Mark stood there listening to the tiny brunettes rambling…Lori was right…they were best friends…there was no one he spent more time on the phone with then her…other then Sara when they got married…But why was Lori's voice crying asking the why questions breaking his heart…he knew he couldn't answer them…no one could…
No one could have predicted what was going to happen on the airplane that day…Glenn and Sara were both excited to be seeing Lori again…but the excited was ripped out of their hands as he watched his best friend drowned and his wife die…and then stood by and watched as their bodies were pulled from the plane still submerged in water…
Mark was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion…he wasn't going to cry in front of Lori…but he needed to calm her down…
He looked over where she was standing…and walked over and pulled me in his arms…and just rubbed my back, trying to comfort me…Mark said, "Lori…you didn't do anything…it's just the way life is sometimes…granted it's not fair…but you just have to roll with the punches…I didn't mean to scare you…I'm sorry."
I was sniffling and said, "It's not your fault…"
Mark said, "You're life isn't a total mess…you still have me…and Paul & Stephanie, Vince & Linda, Torrie & Billy…You're not completely alone…I realize you're not as close with them as you are with me…but…I'm not always gonna be here ya know." I said, "I know that Mark…I just don't want to think that far ahead of myself…I don't even care what happens next week…I just want to get you better and get things back to normal."
Mark laughed and said, "What's normal?"
I said, "Me…at work yelling at the computer and you on the road, knowing exactly when to call me…or you being in some stupid hotel room…laying in bed talking to me on the phone, while I'm in bed at my apt in Stamford…and you always telling me which little shit tried to kick the crap out of you in the ring…and you just being the only one who can make me forget what a shitty ass day I had…and laugh my ass off and all the stories you tell me about what went on during the shows that people don't get to see…"
Mark said, "Are you ever going to come back on the road?" I said, "I don't know…I miss being on the road…and seeing everyone on a daily basis…I miss not seeing you for 6 months to a year at a time…I realize talking on the phone helps…but it's not the same…I watch you and the other guys wrestle Mondays and Thursdays…and constantly feel like I'm missing parts of myself…it's like I have a life that goes with me in Connecticut…but then when I'm around you…this fits too…I can't have everything I want…It doesn't work like that.."
Mark said, "I have a good idea…After I get clearance from the doctor to go back to work…why don't you come with me…you love traveling and you know Vince will let you do you're work from the laptop like you was before." I said, "I don't know." Mark said, "At least think about it until I have to leave…you don't have to decide right now." I smiled and said, "Okay…I'll think about it." Mark said, "Good…" And kissed the top of my head.
The next morning I took Mark to the doctor's office and they did the cardiogram…his heart was in great condition…the doctor said from the blood results everything was great…he was a little anemic because he'd been sleeping for the last 6 months and not getting up to run around…but that as soon as he fell back into a pattern…the anemia should pretty much be non-existent…and released him to go back to work in a week.
Mark called Vince when we got back to the house…Vince told him he was in no rush to throw him back into the ring…he gave Mark a month off to get some gym time in and get back into shape…I smiled evilly…cause I said I'd help bust Mark's ass to get it back in shape. And that's exactly what I did…and it still left him time to smack around his punching bag in the garage…I was relentless…hehehe…