Once she got into the car, Lucy could hardly hold back her tears. Looking out the window, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Was she supposed to be in this car? After all she didn't, actually hear from her mother that her father's business venture was going under. What she was told was a vague comment about how she wasn't sure, and then a comment that redirected her attention to the original purpose of the call. Dean. She was so excited when he gave her that ring. But, Lucy questioned was she happy because she got the ring, or was she happy because she was sure he meant it when he said that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her? She knew what her life would be like when it was with Jake; a constant whirl of parties full of people who were only there to see what they could do to advance their own careers. With Dean, it was different. She's been in more cities than she can count and she's made more friends than she's ever had in Seattle. Jake chattered in the background telling her how he would take her home and get the entire situation dealt with like he should have done in the beginning. How she wasn't able to handle things without him; how it was okay, because she could always count on him to be there for her. Seeing that she wasn't listening, Jake backhanded her breaking through her own thoughts. "Oww! What the hell?" Jake looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "You weren't listening to me. God, if you'd just been paying attention then I wouldn't have had to do that. Now, as I was saying, once we get home, you'll never leave my side again." Lucy, in that moment made a snap decision, "Jake, stop the car." When he didn't stop immediately she insisted again, "Jake, pull over I can't do this. I'm not going with you." Looking back, Lucy would be confident he only stopped because of the red light; she grabbed her purse and bag quickly getting out. Jake pulled around the corner and got out chasing after her, "What are you doing? Lucy, come on, you'll feel better once you get home." Lucy spun around when he grabbed her arm. "No, Jake. I'm not going with you. For once in my life, I'm going to think about what it is that I want. I don't want you. I want to give my marriage a chance. If it fails I want it to be because he and I can't work it now, not because someone told me I shouldn't try. Honestly, Jake, even if I was single I don't think I'd marry you. Something I've learned since spending time with my husband is that my opinion matters, what I want matters. My parents, my entire life, have told me that my dreams are valid, and right now my dreams have nothing to do with you." Lucy spun away again and didn't make it very far before slammed her head against a light post and started shaking her, her head bouncing off the post every time. "You little bitch, I've put up with this little stunt of you traveling around the country with that loser because I thought you'd have a little bit of freedom before we got married. Well that ends now. I've invested too much time and too much money in you not to marry you. You're going to apologize to me, get your ass in the car, and I'll forget this ever happened. If I have to ask again, I'll make what happened in the car look like a pat on the cheek. You're mine; you're always going to be mine. The sooner you understand that the better off your life will be."
As Lucy looked into his eyes she didn't recognize the man standing in front of her even though she'd known him all his life. Unsure what to do, it was still early so the street wasn't busy, but knowing she wasn't going to get in the car with him let alone on a plane, she tried to buy time. "Jake, please, you're hurting me. Look can't we just talk about this? There's a Starbucks right around the corner…" Her voice faded away when she saw that he was only growing more irritated. His voice came out in a growl when he said, "Just imagine how much worse it is going to be if you don't get in that car right now. The longer I wait the worse it's going to be for you."
Still trying to figure out what to do when she heard a voice yell, "Hey! Get your hands off of her!" Recognizing the voice she almost cried when she heard it. Jake also recognized that now was not the time to continue this with her, especially now that he was outnumbered, he punched her one more time in the stomach and walk away, only after whispering in her ear that, "This is not over." Gasping for air and holding her head, she looked up at Brie, Nikki and John, happier to see them than she had ever been before. Nikki and Brie helped her to her feet while John grabbed her bags, "Hey, are you okay? What the hell was that all about? I thought you were leaving?" Lucy slowly told them everything that had happened. The ring, seeing Jake, his ultimatum, Dean with another woman, and that she couldn't leave. Nikki, recognizing that her friend was about to have a panic attack, promised to get her to the hotel and to Dean, as quickly as possible.
The ride back to the hotel was silent. Nikki, John, and Brie were trying to comprehend everything that Lucy had said. For Lucy, she was wondering what would happen when she got back to the hotel. Did Dean have his room for another night? If he didn't did he go to Las Vegas, or with Seth or Roman? All she was sure of was that she had to make him listen, to make him understand that she didn't want to leave, and that she couldn't leave. The adrenaline was slowly leaving her body and she was starting to shake, she hadn't slept last night, and she didn't eat much this morning, but nothing mattered as much as getting back to Dean. She had never been like this with a guy before, never been this, obsessed. But then there hadn't really been any other guy but Jake. Dean was his complete opposite, he listened to her, and laughed with her, in the month and a half that she'd been traveling with him, she'd fallen in love with him. Now she just had to get him to believe her.
Dean got out of the shower with a splitting headache and an even bigger pain in his chest. He knew he hadn't slept with that girl that he brought back to the hotel but he still felt awful for kissing her in front of Lucy. He shook his head trying to get his mind off of her. Easier said than done he guessed; looking at his watch he swore quietly knowing he had to meet the guys downstairs so they could head out in 10 minutes. Once he got to the parking lot he grunted greetings to Roman and Seth. He missed the look that passed between them but he was confident that the silent exchange still occurred. "Guys, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. This is what should have happened immediately after we first got married. I'll be fine. She'll be happier once she's married to him, and I'll get on with my life." Then he heard a voice that he swore he'd never thought he'd hear again. 'You're not getting on with your life without me Ambrose." Slowly turning around he questioned, "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be well on your way back to Seattle by now. Where's Jake?" Only after asking that last question did he get a good look at her. She stood there, shaking, with labored breathing and a bruise forming across her cheekbone. "Did that bastard hit you? What the hell happened?" Lucy opened her mouth to start explaining when instead of that happening, she fainted.
An hour later Dean was beside himself, the doctors didn't seem to be any help and to make matters worse, John had taken him to the side to tell him everything she had told him. The blackmail, how Jake had repeatedly struck her, all of it. John didn't imagine that Dean was taking this very well but he still felt he had the right to know, after all, that was his wife in that bed. The doctors assured him that she wasn't in a coma or anything, rather her body was exhausted and she was simply sleeping it off. Dean didn't leave her bedside once, not when the doctors checked to make sure the bruising on her ribs, no breaks, just some external bruising. He flinched for her when the nurse stapled the cut in the back of her head. Now that everyone had left, Roman, Seth, John, Nikki, and Brie, for the next show, and the doctors to tend to other patients, all he had to do was wait for her to wake up.
Within an hour of everyone meeting up with the rest of the roster, calls started to pour in, Stephanie and Hunter were first. They assured him that they understood why he wasn't there and not to worry, that taking care of his wife needed to come first and Stephanie scolded him for not calling her family immediately upon getting her settled. Then the calls came from the rest of the girls who were worried about Lucy. After assuring them he'd tell her that they all called he simply stopped answered and texted everyone letting them know that she was okay.
After everyone at work was notified, Dean had to make the call that he was least looking forward to, the one to her parents. While he didn't feel that he knew them at all, he was still confident that they should know their daughter was in the hospital. Hell, he was sure that if he didn't call them now he was sure that the first call Lucy made when she woke up was going to be to them. He was on the phone for nearly an hour, he spoke first to his mother in law, she cried as he told her what he had been told by John; that Jake had done it, that she would be okay, she wasn't in a coma her body was just exhausted and she was sleeping it off. Her father was another matter altogether. Where her mother was quiet, her father was loud. He swore to ruin Jake, that he wouldn't get away with treating his baby girl like that. It was interesting to hear this very loud man bluster his way through the conversation. What effected Dean the most was the way her father's voice started to crack once he asked Dean if she was going to be okay. After he received that reassurance, he made Dean promise that he'd be there for her no matter what. That was a promise that Dean had no problem making, in fact, when he sat down next to her bed he knew that until this mess would over, he wouldn't leave her side. But after that, he had to make sure that she wanted to be with him because she wanted to, not because she needed him to protect her. He saw her start to stir and in his excitement he gripped her hand and called for the nurse. His excitement died however when he heard her whisper, "Jake".
