CHAPTER 20

The doctors had performed an emergency surgery on Dean Ambrose when he arrived at the hospital. They removed the bullets successfully, but Dean had lost a lot of blood. Now here he was hooked up to machines in ICU, fighting for survival.

Seth, Shannon, and Kayla were in the room by his bedside. Kayla sat his right, holding his hand, tears falling down her face.

"Please, God," she prayed. "Don't take him away from me. Please. Spare his life...if it be Your will. Not my will but Thine. Thy will be done."

It was breaking Kayla's heart seeing the man that she loves hooked up to a heart monitor and an oxygen mask.

Seth had been rubbing his wife's shoulders, then made his way closer to his friend since the age of 12. Memories of their many adventures ran through his mind and it was eating him up inside. He knelt to Dean's left side.

"Hey, Dean. It's Seth. Don't you die on me, you hear me?" Seth swallowed the lump in his throat. "Don't you dare die on me."

Shannon walked behind him and touched his shoulder. Seth stood and faced his wife. He couldn't stop himself. He pulled Shannon close and cried. Shannon whispered to him that she loved him as she rubbed his back. Kayla watched the couple, wishing that this could have been her and Dean married one day. With these circumstances, that wish went out the window. She looked back at Dean.

"Please, Dean. Don't leave me. I lost you once before, I don't want to lose you again. Remember the last thing you told me the day you moved away? I will repeat it to you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, Dean Ambrose. I love you so much."

-An hour had gone by and nothing happened. Nothing changed. The room was silent and not a words spoken. The only sound was of the heart monitor.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Seth and Shannon stood at the foot of the bed and Kayla sat in the same place she had when she first came into the ICU.

"Listen, guys," Kayla said breaking the silence. "There's no change. Why don't you two go down to the cafeteria and grab something to eat? I'll stay here with him."

"You sure," Seth asked."

"Yeah. Go ahead."

"Do you want us to bring you back anything?"

"No. I'll grab something later."

"Alright." Seth walked up to Kayla and wrapped her arms around her. "We're here for you, you know."

"I know. Thank you."

Seth kissed the side of his friend's head before stepping towards the door. Shannon knelt beside Kayla looking into her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want us to bring you back anything?"

"I'm not hungry right now. But thank you though."

"Okay. Come here."

Shannon pulled Kayla close into a strong sister-like hug. "We love you."

"I love you guys too."

Shannon met Seth at the door, then walked down the hallway towards the cafeteria, leaving Kayla alone with Dean.

-45 minutes went by. Seth and Shannon were making their way back from the cafeteria. They walked to an elevator, pressing a button for the doors to open, then stepped on, pressing another button for the doors to close. The couple were riding the elevator up to the floor to the ICU.

-*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Kayla watched as line on the heart monitor kept moving. She glanced back at Dean and with a free hand, pushed the bangs away from his closed eyes.

-Seth and Shannon stepped off the elevator and tredded down the long hallway back to Dean's room.

-*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

-"NOOOO! NURSE! NURSE! HELP!"

Seth and Shannon came running down the hall towards Dean's room at the frantic cries of Kayla.

"NO! DEAN!"

Doctors and nurses were piling into the room at Seth and Shannon's return.

"HELP HIM!" Kayla hollered. "PLEASE HELP HIM!"

A doctor ordered Kayla to be removed from the room. Seth grabbed hold of Kayla and pulled her out the door.

"LET GO! LET GO OF ME, SETH!"

"There's nothing you can do for him, Kayla," Seth stated.

Kayla squirmed in Seth's grasp, demanding that she let go, but Seth would not release her. Shannon got in front of her, trying to control her.

"KAYLA! STOP!"

Kayla kept wiggling in Seth's arms. "Do something, Shannon. Hurry!"

Shannon didn't want to, but had no other choice. She pulled her arm back, then reached forward and slapped Kayla across the face. That seemed to do it. Kayla ceased her struggling and sank to her knees while Seth still had a hold on her. He sank to the floor with her. Shannon lowered herself in front of Kayla.

"I'm sorry, Kayla. I didn't know what else to do."

Kayla looked at her friend. "Shannon...he's...he's...Oh, God, no. Please, God, no."

Shannon and Seth wrapped their arms around Kayla and all 3 of them cried right there on the floor, in the hallway of the hospital.

Dean Ambrose' heart stopped beating. Dean Ambrose flatlined. Dean Ambrose had died.