Chapter 6: Two

(Kristina's P.O.V.)

The panel quickly ends and as soon as they head to the locker room, my phone buzzes with a text from Matt.

Matt: Did you watch/listen to it?

Me: Yeah. I tuned into most of it.

Matt: We need to talk. Where are you??

Me: Tampa Bay Sports Store. I needed to actually hear you lol.

He didn't reply, which scares the heck out of me. My fear is all of this is a dream and I'm just going to wake up sooner or later. I look around for him, and no one approaches me. I expect this to some degree because now people will recognize him and bug him as he slowly makes his way here.

Thankfully, he arrives a few minutes later than I thought he would. Matt ushers me into the store and I follow him through the store outside to Thunder Alley. We sit down on the stairs just outside of Amalie. The sun shines as bright as ever, and the heat continues to increase as he begins to speak, "So, uhhh....how'd you like it?"

"The panel?"

"Yeah."

"It was interesting to say the least. Good job though," I reply.

"I meant it all, everything I said about you," he sighs as his hazel blue eyes meet my eyes.

"Really?"

"Mmhm. I am sorry that I didn't ask you on a date first, but I kinda consider yesterday our first unofficial date."

I look at him, "I did as well."

"So, Kristina, will you go with me somewhere nice so we can have an official first date?"

I laugh and reply, "Of course. Just tell me where we are going to meet up and I'll see you there."

Matt tells me as fans start to recognize him, "I'll message you the details."

I nod as he turns on a brilliant smile as the fans ask for pictures, autographs, and other weird questions. One fan, who just wants a hockey boyfriend, drags me out of the pile without Matt even realizing what just went down.

Lesson number one: stairs hurt. Lesson number two: don't go to a hockey festival just to fall in love (or at least expecting to fall into said love). I tumble down to the next flat length in the staircase, and I land face first. I feel the blood rushing down my face and my arms. Matt starts to walk back into the arena, but not before he messages me.

Matt: Are you okay?

Me: No. I look like a freaking zombie!

An employee sees my broken state and rushes over to my aide, "Are you alright ma'am?"

I look up at her, "No."

She looks at me and waves two other employees over and signals for a first aid kit. As the two male employees come over with the kit, she asks, "What happened?"

I hesitate with my reply, "I was just sitting on the stairs talking to a friend of mine. We were planning dinner for later on today. All of the sudden, a bunch of fans swarmed me and one of the female fans thought my friend was a hockey player for the Crunch. She pulls me out which started my tumble down the stairs."

I feel the familiar sting of hydrogen peroxide on the cuts on my arms. The female employee reassures me, "You'll be alright. Did you come with anyone other than your friend?"

I nod and hand her my phone, which is not cracked. The case for it, however, slipped off during my fall and is nowhere to be found. She finds the chat for 'Team Fangirls' and sends a voice memo.

"Hello, my name is Tammy and I am a worker at Amalie. Your friend, Kristina, took a nasty tumble and does require some outside treatment. We are on the stairs leading to Thunder Alley," Tammy records and sends the message.

I start to close my eyes because of the blood dripping into them, "Only I can ruin a vacation like this."

Tammy looks at me, "It's not your fault at all. You are going to be okay. We'll take very good care of you. Also, Shannon and Evelyna are on their way."

The stinging sensation dulls on my arms as the two men start to treat the cuts on my face, "We need to check for a concussion!"

Tammy replies to them, "You're not going to get much. Too much stuff in her eyes made her close them already."

"Dean! Are you okay?"

Shannon and Evelyna rush over as Evelyna blurts out, "What happen to you? It looks like you just got out of a fight with Bobbina and Brit."

I laugh a little bit to try and fight off the pain as I reply, "Some fangirl yanked me out of a dogpile and I fell down the stairs."

The two male employees interrupt with, "Do you feel like you can walk to the backside of the arena?"

Tammy retorts back, "What part of she can't open her bloody eyes do you not understand??"

Shannon tells me, "We're here for you, Tina. Eves and I got your back."

I feel something buzz in her hand and she yells, "Oh, shut up 365!"

I whisper to her, "What's going on?"

"Apparently, you're now known as 'The Thunder Rolls' online. Bobby found the footage of your fall," she replies as I feel something somewhat softer than the ground underneath me.

Tears mix in with the blood as I reply, "Who....found and posted the video in the first place?"

I open my eyes long enough to see Shannon and Evelyna's faces, "We don't know."

The soft material starts to lift me up as I hear the whole group follow me towards the ambulance. The physical pain starts to numb, but my mental pain is only beginning. I only can imagine what they are saying about me. I feel a minor jolt as they load me into the ambulance, and Shannon, Evelyna, and Tammy follow me into it.

A small needle pricks my skin as I feel a porthole for an IV go into my skin. I close my eyes as I await my fate, and every once in awhile I hear Shannon say, "Adam hopes for a speedy recovery along with Berto, Fabs, Rob, and a couple of the newbies."

Evelyna chimes in, "I also have your phone, Tina. So, don't sweat about that, but I'm thinking you need a new case with a certain AHL team on there."

I laugh a little bit as we pull into the hospital and as soon as the stretcher hits the ground, doctors and nurses whisk me away. I try my best to open my eyes, and I soon see that we slow down in a dark room. A doctor opens the door and Shannon shoots in like a bullet. Evelyna is looking down at my phone and types a reply to someone.

"I'm Dr. Parker, and it looks like we are going to have to stitch these head wounds out and check for a concussion. Is there anywhere else that is in pain?"

I reply, "My mouth feels jacked up, and I fell on my arms as well. That's it."

All of the sudden, it feels like I am floating on a cloud. I didn't know that hospital beds could be so comfy.

Dr. Parker starts to speak to me, "We put you on some pain meds to help you out. You probably feel a little loopy, but you'll be alright."

I mumble out, "Okay."

Dr. Parker shines a light into my eyes and asks me, "What is your name?"

"Kristina."

"Where are you at?"

"A hospital in Tampa."

"Who is your favorite player on the Tampa Bay Lightning?" Evelyna questions.

"No one, unless Matt gets called up."

Dr. Parker laughs and asks, "Where did you come from for the festival?"

"Nashville."

Dr. Parker looks at me, "There is no Nashville in Florida."

I reply, "Nashville, Tennessee."

"Oh, okay. Who is here with you?"

I randomly blurt out, "Team Fangirls!"

Shannon whispers to Evelyna, "This is hysterical. Tina on meds is an interesting combo."

Evelyna replies, "No kidding."

Dr. Parker chimes in, "Okay, we're going to put you on a little bit of a stronger dosage. If you feel sleepy don't be afraid to--"

Darkness washes over me as I drift off into loopy drug induced dreamland.

------------------

(Matt's P.O.V.)

As the crowd surrounds Tina and I, I try to quickly get her out of the way so she can wander freely. Unfortunately, one of the weirder fans pulls her out of the dogpile and sends her flying down the stairs. I shoot her a quick text and I know she replies right away, but the fans keep pestering me.

I put on a false smile and walk back inside the arena as I see a short woman with brown hair filming the whole thing. She walks away with a smirk on her face. Odd enough, she looks familiar and it feels like I know her from somewhere.

The fans don't leave as soon as I enter the arena and I answer their requests as best as I can. I can't help but worry about Tina though. Everything I said on stage is true, and so much more should of been spoken there as well. I don't know what else to think, but as soon as the crowd thins up, I rush down to the locker room for some peace and quiet.

I text Tina's phone and someone new answers her messages.

Me: I will find you.

Kristina: This isn't Kristina anymore. I'm her friend.

Me: And you are?

Kristina: This is Evelyna, and I have her phone. Right now, she's on her way to receive further treatment.

Me: Okay. What hospital are you guys going to be at?

Kristina: Tampa General.

Me: Just, keep me updated, okay?

Kristina: I will.

Vladdy storms in and blurts out, "Ugh! She had to leave me for her stupid friend!"

I ask Vladdy, "Who?"

"Evelyna! Supposedly, her friend got hurt. How could anyone get hurt at Bolts Fest?"

I stare my future teammate down, "Don't you dare make fun of her. She's on her way to the hospital because some crazed fan pushed her down the stairs! That's why Evelyna left!"

Vladdy backs right into Pointer, "Oh.......I thought it was girl code or something."

"Brayden knows girl code, and Brayden knows Evelyna and Shannon tell the truth about Kristina."

Vladdy sighs as I speak out, "What can I do?"

"Brayden thinks you should visit her after Bolts Fest ends and see how she is doing."

Vladdy scoffs at Brayden, "Will Shannon teach you better English?"

"Brayden hopes so!"

I reply to both of them, "Thanks. It's just, I feel like someone is out for her, ya know?"

"Oh, please tell me this isn't Gallagher related!" Vladdy speaks out.

"COOKIE!" Nikita Kucherov sprints into the locker room, grabs a cookie from his locker, and heads back out into the crowd once again.

I follow Vladdy and Brayden out of the locker room to hopefully forget all about the horrific events that went down. Bolts Fest doesn't last that much longer, and the crowd starts to thin out. I breath a sigh of relief once a fan doesn't surround me for more than ten minutes. My phone starts to ring, and I recognize the number.

"What's up Tye?"

Tye McGinn replies, "Wanna get a bite to eat? I'm finally here in Tampa!"

"I can't. Someone got hurt and she is a huge fan of mine...."

"Wait, you have a following?"

"Not the time, but she was injured. Fell down the stairs towards Thunder Alley."

Tye sighs, "So, is she at Tampa General?"

"Yes."

"Need me to pick you up?"

"How did you...."

"I told you I would be your driver Matt! I got a car rental so we could do things after Bolts Fest together!"

"Can you please pick me up?"

"I'm already outside the arena. Get out here slacker if you wanna see your girlfriend again."

He hangs up the phone just as I reply, "She's not my official girlfriend yet."

Yet being the key word in this situation. Sure enough, I hear a car horn blaring and I see Tye waving at me to get in the vehicle. He honks the horn of a simple car, one big enough for the two of us and our (mainly his) bags. I hop in the passenger side door, and before I can buckle up, Tye speeds off towards Tampa General.

"Slow down maniac!" I shout at Tye.

"Well, what happened to your girl then?" he retorts.

"Some crazy fan shoved her down the stairs and she took a nasty fall. I can't believe what happened, she's too sweet. We were going on an official date tonight--"

"Wait a minute, you just met her?" Tye asks as he slams on the brakes so we stop in time at a red light.

I almost smack my head, "Yes, and pay attention to the road! Or else we're going to end up at the same hospital for the wrong reasons."

Tye looks over at me as soon as we make a somewhat safe stop and asks, "Do you have a picture of her?"

"Yes, and I will show you once we arrive."

"Alright then. You seem really worked up over this girl you just met though."

"I know her from my dreams. She's the one from all those weird dreams I kept telling you about."

The light turns green and the roads seem to blur together as my thoughts turn towards her. Are we even meant to be?

Tye shakes me out of my thoughts just as I see the hospital rising in the distance, "Hey, listen to the radio!"

We both tune in to what the radio discusses, and it is their daily story that makes people laugh. The DJ begins by saying, "This one tale comes from Amalie Arena. A young woman fell down the stairs today and was injured. Why did she fall down the stairs? Apparently, her friend or whomever she was talking to looked like one of the Bolts' prospects. Maybe she didn't realize it, but if you want to see footage of 'Thunder Rolling', go to our website and check it out! Props to listener 'B.K.' for sending in the link to the footage."

"Why are people mocking her???" I ask out loud as Tye pulls into a parking spot.

"The girl that fell is you girl, Matty?"

I sigh, "Yes. I need to make sure she's okay."

Tye turns off the car, I open the car door, slam it shut, and bolt towards the emergency department of the hospital. I need to know that she is okay, and I feel so guilty about all of this!

The receptionist asks me, "What is your issue today?"

I stammer out, "My girlfriend was brought here, and I just want to make sure she is okay."

"Name?"

"That I'm looking for? Kristina, I don't know her last name......."

"Kristina Sommer?"

"Yeah, I need to see her as soon as possible please."

"I meant your name, sir."

"Matthew Peca, and this is my friend Tye McGinn. Please let her know I'm here for her."

"Mr. Peca, she is in surgery right now. She needs stitches and she needed emergency surgery on her orbital bone because some of the fragments shifted her nose out of place. Her two sisters should be coming out right about now."

As if on cue, I see a woman who looks similar to Kristina and a woman who does not resemble her at all walk through the doors and they sit right near Tye. I sit next to Tye and tune into their conversation. I glance over at them, and they look familiar in the color of the Lightning.

Are those two the ones hanging with Vlad and Brayden earlier today?

"I can't believe this all happened because of some fangirl pushing her down the stairs!"

The one that looks like Kristina replies, "I know! I feel like there's more to this than a simple fall. Cuts? Yeah, that seems reasonable. Broken bones? Sure, but not on her face! I'm just happy her wrists are only sprained."

The other woman replies, "I know. The orbital bone shifting her nose, I've never heard of that before."

"Could it be Brit and Bobbina?"

"That would require some intelligence, Shannon. They would need to learn that from Vesey!"

Shannon laughs and says, "Have you texted anything to this 'Matt' guy?"

"Not yet. Probably should just tell him that she's safe and sound. Sound good to you?"

"Perfect Evelyna. Thanks for coming over here with me."

"What was I supposed to do, let you figure out my hometown by yourself? That's just rude!"

They both start to laugh as Evelyna pulls out Tina's phone and she sends a message to me. My phone goes off two seconds after she sends the message, and both Evelyna and Shannon look over at me.

"Oh.......uhhhhh, hey there Matt? How long have you been here?" Evelyna asks me.

I reply, "Long enough. I need to make sure she's okay. What exactly did they diagnose her with?"

Shannon looks at me and starts, "Well, she doesn't have a concussion, which is really surprising, but they did have to stitch up her face because of the deep wounds. When they tried to stitch up a cut underneath her left eye, the bone is shattered and it ended up putting a lot of pressure on her nose. They are basically straightening her nose up, piecing the orbital back together, and wrapping some stiff tape around both of her wrists to make sure they heal. She should almost be done....ish."

I sigh, "Thank you for keeping me updated. It means a lot to me. May I accompany you two back there when she wakes up?"

"Sure!" Shannon replies to me.

"Thank you! That means the world to me. Do you two need anything?"

Evelyna giggles a little bit, "Nope. We just want her to be okay."

I nod and look at Tye, "Do you need anything Tye?"

He replies, "I'm going to check into the hotel for the next couple of nights. Call me when you're ready, Matty."

Tye gets up and walks out the door as I mumble, "Gee, thanks Tye. At least you gave me a ride here."

"It's okay, we'll make sure you get to wherever it is you are staying safe and sound, Matt!" Evelyna exclaims.

"But we've barely known each other for more than a few hours--"

Shannon interrupts, "Yeah, no one has cared about her this much to get his friend to drive him to a hospital when my sister is in surgery to see her. Any friend of hers is a friend of mine!"

I nod, "Guess so. So, wait you two were with Pointer and Vlad?"

Shannon and Evelyna nod yes to my question and Shannon adds on, "I better reschedule with Brayden! Family comes first, then cute hockey players."

Evelyna states, "Shoot! I've gotta call Vladdy and let him know this is not Gally related and that we will hang out more tomorrow if she is out of the hospital."

They both get up and walk to separate ends of the hospital. I sigh and I can't help but think that this is all my fault! Her pain right now is because we met, and I didn't mean to hurt her! Kristina is amazing, and I really really like/love.......I love her.

We've barely known each other for two days, but since we've had the same dreams at the same time, we have been friends for so much longer. I sigh as Shannon walks back in and stares at the television and sighs out, "It's that stupid movie she likes!"

"What movie is it?" I ask her.

"Starstruck. Even though it is a DCOM, she still watches it. It's actually adorable, but she just really loves the music."

We tune into the television as the main male character sings a song at a party that speaks to me.

So incredible

Some kind of miracle

And when it's meant to be

I'll become a hero

So I'll wait, wait, wait, wait for you

Yeah, I'll be your hero

I, I can be everything you need, you need

If you're the one for me

Like gravity

I'll be unstoppable, be unstoppable

I, yeah, I believe in destiny

I may be an ordinary guy with heart and soul

But if you're the one for me

Then I'll be your hero

Could you be the one, could you be the one, could you be the one for me?

Then I'll be your hero

Could you be the one, could you be the one, could you be the one for me?

Then I'll be your hero

Hero.

I vow to myself not to let anyone hurt her again. I'll be her hero.

"Kristina Sommer's family please follow me to her recovery room," a random nurse blurts out.

Evelyna, Shannon, and I follow her back quickly as she gives us the update, "She is out of surgery as you all know that, and it was successful. She won't have to stay overnight, but she will need a lot of support because her tumble is all over national headlines. I know she wouldn't fall on her own, and you two," she points to Evelyna and Shannon, "said some fangirl pushed her down the stairs to get to her favorite player?"

I interrupt, "That's correct. I was the player all the fans were going crazy for. I thought she just fell at first, but I didn't know someone pushed her down the stairs causing her fall."

The nurse begins, "Mr. Peca, you were the player?"

"Yes. Is she going to be up by the time we get there?"

"No, but she will soon wake up and she will need a lot of support. I just hope the poor girl is okay," the nurse replies as she holds open a door with a sleeping Tina inside.

It makes me wonder what she is dreaming about.

---------------------------------

You can hear the cries from the carnival rides,

The pinball bills, the skeeball slides,

Watching the summer sun fall out of sight.

We listen to the goofy summer song just as our kiss ends and I pull back, "Damn. I didn't know you could kiss like that."

You reply, "Imagine what it will be like when we actually kiss?"

I laugh and wander towards the edge of the carnival and ask, "Will any of this come true?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is this just a dream or what?"

"We can do this eventually. You need to get better first," you reply to me.

The ocean blue water rushes over my feet as I feel the grains of sand between my toes, "Better?"

"Yeah. It'll be okay, they're making you better right now."

I nod and watch the sunset disappear, "Pretty isn't it?"

"Not as amazing as you are."

We kiss again, just a quick one this time. Thunder cracks and we see a lightning strike and I hear his voice.

"Thought that was our only plan? Sweetheart, you're so wrong."

-------------------------------

(Kristina's P.O.V.)

"Kristina?"

"You guys, she's waking up!"

I barely mumble, "Quit yelling!"

Someone's arms wrap around me as a whisper comes, "Dean! You're okay!"

"Of course I am Sammy, who else is here?"

"Eves and Matt."

I open my eyes to the bright lights and immediately look around the room, "When can I leave this joint?"

"Once the meds get out of your system," Shannon replies.

"I'm sorry."

Matt looks at me, "What do you have to be sorry for?"

I sigh, "We were going on our first date tonight. And I've managed to botch that as well."

Matt gently grabs my hand, "No, no, I didn't expect anything crazy like that to happen. Let's make sure you get better first."

I nod, "Okay."

Matt smiles and I see Evelyna wave something at me. It flashes and gleams in the light: my phone. She places it on my lap, and I smile and look down at it. There are not many notifications, except from a certain group of admins.

Me: Thirteen's alive and so am I.

Adam: Tina! You're okay! That fall looked nasty!

Fabs: Yeah. Somehow, Brit got the footage.

Me: Did she film it and publish it to the world?

Fabs: IDK.

Me: Oookay. I look like a zombie. Stitches, now got some metal in my face.

Ricky: Ouch.

Brit: You called?

Me: How did you find the footage of the fall?

Brit: YouTube.

Bobby: Yeah, even though it looked painful it is funny AF.

I start to take a photo of my face, but Matt hops in the selfie as I exclaim, "Matt!"

"That's a keeper," he replies.

Much as I hate it, I save the picture on my phone and snap another photo to send to the group and ask, "Why?"

"Because you look beautiful."

I sigh, "Not right now I don't feel beautiful."

Shannon and Evelyna somehow are gone, and it is just Matt and I in the room.

"You always are beautiful though. Besides, it's our second unofficial date."

"Whoopie, first an airplane then emergency surgery."

I look at his hazel blue eyes, "Dates always slowly get better, trust me."

I roll my eyes just as Dr. Parker returns with some paperwork, "This is the stack of papers explaining what the surgeon did to you, and even though it is late, we will discharge you. We gave you and whoever will take care of you information on what to give you and what time to give it to you. With your face, unfortunately, you are going to be in a lot of pain when you eat because of the cuts healing and the stitches aiding the healing process. The next few are the discharge papers, and further doctor care from there. Finally, we gave you some basic instructions on what to do to help yourself. Any questions?"

"Can I go to Bolts Fest tomorrow?"

Dr. Parker laughs, "I would say take it easy and go if you really want to. Maybe crash at a beach or something, you are on vacation right?"

"Yes."

"Any other questions?

I nod, "No, thank you for your care."

I sign the necessary paperwork and start to glance over the instruction. If I did have a concussion, I wouldn't be able to do anything for the rest of the vacation. The nurses start to disconnect me from the IV and other tubes as I look over the last little bit of papers for me.

I can't really write much for the next few weeks because of my wrists, and I need to hard tape them for the next two weeks at a minimum. For my face, I just need to keep the stitches clean and eat slowly. Seems simple enough to follow, I guess. Could of been a lot worse.

As soon as Dr. Parker looks over the paperwork and nods that I can leave, Matt helps me get up out of the hospital bed. As we approach the lobby of the emergency department, I see that it is dark out. Not midnight dark, but just after sunset dark. I look around to see if my sister or my friend are there, but they are not. I message them almost immediately.

Me: I'm being discharged.

Evelyna: Yay! Matt tolds us to leave?

Shannon: Yeah. Can't let Pointer and Vladdy down lol.

Me: I see where I stand.

Evelyna: Don't worry, Tye and Matt are staying at the same hotel as us.

Me: Really?

Shannon: That's why he told us we could go.

Me: Okay. Leaving now. See y'all later.

I put my phone away as Matt waits for me to finish up, but I ask him, "Why did you ask Shannon and Evelyna to leave?"

Matt replies as we walk outside, "They were about to cancel on Brayden and Vlad."

I sigh, "Yeah, I wouldn't want them to cancel because of me."

"That's what your sister said as well. Tye, where are you at?"

I try to turn my head, but it doesn't work as well because of the newly added weight. I ask instead, "Tye....?

"My teammate, Tye McGinn, and he's driving. I need to make sure you're okay."

"Matt, if you have other things to do, go do them, okay?"

Matt looks at me, "I didn't think Tampa would offer me this adventure with you."

"Huh?"

He sits on a bench right near the curb, "Yeah. I didn't think Nashville, at least the airport, would be fun until I found you. And then hanging out with you most of the day, it is so much fun getting to know you and I want to continue that."

"Really?"

Matt starts to come closer to my face, and our lips were inches apart when we hear a car honking.

"I finally made it Matt! Oh, did I interrupt something?"

Matt mumbles something, and I laugh as my face turns red. Nice to know that I can still blush after today. Matt opens the door and holds it open for me. As soon as I climb into the back seat, he makes sure I am comfortable and shuts the door. Matt climbs into the passenger seat, "This is Tye. Tye, meet Kristina. Kristina, Tye."

I reply, "Uhhhh.......hello?"

Tye laughs, "So this is the world famous girl on the airplane? Man, Matt, you sure know how to find em."

The two men laugh and I look away as we leave Tampa General. I try to smile, but everything feels tense. The pain medicines are wearing off, and I fight the tears off. Every stitch, every slight movement, everything, I feel it now.

The pain radiates through my face,and I try not to scream out. Matt recognizes the pain and states, "Hey, are the medicines wearing off?"

"Yeah, holy crap, they did a lot to my face," I reply.

Tye slows the car down at a local Walgreens' and Matt hops out. He darts into the store just as tears roll down my face. It feels like I just got my wisdom teeth yanked out, and my face is swollen because of it. Matt is back in the car in a blink of an eye with a little bag full of medicines to make the pain go away.

"Wow Matt, trying to be Superman or something?" Tye asks him.

"Yeah. She needs it," Matt replies.

"Alright, where to next, Matty Boy?"

"The hotel. We'll order room service."

Tye backs out of the Walgreens' parking lot, and I close my eyes to drown out the pain. Eventually, we arrive at the hotel where we were staying at. I open my eyes as we start to slow down, "We're in the same hotel as well?"

Matt laughs and says, "Guess you can't escape me, huh?"

I attempt to smile, but the pain lingers still as intense as ever. I manage to ask through the pain, "What room are you in Matt?"

"I am in Room 5543, you?"

"Must be fate. Room 5544 with my sister."

Matt nods and helps me out of the car, and Tye follows behind with his luggage. We make our way to the elevator and shoot up it to the fifth floor. As soon as the elevator stops, Matt makes sure I am okay before we head towards our rooms.

I see Room 5544, and the door is open a tiny bit. I stumble in and Shannon is there.......with Brayden of course. They laugh, until I flop on the bed and Shannon blurts out, "Dean?"

Muffled by the bedding, I say, "Why didn't you tell me we had guests?"

"I told him I wanted to wait to make sure you were somewhat safe before we went out to get a late dinner. What's Matt doing here?"

Matt comes in and helps me up, "Apparently, he is in Room 5543. And he was my ride back to the hotel."

Shannon nods and walks towards Matt, "Did you get her meds?"

"Yeah. In the bag. The pain meds wore off already though."

"Of course. She needs to eat something.......oh, that's why you got the Reese's. Are you two going to have anything else?"

"Yes 'Mom', we are. I didn't want her to suffer long, so hopefully this does the trick."

"Too bad you'll have a hyper Tina on your hands."

Tye randomly pops in, "Need some ice for that burn, Matty?"

Matt rolls his eyes, "No. I am fine. Let's get the meds in her."

Matt grabs one of the many containers of medicines, creams, bandages, and a six-pack of apple juice and a Reese's candy bar. He offers me the chocolate, which I devour and then an apple juice with the meds to take. I complete this process in about five minutes, and Matt asks Shannon, "Can I take her back to my room?"

"I don't think Tye would like that," she replies.

"I wouldn't!" Tye blurts out.

Shannon huffs, "Just stay in here until I come back from my..........outing with Brayden."

She walks out of the room before whispering to me, "Be good Dean. No deals tonight, ya?"

"Way to ruin my plans, Sam."

"Jecht, what are we going to do with you?"

"That's a new nickname, isn't it Auron?"

"Yeah, especially with some of those meds you're taking. Brayden and I are leaving, see you two later."

The door shuts as Brayden and Shannon leave. Matt picks up the menu for room service and he shows it to me and asks, "What do you want for dinner?"

I see the words 'Spaghetti and Meatballs' and I point to that, but I whisper to him, "Sauce on the side."

He nods, decides what he wants, and calls room service. It will take about thirty minutes to prepare everything. Matt, once he hangs up the phone, asks, "What do you want to do now?"

"I...don't know. I feel kinda dizzy and loopy though," I reply.

He leads me over to my bed, and I gently get on it. My bed is way comfier than Shannon's, although she let me stay there and recover for a little bit. I start to doze off, but I fight it for as long as I can.

He whispers to me, "I am so sorry for all of this."

"Don't be sorry," I reply as I finally find a comfortable resting place on Shannon's bed.

Matt sighs, "I feel bad because I feel like I am dragging you into this mess."

"What mess?"

"The life of an athlete."

I start to laugh a little, "I only see you as Matt the person though. Not a player for the Bolts or Crunch at all."

"Really?"

I nod and start to doze off once and for all....at least for the night. I feel Matt shake me awake once food arrives. The smell of the meal brings me a whole new level of energy to me. We eat in complete silence, and finish our respective meals quick.

After we finish, Matt looks at me, "Is there anything else I can do to help you feel better, Kristina?"

"No. I'm going to sleep now. Stupid medicines...."

I am out like a light.

------------------------------

(Matt's P.O.V.)

She looks like an angel sleeping there. Even though she's going to wake up in pain, I wish I didn't cause that hurt. I owe her more than I'll ever know. She sees me as a normal person, and that means the world to me.

I turn off the main room light and start to walk out the door. She starts to roll towards the door and her arm lazily points at an electrical outlet. A night light sits on her nightstand, and I quietly plug it in for her. I slowly exit the room and head across the hall towards my room.

I unlock the door, and all I hear is, "Man, you are whipped!"

I sigh, "Sorry, I was taking care of the fan who is hurt because of my stupidity!"

"She's strong, she'll pull through Matt."

"I hope so."

"Maybe she'll have to stay in Tampa longer."

"What?"

"Her injuries could be that severe, you know. She needs someone to watch her and care for her."

"What are you saying?"

"Be her hero, Matt. She needs one right now."