Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Threesome, Kidnapping, Threats, Self-Harm, etc.

Meanwhile

Roman had bought himself some new clothes – nothing too fancy, just a pair of jeans and a fresh shirt – and had changed in the bathroom, after carefully bandaging his ribs. It had taken awhile for the pain medication to kick in, but now the pain had dulled and he felt better. Still, he wasn't willing to take any risks. Before leaving, he had eaten a small meal and made sure that he had gotten enough water in his system. It wouldn't do to have him pass out from lack of proper nutrition, after all.

By the time that he left, the sun was already rising in the sky. He didn't want to dwell on how long he had been inside, however. He didn't want to dwell on any of it. He was scared. No, scared wasn't the right word. Roman was mortified, disgusted with himself and with the bastard that had attacked him, but above all, angry that he couldn't remember the man's face. This man… what if he was hurting Seth? What if he was hurting Seth and Roman couldn't help him because he couldn't remember?

Seth. The very mention of his name made Roman's stomach turn. He felt absolutely responsible for all of this. Maybe, if he hadn't acted so rashly before, he would have stayed. They could have talked about this. It didn't have to go down like that. Gently, Roman raked a hand over his ribs. The burning sensation set his entire nervous system ablaze and his stomach rolled more violently this time. He cursed underneath his breath, feeling his consciousness threaten to slip.

Not knowing what else to do, but knowing that he couldn't just stand there in the middle of the street, he made his way over to one of the benches, which was bolted down to the sidewalk. It seemed so stupid, bolting the bench down to the sidewalk. What was he going to do, pick it up and walk off with it while he was surrounded by hundreds of other shoppers and there were security cameras everywhere? No. That wasn't exactly his idea of 'discreet'. That was more like 'blatant idiocy'.

He let himself fall onto the bench, not realizing just how much that short walk had exhausted him. Briefly, he wondered how he had even made it to the Wal-Mart at all. During the entire walk over there, he could feel his body beginning to shut down on him. He had wondered if he should have gone to the hospital, but frankly, Wal-Mart was closer. Just then, his phone went off, disrupting his train of thought. He answered it, not recognizing the Caller ID.

"Hello?" He grumbled, his eyes slipping closed as a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Roman Reigns?" An official-sounding voice questioned. Roman rumbled a brief 'yes'. "My name is Dr. White. I've been attempting to contact you for a few hours now. You are listed as the emergency contact for Mr. Ambrose."

Roman rolled his eyes. He was too tired for this age-old song and dance. "Yeah? What did he do this time? Fall asleep in the bathtub again? He's famous for that."

There was a pause. "Well, you could say that. His body was found in the bathtub by two hotel workers." Roman sucked in a harsh breath, suddenly fully awake. "He cut himself and was bleeding profusely. He also had water in his lungs."

Roman felt a wave of emotion wash over him, but he blamed it on the overwhelming pain in his system. "Is he… Is he okay?"

"Oh, he's fine. He'll make a full recovery. But… a man was in to see him earlier, and he seemed to have a negative impact on Mr. Ambrose's emotional welfare. He's been asking for you, and I feel that you coming would be beneficial."

Roman swallowed hard. "When do visiting hours start?"

The doctor didn't even hesitate. "You're family to him. You can come by whenever."

"Okay. I should be there in…" Where the hell was he in relation to the hospital? "I'll try to be there in a half-hour."

"Very good, Mr. Reigns. I look forward to seeing you then."

Roman ended the call, attempting to comprehend what the doctor had just told him. Seth had been at the hospital. He had been at the hospital, so he knew that Dean had cut himself and almost drowned. Why wouldn't he stay with him? Roman had to wonder what their fight had been about. If Dean was in such a delicate situation, why would Seth push him like that – if Seth was even the one to induce the argument. As much as he lov – liked – Dean, he knew he could be rather… difficult to deal with.

He rose off of the bench and stretched, stuffing his phone into his pocket. Stepping down off the curb, he tucked his hands into his pockets and started to walk in the direction he thought that he had come. It was a little unnerving, not knowing where he was. However, he knew one of two things would happen. Either he would become hopelessly lost and some poor soul would take pity on him, or he would make it to the hospital and crash in Dean's room for a while. Thankfully, it was the latter.

"So, you sound like an absolute bottle of sunshine, Dean." Roman muttered, taking a seat at Dean's bedside. "Why would you hurt yourself, Dean? It's not like you." Roman continued.

Dean shot him a look, looking a little surprised to see him there. "I've already told about a hundred and one people why I did it. I'm not really in the mood to tell the story again."

"Fine." Roman shrugged. "You don't have to tell me. You don't even have to talk, if you don't want to. I've never been big on listening to your odd-ball speeches anyway." Roman said.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Huh. You certainly sound like a bottle of sunshine yourself, there."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Roman leaned back, carefully crossing his arms over his chest. Dean could see the swell of his chest underneath his shirt, which was just a bit on the small side. His ginger movements made it clear that he was still in obvious pain. Briefly, his mind flashed back to the letter that Seth had found where he assumed Roman's body would be. It was splattered with blood. Maybe it was Roman's blood.

Dean turned and stared at the bigger man, uncertain about what to believe anymore. Roman didn't look like he had been hurt. Certainly, Roman was strong enough to handle himself. But, once again, his eyes were drawn down to the swell of his chest. Roman moved around so carefully, it was obvious that some of them were broken. He reached into his pocket and took out some pills, swallowing them down without any water. Yes, he was quite obviously in pain.

He was intelligent enough to know that if Roman was taken without his consent, Roman would never come clean about it. Roman would let it fester inside of him until it destroyed him. Just as that thought crossed his mind, the muscle of the group shifted uncomfortably in the chair. So, he was having trouble sitting still for extended periods of time as well. Something about this was incredibly unsettling, and Seth's argument was rapidly gaining more credibility.

"Roman…" Dean didn't know how to ask this, didn't even know if he could. "I…"

Roman turned to him, locking his cold brown eyes on Dean's face. "Yes?"

"I know that… I know that this is an uncomfortable question, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but if someone hurt you… you would tell me… us... wouldn't you? We're a team. It's the three of us against the world."

"That's in the ring. We're invincible in the ring, untouchable. Not in real life. In real life… we're breakable."

Dean cocked his head to the side. "Has someone tried to break you, Roman?"

Roman stared into Dean's eyes, and answered in a cold monotone, "No."

That was where the conversation ended again. The uncomfortable tension hung heavily in the air, so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Dean stared down at the white wrapping around his arm, holding it steady as he started to pick at it. Dr. White had warned him against picking at his stitches, because it could cause infection or he could bleed out. But he was done worrying about that. Whatever would happen would happen.

Roman bit on his bottom lip, tasting the blood as it washed over his tongue. Like Dean, a thousand thoughts were racing through his head. He didn't want to be chased out of his 'boyfriend's' room because he upset him, but he felt like Dean needed to tell him something and he knew that he couldn't leave until Dean got it out. So he leaned back, watching as Dean picked at his stitches (despite the doctor's advice). Finally, Dean turned to him.

"I have something that I want to tell you, but I don't know how you'll deal with it. If I tell you, you have to promise not to freak out. I don't think I can handle another person freaking out on me today."

Roman shrugged. "Hit me with your best shot."

Dean swallowed hard. "It doesn't leave this room?"

Roman shook his head. "Nope." He grumbled.

"Seth was raped." Dean said, before holding up the letters. "And I know who did it."