Chapter 19

Jon had never driven so fast in all of his life. He should've known something was going on with Joe because the big man NEVER got sick. By the time he hit the hospital parking lot, Joe had puked at least 3 more times. Colby jumped out of the Ford Expedition and hightailed it inside to grab help, yelling for the EMT's or anyone to help Joe. They had to be careful with him because, if he moved a certain way, his appendix could rupture, fill him with the toxins and kill him. Within minutes, Joe was placed on a gurney and taken away by several nurses and doctors; assuring them they would run tests and get back to everyone.

"Jon, you can't go with him." Bianca grabbed his wrist, keeping hold of it when he tried pulling away from her and instead wrapped her arms tightly around his stomach. "You can't go back there. You have to wait. I know it sucks, but you have to stay here."

She could feel him shaking and closed her eyes, remembering the last time she'd been in an actual hospital that didn't involve sick children. It was when she had to identify Myron's body from the flood accident. Bianca didn't move an inch and held Jon in the middle of the room, hearing how fast his heartbeat was. Everyone could only hope Joe was alright and they fixed him up. Jon shook his head, trying to fight Bianca tooth and nail to go back there with Joe. He couldn't leave him. Joe was his best friend, his brother and the only family he had besides Colby. They couldn't be the Shield without him, it wasn't possible. He was the Enforcer and couldn't be replaced. Jon felt Bianca wrap her arms around him, her body much smaller than his and looked down at her, locking eyes with her as their shades of blues mixed together.

"He has to make it. He has to be alright. He can't not be." His arm went around her, holding Bianca tightly against him and swallowed hard. "Jesus, I have to call his family."

Colby was a nervous wreck and couldn't sit down to save his life. Joe was his brother and he never got sick, NEVER. What the hell was going on? He watched as Jon and Bianca interacted, not able to help thinking how perfect they looked together. Kavari tried helping him, but all Colby could do was pace back and forth, the guilt flooding throughout his entire body. If they would've just gone to the bathroom and came back out, Joe probably would've gotten help sooner. Gripping his hair, Colby nearly slammed into Kavari when she stood up to face him, tears shining in his eyes.

"What if – What if he doesn't make it?" He whispered out, feeling completely helpless and let Kavari hold him tightly.

Gripping Colby's shoulders, Kavari guided him back into a chair and sat in his lap sideways, letting his face bury in her neck while her fingers stroked through his hair soothingly. "It's okay baby, calm down. Joe is going to be just fine. He's a big strong guy." She kissed the top of his head lovingly. "I promise he'll be okay, baby. He'll come back and still be your Enforcer." Kavari tried reasoning with him, but Colby wasn't listening and she didn't blame him. No one could predict the future and playing the waiting game was one game they had no patience for.

"Breathe Jon; we have to find out what the doctors say first before jumping to conclusions. It could just be the flu, we don't know yet. You have to breathe and calm down. I know you're worried, but panicking and getting everyone in a frenzy will only create further chaos." Bianca said, keeping her voice soft and low to try to calm him down, her hands running up and down his back soothingly. "Give me your phone. I will call Linda and smooth over tonight's show since we're not going to make it. Matter of fact, come with me right now." Not giving him a choice, Bianca grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together as she practically dragged him outside with her. "Have a smoke, you need it." She ordered, plucking Jon's phone out of his jean pocket and dialed Linda's number, knowing it by memory to explain the situation.

That was the smartest and dumbest thing Bianca could've done because Jon wasn't the type of man to be pushed around by a woman. So when Jon obeyed her commands, Colby couldn't help cracking a small smile in Kavari's neck. That man was WHIPPED hardcore and Colby was going to give him so much crap for it later when they found out Joe was perfectly fine. He had to be okay. Bianca was right; calling Joe's family to get them all worried and crazed was definitely not a smart idea. He agreed with her wholeheartedly and was thankful she had taken the initiative to call Linda so she could smooth things over with her husband regarding the Shield's absence. Colby didn't release Kavari for a second and closed his eyes, trying to let her calm him down before he ended up pacing a hole in the waiting lobby.

Normally, Jon was not a man people could push, pull and order around, but right now he would take orders from Bianca. She was just trying to help and had everything under control, or so it seemed. Jon had 4 cigarettes and paced back and forth, not uttering a single word.

"When the fuck are they going to come tell us what's going on? I'm not going to just stand by much longer."

His cell phone went off and Jon hightailed it back inside the hospital because the doctor had come out to give an update on Joe finally, Bianca right behind him. They arrived not even a minute later and Kavari sighed with relief, not wanting the doctor to tell them Joe's condition without Jon. She'd asked the doctor politely to wait and the woman had no problem with it.

"Okay this is all of us, what's going on with Joe?"

"He's a very stubborn man and has a high tolerance for pain. Extremely high. Apparently, his gut was trying to tell him last night he wasn't feeling good, but he didn't actually start vomiting until today. It's one of the most violent cases of food poisoning I've ever seen in my life. It was shellfish poisoning. The shrimp he ate last night wasn't cleaned properly and he's very lucky because a lot of people who get this can get amnesia along with becoming paralyzed. We gave him a charcoal treatment to kill the poisonous toxins from the shellfish and a shot for the vomiting and nausea. I would say give him a couple of hours to let his system calm down and then take him home." The doctor explained, smiling at all the worried looks on their faces and could tell her patient was very loved.

So Bianca was right, it had been food poisoning. "Can we see him?" Bianca immediately asked, knowing Jon had to see with his own eyes that Joe was going to be alright.

"Yes, he's in room 292. Please keep it down though and let him get his rest." The doctor stated and walked away to go check on her other patients.

"Fucking hell, he's gonna get his ass kicked when he's better for scaring us like this." Colby grunted, holding Kavari tightly while Jon and Bianca made their way down the hallway, following slowly behind. He felt like his legs might give out from all the worrying he'd done.

Bianca turned to face both Colby and Kavari while Jon stepped into Joe's room, giving him a minute alone with the man he considered to be his brother. "Just so you know, I called Linda and she's smoothing things over with Vince for tonight. So we can all head back to Florida tonight if Joe is able to fly. I will talk to the doctor and find out. You two go see him, I know you want to."

Colby stopped Bianca from walking away, nodding for Kavari to join Jon and said he'd be there in a minute. "You're good for him, you know. Jon doesn't trust a lot of people, but for some reason he trusts you and that's really new for him. He's got his ticks and a lot of women can't deal with them, but you take them with a grain of salt. So…give him a chance. I know you've been through hell over the past 5 years, but I can honestly say when you two are together, you look like you're meant to be. Maybe it's my heart talking bullshit because I'm in love with Kavari, but everything I say is the truth. So don't walk away from him, Bianca. He's a good man and he cares a great deal for you. Think about it." He walked inside Joe's room to check on his friend and left Bianca with those thoughts.

Swallowing hard, Bianca blinked tears away as she walked away from the room to go track the doctor down to ask about Joe possibly flying. If they had to, they would drive, but flying would get them home faster so he could be properly taken care of. She could do it especially with her medical background. Colby's words swirled through her mind and Bianca immediately pushed them away, shaking her head. She couldn't betray Myron any more than she already had. No matter if she was falling for Jon or not, it couldn't happen and it didn't matter if she was completely broken over it. Happiness and being loved wasn't in the cards for her.

Standing back in the room, Kavari surveyed and noted how pale Joe was. Someone had combed hair out of his face and braided it back. The hospital gown looked like it only fit half of his body and he was nearly hanging off the bed. She watched as Jon walked to Joe before Colby joined them, wanting to see with his own eyes like Jon their comrade was alright. Kavari didn't understand the bond they had, always putting the bond of friendship and family in separate meanings. Never did she have a friend close enough to associate them with the term sister. These 3 men in front of her were closer than she'd ever seen 3 best friends before and they loved each other like brothers. Jon and Colby were practically in hysterics because they were scared of losing Joe. He might've been a snarling grumpy bear to her, but for Jon and Colby's sakes, Kavari was glad he'd pulled through.

"Dude, you scared the shit out of us. You can't be getting sick like this. You're supposed to be the fucking Enforcer. If something happens to you, who do you think they would get to replace you? Big Show? Fuck that. You're irreplaceable, bro." Jon grunted when his cell phone rang, pulling him from his speech. When did Bianca slip it back in his pocket? He stepped out to answer it and when the call ended, he looked down at Bianca standing right in front of him. "That was Linda. The company is going to fly us to wherever Raw is going to be on Monday. It'll give us a couple days off so Joe can recover. They don't want him traveling too much in case it takes more than a couple days for him to get better. The hotel is already booked." Bianca nodded and started walking past him to go into Joe's room, but Jon stopped her. He pulled her into his arms, lowering himself to meet her height and buried his face in the side of her neck, breathing her in. "Thank you, Bianca. Thank you for everything you did for my brother. I'll never be able to repay you, but I'm damn sure going to try."

Bianca closed her eyes and relished the feeling of being in Jon's arms, his hot breath on her ear sending warmth throughout her body. "No repayment needed, I'm just really glad he's okay. He can be a brute at times to us, but I know he's just worried about his career going in the toilet." She felt Jon pull back to stare down into her eyes and Bianca cracked a small smile, feeling his finger run down her cheek in a gentle caress. "This will all be over soon and then he'll be able to relax a little, all of you will. I won't let my brother destroy what you've worked so hard to build, Jon. You have my word on that. Now come on, let's check on Joe. I know you don't want to leave his side anytime soon until he's fully better."

Joe looked at the door when Bianca and Jon walked inside, immediately crooking his finger at the petite light brown haired woman. He grabbed her hand as soon as she was close enough, squeezing it gently but firmly. "Thank you." He rumbled in a weak voice, leaning his head back against the pillows. "I owe you for helping me, Bianca." It was one of the first times he used her actual name instead of calling her names.

"Just get better for your sake as well as theirs." She gestured to Jon and Colby, placing a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. "Cool as a cucumber, thank god." Bianca pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, smiling. "Get some rest, big guy. You'll be released in a few hours as soon as all the toxins are out of your system. Then we'll be flying out to the next house show area so you can rest for a few days."

Colby and Jon did not leave Joe's side the entire time they were in the hospital, not even to piss. The room had a bathroom, so they used that one. Bianca didn't take her eyes off of Joe for a second, thinking of him as her patient. Truthfully, she had grown to care about all the Shield, especially Jon. So when she saw the look of fear in Jon's eyes when Joe first got sick at the rest stop, Bianca had to do something to make it disappear. She hated seeing the fear in Jon's eyes and never wanted to see it again as long as she lived. It was a long tedious wait, but by midnight, they were all on their way to the airport. Joe was laying in the backseat with Colby and Kavari keeping a close eye on him. Jon hadn't been able to get some sleep like Bianca had, so she currently drove while Jon slept in the passenger seat. Colby didn't mind a woman driving and held Kavari against him, running his fingers up and down her back, kissing the top of her head. Once Joe got in the middle seat and lay down, he was completely knocked out. He knew eyes were going to be on him for the next few days and at this point he didn't mind a bit.