Sasha looked down at Bayley who was currently in her own world; her head in Sasha's lap, Sasha's hand gently playing with Bayley's hair. She was there, physically, but mentally she had been somewhere else since they got back from the arena.
Becky and Charlotte walked into the room carrying bags of food, Sasha eyeing the amount with great curiosity.
"Is it just us eating or are we suddenly inviting the entire hotel for food?" asked Sasha, laughing at her own joke. Becky shrugged, throwing some food onto the coffee table.
"Any word from the hotel about changing the reservation?" asked Charlotte and Sasha nodded, glancing down at Bayley, who seemed oblivious to the conversation going on above her.
"Yeah. They have an adjoining room available. I already have the keys for both. I told them we'd switch whenever you guys got back. Where's your room at?"
"Cool. We're three floors up," replied Charlotte, Becky sitting down at the edge of the bed, reaching out to brush a strand of hair out of Bayley's eyes.
"Hey, girly-girl. You hungry? Char bought a ton of different foods," whispered Becky, stroking her friend's cheek.
Bayley shook her head, burying her face into Sasha's leg, Sasha gently placing a kiss into her hair. "Becca's right, sweetie. You need to eat something, Bay."
"I'm not hungry," whispered Bayley, Sasha rubbing her back.
"Just try to eat something, okay? Just 10 bites, that's all…." reasoned Sasha, Becky helping Bayley into a sitting position, much to Bayley's dismay.
"Noo," whined Bayley, fighting off Becky, slightly, as she forced her over to the couch, Charlotte placing a taco in front of her as well as some rice.
"Come on, baby, you gotta eat something," whispered Charlotte, Bayley taking the tiniest bite of the taco, making a face as she did so.
"I can't," whispered Bayley, gazing back at the bed. "I just want to sleep. Please?" whispered Bayley, Sasha shaking her head.
"No more sleep, baby. Not right now. Not until you eat something. 10 bites, remember? Big bites," she added, noting the last bite she took was hardly a bite at all.
"Don't make me have to feed you, because I will," teased Becky, placing a fork full of shredded chicken towards Bayley's mouth, Bayley turning her head away.
"Please. Please, just let me sleep. Please, I don't wanna be awake right now," whispered Bayley, a few stray tears escaping her eyes as she gazed down at her lap.
Charlotte gently walked over to the couch where Bayley was currently sitting, sitting next to her upset friend, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.
"Why do you just want to sleep tonight, sweetpea? You've been sleeping a lot today," said Charlotte, Bayley shrugging.
"It's just easier, to be asleep. Where I don't have to feel him on me. I just feel so...gross and dirty and…."
Charlotte sighed, placing a kiss to Bayley's hair. "I know it hurts right now sweetpea, but you gotta eat, Baylz," whispered Charlotte, handing her the taco. "10 big bites, okay?" said Charlotte, watching as Bayley took a little bit bigger of a bite, squeezing her eyes shut as she forced the food down.
"Good girl. Keep trying, okay?" said Charlotte, placing a gentle kiss to Bayley's shoulder.
Charlotte quietly coached Bayley through a few more bites, Bayley struggling through each one she took.
Sasha watched her best friend as she agonized over the food Charlotte was all but forcing down her throat, tears streaming down Bayley's face as if she was being tortured all over again. And in her mind, she probably was.
"No. Please, please. I don't want to eat anymore. It's making me sick!" cried Bayley as Charlotte tried to get her to take an eighth bite, Charlotte rubbing Bayley's back soothingly as the younger girl shoved the taco away, turning away from Charlotte as she drew her knees up to her chest.
Charlotte went to say something, Becky shaking her head. "Don't. Let it be if that's all she can eat right now," whispered Becky, sensing the urgency in Bayley's plea.
"Come on, my love. Come here, I'm right here," whispered Becky, wrapping her arms around Bayley, who clung to her friend's shirt. Becky gently rubbed her hand up and down her friend's back, Bayley wrapping her arms and legs around Becky as she openly sobbed.
Charlotte sighed, glancing at Bayley before looking over at Sasha. "And we still have to move rooms?" she asked, Sasha sighing.
"And the week has only begun," she muttered, getting up to start the clean up and moving rooms process.
The process of moving rooms wasn't as difficult as the girls had imagined. Bayley had been relatively quiet for the most part; Becky simply carrying her to their new room and settling her onto the bed. The girls had upgraded to adjoining rooms and suites, making it easier to camp out for the week.
They had debated on getting Bayley back to her own home where she might be more comfortable, but thought better against all the traveling. So instead they extended their stay at the hotel for the week and upgraded their rooms, hoping to make it as comfortable as possible for themselves as well as for Bayley.
They had decided it would be best for Charlotte to take the first night with her, seeing as Sasha had been with her last night, and Charlotte was better at getting her to eat or sleep or simply shower at the moment.
It killed them that Bayley essentially needed to learn how to live in this new world of hers; a world where safety and security were shattered, a world where she was tortured by the memories of what had happened to her.
Currently, all four of them were in one room watching Raw. Charlotte and Bayley were in a bed, Bayley curled up in Charlotte's lap, the tall blonde's arms wrapped around her smaller frame, Bayley's head lying against her chest. Sasha and Becky were on the couch.
"Hey, look, sweet girl," whispered Charlotte, placing a kiss to Bayley's hair. "They're talking about that pretty sweet main event you killed last night."
Bayley nodded, shifting her eyes towards the tv, the teeniest of smiles of gracing her lips as she watched the replay of the night before. Charlotte looked down, noticing the reaction and running her hand through Bayley's hair. "In case I didn't tell you yet, I'm so proud of you honey."
Bayley nodded, trying to remember the details of the night before, before. Her match. Her excitement. The energy. The crowd. The reaction. The feeling of another dream coming true.
But all of that was gone.
She would never be able to think about that night, that match, any of it, without remembering what happened to her after.
One of the biggest accomplishments in her career to date and it was forever ruined by one man who violated her in such a way she never thought possible.
Bayley burst into tears at the thought, sobbing a painful, heartbreaking, cry that shook her entire body. Sasha moved to get up, but Charlotte stopped her, wrapping her arms tightly around Bayley, moving her one arm so it was cradling her friend's head as she gently rocked her back and forth.
"Just let it all out, sweet girl. Just let it out," she muttered, closing her eyes as Bayley continued to cry.
Bayley's cries continued, Charlotte simply holding her, whispering gentle and soothing words into her ear, praying her friend was catching at least some of them. Sasha and Becky kept an eye on the situation, putting Raw on mute.
"Hey there, welcome back," whispered Charlotte as Bayley slowly came to, still hiccuping as a few tears continued to fall from her eyes. Charlotte gently wiped them away as Bayley looked up at her, her body collapsing once more against Charlotte.
"Thank you," she whispered, Charlotte placing a kiss to her hair. "For...for holding me."
Charlotte sighed, holding her tighter. "You never have to thank me for that, baby."
And with that, the girls simply went back to watching Raw, neither of them really saying much….until a few moments later.
Bayley watched as the segment changed from in ring to backstage, her eyes immediately widening at the sight of Batista standing with Charly Caruso, microphone in hand.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run. But instead, she watched, silently, as her attacker showed up as if nothing had happened while she could barely make it ten minutes without crying or having a panic attack.
Her eyes were stony, her heart racing, as she watched him talk about returning, about how good it felt to be "home."
Her home. He was standing in her territory. That should have been her segment. But instead he took it. Just like he took everything else from her last night.
"How did it feel, Batista, to witness that incredible main event from last night? I know you went on Twitter and tweeted how proud you were of Bayley and Kacy Katanzaro for their match. Can we get some more of your thoughts?"
Batista smiled, looking straight into the mirror, as if he were staring right into her eyes again. "Well, Charly, it was awesome, like I said last night, to see some real talent in those girls. Kacy held her own against the powerhouse Bayley. It was an excellent match from start to finish. And Bayley came out victorious. What's that quote she always tweets? It's worth fighting for? Well, Charly, I can tell you for a fact she fought last night, and she deserved everything she earned."
And with that, Batista winked at the camera, walking off before they faded to commercial.
Bayley froze.
She couldn't move.
She couldn't speak.
She could feel her chest tightening up, his words piercing through her like knives stabbing her in every direction. She deserved it…
"No. No. No. No. No. No. No."
"Bayley? Bayley, honey, what's going on? What is it?" whispered Charlotte, rubbing her back.
Bayley shook her head, shoving herself away from Charlotte, away from the comfort, away from it all. She just wanted to get away. She slid herself away from her friend, falling off the bed in the process.
Tears spilled down her face, Bayley feeling the panic rising through her. She shoved herself into the corner as far as she could, drawing her knees up to her chest. She deserved it. She fought and she deserved it. His words acted like his hands roaming her body, cutting through every piece of her he could find. A blood curdling scream escaped her lips, her arms tightening around her body as her chest began to tighten even more. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe.
"Bayley! Bayley, look at me!" cried Charlotte, touching her back. All Bayley felt were hands touching her.
"No! No! Get away from me!" cried Bayley, flinching away from the touch she felt, letting out another scream, gasping for air.
Charlotte and Sasha were at her side, both of them trying to get her at least out of the corner.
"Bayley, shh, shh, shh. Honey, you're okay. You're safe, baby," whispered Sasha, wrapping her smaller body around Bayley's waist as she managed to squeeze behind her, just wanting to get her friend to breathe.
"Breathe, Bayley. Breath, honey," whispered Sasha, squeezing Bayley just enough as she held her in the tightest hug she could manage.
Bayley moaned, still crying, trying desperately to catch her breath. "You're okay. You can do it, honey. Just breathe," whispered Charlotte, touching her friend's knee. "We're here. Sasha and Becca and I are right here. You're safe. Nobody can get you," reassured Charlotte, watching as Bayley's breathing slowly came back to normal.
"Good girl. Good, good girl. You're okay," whispered Charlotte, forcing Bayley to look at her, her face far too pale, tears still streaming down her cheeks, soft, quiet sobs, still escaping her lips.
Bayley felt weak in Sasha's arms, her mind still racing as she thought about what she had just seen, what she had just heard.
"Bay, what happened, love? What scared you so badly?" asked Becca, sitting down on the bed Charlotte and Bayley had been on previously.
Bayley shook her head, lowering her gaze once more. She wasn't ready to talk about it. She wasn't ready to tell them yet…
Bayley reached out for Charlotte, feeling like a child, but just wanting her friend's "mom mode" as they constantly teased, to come out. Charlotte knew exactly what she wanted, pulling Bayley into her arms, cradling her against her shoulder, one arm on her head, another on her back.
Bayley continued to sob loud, painful, cries, refusing to tell her friend's what had really happened. Charlotte simply held her, rocking her back and forth, offering her gentle kisses on her forehead. Her hands clutched at Charlotte's back as she cried, the gentle motion of Charlotte rocking her soothing the sobs away, until all that was left was an emotionally drained and exhausted Bayley wrapped up in Charlotte's arms.
It was another hour or so before Charlotte dared to move Bayley to the bed, the young brunette hadn't said a word since she'd crawled into Charlotte's arms, Sasha still standing by just in case.
She wasn't asleep when Charlotte moved her to the bed, Sasha helping to ease the cover's over her still shaking body, placing a gentle kiss to the bridge of her nose. Bayley reached for Sasha's hand, managing a quiet, terribly weak, moan as she grasp her friend's fingers, squeezing them with what little energy she had left.
"Shh, shh, shh. Charlotte's gonna stay with you tonight, baby girl, okay?" whispered Sasha, brushing a strand of her friend's brown hair away from her blood shot eyes.
Bayley nodded, feeling the bed shift as Charlotte climbed on, placing a kiss to her hair. Bayley turned her body, facing Charlotte, a fresh batch of tears filling her eyes as she gazed at her friend's loving features, digging herself into Charlotte's midsection.
Charlotte continued to stroke Bayley's hair, continued kissing her hair and her forehead as she silently cried into Charlotte's neck.
Something had set Bayley off tonight.
But what was it?
"What was that about?" asked Sasha, sighing as Bayley had finally fallen asleep.
Charlotte shrugged, gently easing herself off the bed, heading over to the couch in the room where both Sasha and Becky were currently sitting.
"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Becky, Sasha glancing over at the Irish woman, a sad thought overtaking her brain.
"That that was quite the reaction to Batista just talking about her match? Yeah, it seemed weird to me too," said Sasha, glancing over at Bayley, who was currently fast asleep.
"I think he's the one," said Becky, glancing at both Charlotte and Sasha. Sasha nodded slowly, not wanting to believe it, but it had been a sinking thought in her stomach since Bayley's earlier meltdown.
"Me too," whispered Sasha, swallowing hard. She wanted to be wrong. She hoped she was wrong. But there was just something about Bayley's reaction that told her that they weren't wrong.
And it made Sasha want to head over to the arena and set fire to a certain superstars dressing room. Twice.
Because even though she didn't want to believe it, she knew Bayley. She knew there was nothing that would warrant the kind of reaction she gave to Batista's appearance tonight on TV. Nothing, except for him being involved in what happened to her only twenty four hours earlier.
Charlotte sat quiet, processing what her friends were talking about. It couldn't be. She didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be him. They had to be mistaken. There had to be another reason. Dave Bautista was….she had known him for years, dating back to when she was just a kid. Her father would bring him around for dinners and events. He had been part of Evolution, a group her father was also a big part of back in the early 2000s.
She didn't want to believe that the same man who used to come to her house when she was a child could be the same man who attacked one of her best friends last night.
But she would. If that were the truth. And judging by Bayley's reaction, how could she not believe that he didn't play some kind of role in it?
"Char? You okay?"
Charlotte snapped out of her thoughts, staring back at Sasha and Becky, taking a heavy breath. "Yeah. Sorry, I was listening, I just…."
"I know," said Sasha, understanding exactly what her friend was thinking. Batista was a long time friend of Eddie Guerrero's. Sasha had loved watching him as a child. "I'm thinking the same thing."
Charlotte nodded, glancing over at the bed where Bayley was thankfully still asleep. "We should get some sleep. It's been a long day….and I have no idea how long Bayley is actually going to sleep for tonight."
"If it's anything like last night, I wish you the best of luck," replied Sasha, Charlotte letting out a small laugh. "Thanks. I might need it."
"We'll leave the door to our room unlocked. Just come get us if you need us," said Becky, standing up from the couch, Sasha and Charlotte doing the same.
"Thanks," said Charlotte, heading over to the bed where Bayley currently was, not wanting to leave her side for the night and sleep in her own bed.
She gently leaned down, placing a kiss to Bayley's hair, sighing as she temporarily watched her friend sleep, laying down herself as she felt her eyes drifting closed.
"I just want to get to know the main event up close and personal."
"Let me give you a ride."
"Why are you being so difficult?"
"We could have done this the easy way, but you're choosing the hard way…."
His hands were everywhere. His mouth and tongue and lips were everywhere, all over her. She was crying, begging him to stop, but he didn't care. He was laughing, enjoying every single inch of her….
"Stop! No! Stop! Please, STOP!"
Charlotte woke up as soon as she heard the screaming, her friend thrashing around on the bed….
"Bayley? Bay, wake up, honey. Shh, shh, wake up, sweet girl," whispered Charlotte, keeping her voice close to Bayley's ear. "Just open your eyes, Bayley…"
Bayley's eyes flew open, her eyes not adjusting to the dark quick enough, seeing nothing but a shadow looming over her.
"NO! NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed, shoving the shadow away from her, crying out again when she felt their arms reaching out, gently holding her down….
"Bayley? Bayley, it's me, it's Charlotte, honey. Just look at me, baby girl. Look at me," whispered Charlotte, reaching over carefully to turn on the lamp and give the room a little bit of light.
Bayley's eyes stared widely at Charlotte, whimpering as the images of her nightmare continued flashing through her mind, Bayley shaking her head as she tried to fully wake up.
"I'm here, baby. I'm right here," whispered Charlotte, gently cupping Bayley's face, stroking her cheek as Charlotte forced her to meet her concerned gaze.
"Ch-Ch-Ch-Char-Charl-lo-lo-tte?"
Charlotte nodded as Bayley attempted to regain her composure, choking on the sobs that had started to escape her lips. "I'm right here. I'm right here. You're safe, okay? Nobody's gonna hurt you anymore, sweetheart."
"Promise?" whispered Bayley, her face crumbling once more, Charlotte sighing as she gently pulled Bayley into her arms, rocking her back and forth as she cried.
"Always, baby girl," whispered Charlotte, placing a kiss into her hair, closing her eyes as Bayley continued crying.
Charlotte continued to hold her friend, trying to soothe her back to sleep, noting that it was only 1am. The crying stopped after an hour or so, though quiet hiccups and an occasional whimper told Charlotte that Bayley was still awake. She leaned down close to her ear once more, continuing to rub a hand down her arm.
"Close your eyes, Baylz. Try and get some more sleep," whispered Charlotte, Bayley shaking her head.
"I don't want to. I don't want to see him anymore," whispered Bayley, a few more tears escaping her eyes.
"Bayley, you have to sleep, honey. You can't avoid it. You gotta try and take care of yourself, sweetie," whispered Charlotte, bringing Bayley's gaze up to meet her own.
Bayley just shrugged, curling up in Charlotte's arms. Charlotte sighed, pulling the blanket over both of them, hoping that if she made Bayley as comfortable as possible, she would just fall asleep on her own.
Charlotte turned the TV on quietly in the background, some old family sitcom playing. Bayley's eyes gazed over at it, Charlotte running her hand down Bayley's back, hoping her friend would find sleep again sometime during the night.