Chapter One: Don't You Want Your Freedom?
Shauna yawned walking down the hall, somehow Stephanie, Shane, and Paul had gotten her out of the house. She was at the arena and for the first time in the week since she'd been home she too her arm out of her sling. Getting used to the weight against the stitches was a pain after all the stitches pulled which made the skin red and irritated under her white shirt.
Everyone was right she just needed to stop thinking about the war and start thinking about her family now that she was home. Her mental scares didn't agree with her that much though. She still woke up screaming and ended up with her dad in her room trying to sooth her tears and get her back to sleep.
Though last night it was different, she'd spent the night with Stephanie, Paul, and baby Aurora… Shauna jumped sweat covered her shivering form the blankets twisted around her ankles like hands, she bit back a scream of terror. That didn't stop the tears from filling her eyes as she untangled her ankles from there prison.
"Your dad told me you were having nightmares." She heard his voice and looked over at him, Paul stood in the doorway in his pajama pants, his left shoulder braced against the doorframe his arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm sorry I tried not to wake anyone." She said softly.
"Do you want to talk about it, it might help." He said.
"Dad doesn't like to hear about it. He doesn't want to know what horrors his baby faced in the service." She said softly her fists clenched in the sheets of the guest bed she was on. Paul didn't think she would tell him and started to get ready to move. "So many times I was sent out with one patrol or another." She started; Paul let his shoulder fall back to the doorframe listening.
"I was even a scout twice and a sniper more times then I can count. So many people died because of me… They're there in my dreams Paul. Staring, bloody, missing body parts… bullet holes…" She shivered slightly. "I don't know if I could ever be forgiven for what I've done Paul. I stole the lives of those fathers, brothers, sons..."
"Shauna don't cry babe." He said walking over she felt the edge of the bed sink and suddenly Paul's arms were around her. "I don't think any less of you for what you did. If it weren't for that I wouldn't have a little sister to take care of now." Paul said gently making her cry harder.
"I don't deserve my family." She said softly.
"We all love you Shaun." Stephanie said from the door. Shauna smiled through her tears. "Yeah me too." She stated softly.
She took her time not going to fast but she was by no means going slow either. Suddenly all she felt was burning and throbbing through her entire left side she fell to her knees gasping. She tried to take a deep breath and push back the pain. Her knees quivered she cloud feel the skin had torn from the stitches and blood was starting to ooze out. The man never even stopped to look back at her as she fell back onto the wall sliding down the it to sit down.
"Hey what are you doing back here?" A voice asked she opened her eyes spotting two men tall and tanned with blue-gray eyes the other tall with crystal blue eyes. She gave a slight smirk before she closed her eyes again.
"He's talking to you." The tanned one said using his foot to nudge her. To her dismay it was her left side that he nudged making her shoulder bounce off the wall again. She gasped the blood seeping to the other side of her shirt; she blacked out slumping to the floor.
"What the hell did you do to my sister?" It was Shane; he spotted Shauna on the floor from down the hall and ran over.
"Nothing we found her like this." John said looking at Shane, he did look worried.
"Shauna…" Shane said patting her softly in the cheek trying to wake her up.
"What's with her shoulder?" Randy asked nodding at the girl.
"She was shot twice thanks to her stupidity." Shane grunted seeing her eyes flutter open. "Isn't that right Shauna?"
"Fuck you, Shane." She grumbled lightly, "Just help me to the med bay you ass." Shane rolled his eyes and helped her up careful not to touch her shoulder or arm. She looked at Randy and John, "I was shot in combat. I joined the army after high school, against my family's wishes… obviously. I was honorably discharged with a purple heart last week."
"Are you done talking now?" Shane asked crossly.
"Yeah bro…" She said with a smirk and he helped her away.
"Don't start drooling over her now Cena, she may be a soldier but she's a McMahon before all that." Randy said shaking his head. She did seem different then the others though. More humble and down to earth.
"What ever man, I'll catch up to you in a little while." He said, after all they had a meeting in half an hour. He walked to the trainer's room and instantly heard Shane and Paul arguing about Shauna who was inside getting stitched back up.
"Back off of her Shane. She did what she did for a reason." Paul said trying not to raise his voice; he didn't want Shauna to hear them.
"Paul don't you tell me that shit. Shauna shouldn't have joined the Army she shouldn't have been sent to Iraq she should have been at home with us were she belonged all along. Now look at her, waking up screaming because of what happened there! She's hurt and won't let anyone in to help her through any of it." Shane yelled, he loved his sister he really did. But he never realized how much he put her in a little box trying to get her to fit the 'family standard' he felt was the only way you could be a McMahon.
"After everything that girl went through there and you still treat her like this. If you wouldn't put her down every few minutes for what she did then she would tell you what happened and why she wakes up screaming at night. Why her eyes go wide and she starts shaking when she hears a car back fire. Why she's so fucking scared." He growled.
Shane glared at him, "she told you, didn't she?"
"Yes because she knew I would listen and not put her down when she told me. She's twenty-three Shane she grew up the same way you and Stephanie did, but she's a lot more mature then you both." He said shaking his head; you had to grow up when you've done the things she did in Iraq. "She's killed people, she's been shot at, and she thinks she didn't do any good. She feels so bad about herself and your not helping her at all. Her shoulder may never be the same, lord knows her mind won't after that."
The door suddenly opened and Shauna grinned seeing Paul standing there. Her arm was in a sling again but she was quick to walk up to him and wrap her right arm around him as he hugged her in return. "Thanks bro." She whispered and he knew she'd heard everything they'd said.
"Come on darlin' lets get you to that meeting or your father is going to kick my ass." Paul said chuckling a smirk on his face. John noticed she was wearing a different shirt this one a big strapped tank top of white fabric with a few flowers and dots on her breasts in true '60' colors with the words "be cool" on it. He wondered which of the divas she'd borrowed it from it looked good on her.
She spotted him as Paul walked her down the hall, "hey you… I never caught your name…"
John turned and looked at her with a grin, "John Cena, future Champ." She grinned biting her lower lip shaking her head softly.
"How you so sure on that one Cena?" She asked with a smirk Paul just stood there a watching them his little sister's arm still wrapped around his.
"I'm just that good Shorty." He said with a grin.
"Oh A'ight I gotcha. I'll make sure I keep an eye out for ya name up in lights then." She teased lightly considering everyone who went out had their name in lights. She winked at him as they walked by; Paul glared over his shoulder at John not sure what his intentions were with Shauna. He was more of a big brother to her then Shane was or at least in Shaun's mind he was.
"It's already happening." He said shaking his head with a sigh.
"What is Paul?" Shauna asked looking up at him.
"You grew up on us while you were gone Shaun…" He said, "The guys here… well I don't trust them with my baby sister." She shook her head a grin on her face as she patted his arm.
"Lets just get to the meeting Paul." She said softly shaking her head.
They stepped into the room there were a few wrestlers here already, she gave Paul a smile and walked over to her dad wrapping one arm around his shoulder's she kissed his cheek. "Hey daddy."
"Hey honey." He said with a smile, "why don't you find a seat so we can get started when all the wrestlers get here." He said and she nodded sitting next to Paul she smiled to Stephanie on his other side before hearing someone sit down next to her she turned and laughed shaking her head, "what up, Cena?"
"Hey Shorty." He said with that killer smile of his, he was then elbowed by the other guy she'd seen earlier. "Shorty this is my best friend Randy Orton."
She reached over John holding her hand out to Randy. "I'm Shaun." He kissed her knuckles earning an odd look from her and a glare from both her father and Paul. She chuckled and shook her head.
"Lets get this started." Vince said standing up looking at everyone. Shauna leaned back zoning out, everyone who knew her knew she would do so but when Vince said her name she snapped to attention. "Shauna…" He said nodding at her… "Shauna informed me earlier today that when her shoulder is better she wants to be a wrestler. I've already picked out her trainers for after she is better."
"When are you going to debut?" John whispered.
"I was hoping for Christmas with the troops… show Master Chief I'm doing something worth while even if it wasn't what I wanted to do." She said with a shrug. "I didn't want to leave the army… they made me leave…"
"I hear that Shorty, I spent a day in the life of a Marine before my movie last year. I loved it but damn it was hard Shorty."
She grinned and shook her head, "I know its hard… but loved it, and I miss it."
"What about the nightmares?" He asked without realizing it.
"Where did you hear about that?" She asked shocked.
"I heard Paul and Shane arguing." John confessed.
"You heard that too…" She said blushing.
