Author Note: Thanks goes to MissAmazing101, Murphy's Caitie Girl, shieldbabe, and RiderOfRevenge13149 for becoming followers of this story. Thanks also goes to tataydias, DeeMarie426, Slytherin Studios, THE Kid Hardy, calwitch, JohnsAngel22, caz21, and LindaPipeBomb for the reviews. I hope to answer all of questions in this next chapter.

"Here I'm sitting

One step too far

For you I'm reaching, my falling star

So out of words

So full of wounds

I wander here, among my ruins."

'Transparent' by: Elysion

Chapter 32: The Unknown In Life

Roman watched helplessly as the love of his life was driven away to the closest hospital. Her life hung on the edge of a knife and there was nothing he could do to help her. He never felt as helpless as he did in that very moment. Out of nowhere, he felt two hands touch his shoulders as a sign of comfort. Dean's eyes held the guilt and sorrow behind the blue irises.

"I'm so sorry..." He apologized.

"This isn't your fault, so don't blame yourself. She chose to go out here alone. If anything, this is my fault." Roman replied.

"No, it's no one's fault but mine." AJ's voice stated from behind them.

Tears trickled down Roman's dark face; but he quickly wiped them away to face the girl that lured Rydia out in the first place. He didn't want anyone to see his tears even though he knew they'd understand why he would shed them. Seth's harsh glare was a warning for her to keep the distance she currently held.

AJ's eyes were wet with tears and puffy with the redness of guilt. She hated herself for allowing such a horrible thing to transpire. Nick did an excellent job in making her believe that it really was meant to scare her. Everything he said and did was all a lie and Rydia paid the price for her naive ability to see through him.

"What's happened?" Roman asked through clenched teeth, trying desperately to hold back his anger.

"I swear...I was told it was only supposed to scare her into quitting." AJ pleaded realizing that Roman was no longer his usual calm self.

"I'm going to ask one more time...what...the...hell...happened?"

He reached out and took a firm grip onto her arm. She flinched a little, wondering if he'd actually hit her. Her mind wandered to a hundred different things, trying to come up with the best answer to give the grieving man before her; but nothing came to mind except jumbled mess.

"I'll tell you everything I know; but here isn't the best place." AJ replied.

"She's right. It's not. Police want statements from all of you." Stephanie's voice boomed within the empty garage.

The group stared at the owner for a brief moment before making their way back inside the building. They were all placed inside a fairly large conference room. Nothing could settle Roman's mind. Seeing all the blood on the ground and watching Rydia's lifeless body being lifted into the ambulance was the last thing he wanted to see. In his darkest moments over the last few months, she had been the light to guide him and now there was a possibility that he'd loose her forever.

A police officer stood at the doorway speaking quietly to the principal owner of the company. The more Roman thought the angrier he became. He held onto the arms of the chair so tightly Seth was beginning to think they'd break off.

The sense of not knowing what was going on with Rydia was making all of them sick with worry and have thoughts of the worst possible scenarios. Stephanie stepped away leaving the officer with the group; but not before giving them all a look of sympathy.

"So does anyone want to tell me what happened?" The officer asked with a pen and pad ready to write down all details that were given.

"My girlfriend was shot plan and simple; so instead of interrogating us why don't you arrest the man that fucking did it." Roman yelled swiftly bolting out of his chair and throwing it against the wall.

"Roman, please...try and calm down. I know this is hard on you. It's hard on all of us..." Seth urged placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off and turned toward one of his best friend. The anger had become too hard for him to control and every little thing he felt was coming out all at once. "This coming from the friend that kissed her on live TV when you knew something wasn't right about the match."

Seth knew that he'd have to face him eventually about what happened. Sadly, he never thought it would be under the circumstances they were all placed in. He opened his mouth to apologize to him; but he never got a word out. Roman's fist connected with his jaw, knocking Seth down to a knee. Blood rolled down from the corner of his mouth.

The officer came up behind Roman, taking hold of his arms. Cuffs were securely places around his wrists, bounding him against his will; but knew that he had gone too far with his emotions. Seth stood back up and wiped the blood away from his mouth.

"Why are you arresting him?" AJ asked in blatant cries of desperation.

"Maybe a night in jail will calm him down." He replied.

"His girlfriend was just shot and we don't even know if she will live; he has every right to be this upset."

The officer looked over at Seth, who had just been punched in face by his best friend. Seth couldn't hold anything against him. He had every right to be upset with him. "I press no charged against him. I deserved that." Seth stated watching the man take in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

He unlocked the cuffs and released Roman's arms. Roman took one look at the cop before walking out of the room. AJ let out a relieved breath of air. "I'm assuming you all know who shot her?" He asked.

"Nick Grayson...his name...is...Nick Grayson." AJ answered before anyone else had a chance to.

Dean couldn't believe how helpful the crazy woman was being; but he assumed it was for a reason other than the goodness of her own heart. That's the way she was and nothing would ever change her.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she turned her attention towards the others in the room. She hoped that they believed that she was innocent in the entire matter; but judging by their expressions, they remained skeptical. Although she couldn't really blame them at all. After all, who would trust someone who was connected to the man who tried to kill someone?

The Hospital

Mia ran alongside the bed as nurses and doctors rushed Rydia into emergency surgery. The only thing she could do was cry and pray that god wouldn't call her sister home. Once the doors were shut in front of her, she collapsed into the chair nearest to her. Out of the corner of her eye, cops caught her attention.

"Mia Chandler?" The woman asked softly but it also held a stern tone to it as well.

"Yes..." She replied choking on the small word.

"We've come to ask you a couple questions about what happened to your sister."

The young officer was joined by an older man with a tag of Lieutenant. It was then that she realized the seriousness of the situation; but she honestly didn't know what they could ask her that they didn't already know. "What kind of questions?" She asked trying to be as helpful as possible so they can track down Nick and make him pay for his crimes.

"We want to hear your side of the story. We understand that you were kidnapped inside the arena." The woman stated.

"That's correct. Nick took me hostage and stuck me in the back of his vehicle until my sister arrived alone."

"When did he fire the shot at your sister?" The Lieutenant asked.

"After she told me to go back inside. She wanted to face him alone. The second I turned back to look at her, he pulled the trigger."

Another wave of tears started to trickle down her face. She had no idea if Rydia was going to live or not. The bullet may not have stuck her in the heart; but it was close enough and she had lost a lot of blood within minutes. There was still remains of it on her clothing. The woman officer handed her a handful of tissues and a cup of coffee to help calm her down. "Would you know a place we can find him?"

"No; but AJ might. She was involved with him when this happened. Bray Wyatt might as well...he was his informant for a while. I don't know if he still is."

"Thank you. We will do our best to take him in."

Mia couldn't form any more words. She simply nodded her head and sat back down in the chair to await for news about Rydia's condition. A frantic cry of her name alerted her to look up and figure out where it was coming from. Skye was running down the hall, her fire red and black hair flowing behind her like a river of crimson and onyx.

"Skye..."

"What the hell happened? Seth was very evasive about the details."

"He shot her. It's pretty bad...I...I don't know if... she's going to make it..."

Skye pulled her into her arms, holding her tightly and as comforting as possible. She was trying desperately not to cry herself. She wanted to be the strong one for everyone; but underneath her hard exterior was a grieving woman in fear of loosing her best friend. She even had forgotten about the kiss between her and Seth on live TV, because this was minor compared to someones life hanging on by a thread.

They remained quiet holding each others hand, counting the time away inside their minds. After hours in surgery the doctor walked out of the room, rubbing sanitizer into his hands. Skye gently elbowed Mia to wake her up and they both stood up awaiting for his news.

"Well whoever applied pressure to the wound saved her life. If they hadn't, she would have bled out for sure. The good news is she will heal completely. The bad news is I don't know what damage it caused to her brain. She will go for extensive cat scans and MRI's in the morning."

"Is she awake now?" Mia asked hopeful.

"No; but you can see her. The nurse will escort you to her room."

"Thank you doctor."

A relieved breath of air escaped Skye's mouth and gave the younger sister a smile. Following the nurse to the private room Rydia was now occupying, both women had time to think about what to do next. Her phone vibrated against her leg, jolting her back to reality. Seth had text messaged her wondering if there was any new news. "She will heal completely; but they don't know if there was any damage to her brain. They will be doing cat scans and MRI's in the morning." She messaged back and hit the send button.

"Oh my god...Rydia..." Mia whispered taking a look at her older sister lying motionless in the bed.

"She's so pale...why is she so pale?" Skye asked.

"She lost a lot of blood. Don't worry her color will return soon." The nurse informed with a smile.

The girls sat down in chairs on both sides of the bed. Rydia's breathing was soft and shallow; but her heartbeat was steady and healthy. Mia hesitantly reached out to take hold of Rydia's hand. "I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful...in more ways than one." She stated referring to her negligence in becoming pregnant.

Outside the Room

Bray Wyatt stood at the window watching closely. He couldn't bear to see Rydia in such a state. She was the angel he had been searching for his entire life. He mentally vowed that he would make Nick pay for his treachery. Her death was not what he had signed up for when he recruited his assistance months ago. Just like AJ Lee, he was used in pretty much the same manner.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Roman's voice boomed from behind him.

"Watching over your angel." Bray replied.

"If you were watching over her, then where the hell were you when the bastard shot her?"

He turned silent at the question. There was no answer good enough for Roman and he knew it. Rydia was the love of his life and he let her almost die by the same crazed psychopath that attempted to kill Skye. There was no apology good enough for that. Bray turned to walk away; but was halted by Roman's grip on his arm. "Consider me a friend. I was used by him to and I don't take well to that kind of treatment. I will find out where he his staying. It will be my apology to you for allowing this to happen in the first place."

Roman was taken aback by Bray's declaration. Without another word spoken between them, Roman walked into the room that kept the sleeping beauty safe. Mia looked up and met his gaze and immediately broke down. He bent down and embraced the saddened woman. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." She cried.

"Shh...it's alright. This isn't not your fault. She knew what she was doing when she chose to go out there."

His hair slid off her shoulders as he straightened his body upright once again, sending a comforting shiver up her spine. He turned his attention to Rydia. Her beautiful blue eyes were closed and her skin was pale; but she didn't look like she was in any kind of pain, which made him feel a little better. His fingers touched her hand gently, hoping that it would spark her to wake up; but it did nothing at all.

Mia and Skye took several steps away from the couple, giving Roman some needed space. Outside the room, they watched with heavy hearts as Roman leaned in to kiss Rydia's forehead. They couldn't imagine how he was feeling; just like he couldn't imagine how they were feeling. Everything was personal for all of them.

"God, I'm so sorry Ry. I shouldn't have let you go through with it. I should have been there to keep you safe and I failed...again." Roman pleaded bowing his head into his hands.

It broke Mia's heart to see him grieve with guilt the way he was when she knew that it wasn't his fault to begin with. She turned her head to see Dean and Seth approaching solemnly. The second she met Dean's gaze, she broke down into a fit of sobs. He guided her into his arms and held her. "Is she awake?" He asked.

"No...and they don't know if there was any damage to her brain yet." She replied.

"How is he holding up?" Seth asked.

"As best as any one of us..." Skye replied lacing her fingers with his.

Seth wanted to go in and see her for himself; but he figured it was best if he remained where he was. Even if it was just to keep peace within the group. Her arms around him was forever imbedded into his mind, because it was the last thing they shared before she was shot. Skye watched him out of the corner of her eye, watching his reactions to seeing Roman inside the room alone; but there was no reaction that she hadn't seen before from any of them. He was either really good at hiding his feelings for Rydia or there weren't any to be seen. She guessed that only time would tell her what the answer was.

"Come on, let's all get some rest. After all that's happened today, I could sure use some sleep." Dean suggested.

"Did anyone talk to AJ and get information out of her?" Mia asked.

"She said she'd come and tell us everything she knew in the morning." Seth replied.

"So tomorrow is a big day...for all of us..." Skye mumbled hoping that no one would hear the uncertainty in her voice.