CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It's been a very hard week. I stayed in town for three extra days so I could be with Rosa. She can't walk right now, but she has minimal feeling in her legs and is getting a bit more back every day. The doctors are pretty sure she will walk again, although they don't know when. They also are not very hopeful that she'll wrestle ever again.
Rosa refuses to believe that's a possibility. Every time we talk, she tells me this is just another stint in a type of rehab for her, and she's an old pro at that. I try to keep a positive vibe going for her benefit, but I'm honestly scared to death for her.
WWE has decided to feature her struggles on Total Divas. This is not exactly how Rosa intended to rise to fame, but right now it's the only way she can make money. The camera crews have a hard time editing out Drew because he still won't leave her side for long. TNA doesn't have any tapings for a bit and he is making an effort to keep his indie jobs near the hospital. This made me feel better when I had to leave four days ago.
I'm staying with Colby and I don't care who knows anymore, but no one seems to notice. I'm not cleared to work. Stephanie and Paul are convinced I'm too traumatized by the accident and need at least a couple of weeks off. I've been using the time to do something I never thought I would... I am talking to a divorce lawyer. I refuse to remain married to someone who hit me, although I keep wondering if I'm doing the right thing.
I'm outside of Paul's office waiting for a check-in meeting when I hear raised voices.
"Nothing you can do?!" Someone demands. "She's your employee and so is he. You need to help her, because she won't help herself."
"Calm down, Justin, and listen to me," Paul says. I realize Justin Gabriel is the one fighting with him.
"Calm down? I saw him hit her, Paul!"
"Unless she comes to us directly, we can't get involved-"
"The Goddamn Total Divas crew caught it on film, for God's sake! What more do you need?"
"Nattie's a grown woman. Her private life with her husband is none of our business, and we can't just get involved."
"That's complete bull and you know it!" Justin sounds so much angrier than I've ever heard him. He's usually quiet and always smiling. This is a whole other side of him.
"Justin, you're still our employee, and we respect you, but you are required to do as we say. Stay out of their private business."
"Your employee? That's your excuse to shut me up? I won't lie about this, Paul, and I won't stand back and watch a man put his hands on a woman, marriage license or not!" He's closer to the door now. "Employee... Fuck that! I'm your token jobber, your filler for rumbles and battle royales, your fucking Bunny! But a respected employee? No, I haven't been that in a long time. And now, the company I stood by and let use me is refusing to help a woman they claim is another valued employee? I'm done, Paul!"
"Just calm down for a minute, Justin-"
"My fucking name is PJ, not Justin!"
I am stunned, and it seems Paul is, too. "You... You're still under contract," he finally stutters out.
"Terminate it. I'm not doing this anymore. And if you don't release me, I'll tell the world the truth about Nattie and TJ."
"That's slander."
"Not when it's true and can be proven. Release me from my contract, Paul. I'm not coming back, but I'm not Punk either. I'm not going to draw this out for attention. Just release me and be done with it." He doesn't wait for a response, but exits the office and spots me. "AJ... Did you hear all of that?" I nod, still too stunned to speak.
Justin- I mean PJ- sighs. "Look," he says. "I didn't call Phil to be a dick. I thought he should know TJ was talking shit about his wife to anyone who would listen. I don't know what's going on between you and TJ, but please be careful."
"Nothing's going on," I say.
"He seems to disagree. I don't like how he talks about you, AJ."
"April... PJ," I say.
"April... TJ is dangerous. He's not the guy he pretends to be. He's kind of obsessed with you. Please just be careful with him."
"We're not together."
He considers this. "I believe he made up the affair, but he describes you in details he shouldn't know, April. He's watching you."
I shiver. He notices and surprises me by wrapping his WWE-issued jacket around me. "Keep it," he says. "I won't be back, so I won't be needing it anymore anyway. Good luck, April."
"You, too," I manage. I watch him walk away, too stunned to even process what has happened. Did he really just quit his job?
"April..." Paul says as he walks out of his office. "Right... Sorry, something just came up. I need to reschedule."
"That's fine," I say, considering I know why he is so frazzled.
"Quick question... Are you ready to come back?"
"Yes. AbsoluteLy." I'm probably not, but I'm going insane sitting around with nothing to do but think.
"Talk to our shrink and get cleared. You passed your physical yesterday. I want you back as soon as you're ready."
He rushes away. He doesn't have to tell me twice.
*Skip...Skip...Skip...LATER*
The shrink admits I'm traumatized but deems me sane enough to wrestle. I'm very good at convincing people I'm sane when I have to. He suggests a warm-up match at a house show, something without much pressure. Since Emma and Summer Rae are the Diva jobbers right now, I ask for Tenille. I know she won't go easy on me but I also know she won't be a bitch or try to screw me.
Colby stays with me backstage until it's time for me to skip out. This is the first match I've had since the accident and all I can think about suddenly is how much I wish Rosa was here. I'm soon distracted, however, as Tenille pulls out every move she has.
Tenille is super talented and I hate how little respect she gets. Emma may be a dumb gimmick, but Tenille is an incredible athlete. She hits me several times and pulls me into four or so different submissions. I refuse to tap, breaking holds or getting to the ropes as often as I can. I nearly fail to escape the Dil-Emma, but I do it somehow. Tenille hits me with the Emma-mite sandwich. When she tries to hit me again, I roll out of the way.
I reverse the flow of the match and hit her with a Shining Wizard. Tenille doesn't get back up or dance or do anything Emma-like and I get the pin.
To my surprise, we are joined at ringside by Taylor. "It's okay, Emma," he says in his Bo Dallas Inspirational Speaker voice. "You'll beat her next time. All you have to do... is Bo-lieve!" He extends a hand to help her up.
I stay in character, rolling my eyes and skipping away. After my music stops playing, I see from backstage that Tenille and Taylor are still in the ring. She's smiling and showing him how to dance to her music and Taylor's doing the Emma Dance right along with her. I'm laughing hard when I reach Colby.
"Weirdly, those two gimmicks work together," he says.
"Well, she needs something now that Santino's gone," I agree. I notice Taylor still grinning from ear to ear as he and Tenille come backstage.
"Great match," Tenille says. "We should do that more often."
"Definitely," I agree.
Tenille walks away. Taylor doesn't take his eyes off of her. "She's great, right?" He asks. "That was fun!"
I feel like a big sister watching her little brother talk about his first crush. "She's the best," I agree. "You two should hang out sometime."
"You think so?"
"Definitely. Tenille's a ton of fun."
Taylor's blushing. This kid is too adorable. "Maybe," he manages to say. "Great match, April... I should go."
He rushes off and Colby starts laughing. "Emma and Bo Dallas?" He asks. "I guess anything is possible when you Bo-lieve!"
"Oh, hush," I say with my own laugh. "It's adorable." I can't express how nice it is to see someone be happy for once. I wonder if this will go anywhere.
"My match is in fifteen. I need to get ready," Colby says.
"Okay," I say. "Who's on babysitting duty?"
"Bodyguarding, not babysitting, and it's Dean and Joe."
On cue, the two join us. Joe is laughing at something Dean just said while Dean smirks. After the disaster with Phil, I trust Joe as much as Colby and Dean and I'm glad to have them for company while Colby faces Randy.
"Did you hear Gabriel quit?" Joe asks.
"He CM Punked Triple H!" Dean adds. He looks at me apologetically. "Sorry... No offense."
"None taken," I say. "It's totally a real term. But it wasn't like with Phil." I explain what I overheard.
"I guess he got sick of it being party time all the time," Dean says. He pauses thoughtfully. "Seriously, though, I respect him. He just took his dignity back. Good for him!"
"Colby's next," Joe teases. I see the look in Colby's eyes and wonder if there's any truth to that. I'm too distracted after that to focus on anything, but I try to watch the match anyway.
It's a very short match. Colby does two of his flying moves and I know he's thrilled. He executes an amazing phoenix splash. He tries to go for a curb stomp but Randy moves. Colby goes for another dive off the ropes but mid-flight he gets hit with an RKO out of nowhere. He hits the mat hard and doesn't get back up until well after the three count.
He's not upset about losing. In fact, he bounces backstage to me like a hyper little kid. "Did you see it?" He asks.
"The splash? It was beautiful!" I tell him.
He hugs me without even hesitating. I don't mind, although he usually isn't so openly cuddly with me right after a match. People might get ideas.
"I'm proud of you," I say. "They need to stop holding you back."
"That was fucking awesome," Dean tells him.
"You still got it, Colby," Joe adds.
"Thanks, guys. I haven't had this much fun in a while," Colby says. I love seeing the joy in his eyes. Moments like this are why we do what we do.
"Come on, man," Dean says. "Food is calling me." He leads us all toward the parking lot and we get ready to go get a post-show meal, which is becoming a routine for us. I find the idea of this new habit comforting. It's a blessedly normal thing to go out to eat with friends and right now, I need normal.