Two weeks removed. Two weeks removed from his singles match at WrestleMania. Two weeks of the high of telling his girlfriend that he loved her. Two weeks removed and here he sat on the edge of his bed, unable to move, the paining reeling and coursing throughout his entire body.
Forget the stiffness. That had come and gone and become a common part of his life for the past two months that he was becoming use to. This pain was unreal. This pain was new. And this pain was debilitating. So much so, he was unable to move and waiting for Jami to come through the door to help him.
He had placed the call to his girlfriend about 20 minutes before, and the only thing he was left to do was allow the frustration to build within him and the tears that formed in his eyes only pissed him off more and more.
What he was experiencing now was not only increasing his anger to levels he had never felt before, but it scared him. He had never felt this, even with all the years of football he had went through. All the years of wrestling and bumps and minor concussions or injuries he had faced. This was… new. It was the only word that kept creeping into his brain and the sinking feeling he had resting deep within in gut was something that brought the fear forward and something he was trying above all else to push even further down. However, it was only inching upward, coming to rest in the pit of his stomach like a 2-ton boulder. And forming a huge, endless lump in the back of his throat.
"Joe!" came a voice from the hallway, as the door to his bedroom burst open.
Her eyes locked with his, the worry and fear written all over her face. She threw her keys on the bedside table before kneeling before him, her hands finding his face, her eyes trailing over his body, trying to find the pain that wrecked his body.
"Jami…" he said, breathlessly. "I don't know what this is, but it's new and I'm… I'm scared."
She did the only thing she knew to do, wrapping her arms gingerly around him, bringing his head to rest on her shoulder. She felt the weight almost instantly leave his body, as if he was silently giving in to the pain and allowing the feeling of defeat take over.
"Joe, where does it hurt?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
"Jami, I can't pinpoint it exactly." he answered, looking up and looking at her, almost asking her for some sort of relief.
She took the gesture in, almost reading his mind, his eyes as she made her way to her purse and retrieved the small bottle from within. She brought two tablets from the bottle and leaving to the master bathroom to retrieve some water for him to take the pain pills he had fought so hard not to take. However, in his current state, she knew this was the only relief she could offer.
"Joe, you have to take these." she said, reappearing from the bathroom, giving him the cup and extending her open hand, offering him the pills that lie within. "I had the doctor fax the order and new medications over to Vince and headquarters. You have to take these."
"I know." he answered, shaking his head slowly, meeting her eyes as he slammed the pills down his throat and washing them down with the cold liquid.
"Come on, let's lay down." she said, laying him backwards onto the pillow. "Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?"
"Yeah." he winced slightly before becoming to rest comfortably and looking at her, a small smile on the corners of his mouth. "Lay with me?"
"Yeah, of course." she responded, kicking her shoes off before climbing carefully into the bed beside him, propping herself onto her elbow and looking at him. "Do you need anything?"
"Jami, I just need you." he answered, honestly. "I don't know what this is, but what if I was on the road? What if I was scheduled for a match or was in a program? What does this mean?" he asked, his question coming at a fever pace.
"Joe, I don't have all the answers, but I do know that if this is how it is after traveling and after matches, you… can't continue this way, baby." she answered.
"That's what scares me." he said, before his anger got the best of him. "What the fuck am I gonna do if I can't wrestle anymore?"
She was taken aback by this sudden response of anger. It was something she hadn't experienced with him. She had seen his promos and his character on TV and what that entailed. It was something she hadn't experienced firsthand.
"Baby…" she whispered, bringing her face within inches of his own, wanting to provide as much comfort as possible.
"No!" he yelled, before bringing himself to a sitting position once more, a sudden yelp of pain escaping from deep within his throat. "This is my life! You don't understand!"
Jami was even more taken aback by this new explosion of anger. She rose from the bed, standing before him once more. She paced the floor slowly, not knowing what the right thing to say or do. She stopped abruptly, anger almost erupting from within herself, too.
"Joe, I know this is your damn life. I am only trying to help, damn it!" her voice rising slightly. "What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing!" he yelled again, forcing himself to not look up from the floor.
"Oh, that's a great way to deal with this. You can yell and scream all you want. You can deal with this in anger. I've seen that before, too. But you will not speak to me like this!" she responded, finally finding her voice.
Joe slowly looked up from the floor, his face reading the surprise at her own tone and response to him. He knew he probably shouldn't be such an ass to her, but he didn't know how to deal with everything that was coming at him.
"I'm sorry." he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Joe…" she sighed, kneeling before him again. "It's okay. But I'm only trying to help."
"I know you are, sweet girl. I know." he said, shaking his head slowly, the tears now falling from his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Come here, baby." she relented, hugging him closely once more.
They sat in silence for what seemed like forever, before he brought his head forward, his eye locking with hers. He sighed, as she wiped the tears from his eyes, placing a small kiss on his forehead.
"Baby…." she started, before being cut off.
"I know what I have to do. I just don't want to do it." he finally said, sniffling and closing his eyes.
"Joe, I told you we'll get through this. This is probably the hardest part, baby." she said.
"I think I need to call Vince." he said.
"When do you want to do it?" she asked.
"Can it just be me and you tonight? Then we'll take care of everything tomorrow? Maybe we can move some of you and the kids' things in this week?" he asked.
"Are you asking me to move in with you?" she asked, taken aback by his wide range of emotions.
"Yeah, maybe. Yeah, I'll need some help it looks like, but I just don't want to be far away from you. We can take care of your condo and… and I'll call a moving company and everything. We'll take care of everything, right?" he asked, a look of wonder and hopefulness lying within his eyes.
"Yeah, babe. I'll take care of everything, okay. I'll get things squared away with the kids and I'll get everything settled, okay?" she replied, trying to give him some sort of comfort and relief.
"I love you." he retorted, a smile finally playing on his face.
"Joe…" she sighed, smiling back at him and shaking her head. "I can't fight it anymore. I love you." she replied, laying a soft kiss on his lips.
"God, that felt so good to finally hear." he said against her lips, the smile still evident on his lips.
"I love you." she whispered, giving him a smile. "Let's get you settled. You need some rest."
"Yes, nurse." he replied, smiling a little more before slapping and grabbing her ass.
"Joe A'noai!" she yelped, jumping slightly from the gesture.
"Get your sweet ass in this bed." he growled, pulling her down beside him, his body hovering above her, as he lay small kisses along her neck.
"I'd say the meds are kicking in." Jami said, giggling as she wrapped her arms around his back, bringing him closer to her.
"No, it was just you that I needed." he said, the warmness of his breath hitting her neck, sending chills up and down her body.
"I don't know if this is within doctors' orders or not, but babe…" she said, trailing off. "I need you."
Joe didn't dare utter anything more as he ripped the buttons from her shirt, placing kisses between the valley of her breasts. She arched her back, a moan escaping her lips, her nails ripping into the flesh of his back.
He made easy work of her clothing, peeling them from her body before looking before him at the nude form that now adorned his bed. He growled once more, a smirk playing on his lips before his lips claimed the area between her legs, devouring her as moans and screams filled the room.
"Joe, please…." she whispered, breathless. "I want you."
He didn't say anything, as he peeled his shorts off and towered above her. He gently came to rest atop her, his lips claiming her neck once more. He slowly arched his hips and entered her, another breathless moan escaping her lips.
"Joe…" she moaned.
"Yes, sweet girl." he answered, thrusting his hips, entering her even more.
"Joe…." she moaned again, her own hips arching forward, claiming him entirely.
She screamed his name, as they fell in motion together, the sweat etching over their bodies. A moan escaped his lips, as he closed his eyes, his climax coming quicker than he imaged. He pumped harder, not wanting it to end, but not able to stop himself, either.
"Oh, shit!" he heard her utter, knowing she too was close to her peak.
"Baby…" he moaned, his hips moving quicker and quicker.
"Joe… I'm…" she said, throwing her head back, closing her eyes and moaning even louder.
"Me, too." he said, matching her expression, his hips moving slower and slower as his body quivered before coming to rest beside her.
He smiled down at her, placing a small kiss on the tip of her nose. Her breathing evened some as she opened her eyes, the smile on her face matching his. She nuzzled closer to his chest, sighing with complete euphoria as he brought her closer, closing his own eyes.
"I love you, sweet girl." he said, before he felt the sleepiness taking over his body. He heard her sigh heavily as she placed a small kiss on his chest.
"I love you, baby. So much." she replied, allowing her own tiredness take over and sleep envelop them both.