Author's note: Hey everybody 'hugs all' I hope you enjoy the new chapter 'smile'

And since I'm not sure if I'm allowed to answer to my reviews I better don't before the story gets removed... well but thank you all for your kind words and nice comments 'hugs'

Have fun with the new chappy 'smile'

Zanderlover: I'm happy to see you back and I promise I'll answer the questions in your reviews in the next e-mail 'smile' 'hugs'

Disclaimer: Nothing in this story belongs to me except Martha, Marissa and Alexi 'smile'

Chapter 24: Getting better

Marissa, Shawn, Randy, Chris, John and Dave watched the young doctor go. John couldn't help to notice that Chris followed her every move until she was out of sight.

With a slight grin he wondered what was going through Y2J's mind right now.

Meanwhile Alexandria's mother squeezed Shawn's hand and smiled.

"Shall we go down to see our baby?" She questioned, feeling it was the right thing to do to call Alexandria Shawn's and her baby.

"Of course Marissa…" HBK nodded, trying to suppress the insecurity he felt when he thought about the fact that he was going to see his grown-up daughter, lying in a hospital bed still asleep after an operation.

The two started to walk down the hall when suddenly Randy stepped into their way.

He had a look on his face that was a mix of determination and guilt.

"Sorry Shawn, Marissa… I know how much you want to go to see Lexi and how much you want to be with her, but I fear she doesn't want to see you. She asked me to keep you away from her for a while…" He explained and it was evident that he was torn between his loyalty to Alexandria and the fact that he knew that Marissa and Shawn had the right to see their daughter.

The young Orton's words had made Marissa and Shawn stop dead in their tracks and Chris, Dave and John looked on in confusion. They had known that Alexandria was angry at them but they had no idea that it went that far as that she didn't want to see them.

"But… I'm her mother…" Marissa started but stopped since she had no idea what to say.

HBK just looked at Randy with such a sad look in his eyes that Randy was tempted to just step aside to let them in but he had given Alexi his word and he intended to keep it.

"I know Marissa… but she's hurt and confused and she asked me to stop you from seeing her until she's talked to Sid Eudy to find out what has happened twenty years ago."

Shawn clenched his free hand into a fist as soon as Randy had spoken Sid Eudy's name.

But before he could say something, Randy turned around to Chris. The blonde man had tried to sneak past Randy to go to see Alexandria.

"Stop right there Y2J. She doesn't want to see you either…" He explained and the vehemence in his words made Jericho stop.

Chris felt like he'd been slapped in the face.

But honestly how can I blame her, after everything that has happened. He thought sadly.

John looked at Randy and could easily see the inner turmoil of the young man.

He knew that Randy wanted to make sure Alexandria would get what she wanted but on the other hand he was also honest enough to see that it hurt Shawn, Marissa and Chris not to be able to see Alexandria.
Man… Randy needs a break himself. And if they start to argue out here it will get us nowhere.

So the Dr. of Thuganomics stood up and stepped between Shawn, Marissa and Randy.

"Guys… I know I'm just sort of a casual observer here but I have a suggestion to make."

He looked around to see if he had all of their attention.

Batista just raised and eyebrow, knowing that there was nothing he could do right now.

Randy, Shawn, Marissa and Chris looked at Cena with a lot of interest in their eyes.

"Well, Dr. Cormela said that it will take at least an hour before Alexandria wakes up. Perhaps Shawn, Chris and Marissa can go in and see her just for a little while and before she wakes up they can leave." He explained his idea, clearly seeing the pained expression in Marissa's eyes.

"I know it's hard Mrs. Reed but we need to think about Alexandria here and if we start to scare or anger her right after she wakes up it won't do her any good."
Marissa sighed.

"You're right John…" She finally admitted. She wanted nothing more than for her little girl to get well soon. "I think I can live with that for now… if it's okay with Randy."

The Legend Killer nodded a little relieved. He was glad that John had made that suggestion because it solved his problems at least a little.

And he felt a wave of affection towards Alexandria's mother because he saw that she wanted nothing more than to see her daughter but still she respected Randy as Alexandria's 'bodyguard'.

So Randy nodded.

"I think that's okay… but please… I know it's hard but you really need to go before she wakes up."
Marissa and Shawn nodded.

The Heartbreak Kid looked at Randy and felt even worse for what he'd said earlier to the young Orton.

Randy now turned to Chris.

"So are you okay with John's suggestion too?" He questioned.

Chris looked everything but happy with it but he knew it was his only chance to see Alexandria right now.

"Okay Randy. But I have one condition." He told the Legend Killer.

Randy raised an eyebrow in question.

"What condition?"
"I want an immediate update if there's any change in Alexandria's condition as long as she's not ready to talk to any of us. And I want you to stay in the room if Sid comes back to talk to her." Chris demanded.

"Of course Chris, that's the least I can do." Randy confirmed.

With all that settled, Shawn, Marissa, Randy and Chris walked the rest of the way to Alexandria's hospital room.

John and Dave had decided to stay back. They had told the others that they'd go to the cafeteria to get all of them something to eat and to drink.

Marissa stopped in the doorway when she saw Alexandria lying in the big hospital beds, attached to some machines that made sure that her condition was stable.

She had a big bandage around her head, covering her eyes. The girl looked pale in the hospital gown and even though Marissa knew that Alexandria was in no life-threatening condition Marissa couldn't help but see images of Alexi lying in the hospital bed a few months ago, fighting for her life.

In that moment Marissa was glad that Shawn was with her, because he immediately put an arm around her shoulder to give her support.

Once again Marissa felt as if the twenty years of separation between her and Shawn had never happened.

"Don't worry Marissa… Alexi will wake up soon and then this room won't look as frighteningly as it does right now." Shawn whispered in her ear. He was still not 100 percent sure what had happened, why exactly Alexi was in hospital and what an accident she'd had. But he knew that he needed to be there for Alexandria and Marissa to make up for the twenty years he hadn't been there for them.

Marissa leaned back in Shawn's arms a little and watched Randy and Chris who cautiously approached Alexandria's bed. For a moment it looked as if Chris wanted to reach for Alexi's hand but stopped himself and let Randy take her hand softly.

With a sigh Jericho stepped back, watching Alexi and Randy.

The young Orton had sat down in a chair beside the bed and stared at Alexandria.

Chris smiled a little. He had never seen Randy act this way and despite all that had happened in the last few hours, Randy still pushed aside his insecurities and his anger towards Shawn just to keep his promise to Alexandria.

He really must love her… Chris realised and his smile grew wider but when he looked at Shawn and Marissa he quickly wiped away that smile because he knew they would get the wrong impression when they saw him smiling, but he was just so glad that Randy and Alexandria had found each other.

He was also glad that Marissa and Shawn seemed to really get back together.

And that after twenty years of separation… but I guess true love never dies… He thought, smirking in his mind at his poetic thought.

There still hadn't been spoken a word since the four had entered Alexandria's room but surprisingly it was Shawn who broke the silence.

"Marissa… I know you don't want to leave her now… I don't want either but we can't do anything for her now. And you need to rest a while. We should go and get a bite to eat. Randy will be there for Alexi when she wakes up so we know she's in good hands. And there are still a lot of questions for both of us to answer. And the faster they're answered the faster we can work on repairing Alexandria's trust in us."

Chris smiled a little. Shawn was absolutely right about that and he could see in Marissa's face that she knew that HBK was right too.

So she nodded slowly.

"Okay…" Marissa agreed and walked over to Randy, who was sitting on his chair, staring at Alexandria.

When Marissa laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder it snapped Randy out of his trance.

He turned his head to look at Alexandria's mother.

"Will you tell me when she wakes up? Will you tell me how she is?" She asked, trying to hold back her tears.

Randy nodded with a slight smile on his lips.

"Of course I will…" He replied, briefly touching the hand on his shoulder.

"And I'll try to talk to her so that she will allow you to see her."
"Thanks Randy… you're a good kid… I know my daughter's save with you."
The young Orton smiled and then turned his head back to Alexandria again.

Marissa walked back to Shawn, knowing that there was everything said at the moment.

Chris looked at Marissa and Shawn and then at Randy and sensed that this was his cue to go too.
So he walked over to Marissa and Shawn.

"I'll go too… see if I can find Dave and John…" He told Randy even though it was totally unnecessary because the young Orton was already focused on Alexandria again.

Chris, Marissa and Shawn looked at each other and left the room, walking down to the cafeteria too. Marissa and Shawn needed to talk and Chris would go to find Dave and John.

While Shawn, Chris, Marissa and Randy were on their way to see Alexandria, John and Dave made their way over to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

Batista looked at John and finally asked the question he had wanted to ask John ever since their earlier conversation with Randy.

"Um John, I probably don't have the right to ask this and you probably won't or can't answer me anyway… bit I'm gonna ask anyway. Why did ya call Randy's father an asshole?"

The Animal could've sworn that John had stiffened for just a second but when he answered his voice was calm.

"Did I say that?" He asked innocently.

"Yes you did. You said just because Randy's father can't see it doesn't mean that others can't see what a fine young man Randy is… or something like that…"

"Oh well… I just said that to make Randy feel better." John answered but not very convincingly.

"John, I know you well enough to know that you're lying. You had a good reason for saying that earlier and not just because to make Randy feel better. So tell me what's going on with Randy and his father."
"Look Dave, I know you're worried 'bout RKO but Randy's story is his to tell."
Batista sighed. He hoped that John would change his mind and tell him because he sensed there was a lot more to John's comment than the other wanted to tell him.

When he looked at John, however, he immediately knew that the current WWE-Champion wouldn't tell him more.

He sighed again, making a mental note to ask Randy later to see if he'd be able to find out more.

The two wrestlers had now reached the cafeteria. Immediately a lot of heads turned towards them and they were immediately recognised.

"Oh my god… that's John Cena and Dave Batista…." One of the younger patients yelled. Cena and Batista looked at each other, tempted to turn around but when they looked at the smiling and delighted faces of the children they just couldn't.

Together they posed for some photos and gave some autographs. But they didn't answer the questions concerning why they were at the hospital and why John was with Dave. They just told them that they were two friends spending their free time together because Vince would kill them if they told people that John had been the first draft pick.

When they had finally finished giving autographs they went to get some food. They were waiting for their order, when suddenly another commotion broke out when Chris, Shawn and Marissa entered the cafeteria.

"Shit…" John swore between gritted teeth because there would certainly be a lot of questions as to why Chris and Shawn were here too and perhaps even more important why Marissa and HBK were holding hands.

John was somehow glad about the situation because Batista was so intent on rescuing Jericho, HBK and Marissa that he had forgotten all about his earlier question about Randy's father.

"And what are we gonna do now?" He questioned, looking at Dave for an answer.

Batista just shrugged. "Grab our order, then grab Shawn, Marissa and Chris and get them outta here…"

John grinned a little. "Good plan…" He acknowledged. The two quickly took their order and walked over to Y2J, HBK and Marissa. John grabbed Chris's arm and Batista grabbed Shawn's arm who still held Marissa's hand. So they dragged Alexi's parents and Chris out of the cafeteria into the empty hallway. Luckily nobody of the patients and visitors in the restaurant had the bright idea to follow them.

"Care to tell me why you just did that?" Y2J asked when the five were out of the room.

Batista shrugged.

"We just figured that you didn't want to answer all the questions of the fans." He explained.

Chris nodded. He hadn't even thought about that because so far they hadn't been recognised and he just now realised that they had been lucky so far that the fans hadn't attacked them.

"Okay… I can see that… I just haven't thought about that…" Jericho told them.

Shawn nodded too. He squeezed Marissa's hand briefly and smiled at her.

"We got ya something to eat." John told the others and handed them the bags he had gotten.

They had ordered sandwiches because that had been the easiest to transport.

Marissa gratefully took one of the sandwiches because she now realised how hungry she was since she hadn't eaten anything since she'd left to drive to New York.

"I'll go find a doctor and ask if there's a quiet place where we can stay without the fans seeing us."
"Okay…" Shawn nodded. He'd be thankful for a quiet place to talk to Marissa because even though he knew that he still loved her, he knew they had a lot to talk about.

Jericho was gone without another word.

Marissa, Shawn, Dave and John stood in silence for a while. None of them really knew what to say.

Batista and Cena knew that Marissa and HBK wanted to talk but they also knew that this was neither the time nor the place to have that talk.

So there was nothing else to do as to wait that Chris came back, telling them where they could go.

Chris walked down the hall of the hospital, looking to find a certain female doctor.

He didn't have to search for long because Dr. Cormela just exited one of her patient's rooms and nearly ran into Jericho because she had her eyes on the chart in her hand.

"Oh sorry…" She started and looked up from her papers.

"Oh hey Chris, is there something wrong with Alexandria?" Martha questioned.

"No there isn't. I just wanted to ask you if you perhaps know where Alexi's parents, Dave, John and I could go to have some privacy so that the people won't recognise us that much and perhaps endanger the daily routine here in the hospital."
Dr. Cormela nodded. She hadn't even thought about the fact that Chris, Shawn, Dave, Randy and John were famous because they had been so down to earth that they were looking like normal people. "Of course. You can go to my office. I won't be there for a while because there are still a lot of patients I have to check. So you will have your privacy there."
"Thanks…" Chris smiled at the young woman already turning around to go back to the others when he turned back again, a thought coming to his mind and since Chris had always been one to speak his mind he asked: "Um Martha, I know it may come a little surprisingly but I was wondering if you'd perhaps like to have some coffee with me when you have a break… I mean I'll be here for a while waiting until I know what's happening with Alexi and I'd really like to have a quiet talk with you."

For a second Martha thought she'd misheard Chris and resisted the urge to pinch herself to find out if she was still sleeping because she couldn't believe that Chris Jericho had just asked her to have coffee with him.

Oh… he probably only wants to talk about Alexandria… but hey… who am I to say no to an invitation from Chris Jericho? Dr. Cormela thought, trying to hold back the big smiled.

Chris was still looking at her expectantly.

"Well I can perfectly understand if you don't have the time but…"
Martha quickly interrupted him. "No… I'd really like to have a coffee with you." She hastened to say but trying to sound casual. After a quick glance at her watch she added: "I've a coffee break in about half an hour if there doesn't come up an emergency we can meet at Alexandria's room."
Jericho smiled brightly. "Well then until later. I need to go back to the others to tell them that they can use your office."
Martha nodded and quickly explained the way to her office.

Chris smiled at her one last time before he walked back to Dave, Marissa, Shawn and John, who were waiting where Chris had left them.

"And?" John asked as soon as he saw Chris coming back towards them.

"We can go to Martha's office. She won't be there for a while…"
"Dr. Cormela's office?" John questioned, a knowing grin on his face.

Jericho looked at John in surprise. "Yeah why?" He questioned a little confused.

"Oh nothing…" Cena said innocently, looking at Dave who had the same knowing expression on his face.

Chris looked at Dave and John with a raised eyebrow but the two just smiled back innocently.

I wonder what's going on with them? Chris thought but then turned his thoughts back on Marissa and Shawn.

"Well we better go before there will be more fans that want to spend time with us." He told the others.

Alexi's parents nodded and Dave and John nodded too, so the five made their way to Martha's office.

Shawn and Marissa sat down on the little couch on one side of the room while Dave and John took the two chairs in front of Dr. Cormela's desk. Chris leaned against the wall beside the door because he needed some space to straighten out his thought a little.

Dave and John had decided to just sit aside and listen to what Shawn and Marissa had to say to each other and they knew if Alexi's parents wanted them to go they would go.

Shawn meanwhile squeezed Marissa's hand once more and looked at her.

"And now I want the whole story. I mean I know Alexandria is my daughter and you had her and never told me… and I think I know why you didn't tell me… but I still have no idea why she's here in the hospital having surgery on her eyes. And how you know Chris and why Randy and Alexandria know and love each other." HBK finally wanted to know everything that was going on in his daughter's life.

Batista and John leaned a little closer because even though they probably knew more about what had happened twenty years ago than Marissa and Shawn each did but what kind of accident Alexi had had they had no idea about and if they were honest they were curious to know what had happened.

Marissa sighed deeply and leaned against HBK who put an arm around her without hesitation.

"I will tell you everything Shawn… but please you need to give me all the time I need to tell the story. It's hard to talk about it because it brings up the feelings of desperation and fear of losing Alexandria…"
Shawn's eyes widened a little. He hadn't known that the accident had been that bad.

"Of course Marissa… take all the time you need."
Alexandria's mother nodded.

"Well… the accident happened about a year ago…" She started. Shawn's eyes widened during the story and Dave and John couldn't believe what they were hearing.

to be continued... if you want me too 'hugs'