Sempiternal

When Dean got back to the hotel room, Lucy was in the shower. He had gone out with his wrestling buddies and had a beer or two. He cleared his head, and asked for advice on what he needed to do. The simple answer was: tell her the truth.

The truth was that he felt something for her that he had never felt for anyone else. Was it love? He didn't know, because he had never been in love. He did know that this feeling ran deeper than anything he had ever known. She had planted herself in him, her roots tightly wrapped around his bones. He knew he didn't want her to be with anyone else. He knew he didn't want to be with anyone else. He knew he only wanted her.

He felt the same way she did. She appeared in his life, and she took him by storm; out of nowhere, when he wasn't expecting it. She consumed him. She was the first person he thought of when he woke up, before he went to sleep. She was the only thing on his mind most days; constantly worrying if what he was doing was good enough for her.

He wanted to be there for her, always around her, making sure she was safe.

He wanted to make her better. Just like she made him better.

It was almost two in the morning.

Dean jiggled the door handle to the bathroom, it was locked.

"Luce, are you okay?" He asked, she didn't answer.

He sighed and turned around, laying back on the bed. He flipped through his phone, looking at all the pictures she had taken of them, and the one he took of her while she was sleeping. He smiled to himself.

Maybe this was love.

Another thirty minutes went by and Dean jiggled the door handle one more time. Still locked. "Come on, Luce. Open up. Talk to me."

A few moments later there was a knock on the door to the room. It was Roman.

"What's going on, man?" He asked.

"I don't know, I came back an hour ago and she's been in there ever since."

Roman's eyes widened. "She's been in there before that. She told me she was taking a shower two hours ago."

"Where'd she go after the show?" Dean asked, knocking loudly on the door now. "Come on, Luce. This isn't funny."

"She said she was going to take a walk downtown." Roman replied.

"Fuck."

Dean rammed his body into the door with as much force as he had. His mind was going a mile a minute, his worst fear was what would be waiting for him on the other side.

When the door finally came free, Dean stood there frozen. "No." He barely whispered. "No, no Luce."

He collapsed at her side, desperately trying to find a pulse, a breath, something.

"Roman, call an ambulance." He choked out, trying to swallow the gigantic lump in his throat. "She's not breathing." His best friend was already on the phone. "Roman, she's not breathing!"

Dean was frantic, his voice cracking with emotion with each word that he said.

"Lucy, please wake up. Please wake up!" He cried. He was still searching for a pulse that he couldn't find.

"We need to get her downstairs." Roman said. "Bring that." He said, pointing to the needle.

Dean scooped up the tiny girl in his arms. "I got you, okay. Just please if you can hear me, please wake up."

They met the paramedics in the hotel lobby. They pulled her from his arms and laid her down on the stretcher. Dean couldn't believe what was happening.

"What happened to her?" One of them asked.

"I-I think she overdosed." Dean replied.

"Do you know what she took?" Another one asked. "We need to know so we can help her."

"She's had a heroine addiction in the past." Roman answered for Dean who was speechless. "She had this in her arm when we found her." He handed the paramedic the needle.

"Do you know how much she injected?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"Alright let's get her to the E.R." They loaded her into the ambulance, and immediately began CPR as they sped off.

"I need to be with her." Dean said.

"Dean, brother, you need to calm down. They are going to do everything they can for her, you know that. You need to take a breath. I'll drive to the hospital okay, just breathe, man."



They waited. It seemed like hours that they just waited. The waiting area was cold, and there were goosebumps on Dean's skin, but he didn't feel anything. He paced back and forth, taking long strides across the entire lobby. Roman had asked him a dozen times to sit down, but he didn't even hear him. All he could hear was the sound of a heart monitor flat-lining in the back of his mind. He was terrified.

"Dean." Roman said softly. "Please, man."

"She could die, Roman. She could fucking die back there, alright? I'm sitting out here unable to do anything about it."

"Dean, you can't do anything about it. You just have to let them hel-"

"WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE IS LUCY MOORE?!"

Dean knew that voice. His entire body heated up, his blood boiled beneath his skin.

"Sir, please calm down. She's is in the O.R."

Roman sighed. "Roman, what is he doing here?" Dean asked.

"I called him."

"You called him?!"

"He needed to know, Dean."

Seconds later Seth came around the corner, headed straight for Dean. "What the hell did you do to her, huh?" He asked through gritted teeth, shoving Dean backwards.

Roman immediately jumped up out of his seat, placing himself between his former partners, and protecting his best friend. "Nuh uh, Seth. You know damn well this is your fault."

"How is this my fault? All that I ever did for her was try and keep her from scum like you." He replied, jutting a finger at Dean.

"Oh so you forgot that little conversation earlier? How convenient."

"What are you talking about, Ro?" Dean asked with confusion.

"You want me to tell him, Seth?" Roman asked.

Seth just ran his hands through his hair and turned his back on his former friends.

"Tell me what, Roman?!"

"Earlier tonight, after Money In The Bank, I was headed to the SUV and I saw Seth- I saw Seth and Lucy together." He wasn't sure how to phrase the next part. Dean prodded him to continue. "They were- well, they were kissing, and I didn't know what to do, man I was kind of frozen there for a minute."

Dean cursed, his heart felt like it had shattered in a million pieces. "What the fuck, man?!" He yelled at Seth.

"She slapped him off, man. Lucy didn't want that." Seth scoffed, knowing the truth. "She said she was with you, and Seth- doing what Seth always does- got jealous." Roman continued. Seth avoided Dean's stare.

"What the fuck did you say to her, huh?" Dean grabbed Seth by his shirt collar.

"I told her the fucking truth!" Seth yelled, shoving Dean off. "I told her what you two were too scared to tell her yourselves; that you don't really want her here. From the moment she fucking got here, you were a dick. And Roman you're just too nice. You don't fucking want her, Ambrose. You don't want anyone except to fuck them. I know you better than anyone. I know how you are with women. You use them, because you're fucking 'Dean Ambrose', you can do whatever you want. And you're going to tell me that Lucy was any different? Please. She was just an easy fuck because she was there and you didn't even have to try. I knew this was going to happen, that's why I got the hell out of dodge while I could. I didn't want to fucking sit around and watch you bring her down just like you do everyone. You're a fucking poison, Dean. And she would've been better off without you."

"Oh, and she'd be better off with you, right?" Dean asked, fist balled, nails digging into his palms.

Roman stood in between the two again.

"At least she wouldn't be here."

"You fucking put her in here, dick! How many times did you leave her, huh? And you didn't stab us all in the back because you 'didn't want to watch me bring her down', you fucking left because you're a pussy and couldn't man up and tell her how you really felt. You left because you saw an opportunity and took it. You threw us all under the bus for what? That fucking briefcase? Well I hope it was all you hoped for, Seth, because I swear if she doesn't turn out to be okay, I will fucking haunt you for the rest of your pathetic fucking life."

Dean turned around, seemingly fine, dropping the subject for a moment as he had said what he needed to say. Roman asked him if he was fine, and he said yes. But as soon as the Samoan sat back down, Dean closed the space between his former 'brother', and collided his fist with his jaw.

"You better pray that she's okay."

The three men sat in the waiting room. They sat in silence with nothing but the background noises of the hospital around them. Each of them too big for their tiny, plastic chairs. Each of them uncomfortable. Yet, they sat, and they waited.

The doctor came through the doors, he stopped in front of the three of them. Dean immediately stood up. "Dean Ambrose?"

"Yeah, that's me." He replied, his voice low, afraid of what the man would say next.

"Sir, uh- we understand that Lucy is a recovering addict, correct?" Dean nodded. "Do you know how long she struggled for?"

Dean opened his mouth to answer, but Seth beat him to it. "Close to four years."

"Thank you." The doctor said to Seth. He looked back to Dean. "It's common that when someone has built up a tolerance, and then is clean for a bit, to overdose if they relapse. They believe their body can handle the amount of drugs that they were used to, but it can't. Ms. Moore had a very high amount of heroine in her system. We flushed a lot of it out, but she is still unresponsive."

"She's okay?" Dean asked, not comprehending what the older man was saying. "Can I see her?"

"Sir, she's in a coma, and- and she might not wake up."

Dean sat back in his chair, holding his head in his hands. Roman reached a hand over to him, rubbing his back. "Can I see her?" He asked again, this time choking back tears.

"You all may see her, but please, no arguing. Her body may be unresponsive, but she may be able to hear you."

The doctor walked off,

"Give me a few minutes with her." Dean said to Roman, his head still in his hands. The bases of his palms digging into his eyes to keep from crying.

"Yeah man, take all the time you need."

Dean stood up, following the direction the doctor went. He led him to her room where she lay motionless, wrapped in a white cotton blanket. That was it. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Seeing her there, it was like he was standing on a board in the middle of the ocean, and the board just broke, and he was drowning. The doctor let him know that if there was anything he needed, he would be right down the hall.

"Oh my God, Luce." He cried softly as he pulled a chair up to her bed. "What have you done?"

He reached out for her hand and took it in his own. It was frozen, like porcelain. Her skin felt like at any moment it could shatter into pieces. Pale, and cold, and fragile.

"Please come back to me, Lucy." He held her hand to his forehead. "You said you wouldn't leave me. You said you wouldn't go. Please, Luce. I can't lose you. You have to come back."

"I love you." He whispered so quietly that even he could barely hear it. "I love you so much."

There was a knock at the door and a second later, Roman stuck his head in.

"Hey, man."

Dean quickly wiped away his tears.

"Hey."

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't want to have to tell you about Seth. I- I had told her to, but... She loves you, man. I just think she got lost for a second, you know? So many things happened at once and it was just too much." Roman said, comforting his best friend.

"I love her, Rome. She's not just another girl. She means everything to me."

"I know that."

"Yeah, but she doesn't. I never got the chance to tell her. I just- I needed time to think things over. Figure out what I wanted, and what I was feeling. You know? I should've been there for her. Maybe she wouldn't be here if I had been there."

"You can't blame yourself for this, man." Roman said, squeezing his friend's shoulder reassuringly.

Dean saw Seth enter the room and sighed loudly.

"Give him a minute." The Samoan said. "Come on, there's a vending machine down the hall."

"You have five minutes." Dean said through gritted teeth.

The two men left Seth alone with Lucy. He watched her with trembling lips, not sure where to start. His time was ticking down, the large clock on the wall ticked loudly as a reminder. This was on him. He knew that. Deep down past all of the kayfabe, the heel facade that he kept up so well, he knew with all of his heart that this was his fault.

"Lucy." He whimpered. "It's Seth."

A tear fell to his cheek.

"The doctor said you might be able to hear me. I'm so sorry. I know it means nothing now, but I'm so sorry. Everything I said, I didn't mean it, Lucy. I didn't mean any of it. I love you so much. I have always loved you. I should've told you ten years ago when I spilled that drink on your brand new dress, because that was- that was when I knew. But I was too selfish, and I left you, and I shouldn't have. I should've stayed with you. Seeing you happy with someone that wasn't me just- it just made me so mad. I felt like you didn't need me anymore, and I- I just made a stupid decision. Please, Lucy." His hands were shaking as he held her hand in his. "Please don't go."

Dean came back in with a cup of coffee and pack of cookies. He tossed them at Seth; Grandma's butter cream, his favorite.

"Thanks." He younger man said. He wiped the tears from his eyes, not wanting Dean to see him like this. "Dean, I'm-"

"Don't." He said, holding a hand up. "Don't apologize. There is nothing you can do to make this any better." Dean was tried. He didn't want to argue. "I hate you with every fiber of my being right now, and there is nothing that you can do that is going to change that. But it doesn't change the fact that for two years I called you my brother, and it doesn't change that fact that no matter what, I'm always going to have your back. But we all know that what you did was wrong. And fighting with you isn't going to make her any better. So how about we just drop it and wait for her to wake up?"

Seth took it, not wanting to further upset Dean anymore. He had already caused enough trouble in the man's life.

Every hour a nurse would come in, check Lucy's chart, check her IV fluids, and then leave with a heavy sigh. All three men were huddled in her tiny hospital room. Dean had fallen asleep with his head resting on the bed next to her, Seth was sprawled out in a chair on the opposite side, and Roman had drifted off in the tiniest plastic chair that looked like it might break if he moved an inch.

At 8:02, almost four hours after they were permitted to see her, Dean was awoken by a slight shift in movement. Something was squeezing his hand.

He looked up, sleep still crusting his eyes, and saw that Lucy's eyes were slightly open. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Luce?" He asked softly. She glanced at him, the faintest smile tugged at her pale lips.

"Hey."

The faint sound of her voice was immediately cut short by a distinct, terrifying sound; one that would live with Dean for the rest of his life.

Flat-line.