CHAPTER 13: Conversations…

Paul and Rebecca were successful in helping Shawn back up to his room without getting caught by anybody. Once they reached the room, Shawn was forced back to his bed, and he was on strict orders from Dr. Levesque not to move away from it until he leaves that damn hospital, unless he needed to go to the bathroom. Paul couldn't understand how in the world could a man, who has fallen off from that high a place could still move and walk around, even causing commotion. But he couldn't blame Shawn with wanting to not stay in his room. When he got injured in 2001, he was the same way. He hated hospitals, and couldn't stand their smell and whole being. For him, hospitals meant negative things: pain, suffering, injury, and at times death. And those were what now is… pain, suffering and injury to his best friend and to his wife. He just hoped that the last one was nowhere near them. The only day he was happy being in a hospital was on the 24th of July, the day that her firstborn daughter was born.

Lying on his bed, Shawn sensed that Paul, who was seating on a chair beside the bed, was now acting a bit differently since they left Steph's room. It was just a while ago that they were fooling around, hitting and cursing each other. Now, he's not even uttered a single word.

"Hey bro… you seem a little out… you okay?"

When Paul didn't answer back and was seem to be not in the same planet as he was, Shawn threw him a pillow.

Paul was then knocked out from his thoughts and Shawn finally had his attention. "What?!?" and he threw the pillow back.

"What's wrong? What ya thinking about?"

"Nothing…"

"What, you're part of Becca, Steph and Rissa's nothing's-wrong-with-me club right now? Tell me… tell Daddy Shawn what's bothering you…"

"I said it's nothing… just thinking about… stuffs… you know… the events today… nothing big really…"

"What about the events today?"

"You sure you want me to answer that question? I'm sure you know what has happened today. ALL that has happened today…"

"Yeah… I… I know… I meant… what about the things that have happened today? You know… what's in there that's making you so lost in thoughts and seemingly not minding the presence of other people in this room…"

"Look Shawn… I'm okay… it's the usual, normal stuff… just thinking about life… you know, you kinda become more reflective when bad things happen to you… or something like that… hey… look, I got to go now… Steph's alone… she might need me for something… so I'll see you tomorrow…"

"Wait… hold up! Uhm… uh… uh…" Not knowing what to say next, Shawn looked at his wife, as if asking her for help. Fortunately, she got that sign.

"Uhm… I… I'm gonna go get Shawn something to eat… and maybe drop by Steph's too… I'll… I'll be the one to watch over her while you two do what you're supposed to do… so… ex-excuse me…"

Smiling at Paul, Shawn said, "Well, I'll be left alone then. And it's not nice to leave your best friend alone. So…"

Sighing, Paul really didn't have any choice. "Fine, fine…"

When Rebecca left, it was time to spill the beans.

"Okay man, let it out. What's up?"

"I don't really understand why you keep insisting that something is wrong with me when in reality, there is nothing to talk about."

Shawn's patience was starting to wear thin now. Maybe because he was just tired, considering everything that has happened today. But still, he managed to still crack a joke. "Are we gonna start lying to each other now? After more than ten years of friendship, you're gonna start keeping things from me now? Come' on man, that's unfair. You should have at least told me that it was already okay to lie… I would have done that before you did…"

"Okay fine!" Paul was now a little bit aggressive. "You really wanna know?! I'll let you know!!" Then, in a much louder voice, he continued: "I've been bugged by everything that has happened today! What about the events today?! Well let's see… uh… first, my wife started acting weirdly the whole day, basically shunning me out of her life. Then, I never really got to figure out what was wrong with her, until the latter part of the day. This means that she has carried the burden that has been eating her up the whole time, alone, and I allowed that to happen! Then, I see myself in a main event match wherein I made a mistake that has resulted to my best friend falling off from a 20-foot cage and being sent straight to the hospital. Now, he's in a room, resting, in pain, suffering from several injuries, can't work tomorrow and God knows till when… while my wife is downstairs, in the same hospital, but for a different reason. She was rushed here after collapsing seconds after the accident happened. Cause I just found out recently, that she's been suffering from… from… something that might cause us to not have a child anymore, much more that may be a reason for me to lose her anytime. I can't live without her. I can't even imagine how I will continue living without her. I… I… why is this fuckin happening to me?!?!?"

After that long rant, Paul finally broke down. It has been a long day for him, and honestly, he has not totally let his emotions out yet. All of the mixed feelings—confusion, sadness, anger, doubt, fear, gratitude and more—he had inside of him that have been building up with the events of the whole day have not been released fully up until now. He wouldn't want to break in front of Stephanie; it was supposed to be her drawing strength from him. So he was grateful for Shawn and his stubbornness, that he wouldn't let him leave the room, without knowing the full reason why he was acting a bit different. Shawn could really read him like a book.

Shawn felt bad for Paul. He couldn't imagine the hell that his best friend was in at the moment. Sure that he may have fell from a place that not all human beings could fall from, that's why he's in this hospital now, but that was all just physical. Here, in front of him, is a man who is emotionally crushed and helpless, and Shawn wanted everything to just go away for his best friend. There's only one person whom he has considered being like his second brother, and that was Paul. He would do anything for Paul to feel better, and to get him off this agony, this feeling of confusion and distraught. But the truth is, he can't do anything now, but just to be there.

"Look man… I… I know this is incredibly hard for you… and I know that at this moment, it seems like as if nothing's making sense… but… but you have got to hold on. I know you're not as big as me on the religious stuff, but it's the same thing. I'm not gonna start preaching to you and feeding you verses from the Bible… although I'm sure that prayer would go a long way at a time like this. I could help you with that if you want… but I think that as a man, you know that life, sometimes is just unfair… and you just have to make it through the obstacles that come your way, may it be big or small. Bro, you got to believe that you would get through this. You have to believe that you're stronger, more powerful and bigger than this. Don't worry about me… I'll be fine… I'm gonna be okay. I'm Superman remember? Just hang in there for your wife. She's gonna need you now more than she has ever needed you in her life. It's now when she needs all of you to be there for her. And she needs none of those sympathy stuffs. She just needs to feel your love and support. And I, your ever dearest best friend… will be right beside you through all these. You can count on that!"

"I think I've never loved her more than I do now…"

"Don't tell me that… you go down and let her know that…"

"Sure thing… so uh… will you be okay if I leave you now?"

"Oh yeah… I would want nothing more… just make sure you send my wife back up. It's not healthy for one Paul Michael Levesque to be stuck alone in a room with two extra beautiful women…"

"Fine, fine, fine… I get the drift now…" Standing up, Paul continued, "Oh yeah, Shawn… before I leave, I just got two words for you…"

Raising an eyebrow, Shawn waited to hear those two words.

"Thank you."

"Huh? For your information big man… you owe me one. That's dinner at a hotel as soon as I get released here…" Shawn joked a bit, knowing full well that his friend was now in high spirits, full of hope and ready for anything that will come his way. That's the Paul Levesque he knew and that he has loved within the years.

"Screw you!!!"

"Oh that's four words now…"

"I hate you!"

"That's seven now…"

"Asshole!"

"Eight…"

"I'm leaving…"

"Ten…"

Paul has had enough of Shawn's goofing around. He grabbed one of Shawn's pillows and smacked it to his face.

"Ouch!"

But Paul became serious for a while and thought of something that has seemed to be quite obvious between them recently. "Why is it so hard for us to get separated whenever we are together? It's as if it's gonna take us forever for one of us to leave the room, you know…"

"Well… I think that's just what makes this friendship rock… We're worse than Steph and Rissa…"

"Oh yeah… sure…"

"Hey… I'ma go now… got to see the wife before she passes out… so uh… yeah… I'm going now. And I'll remember to send Becca up."

"Sure… I'll see ya whenever…"

"That's tomorrow… I'll be sure to drop by… and you make sure your ass is still on that bed!"

"Yes doctor!"

"Okay, here we go again… I'm really leaving" Then Paul proceeded to the door, before it's gonna take him how many minutes again to do so.

Opening the door and ready to make his exit now, Paul turned back around, wanting to tell Shawn one last thing he felt he needed to get off his chest. "Uh Shawn… one last thing… I don't know how I'm really supposed to tell you this… but uh… love ya man…"

Although surprised by that comment, Shawn smiled and replied, "Same here. Now go!"

"Fine, fine… bye!" Then Paul left the room.

Now alone, Shawn, though in this situation, thought about how lucky he was. He had a family whom he loved so dearly… a wife, who's just so supportive and understanding, two beautiful kids, who have changed his life forever, a career that's just very fulfilling, fans who are just the most loyal ones ever, the good Lord Almighty, and an asshole of a best friend whom he surely couldn't have lived without. Though it may seem he had just helped Paul a while ago, that was nothing compared to what his best friend has done for him, throughout all those years.

He just couldn't understand how the world never understood Paul. But he, Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, would surely, definitely be there for him, all the time.