Forgive My Hesitation

Rating: M for language, violence

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing you recognize.. That should cover it properly.

Spoilers: From RAW, January 2nd.. A few on back and up to RAW, January 16th… just not like you might expect.

Eventual Pairings: Lita/John Cena, Stacy/Chris Masters, Lillian/Batista, Victoria/Tyson Tomko, Trish/Jeff, Candice/Not telling, Maria/Not Telling

Summary: When Lita takes a stand, she finds help from friends and from people that she never would have expected.

Notes: nothing new to add yet

-x-x-x-

Stephanie pursed her lips together as they settled in the cafeteria. Two of the people that she really wanted to speak with at the moment were still upstairs…and she really didn't know how much everyone else knew. She did at least know why Lillian and Tyson were there, considering that their respective significant others in Dave and Victoria were upstairs with the redhead. She could question Trish about it, but again, Stephanie wasn't sure if Lita and Trish were as close as they used to be. Granted, Trish had been one of the few people that stuck by Lita's side throughout the whole mess from last year…but, when it came to pushing people away, the redhead usually started with those closest to her. That part about Lita puzzled Stephanie, the brunette not entirely understanding why the redhead would push away those who were closest, those who had seemingly earned her trust. Perhaps she was trying to keep up that façade, even though they had already seen her at her worst. Moving on from there, that left three more people who had come to the hospital to see Lita. She certainly didn't know what Chris Masters connection was, nor did she know why Candice or Randy were there. On the other hand, she hadn't been around much, and when she was.. It was usually over on Smackdown. Sighing softly, the brunette picked at the muffin before her…not entirely interested in the food item, but, it would pass the time well enough. The sound of approaching footsteps caught all of their attention, heads turning in near unison to see Victoria approaching from the beverage area. The dark haired Diva was also toting a cardboard carrying tray, Stephanie presuming that she was taking the coffees back upstairs.

Victoria offered the bunch an apologetic smile, "Li is claiming that she's tired…doesn't want anymore visitors.."

Trish raised an eyebrow at that, "she doesn't want anymore visitors or she doesn't want people taking pity on her?"

The older woman hesitated a moment, "you know her as well as I do Trish.."

The Canadian Diva sighed, "we're her friends…we know better than to show pity."

"Is it because I'm here?" Candice asked quietly, the normally vivacious Diva seemingly subdued. "I mean.. I've talked to her once or twice, nothing really beyond that but.. I wouldn't exactly say that Lita and I are friends."

"I doubt that's it Candy," Victoria set the tray down on the table. "Li's just.. If she didn't want you there, she would've told you to get the hell out."

"Or Dave would throw you out.."

Trish rolled her eyes, "that's because you were thinking with the head below your shoulders, not above it."

Randy rolled his eyes right back, "cut me some slack, alright? I was young and stupid."

Victoria smirked, "you're still young and stupid.. Were you or were you not, the one responsible for bringing Cena here?"

Randy shrugged, "actually that was John's stupidity.. He said he wanted to apologize to D…and I guess he followed us the hospital or something."

Chris smirked slightly at that, the young man staring blankly at his cup of coffee. "I can't say I blame him for wanting to apologize.. I thought D was about to kill me when you two got to the hotel."

Lillian sent a questioning look to the dark haired Diva. "How is Li doing?"

"When I left, she was getting frustrated as hell because she can't remember anything.. Dave wasn't faring much better…"

Trish's expression darkened, "if they want to know what happened, we should just bring them a damn tape from last night's show."

"Why would he do that?" Candice whispered to no one in particular, "I mean, I don't know the guy at all…and after last night, I don't want to know him at all, but why did he do that?"

Victoria's mouth pressed into a thin line, "I'd say I know, but I don't .. I just know what Li tells me and--"

Dave cleared his throat from behind the tall Diva. "The doctors up there are asking if there's anyone who saw what happened last night. Obviously, Li can't remember worth a damn, I wasn't there.."

Victoria glanced over to Chris, "we were down there first.. But pretty much all of us," she gestured to the group of RAW superstars, "saw what happened."

"Whatever," Dave replied shortly, the World Heavyweight champion taking a seat at the table. "They just need one or two people who can give them a detailed report.. I'd go back up there with you, but I have an inclination to wrap the I.V. pole around one of their necks."

Randy raised an eyebrow at his friend, "we really need to get you to anger management or something."

The D.C. native smiled grimly, "I already have an anger management program.. It's called beating the shit out of Edge the next time I see him."

Victoria raised an eyebrow at that, "Dave… there are little children around.. And I think you're starting to scare them."

Lillian shook her head, passing the empty coffee cup in front of her over to Dave. "If you need to crush something, crush that.. Sure, it's not Edge, but it has the same amount of heart and brains."

Stephanie blinked at that, "Lil.. It's a Styrofoam coffee cup.."

"I know.. I think I'm being a bit generous to that slime or unfair to the cup." The blonde ring announcer waited a beat before adding :"I'll go with being unfair to the cup."

"Anyway," Victoria jammed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "Chris.. Candy, Trish? How about we go up and tell them what happened."

Trish blinked, "I thought they only needed one or two people.."

Victoria rolled her eyes, "you can be so blonde sometimes.. Jeff's still up there.. He's not faring much better than me or Dave." An eyebrow raised, the dark haired woman not wanting to elaborate any further. "But, if you aren't coming up with us, I'll send him down here… he had that crazed look in his eyes."

"Jeff always has a crazed look in his eyes," Trish stated in a rather matter of fact tone. "But, I get what you're saying so.. I'll come up with you now."

-x-x-x-

Victoria linked arms with Candice, the two leading the way back upstairs; Trish and Chris not far behind. All four were silent for the short elevator ride up. Separately, they worried about the redhead laying in the hospital room, Candice breaking the momentary silence to ask, once again, if it was okay for her to be there. And after Victoria and Trish assured her…going so far as to promising her that it was okay for her to be there, Candice relaxed somewhat. Chris wasn't really talking to anyone, but, he didn't really know Trish or Candice that well. He knew Victoria fairly well, thanks to his role as bodyguard of sorts to the redheaded Diva. Chris shook his head at that… recalling how, after Taboo Tuesday, Dave had cornered him in the hallway.. Asking him all sorts of questions where it concerned one tall blonde Canadian man. Well, in Chris' mind, he wasn't a man… more like dirt. At that time, Chris didn't have a clue as to why Dave was questioning him.. Nor did he know why Dave would even care. With a little help from Lillian and Victoria, the young wrestler had been filled in partly.. And with another visit from the World Heavyweight champion, Chris started to piece things together. True enough, he had never actually seen Edge hit Lita…at least up until last night. He had most certainly heard him yelling at her.. And come to think of it, most of the damn roster on RAW probably heard his bitching and whining. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Chris had to wonder why no one ever did anything about it. He figured it was because they thought it was all part of the act or that perhaps, Lita deserved it. But she didn't.. nobody deserved to be treated like that.. To be brought down like that. Frowning deeply, Chris followed the Diva's out of the elevator.. Not one of them prepared for the sight that they were met with.

Trish blinked, "why is he…" the Canadian Diva hurried down the hallway, crouching in front of Jeff. "What happened?" She frowned when he wouldn't respond, the Diva taking one of his hands in both of hers. "Jeff…"

Jeff shook his head, near haunted green eyes meeting her concerned hazel ones. "I don't know Trish.." his voice sounded raspy, "she just.. They were asking her all types of questions and then she.. Li was just goin' on and on 'bout how he was gonna find her…how he was yelling at her all the time.. Told me to leave after that."

Trish bit her lower lip, not bothering to break eye contact with the Cameron native. "Vicki.. Go get Dave, maybe Randy as well, but at least get Dave."

Victoria nodded numbly, the older woman already turning to run back to the elevators.

Chris glanced over to the hospital room, "I'm going in there…and I'd like to see them try and kick me out."

Candice looked on helplessly, "Trish.. What should I--"

"The doctors," Trish stated quietly, "one of us still has to talk to them.." She tore her gaze away from Jeff's long enough to send Candice a smile, "Candice…in case Vicki or Dave don't get around to it.. Thanks.. For being here."

Candice smiled slightly, "thanks Trish.. I know I'm not doing much, but.. I couldn't stand by and watch, listen to all of those nasty things he said to her." Her lower lip trembled slightly, "I just couldn't take it anymore."

Carefully so, Trish extracted one of her hands from Jeff's, touching the dark haired Diva's arm. "Thank you even more for that."

While Candice went to talk to the attending doctors, Chris had managed to push his way into the hospital room, promptly parking himself on a chair nearest to the redhead.

"Sir, unless you're family you need to leave the hospital room. She needs--"

"Chris?" A quiet voice interrupted the nurse's directives, a hand reaching out blindly.

Chris ignored the dirty look he was receiving from the nurse, instead grasping her hand in his. "I'm right here Li.. Dave should be here soon.."

"I want to go home.."

"Now Miss Dumas, we need to wait for those results… then we'll see if you can go home."

Lita winced as she shook her head, "Chris.. I want to go home.."

Feeling nothing short of helpless, Chris let out an uncharacteristic sigh. "Li, you need to stay here just a little bit longer, okay? Then I promise, we'll take you home." He frowned heavily, the redhead looking so much younger than he had ever seen her. "I promise, you'll get to leave."

"Chris, what's going on?" Dave quite demanded to know, the Animal currently blocking the doorway. "Vicki came down to the cafeteria, said something happened."

Chris nodded to the hallway, "Jeff said that Li started freaking out.. Said that he was going to find her, about how he was always yelling at her."

The look in Dave's eyes shifted from concerned to angry and back to concerned within a matter of seconds. "He'll find her over my dead body, he's not coming near her." His gaze slid to the nurse in the room. "When will my sister be able to leave?"

"Well, it all depends on what the results of her tests were." The nurse pursed his lips together in a thin line. "Even if they come back fine.. Sir, she had a third degree concussion, she'll need to be on bed rest for that plus the injuries to her back. She needs to be under medical care and--"

Dave raised an eyebrow, "I am more than capable of calling her doctor if something happens. Now, where are the release papers?"

"I'm sorry sir," the nurse remained firm, "but you'll have to wait until the test results come back."

Chris brought his free hand up, smoothing back a few strands of hair from Lita's face. "We'll get you out of here soon…just need to wait for those results, alright?"

Dave made a face at the nurse, finally stepping into the hospital room. "Baby girl, it won't be much longer.. We just have a slight hold up."

Randy shook his head as he walked into the hospital room, "thanks for becoming one with the door, Dave.. But even if you can get her out of here soon, who's going to watch over her? We kinda have to be back in Wilkes-Barre for the Smackdown tapings."

"She can come home with me," Jeff spoke up from his spot at the doorway, "or with Vicki…Lillian.. I'd say Trish but--"

"No," Chris stated firmly, "that would put her too close to him. We just need to get her out of here."

Dave nodded his agreement, "I'm not sending her home either.. That bastard would probably look for her there.. Think she was alone or something."

Victoria leaned heavily against the doorway, "she can come home with me.. I can ask Ty to stay with us until Revolution…presuming she wants to be there anyway. And if she doesn't, you can always come get her."

The D.C. native hesitated a moment, before he nodded shortly. "If she does decide to go to Revolution.. I already have permission from Stephanie to be there."

They all fell silent for a moment, Randy preparing to say something when the doctor on duty shooed most of them out of the hospital room. Dave was permitted to stay, since he was family, and it didn't seem like Lita was going to let Chris leave. So, with Randy, Victoria, Trish, Jeff and Candice looking on from the hallway; the doctor went over the test results with Dave. A good ten minutes later and the two were walking out of the hospital room, the doctor reluctantly allowing the Animal to sign release forms for the redheaded Diva. Only after the doctor had been reassured that Lita would be taken care of, did he hand over the pen to an impatient Dave. Victoria, Trish and Candice excused themselves at that moment, to let Lillian, Tyson and Stephanie know that Lita would be released sometime after lunch. Lillian and Candice ended up leaving the hospital for a while, to pick up Lita's things from the hotel. And as planned, Lita wound up leaving with Tyson and Victoria, Stephanie catching a ride with Dave and Randy so they could head to Wilkes-Barre for the Smackdown tapings. Victoria promised Trish, Lillian, Jeff and Dave that she would call them once they had gotten Lita settled. Before they could leave the hospital completely, they were stopped by Maria and Shawn Michaels.. The two wanting to know how Lita was doing, Victoria informing them that they were taking Lita home.