Chapter 69:
It was two AM Tuesday morning when Randy Orton arrived in Boston. He'd driven straight from the arena and had pulled into Haley's narrow driveway in record time. His only concern had been to reach Haley once RAW had gone off the air. The car door sounded like a bullet, as it slammed shut behind him. He was practically sprinting up the front steps and through her front door.
Dwayne was waiting for him when he got there, pacing the entryway like a caged animal. There was fury in each step and his head jerked up when Randy stepped in. "She's closed up in her room." He said before Randy could ask. "She's borderline catatonic. She won't even talk to me. I swear, when I get my hands on Dave Batista, I'm gonna…"
But the threat died on Dwayne's lips as Randy brushed past him and took the stairs two at a time. He didn't knock when he reached the door to Haley's bedroom and since it wasn't locked, he pushed it open, anxious to what he'd find on the other side. "Haley?" He murmured into the dark room.
Haley sat on the floor at the foot of her bed, knees drawn up to her chest, with her arms wrapped around them. She was just so slightly rocking herself back and forth as she stared miserably ahead of her. The look on her face could only be described as devastated.
Guilt gnawed at him for a moment, but he chose to put it aside and lowered himself down beside her. He didn't say a thing, but slowly stretched an arm around her.
She remained silent a moment longer, before her voice reached his ears, soft and completely broken. "Why? I just don't understand why, it doesn't make sense."
"I don't know, Baby." He told her, tightening his arm around her shoulders.
"He asked me to move in with him." She whispered. "He wanted to buy a house here in Boston, because he knows how much I love it and he wanted me to be happy. It doesn't make sense, Randy, I can't make it make sense."
"None of it makes sense, Baby." Randy told her softly, feeling his heart plummet at the thought of Haley moving in with Dave. "He fooled us all."
"But why would he ask? Why would he come here and ask me that if he wanted…" Her voice cracked and her eyes welled. "If he wanted Eve."
He gently pulled her against him. "I don't know Haley, I really don't know. I wish I had the answers for you." He lied. "But I don't. Just know I'm here for you okay. Dwayne is here for you."
"Nothing matters right now. I'm still alive, but I'm barely breathing, Randy. I can't seem to breathe anymore, and my heart…" Her voice was thick with tears and there was a horrible pressure in her chest. "Is irrevocably broken."
"Don't say that." Randy practically pleaded with her. "You'll get through this, Haley, I'll get you through this, I promise. It's going to be okay." He tugged her in closer. "It just takes time, but it'll be okay."
"No, no it won't." Haley gasped before turning her head into his shoulder and finally released the sobs she'd been stifled from the bottom of a very broken heart. No Randy, She thought, it'll never be okay. How can anything be okay again?
(Legacy)
Meanwhile in a hotel room hundreds of miles away, another pair were holding each other, but not in comfort, rather one was trying to keep the other from falling down.
"Come with me, Big Guy," Hunter grunted, hooking his arm around Dave's waist, supporting more than half of the animal's weight.
"Where?" Dave asked looking glassy eyed at his old friend.
"To pay the piper." Hunter half growled, while he was furious with the man, the anger would half to way, anyone in their right mind could tell that Dave Batista was drunk, drunker than Hunter had ever seen him before to be honest.
"I don't know what you're fussing so much for Hunter, I can find my own room in my sleep!" Dave insisted with a huge grin on his face. "I've never gotten lost before."
"You always were a cheerful drunk." Hunter griped, dragging Dave into the bathroom.
"Any why not?" Dave wrapped his arm around Hunter's shoulders and stumbled. "I'm not drunk though, old friend, I haven't had a drink since last night. We don't drink at the show, except for water, oh and I had a Gatorade."
Hunter paused for a moment. "You haven't been drinking?"
"No Sir!" Dave attempted a salute and nearly sent himself on his ass had Hunter not been holding him up. "I don't want to get fired."
"Well now, that's worth investigating." Hunter muttered. He considered the trouble of getting Dave out of his clothes and the mess that would be made if he didn't. Not wanting to deal with the mess, he back Dave against the wall. "Just hold yourself up all right?"
"Sure." Dave obliged and leaned heavily against the wall. "I miss Haley." He said. "I could have sworn she was here tonight. My heart was pounding so fast like it does when she's here."
"She wasn't here, Dave." Hunter bit back his temper and working quickly, he crouched to take of Dave's shoes first. "But I'm sure she was watching at home."
"She always watches." Dave said dreamily. "She loves the show and she loves me."
"Probably not so much on the latter right now." Hunter said under his breath, helping Dave out of his shirt and jeans, stripping Dave right down to the skin.
Knowing what to follow, Hunter removed his own jacket and shirt before turning the shower on the coldest temperature it could. "All right Big Guy, in you go."
"I can't go anywhere!" Dave protested in confusion. "I'm naked! I'll be arrested!"
"I'll bail you out." Hunter said, before shoving Dave under the heartless spray.
The scream was loud, high pitched and agonizing and it was followed by curses that bounced off the walls. Hunter held his ground however, dodging a fist when he had to and finally clamping Dave in a headlock to hold him under.
"You're drowning me, you bastard!" Dave yelled.
"Not yet. You haven't seen anything yet." Hunter used his free hand to pull Dave's head back so the icy spray hit him full in the face. "Just close your mouth and hold your breath, almost done."
"I will kill you dead, you son of a bitch! As soon as I get out of here, I'll kill you!" Dave threatened.
"You think I'm enjoying this? I should kill you for what you've done, but I've enough general liking for you not to. Head clearing?" Laughter bubbled in Hunter's throat as Dave's struggles finally began to subside.
Dave's answer was a muffled sound, so Hunter gave it another minute before finally switching the spray off. He was wise enough to move quickly out of fist range before tossing Dave one of towels folded on the sink. "Well, you look like hell, but your eyes are clear. You going to get sick on me?"
"No." Dave braced one hand against the wall and toweled off his face first. "Jesus, what the hell happened?"
"You tell me, I drove all the way here to kick your stupid ass, and I find you drunk as a skunk." Hunter lifted his eyebrows inquiringly.
"The last I remember is warming up for my match, then everything's one big blur until you decided to drown me." Dave slid bonelessly to the floor of the shower. "How could I be drunk? I haven't had anything today?"
"Obviously you did or you wouldn't be in this condition." Hunter told him. "You sure you're not going to be sick?"
"No, I'm not nauseous. My body just forgets how to stand up right." Dave tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "Why were you coming to kick my ass?"
Hunter felt his anger dissipate at the genuine confusion on Dave's face and in his voice. "You really have no idea, do you?"
"Of course I don't, otherwise I wouldn't be asking." A touch of irritation lit Dave's dark eyes now. "Huntz, what's going on?"
"You made out with Eve Torres tonight, Dave." Hunter told him bluntly. "Now that I see you, it was obviously under the affects of whatever you were on. But you full on made out with Eve and it was televised on RAW tonight."
"What?" Dave looked utterly baffled, before realization dawned on his face and he paled. "No. Oh no. Oh no. Haley. Where's my phone?"
"It won't do you any good now, Dave." Hunter sighed. "I've already tried calling her myself. She's not answering. I called Dwayne who told me she's in her room, bawling her eyes out." He didn't mention who was comforting her at the moment.
"I've got to get to Boston, I need to explain. I'd never, you know I'd never. I don't even remember doing it." Dave struggled to stand back up.
"Right now, you're going to focus on getting your bearings again." Hunter shook his head. "Then you and I are going to figure out what happened tonight, and how to fix it."
"She's crying." Dave murmured. "She's crying because of me. That's not right. Hunter it's not right. I need to make her stop crying."
"We will." Hunter told him. "But you're in no state right now. It'll hold until morning. We'll figure this out. I won't rest until I do."
A/N: Hmmm…Hunter knows something's not right and he's determined to figure out what's going on. Randy's hiding the truth and we found out just what Eve's drug did to the animal. Baley angst coming up.
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