Hi everyone, sorry for being late to publish this chapter. I had to delay the writing because of a mourning. Sorry again if I am a little bit late for the next chapters.

Chapter 10

The doors closed and the ambulance left the arena. The Judgment Day went back to their club house to get ready for the segment. They were shocked, it was the first time Damian was actually badly injured. He never had to be transported to the hospital in the middle of a match.

As the ambulance headed to the nearest hospital Damian was screaming in pain despite the nurses and first aid workers trying to keep him still. His back felt burning as if flames had been lit up inside his body, he could feel it through his ribcage, his neck and his legs. He was hearing voices telling him to stop moving but he couldn't. Each one of his moves made the pain more excruciating but he was not able to stay still, trying to escape both the pain and the ambulance. He didn't want to go to the hospital, he would rather die. Hospitals terrified him and knowing he was in an ambulance going straight to one made him panic. He was screaming he didn't want to go to the hospital, begging for the medics to let him get out of the ambulance. He felt more pressure on his ankles, then on his thighs which he was soon unable to move. He was being attached to the stretcher, his fear grew higher and he started to throw his fists everywhere, ignoring all the voices who were trying to calm him down. He was soon completely tied up, unable to move, he felt vulnerable, and his back kept hurting.

He saw the ambulance's doors open and he felt the stretcher being pulled from it. The bright lights and the smell of the hospital's corridors made his anxiety and panic rise, he felt the threat deep into his core, making him tighten all his muscles, increasing his pain. He felt a needle being inserted into the back of his hand and the stretcher being moved again. He noticed Mina was here but didn't follow. He wanted to call for her but couldn't, as his body wasn't his anymore.

Mina was waiting in the chamber the nurse had told her. She texted Hunter, saying that they were still waiting for Damian to come back from the RMI an CT scan but according to the way he moved, nothing important should be broken. She was worried and felt guilty for not telling him to be safe. She knew it was just silly superstition, that there was no link between the two facts but couldn't help it. She felt heartbroken to see her friend in such a state of pain and fear. He had always been so protective to her that she almost believed he was some sort of invulnerable superhero, but the truth was here. He was not invulnerable. Each time he protected her he could have been injured. She had seen him being thrown through tables, from ladders, over ropes, against barriers and being hit by chairs, kendo sticks, chains and even with Finn being thrown on him. But he had never been scared. He had never been scared to do reckless things, to fight or to be hurt. She thought he was fearless. Her phone buzzed; it was Rhea asking for updates. She texted back the same thing she told Hunter. They would leave the arena soon and come to check on Damian.

The chamber's door opened; medics came in, pushing Damian's bed. He looks strangely calm, his eyes wandering from the wall to her and going back to the walls again. Two drips were hanging to his bed and the pipe was connected to the needle on his hand.

- "We had to give him sedatives to calm him down." The doctor started. "We are waiting for the RMI and CT scan results, but I can already tell you that there is no fracture. We also put him under strong painkillers."

- "Thank you, Doctor," Mina answered with a sigh of relief.

One of the medics gave her a bag containing Damian's wrestling clothes.

- "We had to cut his wrestling attire as we couldn't take it off without moving his back. I'll be back to you as soon as we have the results."

Mina nodded as the medical team left the room. She moved her seat to get closer to the bed and held Damian's hand. He hesitantly moved his eyes towards her.

- "Mina? You are here?" he asked with wet eyes.

- "Yes, don't worry, I won't let you alone here." She answered while gently rubbing his hand with her thumb. He was looking haggard, but he was here.

- "I'm sorry, Princess" he said.

- "What for?" she asked

- "My attire is ruined" he said with a guilty look on his face.

- "I will make you a new one, don't worry" Mina laughed both with surprise and amusement. She did not expect him to worry about such a trivial thing when he was dealing with so much pain and fear.

She kept rubbing his hand while looking at him, she felt so relieved to see him back and to hear his deep voice. Buried deep in her mind was the fear that he wouldn't come back. She let go of his hand to grab her phone and sent a text to Hunter to keep him updated about Damian's health. When she taped her screen to send the message, she felt Damian grasping on her sweater.

- "Will you stay with me?" he almost begged, tears now flowing on his cheeks, his fist clenching harder on her clothes.

She grabbed his hand in hers and rubbed it softly, using her other hand to stroke his hair, this touch seemed far from calming him down. He started to cry and his grip felt stronger on her hand.

- "Please?" he kept begging. "Stay".

- "Don't worry Damian, I won't let you, I will stay with you" she said softly while kissing the top of his head.

He held on her tighter and whimpered when she moved her face from his head. "Don't go please".

- "Don't let me alone, please," he kept begging, anxiety coming back to seize him. "Please, Mina, stay with me". His eyes grew wider with fear. "Don't leave me". He could see phantoms of death and ruin in every corner of the room, waiting for Mina to leave to be free to torture and haunt him. "I need you!"

Mina didn't know what to say to ease his fear. All she could do was get closer to him, resting her chin on his head and wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders to make him feel she was here for him. He held even tighter on her arms, sobbing silently "I need you" and burying his head in her shoulder.

- "Don't leave me." He whined. "Please, stay by my side. I need you." He started to look agitated, and his breathing accelerated. His pupils were dilated due to the sedative and painkillers.

- "Shhhh Damian. I'm here. I won't leave. You need to get some sleep, it's my turn to protect you." She said with the softest voice she was capable of. "I promise I will be here when you wake up."

- "I can't sleep! Please! I need you! Don't let me alone! I love you!"

She came closer to him and held his face against her chest while cradling him and stroking his hair. She put her chin on the top of his head, quickly thinking about a soft song that could soothe him and help him fall asleep, Sonata Arctica's The Misery was the first one that came to her mind.

- "I write the lines you want me to, With the words I dare to use of all, The ones that you have taught me…" She kept singing with the softest voice she could use. Damian seemed to start to calm down and closed his eyes. She finally felt his breathing get more regular and his head dropping against her as she sang the chorus "If you fall I'll catch, If you love I'll love, And so it goes my dear, Don't be scared you'll be safe…"

She sighed in relief as she finished her song, Damian was asleep. Several minutes passed before the Judgment Day entered the hospital room with her coat and purse and Damian's bag.

- "How is he?" Rhea asked.

- "Shhh, he finally fell asleep. Nothing is broken, I'm waiting for the results." Mina answered in a whisper. "They had to give him sedatives, he was delusional with panic."

- "Yeah, he lost somebody dear to him and since then he is terribly scared of hospitals" Finn said while putting her coat on her shoulders to give her warmth.

The doctor came in the room with a faint knock on the door.

- "The results are here. The good news is that it's just a smashed nerve, nothing serious. He will need a couple weeks resting before he can come back to training. A smashed nerve is extremely painful especially in the back, but he just needs time and some painkillers, and he will be back to normal."

- "Thanks Doc" Rhea answered visibly relieved.

- "You can go back home now" Dominik started. "We will take care of him".

- "I'll stay" Mina replied. "I promised him I will be here when he wakes up."

Damian slowly opened his eyes and tried to move but a shock of pain changed his mind. He looked around him, an empty drip was connected to his hand, he was wearing one of these awful hospital blouses, and something warm was on his other hand. He immediately recognized Mina's untamed mane. She was sitting on a chair with her head resting on his bed, her hand squeezing his. "She stayed" he thought with emotion. He pushed away a piece of her hair to see she was deep asleep. Around her laid her sketchbook, pencils, and her phone. He took the sketchbook and opened it, on most pages were designed several clothes, a magnificent black dress, cloaks, their jackets. He flipped the pages to find out various wrestling garments, he recognized the ones made for the Judgment Day and for Seth. He flipped more pages to find portraits and clothes he had never seen before, ideas probably, and then a page with a portrait, his portrait, visibly drawn when he was sleeping. He couldn't help but chuckle, which lead to Mina faintly moaning.

- "You're awake" she said while moving her hair out of her face.

- "You stayed" he answered softly.

- "Of course!" she said with a smile. "And we are leaving today." She carefully wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him. That's how memories from the past night came back to him, especially the words he had said. "Stupid, imbecile dumbass!"

- "The others will be back soon to bring you back home." She said while letting go of him.

- "Hm, about this night… You know… I said stuff that…"

- "Don't worry about it" she cut him. "You were delusional, I know you didn't mean it. It's already forgotten." She said with a bright smile.

He didn't answer. It was better this way. He wouldn't have to explain himself, talking about his feelings, or tell her it might be true. He wasn't sure of it. His mind seemed chained to her, she made him feel so many things with just a word, but at the same time he felt so peaceful when she was by his side, he was craving this peace, but still refusing to allow himself to taste it. "But what if…" What if she just said that it was forgotten to ease his anxiety? What if she hated him because of it? What if the feeling was mutual?

He kept fighting with himself in his mind when his friends came to pick them up. Mina headed to the arena to take her car to go back to her apartment, Rhea, Dom and JD went back to the hotel and Finn was currently driving him back to his house. He was not the best driver ever but at least the trip was not as chaotic as if Rhea had driven. He knew Finn like the back of his hand, he knew he could trust him, so he decided to open up.

- "Man, I messed up" he started.

- "Don't worry lad, the doc said that you should be back on track in a couple weeks. We won't have to drop the belts."

- "I messed up with Mina" he confessed

- "How the Hell could you mess up with her?" Finn asked.

- "I told her I needed her… and that I loved her" Damian answered with a voice full of remorse and shame. "I couldn't control what I said."

- "Do you really?" Finn asked.

- "No… Well… I don't know… I can't" He tried to explain but was unable to find his words. He desired her, that he was sure. But loving her? He didn't have the right.

- "Come on lad! You can't spend the rest of your life self-flagellating yourself and running away from any kind of relationship. You did a mistake; you paid the price. Now it's time to move on. How did she react?"

- "She… told me that I was being delusional and that it was forgotten so I didn't have to worry" he answered bluntly.

- "Damn! Man, she insisted to stay with you, I don't think she forgot…"

Finn stopped the car in Damian's driveway. He helped his friend to get out of the car, almost having to carry him to his couch. Damian was looking so miserable, walking like a grandfather, struggling to keep his back straight and hissing to each movement he made.

- "Man, you should clear your mind about her before somebody else find a way through her heart. You're my friend and I hate seeing you like that. She is not Frederica." Finn started.

- "I know… but I'm still me. I want to protect her from anything that could hurt her, including me."

- "So, you do have feelings, lad. Gotta go, call if you need anything, Grandpa!" Finn laughed before leaving the house.

Mina was at her workshop, working on outfits, repairing garments, watching the matches on the screen, as she always does. But tonight was different, the locker room was not the same without Damian being around with his angry face. She couldn't help but think about this night, how he begged her to stay, how he was crying from fear, how she comforted him and, most of all, the words he said to her. Despite knowing the condition he was in; she was still shocked. These words she didn't expect to hear anymore were printed in her mind. JD entering the workshop pulled her back to earth. He gave her his leather jacket that had been slightly damaged during a match.

- "Sorry to give you more work Sweety" he said with a smile.

- "At least this time it's not you brief" Mina laughed.

- "What about we go out someday, just you and me?" JD asked with sparkling eyes and a soft smile.

- "Are you asking me out on a date?" She asked.

- "It can be if you want it to be" he teasingly said. "You don't have to answer tonight though" he said while heading to the door.

Mina was driving her old chevette to Damian's place. The show was over and the next day they would leave Florida. He still needed time to recover from his injury and she didn't know when he would join them on the road, so tonight she decided to pay him a visit. She had spent a part of her morning in her kitchen, baking various sorts of cookies and pastries to bring him. The hardest part was to protect his cut of the biscuits from the other members of the Judgment Day who voraciously devoured everything that was on the plate. She parked her car in his driveway and knocked at the door. She heard groans and complaints and the door finally opened on a half-folded Damian, unable to stand straight.

- "I came to say goodbye before we leave Florida." She started. Carefully hugging him. "I also brought you something to cheer you up a bit". She said while giving him the covered plate containing the biscuits.

His eyes sparkled when he discovered all the variety of cookies and pastries she had made. "You are the best!"

- "Thank you very much" he said. "I'll try not to eat them all at once". "Come on man! Can't you look a bit happier!"

He hugged her tight, he was going to miss her and her sweet attentions. When she went back to her apartment, he took a closer look at the plate. Under the cookies was a napkin, under the napkin was a paper "Get better and come back soon. I'm going to miss you a lot. Mina.

He chuckled as he took a cookie, these weeks would allow him to think and figure out what he wanted to do and what he wanted to allow himself to feel. Sighing in confusion, he took a bite of his cookie.

"Delicious"