~THE NEXT WEEK~
Chris walked into the room with a big bouquet of flowers. He thought that the room needed a little bit of color. Stephanie would love the colors of the flowers, they were so vibrant. They were a huge contrast from the drab white of her room.
He set the flowers down on the stand next to her bed. He fixed them a little then looked down at Stephanie. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully, but Chris knew better. She had been in a coma for the past week. Chris was getting used to seeing her in this state. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then took her hand and sat down.
"Hey there Steph. Sorry I couldn't come in yesterday. I was going to, but I had a match at SmackDown that I couldn't miss."
He squeezed her hand.
"I'm in a feud with your ex. I beat him at the last Pay-Per-View, I don't know if I told you that. It should be a good feud."
"It should," a voice came from the door.
Chris looked up and saw the man that he was just talking about. Hunter came over and stood next to the bed, looking down at Stephanie. He felt bad that he hadn't come to see her the past week, despite knowing that she was in the hospital.
"Nice to see you finally came," Chris said, his voice not holding disdain, just stating the outright truth.
"I had to gather up my courage," Hunter said, not taking his eyes off Stephanie.
"I know how that goes," Chris said, looking at Stephanie as well, "You'd think us being tough guys would make this a hell of a lot simpler huh?"
Hunter chuckled softly, "Yeah, you're right. It's just you never prepare to see the woman you used to love lying in a hospital bed in a coma."
"I don't think it's really something you can prepare for."
"Why are you always here Jericho?" Hunter asked curiously.
"I guess I should just say it, I love her," Chris told the other man.
Hunter nodded, "I figured as much. I've figured as much for a while now."
"Was I that transparent?"
"No, but you could just tell."
"Oh."
"Steph had a thing for you, you know," Hunter commented off-handedly.
Chris looked up at him, stunned, "She what?"
"I think she had a crush on you for a while there. I mean, she never told me, obviously, since I was married to her, but I could tell."
"I didn't even realize that."
"Yeah, she just got this look on her face whenever she saw you, hard to explain really."
"Wow. I'll let you have a some time alone with her," Chris said, getting up.
He needed to leave, not only for Hunter's benefit, so he could talk to Stephanie, but for his own as well. Stephanie had actually had feelings towards him that weren't animosity and hate. But had her feelings changed, or had she just been masking her feelings every time they interacted?
"Thanks," Hunter said as Chris left the room.
"No problem."
Hunter sat down next to Stephanie, "Hey Steph, it's your ex-husband. I'm half-expecting you to wake up and tell me to get the hell out of here because you hate me so much. I don't really blame you. I was never really the ideal husband was I?"
He took her hand, "That doesn't mean I didn't love you Stephanie, I did love you. I think a part of me still does. I screwed up royally though. I should have realized you were lying to repair us, not to hurt me."
He sighed audibly, "I'm sorry for everything. And I'm sorry you're in here. I'm sorry that you can't be with us right now. Please wake up Stephanie. We all need you, even me. Who else will make my life a living hell?"
Chris sat outside, a part of him wondering what was going on in there. Watch, the moment that Hunter came in, Stephanie would wake up, declare her love for Hunter, and they would run off together and live happily ever after. Chris sighed, he needed to get a grip.
Hunter came out of the room then and Chris looked up. Hunter looked at him sadly, then sat down next to him. The two men had always disliked one another, but now that didn't matter. Everything seemed so unimportant now, so trivial when a woman that one had loved, and one still loved was lying in a coma.
"She looks pretty good," Hunter said, idly.
"Yeah, just like she's sleeping," Chris said.
"Yeah, sleeping," he whispered.
"You don't know what to say either do you?"
"I guess not."
"Yeah, there's really not much to say is there."
"No. I just wonder why this had to happen to her," Hunter said.
"Who knows," Chris told him, "It sucks and it's awful, but I don't think that we can necessarily blame anyone or anything."
Hunter laughed hollowly, "You're right. And I hate that we can't place the blame on one specific person."
"I'm sorry about what happened at the Pay Per View last week," Chris said.
"What's there to be sorry for?"
"Well, I know that I was trying to take out my aggression on you, and I'm sorry for getting carried away with that."
"If I was in your position I would've done the same thing. Do you have any idea when she might wake up?"
"The doctors said that she could wake up at any moment, but that every second she doesn't wake up, that she gets a little bit worse."
"And the longer she's in this coma?"
"The slimmer her chances of surviving. Eventually her body would just stop working, you know fade away," Chris said quietly.
"Oh," was Hunter's only response.
"I just hope it never comes to that."
"I'm sure she knew about your feelings," Hunter said to him.
"I don't think so, I kept them pretty well hidden."
"But still, girls know things, they always do."
"So you think she actually knew about my feelings for her," Chris said, slightly embarrassed.
"Probably. I bet she was flattered at least."
"Flattered, just my luck, she was flattered. I guess I'm just doomed to friendship with Stephanie. It seems that might be all I ever get from her."
"I'm sure once she realizes how much you love her, she won't be able to help but love you back," Hunter said, getting up, "I'm gonna head out. It was nice talking to you."
"Only Stephanie could compel us to have a civil conversation," Chris said.
"Yeah, just don't tell her, she'd throw it in our faces," Hunter smiled.
"Maybe I should tell her, that way she'll wake up just so she can say 'I told you so.'"
"That would be just like Stephanie, just waiting for the right moment to spring up from her bed. She always was obsessed with timing," Hunter said starting to walk away, "Bye Chris."
"Bye."
Chris walked back into Stephanie's room and stood next to her bed once again. It was getting to be so routine to him, just standing there looking at her, day after day. He brushed some of her hair back and stood there. Wondering if she was dreaming or anything, if she saw him in her mind, begging for her return.
"Stephanie, I don't know if you're trying to be stubborn or something, but please, for the sake of everyone involved..."
He paused.
"Come back."
Chris walked into the room with a big bouquet of flowers. He thought that the room needed a little bit of color. Stephanie would love the colors of the flowers, they were so vibrant. They were a huge contrast from the drab white of her room.
He set the flowers down on the stand next to her bed. He fixed them a little then looked down at Stephanie. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully, but Chris knew better. She had been in a coma for the past week. Chris was getting used to seeing her in this state. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then took her hand and sat down.
"Hey there Steph. Sorry I couldn't come in yesterday. I was going to, but I had a match at SmackDown that I couldn't miss."
He squeezed her hand.
"I'm in a feud with your ex. I beat him at the last Pay-Per-View, I don't know if I told you that. It should be a good feud."
"It should," a voice came from the door.
Chris looked up and saw the man that he was just talking about. Hunter came over and stood next to the bed, looking down at Stephanie. He felt bad that he hadn't come to see her the past week, despite knowing that she was in the hospital.
"Nice to see you finally came," Chris said, his voice not holding disdain, just stating the outright truth.
"I had to gather up my courage," Hunter said, not taking his eyes off Stephanie.
"I know how that goes," Chris said, looking at Stephanie as well, "You'd think us being tough guys would make this a hell of a lot simpler huh?"
Hunter chuckled softly, "Yeah, you're right. It's just you never prepare to see the woman you used to love lying in a hospital bed in a coma."
"I don't think it's really something you can prepare for."
"Why are you always here Jericho?" Hunter asked curiously.
"I guess I should just say it, I love her," Chris told the other man.
Hunter nodded, "I figured as much. I've figured as much for a while now."
"Was I that transparent?"
"No, but you could just tell."
"Oh."
"Steph had a thing for you, you know," Hunter commented off-handedly.
Chris looked up at him, stunned, "She what?"
"I think she had a crush on you for a while there. I mean, she never told me, obviously, since I was married to her, but I could tell."
"I didn't even realize that."
"Yeah, she just got this look on her face whenever she saw you, hard to explain really."
"Wow. I'll let you have a some time alone with her," Chris said, getting up.
He needed to leave, not only for Hunter's benefit, so he could talk to Stephanie, but for his own as well. Stephanie had actually had feelings towards him that weren't animosity and hate. But had her feelings changed, or had she just been masking her feelings every time they interacted?
"Thanks," Hunter said as Chris left the room.
"No problem."
Hunter sat down next to Stephanie, "Hey Steph, it's your ex-husband. I'm half-expecting you to wake up and tell me to get the hell out of here because you hate me so much. I don't really blame you. I was never really the ideal husband was I?"
He took her hand, "That doesn't mean I didn't love you Stephanie, I did love you. I think a part of me still does. I screwed up royally though. I should have realized you were lying to repair us, not to hurt me."
He sighed audibly, "I'm sorry for everything. And I'm sorry you're in here. I'm sorry that you can't be with us right now. Please wake up Stephanie. We all need you, even me. Who else will make my life a living hell?"
Chris sat outside, a part of him wondering what was going on in there. Watch, the moment that Hunter came in, Stephanie would wake up, declare her love for Hunter, and they would run off together and live happily ever after. Chris sighed, he needed to get a grip.
Hunter came out of the room then and Chris looked up. Hunter looked at him sadly, then sat down next to him. The two men had always disliked one another, but now that didn't matter. Everything seemed so unimportant now, so trivial when a woman that one had loved, and one still loved was lying in a coma.
"She looks pretty good," Hunter said, idly.
"Yeah, just like she's sleeping," Chris said.
"Yeah, sleeping," he whispered.
"You don't know what to say either do you?"
"I guess not."
"Yeah, there's really not much to say is there."
"No. I just wonder why this had to happen to her," Hunter said.
"Who knows," Chris told him, "It sucks and it's awful, but I don't think that we can necessarily blame anyone or anything."
Hunter laughed hollowly, "You're right. And I hate that we can't place the blame on one specific person."
"I'm sorry about what happened at the Pay Per View last week," Chris said.
"What's there to be sorry for?"
"Well, I know that I was trying to take out my aggression on you, and I'm sorry for getting carried away with that."
"If I was in your position I would've done the same thing. Do you have any idea when she might wake up?"
"The doctors said that she could wake up at any moment, but that every second she doesn't wake up, that she gets a little bit worse."
"And the longer she's in this coma?"
"The slimmer her chances of surviving. Eventually her body would just stop working, you know fade away," Chris said quietly.
"Oh," was Hunter's only response.
"I just hope it never comes to that."
"I'm sure she knew about your feelings," Hunter said to him.
"I don't think so, I kept them pretty well hidden."
"But still, girls know things, they always do."
"So you think she actually knew about my feelings for her," Chris said, slightly embarrassed.
"Probably. I bet she was flattered at least."
"Flattered, just my luck, she was flattered. I guess I'm just doomed to friendship with Stephanie. It seems that might be all I ever get from her."
"I'm sure once she realizes how much you love her, she won't be able to help but love you back," Hunter said, getting up, "I'm gonna head out. It was nice talking to you."
"Only Stephanie could compel us to have a civil conversation," Chris said.
"Yeah, just don't tell her, she'd throw it in our faces," Hunter smiled.
"Maybe I should tell her, that way she'll wake up just so she can say 'I told you so.'"
"That would be just like Stephanie, just waiting for the right moment to spring up from her bed. She always was obsessed with timing," Hunter said starting to walk away, "Bye Chris."
"Bye."
Chris walked back into Stephanie's room and stood next to her bed once again. It was getting to be so routine to him, just standing there looking at her, day after day. He brushed some of her hair back and stood there. Wondering if she was dreaming or anything, if she saw him in her mind, begging for her return.
"Stephanie, I don't know if you're trying to be stubborn or something, but please, for the sake of everyone involved..."
He paused.
"Come back."