Normally, he didn't like to awaken until at least eleven, but he wanted his mind to remain sharp.  Besides, he had about a trillion thoughts zipping through his head and had been unable to sleep past seven.

He sat up in his hotel room bed, glancing around until his gaze came to rest upon the gun.

It was the same weapon with which he'd attempted to shoot Copeland - but had gotten the redhead instead.  Despite that little mishap, he had no intention of letting the cold steel out of his sight or grasp.  He would get his next chance yet...

He thought about Stephanie and Shane McMahon and wondered how their little excursion was going so far.  Paul thought it too bad he hadn't been able to go and follow them, but he had more pressing issues at the moment.

First of all, he wanted to pay Nora a little visit.  The night before, he'd promised himself that, and he felt he owed it to himself after failing to fulfill another promise to himself - that being to kill Adam Copeland.

His lips curled into a cruel, sadistic smile as he thought about his former girlfriend.  Maybe he'd give her sweet, curvaceous little body one last time before he told her off and tossed her aside.  After all, even though she was now with Reso, she'd never broken up with him.  Therefore, as far as Levesque was concerned, Nora was fair game - and not only could he have the pleasure of screwing her brains out one last time, but he could also enjoy dumping her.  Hell, maybe if he was still in the mood, he could get to Torrie and enjoy one last romp with her as well.

A laugh escaped Paul as he rose from the bed and stretched.  He was going to have a good day.  It was too bad Stephanie wouldn't be around, but at least her idiot brother wasn't here to interfere in any of his plans.  And if Reso or Angle tried to stop him, they'd get theirs.

He wondered when the Dumas bitch would be getting discharged from the hospital.  Maybe he should find out and then arrange for a 'meeting' when Copeland brought her out of there.

Levesque smirked as these thoughts went through him.  Yes, he had much work to do today.  He snatched up some clothing from his bag and headed for the bathroom for a shower.  While bathing, he would further plan out his day's activities.

*

"Okay...thank you, doctor," Adam said as he faced Dr. Roberts.  He raked a hand through his long, disheveled blond hair as he shifted his gaze elsewhere in distraction.

The physician said, "Mr. Copeland, your girlfriend should be fine - physically.  But you might want to consider getting some counseling for her.  She may need help in getting past what happened to her."

The tall Canadian nodded as he looked back at the doctor.  "Yeah...I can imagine.  Thanks again."  He stared down the hallway, toward the direction of the room where the redhead was esconced.

"If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me," Roberts said.  He reached into a pocket of his long white coat, coming up with a business card, which he handed to the young man.

"Thanks...I won't."  Adam put the card into a pocket of his jeans as the physician nodded cordially at him.

"Excuse me - I have to check on some patients."

The tall blond man ran a hand down his face, still feeling bleary-eyed from the lack of sleep he'd gotten during the past few nights.  Damn it... If he didn't get some real rest soon, he was going to waste away to nothing.  And, considering everything that had been happening and was going to continue, seeing as Levesque was still on the loose somewhere out there, he had to keep alert.

He stared down the hallway, back to the redhead's room.  By now, she might have awoken, and if this was the case, she would probably be wondering where he'd gone.

As he continued the walk back to Amy's room and then stepped in, noting her still sleeping form, he thought about what Dr. Roberts had told him.

She was going to be discharged from the hospital within a day or two.  Her surgery had been a success, and she'd been incredibly lucky, as the man had told him on the day of the operation.  There was virtually no risk of her having any problems, such as internal bleeding - but she would need to be fairly inactive physically for the next couple of weeks.

The blond man sat down in the chair directly beside his girlfriend's bed.  Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair again, his gaze fixed to her face, which was turned toward him as she slept.  Her lips were slightly parted, and she was breathing regularly, apparently still in a peaceful sleep, and for that, Adam was relieved.

Suddenly, her eyelids began to flutter, and, as the Canadian watched, leaning slightly forward, Amy awoke.  "Mmm..." she moaned softly.  "Adam?"

The tall blond man nodded vigorously, reaching up with one hand to grasp hers.  "I'm here, baby...I never left you all night."

The redhead opened her eyes and gazed into his welcome, handsome face.  "I want to get out of here..."

"You will - soon," he whispered, a soft smile on his face.  "The doctor said you can leave as soon as tomorrow or the day after."

"Good..."  She lay back and closed her eyes again, her hand still in his.

Adam's smile slowly disappeared as he gazed down at her.  His heart sank as he thought about the implications of her being discharged.

Time was quickly running out - and he was dreading what would come next...