BONDS
Payback 2017 aftermath. Kayfabe compliant.
"Damn…Damn it." Roman Reigns coughed out, grabbing onto his midsection with his injured arm while using his healthy one to steady himself against the nearby wall. There was the taste of blood in his mouth, but he honestly couldn't tell if it was because of some injury to the region or, more likely, the internal bleeding he was sure he had. He knew that he had at least one cracked rib, if not several.
It was hard to judge as there didn't seem to be an inch on his body that didn't hurt in some capacity as the adrenaline from the match was starting to wear off. However, Reigns was determined not to let the medical staff, who he had finally managed to shake off, wheel him out of the arena on a stretcher. He was not going to let Braun Strowman or all of the fans that had cheered on the beating he had received have the satisfaction! Not if he had anything to say about it. He only had to walk a few more steps and he would be back in the locker room. After that? Well, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
However, the body let it be known that it had a different idea than the mind as Reigns took a step forward. He groaned as a fresh wave of pain surged through him, robbing him of the strength to even stand. Coughing up more blood, he sank to his knees, now holding onto his stomach with both arms.
"No." Roman begged as a buzzing sound filled his ears and his vision started to go gray around the edges; signs of an approaching darkness that was calling to him. He thought he could hear footsteps fast approaching him, but he couldn't look up to see the person they belonged to.
"Roman!" a breathless Seth Rollins exclaimed, sprinting over to his friend, who he had been searching for since the match ended. Immediately, he knelt down next to the bigger man. "It's all right, brother. I'm here."
"Roll…Rollins?" Roman slurred, looking up at him before the darkness claimed him.
"Damn it." Seth sighed, catching the now-unconscious Reigns as he fell sideways. Luckily, he could hear what sounded like the medical team finally catching up to the pair. "We need some help over here!"
Seth let out a deep breath as he exited the hospital elevator a mere two hours later, headed back to Roman's room after finally getting his own injuries looked at. He would be fine; just the normal bumps and bruises that came with a pro wrestling match. The man who had become like an older brother to him, however, was looking at more serious injuries. On the plus side, Roman had woken up in the ambulance on the way to the hospital (Seth had ridden with them) and the doctors said that there was no reason that he shouldn't make a full recovery given time and rest. Still, it was rare to see the Big Dog, as Seth liked to call him, in such a state. There weren't too many people on the roster that could do what had been done to him.
Seth was immediately jarred out of his thoughts as he opened the door to Roman's hospital room. Reigns was asleep like he had been when Seth had left, but there was a very familiar person standing next to his bed with his back towards Rollins.
"You got here quick." Seth remarked, prompting the other man to turn around.
"Jumped on the first flight from Vegas after I saw what happened." Dean Ambrose shrugged casually, trying to disguise his disgust upon seeing Seth. "After that, drove a little bit faster than Roman would approve of to get here."
Saying nothing, Seth merely nodded, not surprised by the icy tone in Dean's voice. The pair had never really been able to work past Seth turning on his Shield brothers the way that Roman and Seth had, and there was still A LOT to be worked out. However, both men seemed to agree that now was not the time.
"He's been sleeping the whole time I've been here." Dean remarked, turning back to Roman.
"The doctors said that would be normal." Seth replied, walking over to the bed. "They've got him on some pretty strong painkillers. He's got some broken and bruised ribs, as well as some internal bleeding. They want to keep him at least overnight for observation. The good news is that he didn't aggravate his shoulder injury, and he should be fine given time and rest."
"I'm still going to murder Braun Strowman the next time I see him." Dean said, clenching both fists.
This is all wrong! Dean thought to himself, I'm usually the one in the hospital bed, and Roman's the one that's supposed to be standing guard, waiting for me to wake up.
"You'll have to save some of him for me." Seth nodded in agreement.
"You really expect me to believe that you give a damn?" Dean shook his head, turning back to Rollins.
"Dean—"Seth started to say but found himself floundering. "Look. Roman and I talked about everything a little while ago. He said that he couldn't forgive me or forget what happened, but that we could move on."
"I don't think he ever really gave up on you in the first place." Dean replied, tapping his fingers nervously against his collarbone. "He really does think of us as his brothers, you know."
"He's told me so many times that I'll always be his little brother." Seth nodded, smiling slightly. "Even when I told him straight to his face that I didn't deserve it—you know, among other things that I said."
"That's definitely Roman." Dean said, not surprised in the slightest. However, the cold fury returned to his voice when he next spoke. "But you know damn well that I'm not like him. I don't have that same soft spot for brotherhood like he does. So, while he might be willing to overlook everything you've done to both of us, I'm not."
A flash of movement in the hallway caught Seth's eye as he was about to reply. He looked over to see a monster of a man, with his arm in a sling, fast approaching the doorway with a nasty smile on his face.
"Oh, shit." Seth said, his eyes widening. "Tell me that he's not—"
"What?" Dean raised an eyebrow before following Seth's line of sight to see Braun Strowman himself standing in the doorway. A primal growl escaped the Lunatic Fringe as he went to head him off, placing himself in between the doorway and the bed, where Roman continued to sleep on. "Oh, you have some freaking nerve coming here!"
"Not my fault that we were taken to the same hospital, Ambrose." Strowman replied, turning his attention to the smaller man in front of him. "Didn't realize that you and Rollins would be here, but I guess I should have known that he'd have his little buddies watching his back."
"You take another step inside this room—"Dean warned, readying himself for a fight.
"And you WILL regret it!" Seth finished for him, hanging back a few steps just in case Strowman got past Ambrose. Logically, Rollins knew that he and Ambrose were more than likely no match for the much bigger man, but they had to try to protect their friend.
"Sounds like a challenge." Strowman smiled, taking a step forward.
"Leave them the hell alone!"
Stunned, Dean and Seth turned their heads to see a very much awake Roman, trying his best to get to his feet while using the IV pole next to his bed for support. It was obvious that his injured body was not making it easy on him, however, as a sheen of sweat covered his unusually pale skin, and his breathing was erratic. However, his dark eyes blazed with the same fury he had displayed in the ring earlier.
"Leave Seth and Dean alone." he repeated, trying to mask the pain he felt radiating throughout his entire body, the fact that the room was currently spinning around him, and the fact that his legs seem to be struggling to stay upright. "This is between you and me, Strowman. No one else!"
"Still trying to be Superman?" Braun chuckled as he shook his head, "Can you get any more pathetic, Reigns?"
"Back down, you two." Roman said, deciding to try a different tactic while not taking his eyes off of Strowman. "I appreciate it, but this is my fight."
"Sorry, Uce." Dean replied, glancing back at Roman as he cracked his knuckles. "But like Hell am I going to let this bastard get away with everything!"
"We've got your back, Roman." Seth glared at Strowman. Out of the corner of his eye, the dark-haired man could see hospital security approaching and a feeling of relief washed over him.
"I just came to give you a message, Big Dog." Strowman replied as if he hadn't heard Dean or Seth with the last two words pronounced sarcastically. "I meant what I said back in the arena: I'm not finished with you yet. Not as long as you can still walk."
"I'll show you not finished!" Dean exclaimed, shaking with anger as Strowman turned and walked away, being tailed closely by hospital security. "Get your bearded ass back here! I'm talking to you, Strowman!"
"Roman?" Seth said as a groaning Reigns weakly fell back on to the bed, trying to catch his breath. There was a grayish tinge to his clammy skin that concerned the other man. Immediately, the Architect ran over, and grabbed Reign's legs, helping him into the sitting/laying position he had been in. "Easy, Big Dog."
"Thanks, little brother." Roman smiled at Rollins, who had started repositioning the pillows the nurses had placed alongside him to help with his ribs. Dean was still pacing back and forth like a madman muttering something about Strowman and payment, and Roman wasn't sure if he was seriously thinking about going after him or just trying to calm down. "Let him go, D. It's not worth it."
"Not worth it? No one beats the crap out of my Samoan and gets away with it!" Dean replied, turning towards his friend. Seth swore that the other man's blue eyes fell upon him momentarily: a clear reminder that he was included in that warning. "Not while I can still do something about it!"
"I appreciate it, Uce." Roman nodded, realizing that if roles were reversed, he'd be the same way. "But Strowman is mine, and he WILL pay. Believe that!" A smile crossed his face. "Besides, I don't want to see you kicked out of here when you came all this way to see me."
"Fine." Dean said reluctantly, making a note to deal with Strowman another day. "How are you doing anyway? You look like hell!"
"Feel like it." Roman winced.
"Want me to get a nurse?" Seth asked, "I think you're about due for some more pain meds anyway."
"Nah, I'm good." Roman waved off, feeling embarrassed about being the one who needed taken care of. He was much more comfortable being the one who took care of the others. "Thanks anyway, bro. When did you get here anyway, D?"
"Well, I was watching Payback at home," Dean smiled, folding his arms across his chest. "And I saw this guy that looked like my good buddy, Roman Reigns, refusing to cooperate with the medical team. But, I knew that it couldn't be Roman Reigns because he's the same guy that always gives me grief about not following the medical team's advice. So, I decided to fly out here and see who this imposter was."
"So, how long is Roman Reigns going to hear about this?" Roman chuckled, exchanging glances with Seth. His ribs registering their displeasure at the motion.
"Dean Ambrose thinks that he won't mention it at all if Roman Reigns buys the beer for the next month or two." Dean replied.
"Seth Rollins finds that agreeable." Seth grinned.
A moment of uneasy silence fell upon the room as Dean simply looked at Seth; his expression unreadable. Seth mentally cursed himself for getting caught up in the moment, and acting like the Shield was back together.
"Yeah, that works." Dean finally said with a smile, "Add buying Princess' fancy microbrews onto that as well."
"Deal." Roman smiled back, happy to see the first signs of the ice between the two men at his bedside was starting to melt.