Disclaimer:  Still own nothing.

A/N:  Sorry about the lack of updates yet again!!!  Things never seem to slow down around here.  My goal is to hopefully have this story finished by the end of the summer.  I am not doing so well on this goal.  I am way behind schedule on this, but I hope to be kicking it into high gear pretty soon.  Thanks to those who reviewed, once again, your comments are greatly appreciated.  Well, 14 hours remain, so lets get this thing going, shall we?  Be sure to check out Heaven's A Lie.

5:00-6:00PM

5:00 Rebecca shifted her car into reverse and tried to get away from the car crash as soon as possible.  After all, she did promise him that she would be there at five.  She was already late.  She turned back to the burning car where her once-husband was.

"Tough love, baby."  She said and shifted the car back into drive again.  "It's just a shame that it had to end like this.  I would've much rather watched you die."  She drove off just as the cops got to the scene of the accident.  She knew that she was going to have to ditch this car soon, since all people were not as dumb as Shawn, and pretty soon someone was going to be connecting the dots.  She looked in the rearview mirror one last time before turning the corner.

"This time, Shawn, you'd better be dead."  She said.

5:03 "Chris, you and I both know that you're wasting my time.  You're wasting my time, and I don't like it when people waste my time."  Ted said.

"Awww, darn." Chris said.  Batista hit him in the back of the head.  Randy snickered.

"Now, what do you say that we just end this little confrontation and be on our way.  You sell me the company, I let you go.  It's just that simple."  Ted said, walking over to Chris.

"Well, that seems like an awfully tempting offer, but even if I was to sell the company to you, how do I know that you would hold up your end of this deal and let us go?"  Chris asked him.  Ted smiled.

"You'd have to trust me."

"Trust goes both ways." Chris said, glancing at Stephanie.

"Indeed."  Ted said, noting the glance between the two.  He turned to Randy and nodded.  Randy stared at him for a moment, then seemed to realize whatever it was that he was supposed to do.  Randy hurried off to a back room to do something. 

"Now Chris, you're forcing me to do something that I don't really want to do."  Ted said.

"What's that?" Chris said sarcastically. Ted's eyes held a sadistic twinkle in them.

5:09 "It's a surprise." Ted said.  Randy returned only a few minutes later and when he entered into Chris' field of vision, he was holding a butcher knife.  Chris felt his stomach sink to the ground.  They wouldn't…………They wouldn't dare. 

"Chris, you're wasting time, and I can't stand for that."  Ted said, and nodded to Batista.  Before Chris could register what was happening, Batista had a good grip on his arm and Randy was right next to him, dangling the knife in front of him.  Chris winced from the arm grab; his hand was still sore from the bullet wound.  Randy began to undo the brace and gauze around Chris' hand.

"Chris, you have two options," Ted said while Randy was doing this.  Chris glared at him.  "You either sell me the company now, or you sell me the company later, after we're finished with you.  It's your choice."

"It's not for sale," Chris repeated.

"If somebody wants to buy it, it's for sale." Ted said.  "Adam, get the rope.  Torrie, please escort Stephanie into the other room, making sure that she can still see."  Chris turned back to Randy and looked at his hand.  Fresh blood was pouring out of it again.  Batista held his arm so that the hand was lying against the arm of the chair.  Chris felt the rope being looped around his arm and ankles again.

"Have fun Chris."  Adam said.  Chris glared at him.  Adam went over and stood by Ted.

5:17 "All right Randy."  Ted said.  Chris tried to brace himself, but nothing could be a sufficient brace for what happened next.  Randy raised the butcher knife high in the air and slammed it down against the chair through the bullet wound, making a bigger hole.  Chris let out an inhuman howl of pain and threw his head back against the chair.  His whole body seemed to spasm with the pain.  The pain was the only thought in his brain. Stephanie screamed in the other room as she was watching it on the surveillance camera, Torrie smiled.  Randy left it there for a few seconds until Chris seemed to be getting it under control again.  He turned to Ted.

"Again." 

Randy ripped the knife back out, receiving another howl from Chris at this.  Before giving Chris time to react, he slammed the knife down again.  However, this time his aim was off a little and the knife went through Chris' wrist, and through the arm of the chair below Chris' arm.  Chris let out a sickening mix of a howl and a scream at the full force that his voice would go.

"What do you say Chris?  Yes or no?"  Ted asked.  Tears were streaming down Chris' face.  His whole body was shaking, and he could barely hear what he was saying.

"No." he growled.  Ted shrugged.

5:19 "Continue." He said.  Randy grabbed the knife and tried to pull it out of the chair, but it was stuck.  Chris was still moaning from the pain.  Randy tried wiggling the knife to loosen it up and then pull it out, but the knife seemed to be lodged in the chair.  Randy looked at Batista.

"Let me try." He said, and Randy and him swapped spots.  Batista grabbed the knife and tried bending it to the side and pulling it out, but that didn't work either.  Chris was fighting to stay conscious.  Batista put both hands on the handle and threw his whole weight to yank it out.  He went spiraling backwards as Chris screamed again.  He looked at what he was holding.

The handle of the knife had broken off, but the blade was still in his wrist.

5:23 "STOP!!!!"  Stephanie screamed, running as fast as she could towards Chris, who had passed out from the pain.  "STOP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!

"I'll never stop until I own this company!!!"

"Well, you own it, now please STOP!!!"  Stephanie screamed.  Tears were rolling down her face.  Ted brought out the contract and gave her a pen.  She scribbled her name through the tears and thrust it back at him.

"Leave us alone," Stephanie whispered.  "Hold up your end."

"Good doing business with you."  Ted said, and motioned for everyone else to leave the building.  "Maybe I'll see you again soon."  Stephanie was shaking.  Once the others left the building, she began to untie the ropes that bound Chris to the chair.  She began to tap him to try and get him awake.  Chris' head jerked up suddenly and he began to look around wildly.  When he noticed that it was just him and Stephanie he hoped that she hadn't done what he thought she had.  She shook her head miserably.

"I had to, I couldn't stand it anymore.  Chris, no company is worth this." She said, gesturing to his hand.  "Besides, I want to have some part of my husband left when this is over." She said.  Chris nodded and was still breathing heavy.  He looked back at his hand and knew that the pain wasn't going to be receding for very much longer.  Stephanie noticed him staring at it.

"I'll go and call the ambulance." She said.

"No.  Not yet.  I'll get it out."  He said, pleading with her.

"Chris, just let me call the ambulance." 

"No.  Let me do it." He said again.  Stephanie's worry line returned and she let him do what he wanted.  Chris grabbed the blade by the blunt side and took a few deep breaths. Stephanie grabbed onto one of his legs. He looked at her, and held her eyes as he yanked the blade out.  He screamed again as the blood began to flow freely down his arm.  He drew his arm closer to him and tried to apply pressure to it.  Stephanie hurried off to find a phone and call an ambulance.  Chris leaned back in his chair and tried not to think about his hand. 

If he'd have known how hard today was going to be, he wouldn't even have gotten up.

5:44 When Shawn woke up, he was lying on a gurney and on his way to a hospital.

"Just lie still, okay buddy?  Lie still, we're getting you to the hospital, okay?"  He heard one of the paramedics say to him.

"W-Where's Jay?" he asked.  He had said it so lightly that the paramedic didn't hear him.  Shawn passed out wondering whether his friend was okay or not.

5:48 Chris was walking out of the warehouse towards the ambulance with Stephanie right next to him, holding his other arm.  Chris sat down on the back of the ambulance and let the paramedic work with his hand.  The sunlight was in his eyes and his lifted his other hand to shield it away.  The glare of the sun hit his wedding band, and shone in Stephanie's face.  She sat down next to him to get away from it.  She patted his arm.

"The day is almost over.  We can finally take that vacation we're always talking about."  She said.  He turned to her, still grimacing, but not as much as before since they had given him some morphine. 

"I hope you're right."  He said.  He brought his hand down and hugged her.  He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you more, and I'm sorry about throwing in the towel for you."

"I'm glad you did.  I'm not sure how much longer I could've held out."  He said and noticed that Stephanie shuddered.  "You ok?" he asked her.  She said nothing.  "Stephanie?"  He turned her to face him.  Her eyes were wide in shock.

5:54  "Stephanie?  Say something!" Chris yelled.  The other paramedic walked over to see what was wrong.  "Stephanie, talk to me?  Please say something." He said.  Stephanie blinked and stared at him.

"Chris?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"I think my water just broke." She said.  Chris felt his jaw drop.  The look on his face was one of mixed shock and disbelief.

"W-What? You mean it's time?" he asked.  She nodded.  "Oh my God."

"Is everything alright?" the other paramedic asked, finally reaching them.  Chris smiled.

"My wife's having a baby!"  He screamed.  The first paramedic finished with Chris' hand.

"Then let's get her to the hospital so that she can deliver."  The second paramedic said.  The first one walked around to the front of the ambulance, while Chris helped Stephanie in, and climbed up in after her.  The paramedics piled in and they were soon on their way.

5:59 "I love you."  Chris told her, as he held her hand when a contraction hit her.  "I love you more than anything in the world."

6:00