Chapter 14
The WWE was in Charleston/South Carolina, the hometown of Joelle, and Corey hadn't seen the diva that excited in a long time. She bounced through the hallways of the hotel and giggled irrepressibly.
Corey shook his head and let her drag him with her by his hand to the lobby.
" What was your sister's name again?" he asked nervously, he would meet Joelle's family today.
" Aileen." She looked at him and laughed. " Relax, man, they wont eat you."
Corey laughed nervously and tried not to trip over his own feet as Joelle proceeded to jump down the stairs. Suddenly she shrieked loudly and let go of Corey's hand, causing him to stumble dangerously, but he gripped the handrail and held his balance.
Joelle ran across the lobby and jumped a man which Corey assumed was her father, and he watched her repeat her actions with a group of people standing there.
He slowly approached them and Joelle wrapped her arms around him.
" And this is Corey." She introduced him, smiling broadly, and Corey felt several pairs of eyes on him. When he turned he saw a Joelle's sister eyeing him closely, as if she tried to undress him with her gaze, and Corey began to feel very uncomfortable.
Nobody seemed to notice, and the group left the lobby. Corey still felt Aileen's eyes on him, he did the whole time during lunch and even when they returned to the hotel. He wanted to tell Joelle, but decided against it, he didn't want to cause an argument.
Joelle and her parents stood in the lobby talking, and Corey glanced around until something caught his eye, someone to be exact, and he gasped. " Hunt?", and he tugged at Joelle's shirt causing her to interrupt her conversation with her family and turn around.
" What is he doing here?" Joelle gasped. " Shouldn't he be at home recovering?"
"Who?" Aileen asked curiously.
" Triple H." Corey said casually and strolled over to his mentor who was currently argueing with his wife and a man in white.
"….and if you EVER, and I mean eeeeeeeeeeeever, baby me again I'll hurt you." Corey overheard Hunter snort when he approached them.
" Uhm..hey." The little group turned and looked at Corey.
" Hey Kid." Jay greeted and hugged him after shooting her husband a slightly annoyed look.
" What..what are you doing here?" Corey asked Hunter who grunted up at him from his lowered position.
" This is a free country, I can go wherever and whenever I want." He said and crossed his arms over his chest.
" That's the point baby, I wouldn't say a thing if you'd actually really 'go', but…" Jay was cut off by the man in white who took her to the side and whispered " You should just leave him, he wont change his mind anyway, and since we're already here.…"
Jay nodded and sighed. " Fine. I'll go shopping. Will you be okay if I leave you for a while?"
Hunter laughed bitterly. " Make sure to take the monkey boy with you."
The man in white grinned. " Na na, who's gonna help you out then?"
" I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Hunter shouted and wheeled himself over to Joelle with Corey and the man on his (w)heel.
" Hey Hunt." Joelle smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Hunter's face lit up immediately.
" Now that's better." He beamed causing a round of laughter.
Corey tapped Hunter on his shoulder. " You shouldn't be so harsh, she's just worried, you know."
" Pfff, I'm no baby."
" But you act like one, Mister." The man in white grinned and gained a death glare.
" Would you excuse us for a minute." Corey said and wheeled a complaining Hunter across the lobby to the seating area where he took a seat himself.
" Well..uhm..what are you doing here?"
Hunter snorted. " What do you think? I was looking for freedom (A.N. don't sue me Mr. Hasselhoff). They treat me like a baby."
" Hunter, they don't do that on purpose..I mean…look at you…you're pretty much helpless."
Hunter pouted and crossed his arms, and Corey grinned at the sight of Hunter looking like a little kid getting caught doing something forbidden.
" Can we talk about something else..like..you." he said after a while. " How have you been?"
Corey sighed. " Good…I think…working..uh..defending my title…"
" And..uhm..the other thing?" Hunter asked hesitantly.
Corey remained silent. He had argued with himself over the past weeks how to handle the situation, and a big part of him just wanted to ignore the facts and go on with life, but that was impossible. Overstrained with the question Corey jumped up and tried to rush past Hunter but he was held back. Hunter gripped Corey's wrist and gently pulled him down to eye level.
" Don't run, C. I tell you that, if you keep running it'll get worse, I promise, I know that."
Corey locked his hazel eyes with Hunter's and remembered the conversation he had had with Steph. And he realized that she had been right. His face reflected in Hunter's big sparkling eyes, and he saw the fire in them, the spirit and the willpower, and what was most important to him, his smile. Hunter hadn't lost his smile despite the condition he was in now, and Steph had said Hunter would come out of that fight as the winner, and somehow Corey knew he had to keep fighting himself. Exhaling deeply he nodded and sat back down.
" What are you afraid of, Kid?" Hunter asked after a while.
" Life." Corey whispered as a single tear made its way down his cheek.
Hunter laughed softly and gently wiped the tear away. " If you're scared of life then it's not worth living it, and you have so much to live for. You have your mother, you have a great job, hey you're champion…and look.." and after taking Corey's face in his hands he made him turn and look across the lobby where Corey's eyes immediately settled on a very special person.
" You have her."
Corey heart jumped at the sight of Joelle, and a small smile appeared on his face. He turned back to Hunter.
" I thank God every day for having her. We never argue, she's always there…"
" The crisis will come, Kid, but when it's over you'll cherish her even more. If you don't know crisis then you don't know what love is. And to be honest I see it coming."
" See what coming?"
" Trouble. Don't tell me you didn't see that girl drool all over you.."
Corey looked at him with big eyes. " You saw that, too? Nobody else did..I thought I was just seeing things.."
Hunter shook his head. " Be careful Kid…" but he trailed off when Joelle approached them with her family right behind.
" Hey what are you talking about?"
" You should know." Hunter said, studying Aileen at the same time.
" Oh..yeah.." Joelle nodded, then smiled. " Hey, care for some company?"
Hunter sighed and shot the man in white an annoyed glare before nodding. " Sure, I don't like my company lately anyway."
Corey grinned at the unknown man. " How do you put up with him, uh…?"
" It's Brice. I'm used to that, I had worse patients."
" Hard to believe." Joelle chuckled and Hunter stuck his tongue out.
" Besides, he'll thank me in the end. For now, what could he possibly do to me?"
Joelle grinned and caressed Hunter's cheek. " Nothing, he'll be our little baby for now."
Hunter grinned back and leaned in the touch.
" I thought you didn't want to be babied." Corey said.
" Not by him, but who would mind the attention of her?" Hunter beamed ponting at Joelle. " So what are we doing now?"
Brice looked at his watch. " You need your bandages changed, Hunt. C'mon I'll bring you upstairs."
" Get the hell away from me…uh..I want her." He said gripping Joelle's hand.
" I'll better come with you, I mean..you..and her..alone..in a hotel room…no way!" Corey chuckled.
Brice grinned and nodded. " You are aware of the fact that you have to take his pants off, right?"
" Okay, I'll DEFINITELY come with you." Corey said.
" FINE, DON'T TRUST ME!" Hunter shouted and turned on his (w)heel to make his way to the elevators.
Joelle laughed and told her parents to meet her at the arena then left to run after Hunter, leaving Corey with her family and Brice.
" I'd watch out if I were you, when you get near him he'll punch you." Brice advised chuckling.
" He wont, we know him pretty well." Corey answered.
" You're good friends of his?"
" No, he's my Dad." Corey said, surprised how easy the words escaped his lips.
" Well, then the only thing you have to worry about is your girlfriend, they're gone."
Corey turned just in time to see the doors of the elevator close and to hear Joelle's giggling.
" Excuse me." He said and raced up the stairs to Hunter's floor where he waited for the elevator to arrive.
When the doors opened Hunter wheeled himself down the corridor with Joelle on his lap, Corey followed them shaking his head.
Entering the room Hunter looked expectantly up at Corey after Joelle closed the door.
" You've never done that before, right?" he said in a 'seductive' tone and tried to hide a grin.
Corey laughed. " We'll try our best."
" Both of you??? At the same time?? Ewww." Hunter grimaced and held his arms out. Corey and Joelle shared an amused look and together they managed to lift Hunter out of the wheelchair.
" Oh god you're weighting a ton." Joelle groaned.
Somehow they managed to lay Hunter down on the bed where he rolled over and made himself comfortable.
" Okay, who wants to take my pants off?" he grinned looking from Corey to Joelle.
Joelle moved forward but Corey jumped and blocked her way.
" I'll do it."
Hunter sighed. " That was not what I had planned.."
Joelle laughed and disappeared in the bathroom to get the necessary utilities.
" Well, you wanna stand there all day?" Hunter smirked at him.
Corey kneeled on the mattress and slowly undid the belt and the zipper.
" Man one could think you're trying to seduce me, can we just get this over with?" Hunter said impatiently.
Corey blushed a little bit when Hunter rested back on his elbows and lifted his hips. It was that moment when Joelle returned from the bathroom and saw Corey struggle with Hunter's pants.
" Here, let me help." She said amused and pulled the pants down in one swift movement.
" See, she knows how it's done." Hunter smirked.
Joelle gulped, the outline of Hunter's 'equipment' was very visible through his boxers, and she blushed deeply, wondering if that had been such a good idea.
Hunter smirked. " Women..they know that it's there..but when the moment comes where they're confronted with it.."
Corey began to unwrap the thick bandage that was attached from Hunter's thigh to his ankle, somehow scared of what was waiting for him underneath, Joelle worked on the other leg.
When the bandage was undone completely they gasped. The screws very visibly clear through the thin skin, and Hunter's kneecaps were completely displaced.
Joelle looked up at him with big eyes. " Doesn't that hurt?"
" Sometimes..I'm fed with pain killers.." he laughed.
They changed the bandages very carefully, but still every time they touched his knees Hunter grimaced and and groaned, and especially Joelle felt horrible for causing him pain.
" Finally." Joelle sighed when they attached the last piece of tape.
" Yeah well, I need my pants back on." Hunter said, and they managed to do so without causing further uncomfort for him.
After a few minutes of talking Hunter began to shift on the bed.
" Ehem..uh..I..have to use the bathroom.."
Corey's jaw dropped. " Oh no..no..nooooo way..uh uh…"
" Don't even look my way!" Joelle shouted.
" Well this isn't exactly a dream come true for me either." They proceeded to argue until they were interrupted by the door that was opened and Jay entered the room with a few shopping bags.
" Thank god.." Hunter mumbled and Corey breathed a sigh of relief.
" Jay, your husband has to..uh..relieve." Joelle pointed out.
Jay watched Hunter who was still shifting. " Then why didn't one of you.."
" Because they argued about who will NOT help me over the last minutes." Hunter interrupted her.
Jay laughed. " Poor baby, come here." The three helped Hunter to his feet and into the bathroom.
" You can go, I'm here, thanks for watching him." Jay smiled and they waved their goodbyes.
" I don't understand what Brice is talking about, he's pretty easy." Joelle said as they walked to their room together.
Corey snorted. Of course he was easy for you, Brice is no beautiful girl with big…eyes, he thought.
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Hunter was welcomed back warmly by the Raw roster, and since Jay went to talk to Shane and with Brice talking to the superstars excitedly Joelle volunteered to take care of him. Corey felt glad that they got along so well, but he felt something else. Jealousy. Watching Joelle with another man, even with Hunter, made his heart race. Corey couldn't even explain to himself why, he knew Joelle wasn't that kind of girl, and although Hunter was very flirtatious with the divas Corey also knew he was just joking around with them.
And to his big surprise a familiar face entered his mind. The face of his sister, Jordan Waltman. A friend, actually my girlfriend, is so close to my father..would they…Corey thought, and now that he experienced the situation on his own he could understand Jordan a little better. Maybe she had had the same fears..
Corey shook his head and shrugged it off. No, Joelle would never betray him like that, and he was sure Hunter wouldn't make the same mistake again. But why couldn't he stop thinking about it then? Even Jay left her husband alone with a bunch of young beautiful divas, she trusted him, why couldn't he? Joelle had never done anything to make him suspicious, and Hunter..well Hunter was just a horny old man, simple as that, but he knew where he belonged, and the only woman he was really after was his wife. But still…
Corey sighed and decided that he was just paranoid. His thoughts drifted to Joelle's sister Aileen. So he hadn't been the only one to notice the looks she was giving him, Hunter had too. Corey wasn't used to getting that kind of attention, and it scared him a bit. Sure, Aileen was a beautiful girl, but he loved Joelle, and he couldn't picture himself with anyone else.
" A little lonely, aren't you?"
Corey turned and saw Aileen standing a few feet away from him. He shot a nervous glance back at Hunter and Joelle who were still joking around and didn't notice him at all.
Aileen followed his gaze. " I see my sister already found a new toy."
Corey head snapped up. " Toy? He is no toy.And neither am I."
Aileen chuckled and threw her hair back over her shoulder. " Right, that's what she makes you believe. You don't know her that well, do you? I mean, look how she's acting around your little cripple friend."
Corey's blood was boiling. Not only did she call him Joelle's toy, she called Hunter a cripple. But he never got the chance to answer as Aileen continued.
" Seriously, look at them." And she turned Corey's head with her hand. Something in Corey's head screamed to get the hell away from that girl, but he obeyed her.
Hunter sat in his wheelchair on the other side of the hallway, Joelle sat on a chair beside him, her hand on his arm, their heads were stuck together and Joelle giggled continually at whatever Hunter was saying.
Aileen stood on her tip toes and whispered in his ear." You see that? How close she is to him? How she throws herself at him? She doesn't care about age, or circumstances, maybe she even feels sorry for him, but I tell you, she WILL hurt you, and she will betray you..even with someone like…him… wouldn't surprise me if they already did it."
Corey's heart raced, every nerve in his body screamed at him not to believe Aileens words, he'd know better, but she had caught him in the worst moment where he was thinking about it himself. And to him, it really looked a little suspicious, how lovingly she seemed to care for him, how intimate her touch was, and he felt his temper rise.
" But she's..I mean…" he stuttered.
Aileen smiled empathic and put her own hand on his arm. " I know..I know honey.. but she's always been like that, and she'll never change. You have no idea how many broken hearts she has left behind already…"
Corey refused to believe her, but there it was before his very eyes, and he felt his heart break in small pieces. Unbeknownst to him Aileen smiled evilly behind his back, knowing that she had him right where she wanted him, on his way out of the relationship with her sister.
" I have to go now, here's my cellphone number. If you ever need anything, someone to talk..I'll be there for you." She said, handing him a piece of paper which Corey took.
" Thanks." Aileen smiled before walking down the hallway.
Corey turned his attention back to the 'couple' before him, and he gasped. Joelle had taken Hunter's hand and stroked it lovingly as they talked. And Corey lost it. He stomped over and stared down at them menacingly.
" HOW COULD YOU?" he yelled, making Joelle and Hunter jump.
" Hey Baby, what's up?" she smiled and reached out for him but Corey slapped her hand away. " Don't touch me."
Joelle stared at him confused and Corey was about to talk again but he felt a strong hand grip his wrist hard.
" If you ever, EVER, touch her again like that I'll kill you." Hunter said thorugh gritted teeth.
Corey laughed bitterly and freed his hand. " And what are you going to do from down there, huh? YOU ALREADY DID ENOUGH!"
Now it was Hunter's turn to give him a questioning look but Corey ignored him.
" I would have never thought that you, YOU of all people, would play with me like that." He shouted at Joelle who looked like she was about to cry.
" What..what are you talking about?"
Corey laughed out loud. " As if I had to tell you, you know exactly what I'm talking about, you BOTH know!"
Joelle and Hunter exchanged confused looks, and Corey interpreted it totally wrong.
" Yeah I know what you two are doing behind my back. Tell me that, you're having fun, huh?" he shouted at Joelle again.
" I..what the…you think me..and…and..ME AND HIM?" Joelle stared at Corey, mouth open.
" I don't think, I know. Now that I think about it, why were you so eager to get him out of his pants, huh? And with all the blushing..you're a great actress, great..applause!" Corey said and clapped his hands.
" I just wanted to help!" Joelle shouted and jumped to her feet. " Baby, you don't really think that, right?"
Corey pushed her away and started to back away slowly. " Oh I do..how could you..I thought you loved me..no DON'T TELL ME NOW YOU DO.." he yelled at Joelle who had just opened her mouth to speak." And you…wasn't such a big mistake, was it? Oh no, how DARE you lay your hands on MY girl..oh wait, I'm sure your wife will be VERY interested in what I have to say!" Corey shouted and ran down the hallway as the tears started to fall.
Joelle stared after him, then turned back to Hunter whose gaze was settled on the floor.
" What was that all about? I mean..what did we..I.."
Hunter shook his head slowly. " I shouldn't have come back…"
Joelle dropped to her knees in front of him. " This is not your fault…he's just…I don't know.." and she laid her head in Hunter's lap and started to cry.
Hunter stroked her hair trying to calm her down, and he wished he wasn't tied to the wheelchair, he would go and beat some sense into his son.
Nobody noticed Aileen standing in a dark corner, grinning wickedly.
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Chapter 14, took me one hell of a week to write, thanks to a horrible writers block. It's a little short again, hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading.