He got stares, of course. Maybe it was the ears. Maybe this was an establishment that didn't think guys should wear purple.
Why else? Who knew who he was, really? He was no big guy like John Cena or Brock Lesnar.
As far as he knew, nobody even liked wrestling much anymore.
Adrian Neville approached the reception desk in the hospital's lobby. An administrator on the phone smiled at him and raised a finger to inform him she'd be with him in a moment. He waited for her awkwardly, eyes skimming over the off-white walls of the Birmingham hospital, flecked with awards, photographs of the staff, motivational quotes. As though those were supposed to help patients recover faster. Adrian moved the bouquet of flowers from his left hand to the right, hoping this nice woman wouldn't assume they were for her. Their sweet scent pleased his nose.
The blonde administrator returned the ancient corded phone to its cradle, and her smile broadened. "How can I help you?" she asked.
"I'm actually here to see a patient," Adrian explained. "He had surgery this morning, and I'm not sure if he's out yet."
"What's the name?"
"Sami Zayn."
"Oh!" Her sky-blue eyes radiated at the name. She must have been a fan, or found the redheaded Canadian pro-wrestler gorgeous. A lot of women did. Even Adrian could admit his best friend was insanely attractive. "Yes, let me see what I can find out…" She for the phone again.
It didn't take her long. She spoke some words into the receiver, waited through a pause, then thanked whomever she'd called and hung up the phone again. "Mr. Zayn has been moved to the PACU."
Adrian blinked, not sure what the acronym meant.
"The post-anesthesia care unit."
"Oh. Can I see him?"
"Certainly. The recovery ward is in the western wing, second floor, left side, past the chapel."
"Thank you." Adrian nodded at her, then swung to the right to make his way there.
"Oh, wait a minute," she said. He noticed she was regarding him oddly. He thought there might have been a problem until her expression flashed with enthusiasm.
"You're a wrestler, too!" she exclaimed, any sense of professionalism wearing off. "You're, um…you're…" Her hand waved in a circular motion as she racked her brain for his name. "The man that gravity forgot!"
Adrian smiled. "I am."
"I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you before. It's actually kind of hard to recognize you with, uh…" Her cheeks reddened like two roses, already embarrassed to say whatever she was about to say. "With all the clothes on."
Adrian laughed. "Yeah, I do strip down pretty far out there, huh?"
"And the hair. You, uh, always have your hair down, too. And no glasses. But you're very handsome anyway." She was flustered and he was flattered, but he had to get a move on. He hadn't seen Sami in weeks and he was anxious to surprise him like this. And these flowers probably needed water again soon.
To conserve his identity as a nice guy, Adrian took hold of a pen from a cup packed with marbles and signed a hospital map for her. She looked overawed as he handed her the autographed paper. Then he took one for himself, in case her lost her directions by the time he made it to the elevator.
"Thank you for your help," Adrian told her.
She nodded, pressing her lips together. "Mhmm!"
The map turned out to be useless, in his favor, as signs posted frequently about the facility guided him to the right area. A nurse with a clipboard lingered outside the area marked "RECOVERY WARD."
"Excuse me, do I have permission to go inside?" Adrian asked the nurse. "I'm here to visit a patient."
She glanced up from her notes, and her jaw unhinged. She recognized him, too. "Oh, my God," she said, touching a hand to her chest. "You're Neville!"
Adrian beamed at another fan. "Pleasure to meet you, um, Morgan," he responded, glancing over her name tag.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to gush, but…" Her lips seemed to be holding in a squeal. "You're my favorite wrestler on the main roster. I've watched you since your NXT debut. That night you showed up on Raw to put Curtis Axel in his place, I definitely cheered." She laughed heartily.
"Thank you. That's very kind of you."
A revelation made her jaw plummet closer to the floor. "You're here to visit Sami, right?"
"I am."
"Aww! And you brought him flowers…oh," she said, covering her smiling mouth with her hand. "That's so sweet of you. You guys make me felt."
"Is he in there?" Adrian asked.
"He is! He's actually my patient. I've been taking care of him since he got here!"
"This must be a dream come true for you."
Morgan cocked her head. "Well, I would have rather met him backstage at an NXT live event or something." She tucked some of her coal-black hair behind her ear. "These circumstances…I could have done without."
Adrian nodded, saddened at the knowledge. "Yeah. I know what you mean."
Morgan gained access into the PACU with Adrian behind her. The room was long and narrow with white curtains separating the "rooms" from one another. "You have a visitor, Mr. Zayn," Morgan said, stopping in front of the last bed. She drew the curtain back, and Adrian nearly started gushing himself over the sight of Sami, his first one in so long.
He looked good, so good that it was like he'd never been injured in the first place, if Adrian wasn't reminded of that glum fact by the sling holding his arm secure, the thick bandages swathing him from neck to shoulder, the thin hospital gown almost unable to contain his muscular body on its own. Sami was radiating, his smile brilliant, encouraging, bullish. His red head scuttling down from head to chin was short, unchanged. He looked so normal. So good.
Like he'd never been injured…
"Nev!" he cried, sitting up to stand, but brought back to a reclining position by Morgan's authoritative hand on his good shoulder. "Oh, my God, I can't believe you're here."
"Surprise," Adrian said. He couldn't help but smile back. Everything about Sami's orientation was contagious. How he could be so jovial post-surgery was an enigma.
"You came all the way to Alabama to surprise me?"
"Aye."
"Wow. I'm feeling all kinds of special right now."
Morgan left them alone with a springy step.
"These are for you," Adrian said, holding the flowers up.
Sami gasped. "Aww. You didn't have to do that, man."
"Well, it was either this or a puppy. And I don't think those are allowed in here."
Sami laughed. Adrian had missed his laugh. Missed his buoyant attitude. Missed everything about Sami.
"Just lay them on the table," Sami instructed him. "I'll get Morgan to find a vase for 'em."
Adrian obeyed, shifting to Sami's bedside to set the long flowers on the table, bearing medicine bottles and a styrofoam cup. "Do you happen to know what kind of flowers these are?"
Sami studied the pale blue flowers with their golden-yellow centers for a moment, but he shook his head. "I don't. Do you?"
Adrian considered answering—and opted for denial. "Nah. I just thought they looked pretty."
"Just like you," Sami teased.
"Oh, come on. You're the prettiest out of the two of us."
"Damn straight."
"How are you feeling?" Adrian rested a hand lightly on Sami's good shoulder. His skin was soft, warm, the way he remembered it in handshakes and affectionate hugs.
"I'm feeling alright. Maybe a little loopy still as I'm coming off the knockout gas. So if I say something completely ridiculous, blame the drugs."
"Nah, I'll blame you. It's very much in your character to say completely ridiculous things."
"Can't get away with blaming the anesthesia?"
"Not with me. I know you."
"Ah, shoot. That's right. You do know me pretty well."
Adrian sighed. He didn't want to ask, but he needed to know. Whatever the answer was, it would be hard to hear. "How long did they say?"
Sami could read his mind. "'Till I can come back?"
"Yeah."
Sami's grin withered in the slightest. "At first, they said two to three months. Now I'm not sure. Could be a while."
Adrian drew in a rickety breath. Don't get weepy. He doesn't need that. "You know what, it's going to be alright. You'll heal up nicely, and then you'll be back to the main roster in no time."
"You don't think I blew my chance, blowing my shoulder?"
"Of course not. Maybe you spend a little more time in the NXT when you first get back, but McMahon was so impressed with you in your debut. And so was Cena. I know he was."
Sami raised a fluffy eyebrow. "That a fact?"
"Definitely. You earned the right to fight on the main roster, and when you're back, you'll take that place again. It's still there waiting for you. Nobody can fill it. It's specifically Sami Zayn-shaped."
The smile was back. Adrian was proud for that responsibility. Sami flexed his arm and said, "Hard to look like this without hard work."
"You look wonderful."
Sami's cheeks, already with a reddish tint to them, flushed distinctly.
"And I miss you," Adrian tacked on. "I'm going to miss you, for however long you're gone."
"Hey, don't spend your time missing me. Spend your time whooping on Kevin Owens until I get back and have my shot at that jerk again."
"Will do," Adrian promised. "When are you out of here?"
"They're keeping me under observation for a while. I'm not staying overnight though. Might get discharged this evening, if I pass all the right tests."
"I can sneak a cheat sheet in for you, if you like."
Sami laughed again. He was back. "Hey, don't question my physical skills. I could climb a mountain right now if I wanted. I don't have two injured shoulders and a pair of broken legs. I'm still awesome."
"Yes. Of course."
Morgan had wandered back over, looking apologetic. "I need to run a couple of tests on Sami," she said. "So…"
Adrian understood. He had to leave. "Alright. Sure. Hey, send me a text or something to let me know how you are, alright?"
"Will do. Thanks for coming by…completely out of your way, Adrian. That…wow." Sami shook his head. "Raw's in, what, New York or something coming up?"
"That's right."
"Like I said. I feel pretty special."
Adrian leaned forward to take Sami in the best hug he could. Sami could only hold him in return with one arm, but it was a strong hold just the same, a secure embrace, every bit of hope and promise for a quick return on Sami's end. Adrian didn't want to let go. Sami didn't want to let go.
But they did, together, at once.
"I'll see you around, Adrian," Sami said. "Thank you. Again. This was awesome."
"Anytime, Sami. Just don't make me do it again. Get yourself hurt again."
"No promises," Sami said, laughing sadly.
It really sucked to watch Adrian be escorted out of the ward and redirected to the parking lot by his kind nurse Morgan, but Sami still wasn't over the thrill of Neville's surprise. He reached over and drew one of the flowers from the bouquet. It was pretty. He sniffed the pedals. Delicious and sweet.
"He's a wonderful friend, isn't he?" Morgan asked on her return.
"He's the best," Sami agreed. My best friend.
"Those are really nice flowers," Morgan concurred with Sami's thoughts from before. "You don't know the species?"
"I failed my Floral Design class in junior college," Sami joked.
Morgan rolled her eyes with a smile. "Sami, they're forget-me-nots."
Sami blinked. "Really?"
"And they're not easy to come by. So I don't think it's a coincidence he got you these. He must really care about you, Mr. Zayn."
Morgan knew it. Sami especially knew it, but this…this was so much more than a friendly gesture. More than kindness from someone Sami considered family. Adrian had taken the time to travel across the country, somehow obtain flowers "not easy to come by", and deliver them in a surprise visit shortly after his surgery.
And the flowers just so happened to be called forget-me-nots.
Sami touched the flower to his chest, which had tightened with a flutter, his heart rapping inside his chest at the touching thought. The flattery. The warmheartedness of Adrian Neville.
I won't forget you, Adrian. Count on it.