Author's Note: Thank you all who reviewed for this story! And thank you for explaining the situation! I love you guys, and please keep reviewing! Oh, I think I've forgotten this the last couple chapters: I don't own anything but the story itself and Kathryn. The wrestlers are © of the WWE.
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Thicker Than Blood
Chapter 4
"Here is a pack of bandages… Make sure you keep your ribs taped up and you don't stress them. You shouldn't need stitches for your forehead, but if it keeps bleeding, check in with the hospital. Be careful with your training for the next couple days, all right?" the balding trainer said, his eyes locked with John Cena's. John nodded absentmindedly, softly touching the band-aid over his forehead. The trainer turned to Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio, who had waited with the fellow wrestler. "Make sure he does, all right?" he asked. At their nods, he stepped away.
"Hey, wait a sec," John spoke up, and the slightly pot-bellied man turned to face him. "How's the girl doing? You know, the Undertaker's daughter?"
The trainer, Anthony Barolo, looked suddenly remorseful. He shook his head slowly. "She's not too good. She's going to need a lot of stitches, and there's a lot of worry about her neck. Apparently, she flipped over in the air, landed on her side and jerked her neck when she collided," his voice was tired, as if he had seen things like this far too much in his life.
John frowned suddenly. "You haven't gotten her to the hospital yet?"
Anthony shook his head. "No, she refuses to be taken. The ambulance is here, but she won't go. The on-site doctor stitched up her wrist, thigh, and forehead, got the cuts that weren't so intensive bandaged, but there's not much he can do. It looks like she's got a concussion…" he trailed off. "If you think you can convince her to go to the hospital, you can go ahead and try." Anthony walked away.
Shrugging, John slid off of the bed and followed Anthony. He nearly gaped at the scene. There were at least six people crowded around the bed, and in the middle was Kathryn. John stuck behind the people for a moment, just watching her. The blood had been wiped off of her, but the job had been apparently hurried. Streaks of crimson traveled across her body. An acute mixture of pain and fear was present in her eyes. One of her hands was gripping the neck brace around her. "Hey, can I get through here?" John asked suddenly, and a few people moved out of his way. John made his way to the foot of the bed. "Guys, leave her alone for a second, alright?" he ordered the men, and they, after a moment of hesitation, stepped back. Cena faced the redhead.
"I'm not going to the hospital," she told him. Her tone was firm with no room for argument. Her breath was slow and raspy.
"Why not?" John asked, keeping his tone light.
Her jaw clenched. "I don't need to."
John paused for a minute. It was clear to him what the real reason was, why she wouldn't go to the hospital. He just wondered what had made her so afraid of hospitals in the first place. "How are you feeling?" he inquired, moving the conversation away from the hospital. She visibly relaxed.
"I just got my ass handed to me on a silver platter," she retorted. "How do you think I feel?" Kathryn retorted, and then looked down, as if ashamed of the snappish tone she used. John's eyes fell on the purple bruises forming on her neck in the shape of fingertips. Anger welled up in him. 'What kind of father would do this to his own daughter?' he wondered.
John turned to the trainers. "I'll take her to the hotel," he stated suddenly, and they gaped.
"What? Are you mad? This girl needs to get the proper treatment!" one said indignantly.
"Does it look like you're going to get her to the hospital anytime soon?" John asked, throwing them temporarily speechless. "Look, I can watch her at the hotel and make sure she doesn't do anything athletic or anything. Isn't it best if she gets some rest?"
"He's right," an elderly man commented, his voice gravelly. "Her concussion is less than mild, and it would be good for her to get rest. I believe it'd also do her well to get away from a…stressful location," he added. The others took a long time to decide, but finally went with him. Obviously, he had their respect and his opinion was important to them.
"Thank you," John said to him.
The man nodded. "Just make sure that she doesn't do anything active or strains herself." After John gave his assent, the trainers departed.
"Do you have any bags or anything?" John asked her, and she shook her head, slowly sliding off of the bed. "Okay then. My car's parked in the lot, Rey and Rob told me they'd meet me there." He walked at a slow pace, as much for his own good as hers. It was quiet between them as they traveled the hallways, the arena unusually silent and empty.
"You don't have to do this, you know," Kathryn said, her voice soft. She glanced over at him.
He looked back at her. "Hey, don't worry about it, it's not a problem." Kathryn sensed that that line of conversation was over. The redhead bit her lip and continued to walk. John spoke next. "I'm curious about a couple things… You don't have to answer or anything, but…"
"Shoot," she told him, interrupting before he could start to ramble.
"Well… Who are you, first?" he asked.
She smiled for a brief second. "Kathryn Calloway, my friends sometimes call me Casey."
"Casey?" he asked.
"My initials," she supplied.
"Ah… So, Kathryn… Why are you here?"
Kathryn was silent for a while, and he could tell she was thinking of what to say. "This whole business between the Undertaker, Paul Bearer and Paul Heyman is a load of horse shit. I mean, come on, Paul Bearer is Dad's conscience? Yeah, right. Anyway… I came to talk some common sense into my dad."
John stared down at her for a minute. He had the distinct feeling that she wasn't telling him the whole truth.
But there was plenty of time to find out.
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Author's Note: Well, another chapter down! Please review! Oh, and by the way, I'll be heading on vacation from the 10th-17th and the 26th-2nd so there will be no updates then!