You felt like the worst girlfriend in the world as you ran through the back hallways of the arena, attempting to make your way to the car bay.
You'd been in your locker room, finalizing getting ready in your ring gear, when Nattie had come in, asking if you'd been watching the current match. Truth be told, you'd been so busy being in your hometown, visiting with people and making appearances, that you hadn't remembered to turn on the closed-circuit TV. You were too focused on getting ready for your own title match that night on the PPV.
But all it took was one sentence from Nattie for all of your focus to shift entirely away from anything to do with you.
"Enzo got hurt in his match."
Enzo. Your boyfriend. Sweet, goofy, absolutely unpredictable Enzo. He was hurt.
Without even asking for follow up from Nattie, you'd exited the room, and immediately began to sprint down the hallway. Everyone seemed to move out of your way once they saw you coming, which made you even more fearful as to what had happened. It was like everyone understood your haste and panic.
By the time you'd made it to the back parking area, it was full of people, voices loud to be heard over other voices. You shoved your way through, finally coming upon Enzo on a stretcher, being loaded into the back of an ambulance.
"Fucking move!" There was no niceness to your tone or actions. Just as you were about to reach Enzo, an arm grabbed yours, stopping you. The look that you threw over your shoulder, not caring who it was, would have made the best of men cower. Unfortunately, this particular man was well used to you and your behavior, being somewhat of a mentor.
"Easy," David Finlay's soft voice ordered. "He's alright. Awake and talking."
"Then let me see him! Let me the fuck go!" Finlay's eyes met that of a few people around you, before he let go of your arm, allowing you to hastily climb up into the back of the ambulance. You were immediately beside Enzo, who's eyes came up to yours.
"Hey gorgeous."
"Don't sweet talk me right now! What happened? What hurts?" You couldn't mask your panic if you had tried, and you definitely weren't trying.
"I'll be fine," Enzo assured you, moving his hand as much as the he possibly could being strapped down, indicating he wanted yours. You immediately linked your fingers with his, leaning over to kiss him repeatedly; on the lips, cheek, forehead, anywhere you could. "I love you. Go kick ass in your match."
"What? NO! I'm coming with you," you argued, tightening your hand with his.
"Come on, they need to take him," Finlay's voice spoke up. Your wild eyes flew to meet his, then back to Enzo, and back to the older man again. "He'll be taken care of. You'll be with him soon."
"I DON'T CARE!" you declared angrily towards Finlay. "I want to go with Enzo! Fuck my match!"
You didn't end up getting your way. Finlay had to pull you away from the ambulance, and you felt your heart drop with the sounds of the back doors shutting, and the sirens starting up.
"Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" you screamed into the grouping of people that were standing around, pulling away from Finlay in your emotional state.
After watching the ambulance leave with your significant other, you found yourself in the makeup chair for the second time that night, getting your tear-streaked makeup redone. You'd stupidly asked to watch a replay of the injury, and what you'd seen had made all of your emotions came to the surface.
And despite winning the Diva's title, in front of your hometown crowd full of friends and family, your heart didn't feel good. All you wanted was to see Enzo, know he was OK, kiss his stupid face some more.
You probably set a record time in changing out of ring gear into street clothes. There was no method to your mayhem backstage, throwing clothes and gear into your suitcases without a care. You tracked down Cass quick enough, and headed out with him. The car ride to the hospital was entirely silent between you and Cass, both of you too into your own heads over the situation to be any type of decent company for the other.
Arriving at the hospital, you'd quickly and quietly made your way in to the ER. There'd been some confusion, some resistance, and some arguments…but after about a half hour you found yourself walking down the hallway to Enzo's room.
Nothing really prepared you for seeing your boyfriend in a hospital gown in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines you didn't know the purpose of. You quickly noted that he wasn't attached to almost any of them, which brought you some relief.
"Did you have your match?"
"…what?" To say you had not expected that to be the first question from Enzo was an understatement.
"Did you win?" Enzo asked.
"Wha…yea, yes I had my match and everything happened and I have the title but that…it doesn't matter, Enzo. You're in a hospital right now!"
"I am aware of that fact," he agreed, a smirk coming to his face. You just stared at him, genuinely unsure of how he could be so calm right now and how confused you were with a million different emotions inside yourself.
"Well, you gonna stay over there or come 'ere?" You slowly took steps in, coming to stand beside the hospital bed he was in, though you remained out of his reach. "Gorgeous, I'm not gonna ask ya again. Come here," he stated, patting beside himself on the bed.
You shuffled over, causing him to move himself to the opposite side of the bed giving you more room. You took the physical hint, and sat down before bringing your legs also up on to the bed. You laid yourself out next to him, and the second you were stable on the bed, he put an arm around your shoulders, pulling you against himself.
Laying your head on to his shoulder, you also rested your arm across his abdomen, gripping his opposing hip, anchoring yourself to him. Enzo leaned his head down, pressing a firm kiss to your forehead, lingering for a moment before pulling back just enough to rest his head on yours. You relaxed against him, taking comfort in the feel of him, finally beginning to realize that he was more-than-likely going to be just fine. He was alive. He was next to you. He was talking and looked like his usual goofball self.
"Heard you caused quite a scene backstage," Enzo commented. You shrugged your shoulders slightly in response. "Heard there were some tears." You didn't respond to this, biting at your lip. "Heard you mighta yelled at some people who didn't need to be yelled at."
"I don't remember exactly what was said…."
"I'm sure we can get someone in here to tell you," he said.
"That's OK," you declined. Enzo smirked to himself, kissing your head again before sitting himself up straighter.
"Hey, look at me," he requested gently. You lifted your head from his chest, leaning back to be eye level with him. His eyes searched yours for a moment. "I'm a'right," he assured you.
You looked back at him, realizing for the first time that he was. He looked present, nothing of concern visible in his eyes or on his body. Maybe a little pain, but that was to be expected. Then again, how he looked didn't mean anything really; he had a concussion and that wasn't always obvious on the outside. Who knew what was happening inside his body right now. For all they knew, his brain could be on the first step to nothing good. He could come home tonight and not wake up tomorrow.
"Hey, hey, come on beautiful, don't cry," he stated, bringing up his other hand to rest on your cheek lightly, using his thumb to brush away a tear. "Talk to me. What's up?"
"I just…," you paused, feeling all of the emotions of the night about to spill over and out of you. "I don't do good with fear. And that's all tonight has been. From the…the second Nattie found me…I've just been living in this fear…. Now it's relief, because you are here. …But what if you're not OK? What if something worse comes from this? I'm just…that would be…," you trailed off, unable to form words through the panic that was rising in you. He wasn't dead now, but how close had he come? How close was he still?
"Breathe," Enzo advised you, his voice soft. "Hey, look at me, and breathe," he requested, using his hand on your face to force you to continue to keep your eyes with his. "Come on baby…don't work yourself up."
You knew somewhere deep inside that logically you were taking this much too far. But it had been such a startling reality check tonight for you. It was the first time you'd seen Enzo take a scary bump and get a scary injury. It shattered whatever little bit of rose-colored glasses you had been wearing.
"I get it, trust me, it scared me too," he confessed. "But I am OK. The doctor's looked me over. A concussion is something that can be worked with. I ain't paralyzed, I ain't dead. I'm right here, next to you."
"But…."
"No," he cut you off. "We are not playing the 'what if' game, a'right? There's no use in that. We're just gonna focus on the fact that we are gonna leave this place soon, go home, get some sleep, and deal wit' tomorrow when tomorrow comes." You just stared at him. "This is where you say 'yes, babe'."
"Yes, babe," you murmured, not being able to keep the amused look off your face.
"Alright then," Enzo closed the conversation, pulling your face up towards his to kiss you properly on the lips. After a few more short kisses, you parted, gazing at each other. You realized his eyes were practically sparkling as he smiled at you. He dropped his hand from your face, resting it back beside himself on the bed.
You both sat in silence for a few moments, before you took your hand off his side, and reached up to caress his cheek lovingly for a moment, which he leaned in to. Turning his head, he kissed the palm of your hand.
"Right here mama, not goin' anywhere," he assured you again gently.
That was when you realized, you had made this all about yourself from the moment you arrived.
"Fuck, I'm such a bitch, how are you even feeling? I didn't even ask! I assume your head has to be killing you right now," you stated.
"You're fine. And it's been better," he agreed. "It just…hurts. More my neck that's sore though, honestly." He anticipated your next move before you even made it. You let go of his face, thinking of distancing yourself from him in order to allow him the ability to get comfortable on the bed. Enzo tightened his arm around your shoulders however, keeping you next to him. "Nope. You're stayin' right there. It doesn't hurt that bad like this, I promise."
"OK…." You knew at this point to not try and argue him, but looked away in annoyance all the same. You were too tired to even try arguing him honestly, but he didn't need to know that.
"I gotta tell you something," Enzo stated, drawing your eyes back up to this.
"What's that?"
"I love you," he replied. "Like, a whole fucking lot. … There is nobody else I'd want with me right now."
"Well good, coz you're kinda stuck with me," you said. "I love you too, in case my spastic displays of emotion have not conveyed that properly."
"Eh, I kinda took a hint, but kinda like hearing it too." He grinned, leaning down to kiss you again. "So, you won the title huh? Congrats, mama."
"Thanks," you replied. "I uh…I kind of maybe caused a little controversy in doing that though…."
"What? What did you do?"
"Wellllll…," you drew out the word. "I kind of, ya know, wasn't exactly in the right head space out there, given the whole you being taken away on a stretcher bit. And I kind of maybe let everything get the better of me…." You trailed off again, Enzo continuing to just look down at you, giving you a look to continue. "So I kind of maybe used Punk's finisher to win the match."
"You did not," he replied in a flat tone. "SERIOUSLY?"
"In my defense, it's not like I shouted out his name or some shit before doing it! I just, I dunno, I'm home in Chicago, I was pissed and scared and freaking out and I dunno, I just did it. It seemed like it made sense at the time?"
"Oh man," Enzo laughed. "Oh shit, babe, you so are getting lectured for that one."
"I mean, whatever, yell at me, fine me, I don't really care honestly," you said. "Everyone else can pretend he wasn't a thing, but I'm still going to do the opposite of that. Chicago strong and all that shit."
"Well, maybe my injury won't be the most talked about thing then," he stated.
"And you're welcome for that," you replied, grinning cheekily.
The two of you fell in to a comfortable silence at that, as the events of the night started to settle in your brain. A nurse came in at one point to check on Enzo, and let the two of you know the doctor on call would be in soon to go over the results of the MRI entirely. Having never been down this road before for such an injury, you didn't know if that was a good or bad sign. You hoped good.
You just wanted to take Enzo and go home to your place with him and be in your own far more comfortable bed with him.
"You said home," you whispered, as you thought about it.
"Huh?"
"Earlier, you called this home," you explained, tilting your head back to look up at him.
"…it's growin' on me," Enzo replied. "What's the song you always love? Something like, 'home is wherever I'm with you'? Kinda makes sense, ya know? We're always gonna be all over the world, but as long as I got you with me, it's all good." You couldn't help the smile that came to your face.
"Youalways bitch when I put on my indie music," you pointed out.
"Well yea, it's kinda annoying," he said. "But don't mean I don't hear it when it's on." You put your head back down to his chest, smiling at the kiss he laid on your temple.
"It's been a pretty good couple years," you sighed in content.
"Good? Woman, Tony the fucking Tiger wouldn't even be able to express how great these last couple have been," Enzo declared, causing you to laugh. "Ain't nothin' better than the life I've got right now."
"Says the man in a hospital bed."
"…a'ight. That's fair." You giggled, as he pulled you tighter against his chest.
Enzo was right; despite the crazy and unpredictable lifestyle you led, life with him was the best you'd ever had. And once you got him out of the hospital, and were given the all clear, you'd make sure to show him just how much you loved him. A little 'I'm so glad you're not dead and you're mine' celebration. It was in order.