"Hey," Lita said, coming into Matt and Jeff's dressing room.
"Hey, she's here," Matt said, rather glumly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lita asked, looking in Matt's direction. "I'm always here for matches."
"I just meant in my general vicinity," Matt said, standing up.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lita asked, hating the hurt look in Matt's face and knowing she deserved it.
"I've invited you to come home with me and Jeff for the past three weeks and you always say you're busy," Matt said. "You never want to go out anymore. Hell, you don't even seem to want to share a bed with me anymore."
"Can we not do this in front of Jeff?" Jeff asked, standing up and covering his ears. "He would really appreciate not hearing about your sex life."
"We've got a match anyways," Matt said.
"Okay," Lita nodded. "Lets go."
"You sure you want to be within twenty feet of me for much longer?" Matt asked.
"Don't be a jerk Matt," Lita said. "We'll talk about this later."
"That might entail you admitting that I exist," Matt said snidely.
"Which might not happen if you don't grow up," Lita said, walking out of the room in front of Matt.
"What the hell is this all about?" Jeff asked his brother as they watched Lita walk several steps ahead of them down the hall.
"She doesn't want to be with me anymore," Matt said.
"Dude, she loves you," Jeff said. "She came back to you after you broke up with her on national television."
"All I had to do was get a crushed windpipe," Matt said.
"Don't talk like that," Jeff said. "I know you love her. Don't throw her away."
"She's the one throwing our relationship away," Matt said. "I'm actually making the effort. But she would rather spend the weekend with her cousin who's an ass and his wife who we both know she hates."
"Maybe she has her reasons," Jeff reasoned. "I just don't want to see you two fall apart because she has too much on her plate."
"I could help her if that was the case," Matt said. "She doesn't want help. She wants to save the world."
"Are you going to be okay to wrestle?" Jeff asked.
"Yeah," Matt said, sending one last look Lita's way before they ran out to the ramp.
*
Lita sat next to the bed in the sterile hospital room. She looked at Matt's unconscious figure on the bed in front of her. Jeff was on the other side of the bed, still in his wrestling attire.
Matt's eyes fluttered open.
"Matt!" Lita whispered as she stood up and leaned on the edge of his bed. "How do you feel sweetie?"
"What…what happened?" Matt asked, his vision blurry.
"You got a concussion when Booker slammed you into the stairs," Lita said, running a gentle hand down the side of his face. "And I couldn't get to you because Heyman was blocking any path I could have. And Lesnar had Jeff inside of the ring."
"A concussion doesn't send you to the hospital," Matt said. "What else?"
"Booker broke three of your ribs," Lita said. "Your lung collapsed."
Jeff sat up and reached his hand out to Matt. "You okay man?"
"I think so," Matt said. "How long?"
"You were out about three hours," Lita said, deliberately misunderstanding.
"You know what I meant," Matt said.
"Doctor said a month at the least, probably more like two," Lita said.
"Damn!" Matt whispered, his voice anguished.
"It will be okay Matt," Lita said.
"You can't know how it's going to be," Matt said. "You and Jeff will be on the road and I'll be stuck at home watching."
"You can come on the road," Lita said.
"That's worse," Matt said. "Then you're there and you just aren't allowed to do the thing you love to do."
"I can stay with you," Lita offered.
"You have a contract," Matt said.
"I don't care," Lita said, looking straight into Matt's eyes.
"Why?" Matt asked. Neither of them noticed Jeff slip out of the room.
"Because I care about you Matt," Lita said, taking his hand in hers. "I mean, I love you. I've loved you for awhile."
"You loved Shane first," Matt said.
"What?" Lita asked.
"I knew about you and Shane before we ever became involved," Matt said. "I knew that you loved him."
"Then, why did you kiss me?" Lita asked, feeling suddenly confused and almost betrayed.
"Because I saw something in your eyes that said you weren't happy," Matt said. "You're normally so honest, but you and Shane kept everything so quiet. But I loved you. I loved you so much."
"Loved?" Lita asked.
"I'll always love you Lita," Matt said, taking her hand in his. "But I wanted to let you know that I knew. I always knew."
"I chose you," Lita said.
"Do you ever regret it?" Matt asked. She could see in his eyes what he needed to hear. And she knew it wasn't the truth.
"I wonder what would be different, yes," Lita said. "But I don't regret it Matt. You and I are so suited for each other. I probably would have gone crazy if I had stayed with Shane."
"Thank you," Matt said. "I know things have been strange between us for awhile. But you are one of the most important people in my life Lita."
"You're important to me too," Lita said, squeezing Matt's hand. "And I do love you. I know it can be hard to have a relationship anymore, but I do love you. I probably always will love you."
Matt smiled. "I can't believe I was so distracted during the match."
"I'm sorry," Lita said. "I know I had a lot to do with that. I know better than to let you go out to a match anything but focused."
"Don't blame yourself," Matt said.
"It's hard not to," Lita said.
"How are Jericho and his bride from hell?" Matt asked.
"You'd be surprised," Lita said. "Her and Chris get along so well and I really kind of like being around the both of them."
"That's good," Matt said. "Jericho, well, I would've said he deserved to be happy. But he and I aren't exactly friends anymore."
"He's still the same deep down," Lita said. "And he still cares about you. You were best friends for awhile there."
"Because of you," Matt said. "You were what held everything together."
"I was still here," Lita said. "Chris just had to do what he had to do. He was the first Undisputed Champion. He never went after you until we deliberately provoked him."
"That's true," Matt said.
"Maybe we should visit them while we're out," Lita said.
"You should stay on the road," Matt said. "You were already out for so long after the number Taker did on us all."
"You sure baby?" Lita asked.
"No," Matt said. "But I trust you and I know you'll be with me when you can."
"Thank you," Lita said, pledging to herself that she would be a better girlfriend than she had been of late.
"Hey, she's here," Matt said, rather glumly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lita asked, looking in Matt's direction. "I'm always here for matches."
"I just meant in my general vicinity," Matt said, standing up.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lita asked, hating the hurt look in Matt's face and knowing she deserved it.
"I've invited you to come home with me and Jeff for the past three weeks and you always say you're busy," Matt said. "You never want to go out anymore. Hell, you don't even seem to want to share a bed with me anymore."
"Can we not do this in front of Jeff?" Jeff asked, standing up and covering his ears. "He would really appreciate not hearing about your sex life."
"We've got a match anyways," Matt said.
"Okay," Lita nodded. "Lets go."
"You sure you want to be within twenty feet of me for much longer?" Matt asked.
"Don't be a jerk Matt," Lita said. "We'll talk about this later."
"That might entail you admitting that I exist," Matt said snidely.
"Which might not happen if you don't grow up," Lita said, walking out of the room in front of Matt.
"What the hell is this all about?" Jeff asked his brother as they watched Lita walk several steps ahead of them down the hall.
"She doesn't want to be with me anymore," Matt said.
"Dude, she loves you," Jeff said. "She came back to you after you broke up with her on national television."
"All I had to do was get a crushed windpipe," Matt said.
"Don't talk like that," Jeff said. "I know you love her. Don't throw her away."
"She's the one throwing our relationship away," Matt said. "I'm actually making the effort. But she would rather spend the weekend with her cousin who's an ass and his wife who we both know she hates."
"Maybe she has her reasons," Jeff reasoned. "I just don't want to see you two fall apart because she has too much on her plate."
"I could help her if that was the case," Matt said. "She doesn't want help. She wants to save the world."
"Are you going to be okay to wrestle?" Jeff asked.
"Yeah," Matt said, sending one last look Lita's way before they ran out to the ramp.
*
Lita sat next to the bed in the sterile hospital room. She looked at Matt's unconscious figure on the bed in front of her. Jeff was on the other side of the bed, still in his wrestling attire.
Matt's eyes fluttered open.
"Matt!" Lita whispered as she stood up and leaned on the edge of his bed. "How do you feel sweetie?"
"What…what happened?" Matt asked, his vision blurry.
"You got a concussion when Booker slammed you into the stairs," Lita said, running a gentle hand down the side of his face. "And I couldn't get to you because Heyman was blocking any path I could have. And Lesnar had Jeff inside of the ring."
"A concussion doesn't send you to the hospital," Matt said. "What else?"
"Booker broke three of your ribs," Lita said. "Your lung collapsed."
Jeff sat up and reached his hand out to Matt. "You okay man?"
"I think so," Matt said. "How long?"
"You were out about three hours," Lita said, deliberately misunderstanding.
"You know what I meant," Matt said.
"Doctor said a month at the least, probably more like two," Lita said.
"Damn!" Matt whispered, his voice anguished.
"It will be okay Matt," Lita said.
"You can't know how it's going to be," Matt said. "You and Jeff will be on the road and I'll be stuck at home watching."
"You can come on the road," Lita said.
"That's worse," Matt said. "Then you're there and you just aren't allowed to do the thing you love to do."
"I can stay with you," Lita offered.
"You have a contract," Matt said.
"I don't care," Lita said, looking straight into Matt's eyes.
"Why?" Matt asked. Neither of them noticed Jeff slip out of the room.
"Because I care about you Matt," Lita said, taking his hand in hers. "I mean, I love you. I've loved you for awhile."
"You loved Shane first," Matt said.
"What?" Lita asked.
"I knew about you and Shane before we ever became involved," Matt said. "I knew that you loved him."
"Then, why did you kiss me?" Lita asked, feeling suddenly confused and almost betrayed.
"Because I saw something in your eyes that said you weren't happy," Matt said. "You're normally so honest, but you and Shane kept everything so quiet. But I loved you. I loved you so much."
"Loved?" Lita asked.
"I'll always love you Lita," Matt said, taking her hand in his. "But I wanted to let you know that I knew. I always knew."
"I chose you," Lita said.
"Do you ever regret it?" Matt asked. She could see in his eyes what he needed to hear. And she knew it wasn't the truth.
"I wonder what would be different, yes," Lita said. "But I don't regret it Matt. You and I are so suited for each other. I probably would have gone crazy if I had stayed with Shane."
"Thank you," Matt said. "I know things have been strange between us for awhile. But you are one of the most important people in my life Lita."
"You're important to me too," Lita said, squeezing Matt's hand. "And I do love you. I know it can be hard to have a relationship anymore, but I do love you. I probably always will love you."
Matt smiled. "I can't believe I was so distracted during the match."
"I'm sorry," Lita said. "I know I had a lot to do with that. I know better than to let you go out to a match anything but focused."
"Don't blame yourself," Matt said.
"It's hard not to," Lita said.
"How are Jericho and his bride from hell?" Matt asked.
"You'd be surprised," Lita said. "Her and Chris get along so well and I really kind of like being around the both of them."
"That's good," Matt said. "Jericho, well, I would've said he deserved to be happy. But he and I aren't exactly friends anymore."
"He's still the same deep down," Lita said. "And he still cares about you. You were best friends for awhile there."
"Because of you," Matt said. "You were what held everything together."
"I was still here," Lita said. "Chris just had to do what he had to do. He was the first Undisputed Champion. He never went after you until we deliberately provoked him."
"That's true," Matt said.
"Maybe we should visit them while we're out," Lita said.
"You should stay on the road," Matt said. "You were already out for so long after the number Taker did on us all."
"You sure baby?" Lita asked.
"No," Matt said. "But I trust you and I know you'll be with me when you can."
"Thank you," Lita said, pledging to herself that she would be a better girlfriend than she had been of late.
