Backstage once more, Erin helped Beth tape up, braiding her friend's hair back so that it would be harder for Michelle to grab.
"I grabbed a shirt for you," Katie called as Kofi wheeled her over. Erin laughed, ducking into the bathroom to change into her cargo pants and the black-and-white striped shirt. "And they're not flattering on anyone, apparently."
"I'm not here to look pretty," Erin called back, grinning. "Ready to go?"
"Beth!" Ted called. Beth turned, surprised but smiling, as her boyfriend kissed her soundly. Erin chuckled, shaking her head. "I was going to surprise you after the show, but I couldn't miss seeing this match front-row." Beth's smile was radiant as she slipped her hand into Ted's as they headed towards the ramp.
"Introducing first, escorted by Kofi Kingston and John Cena, your guest referee and guest enforcer, Katie Potter and Erin Harris!" Justin announced. Katie waved as Erin wheeled her down the ramp, John and Kofi just a step behind them. The cheers for them were thunderous, and Erin knew plenty of them were for Katie. Kofi collapsed the wheelchair once Katie had been lifted into the ring, and Erin took up her post ringside.
"Making her way to the ring, accompanied by Ted Dibiase, the current Women's Champion—Beth Phoenix!" Justin announced. Ted held down the ropes as Beth climbed into the ring, and Erin smiled up at them. "And the challenger, one half of Team Lay-Cool, Michelle McCool, accompanied by her tag-team partner, Layla El!" There were significantly fewer cheers for Michelle, punctuated by far more boos, and Erin grinned at that.
"Now, let's have a nice, clean match," Katie cautioned as Michelle and Beth moved to their respective corners. Layla took up her post at the corner furthest from Erin, watching her with trepidation. The bell rang, and the two Divas met at the center of the ring. Michelle went immediately for a roundhouse kick that Beth ducked under, grabbing Michelle and pulling her into a backbreaker that left Michelle writhing in pain on the mats. When Michelle finally made it back to her feet, Beth hit her with a missile dropkick. Michelle almost managed to pull Beth into a belly-to-belly suplex, but Beth wriggled out of it just in time, Irish whipping her into the ropes instead. As Michelle bounced back, Beth military pressed her, holding her high overhead. Michelle tried to drive her knee into Beth's head, but Beth threw her across the ring, and Michelle lay stunned. Layla scrambled under the ropes, grabbing Beth's ankle and yanking hard, so that Beth fell face-first into the ropes.
"Get out of the ring!" Katie yelled. Layla ignored her, and Erin hopped quickly into the ring, hauling Layla into a fireman's carry and throwing her over the top rope. The crowd roared its approval even as Michelle shrieked. Taking advantage of the distraction, Beth chicken-winged Michelle, raising her high and dropping her with the Glam Slam before pinning her. Katie dropped to the mats next to them, hitting the ground three times.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't believe it—this match lasted less than four minutes, and Michelle McCool is down for the count!" Jerry marveled. Katie lifted Beth's hand, holding it high even as she laughed.
"That was amazing!" she exclaimed. Beth laughed, turning to hug the younger girl.
"I couldn't have done it without you making that match for me," she reminded Katie. "Come on. Let's get you back in that absolutely gorgeous dress before Erin's match, alright?" Katie laughed, following Beth and Erin backstage as the crowd cheered all three of them. Once again, John and Kofi were just behind them, Kofi carrying Katie's wheelchair as she walked slowly up the ramp.
By the time they were backstage, Katie was breathing heavily, and Kofi quickly unfolded the wheelchair for her to sit down. Kofi took her back to the hair and makeup room to be dressed, and Erin changed into her sports bra and t-shirt, lacing up her combat boots and taping her wrists before braiding her hair tightly.
"Beth says they'll be a few minutes," John informed her, coming out of his locker room. "How are you feeling?"
"My back is tight," Erin hinted. John chuckled, taking a seat on a vacant folding chair and pulling her into his lap.
"I can fix that," he replied, his voice low, beginning to work on the knots in her shoulders. Erin let out a sigh of relief, relaxing against him. John smiled, moving his hands to her lower back, releasing the tension there, and Erin turned her head so that she could kiss him over her shoulder. John smiled against her mouth, lifting and turning her so that she was facing him.
"We leave you two alone for two minutes and this is what we come back to?" Beth called. Erin broke the kiss, blushing, and John laughed, taking her face in his hands and pulling her back down.
"We have ten more minutes before the match," he reminded her. "And they're just jealous."
"I'll show you jealous," Beth grumbled, grabbing the lapels of Ted's jacket and pushing him against the wall as she kissed him.
"Oh, get a room, all of you," Kofi called. Erin shook her head stubbornly without breaking the kiss, and Beth just ignored him. "Well, I wouldn't want our guest host to feel left out. He bent down and kissed Katie swiftly, and she promptly turned a brilliant shade of red that drew Beth's and Erin's attention immediately. "Ha! I managed to make you stop. I win."
"Actually, I think Katie won," Erin corrected. "And judging by the brightness of that blush, I'd say she hit the jackpot." Katie still couldn't manage to say anything, and Erin laughed. "Let's go. We've got some butt to kick and a match to win."
"Yes, ma'am," John said, groaning as he lifted her to her feet and stood behind her. "Who do we want out there first?"
"Why don't we let our guest host decide, once she manages to get her voice back?" Erin suggested, teasing.
"Kofi can go first," Katie said finally, still blushing.
"See, she likes me best," Kofi boasted. Erin punched his arm. "Ow. Save it for Miz and Swagger and Edge."
"Fine," Erin grumbled, following him and Katie out to the ramp. Rather than any of their music playing as they walked out, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" by Kelly Pickler echoed over the stadium, and Katie smiled, surprised.
"You know my favorite song, too?" she asked.
"And told the soundboard guys to cue it up," Erin replied, smiling proudly. Kofi wheeled Katie to a seat next to Jerry and Michael—with Jerry announcing pointedly that she had chosen to sit next to him, leading to a five-minute bickering session on who the Divas liked better—before joining John and Erin in the ring. Jack, Miz, and Edge joined them after a moment, and John adjusted his armband. Erin handed her dog tags to Katie once she'd kissed them for luck, and cracked her neck experimentally. "Let's go, Kofi."
It was Edge who went for the first attack, throwing a punch at Kofi's head. Kofi avoided it easily, grabbing Edge's arm as it passed and sending him into the corner, following up with a flying forearm smash that left Edge reeling. He managed to stagger away, catching Kofi's head and waist as he turned, driving him to the ground with a half nelson bulldog. Kofi shook his head groggily, using the ropes to pull himself up. He countered Edge's charge with a pendulum kick from the corner, catching Edge's jaw. The Rated-R Superstar dropped and Kofi went for a cover. Edge just managed to kick out, rolling away. Undeterred, Kofi hit him with a Russian legsweep as soon as Edge rose. When Edge finally made it to his feet, Kofi followed it up with a crossbody, going for a pin once more. Edge kicked out at two, ducking away from Kofi's punch and dragging him into an inverted DDT. Kofi rolled away, looking slightly wobbly, and managed to tag John in. Still somewhat groggy himself, Edge backed away to tag the Miz.
John was on the offensive immediately, nailing Miz with a running leaping shoulder block. When Miz came back off the ropes, John followed it up with a running one-handed bulldog. Miz staggered, swinging for a discus punch that missed wildly. John dragged him into a vertical suplex instead, then hit him with a diving leg drop bulldog once he rose. When John pulled him up for the Attitude Adjustment, Miz managed to slip out, driving a kick into John's stomach. When John stumbled into the corner, Miz followed it with a swinging corner clothesline. John staggered away, but managed a sitout hip toss as Miz charged him once more. Miz kicked out at two on the pin, and Jack managed to tag himself in on Miz's back. John stepped back immediately, grinning at Erin.
"I wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun," he called, tagging her in quickly. Erin laughed as she vaulted over the ropes, turning the move into a dropkick. Jack was on his feet quickly, though, pulling her into a German suplex and slamming her to the ground. Erin grimaced, reeling, as he pulled her to the corner, bouncing off of the ropes to land a corner slingshot splash. She gasped for air, rolling to avoid his attempted stomp to the ribs, rolling up to hit him with a Pele kick that sent him staggering just long enough for her to get up. When he came at her again, she nailed his jaw with a roundhouse kick. Jack staggered, but shook his head stubbornly. Erin slammed kick after kick into his ribs until he looked ready to fall, then pulled him into a shoulder throw. When he fell, she pounced on him, pulling him into an armbar. Jack grimaced in pain, refusing to cry out, and Erin gritted her teeth, putting more pressure on his shoulder. There was a sudden pain in her neck, and she flew into the ropes, shaking her head in complete confusion.
"And Miz has interrupted this match with a baseball slide to Erin Harris' head—this doesn't look good for her," Jerry remarked. Erin shook her head once more, blinking as the world came back into focus just in time to see Jack step forward, dragging her through a vertical suplex. He pulled her upright once more, Irish whipping her into the ropes, and charging forward for a running knee lift. Erin just barely avoided it by bouncing onto the top rope. Jack's knee connected painfully with the corner post, and Erin, still atop the ropes, waited for him to stagger backwards before hitting him with a picture-perfect dragonrana. Jack kicked out from the rana hold at two and half, but Erin hit him with a running knee that left him reeling. He made his way to his feet groggily, dodging Erin's strike to his shoulder. When she lunged towards him again, he hauled her up, nearly crushing her ribs with the strength of his grip as he hit her with an Oklahoma stampede. Erin lay against the mats, grimacing feebly, back aching with the force of the blows. As he went to pull her into a German suplex, she managed to roll away, using the ropes to pull herself to her feet and hit him with a flying chuck as he came at her once more. With a groan of effort, she climbed to the top ropes. The cheers of the crowd restored much of the energy she'd lost, and she saluted them proudly before hitting Jack with the G.I. Jane. This time, he couldn't kick out, and the bell rang as Kofi and John climbed into the ring with her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your winners—the team of Erin Harris, John Cena, and Kofi Kingston!" Justin announced. Erin grinned, even as her muscles pulled when the referee raised her hand.
"Are you okay?" John asked quickly, his hands moving instinctively to her back. Erin nodded, wincing slightly.
"That Oklahoma stampede wasn't exactly fun," she replied, smiling slightly.
"I'll give you a back massage later," he promised, and Erin's smile grew wider.
"I like the sound of that," Erin said, smiling, as she turned to wave to Katie. Kofi hopped out of the ring, taking the seat next to her. "Hey, Katie—we'll be down in a minute. I need to have them look at my back." Katie nodded, waving her off, and Erin slid out of the ring, hand in hand with John.
Backstage, the trainers covered her back with IcyHot patches before allowing her to leave, and she waited for John to change into a clean shirt before joining him. Shawn and Hunter were just backstage, waiting for their music before heading out.
"Want to join us?" Shawn offered, shrugging into his DX gear.
"Sure," John agreed immediately. "Erin? You in?"
"Why not?" Erin agreed, laughing.
"I won't even make any awkward comments about sucking it," Hunter promised, winking at her. John cleared his throat loudly, but Erin just shook her head.
"That's smart, if you ever want to have more kids," she replied sweetly, and Shawn chuckled. The DX music came on, and Hunter and Shawn led the way out onto the ramp.
"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting first, the one-night-only reunited DX team of the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels, and the King, the Game, Triple H!" Justin Roberts announced. "Joining them, the Champ John Cena and G.I. Jane Erin Harris!"
Kofi lifted Katie onto his shoulders so that she could watch as they came down the ramp. Erin couldn't help but laugh as she mimicked DX's signature crotch chop before joining Katie and Kofi at the announcers' table. John pulled out a chair for her quickly, and Erin smiled as she sat down.
"And the challengers, the Straight Edge Superstar and the First Disciple of Straight Edge—the team of CM Punk and Luke Gallows!" Justin went on. The stadium echoed with boos and jeering whistles, but Punk ignored them, Serena and Luke flanking him as they headed to the ring. Serena took up a post outside of the ring, and Erin raised her eyebrows.
"If she starts anything, you can go get her," Katie laughed. Erin grinned ruefully.
"Am I that easy to read?" she asked. John, Katie, and Kofi all nodded, and Erin laughed.
"The following is a tag-team match set for one fall," Justin concluded, ducking out of the ring as Hunter and Luke squared off. The two circled each other warily, crashing together in the center of the ring. Neither gained any clear advantage, and both staggered backwards, still on edge. Impatient, Hunter charged Luke, but Luke hit him with a big boot to the jaw that sent Hunter to the mats. Luke was on him immediately, driving blow after blow into his head. Hunter rolled out from under him, shaking his head groggily. When Luke charged him again, Hunter exploded off of the ropes, hitting him with a running clothesline. Luke got back to his feet quickly, but Hunter followed it up with a running neckbreaker. Luke made his way back to his feet slowly. When Hunter charged once more, Luke headbutted him, sending Hunter staggering. Seizing the opportunity, Luke Irish whipped Hunter into the corner, hitting him with a body avalanche. Hunter slumped down against the corner post, and at Punk's command, Luke tagged the Straight Edge Savior in.
Punk went straight to work, hauling Hunter to his feet and promptly nailing him with a snap scoop powerslam before going for the pin. Hunter kicked out at two, rolling away slightly. Impatient, Punk dragged him back to his feet before hitting him with a running bulldog that he aimed to follow up with a running knee. Hunter threw himself back against the mats, avoiding Punk's knee and rolling away to tag in Shawn. There was a roar of approval as Shawn climbed into the ring, dropkicking Punk into the adjacent corner post and following it up with a diving elbow drop. Punk clutched his jaw, reeling, and Shawn glanced back at his partner. Hunter nodded, holding out his hand for the tag, and Shawn tagged him in before turning his attention to Luke, who was beginning to climb into the ring. Just as he cleared the ropes, Shawn hit him with the Sweet Chin Music, knocking him out of the ring, and Serena rushed to Luke immediately. When Shawn jumped out of the ring to keep Luke occupied, Serena pounced on him, clinging to his back. Erin was out of her chair in a flash, dragging Serena's arms into a double chickenwing and holding her back.
"Not today, sweetheart," she said sweetly, pressing Serena overhead and tossing her over the barricade. Her head snapped back suddenly as someone tackled her from behind, and she rolled over to see the mystery member of the Straight Edge Society looming over her. Undeterred, she swept his legs out from under him and sat on him just as John reached them.
"Are you alright?" he asked tenderly. Erin nodded, smiling up at him. "May I?" Erin rose with a dramatic bow, and John hauled the masked man up into an Attitude Adjustment that left him stretched out on the floor.
Back in the ring, Hunter had managed to land successive spinebusters and backbreakers, and Punk was slowly dragging himself back to his feet on the corner ropes. Shawn resumed his post at the corner, and Hunter tagged him in quickly. Shawn hopped into the ring, tagging Hunter's hand, and Katie watched, an anticipatory smile spreading over her face.
"This is my favorite tag team finisher," she whispered to Kofi, grinning gleefully. As soon as Punk turned, Shawn nailed him with the Sweet Chin Music. Punk spun right into Hunter, as Shawn climbed out of the ring before the five-count was up, and Hunter finished Punk off with a pedigree. The bell rang as the referee shouted the three-count, and Shawn slid out of the ring before the referee could raise his hand. Katie looked at him quizzically until he lifted her out of her seat, helping her into the ring and raising his arms, indicating that she should do the same. Katie laughed as she performed DX's signature move, and Hunter and Shawn both raised her hands high. John, Kofi, and Erin quickly joined them, and Erin handed out microphones.
"I know it's the end of the show and we have to wrap up, but we just wanted to thank you," Kofi explained, turning to Katie. "What do you guys think—did she set up some good matches?"
The WWE universe's response was a resounding yes that echoed over the stadium, and Katie blushed.
"Katie, I know you were here because you made a wish, but I can't thank you enough for making my wish of coming back, even if only for one match, come true," Shawn added. "I'm honored that I could be a part of your wish, and you should know that you are welcome here anytime. Just tell them you're with me, or Hunter, or John, or Kofi, or Erin—any of us will get you backstage anytime you want." Katie blinked back tears, taking a moment before speaking.
"I can't begin to tell you how much this has meant to me," she said finally, her voice hoarse with unshed tears. "When I was diagnosed with this tumor, they gave me three months to live. That was a year ago, and every day since has been a blessing. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." The lights went down on them as Erin pulled the younger girl into a hug, holding Katie tightly.
"Thank you," Erin whispered. Katie looked up at her, teary-eyed, managing a small smile. "Come on. Time to bring you back to the hospital." Katie nodded, yawning as Erin helped her from the ring and back into her wheelchair. "Kofi, John, coming with us?"
"You bet," John called, sliding out of the ring to join them. Kofi was right behind him, taking the handles of Katie's wheelchair before Erin could. "Katie, are your parents meeting us there?"
"No, they're taking my little brother to a soccer tournament this weekend. I wanted them to have some time to themselves, since they're always with me at the hospital or at home."
"That's incredibly sweet of you," Kofi remarked. Katie craned her head to smile up at him, and Kofi bent down to kiss her forehead. "Why don't we take my car? And Katie automatically get shotgun, by the way."
"Fine by me," Erin replied, glancing at John, and John chuckled, taking her hand. Kofi's Escalade was just out front, and Erin folded Katie's wheelchair as Kofi helped her into the front seat. The trip back to the hospital was a short, quiet one, and Erin could see that Katie was struggling to stay awake. John kept his hand intertwined in Erin's for the whole trip, and Erin rested her head against his shoulder, feeling somewhat weary herself.
"Ready to go?" Kofi asked, gently shaking Katie awake. Katie nodded sleepily as he helped her into her wheelchair and wheeled her into the hospital, where a contingent of nurses awaited them.
"How was she?" one asked Erin, pulling her aside.
"She was fine—ate well, didn't walk too much, no complaints," Erin replied, equally quiet. "There's a bag on the back of her chair with some gifts from us inside—make sure they stay with her?"
"Of course," the nurse promised. Erin made her way over to Katie one last time.
"It's been an honor and a privilege," she informed the younger girl, saluting her. Katie giggled, hugging Erin.
"Thank you again," she replied, smiling. "Now go kick Randy's ass at Summerslam, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am," Erin promised, stepping back and saluting once more before following John and Kofi out.
"You did good today," John informed her quietly, leaning over to kiss her cheek. Erin smiled, nodding. "You did good."
A/N: So that concludes the Make-a-Wish chapters, but you haven't seen the last of Katie Potter just yet. She'll be back…when you least expect it. Bwahahaha. This was a fun chapter to write, so I hope you enjoyed it! Read and review, please!