Hey guys... i've missed ya. School's been hectic sorry about my lack of updates. But breaks coming up so i'm trying to get a bunch of stuff up. I've got so many ideas. Anyway, this is a story that somene asked me to write for them a while ago. I finally managed to get it together for them so Baybeetymz this for you. Sorry it took so long hun. Hope you like it ^-^ ^-^
Back to December
Gail sighed at the reflection staring back at her. Her caramel skin glowed with the slight blush she'd swept across her high cheek bones. Cat-like amber eyes were locked onto her mirror image while she ran a brush through her thick ink black hair, but she didn't really see anything anymore. Of course, the only thing she ever really saw to begin with was AJ Styles. The Georgia native pulled her in like the sun pulls the planets through their orbits. But Gail had veered off course and now shivered like the frozen satellite Pluto. She could still remember feeling a passion so intense they practically burst into flames every night. But she hadn't felt that delicious heat in quite a number of months.
A sharp knock reverberated against the locker room door; she gasped and dropped her brush.
"Hurry that pretty little ass of yours up darlin'" James Storm hollered. "We're on in ten."
Gail quickly twisted her long hair into a braid and secured it with a hair band. The one good thing about her heel turn was that she didn't have to hide her miserable expression. She wasn't expected to smile and wave anymore. She was grateful for that. When she opened the door of the Knockouts locker room both her boys were waiting for her.
Robert Roode looked her up and down. "You alright Doll?"
"I'm fine," she assured.
Beer Money exchanged a glance while their valet shouldered between them.
"Let's go," she ordered.
James Storm shrugged and took a practice swig from his beer bottle. Robert Roode shook his head and they hurried after Gail. She had reached the entrance of the ramp and was waiting while Jeremy Borasch introduced them. She was clenching and unclenching her hands while bouncing on the balls of her feet. The butterflies she still got before going out in the ring used to pale in comparison to the ones she got when a soft southern drawl used to whisper in her ear. Biting her bottom lip she tried to shake the memories from her mind. But a sudden familiar laugh reached in and clutched her heart in a vice. The butterflies were bombarded and fell prey to vicious ravenous bats.
"Well hey there boys," James Storm greeted. "Ya'll ready for the rubber match?"
"Absolutely," Christopher Daniels replied. "We can't wait to prove that last victory of yours was a fluke. Right AJ?"
The brunette was distracted by the zipper on his blue ring jacket; Chris squinted at his tag partner.
"AJ, you alright?"
He nodded but his artless blue eyes didn't look up. "Yeah. Fine."
Beer Money's music finally hit and Gail darted out from behind the curtain, her team had to hurry to make their signature pose. She didn't hold it long; she practically sprinted down to the 6-sided ring. James and Robert shared a discreet look before following their valet. Gail stood on the ropes and motioned to the fans with an appalled look. When she hopped down she turned right into the toned chest of James.
"You sure you can handle this Doll?"
She sneered and shoved him back. "I'm fine. Just make sure you keep focused. We don't need another repeat of last week."
"I said that I was sorry," James shrugged. "Bobby forgave me."
Gail opened her mouth to comment but the lights in the Impact Zone dimmed and Jeremy could barley be heard over the roar of the crowd as he introduced the opposing team. Gail forced herself not to glance up the ramp. Instead she stepped over the bottom rope and climbed down to the floor. She busied herself with tugging the hem of her blouse back into place. The lights came back up and she had to blink against them. She jumped when the timekeeper rang the bell.
The match progressed and Gail watched as her boys took shot after shot in order to deliver their own punishment. It was a back and forth contest; each team had their strengths but their opponents had a way to counter them by now. Styles and Daniels were able to fly around the ring and use the ropes as a third partner. Roode and Storm had more power behind them. They were able to get the others grounded but couldn't keep them down. Gail pounded on the mat trying to rouse her team and get them back on their feet. A pair of spin kicks sent them both out onto the floor. Gail growled and sunk her fingers into her hair. AJ dropped down to his hands and knees and Chris used him as a step to launch himself over the top rope at the larger team.
"No," Gail shouted. "Damnit!"
Before she even realized what she was doing she had kicked her heels off and climbed up to the opposite turnbuckle. AJ turned around and found her perched. Gail's feline like grace nearly deserted her; she almost lost her footing when she found AJ's cerulean eyes. Suddenly she was frozen like an ice sculpture. AJ took a step forward and the movement seemed to jar Gail's mind. She remembered they were in front of the Impact Zone and that she had hauled herself up to the top rope and now she had to do something. She stood elegantly and jumped just as effortlessly snapping off a perfect Hurricaranna. If AJ saw it coming he had no time to move or switch her momentum. Gail slipped under the bottom rope then ran around to the other side to her team. Christopher Daniels was able snag her by the arm and trap her against the apron. The fans cheered at the prospect of the knockout getting just what she deserved, but the distraction allowed Beer Money to regroup. They clobbered Daniels in the back and Gail slapped him for good measure.
"Go, pin him now," she ordered pointing into the ring.
Beer Money hurried in and hit their finisher on a helpless AJ. Robert Roode crawled over him for the three-count.
"Yes!" Gail jumped up and down outside the ring. She clapped for her boys and mocked the fans like she was supposed to.
Daniels rolled his groggy partner out of the ring and let him rest against the fan barricade. Robert held the middle rope up motioning for Gail to step in and join them. She entered the 6-sided ring and was immediately picked up onto James' shoulders. She actually laughed at their post match antics; but as she scanned the ring side area she saw AJ rubbing the back of his head as he followed Christopher back up the ramp. Her smile fell and she hoped the bump he'd taken hadn't been as bad as it had looked. She tapped James' shoulder and told him to put her down. She grabbed her boys' wrists and raised their arms in victory then she left the ring and headed up the ramp without looking back at Beer Money. James and Robert were quick to follow, but each emitted a hefty sigh after their valet. They slipped behind the curtain and nearly ran into the knockout. Gail had stopped dead on the last step and seemed dumbstruck as she watched a trainer shine a pen light into AJ's sapphire eyes. The Phenomenal One was sitting on a small grey tech case with an ice pack pressed to the back of his neck.
"No sign of a concussion," the medic concluded clicking his light off. "Just take it easy tonight and you should be fine for the house show tomorrow."
"Thanks," AJ said softly before the trainer nodded and promptly left to return to his office.
"You alright Doll?" Robert whispered over her shoulder.
"I'm fine… Stop asking me that," she groused and turned down the opposite corridor.
"I've never seen a broad so stubborn in all my life," James said while Beer Money watched their manager practically run down the hall.
"I know." Robert agreed. "But she's always been that way. She's always gotta let her pride get in the way before she figures out she's being dumb."
James shook his head and headed over to one of their adversaries. "You alright Styles?"
"I'm fine Jimmy," he sighed dropping his head down.
Robert glanced up the hall that AJ had been previously staring down and suddenly he knew that Gail was not alone in her turmoil.
"She got ya good man," James commented looking over the younger wrestler.
"What?" AJ's huge lagoon like eyes snapped up to the Tennessee Cowboy.
"She just about took you out with her Hurricanna man," he clarified.
"Oh," AJ blinked and let his gaze fall again. "Yeah… Almost."
"Ah, c'mon Jimmy, we should hit the showers and head back to the hotel. We got that meet and greet tomorrow morning."
"Alright. You got a ride and stuff AJ?"
"I'm fine yeah."
Robert barely resisted rolling his eyes at AJ's choice of words. "Alright. See ya then."
While Beer Money navigated the halls back to their locker room Robert was more talkative than usual.
"I knew they ended things too quickly. It was just like bam and she dropped him."
"Well things did get finalized just this past month. I don't blame her for leavin' him. Never should've started messin' around when he was still married," James argued.
"Oh please. You know just as well as I do that he's been staying with Daniels for the better part of a year. That marriage was over a long time ago. The kids might complicate matters but that doesn't change the fact that he hasn't gone home to see his wife in a while."
"Maybe not, but I still think it was a bad idea for him to spend so much time with Gail when they were off. I mean training her in the ring was one thing. He should've waited so that she wouldn't get tired of waiting for him."
"You sound like you got some experience in this situation Jimmy."
"Well, let's just say that I learned AJ's lesson the hard way. And if someone is worth leaving your wife for then you should make damn sure they'll still be there in the end."
"But it's hard to ignore feelings that have been lacking in your life while going through the pain of a divorce. You can't help who you find comfort in."
"Well no I guess not," James conceded. "But if it's real then why sabotage it and go after it when you're not ready to or not in a position to do so."
"Am I really the more passionate member of this team? Jesus dude, the heart wants what it wants when it wants it."
James shook his head. "I just think it's a waste of time if your heart's not free."
Robert opened his mouth to retort but suddenly he found himself agreeing. "Yeah, if they had waited they wouldn't be in this shit now."
"Exactly."
Beer Money met Gail in their locker room; the knockout had her bags all packed and waited impatiently for the boys to shower. She busied herself with haphazardly throwing their things in their bags. A knock on the door interrupted her and she finished zipping up Robert's bag before she went to answer it.
"Hey I…" AJ swallowed his tongue when Gail appeared in the door way.
It took the knockout more than a moment to finally find her own voice. "Did you need something?"
"Um… No. No, never mind. Sorry." He began to back away. "I didn't mean to bother you."
"You didn't!" Gail insisted then bit down on her bottom lip. "I mean it's fine. How's your head?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry. No permanent damage. You've never toned down your power with aerial moves before. I'm used to it by now."
"If you want to make it in this business you make sure you do everything 150%. Especially if you're a woman. You used to tell me that all the time."
"Well yeah, but that was before you were the knockout of the year. Now everyone's on notice."
"And I want them to stay that way."
A ghost of a smile haunted AJ's lips. "Still such a firecracker Kimmy."
Gail closed her amber eyes and felt herself fall back a step. The hand resting on the door frame began to tremble around it; she itched to shut the door.
"Kimmy?" AJ brought a gentle hand up to her cheek. It was clammy against her skin.
She jerked her cat like eyes open; they were caramel and dark chocolate swirled into a storm. She grabbed his wrist and held him tightly in place.
"No… I can't do this AJ. You made your choice remember."
"What choice? You just stopped returning my phone calls one day, you stopped coming down to the ring to practice. You just ripped yourself out of my life one day. I never got to choose, I never even got the chance to change your mind."
"Because I couldn't let you," Gail released his wrist and tried to retreat back into the locker room.
AJ pushed through the door and grabbed Gail's arm. He pulled her around to face him again.
"It's done. I'm officially single now. I know it was hard on you before, and it was selfish of me to put that on you. I'm sorry Kimmy… But please give me that chance now."
Gail shook her head and tried to shove him away. "No… I can't do this again. I can't just forget watching you pack your stuff to go back to her; I can't rearrange my entire schedule to meet you somewhere for just one night anymore. I can't… I can't let myself be used again."
"Used?" AJ repeated as he dropped her arm. "Yeah I guess I did use you. You were the whole reason I made it through all the bullshit with Claire. I used you to get myself out of bed in the morning; I used you to get through trial proceedings and custody hearings. I used you to get through my life as it was falling apart. Jesus, used you? Is that how you felt all along?"
Gail tried to fight the drops leaking out of her eyes, but as fast as she wiped them away new ones streamed down her cheeks.
"It just never seemed like it was going to end. I felt forgotten and replaceable. It was so easy for you to go back to her." She whispered and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
"Easy…" AJ scoffed. "Leaving you to go back was always hell. All the fights and the guilt were eating me alive, but it all seemed worth it when you were lying in bed beside me. I didn't forget all our dreams Kimmy. I want to open a school to teach wrestling when the time comes to give up TNA, I want to find your perfect three story house with the garden in the back; I want to watch you walk down the aisle toward me one day, I want to help you paint our daughter's nursery purple and pink. I never stopped wanting those things. But you… you just turned all that off and threw it away so easily."
Gail sobbed out loud that time and her hands flew to her face to cover the downpour of tears. James and Robert rushed from the en suite bathroom, both lacked a shirt and James was still yanking the zipper on his jeans up.
"What's goin' on?" The Tennessee Cowboy thundered. "Gail, you alright darlin'?"
"AJ?" Robert glared at the X-Division star when he spotted Gail's tears.
"I came by to see if that ride was still an option but then we got to talking. I didn't mean to cause such a mess. I'm sorry Kimmy… I'll just go."
AJ shuffled out the door pulling it closed behind him. He didn't even make it around the corner before he clenched his fist and jabbed the wall. The cement didn't yield, and he heard the crunch of bones before he really felt anything. It only took a second to sink in though and then pain exploded in his hand like he had seen the wall explode in his mind.
"Fuck!" He cursed. He cradled his damaged hand to his chest and slid down the wall. He let his legs buckle under him and he crashed to the tiled floor.
"What the hell?" Alex Shelley stuck his head out of the Guns' locker room. "AJ? Dude what are you doing?"
The Phenomenal One ignored the Detroit native and simply let his head droop under all the tension.
"Babe, c'mere, quick," Alex hurried to crouch next to his friend.
Chris Sabin poked his blonde head out the door, his ocean blue eyes widened at the sight and he came to rest on AJ's other side.
"What's going on dude?" He inquired trying to get AJ to bring his hand into the light.
"Forget it guys… It's nothing." AJ pulled his arm close again and let his head fall back into the wall with a hard thud.
"It's already swelling," Alex noted. "Definitely fractured."
Chris sighed but knew his partner's diagnosis was correct. "You've gotta get to a hospital bro."
"Did you punch the wall?" Alex asked inspecting the indentations on the bruising skin and the tiny crevices and cracks in the cement. "Jesus Christ dude."
"I said fucking drop it!" AJ snapped. "I'll be fine in a few minutes."
The Motor City Machine Guns shared an incredulous expression; Alex began to look up and down the hall trying to gather clues as to what provoked the unusual outburst. He caught a glimpse of Beer Money hustling out the locker room. Gail was tucked in between her boys with Robert's arm secured tight around her shoulder; her large sunglasses were pulled down over her eyes. Alex furrowed his brows.
"Sunglasses at night? Gail's not that much of a diva," he thought.
As soon as he glanced back at AJ it all fell into place. "Oh fuck," he cursed quietly.
"'Lex?" Chris questioned.
"It's not important right now babe. We gotta get AJ to the hospital."
"Fuck off Shelley," he grumbled through clenched teeth.
"Look dude," Alex began while he yanked the injured hand out of AJ's protective grip, "you've helped us through some shit so now you're gonna let us return the god damn favor. Got it?"
AJ could only grunt in a begrudging consent. Alex ran back into their locker room and returned seconds later with 2 back packs slung over his shoulder. He tossed a hoodie at Chris and told him to wrap AJ's hand up as gently as he could. The blonde complied working through the muffled moans of pain.
"Sorry man," he consoled when it was done.
Alex grabbed his good arm and nodded to Chris. The older member of the Guns took the other side as delicately as he could and they pulled AJ to his feet.
"Guys?" Christy Hemme called as she came around the corner. "Oh my god, what happened?"
"Not a good time Red," Alex replied as they began moving AJ toward the exit. "Find Daniels; tell him AJ fucked up his hand and to meet us at the hospital. Make sure you come with him."
"Why-" the red head began.
"I'll explain it all later." Alex interrupted making it obvious that he was done talking.
Christy wasted no time and sprinted off towards Christopher's locker room. The Guns managed to maneuver AJ into the back seat of their car. Chris followed in after him leaving shot gun for their bags. Alex jumped behind the wheel and threw the car into gear. The local Orlando hospital had a long standing relationship with TNA. Most of the staff had been on-call at least one show and seeing three wrestlers come through the sliding glass doors wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence.
"Gentleman?" the head nurse addressed.
"Our buddy had a minor altercation with a cement wall and his hand took the brunt of the damage," Alex explained.
"I see," she raised an eyebrow. "Well please take a seat and we'll get an x-ray lab all ready for him."
"Thank-you," he answered and they directed AJ to the nearest available chair.
"This is stupid," he hissed. "I coulda just iced it at the hotel."
"'Cause that's gonna help," Chris rolled his baby blues. "Face it dude, you really did a number."
AJ scowled and hunched further down into the lumpy cushion. It didn't take very long for a doctor to come forward pushing a wheel chair. He indicated that AJ should get in it and with some prodding from the Guns the wrestler clambered in and was taken back to the exam room. Chris fell into the vacant seat with a sigh; Alex took the one next to him and grabbed the arm of the chair to pull them closer together.
"What do you think happened? AJ's not usually one for violent outbursts." The blonde wondered.
"I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with a certain knockout who hasn't been quite herself these last few months," Alex concluded.
"You mean Gail?"
"Yeah, that's why I wanted Christy to come. I'm gonna have her text Gail when she gets here."
"Speaking of Red," Chris nodded toward the entrance as the knockout and Daniels ran through the door.
"Where's AJ? Is he alright?" Christopher demanded.
"He'll be fine, but he fucked his hand up for sure," Alex informed. "They just took him back to get an x-ray."
"Jesus," the bald man shook his head. "He really just punched the fucking wall? Why?"
"Well that's where Red comes in," the younger member of the Guns started to explain.
Christy objected to purposefully misleading her friend at first but she eventually agreed. She read the message to Alex before she hit send.
AJ's in the hospital… Don't have a lot of details but is sounds pretty bad. Sabin and Shelley had to rush him to the E.R. Get down her NOW.
"Perfect."
Christy sighed but she sent the message. A few minutes later her phone chimed with a response. She flipped her keyboard up and read the answer.
OMG. On my way. Tell me what you do know. Is he going to be alright?
"What do you want me to say?"
Alex thought for a moment and it was Daniels who spoke up.
"Tell her the truth; that we haven't heard anything yet."
Alex smiled while Christy typed it out. "Now we sit and wait."
They didn't have to wait long; it took barely 20 minutes for Gail and Beer Money to rush into the waiting room. Gail was ashen and without the sunglasses her amber eyes were puffy and bloodshot. She was wrapped up in James' huge leather jacket and was still trembling. Robert's arm around her waist seemed to be the only thing holding her up; but she shrugged them off and fisted Alex's t-shirt.
"What happened? Is he alright?"
"We found him in the hallway, he was a mess. He didn't wanna come but we had to bring him in. We're waiting on the doctor now." He replied putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Oh God," Gail covered her mouth with her a shaky hand and melted into the seat that Alex had previously graced. "Oh God… I told him I couldn't… I didn't listen to him. This is all my fault. He's just gotta be okay."
Christy glared at Alex and hurried to crouch in front of her friend. "He'll be fine sweetie. It wasn't that bad really."
"Then why hasn't anyone come to tell you anything yet?" Huge salty diamonds fell over her cheeks.
"They just took him back a little while before you got here. We'll have news soon." Christy brushed back a piece of hair that had come loose and pulled the distraught knockout into an embrace.
The saucy red head made sure to catch Alex's attention and the daggers she was throwing made him slip safely behind Chris. The blonde turned to away from the anger as well.
"Are you sure this is a good idea 'Lex? I feel like we kinda over did it here."
"People don't appreciate things until they almost lose them; it took me shattering my jaw to get us together."
"That was totally different," Chris reprimanded. "For one thing you were seriously injured and for another I had to watch you hit the unpadded turnbuckle. And neither one of us had an ex-wife or kids to consider."
"Yeah but baby look at her… She's miserable so that just proves that she still loves him."
"Yes but-"
Alex rebuked anything the blonde was going to say by capturing his lips in a soft kiss. Chris sighed into the affection, and subconsciously admitted that this was a much better way to end an argument. As the Detroit boys managed to pull themselves away from each other they noticed a doctor approach the group.
"Well I take it you're all here for AJ?"
"Is he alright? I have to see him," Gail leapt out of the chair.
"He's comfortable for now. We gave him something for the pain thankfully the fracture wasn't that serious. We were able to set it without any trouble and in 4-6 weeks he should be as good as new. He has an air cast around his wrist and obviously he won't have mobility of his hand for that length of time."
"His hand?" Gail was confused. "What exactly happened to him?"
The doctor glanced from the clearly distressed young woman to the other members of the group.
"Um… well AJ said that he punched a cement wall."
"He punched a wall?" Gail whipped around on the other wrestlers. "Shelley…" She seethed.
"Now before you go all dragon lady on me just think how concerned you were a few minutes ago, you obviously still have feelings for him," Alex poked his head over Chris' shoulder but made sure to keep the blonde in position as his shield.
"That has nothing to do with anything," she snapped. "You deliberately made me think it was something life threatening."
"And now you know how much AJ's life means to you… You're welcome."
Robert just managed to get his arm around Gail's waist before she could properly lunge at the Detroit Made boy.
"Easy Doll," he soothed. "Shelley's not worth the bail money."
Daniels chuckled and kept his mouth shut; he knew that Alex deserved all of Gail's heat for something he'd done in the past couple of weeks. That damn paparazzi camera was always behind something in the locker room. The physician cleared his throat a little uneasily.
"Um… if someone wants to go back and see him they best do it now. The meds are going make him kinda sleepy in a little bit."
"I'm going to see him," Gail stepped forward much more composed.
"Right this way."
She took a deep breath and followed him back to a modest room for overnight patients. AJ was propped up in the bed; his right wrist was wrapped up in the opaque blue balloon cast and was resting on a pillow on his chest. Gail could see the swelling even from the door but the attached drip to the IV eased her fear that his pain was too great. The doctor patted her shoulder and shut the door behind him. The heavy click made AJ stir and those sapphire eyes burned through Gail like a flame. They were hazy from fatigue and the pain medicine coursing through his veins but they were still the most beautiful color she'd ever seen.
"Oh God, Angel," she was at his bedside in half a heartbeat. "You're so fucking stupid. What were you possibly thinking?"
The tears of relief standing in her amber colored eyes took the sting out of her scolding; AJ covered her shaking hands with his good one.
"I was thinking too much and I just lost it for a minute. What are you doing here?"
"I had to come; Shelley made sure of it," she rolled her eyes.
"What?" A yawn escaped.
Gail smiled; a real genuine smile, her cheeks hurt a little with their lack of practice but AJ forced himself to sober up enough to enjoy it. He'd missed that infectious grin so much.
"It doesn't matter now. I'll explain it all in the morning."
AJ's face fell, however, when Gail pulled a chair out of the corner and positioned it by the head of his bed he couldn't stop the small sleepy smile from spreading across his face.
"I think visiting hours end soon," AJ said as another yawn snuck out.
"And?" Gail inquired. "I happen to know that you have trouble falling asleep in strange places, I'm just going to keep you company until you do."
"And what about when I wake up?" His breath got caught around the whisper.
Gail's eyes softened and she leaned her forehead gently against AJ's. "I'll be here Angel."
AJ's eyes slipped shut and he pressed an easy kiss to a cinnamon flavored pout. "I do love you Kimmy."
"I know; I love you too AJ. Now shhh…. Just relax." she began to run her fingers softly through his short chestnut hair.