July 28th, 2013. Ricardo Rodriguez grimaces as he leaves the small building where he's been doing charity work, staring at the date on his phone. As pleased he is to help those in need, he misses his life about as much. Traveling, meeting new people, seeing new things, ring announcing for Alberto Del Rio, all of it. He can't wait for this suspension to end in a few days so he can return to working alongside his best friend. But there are also other things on his mind.
Pulling out his phone, he locates Memo Montenegro's contact information and dials the number, waiting patiently for him to answer. Memo had been released by WWE only days earlier and Ricardo had been trying to piece together something for Alberto whenever he wasn't immersed in his charity work. "Hola, Memo," he greets the other man with a small smile as he slips into his car and starts it, letting it sit idle for a moment. "I was calling in to see if you'd decided on what I suggested for Christmas this year..." He hesitates, listening, before his smile grows. "Si, si, your brother will be so happy to see you then. He already misses having you nearby, and this will be a nice surprise for him." He grins. "Si, I'll call with details closer to the time. Talk to you then."
But things had gone wrong barely a week later when Del Rio had attacked Ricardo the night he'd returned from suspension, effectively ending their working relationship and their friendship in one fell swoop. Come December, the ring announcer had left it all behind him as best as he possibly could, not interested in the slightest in trying to rectify things with Alberto, and trying to find a place as a backstage interviewer while he trains to compete for real. Even so, the closer Christmas comes, the more his guilt eats at him. He had made a promise to Memo months ago to assist him in surprising his brother, and no matter how he may feel about Alberto, much thought had been put into this surprise by both men and he doesn't want to leave the younger brother hanging.
Eventually he has no choice but to call him, surprised when he's not hung up on immediately. "Memo, I was thinking since I partially put all of this into motion months ago and don't wish to leave you with no other options, perhaps I could pick you up from the airport and drop you off at Alberto's home, just so the surprise isn't ruined. It's your call, though. What do you prefer?" He's even further surprised when Memo agrees, apparently not holding the same animosity towards him his big brother is. "Si, alright, I will see you in a few days then." He tries to keep busy from then on, not think too much about seeing his former employer's brother, nor having to drive to his house for the first time since early August, and so the day sneaks up on him, leaving him floundering as he gets into the car to go get Memo from the airport.
He's not sure what to think, how to handle all of this, but he'd made promises all of those months ago and so he's waiting by the gate, watching as the screen listing the departure and arrival times of all of the various flights change, turning to look once Memo's is announced that it's arrived. When he first catches a glimpse of him, he releases a faint breath and waits for him to get by security before joining him, taking one of his bags with a small smile. "Nice to see you again, Memo."
"Nice to see you," he returns, following Ricardo to his car. Very little is spoken, both of them awkward and uncomfortable due to the months of bad blood between Alberto and the ring announcer. "Is it alright if I sleep for a bit? I am out of practice traveling, and perhaps a small nap will help me to feel more rested before I see mi hermano."
"Of course," Ricardo nods, unlocking the doors for him once his bag is secured in the trunk of the car. As he gets into the driver's seat, the other man stretches out in the backseat, asleep before the ring announcer could start his vehicle up. He smiles wanly and pulls out into traffic, almost glad that he's asleep so that they don't need to have some stilted conversation. He keeps the radio down and eyes on the road, which is good as it allows him to notice when, only a few minutes later, a car at an intersection breezes through the red light, not noticing them as she barrels straight towards his car, Ricardo only having a moment to react, realizing sharply that she's going to hit the back of the car... Memo... Cursing darkly in Spanish, he swerves away from her as well as he can, not sure if it'll be enough- but it is, their cars only just missing each other as she speeds through to the other side, his relief at that near accident quickly disappearing when he looks up just in time to see the tree he's driving directly towards, still shaken and not having any time at all to correct or-
He hears a brief, sharp noise. Everything goes dark.
"Where is mi hermanito?!" a very angry Mexican aristocrat all but screams as he storms into a local hospital not even an hour later, glowering at the nurses around whose chatter immediately stops. "Memo Montenegro! I received a call that he's here-"
"Yes sir, he is," a more wizened nurse speaks up, taking over while the younger ones watch with wide, startled gazes. "Follow me, please."
Alberto quickly does just that, staring at her. "What happened? He was not even supposed to be here- he was in Puerto Rico and could not free up his schedule to come see me for the holidays-" Realizing that his rambling is counterproductive to his finding anything worthwhile from her out, he eventually quiets.
"I am unaware of what he was doing here then," she tells him quietly. "But he was brought in with minor scrapes and abrasions. Witnesses claim the car he was in drove into a tree while trying to dodge another car that ran a red light."
"Another car? Wha-?"
"The police will wish to speak to your brother soon, but you may go in and see him. He's very lucky." As Alberto watches her, perplexed, she purses her lips before ducking into the room next to the one she'd indicated Memo is inside.
He sighs and rolls his eyes, full of even more questions now than he had been when he'd first entered the building. "Lousy gringos," he mutters, entering his brother's room. For a moment, he just stands there, taking in the young man, how he's absently rubbing at a bandage on his cheek. The nurse is right, he looks fine, if a little scratched up, and he relaxes for a moment before making his presence known. "What were you doing here?!" he demands, approaching his brother and gripping his jaw, turning his head this way and that to look at the small knicks and cuts marring his flesh. "Why did I not know you were going to-?"
"Mi hermano, let me talk!" Memo exclaims finally, causing Alberto to fall silent as he stares at his brother. "It was to be a surprise, that is all, but it does not matter now." He stares into his brother's eyes. "It's-... it's Ricardo. He's injured."
"Ricardo? Ricardo Rodriguez? How is that anything new?" he sneers, though some doubt forms in his mind as he takes in the sadness in his brother's eyes. "What does this have to do with...?" But his questions slowly begin to be answered without any other words needing to be spoken. The mysterious car that his brother had been in, the need for witnesses to clarify anything, the look on the nurse's face as she'd talked about Memo's luck before going into that other room, who exactly would've thought up such a surprise for... His breath seizes and he pulls away from his brother, shaking his head. "Ay, no. What..." But he doesn't wait to formalize the question, not needing an answer. Not right now. He's back in the hallway in a moment, storming into that other room and startling the nurse within as he stops short, staring at his former best friend.
"Sir, you cannot be in here-" she's snapping at him, trying to push him back out, when he pulls away from her and approaches the bed.
"Ricardo?" he mutters, staring down at the pale, bruised face of the younger man. "No, no. What were you doing, you fool?" The nurse is still trying to get him out when he rounds on her. "Stop tugging at me," he tells her lowly. "He is hurt, he is all alone, and he was driving my brother to see me... I have as much right to be in here as anyone else." She stares up at him, swallowing harshly, before nodding warily. Turning back to him, he sits down in the chair next to the bed and tries to think through everything he's pieced together. "I suppose you thought this up before August? Silly perro, anyone could've driven him... you always did feel too responsible for things that were... weren't yours to worry about..." He gingerly lets his hand hover directly over Ricardo's before pulling it away, turning to look at the nurse. "How bad is it?"
She sighs tiredly and glances down at the unconscious man. "Bad." Her tone of voice says it all. Alberto stares up at her, horror flashing in his eyes before he turns his focus back to his former ring announcer, shaking his head in disbelief that things had gone so badly, this close to the holidays.
His anger only grows, however, when the detective assigned to the case pokes his head in to check on Ricardo later that afternoon and stops short, finding Alberto sitting by his side. "You family?"
"A former employer," he says faintly. "Memo Montenegro's brother," he adds when the man looks like he's about to leave. This, however, makes him stay for a moment and Alberto looks up, catching his eye. "Do you have the individual who's responsible for this?"
"Yes, we do," he nods.
Alberto stares at him broodingly. "What can you tell me?" He taps the bed next to Ricardo's hand, still unable to bring himself to touch the younger man. "He saved my brother from grievous injuries, or... worse... despite the less than honorable way I have treated him the past few months. I need to know something..."
The detective glances over his shoulder before entering the room, closing the door behind him. "We located the car that witnesses saw speed through the red light and administered a breathalyzer on the driver. She was at least twice the legal limit, and so we arrested her." He hesitates and looks at Ricardo with a somber expression. "That mixed in with causing an accident and fleeing, she'll be going away for a long time. I have just been in to tell Mr. Montenegro the same thing and, by all accounts, it sounds as though Mr. Rodriguez here's quick actions saved your brother from some very serious injuries of his own."
"Si," Alberto mutters, barely looking up as the detective then does leave. He closes his eyes and slowly lifts his hand, finally resting it on Ricardo's. Squeezing his fingers gently, he breathes out. "Well, Ricardo, you prove yet again how good of a person you truly are, putting so many others ahead of yourself." He sighs and opens his eyes. "Now you get to prove how strong you are. Wake up." Vowing not to leave until he sees his former friend's eyes, he sits back and waits, unsurprised when Memo joins him awhile later, the two of them sitting in silent observation.
He notices it first, nudging his brother out of the half-stupor he appears to have fallen into, sitting up as Ricardo squirms and shifts, moaning faintly. "Ricardo?" he whispers quietly, not wanting to startle him.
"No... Memo," he breathes out, eyes squinted shut as he fights the agony he's obviously in. Alberto shakes his head when Memo moves to stand, hand tense between his brother's shoulders as he gets up and walks quietly over to the door to get a nurse, aware that Ricardo needs to see Memo's wellbeing for himself almost as much as he needs something for the pain. When he returns a couple minutes later, trying to give the two men time to talk, the nurse has already administered something to Ricardo's IV, his eyes locked on Memo as he tries to make sense of what he's woke up to. It becomes worse, however, when he spots Alberto, his breathing growing more ragged.
"He's not going to hurt you," Memo soothes him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "He came when he heard about the accident." Ricardo calms slightly as the medicine overwhelms him, easing his pain and drawing him back towards the comforting pull of sleep.
"Ricardo?" Alberto mutters, smiling faintly when his former friend looks up at him. "There are no words for what you have done here... all I can think to say is... gracias."
Ricardo doesn't respond, his dark eyes locked on Del Rio's face until finally he falls back asleep, Alberto releasing a soft breath while wrapping an arm around his brother's shoulders, staring down at the younger man. He's so thankful right now that Memo is safe and Ricardo seems like he will be ok with time, that he doesn't know what to do with it all.
Christmas comes and goes, Alberto and Memo spending a fair amount of it in the hospital so Ricardo at least isn't alone while he recovers. The last few months cease to matter as the near tragedy bonds them all together once more. He's not sure if it'll last, considering, but he's still relieved whenever he sees the other man's eyes for more than a few minutes as his strength slowly returns. Soon Memo has to return to Puerto Rico and there is talk of releasing Ricardo from the hospital. Alberto ponders how nice it'd been to have someone else around the house again, Sofia also pleased with having his hermanito to take care of. Which gives him another idea after he leaves Memo at the airport and drives back to the hospital, taking the same path that Ricardo had been on not even two weeks earlier. He swallows harshly when he sees the damaged tree they'd impacted with being cut down, its bark still showing signs of the wreck as though it'd happened just minutes earlier.
This cements his decision and when he arrives at Ricardo's hospital room, he leans against the bed and stares down at him as he sleeps, sighing faintly while he waits anxiously for him to come to once more. Finally it happens and their eyes lock, Ricardo still groggy. "Memo is safely on his way back to Puerto Rico. Which means my house is once more quiet and empty." Sitting down next to his former friend, he tilts his head. "This means Sofia will be lonely and bored, which means she will go into overdrive with the cooking and cleaning." Ricardo smiles, seeing where this oft repeated complaint is going. "So I will have no idea where to find anything, and my diet will be in jeopardy... but there is a way to rectify all of this. Conveniently enough, the hospital has plans to release you soon. What do you say? Stay with Sofia for awhile, and keep her company? She can help you with the remainder of your recovery and perhaps my house and diet will remain in tact..." And perhaps I will feel less guilty...
Ricardo watches him for a long moment, weighing the decision as best as he can in his present state, considering his injuries, before nodding slowly. "I would like that."