Chapter 12 Please God

Changed the previous chapter just a bit. No need to go back and reread it, you'll catch the change in this chapter.

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed this story, I truly appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I own everyone not recognizable

All John could do was cry. Each time he felt the sobs subside, his brain replayed the horror of seeing his wife near death and the vicious cycle started again. Nobody could console him and the only person helping John was Joey. He talked to Joey about Carli and how his heart exploded the first time he saw her. He had big plans for his family and he shared them all with his son. Everyone in the room listened to John talk and even the tough guys had tears streaming down their faces. They all loved their wives but something about the way John described his love for Carli made it seem like a fairytale. Something they all should strive for in their own marriages. The way he described the silly things like the thickness of her hair, her soft full lips and the shape they took when she was serious, her different laughs and her eight different smiles. She had a fake smile she gave when someone was trying to be funny and they weren't, her sympathetic smile, the mobster smile that warned someone of impending doom if they didn't stop, the courteous stranger smile, her devilish smile that said she was up to no good, her smile for her friends, her smile for John and his personal favorite, her smile for her son.

How beautiful her big blue eyes are that gave away her heart, her penchant for all things dangerous, her fierce loyalty to her friends. The way her eyes danced when she talked of her unborn son, the tenderness in her voice when she talked to him before he was born when she thought nobody was around. The private moments she shared with John revealing her fears for their baby's safety. He described her as a ferocious lioness protecting her cub. He talked of a Carli nobody knew except John. They all saw the crazy fun loving vivacious full of life Carli who lived everyday to the fullest and he saw the scared girl who was constantly running for her life. He knew and explained the huge risk she took to even physically have a baby. She did it for John; she knew John would keep him safe from the horrors of her past if and when they came back. She wanted something of herself on this Earth to prove she had existed and entrusted John with that task.

It was hard for Steph to hear this about her best friend. She thought Carli shared everything with her. It hurt her to think Carli had been living in fear all these years and didn't tell anyone. And yet everyone in the room knew they had all been let into a life they'd always cherish. Everyone would tell Joey everyday about the amazing woman his Mother was. It was also an honor to be let into John and Carli's private world. They all knew he loved her, but he knew her like no other. Most of the men wondered if they knew their own wives that well. Dave wondered how many smiles Angie had, Paul wondered if Steph would be like a lioness when they had children, Shawn looked deeply at his wife and memorized her face. As each couple had their own silent moments, John began sobbing again. Carol took Joey and laid him in the crib. She held her son as he cried for his wife, raw guttural sounds of not knowing if he'd ever look into her eyes again.

"Mr. Cena?" A new doctor stood in the doorway looking at the group. Nobody responded at first so he repeated himself. "John Cena?"

John slowly stood, "That's me."

"I'm Dr. Drake. I will be taking over your wife's case." He stuck his hand out to shake John's. Carli's other doctor walked in and explained who he was and how important he was for Carli's survival. John was eternally grateful to him and expressed as much. Maybe they had a fighting chance after all.

"I've studied the films and your wife's chart. I believe I can help Carli but we need to move fast. Her films this morning showed a small tear and the longer we wait the more she's at risk for rupture. The location of the aneurysm is in a good spot." Everyone looked at him like he had two heads. How in the hell can an aneurysm be in a good spot? The doctor continued when he saw the puzzled looks. "By good spot I mean it's operable and should have minimal to no permanent side effects."

"What the fuck do you mean side effects?" Stephanie was losingpatience with this hospital.

"She should have little to no heart damage, swift recovery and the way we perform the surgery it's minimally invasive." He could tell by the looks on their faces nobody had explained what exactly a thoracic aorta aneurysm was or the procedures to repair it. "Sometimes blood flow forces the layers of the wall of your aorta apart, and it weakens your aorta and can cause Thoracic Aorta Aneurysms. The separation can extend from your thoracic aorta through your entire aorta and block arteries to your legs, arms, kidneys, brain, spinal cord, and other areas. Another problem is that over time, the pressure of blood flow can cause the weakened area of your aorta to bulge like a balloon. Much like an over-inflated balloon, an aneurysm can stretch the aorta beyond its safety margin." The doctor took a few steps back when Paul, Dave and John stood up. "I'll graft the weakened section to strengthen her aorta and this will prevent further damage to other areas…" John had had enough and the doctor noticed this so he wasn't sure if he should continue.

He wanted to punch things, hit someone, throw things; he needed to get out his anger and frustration. Shawn could see John's temper building and asked the doctor if the hospital had a workout room. When both doctors had finished talking Shawn and the guys took John to the workout room. He took out all of his fears, anger, frustration and pain on the weights and heavy bag. After several hours of nonstop curls, lifts, punches, presses, John finally collapsed on the floor. All the guys lay next to him and supported him with silence.

"John." They all looked over to see Stephanie at the door. "It's time." Everyone had the same reaction and looked back to the ceiling. They all prayed for Carli.

John returned to Carli's room and was given a few minutes alone with her. He spent that whole time telling her he'd be waiting for her when she returned and how much he loved her. The nurses entered to take Carli to the OR. They prepped her and maneuvered around John giving him these last few seconds with her. He walked with them to the elevators and kissed Carli again. When the doors closed he bent over and silently cried again.

Shawn and Rebecca took the baby and went for a walk. Paul and Steph stayed with John and his mom and the others said they'd be back later. Steph hugged John and said gently, "It's going to be a long morning, why don't you try and get some sleep." He knew he'd need to be alert and functioning when Carli came back so he agreed to lay down for a bit. John dreamed of Carli and tossed and turned. He had a feeling she was drifting from him and was trying to get his attention. He sat up and looked at Stephanie and his Mom. He was breathing heavy and wanted to cry again.

"John, honey, there are nurses who want to speak with you." His Mom said softly and as soon as she finished the nurses walked into the room. They didn't look happy.

"Mr Cena. You're wife's still in surgery but we have a bit of an emergency." John began to panic. "Before we began the procedure your wife's aneurysm ruptured. We didn't know this until we opened her up. A lot of blood was lost and we've had to use a lot to keep her alive. We need more."

"So, why do you have that look on your face? Hook everyone up and we'll all start giving." Stephanie said. She grabbed her cell and began a chain. Paul would call Dave and Angie and they'd call people and so on. Shawn and Rebecca came back in and caught the last part.

The nurse continued. "I appreciate this, but we really don't have time. I need to know without a doubt everyone's blood type. You can still give, but someone needs to give her blood directly." The gravity hit John like a bullet but he didn't hesitate. Everyone but Carol followed the nurse and she dropped them off at a drawing station and took John down to the OR. He was prepped and given a gown to change into as they got the OR ready for him. They walked him in and directed him to a gurney. He was hooked up to a machine that began drawing blood from him. It felt like it was literally sucking it right from him. They pushed him next to Carli and he reached for her hand. They explained Carli's procedure and so far it was looking good for her, she just needed more blood.

The nurse's station soon had more donors than they had space for; the response was immediate and reassuring. They were all scared for John and Carli. If nurses were asking for donations immediately and John had to actually go into the OR and give directly to Carli, it must be very serious and scary. Meanwhile in the OR the nurses tried to pace John's flow but he fought with them to take it fast. He didn't want any damage to Carli and he would die himself to give his son his Mother. When the doctors felt confident they stopped the transfusion and closed Carli's chest. John was given a few other drips to replenish him so he wouldn't pass out. Two hours later they were both taken to recovery. John insisted his bed be right next to Carli's so he could touch her. Visitors were told to wait an hour to let them both rest and recover. Dave and Angie volunteered to take the baby back to the hotel and get him away from the tension. Joey had been very whiny as if sensing something was wrong.

"Oh what the hell?" Carli blinked away the fuzziness in her eyes and was frustrated she was in the hospital again. "Son of a bitch." She tried to sit up and realized her chest was taped up and it hurt like hell. John woke up and looked over to see his wife staring at the ceiling.

"Car?" He reached for her again and rolled to face her. Carli turned her head and smiled at the most beautiful husband she could ever imagine.