Chapter 12— The Accident

A/N: Special thanks to (Ghost303) for her input on this chapter. She really helped me out. I think y'all would love her work. So go check her out. Please and thank you, lovelies.

[one month later]

The judge decided to throw out Randy's trial; he was acquitted. Randy Orton was a free man. Randy had tried to get in contact with Liz, but she never returned his calls or text messages. It was like his best friend erased him from her life completely.

Randy couldn't see her at work because on the day he was rested, WWE notified him of his suspension that would be in place until further notice. The creative team had come up with the storyline of Randy getting into a bar fight and being seriously injured. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship was dropped to Dolph Ziggler through a series of bracket-type matches. He prevailed and earned the championship just as Stephanie and Hunter had promised in return for Dolph's help in training Liz.

Liz and Dolph had grown much closer than either of them expected. Dolph would never admit it, but he felt like he was a rebound best friend for Liz to replace Randy. He had only ever mentioned Randy once after the hearing; he quickly learned to forget Randy ever existed after Liz gave him the silent treatment for days.

The friendship between Dolph and Liz was great, but Liz knew she had to tell Dolph something that was weighing heavily on her chest. It was the night of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Liz didn't have a match that night because of her pregnancy. After Liz found out that Randy could tell that she was pregnant, she spoke to Stephanie and Hunter. They decided that Liz would only do her backstage interviews; that way, she would only be filmed from the chest up. No one outside of WWE ever had to know that she was expecting a child.

Everyone on the roster was backstage right before the Royal Rumble match started; they all played a vital part in the pay-per-view event. Hunter stood amongst the crowd; he was going over a few things before the first bell.

"As usual, we have the singles matches first. The Diva's championship will go first. So I need AJ and Nattie at the curtain right now!" he said loudly.

AJ and Nattie followed the orders and left the group.

Hunter continued. "Then the IC match is next. Big E and Axel are on deck. Remember to make the loss look real, Axel. Don't bitch out like you did last time. Do it right or never do it again," he said as he inconspicuously threated termination. Axel nodded and followed Big E to the waiting area.

As he looked over his notes, Hunter was interrupted by his wife Stephanie. She whispered into his ear. He seemed surprised by whatever was said. Once Stephanie was done, Hunter made a note in the binder from which he was reading his notes.

"Alright," Hunter resumed. "After the IC match, I want the tag team match. We want Cody and Dustin to win on account of Seth getting in Roman's way as he gets ready to spear Dustin," he said. All four men nodded and stood closer together to listen to the rest of the instructions.

"Right after that, we have Liz doing an interview with Dean. During the interview, Seth and Roman walk by arguing about the match. That's when Roman will break away from The Shield. Something along the lines of you being the strongest member would be great, Roman," he said.

Roman nodded and huddled with the rest of The Shield and The Brotherhood.

"All of that will lead up to the Royal Rumble match."

Dean cut Hunter off. "What about my championship, boss man?" he asked.

"We don't have enough room for that match, sorry. Maybe next time," Hunter said nonchalantly before continuing. "Make sure you know your order for the royal rumble match! People have messed this up in the past and if it happens tonight, you will be disciplined however Steph and I see fit. Just to make sure you all know where you fall, listen up:

CM Punk

Dean Ambrose

Jimmy Uso

Tyson Kidd

Jey Uso

Kofi Kingston

Cody Rhodes

Bray Wyatt

Sheamus

Erick Rowan

Seth Rollins

Evan Bourne

Mason Ryan

Daniel Bryan

Goldust

Fandango

Miz

Alberto del Rio

Antonio Cesaro

Big Show

Luke Harper

Swagger

Christian

Damien Sandow

R-Truth

And our last five will be announced when it's their time to enter the match. Only a few of you should be left before number 26 enters. Those of you are: Punk, Ambrose, Rollins, Mason Ryan, and Christian. We want everything leading up to the last five to enter to look good. I don't care what you do, as long as it looks good. I don't want any half-assing. You better sell every hit, every chop, every slap, and every bump. I don't want to have to call you into my office before the night is over. Now before number 26 enters, I need Mason Ryan to have eliminated at least Rhodes and Goldust singlehandedly. Then I want Ryan, Ambrose, and Rollins to have formed some sort of alliance since he will be joining The Shield soon. Punk, I need you to do whatever it is you do. I don't really care. Christian, I need you be focusing your attention on Ambrose and Rollins to build on them putting you out a few months ago. I'm trusting you five to know what to do when the remaining five enter. The last two remaining should be numbers 26 and 30. They'll duke it out until number 30 wins. Before you ask, numbers 26 through 30 already know who they are and they know what to do. Just focus on doing your jobs and everybody can go out for drinks on me after the show. " Hunter said ending the meeting.

The roster dispersed with the exception of Dolph and Liz. He saw that she was a bit quiet.

"You alright, Liz?" he asked.

She sighed and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just a little worried. I have a really bad feeling about tonight. I don't know what it is," Liz said as she looked towards the floor.

Dolph nodded. "I don't know what it is you're feeling, but I have to tell you that there is a large possibility that Randy will be coming back tonight," he said.

Liz's head shot up as she stared daggers into Dolph's eyes. "Why would you say that?" she asked.

He took a deep breath and nodded to someone behind her. "Because he just showed up," he said. Liz looked back and saw Randy standing there. She huffed and tried to storm away, but Dolph grabbed her.

"You need to talk to him, Liz. He's been your best friend since you were a kid. Give him a chance; he might actually surprise you," That was all Dolph had to say before he walked off, leaving Liz to talk to Randy.

She sighed and turned around to see that Randy hadn't left; he had gotten closer.

"I know you don't want to see or talk to me right now, but I really just want to explain myself," he said.

Liz just looked at him. Inside, she was so happy to see him. Dolph had always said that she and Randy could never stay mad at each other; he was right. She wasn't mad at him at the moment, she was just annoyed by him.

"Fine, but not right now. I have to get ready for tonight. Just call me after the show because I assume you're in the royal rumble match?" she asked.

Randy chuckled and nodded. "Number 30 actually," he said.

Liz nodded. "Well, good luck, I guess." She said.

"Thanks. Promise to answer when I call?" he asked.

Liz couldn't stop the smile that came across her face. "Promise," she said before walking away. She had to go find Dolph; she had to tell him.

Liz rushed around backstage to find Dolph; unsurprisingly, she found him in his locker room.

"What's up, Liz? You talked to Randy?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. He's going to call so we can meet up after the show," she said.

"Good," he said.

Liz sat on the bench next to him. "I actually came to talk to you about something," she said.

Dolph frowned. "What is it?" he asked.

"Well, um, I don't know how you're going to take this, but I just ask that you not be judgmental," she said.

He nodded. "Of course. There's no judgment here," he said.

Liz sighed. "Well, here it goes," she said. She took several deep breathes and wrung her hands before blurting out, "I'm pregnant,"

Dolph just sat there as if he was expecting more.

Liz realized immediately what he was thinking. "… but you already knew that," she said quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah. I've known for a while. I just didn't want to invade your space," he said.

Liz was silent; it was awkward, so Dolph spoke again.

"I'm assuming Wade is the father?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Have you told him?" Dolph asked.

Liz nodded. "Yeah, but he didn't take it well," she said.

Dolph frowned. "What do you mean? How did he react?" he asked.

Little did Liz and Dolph know, Randy was standing on the other side of the door listening to the conversation. He gasped as he listened to Dolph's answer and Liz's further explanation. He was suddenly full of rage. He stormed off to his own locker room to calm down. The information he had just heard was enough to set him off more than anything else.

He paced back and forth for the entire show until a stage hand knocked on the door to tell him that it was almost time for him to go out to the ring for his part of the royal rumble match.

Randy suddenly saw red. He stormed out the door and practically ran to the curtain. Another stagehand saw him coming and stopped him. "Alight. You've got a little while until it's your turn," the stagehand said.

"What number are we on?" Randy asked.

"Cena just went out. Then it's Roman Reigns, Wade Barrett, Batista, then you," the stagehand said.

Randy nodded and waited impatiently for his turn. Soon enough, the clock counted down to number 30 and Randy ran down the ramp.

Liz watched on the monitors backstage as Randy practically jumped into the ring and pushed aside everybody who wasn't Wade Barrett. He pounced on Barrett as soon as the Brit was in his sights. Randy was able to get Wade on the ground before he sat on his chest and bashed Wade's face in with his fists.

"How does it feel, huh? You like that don't you, you son of bitch! I DIDN'T THINK SO!" Randy continued to yell at Wade as he threw punch after punch.

The rest of the guys in the match continued with the script, but they kept an eye each on Wade and Randy. When the real life fight got too real, John stepped in and pulled Randy off of Wade. John threw a punch, but Randy didn't sell it. Instead, he turned his attention back to Wade who had moved.

Batista was trying to throw Wade over the top rope; Randy stopped him from being eliminated. He pulled Wade back into the ring and eliminated Batista. Only Punk, The Shield, Christian, Mason Ryan, John, Randy, and Wade were remaining.

Punk, being his usual carefree person, wasn't too concerned with Randy's attack on Wade. He was too busy focusing on eliminating Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. With Roman Reigns being the only member of The Shield left, Punk was determined to eliminate him, next to make all three of The Shield eliminated by The Best in the World.

Before Punk could even think about how he would eliminate Roman, Mason had thrown him over the top rope. Christian and Mason Ryan ended up being eliminated at the same time. Mason had attempted to clothesline Christian over the rope, but Christian grabbed him and pulled the Welsh man down with him.

Roman, John, Randy, and Wade were left. Roman hadn't realized that the fight between Randy and Wade was real so he eliminated the only mediator in John Cena.

The three men left were Roman, Randy and Wade. Roman sat in the corner as he tried to catch his breath and rest while Randy coiled up and waited for Wade to stand up from the canvas where he battered and bruised.

Randy pounded his fists into the mat and jumped up for an RKO. Randy put as much of his energy into the finishing move. Wade bounced off the mat and just laid there while Roman ran full speed in an attempt to spear Randy. Unfortunately for Roman, Randy caught Roman in a very powerful powerslam. The powerslam was enough for Randy to toss Roman over the top rope.

Only Wade and Randy remained. Randy stalked around Wade and waited for the raven haired man to get up. The only problem was that Wade wasn't getting up at all. One of the several referees who stood outside the ring noticed this and went to check on Wade; he wasn't responsive. The referee checked for consciousness; when he didn't find any, he threw up the dreaded X arm motion.

Liz watched on to see how Wade had been injured. It was only an RKO and she couldn't see how Wade could be injured by it.

Almost immediately, the medics ran down to the ring with a stretcher, back board, and neck brace. Randy looked on, still seething. The medics told him to leave the ring, but he just stood there. Since Randy wasn't in the way, the medics continued their work. When a medic tried to get the neck brace around Wade's neck, his eyes widened.

The medic whispered to the other medics on hand. Instantly after the short conversation, the head medic spoke into his walkie-talkie that was attacked to his shirt. Right after, the cameras redirected to the audience. All the cameras scanned the audience signs and fans. Not a single camera was focusing on the ring. Some angles showed the looks of concern for Wade that were plastered on the fans' faces. Other angles showed fans cheering for Randy.

The commentators were speaking in very quiet tones; they knew the injury was serious.

Liz continued her staring at the monitor and waited to see what was going on, but a stagehand happened to rush past her.

"Hey!" she called out as she followed the bustling man. "What's going on?" she asked.

The stagehand stumbled to answer but eventually spoke actual words. "I uh, I don't think I can tell you. Talk to Hunter or Stephanie. Sorry," he said before running off again.

Liz frowned and went in search of Stephanie. On her way to the office, she saw the medics roll Wade backstage on the stretcher. He wasn't wearing a neck brace or any other protective gear and that raised Liz's suspicions; despite all that, Liz kept going towards Stephanie and Hunter's office. When she got there, Randy was there, too.

"What happened out there?" Liz asked Stephanie.

Stephanie took a deep breath, Randy hung his head, and Hunter rubbed his hands across his short hair.

Randy sighed. "I heard what he did to you, Liz. I got mad and I let my emotions get the best of me. I didn't mean for this to happen. I really didn't," he said somberly.

Liz was confused. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Stephanie stepped in. "Apparently, Randy put way too much force behind the RKO. Wade, uh, he's hurt pretty bad," she said in an effort to sugar coat the situation.

"Randy broke his neck. He's dead," Hunter said bluntly.

Liz gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh my god," she said through her hands. Her eyes had started to collect tears until she realized what Randy said.

"Wait, you said you know what he did. What were you talking about?" she asked.

Randy sighed and looked down. He had hoped to have the discussion alone with Liz. "Can we talk about that in private?" he asked.

Before Liz could answer, Hunter interrupted. "No. No more privacy, Orton. This is the second person whose death you are responsible for! If you need to talk to Liz, you talk to here now in front of us," he said.

Randy shook his head but he explained himself to Liz anyway. "I was sort of eaves dropping on you and Dolph earlier tonight. I heard you tell him that Wade tried to poison you after you told him you were pregnant," he said.

Liz narrowed her eyes at him. "You were spying on me?!" she asked angrily.

"What did you expect me to do, Liz? You don't talk to me anymore. You won't even tell me if you're okay! I had to find out somehow! And honestly, I'm glad I found out because you probably wouldn't have told me later on when we were supposed to hang out," he said.

Liz scoffed. "Of course I wouldn't have told you! It's none of your business, Randy!" she yelled.

"Oh so it's Dolph's business?" he asked.

She shook her head and wiped away tears; she was at a loss for words, so Stephanie stepped in.

"Both of you need to go back to the hotel and get some rest. We have already contacted the authorities to see how this situation is going to be handled. You both should lay low until further notice. Liz, you should just take as much time as you need, but we would prefer you wouldn't come back to work until you've given birth. Maybe even a few months after that. Take some time for yourself and your baby," she said.

Liz nodded. She had been thinking about asking for the time off, anyway.

"And me?" Randy asked.

Hunter sighed. "You're fine. You're work hasn't changed. As far as the law is concerned, what happened is a work hazard. It's almost the job description. It's unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do about it right now. He didn't have any family, so…" he trailed off.

Randy nodded. As Liz was leaving, Randy stood and followed her.

"Can we just talk for a minute, Liz?" he asked.

She turned on her heels and slapped him. She didn't say anything, she just walked away. Randy jogged and stood in front of her.

"I don't get why you're so mad at me! He abused you for months! I thought you'd be happy that he's dead!" he said.

She shook her head. "You killed a man, Randy. Two of them, actually. How am I supposed to be happy about that?" she asked angrily.

Randy didn't have an answer.

Liz sniffled. "I really hate this between us, Randy. I try so hard to hate you for all that you've done, but it's like you're a drug and I'm an addict. I wean myself off of you for a while, then you show up and I fucking overdose! I get in too deep with you and shit like this happens. You just killed my baby's father but all I want to do is spend the night with you. I love how I feel when I'm with you but I hate the chills and shivers of too much of you. I hate you but I fucking love you. You are the very definition of a beautiful disaster! Why can't you just say out of my life, Randy?!" ranted.

Randy let her words sink in before responding. However, he didn't respond with words. Instead, he inched towards her and hugged her tightly. It took her a while, but Liz eventually hugged him back.

"If I've done anything to hurt you, Elizabeth, I sincerely apologize. But I won't apologize for what happened to Wade; I didn't mean for that to happen. Regardless, he had it coming and you can't fight karma," he said.

Liz sniffled as she hugged Randy. "Can we reschedule tonight? I really just want to sleep," she said.

Randy nodded and kissed the crown of her head. "We'll talk later. Just call or text me when you get back to your room," he said.

Liz nodded and went back to Dolph's locker room.

"How's Wade?" Dolph asked as soon as Liz walked in.

She sighed and told Dolph everything.

A/N: Please review.