Some superstars, however, were not aware of where Stephanie was, and were confused as to why everyone seemed so stressed.
"What the hell is going on here?" Chris Jericho asked his tag-team partner Christian. "Everyone's going crazy; it's like someone died or something."
"Well, someone almost did die," Christian informed him.
"What?"
"Yeah, you didn't hear? Stephanie McMahon got herself into a car crash.
"What?" Chris whispered inaudibly. He couldn't believe it. She was in a car crash? When? How? Why?
"Hey, are you okay?" Christian asked his friend.
~*~
"Hey princess, what's up? Fucked anyone good lately?"
"Shut the hell up Jericho."
"I hope you get into a car wreck."
"In that case I'll see you in hell."
~*~
"YO! CHRIS! You there?"
"Huh?"
"Are you okay? You were like, way out there, man."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I was just…um…never mind. I'm fine."
Christian wasn't convinced, but he let it go.
"So, is she okay?"
"Who?"
"Stephanie."
"Yeah, she's fine, she'll be back in a couple days. Why do you suddenly care about her?"
"Huh, oh, I don't, I was just curious. I do want her to come back though," he trailed off. "I mean, you know, so things can calm down."
"Right."
"Right."
The two walked in silence for another minute.
"What hospital is she staying at?"
"The one off Trenholm Road."
"Oh."
Christian smirked. "Want me to cover for you?"
"Would you?"
"Just go."
Chris silently thanked his friend as he jetted out of the arena. He was too concerned to be embarrassed with the fact that Christian seemed to know that Chris didn't really hate Stephanie and that he wanted to visit her. Christian was a good friend. Chris was a bit worried about how Christian could cover for him, but he decided that he should put more faith in his friend.
Without pushing the speed limit too much, Chris drove as fast as he could to the hospital. Fortunately, he knew exactly where it was, as he had driven by it the night before. When he found a parking spot, he quickly got out of the car and slammed it shut, barely taking the time to lock it.
"Stephanie McMahon, where is she?" he asked once he had gotten in.
The lady he had asked just sort of gave him a funny look, and she didn't say anything at first.
"Stephanie McMahon, where is she?" he repeated more slowly yet urgently.
Finally, the lady checked her records and pointed Chris in the right direction. He started to take off at a run, but decided against it and settled for walking quickly. Right before he got to her door, he paused. What if someone like her father was in there? Or worse, what if another one of the wrestlers was in there? He would never live it down.
After several minutes and several strange looks from the doctors passing by, he decided that seeing Stephanie, and calming his conscience, was worth the risk. He slowly pushed open the door. It was almost like an anticlimax. There was nobody in there but Stephanie, and she was sleeping. There weren't even any doctors.
He walked over to her bed and leaned over her. She was resting peacefully, her chest rising and falling with every breath of air. He wanted to wake her up, but he decided she might freak out if she opened her eyes and he was that close. He stepped away from the bed.
"Steph," he said, trying to wake her. She didn't even move. "Steph," he repeated more loudly. "Stephanie."
Stephanie shifted in her bed and opened her eyes.
"Yeah? What is it? Chris? What the hell are you doing here?"
"I…I came to visit you…"
"Why the hell would you do a stupid thing like that? And shouldn't you be working today?"
"I got Christian to cover for me…"
"Oh that makes me feel so much better!"
"Geez, I come here to visit you and tell you how sorry I am, and you yell at me! See if I'm ever nice to you again."
"I don't want or need you to be nice to me JERICHO. I haven't needed your sympathy before and I sure as hell don't need it now."
"I'm not trying to offer you sympathy--"
"Well then what the hell do you want? I haven't forgotten what you said, you know. You wanted me to get into a car wreck! Well, guess what!? You got your wish! Happy?"
"Happy? What? No, I'm not HAPPY! How could I be happy. When I heard that you had crashed, I thought that the last thing I would ever say to you would be 'go get in a car wreck'. Do you know how that made me feel?"
"Jericho, you're only here to sooth your conscience. Clearly you can see that I'm okay so I suggest that you leave."
"That is NOT the only reason I came here."
"Well, then what's the other reason?"
"I…" Chris started. He didn't really want to tell her, he was so unsure of himself.
"I'm waiting," Stephanie remarked.
"I…"
"See? You can't even come up with some lie to cover for you. Honestly! You haven't ever given a damn about me before this, and now that I've had a near-death experience, you suddenly care? We aren't exactly pals, Jericho."
"We've been friends before. When we were business partners."
"Exactly! BUISNESS partners. We were using each other for our own good. Look, you've seen me, you've offered your condolences, now just get the hell out!"
Chris was about to protest but he could see that she was clearly mad, and he didn't want to push it.
"Fine. When are you getting out?"
"Day after tomorrow."
"Okay then," Chris said as he began to exit. "See you tomorrow."
"I said the day AFTER tomorrow, idiot."
"I know," he finished as he closed her door.
"CHRIS! Chris, get back here you moron, what do you mean you'll see me tomorrow. Chris? CHRIS! Argh, I hate that man!