Sorry it's been a while. School is kicking my ass and has left me somewhat depressed. Getting that Master's Degree is no joke, yo. ITDE has been one of my happy places and frankly I'm grateful for it.

Hell in a Cell was disappointing. Orton should face Lesnar for once and Dean vs Seth should have ended clean. I just expected more, really. On the bright side, the Bray-Dean promos will be gold.

Hugs and kisses to ChelleLew, Alisi824, Tammy, ThatGirl54, Olivia Reigns, benova13, corbettluv, Bharm, nikki1335, fedslunchbreak, ItReignsJustice-619, ItsGbruhh, DeeMarie426, Shield316, LuxuriaVanitas, Brie's Mode, Claire, Violet Craine and princessreigns for the reviews. Thank you, Claire. I'm very glad you noticed that about Pam.

Enjoy 35!

The next day...

It was meant to be a perfectly normal morning.

Sasha got up at the usual time. Took a shower, got dressed and got T.K. and Mia ready for school like always. She picked up the mail dropped at her front door, then did whatever needed to be done around the apartment. Joe was still in her bed and she left him there for a well-deserved lie-in. The plan was for the two of them to just lay around and relax until it was time for her evening shift at the Grill, then Joe would drop her off at work before driving home. That was the plan. A normal, peaceful day. But she knew the second she found him slumped on her bathroom floor, that all of that was about to change in a big, drastic way.

The sight of her boyfriend laying in a fetal position on the cold tiled ground sent shockwaves through Sasha's entire being. "Baby!" She rushed over and dropped to her knees beside him. "Are you okay? What happened?"

His only response was a pained groan, his face scrunched up in agony with his muscular arms still wound around his midsection. She tried to get him to sit up. "Babe, what happened? What's wrong? Is it your stomach?" she inquired, noticing how he kept clutching at that body part. Maybe it was just the side effects of yesterday's party. There'd been a lot to eat after all.

Joe started to say something but he slapped a hand over his mouth instead. Suddenly he pushed away from Sasha, and she watched in utter shock as he lunged for the toilet and buried his head in it. Then she heard the sound of vomiting.

"Jesus, Joe!" She leaned over him and quickly gathered his hair away from his face as he emptied the contents of his stomach, rubbing his back until he was done. He heaved his body away from the toilet and sat back on the floor, grimacing in pain as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Sasha was exponentially worried now. She flushed the toilet and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "Wow, you're burnin' up. Maybe you've got a stomach bug."

Joe shook his head. "It's not just a stomach bug. There's a big-ass lump in my groin area and I don't know where the hell it came from. Tried to take a piss but I can't...hurts like hell...like my insides are tryin' to break through my stomach." He hugged himself, his breaths heavy and labored. "It's killin' me."

"Let me see." She managed to untangle his arms, and underneath his shirt a noticeable bulge protruded from his pelvis area. She raised his shirt, and that was all she needed to see. "Oh my god. I'm calling 911." She rushed into the bedroom to get Joe's iPhone and returned, squatting down in front of him as she typed in his password, then dialed the three digits with trembling fingers. The operator answered her call, and taking down all the information Sasha provided, promised to have an ambulance at her address in ten minutes.

"Call Doc," Joe wheezed, "Doctor Sampson. He's our ringside physician and he's in town. He needs to know."

"Okay." Finding his name on the phone, Sasha dialed the number, relieved when he picked up right away.

"Hello?"

"H-hi, Doctor Sampson? I'm Sasha, Joe's girlfriend," she stammered, unable to hear herself over her heart pounding in her ears. "It's Joe. His groin area is swollen and purple and he's in a lot of pain."

"Have you called 911?" Doctor Sampson asked.

"Yes, right before I called you. They're on their way."

"What other symptoms does he have?"

She looked over at Joe, sitting with his back against the shower stall and gritting his teeth. "He's got a fever and he vomited. He says he tried to use the toilet a couple of minutes ago but he couldn't because of the pain in his groin." Sasha bit her lip. "Doctor, what's wrong with him?" She swallowed hard.

Sampson paused. "I think I have an idea what it could be but I can't be sure until there's been a full diagnosis. Tell the EMTs to take him to St. Luke's Memorial. Doctor George Crestwood will be expecting you. I'm on my way. Try to keep Joe as calm as you can, alright?"

"Okay. Thanks Doctor."

"Please. Call me Michael. And no problem. Keep me updated."

With that, the call ended and Sasha reverted her attention to her boyfriend, sitting down next to him. She'd never seen him like this before. He didn't look good at all and it scared her. "He said to go to St. Luke's Memorial. He'll be there."

"It fuckin' hurts, Sash," Joe groaned, wincing.

"I know, I know," said Sasha, wiping the sweat from his brow. "They'll be here soon."

Thankfully, they arrived on time, and paramedics helped Joe out of Sasha's apartment and downstairs into the ambulance, with Sasha joining him inside.

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. Doctor Crestwood, a man in his mid-forties with greying hair at the temples was waiting for them, as was Michael. Joe was whisked into a private room for a quick X-ray, and the results were stunning.

"You have an incarcerated hernia, Mr. Anoa'i."

"The hell does that mean?" asked Joe, slightly calmer now that he'd received some medicine to ease his pain.

Pointing at the X-ray, Doctor Crestwood explained. "See this loop of intestine over here, right here? It's not meant to be there. It's in your abdominal wall and cutting off the blood supply to your bladder and groin regions. That's why that area is so swollen and painful. Your bowel is being obstructed as well and that's what's causing your nausea and vomiting. The symptoms could appear over a long period of time, or it could happen overnight, as it's happened in your case. A common cause of hernia in athletes is excessive heavy weightlifting. I'm fully aware that your line of work requires you to be in the best physical shape possible, but you may have overexerted yourself in the process, leading to this." He tapped the X-ray again.

Sasha glanced at Joe, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "So what's the next step?" she asked Crestwood.

Michael picked up from where his colleague left off. "We can't leave this untreated any longer, Joe. The abdominal hernia is already strangulating your insides due to the loss of blood flow and twisted your intestine. You're in no condition to push on anyway as you're in so much pain already. Even then it could get much worse really quickly and lead to a fatal outcome."

Crestwood stepped away from the X-ray and looked Joe square in the eye. "In other words Mr. Anoa'i, we gotta operate," he concluded.

Sasha froze. "Operate? Like surgery?"

Crestwood nodded. "Yes ma'am. And right away."

Joe looked at Michael, Sasha, and then Crestwood. There was no doubting his answer. "Let's do it."

Half an hour later the Samoan was in a hospital gown and tucked in bed, minutes away from going under the knife. From her bed into a hospital bed all in a matter of hours. Sasha felt like she was on some sort of bullet train, it was all happening so fast.

Joe met his girlfriend's eyes and couldn't hide his amusement. "You look petrified, babe," he pointed out. "It can't be that bad. You've had surgery before."

"Only once, and I was unconscious the whole time. I don't remember a thing," Sasha reminded him, worry in her eyes as she placed a hand on his cheek. "But yes, I am terrified. They better not fuck this up."

"They won't. Doc says Crestwood has done this surgery many times before. The office trusts him," said Joe. "You got my phone right? Call Cassie. Let her know what's happening, alright?"

Sasha nodded just as a nurse came up to them. "They're ready for you, Mr. Anoa'i," she stated.

Joe nodded and turned back to Sasha, linking his fingers through the ones resting on his face. "Stay. Please."

"I ain't goin' nowhere. I promise," she vowed. Willing away the tears threatening to fall, she pressed her lips to his, pouring every emotion she was feeling into the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby girl." He gave her a small smile. "I'll be out in a bit."

Michael patted Joe's shoulder. "See you soon, buddy."

"I'll be right here, baby," Sasha said, not taking her eyes off the bed as it was wheeled away to an operating room.

"Gotta call Vince, tell him what's going on," Michael muttered, pulling out his phone.

"Yeah." Her mouth felt so dry she could barely speak.

The WWE doctor stopped what he was doing to observe her closely. "Sasha, you're shaking."

"I..." She glanced down at her trembling hand but she could barely see it through her tears. She looked up helplessly at Michael, who put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come with me." He led her into a private waiting room and coaxed her into a seat. "You can sit in here and wait. No one will bother you here. There's coffee down the hall if you'd like." He looked at her with kind eyes. "It's okay, Sasha. I know this is a shock for you but Joe's going to be fine. I'll check in on you and give you updates when I can. Okay?"

Nodding her head, she gave him a watery smile. "Okay. Thanks, Michael." After taking a few moments to compose herself, she proceeded to contact Cassie like Joe had asked, and informed her of the situation. She also sent quick texts to Pam and Reggie. From there, she waited. It was all she could do now. Wait and hope and pray.

Over an hour had passed when Cassie rushed into the waiting room. "I got here as quickly as I could. I met Doctor Sampson outside, he said Joe's still in surgery."

"He is," Sasha said. Cassie shrugged off her handbag went to sit beside the younger woman, taking in her pale features. "How you doing, girl?"

Sasha sighed. "Been better," she admitted quietly.

"Alma's in Dallas on business while Matt's in Japan," Cassie said. "They'll come down to Tampa as soon as they can. My mom will be here the day after tomorrow." She peered closely at Sasha and sighed. "Aw, sweetie..."

Tears slipped down Sasha's cheeks. "Oh, Cassie! It all happened so fast. One minute he's in bed, the next he's puking his guts out and now he's in surgery. I feel like I should have seen this coming but I didn't!"

Cassie took her hand and squeezed it gently. "This wasn't your fault, honey. I'm not sure that even Joe saw it coming. I know you feel scared but he's gonna be fine. Relax. Take a deep breath."

Mollified somewhat by her words and presence, Sasha held onto her hand, absorbing strength from her. Her mind drifted back to the events of the morning, the fear that had gripped her as she thought the worst. She was just glad that T.K. and Mia had not been at home to witness any of it. She fought off all the negative thoughts swirling around in her head. She couldn't think negatively. At least it wasn't cancer like she'd feared. Michael and Cassie were right; Joe was going to be just fine.

It was another hour of waiting. And another. At last, Doctor Crestwood walked into the waiting room, looking frazzled yet pleased. "Ladies, I'm pleased to inform you that the procedure went very well. We brought down the swelling and took out the hernia. He's in a stable condition but we have him sedated so he can sleep. We've moved him into a recovery room."

Sasha couldn't describe the relief that flowed through her body at that very moment. "Can I see him?"

"Yes you can. Nurse." He waved one of the nurses over, who guided Sasha and Cassie to Joe's room. At the sight of her boyfriend, Sasha felt her world stop moving.

He lay so still in the hospital bed, the rise and fall of his broad chest barely visible through his bulky hospital gown. There was a clamp on his left index finger, a blood pressure cuff on his left arm and an I.V. in the crook of his elbow. She walked over to his right side and sank down into the chair next to the bed. She stroked his hand and stared lovingly at his sleeping face.

A frazzled-looking Michael entered the room and stood by the foot of Joe's bed. "How long will he sleep?" Sasha asked.

"A couple of hours. It's better if it's for longer so the anesthesia will have time to wear off."

"And what about work? When can he wrestle again?"

"It's too soon to tell. They'll keep him overnight to monitor and assess him. It could take a day or two before a conclusion is reached."

"Can I stay here with him overnight?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I'm sure you can. I'll confirm that for you."

"Thank you." Sasha smiled at Michael then turned back to Joe, resuming her watch on him.

Her phone rang and it was Pam, who sounded worried. "Honey, I've been trying to reach you! What's this you said about Joe having surgery?"

"Yeah." Sasha whispered so as not to wake Joe. "He got seriously sick this morning and I had to take him to the hospital. He got out of surgery about an hour ago."

"Oh my gosh. Is he gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, it looks that way."

"What hospital are you at? I'm coming over right now."

Sasha gave her the address and thanked her before hanging up. She remained by Joe's side as people came and went. Cassie was either outside on the phone or in the room with Sasha watching over her baby brother. Pam arrived with three Styrofoam cups of Starbucks coffee, handing Cassie and Sasha one each before sitting beside Sasha and putting an arm around her. "I can take the kids tonight," she said simply.

Sasha smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

Pam kissed her shoulder. "Don't mention it, babe. You just be here for your man."

Cassie went outside to take yet another call. A while later, Pam had to leave to pick up Mia from school. The nurses and doctors continued to bustle in and out of the hospital, reading machines and taking notes while Joe continued to sleep. Sasha shifted her chair closer to his bed and laid her head next to the headboard. Her body felt drained as the madness of the morning started to take its toll on her.

She woke to long, familiar fingers caressing her cheek. Her eyes opened and she turned her head, finding her boyfriend's gorgeous grey eyes gazing down at her.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" Joe whispered.

In the back of her mind she scoffed at the statement. She had no makeup on and her hair was disheveled in an untidy bun. But that was overshadowed by the happiness she felt to see him awake. "Hey. How are you feeling?" she asked, gently kissing his shoulder.

Joe sighed. "Like shit. Floated in and out of consciousness a few times. You looked tired so I decided to let you sleep." He patted the small space beside him on the edge of the bed. "Come up here."

Her expression was uncertain. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I asked the Doctor if you could sit with me when you woke up and he agreed as long as I don't move too much."

She got up to sit on the bed and positioned her body carefully. She ran her fingers over his bearded jaw as he nuzzled the side of her face. "You smell good," he remarked.

"It's that new perfume you got me. I wore some this morning," Sasha said, resting her head against his. "You scared me so bad, baby."

Joe pressed his lips to her temple. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I kept thinking about you while you were in surgery. I hated not knowing what was going on and I was terrified that something would go wrong and..." She paused, fighting back her emotions as she took a shaky breath.

"Hey, relax. You didn't need to worry. I'm a thoroughbred, remember?" he smirked, and Sasha grinned despite herself, glad to see he was still his old confident self.

Turning his gaze to the door, he said, "Doc says this will be the difficult part; how long I'm gonna be out for, the rehab, getting back in fighting shape." He sighed tiredly. "Sounds like fun."

"Sounds like a challenge for you. One I know you'll handle very well," Sasha assured him. "Look on the bright side. It could have been a much worse outcome. You coulda ruptured your groin, and I for one am very relieved that didn't happen. It's hard to find a good bed buddy in this day and age," she added with a sly wink.

"Ain't nobody gonna share your bed but me, nani," Joe answered firmly, exhaling again. "There won't be any of that for a while, that's for sure. I hope you don't mind."

"Sweetie, I lasted eight years without dick. This ain't nothin'," she said with a laugh. It felt like ages since she'd laughed. "I can wait."

Joe smiled. "Good."

"I'll get Cassie and the Doctor for you." Sliding off the bed, Sasha patted his lap and smiled. "Welcome back, Champ."

Joe was kept overnight for further observations and tests. Sasha stayed with him, as did Cassie. Most of his friends managed to get in contact with him while he was in hospital and wished him well. WWE producers showed up the day after the surgery to record a video documenting Joe's recovery and update the WWE Universe. Sasha personally thought they could have done it at a later time when he was a little better. He was still groggy and disoriented from all the medicine being administered to him. She was amazed that he could even speak coherently. But she understood it was business and they had to strike while the iron was hot.

And then came the bad news. Joe would be out of action for four months. It was a devastating blow to everyone, particularly to the Samoan, who had stared at Crestwood as if he'd sprouted a second head. Sasha felt terrible for him. Nothing could be worse to an athlete than being told he couldn't do the thing he loved to do. But there was nothing he could do but focus on getting better and the sooner Joe accepted that, the better. On the positive side, the outpouring of love and support from the WWE fans was amazing. Flowers, cards and teddy bears came in from all over the world, as well as messages via social media. Sasha could tell the fans' support made Joe feel much better and that was perfectly fine by her. Positive energy was all he needed right now.

Joe was relieved to be discharged from the hospital three days later. Cassie took him home, accompanied by Sasha. She was pleased to see that his car had been brought back to his place from hers and figured that Cassie had arranged for that to happen. Lord knows she hadn't been thinking about that. She helped Joe into the guest room downstairs, with Cassie deciding to order lunch for her brother while Sasha went upstairs to his bedroom to move his things downstairs. "We need to find somewhere to keep all these gifts and flowers from your fans," she said cheerfully, pushing into the guest room with a stack of Get Well Soon cards. "I could bring all of it in here if you want. I did see a little stuffed bunny rabbit that I might keep for myself though, it looked so cute and fluffy." Dropping the cards on the bed, she halted at the sight of him seated at the edge of the bed, his handsome face masked in misery. "Babe? What is it?"

His voice was quiet, almost a murmur. "I hate this," he grumbled, then winced in pain. "Four fuckin' months, Sasha! Four months away from doing what I love most! What the hell am I gonna do with all that time? By the time I get back someone else is gonna take my spot and where will that leave me?" He shook his head. "I hate this. I fuckin' hate this."

Sasha sat down next to him. "I'll tell you what you're going to do with all that time. You're gonna go to work, recuperate and get back in shape, and be better and stronger than you've ever been. And when you return it'll be like you never left." When he didn't answer, she took his face in both her hands. "Joe, look at me. Look at me."

She waited until he did, and the despair in his eyes broke her heart. "You can do this," she told him confidently. "You will do this. You will come back stronger than you left and be ready to kick ass again. You said it yourself, you're a thoroughbred. It ain't gonna be easy, but you're going to do it and you're gonna get back out there and take back your spot. And I'll be there every step of the way. I'm gonna be there for you, Joe." She held his gaze with hers, silently conveying to him that she meant every word she'd said.

For a moment, Joe didn't move. Then, he leaned over and rested his forehead against hers, shutting his eyes tightly as he silently drew strength from the woman he loved. "Thank you."

Sasha smiled and pecked the top of his head, reaching up to tuck a lock of his hair behind his ear. "Don't worry, my love. You're gonna be fine. I promise."

Did a little bit of research on hernia and put it on here. Still not sure it's 100% accurate, but I think it looks alright.

Things have taken another turn for Jasha, haven't they? A long-term injury now? How will they handle this? I hope no one is losing interest in ITDE yet. I've still got a few things in mind for our favorite couple but you'll just have to wait and see…

Working on the next chapter soon. Please read and review this one, it will make me happy like always. Thank you loves! :D