Disclaimer:
A/N: So, this chapter includes the last of the stuff I had edited and some new writing I've been working on while posting the edited stuff. :) So, here is some new stuff for you. In this chapter, Eve learns something about her hands... let's just leave it at that. ;D Enjoy!
Eve found herself sitting in her apartment two hours later, surrounded by the darkness and the cool air from her air conditioner. She hadn't stopped crying for as long as she could remember. All she wanted to do was cry but she couldn't. More so, she wanted to quit WWE and never come back. That too was impossible. She needed the money and the baby that would be in the world in about nine months needed her. So she would have to deal with what kept her job… no matter how disgusting and wrong it was.
Sure, it meant keeping secrets from her friends and it meant that those who knew about her pregnancy would have to keep the biggest secret as well. Eve knew she couldn't tell Lisa Marie about what Vince was doing to her. Lisa was a hot-head and the Latin diva would burst if she happened to find out that Vince was raping her.
Instead, she decided to suck it up and get back to her life. Without a true job (could interviewing a superstar once a week be considered a job?) she found herself with a lot more time; time she knew that had to belong to Matt. Even though she didn't want to, Matt was the father of her baby and she couldn't avoid Jeff forever. Being on the same brand, they were bound to run in with each other eventually.
So that was how she got to the Raleigh Community Hospital two days after her 'meeting' with Vince. Her stomach was like the high tide, swooshing and sloshing around, making her body shake every-so-often. Matt didn't know who she was, which was what scared her more. What if he didn't think of her as a friend and went into one of his moods? Eve had heard through the grapevine memory-less Matt was a pain in the ass… more-so than normal.
Yet there she stood, outside of his hospital room (finally a non-ICU room, no less), waiting for the right moment to step inside. She'd been there for a little bit, maybe five minutes, listening to the sound of his laughter and breathing, unable to force herself inside.
That's when he heard a voice he wasn't all too familiar with. She'd met Shannon a few times, went to a bar or club with him while with Matt, but they certainly weren't close, definitely not friends. Just ex-co-workers who happened to both be close to the same man.
"Eve," Shannon greeted though, a cheeky smile on his face. "What are you doing here?"
Eve couldn't help but think, isn't it obvious? With a smile, she pointed to Matt's room. "Here to visit Matt."
"Right," he replied with a chuckle. "Sorry, my brain is shit lately."
With another polite smile, she only nodded, a little too afraid to speak. Shannon seemed nice enough, a little goofy and immature at times maybe, but nice enough to speak with.
"So, are you going to come in?" Shannon motioned with his tattooed hands toward the door, a slightly perplexed smile on his face. She couldn't help but notice he seemed a little tentative with her, like he knew something she wasn't aware of. Or maybe she was imagining things. Not being herself for a while certainly could be the answer.
With another nod, she followed the ex-WWE star inside, looking around quickly. There were dozens upon dozens of cards and gifts, most likely from Matt's wonderful fans. They were loyal, those Hardy fans and knew that Matt loved to interact. Still, she couldn't help but be mystified as her eyes scanned over a teddy bear half the size of her.
"Who's she?" a more familiar voice asked. Eve peered up to a curious-eyed Matt who happened to have an eager smile on his face. Amnesia or not, she thought dryly, men will always be men.
Shannon chuckled. "Eve's a friend of yours, Matt. She works for the WWE as well. She's a diva."
Eve waved once. "Hi."
"How come I haven't seen you before?" Matt's eyebrows furrowed while his head cocked to the side. Eve couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked while being perplexed. It was child-like and cute all at the same time. Made her want to squeeze him.
"I've been pretty busy… I'm training to wrestle and it can get pretty non-stop." She felt Shannon's eyes on her as she said these words, like he knew she was lying. Part of her began to worry. Had Jeff told Shannon? She hoped that her assumptions were wrong, even though she hadn't told Jeff to keep it a secret. It was just one of those kind of things when you tell someone; you assume that they won't tell anyone else. Even a best friend.
"Oh," Matt nodded, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you then… Eve?"
"Eve," she confirmed with a smile, walking forward. With each step she took, her heart raced a little faster. This had been the first time they had been together since the night they had sex and even now without his memory, Eve found it just as awkward as it could have been with his memory.
It was like slow motion as their hands went to touch. They collided faster than Eve expected, Matt's firm but soft grip warming her hand and making her tingle. There was a slight spark, a firework that had not yet ignited. Still, she backed up quickly, a little surprised by the feeling. Matt seemed a little taken aback too as he was staring at his hand when she pulled back.
"What?" Shannon demanded from the side.
Matt and Eve both looked at each other, puzzlement all over their faces. "It was… weird," Eve said finally, rubbing her tanned hand.
Matt nodded, staring at Eve like she was some kind of goddess. "Yeah… weird."
Eve soon found herself alone with Matt, Shannon claiming he had to go back to his tattoo shop for business. If she didn't know any better, she was really starting to believe someone told Shannon about her pregnancy. Or maybe Matt had told Shannon that they had been hooking up. Though that would have normally bothered her, it seemed okay in comparison to what he could know.
"So, Eve," Matt started.
She peered up carefully. "Yeah?"
"How long have we known each other?" His question was simple, which she was happy to see.
"I won the diva search in late 2007, so about a year or so."
"What's the diva search?"
After a while, Eve knew she shouldn't bring up anything that involved explaining. Because after explaining what the diva search, as well as some descriptions of the other divas, she didn't have it in her for any more of them.
But before she could say anything more, another voice spoke, "Vitals."
The small blonde woman came in, bringing something Eve hadn't felt any other time near her with her. It was an icy aurora, one that made her feel like she didn't belong. And the way that the nurse was acting, Eve didn't even exist. But what irked her most was the way that Matt's eyes lit up when the woman came into the room.
"May!" he cried happily.
May jumped, smiling a little. "Hi Matt."
"Have you met my friend Eve?"
Eve peered up, cheeks hot. "Yes," May answered shortly, giving Eve a brief smile and then went back to whatever she was doing.
"When can I go home, May?" Matt persisted. "I feel fine. My headaches are dulling. I hate it here."
"Soon."
Eve couldn't figure out why Matt seemed to like this woman. The girl who was once polite and nice to her suddenly seemed rude and short with every answer. In fact, if she didn't know any better, it had something to do with her. Which was kind of crazy, but crazy wasn't something she could really say and mean anymore. Her life was nothing short of crazy. Just thinking about Vince and what he was doing to her… it was more than crazy. It was horrifying.
"Eve," Matt said, bringing her from her thoughts. He reached forward, taking her hand. The zap of electricity went through her blood once more, but this time, Matt seemed even more so startled. He froze, her hand being gripped tighter.
"Matt…" May cut in. "Is there a problem?"
"I think…" he muttered. "I think I'm… having some sort of flashback." With his voice so faint, both girls had to fight to hear him. His face twisted in distort and then into agony. Eve's hand was dropped minutes later. "I just saw a cell phone in the… in the flashback. It was a text from someone, someone named Adam. Something about hiding around…"
Even though Matt wasn't making much sense, Eve figured it out enough to realize whatever Matt had saw was when he found out about the affair Amy, his ex, was having.
"Matt," Eve said quietly. "That's—"
"Amy," he said quietly, his voice suddenly strong. "My ex… I have an ex named Amy. I remember her now. She… she cheated on me with someone, right?" Eve nodded. "Right…" Matt stared out the window, then turned back to May. "What just happened?"
May's eyes were still on Eve's hand, which was now slack on her chair. Somehow, Eve's touch had forced a memory into Matt's mind, she knew. How it happened, she didn't know. Nor why it happened, she didn't want to know. "You just got some of your memory back," May said quietly. "It happens."
Eve watched her as she picked up her things and dismissed herself from the room. Then, she blinked down at her own hand, knowing she understood the same thing the nurse had. Something with her hand had sent a memory up to Matt's brain. And she didn't know why, but it terrified her.
But what frightened her more was the look on Matt's face. The memory wasn't the best of memories in his mind and she knew it was probably painful, reliving the moment again. Matt knew now about Amy, and Adam, but he hadn't a clue how any of it happened and the pain he couldn't explain was probably confusing.
For a moment, she considered touching him again, but decided not to. The act of comfort might bring up another memory, another painful one she might not even be aware of. "Matt," instead she said, her voice soft. "Are you okay?"
He looked up at her, a twisted smile of agony on his face. "Yeah… I'm okay." He was silent for a moment before he swallowed and looked back over at Eve. "This Amy, my ex… who is she? I didn't get much in the flashback. It was just some moment with her. One at Christmas, one in a hospital bed, and one backstage somewhere…"
Eve swallowed. Considering she could be the next on Matt's list of girlfriends, ex or not, she wasn't all that comfortable talking about Amy, a girl she had only heard about through the internet and other people. It wasn't like Matt had ever confided in her about Amy before.
So, discreetly, she answered, "Amy was a diva at one time too. She retired about two years ago now."
"Did you know her?"
"Not personally. She was gone by the time I had begun working with the WWE."
Matt nodded, looking away. "Are we on good terms, at least now?"
Eve swallowed again. This was getting more uncomfortable by the second for her. "Matt," she whispered in a small tone, "I don't know everything of what happened. I don't want to mislead you in any way. Okay?"
"Oh… right. Okay."
She nodded. "I should be going. I'll come and visit again though, alright?"
Matt let an effortless, toothy smile cross his lips that sent reassurance down her spine. It was a shame he didn't smile like that more often. "That'd be great." If Eve gave Matt kind of smile, she knew, at least one thing in her life was going right at that very moment.
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