Part Four

A thick tension hung in the air as the four wrestlers waited for word about their fallen friend. Jeff and Matt wouldn't even look at each other, never mind speak again after the earlier terse exchange between the two. Edge currently stood over by the windows, watching aimlessly at the traffic on the street outside as the occasional ambulance would scream into the bay ahead of the other cars, rushing it's occupants inside and behind those swinging doors, the same doors where Lita currently was somewhere.

Chris Jericho had stretched out on three of the hard plastic chairs, turning them into a makeshift cot. Jeff looked up over the magazine he was pretending to read, and glanced over at his friend, wincing as he noted the position the blonde Canadian currently held. Matt simply sat in one of the chairs, staring blankly at his feet, his eyes never leaving the floor.

Just as Jeff was about to get up and go wake Jericho, intending on saving him from a major backache, the doctor came out the swinging doors and towards the men in the waiting area.

"Mr. Hardy?" he asked.

"Yes," came the answer in stereo, as both Jeff and Matt snapped their heads up and answered on instinct. Both men rose to their feet from opposite sides of the room, walking forward to meet the doctor. The doctor looked momentarily perplexed as to whom he should be addressing.

"Here, doc," said Jeff taking the lead. "Um, this is my brother, Matt."

The doctor nodded, then noticed he was going to be joined by two more of Lita's friends. Edge walked over towards the group, stopping to shake Jericho on the shoulder and wake him out of his fitful slumber. "C'mon, man get up," he said, then joined Matt and Jeff with the doctor.

"How is she?" asked Jeff.

"She's going to be ok, right?" Matt added.

"I'm Doctor Silas," the man introduced himself. "I've been one of the doctors working with your friend. She took quite a nasty fall earlier."

"She was attacked," Edge corrected.

"Right. That would explain a lot of the bruises," he continued.

"Bruises?" Matt asked. But Jeff cut him off.

"Doc, when it happened she told me she couldn't feel her legs. Is she going to be alright?" a worried Jeff inquired.

"Lita landed on her back, which is of course her spinal cord and vertebrae. When we took x-rays, we saw some pressure and swelling on her lower vertebrae, which is what caused her loss of feeling."

"So," Matt interrupted, "It's only temporary?"

"I can't say for sure yet," Doctor Silas continued, "but we've seen cases like hers before. As the swelling goes down on her back, the pressure should be relieved and she should gain the feeling in her legs again."

"Thank God," said Jericho, raking his hands over his red-rimmed eyes.

"Regardless, she isn't going to get better overnight. And she's going to have to go through some physical therapy, to help her get her strength back. Basically, she'll be learning how to walk again."

"What about her neck, Doctor?" Edge asked.

"We also x-rayed her neck, given her medical history and current rehabilitation program from her neck surgery. Your friend must have a guardian angel, because she seems to have escaped serious re-injury there. The metal plate appears to be fastened as it was originally and the bones appeared to be fusing normally."

"Thank God," Jericho said again.

"I bet she's going to be sore there anyway," Matt surmised. "That was still one hell of a rattle she took from Jamal and Rosie."

"Put it this way, Matt. Don't expect her to be very friendly to you for a while. She's not feeling real well."

"She's not very friendly with me now," Matt muttered, looking away.

"She has a few lacerations and quite a few bruises, and she has a sprained wrist. Her back though is her most serious injury. But she is awake and has been talking to us. We've moved her to a private room and given her a mild sedative to help her rest. In a little bit she'll be out for the night, so if you'd like, I can take you in to see her for just a minute. But just for a few minutes, and one at a time. She's had enough excitement for one night."

All four men fell into step then, following the doctor towards Lita's room. "You know, Lita had been asking for Rainbow. I wasn't sure who or what she was talking about. Now I think I do," Doctor Silas chuckled as Jeff smiled. His friend was going to be ok.

TBC