Chapter 2:

Scotty woke up, groggy, as his alarm clock rang relentlessly. He rolled over sleepily and shut off the infernal machine. After momentarily gathering his thoughts, the young man recited the list he has compiled for himself the night before. Assuming he didn't run into any delays, he should have just enough time to stop by the hospital and visit his injured friend before his flight to Dallas left.

Scotty showered quickly, got dressed, and packed his bags. The constant process of packing and unpacking on a weekly basis was by far one of the most tedious parts of the job, but Scotty had been in the business long enough to view it as just another routine that one had to go through, like stretching before a match or training whenever given the opportunity.

As the young superstar made his way through the lobby of the hotel, one of the clerks there walked up to him anxiously with a letter in his hand, "Excuse me, Mr. Garland?" he asked.

Scotty nodded as the clerk handed him the envelope and said, "I was told to give you this note from the General Manager of Smackdown before you left this morning."

"Oh. Okay, thanks," Scotty said as he took the envelope from the man. Theodore Long's elaborate signature graced the front of the sealed envelope, but there were no other signs which indicated the nature of its contents.

"May I help you with some of your luggage?" the clerk interrupted Scotty's musings.

"Oh, yeah sure. Thanks," the superstar said as he handed some of his bags to the clerk. Scotty stuck the letter in his jacket pocket; he didn't have time to read it now. Once he was on the plane, he would take a look at it.

Once all of his gear was packed into the rental car, Scotty thanked the clerk, gave him a generous tip, and made his way through the early-morning Los Angeles traffic to the hospital Rikishi was being treated in.

After a quick stop at a local bakery, he made his way over to the hospital, asked where he could find his friend, and ventured into the appropriate room after a few minutes of walking. As he stepped through the doorway, Scotty spotted his friend sitting upright in his bed, poking at a plate of scrambled eggs and toast with a plastic fork.

As the young superstar entered, Rikishi looked up and a wide grin broke across his face, "Scotty! Good to see ya, man," he said tiredly.

"Yeah, same here Kish," Scotty said as he took a seat next to his friend's bed and held up the white paper bag he had brought from the bakery, "I brought you some baklava. Figured it would be better than the hospital food."

Rikishi chuckled at the mention of one of his favorite sweets, "Aw man, you didn't have to do that. Thanks, though. Maybe once my taste buds start working properly again, I'll have some."

Scotty set the bag of pastries down on the table within reaching distance. He asked, "So how'd the surgery go?"

"It went okay, I guess. I'm still kinda out of it," Rikishi attempted a laugh, but it came out as little more than a hoarse cough, "I haven't heard anything from the doctors, so I don't know how bad it is yet."

"Oh," Scotty said, thinking back to what one of the doctors had told him the previous night. He briefly considered relaying the message to his injured friend, but figured it would be better if he heard the news from a doctor. Scotty cleared his throat and continued, "Is your shoulder doing okay? I mean, can you move it all right?"

"Not really," Rikishi glanced at his injured extremity, "I definitely heard a pop last night. If it's ligaments or muscle that's involved, then I'm guessing it's pretty bad. I guess I'll find out later. As long as they keep giving me those painkillers, I don't think being hurt is gonna be that much of an issue," the big man chuckled lightly.

"Well, you know if there's anything I can do to help, I'm here for you, man," Scotty offered, "I'm the one who got you into this, after all. It's only fair that I help you get out of it."

"What do you mean by that?" Rikishi asked his friend, looking slightly puzzled.

Scotty chuckled bitterly, "I provoked Angle, that's what I mean. If it wasn't for me letting my ego get in the way of my common sense, you wouldn't be in this hospital bed. You'd still be looking at returning in two or three months instead of seven."

"Wait.....seven? Is that what they told you?" Rikishi asked, eyebrows knitted.

Scotty swore silently. He hadn't meant to say that. He admitted sullenly, "Yeah, that's what they told me last night. Sorry. I figured it'd be better if you heard it from one of the doctors instead of me."

A long silence followed as Rikishi leaned back in the hospital bed, staring off into space. After an uncomfortable silence, he muttered, "Seven months.....man......."

Scotty sighed, "Look, Kish, I'm sorry. I'm sorry any of this happened. I'm sorry for getting you into this. None of this should've happened, and I feel......I just......" he trailed off, unsure of how to finish.

The injured Rikishi turned his head to his friend and fixed the young champion with a penetrating stare, "Now listen to me, Scotty," he said in a serious tone, "I do not blame you for this, nor does anybody else. This isn't your fault. If anyone tries to tell you that it is, you have to realize that they are wrong, you hear me?"

Scotty met his friend's intense gaze and nodded tersely.

Rikishi continued, "Look, man, I knew what I was doing last night. I realized the risk that was involved; everyone in this business realizes the risk of being here. This is a tough job, and people get injured. It happens. It's inevitable. We might not like it, but we live with it; we move on. This injury," he glanced at his shoulder, "is temporary. I'll get over it. I don't want you to feel like you brought any of this on me, because you didn't."

"Like hell I didn't," Scotty said bitterly, "I'm sorry, Kish, but I just have a really hard time believing that I'm not the one to blame for all this. I thought about it all last night, but I just keep reaching the same conclusion."

"Listen," Rikishi's voice took on a more gentle tone, "It's your fault because you provoked Angle. It's Angle's fault because he can't get over his losses to you. It's my fault for being too close to this whole thing when I was well aware of the risks. It's Jindrak's fault for losing to you and getting Angle's temper all flared up. It's Reigns' fault for stomping on my shoulder so hard. It's Teddy Long's fault for signing that title match with you and Angle all those months ago. It's Vince McMahon's fault for hiring any of us in the first place! You see where I'm going with this, man? We could point fingers at each other all day long, but none of it will get us anywhere.

"What's done is done. My shoulder's busted up and the only thing any of us can do about it is simply wait for it to heal. You understand me, Scotty? If I'm stuck worrying about you beating yourself up over this, I'm not gonna be able to heal as fast as I could if I new you were okay with all of it."

Scotty bit his lip as his friend's words began to sink in. He was right, and the young man silently mused at how he hadn't come up with the same conclusion before, "You know what, Kish? You've got a point," Scotty admitted as his characteristic smile began to show up once again, "You've sure got a way with words, you know that?"

Rikishi chuckled in spite of himself, "Hey, whatever works, man."

Scotty laughed and checked his watch, "I'd love to stay and listen to some more of your motivational speaking, but I think it's time for me to go," the US Champion said as he stood up, "Is there anything I can send you while I'm out on the road? Some more food, maybe? A fruit basket, perhaps? Or a bouquet of flowers?"

Rikishi snorted good-naturedly, "You're too kind. Naw, I should be fine. A postcard every now and then should suffice."

"Alright, I'll send you one as soon as I get to Dallas," Scotty said as he made his way over to the door, "Take care now, Kish. I'll be praying for ya."

"Thanks," his friend responded, "Oh, and Scotty," he said as the young man stopped and turned to his friend. Rikishi continued, "I'm not gonna try to give you any advice on how to deal with Angle since you're probably going to make up your own mind about it anyway, but whatever you do decide to do, just be careful, alright? I don't want you to end up in a hospital bed, too."

Scotty nodded solemnly, "I will. Thanks, man."

Rikishi nodded, his face assuming a slight smile. Scotty returned the smile and left the hospital room, his doubts lessened and his hopes refueled. He left the building with a clear head and a new mission; no longer was he going to berate himself for causing this mishap. To do so would be to dwell in the past, and the only way to succeed in the wrestling business was to keep one's eyes firmly fixed on the future.

And in the future, Scotty envisioned Kurt Angle and his henchmen going through the same pain that they had put him and his friends through.

The US Champion arrived at the airport a few minutes late, but the plane, unsurprisingly, was running behind schedule and the young man was able to board it without too much fuss. Once everything was squared away, he took his seat by the window and watched with detached interest as the workers loaded the last bit of luggage onto the plane.

Scotty allowed his mind to wander as he considered his immediate future. If everything went well, he should arrive in Dallas around 2:00 pm, giving him the rest of the day to train and focus his energy into something productive. After that, he would figure out a plan to deal with Angle. For the moment, he was simply content with letting his best friend's words roll around in his head.

As Scotty went to fold his arms across his chest, a crinkling sound caught his attention. The young man remembered the letter he had received earlier in the day and dug it out of his jacket pocket.

Unfolding the wrinkled envelope, he opened it up and removed the slip of paper inside. On it was a simple message written in the GM's handwriting:

To Scott Garland,

I am sorry to hear about what happened to your friend Rikishi at last night's Pay-per-view event. You have my sincerest sympathies, and I wish him a speedy recovery.

However, I would like to take this time to inform you of your next match on Smackdown. In Dallas, Texas, it will be the team of Scotty 2 Hotty and Shannon Moore taking on the team of Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns. I wish you the best of luck, and if there is any problem with this arrangement, feel free to contact me upon reaching the arena later tonight.

Theodore R. Long

Scotty 2 Hotty smiled in spite of himself. Although he and Moore would be at a definite disadvantage in that match, he knew that this would be the perfect opportunity for the two of them to get some revenge.

Feeling more energized than he had been in months, Scotty leaned back in his seat as a wide grin broke across his face. He couldn't wait to get to Dallas.