Chapter Fourteen Disclaimer: All other disclaimers apply to this chapter, as well as future chapters in this story. I don't own Matt Hardy; he is his own property, and property of his father, Gilbert Hardy.
Note: I decided to move the story up a few weeks, since it's so close to WrestleMania 22. I will now try to update this story at least once a week. But, since I will soon be in the midst of getting academic advisement in college for which courses to take for the next semester I attend school, and dropping a class, I cannot make any guarantees. So, readers, I need you to bear with me in this time of crisis… school time… /shudders/ LOL, anyway, on to the story!
March 3, 2006 - Washington, D.C.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The fans stood on their feet as Matt Hardy came out to the ring area, Krys on his arm. The two looked at one another, then put their arms up, flashing the V1 sign. Krys followed Matt as he made his way down to the ring, her left hand resting on her swelling stomach.
"On his way to the ring, being accompanied by WWE Diva Krys; from Cameron, North Carolina, weighing in at 225 lbs., Matt Hardy: Version One!"
It was now March, and the WWE was now on their way to Chicago for the biggest night in all of sports entertainment, WrestleMania 22. While the WWE had plans to push Krys and Kira closer together as an HLA angle, they decided to push the storyline onto the back burner so Kira could focus more of her time and energy on her matches and her approaching wedding. Since she and Randy were getting married the morning of the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, they decided to put off their honeymoon for at least a week or two. Kira knew that Randy wouldn't be in the mood to celebrate his new union with Kira with a banged up body from his main event match at WrestleMania 22, so she and Randy had decided on the idea together.
According to Matt, Jeff, who was still on suspension from TNA, had decided to move some of his things down to Kat and Alex's Fort Worth home to help Kat with her pregnancy. Becoming a new father scared him more than any ladder or TLC match he had ever been in. But, then again, he realized that knowing that Adam could be the father of Kat's baby scared him more than becoming a father.
And he knew Jeff wasn't about to let Adam get anywhere near his son or daughter. He smiled as he helped Krys get into the ring. Just like he wouldn't let anyone get near his son or daughter.
"What's got you so happy?" Krys asked him, a slight smile on her face as she leaned in to give him the customary good luck kiss.
"Jeff's gonna move in with Kat and Lexie."
"Kickass!" Krys looked up at him with admiration and adulation in her eyes, and finally let go of his hand. "Good luck," she whispered, heading over to the ropes, and being assisted out of the ring by the referee. She took her usual place by the ring, looking towards the entrance ramp to see who his tag team partner for the Tag Team Championship Match would be.
"OHHHHHH WHAT A RUSH!" The crowd screamed as Road Warrior Animal came out in the traditional Legion of Doom shoulder adornments. He stepped into the ring, and smirked at the look of shock on the faces of MNM: Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, and Nitro's girlfriend, Melina Perez.
The opening bell rang, and the match was on.
The Ending of the Match…
"Come on, Animal!" Matt yelled, psyching up his partner for the night. The two were hoping to get a win tonight to win the tag team titles, which they had never won together. But tonight, they had a chance to hold them together. "Get up top, and do the Doomsday Device! We can do this!"
Animal nodded, and climbed onto the top rope, while Matt lifted Joey Mercury onto his shoulders and up into the air for the L.O.D.'s signature move. As Animal jumped off the top rope, Krys yelled to Matt, "Look behind you, Matt!" Before Matt could turn to see what she meant, Johnny Nitro tackled his left knee. Matt dropped to one knee as Animal missed the Doomsday Device, and landed splat on his face. Krys tried to get Animal to get up, but he was knocked out of the ring, and Matt was taken down by the Snapshot.
She could only watch helplessly as her boyfriend was pinned in the middle of the ring. One… two… three. The bell rang, and Krys stared down in shock as MNM's hands were raised in victory.
She climbed the steel steps and climbed into the ring, and rushed to Matt's side. "Matty, you okay?"
He lay there, with Krys checking on him, playing it up for the people watching, while MNM celebrated their win, and left the ring area, gloating. Animal pushed past the referee just as Matt got to his feet, and got right in his face. "What the hell was that?" the big man demanded. "You told me to go up there, and you set me up!"
"That's not what it was!" Krys said fiercely, stepping right between the two men, who were in the middle of a shoving match. "Nitro clipped Matt's knee, and that's why you couldn't complete the Doomsday Device. He didn't botch it on purpose, so just calm down."
"You didn't set me up?" Animal asked, his eyes still narrowed.
"No," Matt said, putting his hands up. "Nitro attacked me from behind. That's all."
"Maybe you should've been paying attention more, Hardy!" Animal shoved him once more. Matt pushed him back angrily.
"Stop it!" Krys cried, getting between them once again. Animal shoved her aside angrily, his hands literally driving into her abdomen. Krys fell to the mat, clutching her stomach, agony tearing through her. Matt turned quickly to see if Krys was alright, and Animal seized the opportunity, kicking Matt in the injured knee.
Hardy fell, and Animal grabbed the hurt leg, dragging it to the ring post. He climbed out of the ring, and grabbed Matt's leg before he could have a chance to escape, then rammed the knee savagely against the steel ring post.
Matt screamed in pain. The knee that Animal had just decimated was the knee that he had had surgery on during the summer of 2004. The one he'd been rehabbing when he found out that Amy was being seduced by that bastard Adam. Matt tried his hardest to block out the images of the past burning into his head, but it was too late. They were back, and more vibrant than before.
"Oh God, that's his bad knee!" Krys cried, holding her stomach as she made her way over to him. "Oh, Matty, I'm so sorry," she cried, placing her hands tenderly on the leg. "The refs are gonna help you up in a second. Can you put weight on it?"
"I should be able to," he said, flinching as the officials helped him to his feet and helped him put weight on his left side. Krys followed the two referees helping Matt to the back, her face almost expressionless.
In the back…
"Krys, I saw what Animal did to you guys," Kira cried, rushing over to her friend. "Are you two okay? Is the baby okay?"
Krys flinched slightly. "If Animal had shoved me any harder, I wouldn't have had to worry about a maternity leave, because I might not have had a baby to go out on a maternity leave for. But Matt should be fine." She sighed. "I just had a sudden thought, Kir," she whispered as the referees took Matt to the medical examiner's office. "I now know what Vince meant when he said to stay as far away from the action as possible. I can't risk my baby's life anymore; I'm just too afraid for it."
"Oh, sweetie, I know how you feel." Kira hugged her friend, tears springing to her eyes. "I don't want you or your baby to get hurt in any way at all. I want you both to be safe, healthy, and happy." She smiled softly at Krys.
"Thanks Kir. I'm safe, as far as I know, and, well… I'm sort of content right now… But as for healthy, I'm not too sure."
"Well, how many months are you?"
"Four months. I don't know how long I'll be able to last with this thing inside me. I already feel like I'm a giant sausage. And just think; I'm gonna get BIGGER!" she whined. "Maybe I should get a C-section, what do you think?"
"I think maybe you need to wait a few months before you decide that." Kira gave a half-laugh. "Sweetie, I hate to cut this short, but Randy and I need to finalize our plans for the wedding. It's less than a month away, and there's still so much to do!"
"What else do you need to be done?"
"Well, you, Kat, and Lexi agreed to be my bridesmaids, and my sister Ava agreed to be my Matron of Honor. Jeff and Paul agreed to be groomsmen--oh, that reminds me!" she said suddenly. "What did Matt say about our offer to be a groomsman?"
"He said he'd love to be there. When's the dress fittings?"
"There's one tomorrow, and while we're going to be out getting fitted for our gowns, Randy and the guys are going to be out getting fitted for their tuxes. Then, after that, we're going to start doing rehearsals. Since we all have Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays off, we're going to travel to St. Louis to do the rehearsals there."
"Great. I'll see you and Randy then." Krys bid her friend goodbye, and walked off to the examiner's office. Before she could walk into the office, Animal's burly frame blocked her way.
"Um… Krys, I didn't hurt you or your baby, did I?" he asked meekly, a concerned look crossing his features. "I didn't put your baby in danger, did I? 'Cause if I did, I'm really sorry-"
"Joe, don't worry, we're fine," Krys said, patting his arm. "I almost worried for a second, but I guess it was just the wind being knocked out of me, and I panicked, instead of me being in actual danger. There's nothing wrong with me, I'm sure. Don't worry."
"Thanks, kiddo. Anything you guys need, let me know." Joseph Laurinitis, a.k.a. Road Warrior Animal, clapped a hand on Krys's shoulder, then walked off. That was his gesture of respect, his way of showing her that he worried about all the newer and younger talent in the business, no matter how rough he and the veterans may or could be to them. They cared, and they knew that the younger guys and girls were the future of the professional wrestling world.
After a moment of uncertainty, Krys opened the door to the examiner's office. When she walked in, she saw Matt sitting up on a makeshift bed, with his left knee propped up. "Is everything alright?" she asked, walking over to where the doctor was presently giving Matt's knee one more look-over.
"No, everything's looking fine at the moment," said Dr. Spencer, the WWE's best house doctor. "Matthew's going to have to stay off his knee for a day or two, I'd recommend, but other than that, nothing an ice-pack shouldn't fix right up."
Matt hopped off the bed, and flexed his knee. He flinched for a brief second, but managed to put his full weight on his leg without collapsing, which meant that it wasn't totally shot again. "Just… give me a few minutes to get my stuff together, Krys, and we can get out of here." He grinned at her to ease any fears she may have had. "Is the baby, okay?"
"Just fine. When Joe pushed me, I actually thought he added unnecessary force, but the wind was just knocked out of me, and I panicked. I took it a little more seriously than was needed, but everything's fine now. Joe apologized and everything, but I wouldn't hear of it." She turned and headed for the door. "I'll be in the Women's locker room, getting my stuff," she said quietly, exiting before Matt had a chance to say anything else.
On the way to the women's locker room, Krys had to ask herself… did she really want to put her child at risk, just to stay in the limelight for a little bit longer?