Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.
Chapter 6
The three men hurried forward to meet the doctor as he came out of the emergency room. Giving them a reassuring smile, he said, "He's going to be alright." The men let out sighs of relief. "You got to him on time. We just pumped out his stomach and he's going to feel sick when he wakes up but he should feel better by tomorrow afternoon. We'll keep him here for the night. May I suggest you get him some therapy before he tries it again?"
The doctor recommended a few psychiatrists and Matt said he would think about it. After filling up the necessary forms, he asked if he could see his brother. They were told to wait for the nurse who would soon be bringing Jeff up to his room. Ten minutes later, Jeff was wheeled out. The men trailed behind and waited silently for the nurse to settle him down. But, when she started to tie his arms down to the bed rails, Matt protested while Adam and Randy looked on in surprise.
"I'm sorry, Mister Hardy but he tried to take his own life. We can't watch him around the clock and it's for his own safety. I hope you'll understand," the nurse explained in a kind tone.
"I'll stay here with him tonight. There's no need to tie him down. Please?" Matt looked at her with pleading eyes.
She hesitated and finally relented, "Well … alright then, but be sure that someone stays with him at all times" and left. Immediately, the three men crowded around the bed. It was the first time they took a good look at Jeff since he was brought in. He looked kind of pale but otherwise, didn't look the worse for wear. He had fallen into a deep sleep.
Matt pulled up a chair to sit next to the bed and held his brother's hand. He thanked the Lord silently for delivering his brother back to him. Randy and Adam stood by, unsure if they were welcomed to stay. Matt finally took notice of them. He wanted to be left alone with his brother but it would seem ungracious if he were to ask them to leave after all the help they had rendered. He didn't mind Randy but Adam's presence irked him. Although he was the one who saved Jeff, Matt just couldn't find it in himself to forgive him so easily. But in the end, reason ruled over his heart. He knew that if it wasn't for him, Jeff could be dead already.
Turning to them, he spoke gruffly, "You're welcome to stay if you like."
Randy shifted nervously on his feet. He felt responsible for what happened to Jeff and wasn't sure if he should stay. He wouldn't know what to say to Jeff if he was to wake up now.
Matt noticed his indecision and for a brief moment, his anger flared. His first thought was that Randy didn't care enough for his brother and then, it struck him that it would really be awkward for his brother to face Randy. Letting out a sigh, he decided to just leave it to Randy to decide to stay or leave. His eyes went to Adam. He didn't want to be in the same room as him but he did save Jeff after all. He turned his attention to Jeff, deciding to set his personal feelings aside for the time being, unless the man provoked him.
A piece of paper was suddenly thrust in front of him and he gave Adam a questioning look. "What is this?" he asked. He didn't reach out to take it from him though.
Still holding out the note, Adam said quietly, "Jeff left a note behind for you in his room. I thought you might want to read it."
Matt took it from him and Adam moved away, giving him some privacy. Randy hesitated until Adam motioned to him to follow and he joined him at the couch. He was having second thoughts about leaving. Although he had not decided which direction his relationship with Jeff would go, the fact that Adam was hovering around Jeff bothered him. He hadn't forgotten the punch Adam gave him yesterday over Jeff. His tag partner's sudden interest in Jeff in the last twenty-four hours invoked a rising tide of jealousy within him. He couldn't help wondering what Adam's intentions were. Acting purely on his gut instincts, Randy decided to stay. He couldn't bring himself to leave Jeff. No matter how awkward it would get, he had to be there when Jeff woke up. They would need to talk.
Matt read the note and found his tears welling up. How could he not know how lonely and hurt Jeff felt all these time? But then again, Jeff wasn't one to reveal his feelings to anyone. Matt knew that his brother wasn't good at concealing his feelings. He could read him like an open book just by looking into his eyes. And Jeff would try to hide from him by avoiding his eyes. Something else bothered him deeply about the current situation. When Jeff made up his mind about something, he always stuck to it. The fact that he actually attempted to take his own life scared the bejesus out of Matt.
"What if he tries it again?" his inner voice said. "No! I won't let it happen! I'm going to talk to Vince personally and get him to agree to put us together on the same show so that I can watch out for him! And if that fails, I'll ask Chris to room with Jeff. He'll agree because he always has a soft spot for Jeff."
"I'm here for you, Jeff. Big brother is always here for you. You'll never be a burden to me!" Matt whispered and squeezed his hand to reassure him. He needed to tell him that, even if he wasn't awake.
The following morning ………
Matt woke up with a start. He thought he heard his name being called. He looked up to see Jeff watching him with a dismayed look. "Why am I still here, Matty?" he asked and started crying in loud sobs.
Moving quickly to sit on the bed, Matt held him close. "I love you, Jeff but if you ever try something like that again, I'm going to spank you until you can't sit down! You hear me?" he scolded before hugging him fiercely. As Jeff continued to cry in his arms, he tried to pacify him, "I would never consider you a burden. You're my baby brother and I'll always take care of you and love you, unconditionally! Promise me you'll not try to hurt yourself again?"
Jeff just clutched at his shirt and wept harder. He had woken to see Matt beside him and realized that he was still very much alive and somehow, that thought wasn't reassuring.
The door opened and Adam and Randy walked in. They had woken up from their uncomfortable positions on the couch earlier and decided to grab some coffee. Noticing that Jeff was awake, they quickly came forward to check on him.
As soon as Jeff saw Randy, he buried his face against Matt's chest and whimpered softly, "Please, I don't want to see anyone!"
Matt gave Randy an anticipated look. He waited for him to say something to Jeff. But, Randy just stood there, looking uncomfortable under his gaze. Something about his disposition told him that he hadn't decided on his relationship with Jeff. Matt knew that Jeff wouldn't be able to take another blow if Randy was to reject him right now. It would be better to hold off any meeting until Jeff was in a better state of mind.
He was just about to open his mouth to request both men to leave when Adam spoke up. "I spoke to the nurse just now and she said that Jeff should eat something before acidity builds up in his stomach and makes him sick. Here, we got all of you some egg and ham sandwiches and there's a strawberry milkshake for you, Jeff" and lay the food on Jeff's lap.
Matt frowned. All these years and Adam still remembered that Jeff couldn't resist strawberry milkshakes. It was his comfort drink, just like skittles was his comfort candy and Cookie Monster was his comfort toy. He wasn't sure how he felt about it but now was not the time to pursue such matters. His primary concern was Jeff's welfare at the moment.
Nodding his thanks, he popped the colorful straw into the shake and handed it over to Jeff. To everyone's relief, he slurped gratefully at the drink. His stomach had been acting really queasy since he woke up. Matt opened the sandwiches and offered them to him but he shook his head.
"Come on, just a few bites. You need to eat something. It'll make you feel better," Matt coaxed but Jeff adamantly turned his head away and kept his mouth close.
To his surprise, Adam said, "Here, why don't you let me try? You look to be in dire need of some caffeine."
Quietly, Randy reached out to hand over to Matt the extra set of breakfast he was carrying. It came with coffee instead. He could tell that Jeff was still upset with him because he refused to look at him. Maybe, this meeting wasn't such a good idea after all.
Matt hesitated before relinquishing his hold on Jeff. When Jeff didn't protest, he got up from the bed. He was bone weary after a long night sitting and watching over Jeff. In spite of what he thought of Adam, he had to give him credit for his thoughtfulness in getting them breakfast. He moved to the couch with the food and Adam quickly moved to sit on the other side of Jeff. Adam's heart lifted with joy when Jeff didn't shy away but he didn't look at him either.
Randy was standing at the foot of the bed, watching him like a hawk. His eyes narrowed as Adam tore a piece of the sandwich and offered it to Jeff. Again, Jeff resisted, turning his head away. Adam pulled out a red packet out of his jacket pocket and jiggled it to draw Jeff's attention. His eyes lit up as he recognized his favorite candy.
"You finish this sandwich and I'll give you the skittles, how about it?" and to Randy's astonishment, Jeff opened his mouth and accepted the morsel of food from Adam. Bristling somewhat that Adam managed to worm his way into Jeff's good graces, Randy held his jealousy in check as he watched Jeff finish the sandwich. As soon as he swallowed the last bite, Adam handed over the skittles and gave him a warm smile. But Jeff refused to meet his eyes and focused on finishing his shake while examining the packaging of his newly acquired candy. Randy, noted, however, that Adam's eyes were fixed unwaveringly on Jeff. He felt his jealousy rising and it was at the tip of his tongue to ask Adam what the hell he was trying to do. It appeared to him that Adam was trying to woo Jeff. Matt had, in the meantime, repressed his anger and allowed him to hang around. Randy found himself beginning to detest Adam's presence. It suddenly occurred to him that if Jeff knew that Adam was the one who saved him, the two might end up getting back together. He found himself growing wary of Adam. Until he found out what he was up to, he intended to keep an eye on him.
Matt finished his breakfast and made a quick stop to the bathroom. He came out, looking more refreshed and walked towards his brother. Immediately, Adam stood up as Matt sat down on the bed. He smiled dotingly down at his brother and reached to brush his hair gently back from his face. Jeff shifted to cuddle against him, leaning his head on his shoulder while still slurping on his shake. His eyes slowly began to close. He was on the verge of dozing off.
Matt's phone suddenly rang and he answered it quickly before it roused Jeff fully awake.
"Hey Shannon," he whispered as he watched Jeff's eyes fluttered shut. The little slurping sounds he made had stopped and his fingers around the cup grew lax. He had fallen asleep.
"I'm at the hospital with Jeff. He was upset and overdosed himself with sleeping pills. Please don't yell, Shannon, I'll explain everything later, okay?"
Matt grimaced as Shannon continued yelling into the phone, causing his ear to ring. He demanded to know which hospital they were at. He wanted to rush down and see Jeff.
"Shan, he's sleeping it off right now, you don't need to come down. I'll be taking him back with me in the afternoon. I'll call you before we leave here."
He sighed with relief when Shannon calmed down and urged him to keep a close watch over Jeff.
"I will. I'm not going to let him out of my sight! I got to go now. See you later" and he ended the call. Setting his phone aside, he carefully withdrew the straw from Jeff's mouth and pried the cup gently from his loose fingers before laying him down gently. Jeff immediately curled on his side and his fingers sought desperately for something to hold on their own accord. Matt quickly placed the extra pillow on his chest and he hugged it towards him. Soon, his even breathing indicated he was sound asleep.
Motioning to Adam and Randy to follow him out, they left the room and as soon as the door closed behind them, Matt said, "You guys better head back and get some rest. I'll stay with Jeff and take him back to the hotel once the doctor clears him for discharge. Do either of you have Hunter's number?"
"I think I still have it. What do you want with him?" Randy asked as he pulled out his phone and started searching for Hunter's number.
Matt sighed and said, "I can't leave Jeff by himself, not when he's so troubled. I need Hunter's help to convince Vince to put Jeff and me on the same brand. I won't put past Scott to come looking for him and start giving him problems."
"You don't have to worry about Scott. I'll make sure he stays away from Jeff!" Adam said in a firm and convincing tone.
Matt and Randy looked at him with raised eyebrows. "And pray tell me how are you going to do that?" Matt asked, folding his arms and awaited his reply.
"I have my ways. Just leave it to me. I promise he will not get anywhere near Jeff. I'll keep a close watch over him," Adam assured him.
Matt contemplated him silently and then said, "Thank you for saving my brother, but, nothing has changed between us, Copeland. I still don't trust you. I will handle the situation myself."
He ignored Adam's dark look before turning around and stepping back into the room. Once the door closed behind him, Randy turned glowering eyes towards Adam.
"What?" Adam snapped. He just had about enough of that attitude from Matt Hardy. He really didn't need Randy to add fuel to the fire.
"What the hell are you up to, Adam? Why the sudden interest in Jeff? You never spoke to him once since he came back to the company! And now, you can't stay away from him! You want to tell me what this is all about?" Randy rasped out angrily.
Adam returned his glare and spoke tersely, "First of all, I don't need to explain myself to you! You are not his boyfriend! Hell, I bet that you're not even sure yourself if you still want to stay with him! What Scott said must be giving you second thoughts about your relationship with Jeff, huh? Well, let me remind you that Jeff is in the hospital right now because you turn your back on him, you let him down! If you're afraid to get involved in his problems, then, I think you should clear out. He needs someone whom he can trust and show some faith in him, and you, my friend, have failed him miserably!" He had read the farewell note Jeff left behind for Matt and realized that Randy must have reacted negatively towards Jeff after what he heard from Scott.
Randy thrust his face close to Adam and snarled, "Don't you dare accuse me of failing him! I didn't know he will take such drastic measure as to try and take his own life! And who the hell do you think you are, telling me to back off? Even Matt knew that what Scott said would be hard for anyone to digest! Don't tell me that it doesn't bother you? You're just trying to turn the situation in your favor by playing it nice and cool and hope that Jeff and Matt will forgive you for your past transgression." Letting out a low laugh, he added, "I know you, Adam. You think you can fool everyone but Matt and I can see through you. You're the ultimate opportunist! Matt is wise not to trust you and I'm beginning to regret getting into this tag team business with you. I'm a singles competitor and I do just fine flying solo. What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to be your tag team partner!"
Adam's eyes narrowed into mere slits as he thrust Randy back against the wall. "You're telling me that you want out?" he hissed with anger.
Randy retaliated by pushing him back and yelled, "You're a conniving bastard! I don't trust you! I'm done being your partner!"
The two men glared balefully at each other until the door opened and Matt stood at the doorway. He looked from one man to another and said, "I can hear you from the other side of the door. Do you mind keeping it down? This is a hospital, you know," he reminded them.
Randy ran his fingers through his hair and muttered an apology, whilst Adam looked down and remained silent. Matt shook his head and made to close the door but stopped short. He seemed to be thinking and spoke, choosing his words carefully.
"Look, you guys have a great thing going with Rated RKO. Don't let your personal feelings destroy what you have worked so hard to build. Seriously, even if you guys want to break off the partnership, I doubt Vince will agree to it, especially since your feud with DX has sent ratings sky rocketing!"
He turned to Randy and said, "I have to agree with him on one thing though. Until you've made up your mind where this relationship is going, I think you should stay away from Jeff. He's hurt enough as it is."
Eyeing Adam warily, he said on a warning note, "I don't know what you're up to but whatever it is, you better leave Jeff out of it! If you hurt him, I'll be coming after you!" before stepping back and closing the door with a resounding thud.
Randy shook his head desolately and turned to leave. Matt wasn't about to let him see Jeff until he sort himself out. Adam quickly followed him out from behind. Both men waited for the lift and got in without saying a word to each other. As they got out at the ground floor, Randy started walking towards the car park and realized that Adam was still following him. He whipped around and barked, "Why the hell are you still following me?"
Adam gave him a sheepish grin and said, "I need a ride back to the hotel. I didn't bring my wallet out with me."
Randy wanted to tell him to find his own way back but Adam was pleading with him with his eyes. Shaking his head, he relented and walked towards his rental. As they climbed in, Randy started the car and pulled out of the lot. After a few minutes of silence, Adam turned to Randy and said, "Look, I'm really sorry if I sounded kind of harsh back there, but, I'm really pissed at you for upsetting Jeff!"
He clammed up suddenly, hoping he didn't just reveal his true feelings towards the younger Hardy. He was only beginning to come to terms with his own feelings for Jeff after Chris spoke to him the day before at the gym.
"Look, I'm trying to come to terms with what I've heard and I really don't need you rubbing the fact that Jeff almost did himself in because of the way I reacted!" Randy said defensively, throwing him a glare before moving his eyes back on the road.
Adam didn't answer immediately but he knew he was hasty to jump to conclusions. Randy was a good guy, he should know as he had been working closely with him for the past two months. He looked deep in thought and it was several moments before he spoke.
"You know, both of us make a really good team, just the way Jay and I were, back then. I'm sure you must have heard about how close Jeff and I were. Somehow, we always found ourselves in each other's company. When we go out, Jeff would tag along by my side just as Jay would with Matt. We hung out together all the time, we were inseparable."
"What caused the fall out?" Randy asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He heard some rumors but nothing beats hearing from the horse's mouth.
Adam shook his head sadly, "Jay started getting serious with a girl and Matt met Amy. We started spending less time together. And then, I did something really really stupid! It is best left unsaid," he said quietly. After some moments of silence, he said in a wistful tone, "I really miss the camaraderie we shared back then. I remember how we used to get ourselves into so much trouble by playing dirty tricks on the others. Hell, we even played tricks on each other! Jeff always had this multitude of hair colors he carried with him all the time. We decided to play a trick on Jay by mixing a pink dye into his shampoo. We didn't expect the chemical reaction. When he came out of the shower, his blonde hair was all pink! He screamed bloody murder and Jeff ran away from him and made sure to keep out of his way for a whole week! It actually took that long to wash out all that pink from his hair. And another time, when Bubba was in the shower, Jeff and I smeared quick glue on the insides of his underwear. He couldn't take them off and in the end, D'von had to cut up his underwear and peel it off gingerly. He lost his dignity, other than his pubic hair that day. The rear of it was still stuck to his bottom like for three days before it finally peeled off! His butt suffered a harsh reaction from the glue and he was walking around and sitting gingerly for a week! Those were the good old days!" Adam chuckled amusingly.
"Look, I can see where you're coming from. But I don't know what you want with Jeff and until I get a chance to talk and settle things with him, I want you to leave him alone. He's with me!" Randy reiterated and took his eyes off the road to give Adam a steady look. "I'm not letting him go without a fight!"
"Seriously Randy, judging from your actions so far, I thought you were planning on giving him up!" Adam fixed him with a cold look.
Randy let out an exasperated sigh. "Why is everyone assuming that? I haven't spoken to Jeff yet! And since when did you become interested in guys? You like women, remember? Curves, big boobs, hot pussies, legs that go on for miles, when did you change your mind?"
Adam shrugged carelessly and said, "To be honest, I've never looked at a guy before. I messed up hooking up with Amy. But we're talking about Jeff here. I've never realized how much he means to me until I lost him."
He startled himself when the words left his mouth. It came out before he could think and now, Randy was staring at him. "Fine, so the truth is out! Better late than never!" he thought to himself.
Meeting his eyes steadily, Adam said, "And because we are friends and tag partners, I'm giving you a friendly warning. I'm going in hot pursuit one Jeff Hardy!" He folded his arms with a determined look on his face. He would work around Matt. Jeff's current disposition towards him had been leaning in his favor. He intended to capitalize on it.
Randy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and said, "To hell you are! And as a friendly gesture, I'm telling you that I'm not letting anyone, including you, come near Jeff! Don't forget, you have to go through Matt as well! He's not letting you anywhere near his brother!" he reminded him.
"Well, I remember Matt saying he wants you to stay away from Jeff as well!" Adam said with a smirk.
Randy turned into the hotel car park lot and stopped the vehicle. He turned to face Adam. "So, both of us are banned from seeing Jeff. What are we going to do about it? You know Matt better than I do. He strikes me as someone who would not hesitate to point a shotgun at me if I so much as make a threatening move towards his brother."
"You're right on that. Matt is very protective of Jeff. I should know. He'll tear us limb from limb if Jeff gets hurt," Adam agreed totally with him. He tapped a finger contemplatively on his chin and said, "But, Matt is the least of our worries right now. We need to deal with Scott first."
Against his will, Randy found himself collaborating with Adam. "What do you have in mind?" he asked cautiously. Adam always had the perfect plan for everything. He wasn't called the ultimate opportunist for nothing!
Initially, Adam actually planned on taking care of Scott himself. But considering that Scott had been severely beaten up, he was sure the man would be calling in his reinforcements and delivering some payback on his own. He was going to need Randy's help to take care of him and his friends.
"I think we should pay Scott a visit and deliver a personal message to him. He really shouldn't go about running his mouth and spreading ill rumors about Jeff. And I'm willing to bet he's not going to leave things alone after what you guys did to him. You guys got him good, huh?" and when Randy nodded and grinned with satisfaction, he added firmly, "He's not going to let it rest. He'll be back. We can persuade Matt to see things our way and convince him that he needs us to keep an eye on Jeff. After all, he's not on the same brand as Jeff, we are."
"So, what do you suggest?" Randy asked, although he had an inkling where Adam was leading to.
"Let us go talk to Hunter and strike a bargain with him. No convincing Vince to let both Hardys stay on the same brand. We need his help to stop any negotiation. Are you on this with me?"
Randy realized that Adam was right. Even though he hated going behind Matt's back, he realized that it might be his only chance of getting anywhere near Jeff. Letting out a sigh of resignation, he said, "Lets go and see Hunter now."
"And then, we look up Scott and sort everything out, once and for all!" Adam said in a cold tone. He couldn't wait to deliver his own punishment for what the man forced Jeff to do when he was with him.
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