What was that beeping sound? Lexi struggled to open one eye only to find the darkened room blurry. She groaned at the throbbing sensation and lifted a hand to cradle her head.
"Oh no, sweetheart." Strong fingers wrapped around her wrist. "Put your hand down, before you pull out your IV."
She turned her head slightly and managed to open her other eye only slightly, her vision nearly completely impaired on her left side. "Roman?" she rasped, hoping she hadn't imagined his voice.
"Yeah, baby. I'm here."
"W-what time is it?"
"About two in the morning."
Though his account of the time did shock her, she couldn't seem to muster the energy to actually act surprised. "It's after visiting hours. How are you still here?"
He leaned over the bed into her line of sight and grinned. "It's amazing how willing the hospital administrator was to bend the rules after Mr. McMahon pledged to donate money to the facility."
His statement pulled a small smile from her. Leave it to Vince to throw money at any problem. Though she had to admit, this time she was happy he had. "You must be tired."
"I'm fine," Roman replied. "The nice nurses hooked me up with a surprisingly comfortable recliner to sleep in and a blanket."
"Nice nurses?" Lexi echoed. "They probably have the hots for your sexy body and couldn't resist the idea of having you here all night."
He rewarded her witty reply with a low deep laugh that warmed her through to her soul. She couldn't even begin to express her thankfulness at his being there for her. "I'm sure the only one around here that thinks I have a sexy body is you."
"Doubtful," Lexi argued. "Especially since I'm guessing you're probably still in your ring gear."
"Well even if they do think that," he whispered as he leaned down. "This sexy body belongs to only one woman."
She grinned at his subtle pledge to her. Maybe, just maybe when she was better, she'd take him up on that pledge. "Not that I could do anything with it in my current condition."
"No, but when you're ready, it will be waiting." He pressed a soft kiss to the uninjured side of her forehead. "Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."
She gave him a small nod and closed her eyes. For reasons she couldn't quite understand, knowing he was there made her feel safe and protected. Within seconds she began to drift, her thoughts consumed only with Roman.
The next morning she sat propped up in bed, trying to choke down the nearly inedible breakfast in front of her. Seth sat in the chair Roman occupied overnight and watched. The only way she'd been able to get Roman to leave the hospital was if she allowed someone else to stay with her. Unfortunately for Seth, he'd been brave enough to volunteer and was now enduring her wrath. "Oh, it can't be that bad."
She scooped up a fork full of scrambled eggs and pointed it at him. "You want to try them?"
He smiled and held up a hand. "Thank you, but I think the nurses might be unhappy about me eating your food."
"I don't even want to eat my food." Disgusted, she dropped the fork on the tray. "The least they could have done was brought me some decent coffee. I'm going through withdraw."
"The doctor said no caffeine," Seth scolded. "At least not until your concussion is better."
She folded her arms. "Well, no caffeine is only going to make me crankier than I already am."
"As if that's even possible," a voice said from the doorway.
She looked over and immediately broke into a smile. "Dad!"
Bret walked into the room and paused at the foot of her bed. "Well don't you look like hell."
Her smile slid into a frown. "Gee, that's just what every woman wants to hear."
His lips turn up into a grin as he moved forward, leaned down and gave her a hug. "You scared the hell out of me, Alexandra."
"It's not as if I did it on purpose you know."
"I know." He pulled back and studied her face. "Have you seen yourself yet?"
She gave a slight shake of her head. "No why? Is it really that bad?"
"Do yourself a favor and wait a few days before you look in a mirror. Are you in much pain?"
"Some," she shrugged. "It's actually a lot better now than it was last night."
His attention drifted to the seat Seth occupied. "You were in the match last night when Alexandra got hurt."
Seth popped up from the chair and wiped his hands on his pants. "Um...yes, Sir. I'm sorry to say it's my fault she's hurt."
"Oh it is not," Lexi argued. "It was an accident and nothing more."
"Even so," Bret began. "I like a man who is willing to take responsibility for his actions." He extended a hand across the bed. "If you haven't already figured it out, I'm Alexandra's dad."
"Yes, Mr. Hart." Seth shook his hand. "It's such an honor to meet you."
Lexi watched as her father's grin spread. "Thank you. I have to say I've enjoyed watching you and your teammates build your storyline."
"T-thank you, Sir." Seth's eyes widened in shock. "You still watch WWE?" Immediately he shook his head and smacked his temple. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. Of course, you still watch."
Bret gave him a full on grin. "I watch every week to see what my little girl here is going to do next." He glanced down at Lexi. "What I want to know is where is the man who picked you up and carried you from the ring last night?"
Lexi's heart sped up at the mention of Roman. "You mean Roman?"
"He's the one with long dark hair?" Bret asked.
Lexi nodded. "That's him. He went back to the hotel to shower and change. He was here all night with me."
Bret arched a curious brow. "Really? Is he the same one Hunter's been telling me about?"
Lexi jolted at her father's question. Deep down she suspected someone had probably been telling her dad what was going on. She just hadn't expected it to be Hunter. "Just what has Hunter been saying?"
He grabbed Lexi's hand and squeezed. "Relax, Alexandra. I call him from time to time to get the real scoop on how you're doing. Since all I ever get from you is what you think I want to hear." He paused and she flushed at being called out on her tendency to hold back information.
"I just don't want to bother you with mundane details," she replied.
"Right," he shot back. "So anyway, the last time we talked he said you'd taken a romantic interest in a new wrestler." He leveled one of his famous Remember I'm your father looks on her. "After what happened with Edge I'll admit I was a bit concerned, but Hunter assures me that this Roman you speak of is just as infatuated with you as you are with him."
"Are you mad at me for not telling you?"
Bret shook his head. "I'm not mad. Disappointed, yes, but not mad."
"I didn't want you to worry is all," she tried to explain. God she hated it whenever she disappointed her dad. After her car accident, he'd worried and fretted over her. She didn't want him to worry anymore. "Roman and I are still in that getting to know you stage. We haven't even really kissed yet, so it wasn't like there was much to tell."
Bret chuckled. "Not much to tell, huh? The boy risked his career by breaking character on camera to pick you up from ringside and carry you to help. Then he stays by your side all night and I assumed refused to leave unless someone stayed with you." He glanced at Seth. "That is why you're here, right?"
Seth nodded. "Yes, Sir."
"I thought so." Bret stroked a hand along her hair. "Baby, I hate to be the one to break the bad news to you, but I'm pretty sure this relationship you two have is far past the not much to tell stage."