Author's Note: I don't own anything, characters are copyright of the WWE. Sorry for the long delay, I was busy. As of now, I'm suspended from posting anything because I had an entry as an author's note. Anyway, by the time you read this, it won't really matter. At any rate, please review!
P.S. – Thanks for the info about their son, DI1! :)
* * * * * *
Dangerous Business
Chapter XLII
Blurry shapes registered in her mind, followed by soft voices. She lifted her head, and immediately a fierce wave of pain burned through it. "Liz?" the silhouette to her right leaned forward, abruptly stopping the flow of words coming from their mouth. Liz opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. 'Where am I?' Liz wondered to herself quietly as her eyes started to focus. 'Why am I here?' "Liz, it's me, Willow," the person on her right said softly.
Liz licked her lips, and then hoarsely whispered, "Will, why'd you fly way down here for this? And what happened? Why am I…here?" Willow sighed quietly. 'At least she knows that she was down here at her house and by the one Lee sold. One fact down, a billion more to go…'
Willow didn't answer any of her questions. "I was going to visit you up in Michigan—I thought you were at the house there…"
"So you came here?" Liz's voice was barely audible.
Willow tucked some of her deep red hair behind her ears as she paused, looking down at her hands, which were resting on top of a pair of leather pants she'd hurriedly thrown on before driving to the airport. "I went in, and then Jeff called… I got here as soon as I could. Your mom should be coming anytime soon."
"You didn't really answer my question."
"I know," Willow responded. She couldn't find the heart to. "Lita and Trish were here for a little bit, so was Edge, but he left a couple minutes ago." Liz turned her head, wincing at the pounding ache that it sparked. She studied her friend silently. Her red hair was a tangled mess, and there were dark lines beneath her brown eyes. Willow had obviously dressed in a hurry—Liz knew her friend wouldn't normally be caught dead in an old, rumpled tee shirt and leather pants.
Liz swallowed slowly, leaning back onto her pillows, trying to recall why she was here. 'Something bad must've happened for Willow to fly down here and mention that Mom is on her way...' "You said Trish, Lita, and Edge were here earlier?" she asked, and Willow nodded. "Is Edge still here?" As close as she was to Willow, being with Edge almost every day had made them closer friends, and where Willow refused to say anything to her that might hurt her, even if it was simply relaying events, Edge would.
Willow shrugged. "I don't know. I think he left to get us some lunch."
"The way you ogle him, you'd think you would keep tabs on him." The redhead next to her responded with an eye roll. "Is Jeff here?"
"Yeah, he and that Jericho character are out in the waiting room." Liz paused before speaking. 'Jericho? Why is *he* here?' Perhaps she'd forgiven him for what he'd done earlier—hell, it was as painful as a punch to her in the scale of things lately. But she really didn't think that they had any sort of friendship.
Liz sighed, and instead of asking about Jericho, said "Can you send Jeff in?" Willow nodded, walking out briskly. Liz gently reached up to massage her forehead, when she felt a jerk of pain in her left shoulder. Her eyes flew open, and she hissed through clenched teeth. After the initial pain subsided, she warily eyed her shoulder, peeling away the hospital gown from the skin slowly. Her skin was a mix of purple and black there, the bruise traveling to her back. Liz let the hospital gown fall back into place and surveying her arms, spotting small bruises and cuts.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty," Jeff said as he stepped into the room, sitting down next to her. "Will says you wanted me to come. What's up?" Liz took in a note of his bloodstained eyes and disheveled appearance; his forced cheerfulness.
"Tell me what happened," she demanded.
"You don't remember," Jeff stated quietly, eyes downcast. "What's the last thing you do remember?"
"I was at my house, printing out some papers from Vince," Liz paused, and then began again. "I thought I felt something watching me, but it was nothing," she felt foolish for admitting the fact…but what if that had been something? Her mind seemed to come into focus as she continued. "I was out of paper… So I headed downstairs."
The darkness of the basement surrounded her. Her heels clunked down heavily on each step as she headed down them.
"I went to turn on the light…"
Her hand pressed along the walls, searching for a switch. It brushed against something, and then a hand grabbed hers in a painful grip.
Liz jerked in her hospital bed, eyes flashing open. She could still feel his hand clamped on hers, hot pain running through them. Suddenly memories raced through her mind. "Dominique…" she whispered.
Jeff bowed his head. "Dead." The four letters pushed Liz into silence. As the brunette felt tears prick at her eyes, she couldn't help but think that she was forgetting something.
The brunette was hunched over from the blow that came to her skull, and she was teetering on the edges of unconsciousness. A malicious whisper reached her ears just as total blackness surrounded her.
Liz's eyes widened, and she fought the urge to move. "Jeff!" she propped herself up on her right arm. "He's after Rob!"
Jeff raised his eyebrows. "Liz, Rob is safe on a plane to RAW by now."
If she hadn't felt that it was a waste of precious time, she would've slapped him for his stupidity. She was "safe" at her house too. "Give me your phone!" Jeff hesitated, but eventually handed it over. Liz quickly dialed Rob's number, silently praying for his voice to answer the phone.
But it wasn't his voice that answered. It was a voice she knew well, but could not place.
It was the voice of her attacker.
* * * * * *
Author's Note: Not much to say here, but please, please review!