PART 9

Michelle found herself standing at the gorilla position, her head poking between a small opening in the curtains so that she could keep her eye on Randy's match. Though it was Dave and Bubba Dudley who were currently in the ring wrestling, she kept her gaze steadily locked on Randy, who was standing in the far corner, gripping the tag ropes as he talked to Ric Flair. She studied his handsome face carefully, smiling with pride as he was tagged into the match. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. She turned to see who had wanted her attention, her brows raising in amusement when she saw Trish Stratus standing behind her.

"Hey Trish," she called with a grin, turning her attention back to the match. "Come to watch Davey wrestle?" Swatting her best friend playfully on the arm, Trish shook her head. Michelle was *such* a little kid sometimes.

"If you're talking about Dave, then yes, I did," she replied. "Besides, I figured you'd be here drooling over Randy, so I thought I'd drop by and see how that was going."

"Now Trish, let's not change the subject. What's going on with you and Dave?" Michelle asked, tossing her gaze back in Trish's direction, refusing to allow her to escape the subject.

"Nothing," the blonde woman insisted, putting her hands up in protest. "We're just friends. He's cute, I like hanging out with him... we'll see."

The two women exchanged grins, before pausing their conversation to check out the action in the ring. Their eyes lit up as a few hard hits were exchanged, and somehow all six men ended up in the ring. The men began to race around the ring in a blur, bodies flying and colliding all over the place. What was shaping up to be an awesome bout took a turn for the worse when Dave, Randy, and Bubba collided. The three men fell in a large heap to the mat, each one crying out in pain.

The eyes of both women widened as referee Earl Hebner poked his head down into the pile to check on each of the men, concern washing over his face as none of the three men were giving him good responses. He considered calling for the bell, but somehow, Bubba rolled over Dave and covered him for the pin, ending the match a bit prematurely.

Bubba was the first man to his feet, having his partner D'Von pull him off the mat, the burly man holding onto his back as he gingerly made his way out of the ring, walking very slowly up the ramp. Next, Dave slowly made his way up, grimacing as he held his right arm tightly. Trish breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him stand, though she was almost positive he did something awful to his arm. He looked to be in some intense pain. Her gaze stayed locked on him as he and Ric hopped out of the ring, waiting for Randy. Trish's gaze traveled over to Michelle, who was standing beside her, one hand placed over her mouth to hide the fact that it was gaping open.

Michelle's hand dropped from her mouth to her chest, rubbing it as her heart skipped about ten beats. As Bubba and D'Von pushed past the two women on their way back to the trainer's room, her stomach dropped. Why hadn't Randy gotten up yet? She stood up on her tip toes, trying to get a better view of what was going on in the ring. Terror began to build rapidly in her eyes as the minutes ticked by and Randy *still* hadn't moved. A few of the trainers had since made their way to the ring, huddling over the young man to the point where it was damn near impossible to see him.

Relief coursed through her as the men separated a bit, and she was able to see that they were helping Randy to his feet. The moment he was up, though, the concern flooded back to her. He looked to be in some serious pain, and he wasn't putting any weight on his right leg. Placing his arms over two of the trainers' shoulders, he made a gesture to his foot, wincing in anguish as they slowly made their way out of the ring. Trish placed a hand on Michelle's shoulder, holding onto her just in case she decided to make a run for her boyfriend. The two women stepped back as the huddled mass of men pushed through the curtain, Trish opting to stay back while Michelle rushed up to her boyfriend. Her view of the two was blocked when a massive figure stepped in front of her. Trish glanced up, meeting the dark eyes of Dave Batista.

"Dave!" she cried, realizing that while being wrapped up in her concern for Randy, she had completely forgotten that Dave too had been hurt. "Are you okay? What happened out there?"

"I'm fine," he replied, continuing when he noted the look of disbelief on the tiny diva's face. "Really, I am. I think I dislocated my shoulder. I should only miss a few weeks, Trish, really."

Trish eyed him curiously for a moment, wondering if he was telling the whole truth. He looked to be in a great deal of pain, but from the sound of his voice, he didn't seem to be all that hurt. A small smile played on her lips as she thanked God he wasn't severely injured. Then, her gaze traveled to the pair behind Dave, and her grin faltered.

"Dave..." Trish began, a troubled look crossing her features as he watched Michelle tending to Randy. "Is Randy alright?" Dave eyes wandered over to the pair behind him, and he frowned.

"To be honest, it didn't look to good out there," he answered bluntly. "I think his foot or toe is completely broken... he couldn't move it at all."

"Oh no," she voiced in a hushed tone, the hope she held for Randy's safety dropping from her chest.

The two shifted into silence, Dave turning and standing next to Trish as they watched the trainers closing in on Randy, at the same time shoving Michelle out of the circle. Growing frustrated, she tossed her hands in the air, turning her back on the crowd of men and storming back over to where Trish and Dave were standing. When she glanced over at the pair, Trish could plainly see the tears threatening to escape her eyes.

"Chelli, I'm sorry," she said quietly, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

Shrugging out of Trish's grasp, Michelle turned away, following solemnly as the trainers sat Randy down on a stretcher, wheeling him out as the young man fought not to cry out in pain. She knew, as she watched them wheel him out, that he was going to be on the shelf for awhile. That meant he was going to be off the road...

And that meant she'd have to be without him.

A/N: I know it's been months since we've had an update!  I'm really sorry about that, but I've been trying to get my fics squared away, so I put this one on a little hiatus.  Not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try and make it quicker!  Hope you're all still with me!