CHAPTER SIX: I THINK I'M GONNA HURL



It was Monday evening. Jeff hadn't tried to approach Eve all weekend - privately or otherwise. When they were close together, he barely said two words to her and tried to avoid looking at her, as well. It was hard for Eve to deal with - first attentiveness, and now, denial. But she couldn't have it both ways.

Eve was facing Jacqueline tonight and wished that she wasn't. Not that she was afraid to face the other woman - because she wasn't - but a consequence had developed from her little run in the rain last week. She had developed a bad chest cold which was slowly getting worse instead of better. She wouldn't be her best if she fought tonight and that bothered her, but it would bother her more if she asked for the night off. Other wrestlers had battled with much worse than what she had, and she knew she could match a lot of them in the ring when she was at the top of her game.

There was a very slim chance that Eve could win this match and she went into the ring that night with that thought in her head. She managed to last nearly five minutes, but then a wave of dizziness hit just before Jacky clotheslines her and got the pin for the 1-2-3.

Eve tried to struggle to her feet but her legs would no longer obey her commands. Jacky, with all of her experience, knew that Eve had not suffered serious-enough injuries during their match for her to be acting this way. Something must be wrong. Jacky stopped her parade around the ring and went to Eve's side, kneeling down next to her. Eve barely realized she was there.

A stretcher was called for and Eve was carefully loaded onto it. When the stretcher was halfway to the platform, Eve, with her eyes closed, could hear Jacqueline's voice addressing the crowd.

"Everyone, I want you to give it up for Eve. She came out here tonight when she knew she was sick, when she wasn't feeling her best-" Whatever else she had to say was cut off by the roaring applause from the crowd. Well, that was nice.

While Eve was with the sports doctor backstage, Jeff Hardy burst into the room. He certainly was a sight, dressed for battle. And he'd died his hair again - half ocean blue, half neon green, with strands of his normal blonde colour underneath.

"I just heard... WHY did you go out there tonight if you were so sick?!"

Eve contemplated the proper response to that for a few moments, then gave him the finger.

Jeff stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He was back ten seconds later. "I care about you. You can be as nasty as you want and try to push me away, but that isn't going to change how I feel about you." he left again, shutting the door more quietly this time.

Eve began to cry. She didn't like this side of herself that was so hurtful to other people. Well, person, really. Jeff was the first man - that's man, not boy, because there had been a few boys she'd had powerful crushes on - she'd had more than buddy-buddy feelings for. This funny, different man that was affectionately called Skittles - for obvious reasons - by his friends made her want to forget everything else and run naked through a field of wild flowers. Yet here she was trying to push him away, hurting him in the process. That's what she didn't like about herself. She was hurting a man that didn't deserve it because of a promise she'd made to herself long before they'd met. She was ashamed of herself.

Eve didn't hear the door open again. She felt a light touch on her shoulder and turned toward it. *Jeff.*

Neither noticed the doctor leave the room, pulling the door shut behind him. He figured he might as well give them some privacy because he wasn't likely to get much work done until those two got their act together.

Both of Jeff's hands cupped Eve's face, the pads of his thumbs wiping away her few tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

The door opened once again, cutting off Jeff's reply.

"Hey, Jeff, enough with the musical door already." Matt said, exasperated. "We're up next and we need to get to the ramp ASAP."

"We'll talk later," Jeff whispered into her ear.

Jeff held the door open for the doctor before he left yet again. Eve eyed his gorgeous backside the whole time. *Boy, am I ever in trouble now,* she thought.

Meanwhile, Jeff was looking over his shoulder at a certain door while walking beside Matt. Matt, noticing his brother's preoccupation, smacked him in the back of his head. "Pay attention to where you're going, Jeff. She'll still be there when we've finished our match."

Lita was waiting for them on the ramp when they got there. "Geez, you two sure cut this close. The bell sounded like five seconds ago!"

Snickers came from another area of the ramp. Edge and Christian, their opponents for tonight.

"Ah, stick it in your blow hole," Jeff said good-naturedly.


After the match, Jeff cleaned up quickly and put on a new shirt before going to see how Eve was doing. She was resting on her side on a padded table with her eyes closed. The doctor was dealing with a cut on Edge's forehead that he'd gotten from being shoved into the metal stairs.

"How you doing?" Jeff asked, feeling a bit guilty since he'd been the one to push him.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Jeff turned back to Eve to find her awake and looking right at him. He went over and helped her off the table, picking her up when her legs wobbled unsteadily.

Eve found that she liked being carried by Jeff, perhaps just a little too much. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face to the area where Jeff's neck and shoulder met, inhaling his scent. Sweat, cologne, and something else that was uniquely Jeff Hardy.

They went back to the hotel together and Jeff carried Eve from the car to her room, where he deposited her gently on the bed and went about seeing that she was made comfortable. When he could find no more tasks to occupy himself, he went and sat on the side of the bed near the middle, not quite facing Eve.

"I'm sorry," Eve said in a near-whisper.

"You already said that," Jeff replied, turning to look into her face. "What I want to know is why you've been so cold to me practically since you got here."

"Lita-"

"Lita told me basically nothing," Jeff interrupted. "Just that your past is coming between us, what we could have together. Tell me why," he pleaded.

"I can't, not yet." Eve turned her gaze away.

Jeff wouldn't let her escape that easily. He placed a hand under her shin and turned her back to face him. "Can't? Or won't?"

"Perhaps a little of both. Until I deal with it, I'm not really free to be with anyone the way..."

"You want to be with me?" finished for her on a hopeful note.

Eve could only nod, emotions clogging her throat and making her unable to speak.

"Is it something I can help you with?"

She shook her head. No.

"You have to do it on your own." Jeff took his hand away, sighed in frustration, then ran his hands through his blue and green hair.

Eve reached out and touched Jeff's shoulder. He didn't react, not right away, at least. He contemplated the situation, what he could do right now and what the consequences might be. Only one seemed to be something Eve might be willing to accept.

Just when Eve was about to move her hand, one of Jeff's came up and covered it, staying there briefly before interlacing their fingers and then moving their hands to his lap. "Eve, I think its plain that I care for you. I can't make you tell me your secrets and I can't make you let me help you, but I'll be here for you if you need me. All I ask is that you stop trying to push me away. I'd rather be your friend than nothing at all. Okay?"

How could Eve resist?