"So, you're telling me it's back? After 11 years, this.. this…" He couldn't finish the sentence. It was like déjà vu for him, reliving a time 11 years before that he thought was long gone, not forgotten, but definitely something he was never expecting to revisit, either. He looked up from his hands, his eyes dancing around the room, hoping for some other explanation, but he wasn't receiving one.

"So, Mr. Anoa'i we do have some options for treatment measures. We have to run some further testing, obviously, but this was caught fairly early. I'm very thankful for the testing that is implemented with WWE. But, this is something you will have to take time off for. Right now, I am recommending and indefinite break until we see how aggressive your illness is and what our options are moving forward. Are there any questions, Joe?"

His mind was wondering and spinning at the same time. He wasn't able to make a complete thought process, let alone process a question to ask or remark to give. He had come so far since 2007 and 2008. He considered those years to be the darkest and hardest of his life; even more so than his recent divorce from a cheating wife who he thought he offered the world. And, then some. He always gave 100% to his family, his career as a WWE Superstar, to the fans who loved him, and even to those who hated him. He had his fair share of haters, but it only pushed him even harder to succeed.

What should his mind focus on first? His kids. His family. His friends. His career. His fans. His co-workers. His bosses. His passions. His dreams. This illness. Cancer. He hated that word. It was something that had haunted him for years, even though he had been in remission. It was always in the back of his mind that it could return, but he was so busy and focused on his career and his traveling schedule that his time was filled to the brim. It gave him an outlet to push things further into the recesses of his mind that maybe he didn't realize. Until now.

"Excuse me if I can't complete a sentence or I'm not thinking fully right now. You mentioned the word 'aggressive'. Does that mean it's worse than before or that treatment will be… Like, how invasive are we looking at here? Is it chemo or radiation or medication?" he was able to ask.

He wasn't worried about the pain aspect. He was sore day in and day out. He always had a tweak here and a tinge there that bothered him, and probably would for the rest of his life. It was par for the course; something he knew came with the lifestyle and the career he chose. His dad, his brother and many of his other relatives chose this same path. And, he couldn't be more proud to be living a dream, following in footsteps that paved the way, not only for him, but every man and woman who decided to pursue this same career. To every man and woman who decided to lace up a pair of boots and put their bodies on the line for the sheer reason of entertainment for the fans who paid money to see them. Well, pair of boots or barefooted, either case. He had many in his own family who wrestled barefooted, a true test of strength and perhaps a but of craziness.

"Aggressive is a term I use to gauge what we're dealing with, and at this point, like I said, with further testing, I'll be able to answer more of you're questions and concerns. I think you're next steps need to be to report everything we know thus far to your boss and get it set up for your hiatus from the company. I'll set up your next few appointments for next week. You'll have your PET scan and more blood work done and we'll go from there. Joe, I know this is unexpecting and shocking news but it was caught early on and you are young and in shape. You have positive factors in your favor and you have done this before. You have an idea at least, of what to expect. I am so very sorry."

"Um, thank you, doc for everything. I need to process everything and I'll be flying out tomorrow for TV so, I'll inform Mr. McMahon then." Joe stood up, shaking Dr. Smith's hand before turning and exiting the exam room.

He clearly was in his own world, still trying to process everything that was now his life. He had to tell his family, his kids, his boss… It just seemed like a lot to fathom, let alone talk about and tell everyone. He wasn't sure what this did or would do for his career. He was too scared to even think about that. He was even more worried about what to tell his fans and how he would go about doing it. He rounded the next corner and without warning, he bumped into a woman coming from the opposite direction.

"Holy shit." the woman muttered, dusting herself off before looking up to find out what, or who was to blame for her hitting the floor. She wasn't prepared to find herself looking up to a 6 foot, 3 inch giant of a man who looked unfazed at their encounter. He offered his large hand to her even smaller hand. It felt as if it was nothing for him to place her back on her feet. She felt the warmness forming in her cheeks and the embarrassment was probably clear on her face.

"You could watch where you're going. You're not exactly an average human to be bumping into people." she said, before she could even think what was coming out of her mouth.

"Well, I was about to apologize, but I've changed my mind. You owe me an apology." he spat back.

"Excuse me, but no. I doubt it. You didn't end up on the floor in that exchange, did you?" she argued.

"No, I did not, but kindness surely isn't one of your strong suits, is it," he questioned, reading her name badge, "Nurse Jami."

"Oh, so you're abnormally large and an asshole. If you'll excuse me, I have more patients to attend to and share my kindness with. Have a great day." She said sarcastically, before pushing past him and continuing down the hallway.

"Asshole?" Joe questioned under his breath, with a smirk on his face. As if his day wasn't bad enough and as if his evening wasn't going to be worse, he had to deal with smart ass, rude nurses. He turned around looking down the hallway, preparing to shout some clever comeback, but instead all he could stare at was Nurse Jami walking away, his eyes transfixed to her voluminous bottom.

"She was cute," he thought, shrugging his shoulders and chuckling to himself.

"No, Joe." he muttered softly, shaking his head before turning around and leaving to the great unknown.