Seth had finally made it to the hospital with Roman, Kane, Randy and Triple H. Once they parked the car he practically jumped out and ran toward the Emergency Room. He had to see her, he had to make sure she was ok. When he got there he saw John Cena in the waiting room. He stood up as Seth approached.
"How is she? Where is she?", Seth demanded.
John put a hand on Seth's shoulder to calm him. "They gave her about 10 or so stitches. The doc said it will be another hour or 2 before they have her set up in a room and we can see her but that she is doing fine."
Seth breathed a sigh of relief, she was going to be ok. "Thanks John, I appreciate you coming with her."
"Hey anytime man but if you don't mind I would like to stick around and see her before I go?" John asked. Seth was to overcome with relief and emotions to answer John, he nodded his head yes. Triple H, followed by Kane and Randy, started to inquire and discuss more about The Raven's condition with John.
Seth went to the far end of the waiting room and took a seat, leaning his body forward. The tension that was pent up, ever since he heard her scream in pain, finally dissipated from his body, leaving him exhausted. He felt a shadow overcast him and then someone sitting beside him. He looked over and saw that it was Roman. He could not understand why Roman was here, he thought Roman hated him. He hadn't really spoken to Dean or Roman unless it was to hurl an insult at each other and each time he tried to speak to them about what he did, they told him to "fuck off". However, Roman was the one that held him and stopped him from crumbling to the ground and offered him words of comfort. It was Roman that helped him back to his locker room and it was Roman who watched him have a total break down. He didn't question why he was there, he needed Roman, his silent, calm demeanor gave him strength and comfort. Seth leaned back in his seat and looked at Roman, there was an awkwardness between them. "Thanks man.", was all Seth could think to say.
"What are friends for?"
"Are we friends Roman?"
"Look Seth we never really stopped being friends, we were just pissed at you. Can you blame us?"
"No I guess not. I did smack you pretty hard on the back.", Seth said teasingly.
"Yes you did you sneaky motherfucker.", Roman said with a smirk as he playfully jabbed Seth in the ribs with his elbow and Seth elbowed him back. "But seriously Seth, why didn't you at least warn us?", Roman asked with pain in his voice. Seth was about to answer when they were interrupted by Triple H.
"Because I told him that if he did I would fire his ass.", Triple H said harshly, then his tone changed. "The nurse just came, you can go see her now. They say she has been asking for you."
The Raven struggled to stay awake but the medication they were giving her was making it hard. She did not want to fall asleep or close her eyes because every time she did the images and sounds of Seth dying were there. She needed to see Seth, she kept asking for him and they wouldn't bring him to her. She needed the reassurance that he was all right and that her mind was just playing horrible tricks on her.
She laid there in the bed with IVs in one arm and the other slight elevated. Tears started to form as she thought about the anniversary of her parents death, which was only 3 days away and how Seth came close to sharing that day with them. She started to cry and wished her Grandfather was there or even Uncle Anton or Andrea.
"Raven?"
The Raven turned to the sound of the voice and saw it was Seth and started to cry harder, relieved that he was one piece. Seth quickly approached and took her hand in his, he could feel his own his tears rolling down his cheeks. "How are you feeling?", he asked remorsefully.
"Better now that you are here. But how are you? Your not hurt are you?", she asked with concern.
Seth smiled down at her as he brushed her hair out of her face and caressed her cheek. "Your the one that took the blade and is laying here in the hospital and you are worried about me?" He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and then her cheek and then the other and finally her lips. When the kiss was over, his lips hovered over hers and he whispered against them "I love you, my little Raven.", he said as he kissed her gently again.
Fear gripped her heart it was his love for her that almost got him killed, she thought.
Seth could not take time off like he wanted. He was still trying to establish himself as the top heel and his absence at this juncture would only undo the progress he had been making. Plus Hunter would not allow it. Seth kept reassuring himself that everything would be ok, her wound was healing. She was not sleeping a lot and eating as much as she should but he chalked all that up to the pain from her injury and the medication she was having to take. With time and rest, she would get better and stronger.
The Raven's family wanted her to be close to them and asked him to bring her home. However, for his own selfish reasons, he did not want her far from his side, plus she wanted to stay with him. The next show was in Chicago, which was only a couple of hours from where he lived.
"Anton there is nothing to worry about, she is fine. The wound is healing up nicely.", Seth said over the phone. He was on the bed with his back against the headboard. The Raven sitting in between his legs with her back resting on his chest and her head resting on his shoulder.
"Seth, we are not worried about her physical state, its her mental state of mind that has us concerned. Look I can take the next flight out and be there with her.", he offered.
"Anton there is no need for that she is ok." He was getting a little annoyed with Anton's over protectiveness.
"Seth, she maybe appearing to be ok for your benefit, it doesn't mean she is. Seth, her worst nightmare almost came true.", Anton pleaded with Seth to understand. He had never seen his niece at her worst and usually it all started with her denying what she was feeling.
"Look I will let you talk to her yourself." Seth handed the phone to The Raven.
"Uncle stop giving Seth a hard time. I am alright." She said once she had the phone.
"I worry about you darling. Are you sure you are alright?", he asked with trepidation.
"Yes"
Maybe he was making a bigger deal about this after all, she sounded fine. A bit tired but ok. Maybe all the counseling she had been doing was finally helping but he could not make the feeling dread in the pit of his stomach go away. She was a grown woman and he had to trust her but he wanted her to know that he would be there for her no matter what. "Promise me something?"
"Anything Uncle."
"If you feel yourself start to lose control that you will call Dr. Reeves or me, no matter what time.", he demanded sternly.
"I promise Uncle."
"I love you, Raven.", he whispered softly, trying to reign in his emotions.
"I know you do Uncle." Closing her eyes, wishing she could say it back. And with that they said their good byes and hung up.
"Is everything ok?", Seth asked after The Raven got off the phone with her Uncle.
"Yes, he just worries to much.", she said reassuringly as she handed his phone back and cuddled closer to him.
"I wish I didn't have to go, I wish I could be here on September 11, but they have us doing meet and greets plus charity events to support the troops. But I promise I will be back for your birthday, so we can celebrate. My mom said she will stay here with you and my dad said he will check on you as well." He looked down at her left arm it was purple and blue especially around the stitches, she had a doctor's appointment on Friday to check to see how well the injury was healing. He still couldn't believe how she risked herself to save, he held her closer and kissed the side of her neck.
It had been 2 days since Seth left and The Raven couldn't stand it. She tried as hard as she could to make it appear everything was alright, but the moment he left, her mind and growing fear for his safety wouldn't relent. She did not share this with Seth's mom because she did not want to worry her or have her call Seth. Elena had left to meet some of her friends for lunch and The Raven wasn't sure when she would be back. Talking to Elena helped distract her from her thoughts. Also, it did help that Seth called everyday or when he was not busy.
When Seth was near her, beside her, she was reassured by his presences that her dreams were just that dreams. But with him gone, it was hard for her to control her wandering mind. Her mind kept playing images over and over in her head of Seth being impaled by the spike and his blood curdling shriek of pain as she imagined him dying. She was also remembering the day she came home to find most of her relatives in her living room and Apollo telling her their parents were dead. Or when she received notification of John's and Apollo's death. All these memories or dreams were merging in her mind and she was having a hard time distinguishing between the two. It didn't help that she was not sleeping or eating much, which was making her confused.
She sat in the middle of their bed rocking her body back and forth, rubbing hard on her left interior forearm with her right palm. The Raven could feel the many scars under her tattoos when she use to cut herself to relieve herself of the pain she was in and right now she just wanted to feel and think of another pain other than the one she was enduring right now. The Raven looked around the room and saw a pair of scissors on the dresser. She immediately jumped off the bed and ran to the dresser. She grabbed the scissors and opened them up and pointed the sharp blade toward her skin. She could feel cold steel edge caressing her skin and knew the immediate relief she would find. She could already feel the pain of losing Seth leave her. She was about to slice her forearm when she looked at herself in the mirror that was on the dresser. The image that stared back at her scared her, she didn't recognize herself. Her hair was messy and untamed, she had not taken a shower today. Her eyes and cheeks were slightly sunken in from the lack of food. She also had dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. Her skin was pale and taut.
The Raven dropped the scissors in her hands and back away from the mirror. When the back of her legs hit the bed she sank to the ground burying her face in her hands. "What am I doing?", she muttered over and over again to herself. She did the only thing she could think of, she got off the floor and grabbed her phone from the night stand and dialed.
"Hello" came the soft soothing voice that often calmed her, however upon hearing her voice, The Raven broke down crying. In between sobs, The Raven finally manage to say "Dr. Reeves, its The Raven."
To her credit, Dr. Evelyn Reeves remained calm, her voice soothing, soft and gentle, there was no judgment as she probed The Raven for answers to figure out the crisis at hand. The Raven stopped crying long enough to tell her what had almost happened to Seth and how she could not get the images and sounds of him being impaled and his screams of pain as he lay dying. She went on to tell Dr. Reeves how she just almost cut herself to relieve the pain she was in.
This alarmed the doctor more than anything, it had been years since she had had the urge to cut or harm her person. The Raven had been making great progress over the past few months. She was proud of how The Raven was letting her guard down and deepening her relationship with Seth. The Raven was still having difficulties with saying I love you or hearing someone saying it to her, but this was a definite set back. Dr. Reeves was very concerned for her patient's well being both mentally and physically.
"Is there anyone there with you?"
"No, Seth had a show, he had to go to and his mom is having lunch with friends.", she said feebly.
"Raven I want you to listen to me carefully. I need you to get on the next flight home and come to my office no matter what time. Better yet, I will meet you at the airport."
"But but wh-what about Seth?", The Raven asked.
"Raven do you want the pain to stop?", Dr. Reeves asked. She knew it was cold of her not to consider Seth but right now her primary concern was her patient. The Raven was more than a patient to her, she knew she should have ended her association with her long ago, but Evelyn did not want to add to the feeling of abandonment, The Raven was already experiencing. She could still remember the first time she met her, she was a scared fourteen year old with an equally scared Grandfather by her side. Evelyn was touched by her frailty and strength. She knew when it came to The Raven she had a soft spot which clouded her judgment.
"Yes", The Raven's voice trembled
"I need you to come home. I can't help you with you being so far away. I want you to hang up with me and call a cab to drive you to the airport. I will book you a flight and when you arrive in California I will meet you at the airport with your Uncle Anton. OK?"
The Raven nodded yes but the doctor of course could not see her response. "Raven, do you understand?", she said gently but firmly.
"Yes", she replied weakly.
"Raven, I don't want you to worry about packing or anything. I just want you to hang up and call a cab and go to the airport. I will call you back and let you know the flight number." Evelyn waited for The Raven to hang up, she then called Anton and explained the situation. He immediately rushed over to her office.
The entire 4 hour flight, The Raven spent crying and missing Seth. The stewardess left her alone figuring it had to do with a boy. When she finally reached California she was exhausted both mentally and physically.
When Anton saw his niece, he was shocked by her appearance. She looked as if she had lost at least ten pounds, her clothes were hanging on her. She looked so tired like she hadn't slept in days. He embraced her and she started to cry.
The Raven didn't know how she had any tears left, she had been crying for hours. Alex and Dr. Reeves where there beside Anton.
Anton wanted to take Raven home but Evelyn had insisted they go to the hospital first to get Raven check out. The doctor had told him that her wound was healing correctly and that her stitches could be taken out in a couple of days. They also found she was severely dehydrated and were administering fluids that it would take an hour before she could leave. Anton stood at the window of his niece's room, watching as she laid on the hospital bed receiving fluids for her dehydration. Her eyes were wide open staring up at he ceiling and her face had no emotion or expression. It made his heart ache to see her this way.
Anton was upset with himself for not insisting that Seth bring her home. He knew in his gut something was wrong. He felt as if he had failed his niece again. He was always letting others decide what was best for her instead of doing what he knew she needed. If his sister was here with him now, she would be angry with Anton for not helping her children for allowing them to go their separate ways.
"Anton I need you to fill these out." Dr. Reeves said gently as put her hand on his shoulder and handed him a clipboard with papers. Alex stood beside her.
Anton dragged his eyes away from his niece and looked at the clipboard. "What are these for?"
"To admit her, they have a great program here that can help her.", Evelyn replied.
Anton looked at the papers and then Raven and then Dr. Reeves, he hand her the clipboard back. "No, she is coming home."
Dr. Reeves was startled, "But Anton she needs help."
"Yes and I have given you 12 years to help her and all that any of you have ever done is given her different medications and hours of therapy. And she is still in the same state she was in 13 years ago. I am taking her home!", he said with conviction daring anyone to get in his way. Anton walked into his niece's room just as the nurse removed her IV. He lifted her out of the bed, The Raven did not protest, she just hugged her Uncle tightly. He then left the room and headed for an exit.
"Anton!" Dr. Reeves trailed behind him. "You can't do this by yourself."
"He won't. I will help you Uncle.", Alex said. He was with his Uncle when he received the call from Dr. Reeves and insisted on going with him. After seeing the condition of his sister at the airport, he would do anything to help his sister.
"Lets talk about this.", Dr. Reeves said desperately.
Once Anton had Raven in the passengers seat, he looked at Dr. Reeves. "No more talking. I am taking her home."
"Ok, then I am going with you.", Evelyn got into the back seat of Anton's SUV, he gritted his teeth but he knew from her stubborn look there was no point arguing with her.
"I will follow you Uncle.", Alex said as he turned to leave.
"Alex! Go get your brother.", Anton insisted.
"But-
"Now Alex!", Anton shouted.
"But what if he doesn't want to come?"
"Then make him.", his uncle said menacingly. Alex was actually scared of his Uncle, he had never seen this side of him. He hurried to do what he had asked.
Elena left the luncheon with her friends early. She was nervous about having left The Raven alone. Even though, The Raven insisted everything was fine, she didn't look fine and something kept nagging at her that she was not alright.
When she arrived at the house the door was wide open. Elena's heart skipped a beat as she rushed into the house, calling The Raven's name. Her heart started to pound faster in her chest, when she received no response. She went room to room and still no trace of her. Elena called The Raven's cell phone but no answer. She went to the neighbors house, hoping she was there or that they had seen her. Elena even went to the park were Colby and her would go for a run but to no avail. When she returned to the house, a neighbor informed her that they saw her leave in a cab.
She looked at her watch a couple of hours had passed, she had to call Colby.
Seth had finished his last meet and greet and was having a late lunch with Dean and Roman, it felt good to be on speaking terms with them again. He missed their friendship. Of course, things between them were not like it use to be but at least this was a start. They were catching up, when Seth felt his phone vibrating in his pants. He pulled it out and saw it was his mother. His heart lurch forward, he hoped everything was ok. "Mom"
"Colby, I am so sorry. I am so sorry son.", his mom said hysterically.
"Mom calm down. What's wrong?" Seth got up from the table and went outside the restaurant to hear his mother better.
"She is not here son."
"What do you mean?" Seth started to panic.
His mother explained finding the house empty and how she looked for The Raven and finally a neighbor saying they saw her leave in a cab. When he hung up with his mother he called The Raven, her phone rang and rang and finally went to her voice mail. He left a message and then texted her. He then called her Uncle Anton and had the same result.
He went back to the hotel and started to pack quickly. He was stressing and wondering what had made her leave. Maybe she just missed her family and wanted to go home, he thought trying to calm himself. But he knew she would not leave without saying something. He did not want to think she was hurt or something bad had happened to her.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He went to open it, he was surprised to find Roman and Dean standing there.
"Dude what's wrong?", Dean asked. They were concerned especially when Seth did not comeback to the table but had rushed off.
"Something is wrong with The Raven. I have to go find her.", he said as he continued to pack his things.
"We'll go with you.", Roman said.
Seth looked from Roman to Dean, they were serious. He missed this, he missed them having each others back. "I would like that."
"Ok its settled then, we have to go pack.", Roman said.
"By the way, where are we going?", Dean asked as they were leaving the room.
"To California.", Seth replied.
It had taken Alex hours to finally make his older brother Maximiliano come over to their parents house as Uncle Anton had demanded. He had argued verbally with Max until Alex had had enough of his brother's stubbornness and it got physical. His brother had gotten a few good hits, he would probably have a black eye in the morning. However, he won the fight and totally guilt his brother into coming. He reminded him that he was the oldest and their parents would be disappointed in him for not keeping the family together. They were all in the living room deciding on how to best help his sister, he slipped away as they started to argue. He wanted to see her.
Alex stood over his sister as she laid on the bed, he could feel the pressure in his throat and chest from the sorrow that engulfed him. Tears rolled down his eyes as he watch Raven whimper and cry in her sleep. He had never seen her quiet so vulnerable and it frightened him. He had been away at school then in Iraq fighting the war but was told by his brother Apollo, Andrea, Uncle Anton and even his grandfather how she struggled over the years with the loss of their parents and siblings. How she would become an emotional wreck and they feared for her safety and well being. But that was hard for him to believe because he always saw the defiant strong willed sister who refused to bend.
He pulled the covers back and laid down on the bed next to her. In her sleep, she turned to him and clinged to his frame tightly. Alex wrapped an arm around her waist and held her securely against his body. She started to murmur "Seth" over and over again. He shsh -ed her and told her to sleep that everything would be ok. He gently stroked her hair and she relax and fell into a deep slumber.
As he gazed down at her frail frame, his heart tightened in his chest, he did not want to lose his baby sister, his little Raven. He didn't think he could bare another loss. He swore right then and there he would do whatever he had to, to protect her and make her happy again, to be the brother that she needed.
Ok I lied one more chapter and that's a wrap. :)