"Hey Shawn, it's me. I was just wondering how you're holding up. I'm still at the arena, but give me a call when you get this, alright?" Hunter paused for a moment, never quite comfortable talking to a machine and quite frankly not really sure what to say, either. "I worry about you, you know? With you going radio silent and all. So yeah… Like I said, give me a call when you can. Take care, buddy."
With a sigh, Hunter hung up. Now that went well. He knew Shawn wouldn't get back to him. He hadn't in weeks, no matter how many messages he left. However, he couldn't stop trying, right? Shawn was his best friend after all and he knew he was currently going through a rough patch in his life to put it mildly. Part of him was mad at Shawn for shutting him out like that, but mostly he was concerned. He was well aware how Shawn dealt with issues – or rather didn't deal with them at all. If there had been an opening in his busy schedule, he would have hopped on the next flight to Texas, but ever since Mania, things had been insane. He had hardly had a second to breathe. With Kid, Brian and Billy added to the mix, D-Generation X really were taking off. Sometimes it surprised even him how the crowd ate it all up. That first night he went out there without Shawn, it had felt a little weird, but he had also known that he would only have one shot at this, at making DX work with him as the leader. And he had been determined to go that extra mile. He just wished there hadn't been a reason for this change in the first place.
He almost startled when Joanie's hand on his shoulder drew him from his thoughts. "Still no luck?"
Hunter simply shook his head. "Not that I expected anything else." He finally put his phone in the side pocket of his gear bag and quickly finished packing the rest of his stuff into it, before he sat down on the bench. Looking up, he locked eyes with his girlfriend. "I know he's a grown man, but you know what he's like, Jo. Left alone, he's just bound to do something stupid sooner or later."
She sat down next to him, rubbing his thigh in a comforting gesture. "And you won't be able to stop him, baby. Not this time."
He knew she was right, but damn, who else would? Yes, it was irrational, but he was so used to picking up the pieces after Shawn for such a long time that somehow he felt like he was letting him down now. Determined, he got up. "I'm gonna go talk to Vince. Maybe we can bring Shawn back for a show or two. As a guest referee, for commentary..." It had been three months with hardly a word from his friend – and if nothing else, this way he could see for himself how Shawn was doing.
"Paul…," Joanie grabbed his arm, trying to hold him back. "Do you really think this is a smart idea?"
The frown on her face spoke volumes regarding her stance on this. And he couldn't exactly blame her, knowing full well Shawn's ability to drag those that cared about him down with him. Those ten weeks between that fateful injury and the match against Austin had been some of the most draining of his life. Joanie had been right there and she had seen how it had also taken a toll on him. It wasn't like she didn't give a damn about Shawn, that was far from it, but she probably didn't want to see him pulled back into the same mess all over again. He loved her for it, but he just didn't have it in him to stand back any longer. "I don't know, Jo. I really don't." He raked his fingers through his long hair in defeat. "But I do know I gotta do something."
With that, he left the locker room area and made his way to Vince's makeshift office. Shawn may be one stubborn son of a bitch, but God help him if Hunter would give up on him without a fight.