"Okay. Around the ring and back through it, pretend I'm Charlotte, alright?" Becky said, Amanda nodding before the chasing part of the script was being practiced between the two… nearby were Dean and John.
And the two heard it, sprinting down to ringside… Amanda was on the ground, having pulled herself up to where she could sit but couldn't straighten out her legs as Becky kept her hands on Amanda's shoulders.
"Mandy, anything feel broken?!" John asked.
"No… just can't stretch them out." Amanda responded, John crouching down and picking her up into his arms before standing back up to his full height and took her to the back with Becky and Dean following.
"Becca, what happened?" Finn asked after seeing them and running to them.
"We were running through the match I have later and Mandy tried to jump off the steps but tripped and fell…" Becky answered as Finn walked to where John had set Amanda and saw that her knees and wrists were bruised.
"Somehow, I did an unintentional front flip and landed on my back… tried to protect my head." Amanda said as Dean went to find the doctor. "I feel like an idiot… it's Charlotte's match, why isn't she here to run through the script?" She muttered as Finn carefully took her bruised wrists into his hands.
"We all get issues we have to sort, she probably got caught up somewhere." Finn said as he carefully examined Amanda's wrists, his colder hands providing some small relief to the aching in them.
"She might be thinking that this feud will hit an emotional spot with her like her one with Paige did… I know it was scripted and Paige hated doing it but that was still wrong to bring up Reid." Amanda responded as Dean returned with Dr. Amann.
"She tripped and fell, no idea if she hit her head." Dean explained, Dr. Amann finding a small bruise on the right side of Amanda's head.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say head injury or no head injury, you're sending me home after the MRI scan comes back?" Amanda asked.
"Hunter would lose it if I don't, kiddo." Dr. Amann responded, examining Amanda's wrists and knees… but when he touched the left one, she hissed and moved towards Finn and John, Finn helping calm her down. "Yeah… one of you hold her still."
"Wait, why?" Amanda asked hesitantly, Finn resting his hands on her sides as Dr. Amann relocated the knee, Amanda suppressing a scream by covering her mouth.
And it would've gone unnoticed by anyone else if they didn't have the sensitive hearing that the 3'5" alien in the parking lot did.
"Wait, where are you going?!" Cody asked as Zosha started to run towards the building, turning midway to face him.
"Screaming Mandy and a bone crunch sound, and you're gonna stand there?!" Zosha responded.
Cody followed her into the arena and where they were, Amanda hiding her face in Finn's right shoulder so they wouldn't see her tears, Finn holding her to him as Zosha rested her hands on Amanda's left knee… to her relief, there were no broken bones, tears in any of the muscles or ligaments.
"It's okay, we've all torn a limb out of its socket a time or two in our lives." John whispered, kissing Amanda on the top of her head and lightly stroking her shoulder length hair.
"You'll be bruised and aching… but nothing immobilizing. You'll be back in action by the end of the week." Zosha said quietly as her three fingered hands rested either side of the knee, compelling the muscles to eventually loosen up after a few seconds.
Amanda nodded after looking up and slowly moved her knee, taking slow deep breaths. She looked at Finn and Cody and sensed the tension on Cody's part.
Zosha looked at Cody and Cody left abruptly, Zosha looking back at Amanda.
"Bit of a jealous type, that one." Zosha said.
"He's got no right to be jealous, he's married." Amanda replied, feeling Finn's hands rub her shoulders and turning to him." You got any jealous exes, Finn?" She asked as his right hand rested on her back.
"Not exactly jealous but… she didn't handle the breakup well." Finn answered as he kissed Amanda on her forehead.
At John's house after being checked out at the hospital and the MRI scans on her head coming back clean, Amanda was getting out of the shower and dried off with a towel before she got dressed in pajamas when she heard her voicemail message go off on her bedside phone… the caller was a woman with an Irish accent and clearly angry as she spoke.
"Think you're something special just because you and him share the same bed, you're nothing more than a-"
"This is considered harassment so why do you go get off this phone and find something else to do?!" Amanda responded after picking up the phone, the woman on the other end clearly startled by her voice.
"Oh, I'm pursuing the one true love of my life, and nothing will get in my way! Not even a slut like you!" The woman shouted in response.
"Dúirt Finn go ndearna sé leatsa!" Amanda replied, the woman taken aback by the Irish she hadn't expected to hear.
"Taught it to ya, huh?! Well listen here you little-" The woman said, hearing the phone being taken out of Amanda's hand.
"Don't ever call this or any of our numbers again, Aileen!" Finn responded, hanging up and putting the number on the block list.
"You said she didn't handle it well, you didn't say she acts like the mistress from Fatal Attraction. How bad was it?" Amanda said as Finn helped her sit down and put the soft brace on her knee.
"When I first joined the WWE, she didn't want to travel with me… she wanted to stay in Ireland and start a life…" Finn explained.
"And you weren't ready to settle down just yet?" Amanda asked after Finn sat down next to her.
"I suppose I was still partially in that young adult desire to travel the world. It's hard to do when getting on the road, forming solid relationships… and it may work for some, but a long distance relationship wouldn't have worked with us… I tried to help her maybe settle into life on the road with me, but she wouldn't have it. But she saw it more as abandonment in the end." Finn explained.
"It's never easy… being on the road so much out of the year, you form bonds with your coworkers more than your loved ones at home. They become your second family. Your friends, siblings… sometimes, romantic relationships form too. Even if we don't intend on it happening." Amanda replied as Finn rested his left hand on her right one. "I haven't been home much since I was 15… I lost out on high school friends who think I abandoned them and it's not the same thing as losing out on someone you wanted it to work out with but..." She said quietly, Finn knowing that she was trailing off and mentally telling herself to shut up.
"It's okay… we all had to sacrifice things to have this life. It's like truck driving or military service, it's one of those careers where the comforts of home become secondary." Finn replied, his hand moving from hers to her back as he lightly pulled her towards him, rubbing his hand up and down her arm once his arm was around her back.
"And everything around us becomes second nature." Amanda whispered as her eyes felt heavy from the painkillers.
She dozed off in his arms… and began to think back.