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Summary: John has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison and away from the woman he loves. Trish is adapting to life without John, trying to stay strong for the sake of their newfound love. Can they survive the ultimate test to their relationship, one that neither of them expects or is prepared to fight?

Now I'm broken,
And I'm faded,
I'm half the man I thought I would be:
But you can have what's left of me

"Why are you all the way over there and not here in bed with me?" he said, making her almost jump out of her chair in fright. She had been resting, just her eyes closed and listening to the sounds of the machines and breathing around her.

Truth be told it had been the first time she had been able to rest peacefully since that night on the beach with John. Throughout the trial she had been worried so much about the sentence that she never really slept and then every night since he had been placed behind bars, she had been a wreck.

Being in any room with him, even if it was a hospital room had made her comfortable enough to sleep. She was happy to hear the breathing around her because then at least she knew he was safe and he was with her. It was all her heart and mind needed to finally be at rest.

She made her way back over to the bed and was amazed as John, who was still semi attached to the bed via the handcuffs shifted his body so she would have just enough room to rest on the hospital bed with him.

She snuggled as closely as she could to him, mindful of the painful parts of his body from the attack, so much so that even her breathing made her afraid she would hurt him. It wasn't until he spoke again that she realized it was all for nothing.

"I'm not going to break Wish, you can rest on me. If anything it will help me rest easier knowing I finally have you beside me."

He never ceased to amaze her with the words he spoke and the manner in which he spoke them to her. He was always so caring, thinking of what she might say or feel before she had the chance to feel it. He was as mindful of her heart as she was of his and it really made her feel loved. She had never had this attachment with anyone in her life before, and it was nice to have it now.

"How are you feeling now baby? Does it still hurt a lot? Do you need more pain medication?"

"No, I need my nurse to stop worrying about me and just to give me the tender loving care that I need right now. I want her to hush and just be happy that for this brief moment in time we can be together. Do you think she might be able to do that?"

She laughed lightly and snuggled deeper into him as he used his one free hand to wrap around her body and keep her close. In his mind there was nothing sweeter to him then this moment right now. He might be here because of a prison fight and it might have almost killed him but when he got around this woman, especially now that he knew they had a connection greater that any other and a child they shared growing inside of her, none of it mattered but the two of them.

"Did I hear talking outside of the room earlier?" he asked trying to keep her mind off of his injuries because he knew that was what she was doing in that moment. He could feel it in her heart.

"Yeah you did, Shawn was here, is here rather. He's keeping an eye on me. For some reason he said its the least he can do."

"Good man." he said, glad that at least in that moment when he couldn't be there for her that someone else close to the both of them could be. He knew he had done the right thing getting close to Shawn before the trial and it was proving to be very advantageous now. Trish needed someone there for her throughout the pregnancy when he couldn't be and there was no one better then Shawn Michaels. Of all the things he knew, he knew that to be true. "Was that the only person you were talking too?"

She was quick to stiffen then and he knew that there was someone here or at least was there before that she hadn't wanted there. Someone who stirred up all kinds of bad feelings within her and made her blood boil. The more he thought about it, there was only one person that came to mind and he didn't want to believe that of all the times to come back, he had chosen now.

"Trish tell me something, is Jeff Hardy back in your life?"

She moved from her lying position and sat up to look him in the eye and saw the love that was shining there. He wasn't mad about anything he was just curious and wanted to know. "Yes John, he's been back for about three weeks now. He came back to the house after our visit."

Jeff Hardy was the person to console her after I threw her away? He thought. He wanted to be angry about that and angry that Jeff would choose now of all times to come back but deep inside he knew that the younger man hadn't known anything about them and probably still didn't.

"How do you feel about that?" he asked, holding his breath as he did and praying it was an answer he wanted to hear.

"How do I feel? I'm pissed off is what I am. I'm pregnant with your child, you are a million miles away from me and cannot help me the way I need to be helped and now my past is throwing itself in my face. He used to get so high that he would hurt me and not even know it John! I don't want him anywhere near me but I'll be damned if he doesn't get the hint."

He let out the breath he had been holding in and thanked the heavens that Jeff hadn't tried to take advantage of her yet. He only hoped that before he had to go back to prison again he could put a stop to it before the younger man did. There was no way he wanted him near Trish now, not when she was at her most vulnerable.

"Has he done anything to you Wish? Has he hurt you in any way?"

She took his hand into hers then and she stroked it gently, making his entire body almost stand on end. It had been so long since she had touched him this way, in a way that didn't express any worry or fear, just love that he wasn't used to the response his body was eliciting. But he welcomed it because he knew he might not have very long to enjoy it.

"He hasn't touched me and if I have my way he never will. John you have nothing to worry about. I can handle Jeff Hardy."

As she said the words and continued to stroke his hand, instead of completely believing her the way he knew he should be, he couldn't help the hurt that his heart still held onto to come boiling to the surface. With him out of the picture as he had been with Michelle all those months ago when she cheated with Randy and now him being in jail and away from his pregnant girlfriend, was it possible that it could happen all over again? Was it possible that when Trish said she could handle Jeff Hardy it was just her way of saying without actually saying the words that there was trouble on the horizon?