He'd just had to get away - from that damn hospital and its cloying antiseptic smell.  And he'd even needed his space from his friends.

He had to admit, he felt a little bad about ditching them - just a little.  After all, no matter what any of them said, this ordeal was much more difficult for him than for them.

He really hadn't wanted to leave Amy, and had actually wanted to be around when she next awoke, but that hospital had been driving him to insanity.  Yes, it was better that he'd left.  That way, he could clear his head for awhile, and he'd be fine when he returned to the diva's bedside.

God damn it! he thought.  He hated Paul Levesque with every fiber of his being.  If he saw the bastard, it wouldn't be a moment too soon. Shit!  Why hadn't the police caught him yet?  What was wrong with them?  Were they really that fucking incompetent?

It made Adam shudder to think that his safety, Amy's safety and that of millions of other innocent people lay in their hands.  If you couldn't rely on the arm of the law to protect you, who could you rely on?

The Canadian knew the answer to that one, and it was simple - yourself.  He now realized exactly why Amy had gotten her gun.  Too bad she hadn't gotten the chance to use it against Levesque to protect herself before he'd cut her down.

On that thought, he walked several feet to the desk chair beside the bed.  After the redhead had been shot, he'd snatched up her purse, which had dropped when she'd fallen.  He'd brought it to the hospital and then back here with him, not caring how it might look that he was carrying around his girlfriend's bag.

The blond man rummaged through the medium-sized purse, his fingers instantly finding the cool steel.  He lifted the pistol from the bag, examining it intently, its shape and design.  A rage surged through him again as he thought about Paul Levesque, and how the bastard had so callously tried to shoot him but had gotten Amy instead.  He probably didn't even give a shit that he'd hit the redhead instead of his intended victim... Of that, Adam was certain.

He continued to hold the redhead's gun, caressing it almost lovingly, a glint in his green eyes that even his closest friends would have found scary.  He made up his mind right then and there - if Levesque wanted war, then war was what he would get...

Adam shook his head, his emotions nearly overwhelming him, and he gently put the weapon back into Amy's purse, zippering the bag securely.  He went over to the window, staring outside at the darkness beyond.  The hum of the air conditioner droned calmly beside him, and he rapped his knuckles against the pane.

"Fucking bastard!" he shouted as thoughts of Levesque continued to bombard him.  "Shit!"  In all of his intense anger, he swung his left arm back slightly and, balling his hand into a fist, smashed it through the window.

Pieces of glass shattered in an instant, slicing through him and making a clattering noise simultaneously.  The blond man shouted some more obscenities as some of the skin on the back of his hand shredded under the sharpness of the glass.  He felt tears of anger, frustration, sorrow and a horrible feeling of hopelessness welling up in his eyes but wouldn't give them freedom.  He merely continued to scream as held his hand up to examine the damage, the blood trickling its way down his arm in a hurry.

*

"Oh, my God!" Stephanie exclaimed as she and Torrie exchanged horrified glances.  The blonde woman's eyes were wide as they heard the yelling in the next room - Adam...

Along with Kurt and Shane, they had returned to the hotel shortly after Adam had stormed out of the hospital.  Jay and Nora had opted to stay behind for a little while, just in case there was extra word on the redhead.  They had promised to be back within the hour, since visiting hours were over until the morning.

"What do you think that was all about?" Torrie asked fearfully, referring to the crashing sound they'd heard only seconds earlier.

"I...I don't know, but...Oh, God."  The brunette ran her hand through her long hair nervously.  "He's got an awful temper," she said.  "I think I'd better go check on him - see if he's okay."

"Would you...wait for Kurt and Shane to come back?" the platinum blonde asked sadly.  The two men had gone down the hall for some ice.

"Torrie, I-"  Stephanie's words were cut off as the door suddenly opened, and her brother and new boyfriend were in the doorway, the two buckets of ice clutched under each man's arm.

"What the hell is going on next door?" Kurt asked, a look of concern on his face.  He and Shane had clearly heard Adam yelling at the top of his lungs from his room as they'd returned.

"I don't know," the brunette said fearfully.  "I...have to go see him."  She walked across the room to the door, stepping past Angle and her brother and instantly went next door.  She lifted her hand to knock, and rapped urgently several times.

Adam looked up, the pain still cutting through him.

"Adam, let me in this instant!"  It was Stephanie's voice.

The blond Canadian groaned as he moved over to the door, unlocking it and yanking on the knob to let her in.

"Are you-"  The brunette's blue eyes widened in shock and horror as she took in the blood.  "Oh, my God...Adam, what have you done to yourself?"  She let herself into the room, shutting the door behind her and rushing to the bathroom.

Stephanie practically tore one of the hand towels off the towel rack, ran it under the cold water in the sink, then returned to the main part of the room with it.  Without a word, she approached her ex-boyfriend, noticing with shock the broken window, and she knew for sure what had happened.

The Canadian straightened his fingers as best he could, and Stephanie examined him cautiously, checking for any shards of glass that might have embedded themselves in his flesh.  The blond man hissed with pain as the young woman plucked a couple of tiny pieces out of his knuckles, and again, he felt hot tears behind his eyelids.

"Why, Adam?" the brunette finally spoke.  "Why did you do this?"  She turned her head in the direction of the smashed window, then shifted her concerned gaze back to him.

"I couldn't help it," he replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.  "I was just thinking of that bastard and what he did to her..."

Stephanie didn't respond to that, knowing very well the reason he'd reacted so foolishly and violently.  "Oh, God...I hope you didn't mess yourself up too badly."

"What...what do you mean?"

"What do I mean?  I mean nerve damage - it could happen when you punch out a glass window, you know!"  She shook her head almost furiously.  But as she examined his hand some more, she realized that probably hadn't happened.  Luckily, he also didn't appear to need stitches, as the cuts weren't very deep.

"Go in the bathroom," she said.  "I know Kurt has a first-aid kit in his room.  You need some antiseptic put on this to prevent an infection..."  She handed him the white towel, now partially red from his blood, then stepped quickly to the door, leaving it unlocked and letting herself out.

Sheepishly, Adam did as Stephanie had instructed, wrapping the towel around his fist as he entered the bathroom.

The brunette returned a moment later, the first-aid kit in hand.  She went through the assortment of bandages and creams and tape before pulling out a small tube of Neosporin.  Helping the blond man clean the wounds better, she applied the antiseptic and shook her head.

"She wouldn't want you to do this sort of thing, you know."

"What?"  Adam met her blue eyes gravely.

"Amy..." she said.  "...she wouldn't want you to hurt yourself - not even over what happened to her.  You have to be strong for her, Adam..."

The tall blond lowered his gaze back to his hand, knowing the woman was right.  He had reacted impetuously, stupidly.  And, in a strange way, in doing what he'd done, he was allowing Levesque to win...

He couldn't allow that to happen...