Better With Time

“So, my name is Keri?” Keri asked, looking around at everyone.

“Your full name is Kierra Elizabeth Levesque. You’ve gone by Keri since you were little.” Patricia explained to her.

“Why?” Keri asked, obviously confused.

“I, don’t know,” Patty replied, looking toward her husband. “Just one of those names that stuck.”

“This is your mother, her name is Patricia Levesque. I’m Paul Levesque, I’m your father.” The older man told her, resting his hand on his wife’s shoulder.

“You’re my sister-in-law,” Keri pointed to Stephanie, remembering it from not even a ten minutes ago.

“Stephanie Levesque. My name before I married your brother though was McMahon.”

“So, are you my birth sister?” Keri asked Lynn, realizing that Lynn looked a lot like Patricia.

“I’m Lynn,” she said with a nod. “That big hunk of male over there is our older brother Paul. He’s Stephanie’s husband also. You’ll soon learn he goes by an alter ego though because of his career.”

“Alter ego?” Keri asked, looking toward the bulky male.

“That’s enough for now,” he said, placing his hand on Keri’s shoulder while shooting a glare toward Lynn. “I’m going to go find your doctor.” Paul walked out into the hallway, leaning against the wall as he took in a deep breath. He told the nurse that Keri was awake, and the woman promised to call the doctor in right away. Paul walked into the room again to find a fitful Vaughn in her car seat. Paul looked at Stephanie, who nodded and stood up, grabbing her purse and Murphy’s hand.

“Are you leaving?” Keri asked as Paul picked up what looked like a baby carrier.

“We’re taking the girls home,” Stephanie replied. She noticed Keri was staring at the carrier, confusion and another emotion in her eyes. Steph looked at Paul, who watched his sister as a tear formed in her eye. He looked over at Stephanie, and nodded, placing the carrier back down on the ground.

“Paul and I have three daughters,” Stephanie said with a sigh, walking back up to the bed. “They’re your nieces. Aurora Rose, Murphy Claire, and Vaughn Evelyn.”

“Which one is in there?” Keri asked, indicating the carrier.

“Vaughn, she’s seven months old.” Paul answered this time. “Y-” he stopped and cleared his throat, glancing at Stephanie. She smiled and reached out to grab Keri‘s hand.

“I’m glad you’re awake Ker,” Stephanie whispered in her ear. “We were so worried about you.”

“I’m sorry I can’t remember you,” Keri muttered, her gaze dropping to her hands. Stephanie sighed and lifted Keri’s chin, forcing her to look at everyone.

“Don’t be, it wasn’t your fault.” Stephanie smiled. “Just rest, do whatever the doctors tell you to help you get out of here sooner. You’ll be coming to stay with Paul and me when you get released.” Patricia opened her mouth to protest, but the look her son gave her stopped all words from escaping her mouth. Keri nodded and watched as they walked out of the room.

“We’ll go to so you can get some rest.” Patricia said, looking up at her husband and eldest daughter.

“Stay strong baby girl, we’ll get you through this,” Keri’s father told her, grabbing onto her hand. She smiled and let her head fall back against the pillows as she watched the people leave She fell back asleep in seconds.

In the hallway, Patricia found Paul and Stephanie waiting on them.

“You two can’t take her into your home. You’re both busy with working and taking care of your kids.”

“I’m off work for right now,” Paul reminded her. “I’m still recovering from the surgery. She’ll feel more comfortable in Connecticut, I know she will.”

“But New Hampshire is her home,” Patty insisted.

“It’s my home too Mom, but this is also my home because it’s where my wife and children are. It’s was a home to Keri because I’m here.”

“Paul Michael Levesque, stop arguing with your mother,” Stephanie snapped at him. “This really isn’t the time or the place to be arguing over where Keri’s going to be staying. Right now we need to worry about figuring out how to help her get her memory back. She knows who we are now, but she still doesn’t really know. Either place she goes she’s going to be uncomfortable, like she’s intruding on strangers instead of getting help from her own family.”

“She’s right,” Lynn spoke up. “We need to be here for Kierra together, not at each others throats all the time.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” a nurse said suddenly. “But two people are in your daughter’s hospital room right now. They claim to know her, but she’s swearing up and down she has no idea who they are.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Paul said, placing the baby carrier Vaughn was in on the floor beside Stephanie. He walked back to the room, and was surprised to see John and Randy standing beside the bed.

“Do I know them?” Keri asked automatically when she saw the bulky man, Paul, come back into the room.

“Guys, come here,” he said to the others instead. They followed him into the hallway and waited for him to explain.

“She’s got amnesia you two,” Paul finally said. John’s breath hitched in his lungs as Randy swore under his breath. “She doesn’t remember the accident, probably neither of you, hell she didn’t even remember me or herself.”

“So, she has no idea who anyone is?” John asked his eyes widening slightly.

“No one,” Paul confirmed. “Not even Aurora, Murphy, or Vaughn.”

“That’s bad, she loves those little girls more than anything. There‘s no way she would forget them easily.” Randy muttered, glancing up as Stephanie walked up to them.

“She’ll get better, it’ll just take some time.” She said, grabbing Paul’s hand. “Stay with them and introduce them to Keri again, Lynn will give me and the girls a ride back to the house.”

“She rode with my parents, there’s not enough room.” Paul reminded her.

“Let her take the car, we’ll give you a ride back to your place,” John said. Paul just shrugged and handed her the keys.

“Be safe,” he said, kissing her gently on the lips.

“Always,” she replied with a smile. Paul turned back to the other two.

“You ready?” he asked them. They both nodded, glancing at each other before following Paul back into the room.



Keri watched as Paul came back with the two men. Her eyes remained glued to the one with the less bulky of them all. He had his hair shaved, but there was still enough to know he had brown hair. His eyes was what entranced her the most. The blazing blue orbs seemed to see straight through her.

Randy couldn’t help but feel his heart wrench at the site of Keri in the bed. She looked so lost and confused, something he had never seen out of her. He was used to seeing her as this outgoing, loving woman who brought sunshine with her even in the darkest of places. The woman he seen in the bed wasn’t the Keri Levesque he knew

“Keri, this is John Cena,” Paul said at first. “And Randy Orton.”

“Nice to meet you again, I think,” Keri said to them. John felt the flutter in the pit of his stomach from her words. It sounded like his best female friend, but then again, it didn’t.

“Damn, she’s clueless,” John muttered to Paul.

“Keri, you, John, and Randy are all three good friends with each other,” Paul said. “We all worked together too.”

“Where?”

“We’ll explain that another time.” Paul said quickly, knowing he wouldn’t be able to explain it to her right now.

“H-how long have we known each other?” Keri asked, looking over at John and Randy.

“We met four years ago at work.” John said. “You and Randy met about a year later.”

“We met at a bar though. A bunch of people went out, John invited you, and we met that night.” Keri nodded and tried to shift herself around, but a pain from her leg and arm stopped her.

“Hey careful, you have a broken arm and leg,” Paul said. “Are you in pain?”

“A little,” Keri admitted. Paul pressed the button to call for a nurse, who bustled in a few minutes later.

“I think she needs some pain meds,” Paul informed the nurse.

“Okay, I’ll be right back with that,” the nurse said, walking out of the room again.

“How long am I stuck in here?” Keri asked, looking over at the three men in front of her.

“I don’t know sis,” Paul answered.

“I might not have a memory, but I could tell from earlier, Patricia didn’t really want you and Stephanie to take me to your house. Is it because of the kids?”



“Slightly,” Paul replied honestly. “Stephanie is busy with work right now, which she works for the same place we do. We have the three girls, but I’m home. I’m recovering from a surgery and staying with the girls. She’s worried about all of that. But if you don’t stay with me, then you’ll be traveling about three, four hours to get to New Hampshire.”

“Why there?”

“It’s where our..uh…it’s where Patricia, Paul and Lynn live.”

“Paul, if you feel comfortable calling them our parents, do it. Don’t make yourself uncomfortable for me.” Keri said as the nurse walked back in.

“I suggest you leave,” she said, pulling out a syringe and needle. “Once this enters her system, she’ll be gone to the world.”

“I’ll come visit you again in the morning sis,” Paul said.

“You won’t see me and Randy for a while though. We’ll call you though, to check up” John said.

“Wait, why won’t I see you?” Keri asked, alarmed.

“We’re leaving town tomorrow night. We’ve taken way too much time off as it is. Vince understand, but he wants us back.”

“Vince is our boss,” Paul explained.

“Okay,” Keri nodded. They were silent for a few minutes as the nurse used a syringe to fill the IV in Keri’s arm with the pain medicine. Keri felt the effects of the meds right away.

“I love you Keri, even if you don’t remember it,” Paul muttered, grabbing her good hand. Keri nodded, and her eyes drooped.

“See you later,” John said. Randy just nodded, leaving Keri slightly confused. He seemed distant while he was in the room. Were they really as good of friends as everyone seems to think they were? Keri felt a tear trail down her cheek. A tear that held so much frustration, anger, and sadness.