Chapter XXVIII: Just Part of the Job
"Who set you up to do this?" she harshly asked. He said nothing. "I will shoot. Who are you working for?" He turned his head away from her. "Tell me now," she said slowly, enunciating each word carefully, and aimed the 9mm right above his head at a plywood box, firing off a shot. "Who!" she shouted.
"Eric Bischoff," he yelled. It was too easy, Therese thought to herself. The majority of the letters had coincided with Bischoff's problems but the fact that the letters turned up at and the one attack occurred at SmackDown! caused them to move him lower on the list of suspects. If Bischoff or Jenkins had written the letters was yet to be seen, but the stalker more than anything probably reeked of the RAW General Manager's money despite how much he was actually doing for the man.
As Jenkins said the name, Andrew Harrison turned the corner, along with a security guard and a policeman behind him. The officer immediately cuffed the stalker while the guard picked up the gun. Harrison quickly rushed to Therese's side.
She raised her eyes to see several more people swarm into the hall and focused on one in particular, Shawn Michaels. One of the guards cordoning off the area tried to stop him but he brushed past anyway. "Why aren't you with Steph…" she tried to ask through a clenched jaw while Harrison was attempting to wrap her leg up to stop the blood flow.
He knelt by her and replied, "She was worried about you and sent me to make sure you were alright."
"I will be," she said with a relieved sigh when the man tending to her released the pressure on her thigh after tying the make-shift bandage. "Go back to her. She needs you."
Looking around at the blood on the floor and the red stain seeping through the bandage, he knew they would be taking her to the hospital. "We'll follow the ambulance," he stated.
Therese nodded her response, tired and hurting too much to argue. He squeezed her shaking hand and rose but she reached out toward him. The pain was getting worse now that the adrenaline of the fight was beginning to wear off and, through chattering teeth, she said, "Tell Kevin I'm sorry."
"I don't underst—" Shawn started to respond but the paramedics pushed him out of the way.
The man who had tended to her first stepped away and Shawn grasped him by the arm. "Is she gonna be alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, best I can tell. I don't know what happened. I think he shot her in the leg," Harrison answered. Shawn shook his head in response as he watched the paramedics tend to her. When someone pushed a stretcher by, he realized that he needed to get Stephanie so they could follow…and talk to Kevin.
When Shawn returned to Stephanie, the police officer had been dismissed and she was packing up her office. Her eyes lit up and she opened her mouth to speak but stopped at the look on his face. "Just tell me she's alive."
"Oh, princess, she should be just fine," he said and rushed forward to hold her.
"Should?" she asked, pushing away.
Shawn explained what he had been told by Harrison and then said, "I promised her we would follow the ambulance."
"Of course we have to," she replied and frantically finished shoving papers in her briefcase.
"What did Kevin have to say?"
"He never answered his phone," Stephanie nervously replied, not looking up from her packing.
"Therese told me to tell him she's sorry…He knows about her," he said and Stephanie's head jerked up to look at him. "Somehow he found out. I have to find him. Do you have a car here?"
"I have the limo."
"Take the limo to the hospital. Be there for her and I'll find Kevin."
Stephanie grabbed her briefcase and purse and rushed out the door. She was alone for the first time in months and suddenly she felt lost. Therese should have been by her side. When the GM reached the parking lot, her security specialist was being wheeled towards the ambulance. "Wait!" Stephanie called and hurried over as fast as her heels would let her. "Therese," she softly said and put a hand on the woman's arm that didn't have needles in it.
The blonde looked up at her and smiled, "I got 'im." She managed a thumbs-up with her other hand.
"I'm coming to the hospital."
"Fffbbtt, don't worry about me," Therese replied with a goofy look on her face. "Stay with the show."
"Is she medicated?" Stephanie asked. One of the paramedics nodded. "So I can say anything to her and she probably won't remember it?"
The woman nodded again but then said, "This is no joke. We really need to get her out of here."
"Yes, ma'am," Stephanie replied, then turned to Therese. "Rese, I'll see you in a little while. Hang in there."
Shawn arrived at the hospital to find an exhausted Stephanie pacing the waiting room. She looked up to see him and tapped her watch. "They should be finished with her by now. No one's called to let me know what's going on."
"Steph, sit down," he said and pulled her over to a chair. "She's in capable hands. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, he didn't hurt me if that's what you're asking."
"Do you need to talk?" Shawn asked, placing a hand on her arm.
"Not now. Maybe later."
"The police are coming for your statement. Will you be able to talk then?"
"I think so," she answered with a tentative nod. "Did you find Kevin?"
"No," he replied, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I checked everywhere I could at the arena. No one had seen him since we came in, the car's gone, he's not at the hotel."
"We have to find him."
"I'm going to," Shawn reassured her. "None of this is a good sign. He's probably at some bar."
"There can't be that many in Colorado Springs. We'll call them all. It's not like he blends into a crowd." She grabbed the phonebook off the end table and began flipping through it.
When the phone rang at the receptionist's desk, her head jerked up. When the woman asked if there was anyone there for the Blair family, Stephanie shouted, "That's me," dropped the phonebook, and rushed over. She listened intently, nodding her head, and mumbling, "Uh huh."
She handed the phone back to the woman and returned to her seat with a smile. "She's okay. Took two bullets to the leg. One only caught part of her thigh. The other missed the bone and they were able to stitch both of them. The wounds were clean and her muscles weren't ripped, so it's nothing that time and a little physical therapy won't fix. She's gonna be fine," she explained but choked up on the last sentence. Shawn breathed a sigh of relief and hugged the brunette to him. "She's in the recovery room and, when she wakes up, we can go see her," she said into his shoulder but then pulled away. "But now we have to find Kevin. He needs to know what's going on."
"I know," he replied and picked up the phonebook and they started calling bars, splitting the list between them. Three calls into the list, Shawn clapped his phone shut. "Bingo," he said. "If I'm not back when Rese wakes up, give her my love." He kissed Stephanie and held her to him so long that she pushed him away and told him to get going.
The cab found the establishment with relative ease and Shawn made his way inside the kind of joint that Kevin was not prone to frequent. Off to the right, couples played pool, the tops of their cue sticks lost in the smoky haze. The music was so loud that it almost hurt his ears having come from the library silence of the hospital. Threading his way through the people, he sighted Nash. "Kevin!" he shouted, tapping the big man on his shoulder. Kevin glanced behind him but turned around without a word when he recognized Shawn. "You've had enough. Let's go."
"I'm not drunk yet so, no, I've not had enough," he harshly replied.
"Kevin," Shawn said, with a reprimanding tone. "You need to know about Therese."
The giant's hand shot out and grabbed the front of Shawn's shirt, dragging him level with his eyes. "I know enough," he growled and shoved him away.
"Is there a problem?" another voice interrupted. The two men looked up to see one of the bouncers. "Because if there is, this needs to go outside," he continued, folding his arms across his huge chest.
"Yeah, he's being ass," Shawn shouted, his eyes boring holes into Kevin.
"Fine," he replied, downing the last of the beer and following the shorter man out. "What is it?" he demanded once there were outside in the fresh air.
"I take it you know the truth about her."
"Other than that she's been playing some charade with me?" Kevin asked, running a hand over his ponytail.
"That's not how it is!" Shawn bit out.
"I don't wanna know anything else," Kevin replied and turned to go.
"Well, you need to know she was shot hunting that bastard down."
The taller man stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What?" he exclaimed, the concern showing on his face. Shawn explained what he could piece together about the attack and what the doctor had told Stephanie. "She's gonna be fine. Why do I need to be there?"
"The woman was shot taking care of my girlfriend!" Shawn shouted at him. "If you love her like you say you do, you'll come see her."
"I don't know who she is now, so how do I know that I love her?"
"Kevin, I'm not gonna stop until you go to the hospital with me," he sternly stated.
"Fine," Kevin replied and stomped over to their rental car.
"First, you have to change clothes. You stink of that place." Kevin rolled his eyes and slid into the car. On the way to the hotel, Shawn broke the silence. "I can imagine what you're going through."
"I'm sure you can," Kevin sarcastically replied and returned to staring out the window.
"Maybe not on the same level but I do understand. Even though this was going on before we hooked up, Steph didn't feel she could tell me about the stalker. They had to do a lot of covering up to make sure nothing leaked out. Even Mark is not Mark. He's Therese's—"
"Son?" Kevin whipped around to look at him.
"No, he's her little brother. His name's Evan Blair. I'm not happy about it either but this was the way things had to be done. Stephanie's pack of lies was about as big as Therese's. What matters now is that she got the job done and Steph's safe," Shawn said and pulled into a parking space.
"I'm glad to know that I was part of the job," Kevin replied angrily and hurried out of the car. Shawn didn't even flinch as the door slammed shut.
No more words were said as the two attempted to remove the smell of the bar and then drove to the hospital. Therese had been moved to a room and Stephanie was waiting inside with her. Shawn quickly entered and embraced Stephanie. She looked up to see Kevin standing in the doorway and pulled back from Shawn to walk over to him. He didn't take his hands out of his pockets and Stephanie didn't attempt to hug him. "It's okay," the woman quietly said. "She was awake about thirty minutes or so ago but she's drifted off again. I don't think she would be upset if we woke her up to see you."
"No, leave her alone," he said, taking a couple of steps inside. She looked good to have just been through such an ordeal. If it wasn't for the needles in her arm and the oxygen tube running across her face, she would have looked as she always did lying by his side in bed. Her eyelids fluttered opened for a moment and she whispered Stephanie's name.
The brunette rushed to her side to tell her that Kevin was there but then realized that the man was no longer in the room. "What do you need?" she asked. Giving her a drink of water, she told her that Shawn was there. The blonde's face lit up at seeing him and he pulled up a chair to the bedside. They talked for a little bit until her head began to hurt and her eyelids drooped.
The couple stepped outside and quietly talked in the hall. "What now?" Shawn asked with a sigh.
"I don't know. Someone's got to be at the airport Monday morning to pick up Evan."
"Evan?" Shawn asked with a crinkled brow but then smoothed over. "Sorry, now I remember."
"I guess I could call Evan's babysitter and see if she could do it on such short notice. I'm sure her number is in Therese's cell phone. Of course, it all depends on when she's getting out of here. I don't know," Stephanie said with a sigh.
"We're in British Columbia Monday but I guess I could take time off to be with you," Shawn stated, pulling her into his arms.
"There's no sense in that. You need to stay with Kevin, figure out what's eating him and talk some sense into him. I know I will at least see her home."
"I'm gonna attempt to go find Kevin. Do you want me to bring you something back from the hotel?" Shawn asked, letting her go.
"That would be wonderful. Let me get my key."
Shawn never found Kevin. Their room was empty of all of Kevin's things and he wasn't answering his cellphone, even when they used Therese's phone to call without her knowledge. She had not once mentioned his name.
The doctors kept Therese one more night due to the concussion and the running of tests the first full day. She sent Stephanie back to the hotel Friday night, declaring that she couldn't rest with Stephanie there all night. The brunette knew it was Therese's way of making her get some rest by sleeping in a real bed instead of an uncomfortable hospital chair.
When Shawn opened the hotel door for her, she immediately asked him to stay the night with her. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I just don't want to be alone," she said and dropped her things on the small table.
"Let me get some things from my room," he replied.
Stephanie kissed him before he left and then set about undressing and getting a real bath. Washcloths in hospital bathrooms didn't cut it for her. She ran a steaming bath, poured in some lavender oil, and followed with her body. Instead of washing away the events of the past two days, her mind, now free to wander, began replaying everything that had happened. Jenkins had never put his hands on her in a sexual manner and she was beyond grateful, knowing the threats he had made. He had shoved her around a lot and the bruises were beginning to show on her upper arms. His grating voice echoed through her ears, "You know my name. That way you can scream it." Now, she just wanted to scream at him and demand to know why he had done those things to her.
The police came for her statement the first evening and she repeated exactly what had happened in her office. They had already spoken with Aaron Pendleton, so little was needed from her for the case. Therese had been questioned earlier in the day and Stephanie heard for the first time the battle she had gone through to bring the monster down. She felt so guilty for putting the woman through so much at the end. She had hated her from their first meeting, had even attempted to hurt her physically that once. She was aware that the feelings at one time had been mutual and couldn't fathom why Therese would do such a thing for her. It's her job, it was just her job, Stephanie thought to herself but began to feel a little differently. Their relationship had taken a sharp turn over the past few weeks. She would have honestly said that Therese was a good friend before the incident the previous evening, but now she was proud to say that Therese was her friend.
Stephanie had decided to stay with her at least through the next week when Shawn gently knocked on the bathroom door. "Yes?" she called out.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, c'mon."
Shawn stepped around the door and smiled to see her shapely body glowing pink from the warm water. "That's a big bathtub. Do you need some help?" She smiled and gestured for him to get in with her. The blonde wasted no time in shimmying out of his clothes and slipping in behind her. He pulled her up against his chest and fanned out her wet hair across it. "How're you feeling, princess?"
"Tired, very tired," she answered, taking one of his hands and threading her fingers through his, "but relieved. This is all over. If he pleads guilty, I may never have to see him again."
"If I ever see him again, I might kill him."
"Then we'll have to keep that from happening," Stephanie replied and reached up behind her to cup his cheek.
Shawn took her hand and kissed the palm. "I love you," he said against her fingertips. She twisted halfway around to be able to look him in the eyes. "I can't believe I could have lost you last night. All I could think about was what my life would have been like without you. It didn't take much for me to realize I love you."
"Oh, Shawn," she whispered.
"If you don't feel the same, I under—"
Stephanie put a finger to his lips to stop him. "I love you too." Then she pulled him down for a kiss.
"Wanna take this in the bedroom?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
Quicksilver should have been his name as he hopped out of the tub and ran a towel over his body. Stephanie stood up and he hungrily licked his lips as the drops of water ran down her skin. Grabbing another towel, he enveloped her body in its cottony softness and carried her into the bedroom. The two were not known for slow lovemaking, but this night was different as Shawn showed her his love and greedily drank up every part of her that he might not have been able to touch again if things had gone differently.
Shawn stayed with Stephanie and Therese until they released her. Stephanie had helped Therese struggle into a pair of shorts and t-shirt despite the woman's protests against help. Now, she sat on the edge of the bed, anxious to be out the door. The concussion, the throbbing in her head, hurt more than her leg and the only way for it to stop was to rest. She couldn't rest in a hospital and wanted to sleep in her own bed, a place she hadn't been in what felt like months. "What are you all gonna do without Bischoff on RAW?"
"He's not going anywhere as far as I know," Shawn replied.
"What do you mean?" Therese exclaimed. "They let him walk away after all this! Did they let him out on bail?"
"Bail? What for?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
"For setting up Colin Jenkins!"
"What exactly are you saying?" Shawn slowly asked but Stephanie knew full well what was going on. She reached up a hand to take Shawn's arm as Therese continued.
"Are you telling me that none of the guards or policeman heard his confession?" Both of them shook their heads with wide eyes. "I thought they didn't say anything about him because it was cut and dried," she muttered, more to herself than anything. Her eyes shot up and she demanded her cellphone. Stephanie scrambled for it and handed it over.
Therese first called Pendleton, who then called the police. Within half an hour, a police officer had arrived to take her statement about this "new" fact. Shawn had paced outside the door as if keeping the women inside safe from the man that had not yet been apprehended. Stephanie had tucked her feet up under in the chair and chewed on her bottom lip. She scolded herself for thinking about how this unfortunate incident could remedy her feud with Bischoff and be a boost for her show.
Shawn felt his place to be the protector of the two with Therese disabled and dared not let them out of his sight. Just hours before he put them both on a plane to New York, the call came in that Bischoff had been arrested at the airport on his way to Vancouver. All three breathed a sigh of relief.
When Shawn had accompanied them as far as possible, he hugged Therese as best as possible around her crutches. "Thank you, thank you so much for taking care of her. I'm so glad things didn't turn out any worse," he said and then released her. "I don't want this to be the last time I see you…or Mark, I mean, Evan."
"Same here," she said and smiled.
Then Shawn turned to Stephanie and held her so tight she almost couldn't breathe. "I love you. I'll see you before the end of the week."
"I love you too," she replied and lifted her head for her lips to be captured in a tender kiss. Shawn handed their carry-on luggage to Stephanie and watched them until they were out of sight.
TBC…
Author's Notes: This is where I go way off from television canon. Everything will remain the same on SmackDown, but Vince McMahon will take over Eric Bischoff's place as General Manager and the RAW matches will continue the same.