Authors Note: Hey guys! Thanks to everybody who has been reading, reviewing etc. means a lot! :) this chapter is the last for this story and there is a reason for that... it's definitely leading to a sequel which I am currently starting work on involving Steve Austin. Summer and Taker... which should be interesting. I decided on a sequel as it was easier than writing a story that was gonna have dozens of chapters, it would be confusing so it needed to be broken up and that's what i'm doing :)
Enjoy this chapter and stick around for the fun... the sequel will be up and running soon :) xx

Summer was sitting up in her hospital bed bracing herself to stand up and walk around. The doctor had come in to check on her and said that he would like to see her walking, "We just want to reduce the risk of any blood clotting in your legs, if you stay in bed for too long then that could possibly happen" So Summer was preparing herself to walk.

"Don't be so afraid sis you'll be alright" Jeff said standing by in case she fell.

"I know Jeff, it just worries me is all"

"Why? Come on sis, what happened to the Hardy girl who isn't afraid of anything?"

"She's still here"

"Well get your butt moving now then" Jeff always gave Summer little motivational speeches and they always made her smile. "We'll be right here Summer, just in case anything happens" the doctor said and smiled when she was slowly getting off the bed to stand up. But she had to be careful of all her drips wired into her hands, in case she ripped any of them out.

"See there you go sis," Jeff said smiling widely when Summer stood to her full height and got her bearings before slowly taking a few steps. "Jeff would you be able to follow behind her" the doctor said and Jeff nodded and said "Yeah course I will" then he followed on behind Summer who had started to leave the room to walk about in the empty corridor.

"Be careful sis"

"I am Jeff, the doctor said this corridor is always deserted anyway" Jeff smiled as he followed her around as she was slowly walking around in circles to get her balance back.

"How does it feel Sums?" Jeff asked curiously

"It feels okay to be honest, I just feel normal"

"Well that's good, hopefully you'll recover quicker than expected"

"Lets hope" Jeff smiled but listened when Summer said "It's like snail racing up here, I hope I don't have to walk at this pace forever"

"Nah that'll ease up after a few days" Summer slowly turned around when she heard that response and smiled when she saw Steve standing down the other end of the corridor.

Steve smiled in response and said "How you doing little one?"

"I'm okay, just getting used to carrying all these round" she pointed towards her drips. "I'm sure they'll be removed later tonight so you'll feel better"

"How come you're still here? I thought you would have gone"

"Not a chance of that happening sweetie, I wanted to stay with you" Summer smiled at that but noticed that Steve looked uneasy about something, "You okay Steve?"

"I'm alright"

"No you're not, what you hiding?"

"Well… you have some visitors"

"Who?" Summer looked and saw Hunter, Shawn, Matt, Gilbert and Mark all slowly walk round the corner to stand in view. "Jeff help me back to my bed" is all Summer said to Jeff who helped walk her back to her bed where the doctor was standing.

When she re-entered the room the doctor smiled and said "Well now that I can see you're walking okay, I should see no problems in letting you go tomorrow to fly back home"

"Really?" Summer asked happily making the doctor smile

"Yes of course, but you must come straight back if there are any problems"

"I will"

"Right, well the nurse should remove your drips later tonight and then we'll check you tomorrow"

"Thank you doctor"

"It's not a problem, I'll see you later" then he exited the room to leave Summer with the gang who seemed too quiet. Summer looked at them all and smiled when she spotted her dad.

"So aren't you gonna come hug me?" is all she said and smiled when he responded immediately and hugged her.

"Sorry sweetie, I was just afraid that's all, I don't want to hurt your neck"

"Nah it's alright, I've slept the anesthetic off now, but I still feel rough"

"You certainly look it too"

"Thanks dad" Gilbert laughed and hugged his daughter once more and kissed her head. "I'm glad you're okay sweetie, but I'm gonna head back to the hotel now to sort some business out and I'll be right back here tomorrow"

"Okay then dad" Summer knew he meant well, but he had a top business to take care of, and she was quite surprised he'd surfaced from his office to be here today for her.

"I'll see you off dad" Jeff said immediately and received a glare off Summer in response. "I'm sorry Sums I can't do it" Summer sighed as he left the room with their dad and then turned her attention back to the group standing before her. She couldn't look up properly because of the force of the brace, but she knew they were uncomfortable.

"So are you gonna sit down or what? Unless this is a fly by visit, sit down you're making me feel uncomfortable" everybody responded to her and they all grabbed chairs and sat down. Summer was quite surprised to see Mark still within the group but she just shrugged it off. "So" is all she said, noticing the silence between them all, but Shawn cleared his throat and started to speak, "We were, erm… just here to apologise"

"Okay…"

"Because we all did wrong" Matt cleared his throat loudly and Shawn rolled his eyes. "Except Matt" then Steve cleared his throat loudly as well,

"And Steve"

Summer smiled a little but said "And…"

"And we wanted to say sorry for what we did, we were stupid, we were foolish and we treated you badly. I love you from the bottom of my heart sweetheart and it kills me inside to remember what I said to you, it was foolish and I wish I could take it back. But I know that won't happen so I'm asking you for forgiveness, I promise I'll be a better friend this time"

Summer mulled that over for a while before smiling, "You mean a better best friend" Shawn smiled widely as he rose from his chair and pulled Summer into a gentle hug.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart" then he started kissing her forehead and then parts of her face making her laugh, "Okay Shawn I get it you're forgiven" Shawn smiled and kissed her forehead once more before letting her go.

"Man, you stole my idea" Hunter grumbled making Shawn smile,

"Come up with something else then"

"I could blow raspberries on your tummy?" Hunter suggested making Shawn and Summer smile.

"Come anywhere near me like that and you can say goodbye to future children"

"Ouch ice woman"

Summer smiled at his tone and said "I take it you're sorry too"

"Yes I am Summer, all jokes aside I am truly sorry for my actions. It was wrong of me to misjudge the situation like that and think you'd expose anything. I know you're happy about Steph and me and wouldn't do a thing like that. Am I forgiven? If not then blowing raspberries on your tummy might work after all"

Summer laughed and said "Come here you big oaf" Hunter laughed a little as he hugged her gently being cautious of her neck.

"I love you Summer, you're one of my best friends"

"I love you too Paul, don't ever do that to me again"

"I wont I promise" Then he let her go and settled back in his chair and then turned to Mark, "And then there was one"

Mark looked up and cleared his throat "Erm, could you guys give me some time alone with Summer"

"Nuh-uh nope no way" Summer said making Mark look at her.

"Please Summer, I'm not gonna hurt you"

Summer stared daggers at him until Steve said "Please Summer, he just has a few things to discuss with you"

Summer grumbled something under her breath and Matt said "We'll just be outside the room sis, anything happens we'll take care of it" Summer still looked unsure as they all turned to exit her room to go into the family suite which was connected to her room in case she wanted anybody to stay with her. She watched the door close and then she stared back at Mark who looked blank.

"So, you wanted this time Mark… speak" Mark looked up to see her baby blue eyes staring daggers at him and sighed.

"Listen Summer…"

"In fact, no… I'm gonna speak first this time. I don't respect you, I don't like you, and I don't even hate you now. I pretty much feel nothing, you hurt me, destroyed my reputation, turned my friends against me, made me out to be a slut, oh yeah and broke my damn neck and put me out of action for a year"

"I don't blame you for feeling that way because I know how badly I screwed things up. I hurt you and pretty much everybody else back in the company"

"Yeah…"

"And I am sorry about that, I know you won't forgive me but I have come up with an idea that might interest you"

"And that is?"

"We used to have a thing backstage called Wrestlers Court" Mark stopped when he noticed her face change which meant she knew about the time Matt and Jeff went through it.

"Go on" is all she said, prompting Mark to continue.

"Well we discussed it downstairs and we all decided that we're going to hold one about all this"

"How?"

"Me, Torrie, Dawn, Shawn and Hunter are all gonna be given different punishments for our actions. Everybody will be a witness, even Vince"

"Where and when will it be held?"

"It'll be held in the arena before the show starts"

"Backstage?"

"No in the ring when it's set up"

"When?"

"We were thinking in a months time, because you'll be rested and out of hospital and able to travel properly" Summer was surprised that Mark was thinking about her needs but then shook it off completely.

"What kinda punishments?"

"I'm not sure they can vary, from termination of contracts to doing stupid things like being the victim of pranks for a year. It's just a way to get some organisation back into the group and for the victims to get their revenge"

"I don't want any revenge"

"But we're still getting punished, if anything I should be fired"

"I agree"

"But that's for the Court to decide, Steve's the one in charge"

"Why Steve?"

"It's usually me, being the leader of both locker rooms but since I was involved in it all I need to step down"

"So… any punishments can be given out?"

"Yes" Summer looked down at her blankets with a half smile… the things she could make them do could be quite interesting.

"I see by the smile on your face that you're thinking it over," Mark said curiously after watching Summer smiling to herself.

"Yeah it seems perfect"

"Remember it could be any punishments" Mark was quite worried really, if it could be any punishment, Steve and Summer could both agree to terminate his contract and have him fired.

"I can see that you're worried now, trust me I'm not gonna have you fired. Do you know how much I'll be hated if you're fired? Mind you I already am hated" she said to him with a frown on her face and Mark felt awful but remained calm, "I'm gonna fix things Summer, everything will be sorted out in the Wrestlers Court so we can put this behind us"

"Easy for you to say, you don't have a broken neck"

"I know"

"Why'd you do it Mark?" Summer knew that everybody had to call him Taker but right now she didn't care and Mark could see that. "I don't mind you calling me Mark"

"That's okay, but you didn't answer my question"

Mark sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair and said, "I don't know Summer, everything was just getting to me. The things Dawn was saying"

"But why didn't you just think before you acted? Did you even consider thinking maybe you should be asking me or my brothers about it?"

"I was just…" Mark couldn't really find the answers for her questions, as even he didn't understand why he'd done all these cruel things.

"Why'd you hate me Mark? Just because I didn't say hi to you on my first day, from what I've heard you're not exactly the friendliest of people backstage so why would I wanna greet somebody who would embarrass me and call me trash? Yes I respect you and I loved following your career when I was a little kid but now… now I just don't know why I bothered"

"Well like I said, everything will be discussed in the court"

"Do you even care?"

"Yes Summer I do care, I care a helluva lot because I put a young girl in danger and severely injured her. It kills me inside to remember all the foolish things I've said and done. But I'm not one to dwell on things, I was raised to put the past behind you and move forward, put on a tough front and plough through life without looking back. I've said my apologies to everybody a thousand times and I've arranged this wrestlers court and that's all I can do, and I can do no more than that. The punishments will be decided and then that's that. Saying I'm sorry all the time makes me look extremely weak and I am definitely not weak Summer, I do care, I care a helluva lot but now you know why I'm putting up a tough front"

Summer just stared at Mark trying to take in his words, he'd admitted he cared and that he was sorry. But he always looked so tough and moody all the time, "Man, a lot of shit must have happened to you in the past to make you this uptight"

Mark looked at Summer and tried to fight a smile, she was sitting up in her bed resting her chin on her knees. She looked tired and with the neck brace on she looked uncomfortable and quite sad.

"You've got no idea kiddo, no idea at all"

"Well, maybe if you told me what has happened to you, I could understand why you put me through hell" Mark watched her and felt like telling her everything, about Sara and the abortion and everything that went with it. But he knew that the hospital wasn't the time and the place as she was still recovering and needed to focus on herself and her own needs not his.

"If I can promise you one thing, it'll be to tell you all about my past and why I'm like this. But for now you need to focus on yourself and recovering to get back in the ring"

"Yeah I guess you're right, maybe when I return I can kick your ass in the ring"

"Trust me kiddo there's a lot of people who are already waiting to do that"

"Who?"

"Well obviously Shawn, Hunter, Steve, your brothers, your dad too and everybody else back in the business when they find out the truth"

"My father?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"We had a little discussion in the restaurant downstairs"

"What exactly did he say?"

"He's a man of few words"

"And what were those words?"

"He was just upset that I'd hurt you and everything else, got a bit upset when Steve suggested that I liked you"

"Liked me?"

"Yeah as in… like more than friends"

"Oh… man that was a stupid thing to suggest, we're never gonna be together let alone be friends"

"Yeah" Mark tried to shake it off with nervous laughter, but her words did hurt him deep inside, they could never be friends?

"So" is all she said snapping him from his thoughts, "How long is this wrestlers court thing gonna take?"

"It could take days, weeks, hell even months if you want it to. There's a lot to discuss and sort out so I'd say it could be a couple days"

"And I can help pick the punishments?"

"Yes, with Steve you two could cause all kinds of hell"

Summer smiled and said "Yep"

Mark smiled a little too but then said "I gotta split kiddo, gotta sort some stuff out and arrange everything for this wrestlers court and run it past Vince"

"Okay"

"I'll see you soon though"

"Mark it really doesn't bother me what you do remember? We're not friends"

"But Summer"

"But what Mark? I'm not ready to put this behind me yet, I'm out for a year thanks to you and I need to come to terms with not being in the ring and living my dreams. Yes I've accepted your apology but we can't be friends right now, maybe further down the line when all of this is over but right now… No I just can't do it"

Mark knew she was right; they couldn't be friends just yet. Especially after everything that had happened, he was foolish to think everything would be ok so soon. "I understand Summer, I'll leave you to rest now. But I'll see you round some time"

"Later" is all Summer said as she watched him leave the room to head off somewhere else. She sighed as she leaned back onto the mountain of pillows she had been given but looked up when she heard Shawn, "Summer… you okay?"

"Yeah I'm alright"

"You sure? That seemed pretty intense"

"How would you know?"

"These walls are pretty thin, I'm not surprised you couldn't hear Hunter making noi-"

"Hey, It's not my fault"

"You're the one that ate all that food"

"Hey it's gotta come out somehow hasn't it? Better out than in"

"Yes but did you have to choose that way to let it out? Those windows wouldn't open and it smelt awful!" Hunter just had a big grin on his face whilst the others looked quite disgusted.

"Summer we're just gonna close that door for know" Steve said closing the door once everybody had exited the room.

"By all means" is all Summer said smiling at the group who had sat themselves down next to her bed.

"So how'd it go?" Steve asked curiously.

"It went okay, he apologised for his actions and I accepted it but didn't forgive him. Then he explained the whole idea for this wrestlers court thingy"

"Did he say when we're holding it?"

"Yeah in a months time when I'm able to walk around easily"

"Did he mention the consequences that could happen?" Shawn asked quite worried now, the punishments could be severe for everybody involved.

"Yes he did Shawn and don't worry you're not getting fired, none of you are"

"But that's for everybody to decide as well"

"But it'll make me feel awful, yes you did wrong but I can't have you fired. It's not in my nature to have you fired; I can't hold a grudge for long. I know Mark put me through hell but I can't hold this grudge for long, I feel awful that we have to have this wrestlers court to decide whether people are being fired. It's not right"

"We know you're upset now Summer but sometimes this is the only way things can be sorted" Steve replied, "Mark's hurt a lot of people within this company and now he shall pay for it. I know others we're involved as well like Shawn and Paul and I know they're your closest friends, but they need to be punished too"

Summer sighed and knew she didn't really have a choice in this, Wrestlers court was gonna happen whether she liked it or not. "So in a months time we'll all be discussing punishments?" she asked curiously.

"Yep, we're all gonna be in the ring whilst everybody else is sitting in the stands" Hunter said smiling slightly at Summer's puzzled expression.

"Everybody?"

"Yep, wrestlers, divas, refs, ring crew"

"Why?"

"Just proves to everybody we don't kid around with behaviour like this, anybody who misbehaves gets punished like this so it's just a warning to everybody"

"Oh"

"Yeah it's pretty intense but you'll be alright, everybody will get what they deserve for doing all this"

"I still don't know whether people will even speak to me, a lot of harsh stuff was said"

"I know but it'll be sorted"

"But what about Ashley? She won't even look me in the eye anymore"

"She'll come round"

"Maybe she's right and maybe you were right when you said I should just go home, that way everything will be easier" Hunter saw the tears in her eyes and felt bad for even saying that to her.

"Summer don't even consider walking away" Shawn said sternly, "You've come a long way in the 3 months you've been with us, built up a brilliant fan base and have been making history with every step you take. This is only a setback but trust me, you'll heal properly and healthily and you'll come back stronger than ever. We'll sort this mess out and if people are still complaining then we'll deal with them. I know this is frustrating now sweetie but I promise it'll be fine"

Summer wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and looked at the guys in front of her. She loved them all dearly and couldn't believe she'd stumbled across wonderful friends like them. Matt got up from his chair and sat on the corner of her bed and hugged her tightly. "It'll be alright sis. We're gonna be with you every step of the way during your recovery"

"But you and Jeff need to continue with this storyline with Mark"

"We're not sure what's gonna happen with it now, Mark is definitely staying heel for a long time but I don't think Vince knows what to do"

"Why?"

"Remember that Dawn clotheslined you?"

"How could I forget…"

"Well Vince agreed to it when Mark suggested it, and now he's worried about everything because it was his fault you ended up here"

"Vince agreed to change the plans?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"We're not sure"

"Eugh I wish I knew what Mark's problem is with me!" Summer kept changing moods quickly because of the drugs, one minute she could cry a river, the next she wanted to beat somebody's skull in.

"We'll sort it out soon Summer don't worry" Steve said reaching out to squeeze her hand reassuringly. Summer smiled and squeezed back making Steve smile widely and say "So, what you gonna do with your time off?"

"I'm not sure really, recover obviously, fly home and spend precious time with dad and then mope around the house"

"Your father seems…" Steve trailed off when he noticed the looks both Matt and Summer were giving him.

"Don't worry Steve, we understand"

"You do?"

"Yeah, dad has always been like this. Since mom died he went deeper into his work and tried to forget he had 3 kids for a while, but then he changed and brought us up properly. But since we've been travelling and got on with our own lives he's fell back into business again and that's all he cares about now. He loves us obviously but he doesn't have the time anymore. We come to visit him during holidays but he's not really interested, always worrying about what's happening back at the office. Which is why I was surprised he actually came out to visit us at the hospital"

Steve took in Matt's words and was quite surprised, their father seemed like a tough man and he seriously wondered how all 3 of them coped as children. "But we're okay now Steve, we've grown to accept it. We're all strong"

"I know this is a change in the subject but where exactly has Jeff gone?"

"He said he couldn't stand to be in the same room as any of you, especially Mark. He's took it hard like I did, we're closer than most so it's affected him a lot too"

"You two could pass as twins, always having that special bond"

"But you know I love you just as much Matt" Matt smiled but said "You think he's alright?"

"Yeah he'll be fine, once we've discussed everything properly he'll come round like I slowly am" Steve smiled and said "Is you're dad gonna help you recover from your injury?" Both Matt and Summer snorted, "Highly doubtful, he'll do his best but he doesn't really know how to talk to me anymore, we ran out of things to talk about when I was younger and since then he's distant"

"He means well though?"

"Oh yeah don't get me wrong, he was a good dad but like Matt said, business consumed his life"

Yeah things were tough at home but we got used to looking out for each other without dad's protection. Which is why me or Jeff are gonna take some time off to help Summer with the recovery period"

"I could do it"

"Steve, you'd do that?" Summer asked curiously. "Of course I would Summer I love spending time with you and it'll be fun for me. I'm not really involved in the wrestling side of the business now so I'll be free" Summer smiled widely at that as she had always liked Steve and wanted to spend more time with him.

"Looks like you're stuck with me for 12 months then Summer" Summer gave Steve an amazing smile which made Steve smile widely too. But there was something in her eyes that he couldn't quite pick up on, either way though he was still happy.

"12 months is gonna be ages, 3 months into my career and now a years absence!"

"I know Summer, it does suck but you won't be away from the business as a whole, maybe you could help the ring crew? Commentary maybe? Even work in the production area like cameras, you did study the film industry in college remember" Matt said smiling when he saw Summer's face light up a little bit.

"Yeah that would be fun I guess, but it still wouldn't be the same as getting into the ring and actually wrestling"

"It won't be long till you can sis, for now you just need to focus on yourself and recovering. For all we know maybe during your time off you'll discover something new and go after that. I know you're upset about it all right now, but along the way you'll calm down and start having fun again. We're all gonna be here for you to help along the road so don't worry. Focus on yourself and your career that's only just getting started"

Summer smiled at Matt's words and lent back on her pillows to think about everything. What was she going to do within these 12 months? Start a band? Write some music? Work with the production crew? She didn't quite know yet. But she did know that she was going to sort this big mess out at work and continue her career when she was fully recovered.

Only being in the business for 3 months made Summer crave it more and more, she loved it and wanted nothing more than to return. To take her career to a new level and really start to bond with the fans. Her time in the business was only just beginning, and she couldn't wait to rise to the top and accomplish what no other diva has accomplished before.

The 12 months ahead seemed like forever to recover, but Summer could safely say that she was ready for whatever lay ahead.

Authors Note: I know this story is finished now, but please please leave some kind of feedback! Let me know whether it was good, bad, awful, funny etc. It's gotten a mixed view so far, but let me know what ya'll think and please read the sequel Summer Love, which is under way :) xx