Chapter Seventy-Six

It was a little after 1am, Matt was standing by the window staring out at the parking lot and looking up to the moon praying Angela was going to be okay. His father was on his way and Colleen was flying out also to come be with Angela.

Mostly everyone had fallen asleep and the emergency room had stayed quiet since around 11pm when a man got rushed in with a piece of glass in his hand, but other then that it was quiet. Eerie kind of quiet.

Matt sighed, hearing Lita’s voice. Matt turned to stare at her as she spoke softly, "Matt what do you think is taking so long?" Lita asked stretching as she rose to her feet and came to hug him.

Matt hugged her gently frowning, "I don’t know, I wish I did.... I want her to be okay more then anything in the whole world!" Matt whispered feeling another silent tear fall from his face and roll down his cheek.

"Me too." Lita whispered hugging him again tightly feeling just as much pain as he was. "I’m gonna go get some more coffee.... do you want anything?" Lita asked softly looking up at Matt.

Matt sighed, "Nah. I’m okay I still have some." Matt said pointing to the table by the wall where empty cups of coffee and juice were. His glass was the only one that stood full of cold coffee.

"Matt its probably cold." Lita said softly grinning finally, "I’ll get you a fresh cup. I’ll be right back." Lita said softly grinning as she turned away from him and disappeared into the hallway.

Matt sighed rubbing his forehead as he walked slowly across the room over to the nurses station, where Judy looked up at him. She smiled and without Matt saying anything she shook her head. Matt sighed, "Nothing?" Matt asked worried.

Judy sighed, "She’s still in the operating room." Judy said softly touching Matt’s hand. "Can I get you anything, do you want anything?" Judy asked feeling more and more sorry for him.

Matt sighed, "No.... just tell me as soon as you hear anything." Matt said softly frowning. Judy shook her head smiling a bit as Matt turned away and went back to the window.

***

About 25 minutes later, Matt sat awake silently sitting next to Lita. He had closed his eye’s and he was so tired, but he refused to sleep, not until he knew Angela was okay.

Matt opened his eye’s wide when he heard his name. It was Judy she was rushing around the nurses station and over to him. Matt jumped to his feet and stared at her. Everyone had awoken and they were all sitting up anxious to hear what was happening.

"Judy is Angela okay? How is she?" Matt asked staring at her.

She smiled, "She’s in the recovery room, there monitoring her condition for the next hour, then there going to move her into the intensive care unit.... she’s in serious critical condition, she’s still low on blood and she’s got a broken rib and a sprained ankle and a lot of black & blue’s but she’s stable.... it’ll be a while but I think she’s going to be okay." Judy said as Matt felt his heart race, Angela was alive... he’d kill whoever it was that hurt her... so help him God he’d kill him! Matt sighed feeling a bit more relived hearing that from Judy.

"Thank you God!" Matt whispered aloud, as he heard everyone mumbling excitedly more happily, now that they knew that for the time being Angela was okay. "What did they do in surgery?" Matt asked staring at Judy.

Judy sighed, "The doctor will be able to give you all that information." Judy said smiling at Matt who touched her hand and smiled at her feeling better now that he’d heard the news from her.

"Okay." Matt said softly as Jeff squeezed his shoulder.

Judy smiled, "When they move her up into the intensive care unit I’ll bring you up there to a private waiting room and you all can wait there until the doctor comes to bring you further word. The doctors usually after surgery check on the patient when they get into there room, and then an hour later and then again around 6am depending on there condition... then they usually come to speak to the families or whoever is there to be with them. Do any of you have any questions?" Judy asked looking around at all of them.

Matt sighed, "I don’t think so, not right now... thank you Judy.... thank you so much!" Matt said hugging her and Judy smiled feeling sorry and happy for him at the same time, he was a nice guy and he’d had a pretty rough night... it was nice to give him semi good news.

"If there’s any questions I’ll be behind the desk." Judy said smiling at everyone and she turned to leave as everyone mumbled thank yours softly.

Matt sighed as Lita giggled hugging him. Matt hugged her happy to have some clue on Angela’s condition. "I feel like she’s gonna be okay!" Lita whispered hugging Matt tightly crying now because she was glad so far that Angela was okay.

***

It was almost 2:45am when Judy escorted them up to the fourth floor and into a private waiting room. Matt thanked Judy again and she made him promise that he’d come see her before ever leaving to let her know how things were going. Matt assured her he would and she left saying good bye to everyone. Matt sat down in the chair closest to the door and sighed rubbing his head.

Everyone scattered throughout the room and after a few minutes everyone had dozed off. Matt sighed again looking down at his hand, to the ring Angela had given him for Christmas.

He closed his eye’s thinking about the night before, about how good it had felt to hold Angela, to kiss her, to touch her the way he had. She was okay so far, there was hope still... he could only pray that everything was going to be okay, that he still have a chance to be with her for always!

He yawned as Lita who was sitting next to him leaned over and snuggled against him, hugging him gently. Matt grinned smoothing her hair and glancing over to Jeff who smiled and set his head back taking her hand and closing his eye’s. Matt sat silently his mind wandering, he wouldn’t allow himself to fall asleep and he had a sinking feeling this night was going to go by very slowly and all he wanted was to see Angela... to know for himself that she was all right.

***

Matt was sitting silently, Lita was still snuggled against him, it was a little after 3:30am when Matt felt Lita stir and move against him. He sighed glancing down at her as she sat up and yawned.

"Hey." She whispered looking up at him.

Matt grinned, "Hi." Matt said softly sighing.

"Anything?" Lita asked watching Matt.

"No... it’s been quiet. I hope she’s doing okay." Matt said softly.

Lita sighed, "Maybe we should talk.... there’s just some stuff you should know.... things Angela never told you about Matt." Lita said softly as Matt stared at her.

Matt shrugged, "I was hoping she’d get to tell me." Matt said softly as Lita frowned.

"I know but if she feels better, it might hurt to tell you some of the things that happened to her before this." Lita said softly as Matt frowned staring at her.

"I do want to know." Matt whispered trying to decide whether Lita should tell him or if he should wait to see if Angela ever would. He sighed weighing the choices carefully. He didn’t want to cause Angela any additional pain later on, maybe it was better if Lita told him herself. Matt took a breath rubbing his head. "What happened to her?" Matt asked as Lita sighed frowning as she looked up at Matt and prepared herself to tell Matt everything she knew.

Lita sighed, "It’s a long painful story." Lita said softly as Matt watched her.

Matt swallowed and took a breath, "I’m ready." Matt said staring at Lita.

"Okay...." Lita paused, "Well..." Lita sighed, "Okay well Angela’s not really from New York, she was born in New Jersey....." Lita paused as Matt raised his eyebrows and listened carefully, "Any ways Angela was always really close to both her parents. When she was 11 her father died, and she was left with just her mother. They both loved him very much and they both took his loss very hard. Her mother meet a guy and they dated for awhile and eventually they got married, Angela was 13. His name was Jack. Everything was okay for a while.... he treated them both good and he seemed like a really nice guy.... Angela and her mom were happy again for a while." Lita paused taking a deep breath.

"After a couple of weeks things changed... he started yelling, and drinking a lot and it wasn’t long before he started beating them both up. He abused both of them a lot. Her mother always took it, like she believed she didn’t deserve better or something... she’d always claim she loved him, but Angela didn’t believe she truly did. When Angela was 15, after two years of abuse she told her mother that she wanted to leave... to go live with an aunt.... Aunt Jenny."

Lita said pausing again, "Angela announced her plans to both her mother and Jack at dinner one night... he seemed okay with it... all she told him was she moving to stay with an aunt that’s all. The next night she got home from a party and the house appeared to be empty like no one was home, so she went upstairs and got to her room and opened the door to find Jack sitting in front of her window. She asked where her mother was and Jack just laughed, he was drunk, then he pointed to the wall next to the door behind her and...... Matt her mother was slumped in the corner, beer bottles all over the floor, she was covered in beer and blood and tiny pieces of shattered glass lay around her... she was unconscious. Angela was scarred and she didn’t know what to do. Jack called her every possible name and started to beat her telling her she couldn’t leave. Angela finally collapsed onto her bed and Jack told her she couldn’t leave because... because he needed her....and then Matt, then he... he raped her!" Lita whispered as she cried softly staring at him.

Matt sighed heavily.... and then he wiped a tear away from his face and watched Lita. If he ever got his hands on the bastard he swore he’d kill him with his bare hands. Matt closed his eye’s and wiped his eye’s on his sleeve and looked up again at Lita as she spoke.

"Angela left that morning after Jack had passed out and she didn’t wait for her mother to wake up... she never told her.... she just ran... she ran away. She kept in touch with her aunt but.... she never saw her mother again." Lita whispered as Matt wiped his face with his hand and sighed.

"As she ran she’d do anything she had to do to get money to live, to survive. She got to Washington DC and she got a job as a waitress working in this dinner. She meet this guy... Ray, he seemed like the most wonderful person at the time, and after everything she’d been through he seemed like a prince... you know. He treated her good, and seemed to care about her. She finally told him about what Jack had done to her. She was around 17, and all the while she had been keeping in touch with her aunt. So one night she called her aunt and Jenny told her that her mother... she’d drunk to much... and well that she had died... Angela never got to see her mother again or to tell her she loved her or anything. Jack had taken everything. She went back home only once... for the funeral. She ignored Jack, staying as far away from him as she could. When it came time to read her mothers will... everything had been left to Jack and Angela was convinced he’d forced her mother to leave him everything. She was also suspicious that Jack had, had her father killed. Her mother had managed to leave her something though. Her mother left her, her favorite necklace, her cross.... Angela never takes it off. She was afraid she might lose it and she felt better when she had it on so she got it tattooed to her arm so she’d never be with out it. It’s the only thing she has of her mother." Lita said softly as Matt sighed wiping his face.

"Any ways Angela eventually moved in with Ray, it didn’t take long before Ray started abusing her, drinking, and calling her names and beating her senseless more times then Angela can remember. He’d beat her for no reason and she told me some nights it would get to the point where she’d be afraid to breath because she was afraid she’d anger Ray and he beat her again or he’d do worse, he’d kill her. She was so afraid of him, but she was afraid if she tried to leave him he’d come after her so she stayed, she took it..... she didn’t think she deserved any better just like her mother. She got home late from work one night and Ray thought she was cheating on him so he started hitting her and then he pushed her down the basement stairs and...... well he hit her over the head with a bat and took off all her clothes, then he just did whatever he wanted to her. She woke up in the hospital with him at her side. After she was released from the hospital, she wanted nothing to do with him, but he was like obsessed, she was trying to move on and she left Washington and moved west again, she got home a few months later and found Ray inside her living room, she was afraid he was going to kill her so she called the police and he went to jail for harassment and threatening to kill her." Lita took a breath and sighed continuing.

"Angela decided it was time to run again so she just kept on running. She stopped in Malibu and decided she was safe enough. She considers it home, because its miles away from the past and the pain and from Jack and from Ray! She deiced after she got away that she should learn to defend herself... if Ray was to ever come back, so she started learning how to wrestle, she got really good, and it put money in her pocket and food in her stomach so she went with it.... and then WWE gave her a contract and well she meet all of us.... she met you. Matt Angela’s been running for so long, trying to get away... that when she met you and realized she had feelings for you she was so scarred because she’d been running for so long and suddenly after meeting you she no longer wanted to run anymore. She tried so hard not to fall for you, but she has... she loves you more then anything, your sort of like all she has..... she needs you so much... she really loves you...." Lita whispered as Matt hugged her crying softly.

Matt knew now.... everything somehow made more sense. Bits and pieces of things Angela mentioned to him fell into place... he felt sorry for her... he loved her, he wanted now more then ever to make her happy... to kept her happy and to have her with him, by his side for always.

Lita sighed moving back a bit to see Matt’s face, "Remember the game of pool you had against her at the Underground?" Lita asked smiling suddenly as she stared at Matt.

Matt shook his head running his fingers throughout his hair, then he slowly smiled remembering how great that night was, "Yeah I remember... I kissed Angela for the first time that night." Matt whispered staring at Lita who grinned.

Lita giggled, "While Angela was running away she learned how to play pool and got pretty good, she’d enter contests for money and she won a lot of them so she was convinced she could beat you. She told me a while ago that she let you win...." Lita whispered as for the first time in hours Matt finally laughed, "Angela wanted to know what you would say you wanted so she let you win hoping you’d want the same thing she did, that’s why when you said you wanted to dance with her she seemed disappointed, but then you kissed her any ways." Lita said smiling as Matt stared at her, he wiped his eye’s and frowned.

"I could have lost her tonight." Matt whispered staring at Lita, reality suddenly hitting him for the first time. "I don’t know what I’d do without her.... I can’t lose her! I love her. I love her so much!" Matt whispered as Lita touched his cheek and sighed.

"I know you do. Matt do you remember the other day when Angela seemed like she was acting funny?" Lita asked as Matt stared curiously at her.

"Yeah." Matt said staring at her.

Lita sighed, "After rehearsal yesterday I went to her locker room... she was crying and upset and shaking, Ray had called her... he’d threatened her saying something about how it wouldn’t be long.... she was so scarred... Ray’s friends with Jack, he told her that... I think it was both of them... they did this to her I think, I feel it!" Lita paused whispering as Matt sighed.

"I’ll kill them both!" Matt whispered shaking.

Lita sighed staring at Matt, "I promised her everything was going to be okay... that nothing was going to happen to her, and I convinced her to calm down and then I drove her back to the hotel so she could enjoy her night with you... so your anniversary wouldn’t be ruined." Lita whispered as more tears feel from her eye’s. "Then when you told me to go check on her and I saw the blood and I saw how she looked, it became real you know...... I lied to her... I told her nothing would happen to her.... I promised....I tried to protect her.... I really did, I did what I thought was right, what I thought was best... she should have gone to the police or something right when Ray called her... maybe this wouldn’t have happened! How can I forgive myself... Matt I lied to her...... I told her she’d be okay... I’m supposed to be her friend! I didn’t help her, I didn’t help you......." Lita whispered as Matt hugged Lita tightly.

Everything made sense, so much sense...... he sat hugging Lita crying silently with her. Matt didn’t know what to do or what to say or how to feel anymore.... he just didn’t know any longer.... it was such a long night... when would it end? When would the doctor come and tell him he could see Angela....? He wanted nothing more then to see her, to talk to her... he wanted her to be okay, to be with him and he wouldn’t be happy until she was... until they could live happily ever after...together!