A/N: My God, I am humbled and overwhelmed by the response to this story. It strikes me dumb lol. Thank you to everybody who has been reading. This is the penultimate chapter. The next one will be the last. Thank you everybody. You all rock so super-hard.
Beep, beep, beep…
"Do you think she's ever going to wake up?"
Beep, beep, beep…
"It's not a matter of if, mate; it's a matter of when. Doctor says it's the worst case of shock he's ever seen."
Beep, beep, beep…
"I think I just saw her eye twitch."
Beep, beep, beep…
"Her fingers totally moved. Serena? Serena, wake up, beautiful."
Serena opened her eyes, instantly squinting from the bright light. Dean, Seth and Wade stood around her; the four of them dressed in the same mint green hospital gowns. Wade had a bandage on his neck. There were no visible bandages on Seth or Dean, though she knew he had been stabbed. Her eyes widened, alarmed. She felt a surge of panic rip through her. "Roman?" she asked. She looked to Dean. She tried to sit up, but Dean and Wade both put their hands on each shoulder, forcing her to stay down.
"Roman is fine," Dean assured her. "We figured you weren't going to be up for another couple hours and he had coffee on the brain, so we sent him to get a cup. He should be back any minute." Serena's face took on an expression of relief. She put a hand to her forehead, realizing very quickly that there was an IV stuck in her hand. Her injured arm was bandaged. She pondered how many stitches it took to close it up.
"I guess the first thing is first: what happened?"
"The fucking tosser got in through the bedroom window. Between the reading and the headphones, I didn't hear a bloody thing. I didn't know what hit me. I was reading one minute and fucking out the next. The nurse says he hit me with a Taser." He motioned to the bandage on his neck.
"He hid under the bed and attacked us," Seth explained. "He got me when I went to check on Roman and Wade. He tied us up and set the house on fire, Serena. I'm really sorry, but it's gone. The place is gutted, burned to the ground."
"I don't even care," she said. "I'm just so relieved you guys are okay. How did you get out?"
"The fire department," Roman said from his spot in the doorway. "We inhaled a lot of smoke, but otherwise we're healthy as horses." He sipped his coffee from the paper cup. She smiled at him. "It's nice to see you awake. I was starting to get worried."
"It's nice to see you're alive."
"Same to you," he told her with a chuckle.
Serena looked at Dean. "How…?"
"A couple stopped for me. I wanted to go into the woods for you, but they wouldn't let me. I could barely stand. He stabbed me in the hip. It's a little painful to move, but mercifully the trunks will cover my scar. They called the police, but they were waiting for officers to arrive from neighboring cities because of the explosion forcibly downsizing their department."
"How did I get here?" she asked.
"A couple officers went into the woods. It took them a couple hours, but they found you."
"Did they find him?" she asked. Dean nodded. "Is he…?"
"Oh, yeah," Dean told her. "Very."
"Are you all right, love?" Wade asked. She nodded.
"It was either me or him," she told them. They nodded. "I chose me."
"Thank God you're okay," Dean said, hugging her. He winced as he leaned down, but he didn't care about the pain. They hugged each other tightly. "I knew you were going to get out of this in one piece," he told her. "I'm so proud of you, Serena. You made it."
"I couldn't have done it without you, Dean. Thank God you're all right," she whispered. He pulled back.
"The police want to talk to you, love," Wade told her. "They want you to give a statement and get an idea of what exactly happened."
"Do you guys think I'm in trouble?" she asked. They shook their heads.
"With everything he did? Hardly," Seth assured her. "I mean, he killed four police officers, injured three others, injured us, tried to kill you, set your house on fire and blew up several cop cars. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave you a medal." Serena laughed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
"Four officers died?" Serena asked. Seth nodded. "Jesus, that's terrible."
"It sure is," Dean agreed. There was a beat. "When they found you, they said you were fading in and out of consciousness and babbling about other victims and bugs. The paramedics said they'd never see someone in shock like you were."
"It's a small town; I'd imagine they aren't used to dealing with much," Serena confessed.
"Do you have a place to go when you get out? Do you have somewhere to stay?" Dean asked.
"To be honest, Dean, I haven't really thought about much," Serena told him. "Do you think they're going to keep me here long?"
"They want to keep you overnight for observation," Wade told her. "They want to monitor your concussion and the shock. They said they might release you in the morning."
"That would be nice. Thank God for homeowner's insurance, though I'm not sure if they provide 'acts of madmen' coverage." The guys laughed. Serena laughed. On the one hand, it felt good for her to laugh; on the other, her ribs hurt. "It feels like my ribs are broken."
"Not broken. Just bruised," Dean told her with a smirk. "How did you manage that, by the way?"
"I fell down a hill," Serena confessed. Dean winced. There was a knock on the door. Serena looked up to see two police officers standing in the doorway. Dean and Wade took her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze.
"Good evening, Ms. Lords."
"Hello," she said. Her eyes betrayed her fear.
"How are you feeling?"
"I've seen better days, but I'm just thankful to be alive," she told them. They nodded.
"We have no doubt this was self-defence, but we need to get your side of the story." She nodded. "Are you up for it now, or would you prefer we come back later?"
"I can talk now," she said.
"Are you sure?" Dean asked. She nodded.
"You have the right to counsel," the officer told her. She dismissed it with a wave of her hand.
"I don't need it. I have nothing to hide," she told them. "Everything I tell you I'm sure the evidence will back up. I have no reason to lie." The officers nodded. They pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.
"How's the arm?" the first officer, a stocky blond with a name tag that read HOOLIHAN asked.
"The painkillers they have me on have me feeling next to nothing," she confessed. "It's probably for the best. Mentally, I'm a mess, though, so forgive me if some things are a little foggy."
"It's understandable," said the second officer, a lanky kid named PARSONS.
Serena told them what she could remember, answering their questions as best she could. Dean and Wade kept squeezing her hand as reassurance. The officers took notes, in awe of her quick thinking, understanding of her inner turmoil as she spoke of the conflict about using her makeshift weapon. She omitted nothing, recalling with horror how he threatened to kill her slowly, how he tried to torment her the same way he had before.
"Am I under arrest?" she asked. The officers shook their heads.
"You killed a serial killer who was trying to kill you," Parsons told her. "It's the clearest case of self-defence I've ever seen. Not that I've seen many," he added quickly. She nodded.
"I'm sorry about your colleagues," Serena told them somberly.
"Thank you, Ms. Lords," Hoolihan told her. "I'm glad you're all right."
"We all are," Dean told him. The officer stood.
"We'll keep in touch," Hoolihan told her. "Do you have a number where we can reach you?"
"No, but if I leave town, I'll be sure to leave contact information." He nodded. They got up and left. Serena rested her head against the pillow. She was drowsy, even though she had slept away most of the day.
"Hello?"
Serena looked up to see Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and Vince McMahon in the doorway. Stephanie held a giant pot of flowers. Serena smiled. "You've already got quite the party in here, don't you?" Vince cracked.
"It's a hospital gown party," Serena told him with a laugh.
"We were so worried when we heard the news. I told Hunter we had to fly out," Stephanie told Serena, rushing forward to put the flowers on the table and give Serena a hug. She winced. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry!"
"Bruised ribs; it's fine," Serena assured her.
"Are you all right?" Hunter asked. Serena laughed.
"Considering the circumstances, I'm fine. Apparently my house isn't, though."
"Yeah, we drove by the site," Hunter confessed, sitting down in the empty chair. He looked at the guys. "What about you guys?"
"We're all right. Battered and bruised," Roman cracked.
"The roster sends their best," Vince told her. She smiled. "How long do they plan on keeping you?"
"They might be keeping me until tomorrow. I guess it depends on how I hold up through the night."
"If you need anything, Serena, don't hesitate to come to us," Hunter told her. Stephanie and Vince nodded.
"I appreciate that."
"Take as much time as you need before you come back," Stephanie told him.
"I might need another week or two," Serena conceded. "You know, to get re-settled."
"Understandable," Vince told her. He looked up at Dean and Seth. "She's a tough cookie, isn't she?"
"She has no idea," Dean said, his eyes focused on Serena. They all nodded in agreement. Serena felt herself blush. She looked down at her hands. There was a sense of freedom that accompanied the death of the Staten Island Slasher. Serena knew she didn't have to look over her shoulder any longer. She was free.