Who Do You Love - Dean Ambrose

Chapter 24:The Family That Kidnaps Together

Waking up again felt like swimming through molasses and emerging into a world that was made up of bits of fluff. Everything about me felt weird and woolly from my ears and my mouth to my fingers and my toes.

There were voice – low voices – talking somewhere in the background, like the adults from Peanuts, sort of wah-wah-wah and although I couldn't work out what they were saying I could tell that there were two of them and they were standing somewhere close.

"Mmmm."

I let out the noise involuntarily and rolled over onto my back from my side. I was lying on a bed tucked under the covers and it was big and wide and comfortable and soft.

"Lauren?"

"Sweetheart?"

The voices both reached out to me and I frowned, not wanting to open my eyes. Something about the sleepy darkness was comforting so I fought against the wakefulness even when the touches rained down. One brushed over my forehead gently, sweeping the errant hairs out of my face and the other pulled off something that had been covering my mouth up – a very noisy something that had been puffing out air.

"Hey, you've got to come back to us now kiddo. Come on Lauren, can you let me see those eyes?"

It was Hunter who was asking I realized belatedly and so I assumed it was him who had his hand on my head. My world was spinning and I was baffled and foggy but if my father was there things weren't as scary.

Right?

Slowly and reluctantly I fluttered my lashes, then grumbled a little at the strong beam of light. Ducking my head back into the pillow I mumbled a sentence out sluggishly,

"T' bright."

Luckily although it wasn't that coherent, somebody seemed to understand what I meant, because there was a sudden harsh clatter of drapes being swept shut and the accompanying pleasure of non-painful muted light.

"There, is that better?"

I blinked up at Stephanie, still frowning even as I nodded,

"Uh huh."

"Good, so how are you feeling honey?"

I nuzzled the bedclothes,

"Head h'rts, feel sick."

"It will do Lauren," Stephanie soothed caringly, "But don't worry, I promise it won't last long."

Blinking again made my vision much clearer and as I turned I realized that Hunter was at my side, perching like a parakeet on the edge of the mattress and still reassuringly stroking my hair.

"You were out for a long time kiddo, was starting to get kinda worried about you."

"Why?" I whispered, "Why was I out s' long?"

A look passed between them,

"Don't worry about that now."

Drawing a deep breath in and glancing around slightly allowed me to attempt figure out where we were. I was lying in a bed, so I assumed it was a hospital but I couldn't remember how or why I would be there. The room was simple and painted in neutral colors, with a dresser, a television and its own bathroom too. It certainly looked sort of boring and medical but what the hell had happened and –