Hey, guys. This is my first slightly non-slash work of fiction. Acknowledged one sided love, secretly returned one shot. Alberto visits Ricardo in the hospital. I don't own either of them, or anybody mentioned. I wish I did, but I do not...darn it.

Alberto Del Rio hadn't expected Paul Wight to come running down the ramp. He also hadn't expected his back to hit the canvas once more. But his biggest surprise of all was when more weight was added, and Paul was suddenly practically thrown off of him. He saw a flash of the familiar tanned skin and felt ready to faint.

His best friend in the world was sacrificing himself, so he could get away. Alberto knew better than to look a metaphorical gift horse in the mouth, and escaped. He knew someone would help his best friend…Or at least he hoped so. He didn't want Ricky, as he'd come to call the man, hurt.

In the end Alberto, biting on his lips, watched on the backstage screen as Kane told Paul that he would kill Ricardo, and held him back. But Paul went back, and Kane had to grab onto him again. Alberto shook, worriedly. Ricardo was carted backstage, and he felt ill, seeing the man. His face was bruised up, his shoulder was sticking out, his head was bleeding, and the man had four broken ribs.

He was told by Steve Austin he was not allowed to go see Ricardo yet, that they had to make sure he would be alright before anyone was able to get in to see him.

When he made it back to the hotel, he felt even sicker. Cody Rhodes - who had been up at the hospital looking after Evan, who's ribs were being taped up - had called him, and said he'd seen Ricardo going through the halls, and that he'd gotten worse since Alberto had seen him at the show. He'd also informed Alberto that Ricardo was allowed visitors in the morning.

As thankful as Alberto was to Cody for informing him, the picture text message was not helpful. It was all his fault Ricardo was in hospital. He felt like he was going to vomit, even worse than during the drive home. He didn't really have anyone to talk to either. Everyone thought he was a pompous ass.

Ricardo didn't though - right from day one, the two had come to an understanding, which had developed into a friendship, and for Alberto, something more. He knew he loved the man. Hell, he'd openly admitted it to the man, who had only hugged him, and told him that no matter who he loved, he would be his friend. That hadn't helped matters for Alberto, but Ricardo was always very kind to him about his feelings. He never did anything that would cause Alberto to become more hungry for him, or even anything to hurt Alberto.

And he appreciated every last effort the man put in to make sure they were both comfortable with their friendship. Ricardo was so sweet about the whole thing, it made Alberto feel awful about some of the things that Creative had him say to Ricardo, and about him.

He couldn't help but to hit his pillow, cursing the cruel facts, before taking everything out on his pillow. By the end of it, Alberto was littered in feathers. A few nestled on his head, while he panted, wiping back tears that he knew he shouldn't have let fall out of his muddy brown eyes.

He snarled at himself. "Crying is a sign of weakness!" He spat at himself. An unexpected voice popped up behind him, startling him slightly. When he turned around, it was a very blonde Dolph Ziggler grinning at him from under his blonde shaggy locks.

"What?"

"You know, it's not fair to judge yourself too harshly." He repeated. "It's not your fault Ricardo wanted to protect you from Paul. Hell, any good friend would…"

"Ricardo is my mejor amigo. My entire…existencia without him, would be sin valor!" Alberto answered, in his thick accent. He smiled for a second, remembering how hard it was for Ricardo to speak any form of English…Outside of a few names.

Dolph grinned knowingly at him. "Y'know…we're all slightly gay, even if we won't admit it. I'll admit to having made out with Zack Ryder before! We still have an on/off relationship…Maybe your Ricky will be able to tell you soon."

Alberto gushed. "He's not mine…He's got a little youngling…little Conswayla! I couldn't ever do that to him…" He muttered.

"Little Conswayla mightn't mean anything to him when he has you."

"Stop making me blush, dos caras! Ricardo is a man of honour, he would never leave his wife to be with me, no matter how much I wish it. Now leave, and go back to your…Kaitlyn?"

"Kaitlyn…Yeah, see ya later, Alberto. Take care of Ricardo for us…"

Alberto swore in Spanish after the man, as he flung himself back first onto his bed, glaring at the roof of the hotel room he had been stuck in.

"You're in far too deep…" He said quietly to himself. "Too deep to get out of, now…" The room was quiet and desolate without his friend in here. He'd have given anything for him to have been in the hospital instead of Ricardo. It wasn't fair. The man always risked himself for Alberto, and what did he do back?

Moon over the man, insistently…A small voice in the back of his head told him. He grumbled as he rested his head against his pillows, which made him realise they smelled slightly of Ricardo's favourite cologne. He loved it too - it wasn't feminine, per se, but it was slightly fruity smelling. He loved it when he woke up after Ricardo, and the whole room smelled like berries.

He knew little Conswayla loved it too. When he had met the little girl, she'd stuck to her daddy like glue, because of the 'pretty smell'. Alberto smiled a little, as he rolled over to flick his lights out. That was better…No one would knock on his door if they thought he was asleep…

"Alberto?"

"ARGH!" He yelped, as a voice from inside the room spoke, instead of outside the door like he predicted. He flicked his light back on, and glared at the man in front of him. Of course, Evan Bourne would be the one to sneak into his bedroom. How he didn't notice it wasn't that far beyond him. At least the man was alright…unlike his Ricardo.

"Hey…Cody and I just got back. I thought you'd like to know Ricardo's awake and he's asking for you. If you want to visit him tonight, the doctors gave us this to give to you…Special access grant. That, and you're listed as his emergency contact, so they figured you should drop by." Evan gave him a special smile, one he normally reserved for his closest friends.

"Y'know…you and Ricardo are lucky that you have each other…Who'd help the other when things got messed up like this?"

"…Thank you, Evan." Alberto told him, and the man grinned and escaped, while Alberto threw his shoes back on, grabbed onto the paper, and took off. He forgot about his car, and ran the way to the hospital listed on the paper Evan had given him.

"Ola…I'm Ricardo Rodriguez's emergency contact…I'd like to see him. Rapidos." He added. The woman at the desk nodded her head sweetly, and took the paper off of him.

"Just down the hall, third on the right…" She didn't even finish her sentence, before Alberto was off, jogging off in the direction she'd pointed out to him.

"Ricardo!" He called. The man's hazel eyes found him instantly and they seemed to suddenly smile at him. Even his mouth smiled. And it melted Alberto from the inside. He could almost feel his insides going gooey. He crossed the room - unsure how, when his legs felt like jelly - and wrapped an arm around the man.

He could have just been hallucinating, but he could have sworn Ricardo had just kissed his shoulder. He smiled down at the man, and picked up his chart to check it.

"All good, amigo! You can come home tomorrow, if nothing…complicates over night." Alberto said gently, smiling frowned, trying to work out English words.

"I…missed…you." He frowned, uncertain of the meaning. But he'd seen people cuddling and being worried when they said those words, so he figured they meant something similar to what he was trying to say.

Alberto beamed at him, and offered him a notepad he'd stuffed into his pocket and handed it to Ricardo, who beamed up at him. He could write well enough, but pronunciation was difficult for him.

"I was worried about you, mi amigo! Why would you do something so…foolish?" Alberto asked, before Ricardo wrote on the paper.

"I didn't want you to be the one sitting here." Ricardo pointed the words out as he wrote them out. Alberto felt his heart melt at those words.

"Better you, than me, Ricky. I don't have a daughter to care for…Little Conswayla must be so worried about her papa." Alberto said quietly, and Ricardo nodded, writing more words down on the paper, frowning to himself as he did so.

"Family already called - she called me a fool, and Conswayla was asleep. Mama and papa thought it was a strange act too."

"Then why did you do it, Ricardo?" Alberto asked again, sitting down beside him, while Ricardo decided to loose the pen and paper, causing him to slip into very bad English.

"You…wrestler. I announce you. I do no fighting." Ricardo said a little slowly, and Alberto smiled a little bit at him. "You still help me, Ricardo - how am I meant to cheat now?" He asked, and Ricardo found himself laughing, as he leaned against the hospital bed.

"I don't know." Ricardo said, while Alberto looked for the paper and pen. Ricardo smiled when Alberto took hold of his hand, and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

"Thank you, Ricardo." He said softly. "I owe you one." Alberto told him, and Ricardo shook his head a little bit. "You owe me nothing." Ricardo said, smiling until the doctor came in to tell Alberto he had to go. Alberto kissed Ricardo's hand again, before he left the room.

Ricardo sighed when Alberto left the room, and the doctor started running a few more tests on him. He would never tell him. He never could, he was bound to his wife, who never loved him. He felt a little sick in the stomach, as he watched Alberto's back leaving the hospital.

But he knew - it was all for the best.

Alberto will have to stay mi mejor amigo.

…TOO much sweetness for ME. *faints* BUT, this story had to be done - it was buzzing around in my head, killing me for days. SO, this is all done, hopefully Nyet will stop pestering me!