, we're finally onto the "XL" chapters. No, it doesn't mean they're bigger, though I wish I had the time!! Please review!
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Dangerous Business
Chapter XLI
The waiting room of the hospital was eerily quiet. Six men and woman sat in the hard, plastic chairs, each showing different signs of worry. Jeff, looking as if he was a zombie, stared at the wall, biting on his lip. Next to him, his girlfriend, Trish, gripped his hand, looking worried as well. Two red-headed women—Willow and Lita—sat away from the couple, their gazes wandering over the waiting room. Edge slouched next to Willow, elbows on his thighs, shaking his head frequently, as if to repel pessimistic thoughts. Chris Jericho sat in the back of the room, having refused to speak of what happened to anyone, blue eyes downcast but hopeful, hands twisting in his lap. Silence hung over the six, and if anyone recognized the WWE wrestlers, they didn't dare approach them.
A doctor suddenly appeared from the hallway to their left, eyes set on Jeff, the patient's only relative. Jeff nearly leapt out of his seat and sprinted toward the doctor. "She's in pretty good shape, considering what it appears she went through. We've run some tests, so we won't know how bad it really is until the results come back. You can speak to her now, but don't overwhelm her. Two at a time at the most," he added, nodding his head at Jeff and walking away briskly. Jeff looked over at the others.
"Lita and Trish, you want to go first?" he asked. "Edge and Willow, you guys can go second," Jeff's eyes landed on Chris as he looked up. Chris understood the look—Jeff wanted to talk with him. The blonde Canadian bowed his head, still relieved over the information. Liz was all right. Physically, at the least, but all right.
As the four others moved to go near Liz's room, Jeff sat down next to Chris. "I'm not going to ask what happened. I got what you saw from the police," he added, and Jericho turned slightly, thankful that he didn't have to explain the treacherous sight still imprinted in his mind. Jeff looked at Jericho, holding the man's attention this time. "You are going to go see her, right?"
"Yeah," it was the bluntest answer he could say, and so he did. Chris blinked at Jeff, slightly curious. What was this all about, if he didn't want to ask about the attack?
"Look, you have to understand what she's going through, besides all the stuff that happened before this. That house? That was the place she'd always go to when Aunt Lee and Uncle Mark fought, and sometimes when she and Austin fought. She used to help out an old couple that lived there, now she bought the house after they passed away… But my point is, that was her safe place; the place that, no matter what, was safe from everything. Now that that element of safe is gone, she may not think there's any other place she's safe from this bastard." He looked at Chris, eyes hardening. "It's not exactly a secret that you like Liz as more than a friend—hell, everyone says you've changed from heel to face on-screen for her. I don't really care what you do for her, but God help you if you put anymore stress into her life. Right now she doesn't need you added to Brock and Rob to stress her out. You got it?"
"I got it," Jericho replied quietly, looking back at the bleak, sterile walls surrounding them. Jeff sighed, setting his head in his hands.
"She doesn't deserve this," he whispered, mostly to himself. Chris blinked quietly, thinking, ignoring Jeff's obvious thought.
"She's going to have to go through more," he spoke aloud, leaning back in his chair. "Whoever is doing this knows her. He or she… Hell, we'll just call it "it" because it doesn't deserve a name that's remotely human. It knows how she reacts to things. What she holds in high honor; how she'd risk herself for her family and friends… Liz won't be able to trust anyone. Anyone she looked to as a friend could be her attacker."
"There are two," Jeff said suddenly, glancing up. "It has to be. The woman who attacked her in the ring and the man who attacked Austin…" he sighed, "At least she knows it's not Austin."
"It could be them… But what about Evolution? She gave them the beating of their lives in that steel cage match, and they haven't done anything to her… Randy must've ruined it for them when they tried to. This could be some sort of sick way of revenge…" he trailed off.
"But whoever did this…" Jeff stopped, fighting tears. "…they killed Qui," a strangled sob escaped his throat, followed by a hollow laugh, "Evolution wouldn't want that much of a black mark on their names…"
Chris was quiet at Dominique's mention in their conversation, trying to fight the wave of sadness that came over him. He hadn't known Dominique that well…but among his new friends like Jeff and Liz, her effect was there, giving everyone a brighter outlook. Now that she was gone… Chris swallowed, thinking over what Jeff said. There was one flaw with it, but the blonde Canadian didn't want to bring it up. Still, he had to. "There's not a huge difference between a coma and death, Jeff," he whispered. "Under the contract she signed, they weren't liable for any actions they did on the show, and there wasn't any proof of further harm off of it… Maybe they got overconfident and cocky…" Jeff and Chris were silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Maybe it could've been those two or Evolution," Jeff amended. "But there's still other people, like Paul Heyman," the name left his throat coated with venom. "She didn't do what he wanted. Liz kept on, whatever he did, and he wanted her to fall…" he trailed off, and Chris caught his train of thought. 'He could've come obsessed with his goal,' Jeff finished mentally, throat tightening at the thought of his cousin being a simple 'goal' in mind for someone; that so much pain would be inflicted on her for that reason.
"The police will look into it," Chris said, voice dry. It was a feeble statement. Neither of them had much hope in the law enforcement. They didn't know Liz – they didn't have the insight they needed. Chris ran a hand through his tangled hair, his insides twisted as he tried to figure out who would do such a thing. To his horror, several names added to those they'd already mentioned. Chris jerked his head up suddenly, a thought occurring to him. "What if… What if whoever did this got together with one of the others?" he said quietly, and Jeff froze beside him, silently imagining it.
'If someone like Heyman did it… And they got together with Evolution or that asked duo…' Jeff barely restrained the urge to throw something across the room. 'She'd be as good as dead,' a voice in his head finished chillingly. He glanced up as Lita and Trish returned; their eyes downcast. He sighed to himself. "What can I tell her to do?" he asked quietly, jaw clenching—the only strong part of his posture. "If she stays safe, it's almost the equivalent of being locked in a cell, and Liz would rather die than be like that. If she stops wrestling, that's no way to be sure that they wouldn't still come after her…"
"She can't do anything," Chris interrupted as Jeff trailed off. "She's a sitting duck no matter where she goes or what she does. Whoever attacked her will find her."
Jeff's eyes blazed suddenly, his fists clenching. "Then God have mercy on their souls, because I won't."
"You can't be everywhere Jeff," Chris responded, closing his eyes, hating to shut down his friend's sudden hope. "It's all up to her. No one else can save her."
Chris could feel Jeff's glare even with his eyes closed. "The way you tell it she's a dying duck with no chance except a miracle."
Chris opened his bloodshot eyes, and said plainly, "Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that it's not that? That she's strong enough to go through this all without anyone she can allow herself to trust or a miracle?" Jeff froze, and then sunk into his seat.
"No."
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Author's Note: A longer chapter than usual, I think. Anyway, if anyone really cares, I still don't own anybody but the people that are made-up. I'll try to update as much as I can before the s-word starts next week. *cries* Vacation went way too fast!! Well, I'm out of time. Please review!!