A/N: I do not own any of these characters, with the exception of Angel. I
know this story is a little morbid and I never wish this to happen. But I
got to thinking after watching Raw on November 25th. It broke my heart to
see what had happened to Shawn and I started to let my imagination run.
Please, don't take this story the wrong way; I love Shawn as much as any of
his fans do. This is strictly fiction.
Her mouth gaped in horror at what she was witnessing on the television screen. Shock settled in as she watched Shawn Michaels being carried out of the ring on a stretcher. It was his back. Again. She knew that Triple H was supposed to slam Shawn on his back over the seat of a metal folding chair. It was in the script. She had approved it. But what wasn't scripted was the way that Shawn fell. He had fallen on the most fragile part of his back and now, only seven minutes after Raw had gone off the air, she watched in dismay as they carried Shawn's body off the ring on a stretcher.
Grabbing her jacket, she rushed to meet the ambulance before it left the parking lot. But she missed it by seconds, meeting Hunter in the lot.
"Hunter, are you okay?" she asked, breathlessly. He shook his head, unable to speak. He didn't have to. She could practically read his mind. Quickly, she grabbed his arm and led him towards her car, which was parked in the back of the parking lot. It took her several tries to succeed in putting the keys in the ignition. Tears clouded her vision as she backed out of the spot and drove towards the hospital, Hunter in the seat beside her.
The highway was empty. South Carolina had always held a special place in her heart. It was where she had met her first sweetheart. He was a great guy in the beginning but turned out to be an alcoholic idiot after that. She had just gotten over him when Brad came along. Brad was a charmer on the outside but an abuser on the inside. She escaped out of that relationship with only a black eye.
She was beginning to think that there were no good guys in the universe when she met Shawn Michaels. She had been working for the WWE- then the WWF-for only two months as the secretary of the creative writing team when Shawn Michaels debuted in the company. He was a really sweet guy. Taking her time with him, they established an incredible friendship that then led into the best relationship she had ever had. Shawn was gentle with her, unlike the other men she had been with. He was caring, concerned and loving, which was a sudden change for her system. "No wonder why you're parents named you Angel," he would often say to her. "You're my own angel." It was nice to have such a doting guy, and a wrestler, to protect you.
They broke up only weeks ago. It just became too much for the both of them. But they promised to remain friends. "Just because we can't hack it in a relationship anymore doesn't mean we can't be friends." His words were cheerful, but behind them lurked the dangers of sadness. Angel knew the reason why they broke up. They had been together for many, many, many years, but marriage never became an issue to Angel. Not until Shawn had brought it up.
"It's not that I'm afraid of marriage," she told him. "I'm just not ready for it." She knew this broke his heart, but she insisted that marriage remain out of the question.
"Angel? Angel, we're here." The sound of Hunter's voice brought her back to reality. She jumped out of the car, which she had managed to manoeuvre to the hospital, and followed the ambulance attendants to the door.
"I always hated hospitals," she whispered to Hunter once inside. "They remind me of death."
Hunter nodded. "I agree. I used to avoid them at all possible times. Same reasoning." He smiled at her. "But we're not here for death. Shawn will be just fine, Angel. You'll see."
She smiled back, but inside she was falling apart. The last time Shawn hurt his back, doctors warned him that he couldn't do it again. "Your spine is dangerously close to be broken permanently," they said. "You can't do this again. It could get more and more serious!" But everyone knew that Shawn Michaels was a man of extremes. He wouldn't let that stop him.
Hunter spoke to the nurses while Angel greeted all the others who had come down to see what was happening. Vince headlined the crew, taking Angel's hands in his. "He'll be fine," he whispered to her. Once again that sinking feeling rose into her stomach. She didn't like it but pretended it wasn't happening.
Hunter flopped into the chair beside her. "He's in surgery now," he said quietly, rubbing his face with exhaustion. "They'll let us know how he is when he comes out."
"His back.is it bad?"
"It's not good," Hunter replied, feeling a little cranky. "I can't believe I did this to him."
Angel held his hand. "You didn't. It wasn't your fault, nor was it his fault." Hunter just shook his head.
The next ninety minutes seemed to pass like an eternity. Every time a doctor entered the waiting room, heads would swivel upwards in anticipation. If it wasn't such a serious time, Angel would have burst out laughing. She passed the time by braiding her long brown hair, concentrating critically on each and every strand to keep her occupied.
Suddenly the door opened to reveal the doctor all the wrestlers had come to know and love in this state: Dr. Keegan Monroe. He was the only doctor in South Carolina that the wrestlers of the WWE trusted most. He had worked on Shawn when he first hurt his back and Angel knew him well.
His face was filled with concern. His eyes were worrisome, as if he had been worrying for hours. Angel immediately felt her heart lurch into her throat. She knew that bad news was about to be delivered, but tried to push the feeling down into the bottom of her soul, hoping that she was wrong.
"Angel," he said, his voice breaking. Instinctively she grabbed Hunter's hand and Vince stood up, walking towards the doctor.
"Keegan, what's wrong? What happened?" Angel smiled, recalling all the other times Vince had stood up for her. He was like the father she never had.
"I'm sorry, guys," Dr. Monroe started out. Tears filled Angel's eyes and streamed down her face as the doctor explained how Shawn's heart gave out during surgery. "There were just too many complications," he said, teardrops rolling down his cheeks. "I'm really sorry; I tried the best I could."
Angel felt as if her world had turned to stone. Shawn was dead. Nothing else mattered now.
Her mouth gaped in horror at what she was witnessing on the television screen. Shock settled in as she watched Shawn Michaels being carried out of the ring on a stretcher. It was his back. Again. She knew that Triple H was supposed to slam Shawn on his back over the seat of a metal folding chair. It was in the script. She had approved it. But what wasn't scripted was the way that Shawn fell. He had fallen on the most fragile part of his back and now, only seven minutes after Raw had gone off the air, she watched in dismay as they carried Shawn's body off the ring on a stretcher.
Grabbing her jacket, she rushed to meet the ambulance before it left the parking lot. But she missed it by seconds, meeting Hunter in the lot.
"Hunter, are you okay?" she asked, breathlessly. He shook his head, unable to speak. He didn't have to. She could practically read his mind. Quickly, she grabbed his arm and led him towards her car, which was parked in the back of the parking lot. It took her several tries to succeed in putting the keys in the ignition. Tears clouded her vision as she backed out of the spot and drove towards the hospital, Hunter in the seat beside her.
The highway was empty. South Carolina had always held a special place in her heart. It was where she had met her first sweetheart. He was a great guy in the beginning but turned out to be an alcoholic idiot after that. She had just gotten over him when Brad came along. Brad was a charmer on the outside but an abuser on the inside. She escaped out of that relationship with only a black eye.
She was beginning to think that there were no good guys in the universe when she met Shawn Michaels. She had been working for the WWE- then the WWF-for only two months as the secretary of the creative writing team when Shawn Michaels debuted in the company. He was a really sweet guy. Taking her time with him, they established an incredible friendship that then led into the best relationship she had ever had. Shawn was gentle with her, unlike the other men she had been with. He was caring, concerned and loving, which was a sudden change for her system. "No wonder why you're parents named you Angel," he would often say to her. "You're my own angel." It was nice to have such a doting guy, and a wrestler, to protect you.
They broke up only weeks ago. It just became too much for the both of them. But they promised to remain friends. "Just because we can't hack it in a relationship anymore doesn't mean we can't be friends." His words were cheerful, but behind them lurked the dangers of sadness. Angel knew the reason why they broke up. They had been together for many, many, many years, but marriage never became an issue to Angel. Not until Shawn had brought it up.
"It's not that I'm afraid of marriage," she told him. "I'm just not ready for it." She knew this broke his heart, but she insisted that marriage remain out of the question.
"Angel? Angel, we're here." The sound of Hunter's voice brought her back to reality. She jumped out of the car, which she had managed to manoeuvre to the hospital, and followed the ambulance attendants to the door.
"I always hated hospitals," she whispered to Hunter once inside. "They remind me of death."
Hunter nodded. "I agree. I used to avoid them at all possible times. Same reasoning." He smiled at her. "But we're not here for death. Shawn will be just fine, Angel. You'll see."
She smiled back, but inside she was falling apart. The last time Shawn hurt his back, doctors warned him that he couldn't do it again. "Your spine is dangerously close to be broken permanently," they said. "You can't do this again. It could get more and more serious!" But everyone knew that Shawn Michaels was a man of extremes. He wouldn't let that stop him.
Hunter spoke to the nurses while Angel greeted all the others who had come down to see what was happening. Vince headlined the crew, taking Angel's hands in his. "He'll be fine," he whispered to her. Once again that sinking feeling rose into her stomach. She didn't like it but pretended it wasn't happening.
Hunter flopped into the chair beside her. "He's in surgery now," he said quietly, rubbing his face with exhaustion. "They'll let us know how he is when he comes out."
"His back.is it bad?"
"It's not good," Hunter replied, feeling a little cranky. "I can't believe I did this to him."
Angel held his hand. "You didn't. It wasn't your fault, nor was it his fault." Hunter just shook his head.
The next ninety minutes seemed to pass like an eternity. Every time a doctor entered the waiting room, heads would swivel upwards in anticipation. If it wasn't such a serious time, Angel would have burst out laughing. She passed the time by braiding her long brown hair, concentrating critically on each and every strand to keep her occupied.
Suddenly the door opened to reveal the doctor all the wrestlers had come to know and love in this state: Dr. Keegan Monroe. He was the only doctor in South Carolina that the wrestlers of the WWE trusted most. He had worked on Shawn when he first hurt his back and Angel knew him well.
His face was filled with concern. His eyes were worrisome, as if he had been worrying for hours. Angel immediately felt her heart lurch into her throat. She knew that bad news was about to be delivered, but tried to push the feeling down into the bottom of her soul, hoping that she was wrong.
"Angel," he said, his voice breaking. Instinctively she grabbed Hunter's hand and Vince stood up, walking towards the doctor.
"Keegan, what's wrong? What happened?" Angel smiled, recalling all the other times Vince had stood up for her. He was like the father she never had.
"I'm sorry, guys," Dr. Monroe started out. Tears filled Angel's eyes and streamed down her face as the doctor explained how Shawn's heart gave out during surgery. "There were just too many complications," he said, teardrops rolling down his cheeks. "I'm really sorry; I tried the best I could."
Angel felt as if her world had turned to stone. Shawn was dead. Nothing else mattered now.