Chapter Sixteen
"Jem, please," he continued to say, shaking her lightly. She wasn't budging in the least bit. He lifted her up to lay her on the seat when he felt something bulging out of her jacket. He hurriedly took it out of her pocket and relief flooded over him with he realized it was her cell phone. He flipped it open and immediately dialed 911.
"I came straight from the airport. Where is she?" Trish asked frantically, Tyson coming in behind her. "They moved her into the emergency unit. She fell unconscious in the car, that's all I know," Chris answered, as the blonde sat next to him. "Your arm!" she exclaimed, noticing the wrapped bandage and sling. "I'm okay. All I care about right now is Jem," he said sighing. "How long have you been here?" Tyson asked concerned. "An hour. Almost an hour and a half," Chris answered, just as a female doctor walked up to them. All three stood up to hear what she had to say. "Miss Carter, I'm delighted to say, is doing fine. I was originally worried about the fact that she was unconscious, but we were able to revive her and it seems she has a slight concussion. I would advise her to stay away from any physical activity for the next week," she explained. "Alright, I will let our boss know," Chris said. "I will write it up for you, but I'd like to keep her here for at least another day," the doctor replied, as a nurse came up to her. She whispered something and then walked away. "It seems as if I'm needed in another area. I suggest you three get some sleep. You are welcome to visit her tomorrow," she told them, before making her decent to another room. Chris blew out a breath and sat back down. "I'll stay here," he decided. "No sweetie, don't. Get some rest," Trish protested, putting her hand on his good shoulder. "I feel so responsible. I need to be here," he said, shaking his head. Trish looked at Tyson, concern written on her face. "Chris, look…tomorrow first thing in the morning, I will bring you here," the bigger man said, watching as Chris kept his eyes fixed on the wall in front of him. He stayed silent for a good three minutes until finally, he looked up at them. "I'm staying for her," he said defiantly.
"Can't sleep?" Tyson asked, rolling over to see his girlfriend typing away on her new sleek laptop. "I'm sending an email to Stephanie telling her what happened. She'll tell Vince once she receives it," Trish answered. Tyson sighed as he sat up. Even in the dark he could see she had been crying. She closed her computer and set it down on the table beside her. "Come here," he told her, his arms extended. She gladly took the offer and cuddled in next to him. "She'll be fine. You heard the doctor," he said reassuringly. "I know, but she's my best friend. We have this…connection and I've never had that with anyone," she replied, closing her eyes. Tyson rubbed his hand over her back to soothe her. "Everything will be fine," he said again, before he heard her soft breathing. Finally, she was asleep.
The next morning, Chris walked into Jem's hospital room and smiled when he noticed she was sitting up, watching TV. "Hey you," he greeted, sitting down in one of the light pink chairs. She muted the television and turned to look at him. "Hey Chris. How are you feeling?" she asked. "I'm fine, but that doesn't matter now. You are more important. The doctor said you have a slight concussion, but you can return to the ring in a week," he answered. "That's good. I hope Vince isn't mad. I'm not even sure of what happened," she said, trying to remember. "Don't think about it. It's over," he replied, scooting in towards her. He grabbed her hand tightly and sighed. "Jem, I need to tell you something," he said, just as the door swung open. "Oh sweetie! How are you!" Trish exclaimed. Jem laughed slightly at her worried friend. "I'm fabulous," she said, sighing when Chris let go of her hand. "I emailed Steph. She says that Vince wishes you well and says he can't wait to see you back," Trish informed her. "What about the storyline?" Jem asked. "On Monday I'm going to make some idiotic speech and then Thursday I start trashing you," Trish answered grinning. "Then this Sunday, you run out during her match and screw her chance at the title," Chris added happily. "And surprisingly, Chris forgot to mention that you two end up getting together soon," Trish commented, giggling. Jem smiled, thoroughly enjoying how the storyline was going to work. "I think it sounds great. I'm excited," she said, leaning back against the pillow. She closed her eyes, dizziness taking over her. "Well, we will leave you alone, but expect us later," Trish said, as Chris stood up. She leaned down and kissed Jem's cheek. "See ya later," she whispered. Jem waved goodbye to both friends and soon fell asleep.
: RAW is WAR :
"Last week you all witnessed a video of Chris Jericho and my partner Jem conversing over a cup of coffee. Well I am here to tell you right now that it meant nothing! Jem is loyal to me and only me. That whole thing with Chris was a joke. I would have Jem tell you that herself, but she has opted not to show up here in front of you idiots. I don't even know how I'm able to stand out here without throwing up. Ugh!" she exclaimed, holding her stomach. "You know…I don't think I can be here any longer," she said, dropping the microphone. She shook her head one last time at the crowd and walked backstage where she met with Chris. "Here's Jem," he said, handing her the phone. Trish smiled gratefully and ran off with the phone. "Hey, that's my phone!" Chris shouted after her.
: Smackdown Tapings :
"Alright so I interrupt you midway through your wonderful speech and you, of course, get upset. Tyson comes out, but I end up beating the crap out of him," Chris said. "You better not hurt him," Trish warned, crossing her arms. "Aw, poor little baby. Don't worry, I won't hurt lover boy," Chris laughed. Trish rolled her eyes, but smirked. "Speaking of lovers. When are you going to tell Jem how you really feel?" she asked, raising her brows. "What are you talking about?" he asked back. "Oh Chris, stop the act. You should tell her. You two would be so cute together!" Trish exclaimed. "Shh, not so loud," he hissed. "Everybody knows already. Honestly, just tell her. It could blossom into something so beautiful," she said excitedly. He leaned back in his chair and thought about her comment. "Maybe, but I don't know if I want to admit it just yet. I've almost said it to her a couple of times, but interestingly enough I always get interrupted by you," he said, hitting her with the magazine he was holding. "Ouch!" she said sarcastically, but in return she lightly kicked his leg.
After the show, with Vince's permission, Chris and Trish flew to Las Vegas to visit their friend. Trish was a little bummed that Tyson had to stay to do a promo photo shoot, but she was mostly concentrating on Jem. When they arrived at her house, she welcomed them with open arms. "I've missed traveling. Isn't that insane?" she asked laughing. Chris and Trish both had to nod as they were escorted into the living room. "Guys, this is my mom, Ruby," she said proudly. They shook hands and sat down. "Well I've heard so many great things about you. It's great to finally see you up close," Trish said excitedly. "Thank you. I can also say that Jem has done the same about you two. I watch you ever week and you guys are just awesome, honestly," Ruby complimented, taking a sip of the tea she had. "Oh guys, would you like something to drink?" Jem asked, standing up. "Stay seated honey. You're stressing yourself out," Trish answered. "I'm fine. I'll go bring you some tea," Jem responded, walking towards the kitchen. Ruby stood up and shook her cup. "I need my refill," she called, following her daughter, leaving Chris and Trish alone. "They don't look anything alike," Chris whispered. "Of course they don't. Jem was adopted when she was a baby," Trish said nonchalantly. "Really? Hey, have you ever wondered if you and Jem…" he trailed off when the other two women came back in the room. "That was fast," Trish commented, smiling as Jem placed a cup of tea in her hands. "We're speedy," she replied chuckling. She looked at Chris and noticed his interested face. "You okay?" she asked, as he shook his head out of his thoughts. "I'm great, thanks," he answered winking. She smiled at him and sat down. "So, tell me how the plane ride was," Jem pleaded, starting their conversation.
"Thanks for helping me with the plates. You didn't have to," Jem said, as Chris set the silverware in the sink. "Sure I did. You're not supposed to be getting up so much. It's bad for you," he replied, as she rolled her eyes. "Did you switch places with my mom?" she asked snickering. He nudged her lightly and grabbed a sponge. "Sit down and watch as the master gets these dishes all clean," he said. "Oh, now this I'd like to see," she replied, hopping onto the counter. He began doing exactly what he said and she literally sat there in awe. The man could not stop surprising her. She trailed her eyes over his chiseled face and tied back hair. She couldn't understand why women were not falling at his feet. Too caught up with her vision she didn't notice Chris was looking at her. "Something you like?" he asked. Quickly, she bit her lip and laughed nervously. "I-I don't know," she said shrugging. He quirked a brow and she smiled. "Thanks for doing that for me," she said honestly. "No problem at all," he replied, grabbing a paper towel and drying his hands off. She hopped off the counter and motioned for him to follow her outside. They walked up a tall ladder and Chris widened his eyes when he found himself on the roof of the three-story house. "You must like tall houses. You've got one here, one in San Diego…" he said, as she nodded. "They're fun, but I like it here a bit better. This is my special place because I get like a weird feeling when I'm up here. It's a good feeling of course…I just always feel free when the wind is splashing in my face and the starts are bulging out of the sky," she told him, sitting in one of the chairs she had set up there. "Wow, you could be a writer," he said, as she scoffed. "No way, no how. Writing isn't a strong subject for me," she replied, as he took a seat next to her. "Is that why you have a notebook sitting there?" he asked. She looked down and grabbed it quickly. "Fine, I kind of like to write," she admitted. He smiled and gently took the book out of her hands. He flipped it open and read a poem entitled, "A Wind's Gut Feeling." When he finished, he looked up at her. "I know…it's kind of stupid," she said shrugging. "Absolutely not. These are great. Do you mind if I use some of these for lyrics on my next album?" he asked, as she widened her eyes. "Are you serious?" she asked excitedly. "Yeah, I think these would be great," he answered truthfully. "Oh I'd love that," she said, watching him grab the pen that was attached to the book. He ripped out a blank page and started writing her a little note. "Here," he said, handing it to her. She unfolded it and read. "Your lyrics will make my band famous." She laughed slightly at the sentence, but slowly she narrowed her eyes. "Your writing is very nice. It's seems very familiar," she commented, cocking her head to the side. "Well maybe you've seen me writing something before," he said, not thinking anything of it. "Yeah, that must be it," she replied smiling. He smiled back at her and set the book down. "Tell me about your life," he pleaded. "Alright, but you have to tell me your life story too," she said, as he held his hand to his heart. "I promise," he replied, as she blew out a big breath. "Well it all started out when I was born, obviously. As far as I know my biological mother…."
And they sat there talking for most of the night.
