CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

MOLLY

She'd spent the last several hours curled up between the Sire and Keith. As soon as she'd called him, the Sire had rushed to the hospital, but none of them had seen Nicky yet. Trixie had been allowed in at Nicky's request, but other than that, only his parents had seen him before the doctor decided he needed rest more than he needed visitors. Keith insisted on staying, and Molly wanted to do the same, so the Sire had ended up staying, too.

The Young Bucks sat across from them looking broken. Nick had obviously been crying. Matt was hiding his emotions better, but it was clear he wasn't okay. Corri had sandwiched herself between them while Randy was visiting Nicky, but now she sat beside him resting her head on his shoulder.

Trixie had passed out in Danny's arms. Molly watched the way Danny held her and kept all of his attention on her. The level of protectiveness radiating off of him surprised her, but not nearly as much as the content smile on his face as he watched her sleep. He's in love with her, she realized with a start. She'd known there was something between them, but she hadn't expected him to have fallen in love with her. At most, she figured he had gotten attached to her and maybe wanted to sleep with her, because Danny got around, but love? That was different.

Her cell phone began vibrating. Molly excused herself when she saw it was Dillon. She wasn't feeling overly sociable, but right now, she needed a distraction, and she'd promised she would be there if he needed her.

"Hey, Dillon. What's up?" She answered.

"You're okay," he said with relief.

"Mostly. Why? Should I not be?"

"The dirtsheets are going nuts about someone from WWE being rushed to the hospital for attempting suicide... They said it's believed to have been someone from New Legacy, and I... I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Molly felt rage consuming her. Nicky hadn't even been in the hospital for twenty-four hours yet and the wrestling rags had told the entire world what happened. She was relieved they hadn't released a name yet.

"It wasn't me," Molly said.

"But it was someone? It's true?" Dillon asked in horror.

"It's true." Molly sighed.

"It wasn't Gabe, was it?"

"No, Gabe's fine. It... Look, keep this to yourself, okay? He wouldn't want everyone to know."

"Of course I will."

"It was Nicky... Nick Orton."

"Is he alright?"

"He's alive. Beyond that... I'm still waiting to see him."

"I guess you're close?"

I took his virginity. I'd say that makes us pretty close, Molly thought.

"He's family," she said. "We were raised on the road together. His mom pretty much filled the female role model slot in my life since I didn't have a mother. He's... He's my best friend. Him, and Keith, and Trixie."

"I'm sorry, Molly... Are you okay?"

"I'll be better after I see him for myself. I don't know why he did this. He was doing better..." She shook her head. "He's been having a rough time lately."

"Sometimes, it feels like death is the only way out..."

"Dillon... You're not suicidal, are you?"

"Not today... I've thought about it, Molly. Things were so bad at home, and I get depressed sometimes, and it just sort of made sense, but I couldn't do it... I couldn't leave Randi alone with her."

"Are you okay now that you aren't with her?"

"So far."

"Listen, swear to me if you ever feel like that again you'll call me."

"Okay."

"Good... I wish... I wish Nicky had called. You have to call, okay?"

"I will. I promise.. I'm sorry about your friend, Molly. I hope he gets better."

"Yeah... Me, too."

She hung up and headed back to the waiting room. Keith was pacing back and forth, looking appropriately stressed out. He kept alternating between crossing his arms over his chest and gripping his head in his hands as he did this. Molly was amazed how much he looked like Randy when he paced like that. His father had the same nervous habit.

Her Sire was texting, most likely Coby, Joe, or both. He rarely texted anyone else because he hated technology, but he'd indulge his Shield brothers, Molly, and occasionally Corri.

To her surprise, a few people rushed into the waiting room. It was Ginny, Gabe, and Lucas. "The news... They said one of us..." Gabe started.

Ginny's eyes scanned the waiting room. "Oh God... Nicky?" She asked in horror. She began sobbing, burying her face in Gabe's chest as he pulled her into his arms.

Lucas looked like he'd already suspected as much and his worst fears had been confirmed. "Is he alright?" He asked shakily.

Since Keith had automatically joined Gabe in comforting Ginny, Molly went to Lucas. "He's alive," she said. "Stable, but he's being admitted to Psych..."

Lucas looked like he might start crying. "He was fine yesterday... Too fine, really... I should have realized something was wrong."

"It's not your fault," Molly said quickly. "We all wanted to believe he was better."

"He was acting oddly... I think..." He lowered his voice. "I think he had some sort of manic episode, Molly."

"Manic? Like he's bipolar or something?" Molly considered this. "He's always been a little on the emo side, but never manic..."

"The violent outbursts... His temper flares are symptoms."

"That was the drinking, and the drugs. It's a new thing for him."

"He's eighteen. Most people have their first manic episode between seventeen and nineteen. The depression manifests earlier, but the mania kicks in later on."

"How do you know all this?"

Lucas looked embarrassed. "I'm taking abnormal psychology right now... Online. I know I'm not an expert, but the symptoms fit... Sorry. I may be out of line suggesting this."

"I never said you were wrong. I just wanted to understand where you were coming from. You could be right. Kenny mentioned Nicky was talking really fast, and that's another sign."

"I saw that for myself yesterday. It was like he couldn't stop himself."

"It could be the drugs."

"True. But he's off them now."

"Could the drugs have triggered a manic episode?"

"It does happen sometimes, yes. If he already had the chemical imbalance, the drugs could trigger it faster than it would happen naturally."

"I'll make sure this gets brought up to the right people so they can see if he really has it."

"I feel awful... I should have realized he was manic and would be headed for an inevitable crash..."

"Lucas, you're still in school. You haven't even finished your psych class yet. This isn't on you... It's on that quack who diagnosed him with ADHD and sent him on his merry way with a bunch of drugs he could abuse."

"Thank you for that. I know you're right, but... I like Nicky. He's a great guy and I care about him."

"I know. He'll be okay, Lucas. He can get help now... He will get through this. I'm not giving him any other choice... I'm not losing him."

She knew every single person there felt that way. Nicky might not know it, but he had a lot of people who loved him, and they were all gathered there ready to fight for him.

SARAYA

She hadn't believed it when Cayla called in tears to tell her the news. "Please go, Saraya... I can't, and Trixie needs someone," she pled.

Saraya had, of course, immediately left for the hospital. Now she stood just outside the waiting room, unseen, watching everyone else.

Everyone was a mess. She spotted her daughter asleep on Dannyand made her way into the waiting room. "Corri..." She said as she pulled her sister-in-law into a hug. "How are you holding up?"

"Not well," Corri admitted. "I didn't think to call you... I'm an idiot. Trixie needs you-"

"Shush. It's fine. Cay called. Besides, it looks like my daughter is doing quite well without me..." She shook her head. "She appears to have inherrited my thing for bad boys."

"And yet, you married my sister," Corri said with a slight laugh.

"Thank God for that! Imagine if I hadn't found someone to tame me! I'd be swinging from chandeliers drunk. Oh wait, I did that last Monday night..." She was joking at an inappropriate time, but Corri was laughing, so she decided it was the right move.

She walked over to Trixie and was about to wake her when Danny spoke. "She needs the rest," he said softly.

Saraya studied him. This handsome troublemaker genuinely seemed to care about her daughter. "Right," she agreed. "But I'm here when she wakes up."

Danny nodded. Saraya felt her phone vibrate and ducked into the hallway. It was Stephanie. "Hullo, Stephanie," she said pleasantly. She needed to be pleasant if she was going to get Stephanie to agree to her idea.

"What can I do for you, Saraya?" Stephanie asked. "Is this about poor Nicky? I just heard. How are Corri and Randy? Do they need anything?"

"They're trying to hold it together. Nicky's alive, so I think they're holding on to that... But no. This has nothing to do with them. I... I was wondering, with Paul and Corri on leave, what's happening to NXT?"

Stephanie hesitated. "It's not looking good," she admitted. "We put all tapings on hold indefinitely. We have officially disbanded the Boot Camp program until further notice... Shane thinks we may need to cut our losses and let it go."

"Let it go? Are you bloody mad? NXT is the heart and soul of this bloody company!What will happen to all the baby wrestlers?"

"Half of them quit anyway. They're spooked. Between what they saw and the fact that one of their Boot Campers went on a killing spree, they don't want any part of NXT anymore. We still have a few, but not enough to save the program. We'll let everyone go unless they're ready for the main roster, except for Faye, of course. She's a Legacy. We're not going to fire her, especially since she is the one trying to convince everyone else not to give in to fear and quit. She's very loyal to us."

"What if I had an idea to save NXT?"

"Do you? Because it's Paul's baby. I'd hate to see it die. Besides, NXT is great for business... But unfortunity, its reputation is severely tarnished now."

"Bring me on."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me run it while Corri and Paul are on leave. Give me free reign to bring in anyone I see fit."

"Saraya, we can't bring anyone else in. Boot Camp ended with a body count!"

"Not Boot Camp. I work on the indies, Stephanie. I know people who'd be great in WWE, ones who can breathe fresh life into NXT and who I trust very much not to turn psychotic and show up with a gun... You can always have them get psychiatric evaluations first, but... Please, Stephanie. NXT is where so many of us got our start. I was the first girl to hold the NXT and Divas titles at the same time. It's part of my soul. I can't sit back and watch it die because of one bad egg... And Dusty would be ashamed of me if I didn't do everything in my power to save it."

Stephanie softened, apparently touched by Saraya's rant, or maybe by the mention of Dusty Rhodes, who'd had such a major role in the early NXT days before his death. "Alright... I'll consider it."

"Do I need to convince Shane?"

"I'm still in charge here. Shane has no say if I make a choice."

"Right on, Sister! I've got this, Stephanie. I won't let you down."

Saraya hadn't planned on saving NXT... She'd called to see if she could work there for a bit so she could do something while she was home waiting for Cayla to get well, but now, she knew she'd made the call for a reason. She needed to do this. It might just be her destiny.

She decided she'd talk to Corri when things calmed down a bit. She'd asked her the day before if she minded her trying to fill in for a bit and Corri hadn't had an issue with it, but if she was making changes, she wanted to run them by her as a courtesy.

Internally, she began running down a list of people she could call. At the top was a young wrestler named Kristy, a quirky nerd girl who loved comic books and wrestling more than anything else in the world. She worshipped Seth Rollins, and Saraya suspected Colby would want to save NXT just as much as she did. He'd been the first NXT Champion. It was part of his soul, too. Maybe he'd be willing to mentor the girl.

Saraya decided she'd call Kristy as soon as possible to be her first new roster member. She focused on making a list of others, happy to have something to distract her from the reason she was at the hospital. It felt good to be faced with a problem she could actually work to solve for once.

DANNY

Trixie stirred in his arms. She looked up at him in confusion, then seemed to remember why they were there.

"Your mother's here," Danny told her. He figured with Cayla in a treatment facility, he didn't need to be more specific.

"Mum's here? Where?" Trixie asked.

"In the hallway, I think. She was on her phone."

"I should go find her..."

Saraya stuck her head in and noticed Trixie was awake. "Oh, Luv... Are you alright?" She asked, rushing to her.

Trixie started sobbing in her mother's arms. Danny let her have her space. He was fine with keeping his distance from everyone, but Molly came over to him.

"You love her," Molly said bluntly.

"What?" Danny asked.

"Trixie. You're in love with her."

"You're nuts. I barely know her."

"I can see it when you look at her."

"I don't do love."

"Neither do I, but I love Keith." She looked surprised by her own words.

"You've known him forever and you guys are friends. Until recently, all I ever did with Trixie was bully her."

"You changed. She does that to people."

"Fine, if you know so much, maybe I like her... So what?"

"So, do something about it."

"Trixie made it abundantly clear she's not into me like that."

"She was with Brandon and was confused... But she liked it when you kissed her, Danny."

"She did?" He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah, enough that she wasn't so sure she wanted Brandon anymore. So kiss her again. Make a move."

"I can't. She just broke up with her boyfriend."

"She likes you, Danny. Ask her out."

"No."

"Why the fuck not?"

"Because... She deserves better, Molly. I'm not good enough for her."

Molly stared at him. "And that's exactly why you are... Because you think you aren't. Because you'd sacrifice your happiness for hers."

"You're reading too much into this."

"Look. Trixie is my best friend, and the last guy she was with hurt her. If you hurt her, you'll meet my fork intimately. The thing is, I don't think you will. I trust you with her."

"Why?"

"You have a talent for saving her life. You're also being really sweet with her right now. And you saved Nicky. You're not the dick you want people to think you are."

"Molly-"

"Just kiss her. Trust me, she wants you to."

Molly walked away and Danny was left thinking about her words. He wanted to kiss Trixie again, more than anything. The first kiss had been so... sweet. He didn't normally kiss girls like Trixie, the sweet, innocent types, but he'd liked it. A lot. And Molly had called him on his feelings for Trixie. He wasn't the type to fall in love. He was certain he wasn't capable of that... But whatever he felt for Trixie, it was strong and unlike anything he'd felt before. He was very tempted to do as Molly said and kiss Trixie again, but he meant what he'd said. Trixie deserved a lot better than him.

KEITH

I failed him, Keith thought for the billionth time. His little brother had needed him, and he'd failed him. He hadn't gone to their parents when he knew he should have, and he'd left Nicky unsupervised knowing he was coming down off of a long, difficult withdrawal session. He'd seemed fine, but Keith still hated himself for leaving him. He was older. He should have known better.

"Keith?" The doctor asked.

Keith looked up. "Yes?" He replied.

"Your brother is up. He's asking for you."

Keith put on a brave face and followed the doctor into Nicky's room. He looked like a scared kid sitting on the bed hooked up to all of those wires. Keith approached him cautiously. The doctor gave them a little bit of space for privacy. Keith assumed Nicky must have asked for it, but the doctor was close enough to jump in if something happened.

"Hey..." Nicky said softly.

"Hey yourself," Keith said. "You scared us, Nick..."

"I know... I'm sorry."

"No... I'm sorry. I'm the idiot who thought we could fix you on our own. I should have insisted you get real help... I..." Keith sighed. "You need help, Nicky. This isn't your fault."

"It's more mine than yours. Quit blaming yourself. I'm the one who slit my wrists."

"Nick..." Keith's voice cracked slightly. "You can't do that to me ever again, do you understand?"

"I'll try."

"How could you think this was okay? You have so many people who love you, and you just..." He shook his head. "You don't need a guilt trip. I'm sorry."

"I told myself you guys would be better off..."

"How could I be better off without you? You're my brother!"

"Exactly. I'm the extra Orton, the Spare. The world really only needs one child of Randy Orton and Corri Casey. You're the special one, Keith. You're just like Dad. You're a better wrestler than I am-"

"You're just as good as I was two years ago, Nicky! I've just been training longer."

"You've got your shit together all the time. I'm a mess. You're outgoing and everyone likes you, and I prefer books to people most of the time."

"Nicky... You aren't me. So what? You're you, and that's even better."

"Yeah, right... You don't get it, Keith. You can't. Everything comes easy to you. You were born to be the next huge WWE superstar. You can cut promos without a rehearsal because you're just that great of a talker... You have yet to meet a move you can't do perfectly-"

"You're just as good at the physical stuff, and promos get easier as you do more of them."

"Stop trying to make me feel better. You can't. You're fucking perfect, and no one needs me!"

"Nick-"

"They pushed me because they wanted another you! And I'm sorry because I know I majorly disappointed them. I'm not you. I'm just the other Orton."

"That's not true!"

"You even stole Molly from me!"

Keith was stunned. "Nicky... I didn't-"

"Don't act like you didn't know."

"I didn't. I'd never do anything to hurt you-"

"Your existence hurts me!"

Keith recoiled like Nicky had slapped him. His chest felt tight. Was this really how his brother felt? They'd always been so close...

"It's time to go," the doctor said.

"Nick... I-I'm sorry," Keith managed to say.

"Just go. Forget it," Nicky said.

Keith wished that he could. The doctor was sedating Nicky. A nurse led Keith away gently. "Try not to take it personally," she said softly. "Your brother's very sick. He's having some sort of episode. I'm sure he'll regret everything he said. He probably didn't mean any of it."

"Thanks," Keith said numbly. He wasn't so sure he believed her. Nicky had sounded pretty convincing.

When Keith got back to the waiting room, he immediately walked away. Molly chased after him. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"It's my fault," Keith blurted out.

"Keith, it's not-"

"He hates me, Molly. I'm the cause of all his issues."

"That's ridiculous."

"He... You didn't hear him."

"Keith, whatever he said, he's not thinking straight. He just tried to kill himself."

"He pretty much told me being my brother ruined his life."

"You're a great brother. He's just upset."

"He..." He shook his head.

"He what?"

"He said I stole you from him..."

Molly looked horrified. "I thought he understood we weren't going to be a couple or anything..."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"That first night I covered for him... When he sobered up, I kind of... We... um..."

"Oh God..." Keith knew what she wasn't saying. "Molly, he was still a virgin!"

"I know... I felt bad when I realized that, but... You know me... Impulse control issues... Do you hate me now?"

"I could never hate you. But I'm surprised... Not that you did that, but that he did. I know you're a free spirit about things like that. It's why I haven't tried to tie you down with any rules about us, but Nicky... I always pictured him as a monk. Or at least as someone who waited until he got married."

"Is this weird for you?"

"It should be, but no. We both love you, Molly. We always have. I just hate that I hurt him."

"I never meant for Nicky to get hurt..."

"I know. It's okay, Mol. We'll figure this out." He kissed her.

"He doesn't hate you, Keith," Molly said after a minute. "He idolizes you... But I think Lucas is on to something. He thinks Nicky's bipolar."

"Bipolar? Why?"

"Think about how irrational he's randomly been lately."

"He was on drugs."

"And just now? He's sober. He still snapped and flipped out on you."

"He seemed rational... Just angry."

"But Nicky's not the angry type, Keith. He doesn't lash out at people like this. He keeps everything in."

He had to admit, she had a point. "I'll bring it up to my parents..." He wondered if he was a terrible person for hoping Molly was right. If Nicky was bipolar, he might not actually hate him, and that would be a relief. Even now, Keith couldn't fully shake the pain Nicky's words had caused. He'd give anything for it to turn out Nicky hadn't meant them.

We'll get through this, he thought. All of us... We have to. He found himself wondering if it was even possible for things to ever get back to normal again.