Hello, lovely readers.
Another day, another chapter. Thank you all for the continued support so far for this story. We finally reached over 100 reviews so I want to thank everyone who has left me any feedback over the last 14 chapters. I love you all!
Raquel the writer – We'll find out what happens there in this chapter
Tantoune – Sheamus is a total dick! Thank god we have people like Dean to swoop in and save the day.
Lauraxxx – Glad you found this story and so happy you like it. I've been loving reading your reviews. Yes, it's definitely fun to write a darker Dean compared to the PG one we get to see on TV. The chemistry between Dean and Holly is definitely getting stronger as the chapters are progressing and theres definitely something going on with Randy and how he feels towards Holly. Thanks for all your feedback and I hope you continue to enjoy the madness that I write.
Wolviegurl – Course he would. He's Dean mother-fucking Ambrose hehe
Guest – The cutest. The chemistry between them is getting stronger and stronger.
Guest – Randy is awesome, but we all know Dean is going to be the one to swoop in and be her saviour.
Dutchangel1979 – Thank you! Go Dean indeed! We get to see the aftermath of that night in this chapter.
Beautifultragedyxxx – I felt the chapter title very apt haha! I'm glad the chapter had the shock value then, that's exactly what I wanted. I knew the Brogue Kick to Holly would be very surprising. And Dean is a total babe, utterly swoon-worthy.
Angelsdee327 – Now that would be living the dream. He could nurse me back to health any day!
Haha95 – Thank you for the review.
Jill Crew - Awww so glad you are enjoying it
Crazy-wild-and-free - We will find out the consequences for Sheamus in this chapter. Hunter has definitely taken a total u-turn now. He'll be the best damn brother he can be from now on! I think he's learnt his lesson after how far things went. And Dean's caring attitude towards Holly is definitely getting stronger. The ship has left the dock! And the shock factor of the chapter clearly worked. I wanted people to be surprised so I'm glad you enjoyed it
This chapter is named after 'Recover' by The Automatic.
Holly Helmsley's Point Of View
I was inundated with visitors to my hotel room the next day. There were so many people coming and going that I hardly had chance to leave my bed, not that I wanted to, of course. I was happy to simply lie there, relax, and let everyone else do things for me, my body and head still aching. I was stocked up on a cocktail of meds from the WWE doctors, so I knew it wouldn't take long for my broken body to recover.
Paige and Sasha visited, bringing me candy and some rom-com DVDs to watch in case I got bored lying in bed all day. Kane visited too, bringing me flowers, his rage for Sheamus burning as bright as anyone's. Randy visited too, never leaving once he'd arrived. It hadn't taken him long to recover from the match last night; he had fought Sheamus in the past and had taken plenty Brogue Kicks in his career. All he'd needed was a good night's sleep to get over it. He'd been here since I'd woken up this morning and hadn't left since.
It was about 10 in the morning when Hunter and Steph finally arrived.
"How's my little sister today?" Hunter asked with a warm smile, approaching my bed and leaning down to hug me. He squeezed me tightly, eventually letting me go, taking a seat at my bedside next to Randy.
"Better than I was yesterday," I said. "But I still hurt."
"Did you get much sleep last night?" Steph asked as she sat on the side of the bed, taking my hand in hers.
"The meds knocked me out cold," I explained. "So I feel like I got a decent amount of rest."
"Thank god you didn't have a concussion," Steph said. "And least it meant you were able to get a full night's sleep."
"You eaten anything?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, Randy brought me a bagel," I smiled. "So I'm good for food."
"Can't let you starve, can we?" Randy asked with a teasing smile, causing me to smile back.
Hunter looked around the room, noticing the tall vase of flowers on my bedside table. "Those are nice," he commented.
"Kane brought them," I smiled warmly. "He stopped by this morning."
"I'm not surprised," he replied. "Kane has been worried out of his mind for you. We all have."
All three of them looked away awkwardly, not one of them wanting to make eye contact, and I knew exactly what was going through their heads.
Guilt.
They'd let me down, all three of them promising me I'd be fine in that ring, that they'd all protect me and look after me should things take a turn for the worst. Yet here I was, lying in a bed, filled up with meds, my body aching and broken after the attack. They'd all failed on their promise, and they all now felt the guilt of putting me in that position.
I didn't blame Randy at all, not one bit. He'd fought for me, he'd actually made an attempt. He'd tried his hardest to protect me and fight Sheamus off as best as he could, but sadly Sheamus had come out on top in this situation, leaving Randy as hurt as I had been. He shouldn't feel guilty, he'd given it his best shot, but I knew he'd beat himself up over failing to save me. I didn't want him to, but that was just Randy.
Admittedly, Steph and Hunter could have done more. They shouldn't have put me in the match first of all! And they should have listened to my constant protests. But when the danger had come, Hunter had ran out, he'd stopped Sheamus, and the heartfelt apology he gave me in the medic's office afterwards told me how sorry he was, how guilty he felt, how he knew I should not have been out there.
So no matter how bad the situation had been, I forgave all three of them. They were my friends, they were family and I loved them all too much to hold a grudge against them over what happened.
"You don't need to look so low," I said to my brother. "It could have been worse."
"How?" he asked, making eye contact with me. "How could this have been worse?"
"I could have been concussed," I said. "Broken bones, permanent damage. Yes, I've got a few aches and bruises, but they will heal in time."
"What about mental trauma?" he asked. "You will never forget what happened out there. You'll never forget what he did, what happened, the fact that I allowed it to happen. I'm surprised you even want to talk to me."
"Hunter…" said Steph sadly.
"Look, you fucked up," I said, all three a little taken aback by my admission. "But you also tried to fix it. You got into that ring as soon as you could and you got Sheamus out of there. You came through in the end."
"I suppose," he said.
"And I know Sheamus got what he had coming to him, and I know he got a sufficient punishment." Randy stiffened at my words, his body language not going unnoticed. I looked to him, frowning in confusion. "What…? What's wrong?"
"Sheamus only got a suspension," Steph said after a long and uncomfortable silence.
I blinked, staring at her blankly.
Uh… what?!
"That's it?" I asked incredulously. "Only a suspension?"
"Two months," she explained. "And he has to give up the rights to the briefcase. He's no longer the holder."
That was fucking it?!
I couldn't believe what I was hearing, shock and disbelief running through my veins.
"He kicked me in the fucking face!" I said a little louder than I intended. "He unleashed an unprovoked attack on me and hurt me knowing I have no wrestling skill and can't defend myself! He should have been fucking fired!"
"Vince didn't think it needed to be taken that far," Hunter explained. "If it was an unexpected attack on a member of the public, then yes, he would have been fired. But since you are an employee and knew what could happen in these types of matches, Vince only suspended him."
"You've got to be kidding me," I said, running a hand through my hair.
He was coming back. He was gone for now, but now I knew for certain that bastard would be coming back. And when he did he would not be pleased. He'll have lost months of airtime, he'll have lost his briefcase, he'll have lost any favour with the fans and will certainly have lost it with everyone in the back. He'd fucking kill me when he saw me next!
"It's the best I could get," said Hunter, and I could tell from his tone he was as angry as I was by the entire situation. "Vince was only going to strip him of the briefcase but I managed to get the two month suspension in there too."
I looked to Steph. "Can't you talk to your dad? Try and get something worse?"
"I've tried," she said sadly. "But my father thinks the punishment is sufficient."
"Do you know what he'll do when he comes back?" I asked, my voice laced with panic. "He'll want me dead!"
"We won't let that happen," Hunter said. "After what happened last night, we've learnt from our past mistakes. You'll be properly protected, I'll make sure of it."
"Two months though, seriously?" I asked.
"It's a load of crap," muttered Randy, his arms folded unhappily.
"It's fucking bullshit, that's what it is," came a voice from by the door of my hotel room. We all looked round, surprised to see The Shield walking in, Roman carrying a big bouquet of flowers in his hand. They must have let themselves in. The words had come from Dean, his voice edgy and deep. "The bastard needed to be fired on the fucking spot for what he did. The old man's punishment isn't harsh enough and we all fucking know it."
I noticed Seth put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He was in front of his boss and Vince's daughter after all
"Hello to you too, Mr Ambrose," muttered Steph with a raised eyebrow.
"Hi, guys," I smiled weakly, Sheamus's future having put me in not the best mood.
Roman walked around my bed, handing me the flowers. "How are you today?" he asked me.
"I've been better," I smiled, sniffing the flowers. "These are beautiful."
"Want me to put them in a vase?" he asked me.
"I've got it," quickly interjected Randy, my friend taking them from me and preparing them to be placed in a vase.
"I could have done that," said Roman.
"I said I've got it," said Randy, the Samoan simply rolling his eyes.
Dean watched Randy carefully, his arms folded in frustration. He looked pissed and I knew it was due to a mixture of things. Sheamus's lenient sentence, the fact that I was injured and stuck in bed, the way Randy yet again was trying to belittle him and his brothers, the fact that the lunatic had to be unleashed when Randy and Hunter had promised they'd keep me safe but had failed to do so.
I knew whatever was going on in Dean's head it was not good. And after everything he'd told me and everything I'd learnt about him, it was not good for Dean to be in this dark mindset. Bad things happened when he was, whether it was beating people up in the ring or in an alleyway. Unleashing the lunatic was never good and I knew it took its toll on Dean and his emotional state. And I knew this was all worsened by the fact he was trying to keep composed, not wanting to do anything in front of my brother or Stephanie. I was grateful Seth was at his side, keeping him calm and reining him in.
"So what happens with the briefcase?" I asked, swiftly changing the subject.
"We have a ladder match," Hunter said. "And we determine a new holder."
"And when will that happen?" I asked as Randy returned to me, placing my new flowers beside the ones Kane had brought.
"Next week," he said. "I want you to take the time off to recover and be fit again before you return to TV. That means I won't have you on Raw tonight and you can take the rest of the week off."
"That makes sense," I said.
"So I'm gonna fly you out to Connecticut," he said. "You can stay at mine and Steph's house whilst you recover."
"I can?" I asked in surprise, rather pleased with this turn of events. I fucking loved my brother's house. It was so big and magnificent and beautiful.
"It's quiet there and isolated," he said. "No one will bother you and you can rest in peace without fans or paparazzi coming after you every five minutes."
"Wow," I said in disbelief. "Thanks, guys."
"We got you into this mess so we want to help in any way we can towards your recovery," said Steph, softly stroking my hair.
"When does she fly out?" someone asked. I was surprised to find it was Dean.
"As soon as she can," Hunter explained. "We want her better and well as soon as possible."
"Tomorrow sounds good," I said. "I should be well enough to fly by the morning."
"I'll sort out your flight then," smiled Hunter, the looks on Dean's and Randy's faces completely matching, both frowning, their jaws tense.
Neither wanted me to go.
xXx
I loved Hunter and Steph's living room. Large comfy sofas, a 50 inch TV, a big roaring log fire keeping their living room cozy and warm... It was so homely and rich and beautiful. It was the perfect place for my recovery to take place.
I snuggled into the sofa, a faux fur blanket wrapped around me, the crackling log fire keeping me insanely warm. The lamp was giving a soft light to the room as I clasped a mug of hot chocolate between my hands. A chick flick was playing on the large television and I did genuinely feel relaxed and calm and content.
It had felt like forever since I'd had some real downtime, some me-time where I could simply chill and enjoy life. Working for WWE meant my life was constantly on the road. I had an apartment in New York but it was very rarely that I visited it, my real home being the constant flurry of hotels I visited when we moved from city to city. I knew being in the mad hustle and bustle of New York would not be good for my recovery, so I was grateful Hunter and Steph had offered me their home.
Connecticut was quiet and peaceful, and I enjoyed the solitude their massive house gave me. Here I didn't have to think about anything or worry about anyone. I could be alone, I could relax, and I could get myself better before the madness of being on the road began again.
I'd been here for four days now and I was absolutely loving it. It was great to have the run of the house, to have the break from work, to not have to worry if Sheamus was lurking behind every corner. I went for walks in the fresh air, I swam in the swimming pool downstairs, and already I was beginning to feel myself again. The aches were going, my head no longer hurting, and I knew I'd be well enough to return to work for Raw on Monday.
But there was one thing I lacked amongst the lavish riches, the amazing technology and the comfort of Hunter's house.
And that was a companion.
I missed human contact, I missed having a friend, and as much as I was loving being in this house, I knew it would be so much better to have someone to share it with. I was tired of talking to the walls. Sure, I'd spoken to Hunter on the phone, I'd message Dean constantly, and I'd called Randy everyday, but it wasn't the same as having someone here with me. I'd even considered asking Sasha and Paige to fly out to visit me for a few days, but I knew the busy schedule of WWE meant that wouldn't be possible.
I missed gossiping with my girls. I missed the long conversations I had with Randy, the way he teased me and made me laugh. I missed Dean and his wit, his sarcasm, the warmth he only seemed to offer myself, Seth and Roman.
I missed everyone.
So as I sat back with my hot chocolate, watching Dirty Dancing on the TV, I resided myself to the fact I'd be spending yet another night alone.
The film was as wonderful as always, my mouth yawning as I looked at the clock. I was 11 at night and I was honestly exhausted. The meds I was on tended to make me a little drowsy. So I turned off the TV, doused the fire, and made my way upstairs to the guest room I was sleeping in. I changed into my pajamas and entered the en suite bathroom, quickly brushing my teeth before I got into bed. It was king size, huge and plush, the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in. I lay there, the lamp on, flicking through my social media one last time before I went to sleep. I checked Facebook, answering a few messages from Paige before my phone began to ring.
I frowned, the caller ID stating that Dean was making the call. Dean was never one for calls, always opting to text instead, so I had to wonder what it was about. I hoped there was nothing wrong, quickly answering and holding the phone to my ear.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Holly Heather Helmsley," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "How lovely to hear that voice again."
"Is… Is everything okay?" I asked a little more urgently than I probably wanted to.
"Of course," he replied. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"You never call me," I said. "It's always a message or a text. It's just a little out of the ordinary, that's all."
"Well you know me," he said. "I'm full of surprises."
"Don't I know it," I said, rolling my eyes at how I'd jumped the gun. I couldn't help it. Everything I'd dealt with during the Sheamus stuff had made me somewhat jittery. "So what was it you called about?"
"Just thought I'd check in, see how you were," he replied.
"Better than I was at the start of the week," I said. "The meds are kicking in and I know I'll be good to return to work by Monday."
"I'm glad to hear it," he said. "At least that prick didn't have you out of action for too long."
"How's things with you?" I asked. "How was the live show tonight?"
"Don't know," he said. "I wasn't there."
I frowned.
Huh?
"What do you mean, you weren't there?" I asked, suddenly sitting up in my bed.
"As in, I did not attend the live show nor participate in it," he explained. "I thought that was pretty self explanatory. I always had you piqued as a smart girl, Miss Helmsley."
"How did…?"
I was so confused. Why wasn't he at the show? Was he hurt? Ill? Tired? In trouble? Maybe the stuff he'd mumbled about Vince that morning in my hotel room had gotten him in trouble with Steph. Maybe his violence in the ring had made Hunter take some actual action against him this time.
"A little white lie," he said. "Told your brother I had food poisoning and couldn't work for the rest of the week. He managed to buy it," he said.
"But… why..?" I asked, totally not understanding what was going on.
"Look outside your window," he said.
"My window?" I asked, my head darting to the tall window in my bedroom. It opened like a door, leading to a balcony, the curtains closed to block out the night sky. "W-Why?"
"Just do it, Holly," he said.
"Okay…" I didn't understand why he wanted me to go to my window, but I did it anyway, curious as to his reasoning.
I pulled the curtains back and opened the window out, stepping outside onto the balcony, looking around.
"Look down," he instructed me over the phone, my mouth gasping at what I saw before me.
"Oh my god…" I whispered.
He was wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans, his hair fluffy, his phone by his ear as he spoke to me. He was looking up from his spot on the lawn below, giving me his trademark wink, a smirk playing on his lips. I didn't know how this had happened and I didn't know why, but I didn't question it in that moment. All I could do was look down and take him in.
"Want some company?" he asked.
It was him… He was actually here…
Dean mother-fucking Ambrose.
Again, a huge thanks to Raquel the writer, Tantoune, lauraxxx, wolviegurl, dutchangel1979, beautifultragedyxxx, angelsdee327, haha95, Jill Crewe, crazy-wild-and-free and the 2 guest reviewers for their kind words about the last chapter.