Tuesday 12th December
After enduring a full day of training from the FCW staff, some members of the roster had decided to have an impromptu training session of their own. They had ordered pizza and everyone was scattered around the room, talking amongst themselves while watching the action. Alexa and Colby had been in one of the practice rings for a little while; trying to outdo each other with their high-flying moves. Following an argument over whose corkscrew shooting star press was the best, they had recruited Ettore to be the judge. He had quickly declared Alexa the winner, much to Colby's chagrin.
''I wish I could do that, man, it looks really cool.''
''I can try to teach you, if you want?'' She offered, glancing up at Ettore with an earnest expression on her face.
He raised an eyebrow. ''I think I might be too big to pull it off, Lex.''
''Pfft.'' She waved off his concern. ''If Brock Lesner can manage to pull together a semi-decent-looking shooting star press, I'm sure you can.''
''I don't think I've ever seen Lesner land one without botching it.'' Colby snorted, remembering back to WrestleMania XIX where Brock Lesnar was facing Kurt Angle and managed to botch said move; injuring both himself and his opponent. ''Billy Kidman's always looked sloppy as fuck, too.'' He added with a shake of his head.
''Oh, his were awful. I'm surprised they let him use it as long as he did. One night on Smackdown, his knee hit Chavo right in the face when he landed, knocked him clean out. That's when they decided to ban the move.''
''Why were you allowed to keep the move after they banned it?'' Ettore asked her curiously.
''That was back in '05. Luckily, I'd been performing them consistently enough for them to let me carry on using it.'' She explained, letting out a small laugh. ''When I first got signed and I told them that I wanted to keep it as my finisher, they weren't sure and tried to get me to do something less... flashy. To prove I could do it, they made me practice it on a dummy for, like, two hours... it was ridiculous.''
''Yeah, they made Matt do the same when he first came up.'' Colby told her.
Matthew 'Evan Bourne' Korklan was a good friend of Colby's, the pair having met back in the indies. Well-known for his high-flying, lucha libre inspired style of wrestling; he was the only person on the roster, besides her, who was trusted by management to do the move on a regular basis.
After talking for a little while longer, the three of them got out of the ring when some of the others started to get impatient for their turn. Colby and Ettore took up some seats beside Joe while Alexa wandered over to the other ring where Shaul and Irena were going at it.
Rolling her eyes as Irena shot her a scathing look, she leaned on the apron and smiled over at Shaul. ''Looking good, chica.''
''Thanks...'' She panted from the exertion. ''You want to get in?''
Alexa shook her head, remembering all too well what happened the last time she got into the ring with Irena. ''I'll pass, thanks.''
''Too good to spar with the likes of us?'' Irena asked snidely.
''Not at all.'' She cocked an eyebrow, replying evenly. ''I just didn't want to embarrass you, that's all.''
Shaul eyed the two women warily, stepping aside as Alexa climbed into the ring. ''Maybe this isn't such a good idea.''
Irena smirked at the younger woman. ''It's fine, we're both professionals, right?''
''One of us is.'' Alexa retorted sassily.
Sighing, Shaul rolled her eyes; this wasn't going to end well.
Alexa knew it would happen eventually, so she should have been ready for it. She was going back and forth with Irena inside the ring when one of her blows came at her with way more force than was necessary. Irena's fist slammed into the side of her jaw, sending her reeling back a few steps. Seeing another fist heading her way, she quickly ducked and lifted her arm, smashing her elbow into the other woman's face.
Shaul, watching from the corner of the ring, bit her lip to keep from laughing at the expression on Irena's face. She obviously hadn't been expecting Alexa to retaliate; a look of pure shock appearing on her face as her hand slowly rose to cup her cheek. She kept her mouth shut, instead sending Alexa a look of contempt before they carried on sparring.
After this had happened a few more times, Alexa finally decided that she'd had enough. She waited until Irena purposely landed another hard hit before her arms snapped forward, roughly shoving the other woman down to the mat.
''Listen.'' She stepped over to where Irena was sprawled. ''You need to stop with all this unprofessional bullshit. I don't know what your problem is with me and to be honest, I really don't care. Grow up and get the fuck over it.'' She spared the woman one last glare before she moved over to the edge of the ring and stepping through the ropes.
She had no time to brace herself as the Australian came barreling into her, sending her flying off the ring apron and onto the cold floor. Her head hit the floor panels with a sickening crack, pain instantly shooting through her skull and darkness clouding her vision.
When she came too, Alexa could hear the muffled sound of Shaul angrily shouting at Irena inside the ring as she lay there on the floor, her eyes scrunched closed in pain. She slowly opened them as she sensed people at her side, her eyes only able to make out a couple of blurry figures before they fluttered closed again.
''Lex, come on...''
She slowly opened them again, finding herself staring into Colby's brown orbs, cringing as the bright lights assaulted her eyes.
"I'm fine." Alexa managed to croak out.
Frowning at the vacant haze covering her eyes, he glanced over at Ettore who was crouched at her other side. ''Is Mark still here?''
''Jon's gone to check.'' He replied softly.
''I said, I'm fine!'' She protested through gritted teeth, her face screwing up with effort as she planted her elbows against the floor, only just managing to push herself into a sitting position.
Jon stepped over to them, breathing heavily from his run to the trainer's room. ''Mark's gone home.''
''Maybe we should call an ambulance.'' Ettore suggested.
''Guys, seriously, I'm okay.'' She rubbed the back of her head. ''Quit fussing.''
The three shared a look which clearly showed they thought otherwise but didn't argue with her. They had just helped her get to her feet when Shaul came over to them, concern clear on her face.
''Where's Irena?'' Colby questioned, noticing the woman had vanished.
''Who gives a shit?'' Jon asked angrily. ''Fucking bitch.''
''She'll get hers, don't you worry about that.'' The woman told him before turning her attention to her friend. ''Come on, let's go grab your stuff from the locker room.''
''Then we can go home?'' She asked, her words slurring together slightly.
Shaul nodded reassuringly at her. ''Whatever you want.''
Alexa took one step before starting to sway and Jon darted forward, wrapping an arm around her back supportively. ''Come on sweetheart.''
Perched on the bench in the locker room, Alexa watched as Shaul picked up all their stuff, shoving everything into their bags as she went. Colby and Jon were waiting for the pair outside in the hallway, offering to give them a ride home since Shaul didn't have her licence yet and Alexa was in no condition to drive.
''Lex, you really need to get checked out.''
''I don't, I... I think I'm going to puke...''
Shaul's eyes widened and she quickly dropped the tank top she was holding, grabbing the trash can from the corner and dashing over to her friend. She made it just in time to see the evidence of their pizza binge earlier being spilled out into the waste basket.
''Urgh...''
''See.''
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and accepted the mint Shaul offered her. ''I've had worse, I just need to go home, sleep it off.''
Shaul sighed in exasperation, muttering angrily under her breath as she resumed her earlier task. A few moments later, she caught a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye and turned around. Alexa had risen from the bench but as her body shifted, her knees gave out underneath her and her eyes rolled up into back of her head. Shaul's reflexes weren't quick enough and she could only watch helplessly as her friend collapsed, her head connecting with the bench as the floor rushed up to meet her.
''Oh my God!" She rushed over to Alexa, pulling her up so her head was resting in her lap. ''Lex... Lex!" When she got no response, panic started to set in and she looked desperately over to the door. ''Guys!"
The door swung open and Colby and Jon stepped inside, both men freezing at the scene in front of them.
''Shit.'' Jon was the first to react, dropping to his knees beside them as Colby stood back to call for an ambulance. ''What the fuck happened?''
''I don't... she was sick in the trash... I turned around to pick up the rest of her stuff and she tried to stand up... she just collapsed, hit her head again on the way down.'' She told him, her voice shaking as her eyes started to well up.
Jon leaned over her, tapping her cheek lightly. ''Lex... Lex... come on, wake up beautiful...''
Colby had just ended the call, stepping over to the group on the floor just in time to hear Jon's words. His eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he watched the man on the ground fuss over Alexa but quickly shook it off, meeting the other woman's eyes. ''I'll go wait outside for the ambulance.''
Shaul nodded, smiling gratefully at the man as he hurried out of the room. Her attention shifted to Alexa; her eyes were fluttering behind their lids and her body started to shift slightly in her lap. ''Oh, thank God... you're okay, Lex, take it easy.''
It didn't take long for the paramedics to arrive; the sound of hurried footsteps echoing down the hallway before they were led into the locker room by Colby. ''In here.''
Jon moved out of the way so the medic could kneel at Alexa's side, planting his equipment case next to him. ''Okay, what exactly happened?''
''She hit her head pretty hard a little while ago. She said she was fine but then she was sick. She just collapsed in here when she tried to stand, hit her head again on the bench...''
The man nodded, his eyes trained on the woman lying in front of him. ''Miss, can you hear me?''
Alexa's face screwed up in pain as she tried to angle her head away from the probing hands.
''How long ago did she hit her head?''
''The first time was about forty minutes ago, the second, about twenty.'' Shaul told him.
''It's definitely a concussion, but because she hit her head twice in such a short period, I think it's best we take her to the hospital to get her checked out.'' He returned his attention to the prone woman. ''Miss, can you open your eyes for me?"
Alexa stirred for a moment, her lids lifting briefly to reveal her bright violet eyes, but they snapped shut again almost instantly.
"My name's Simon. Can you tell me your name?"
The only response was a weak groan as Alexa lifted her hand to her head, breathing in deeply.
"Her name's Alexandra Torres." Shaul supplied.
Jon snorted. ''But she'll kill you if you call her that, it's Lex.''
"Alright, Lex, we're going to get you on a stretcher and take you to the hospital, so try to stay still."
Her eyes shot open, looking up at the stranger talking to her with a hint of panic on her face. ''No.. no... no hospitals..." She shifted in Shaul's lap, straining to get up. "I'm just… let me go home, I'm fine, I don't need to go."
"You need to try to keep still, Lex. If you think you can walk out to the ambulance, that's fine, we'll help you, but you do need to go to the hospital."
''I don't need to go.'' She insisted, her words sluggish. After a few moments of her attempting to get to her feet she gave up and fell back onto Shaul; her face pale from her efforts. ''Urgh.''
The EMT raised an eyebrow at her. ''You were saying?''
''How's she doing?''
Shaul looked up from filling in Alexa's medical forms, finding Colby and Jon making their way towards her. She had been allowed to ride with her in the ambulance and the two men had followed in Colby's car, knowing that they would most likely need a ride home later. ''I don't know, I haven't heard anything yet.''
''I'm sure she's-''
''Alexandra Torres?''
"How is she?" The three simultaneously asked, turning to face the woman.
"Well, she's fully conscious now, I'm sure she'd be happy to see some familiar faces." Offering them a gentle smile, she motioned for the three of them to follow her as she stepped through a set of metal doors. "She has a severe concussion. We did some scans and luckily we didn't detect any lasting damage or bleeding. She'll be really sore for the next few days so she needs to rest it off.''
They all nodded as they came to a halt in front of a beige curtain, she pulled it back to show an irritated-looking Alexa. She offered her friends a weak smile before looking back to the doctor, her fingers playing with the starchy white sheet on the bed beneath her. ''Can I go home now?''
"I'm afraid not. Because of your concussion, I think it's best that you're not left alone, so we're going to keep you over night for observations."
The woman's words had Alexa sitting up in an instant, her head shaking in complaint. ''You can't be serious? I'm fine, it was just a bump, I've dealt with worse. There's no need to keep me here."
The Doctor shook her head sternly. "It would be completely irresponsible of me to leave you unwatched tonight... but, I suppose, if one of your friends will agree to watch over you for the next twenty-four hours, I can release you into their care?''
''I can do it, she'll be fine.''
''Shaul, you have classes tomorrow.'' Alexa reminded her softly.
"I don't mind babysitting you." Shaul and Colby regarded Jon in surprise, the former eyeing him with blatant skepticism. ''What? All I have to do is keep waking her up, make sure she's still alive... right, Doc?''
The woman let out a chuckle. ''Pretty much, yes. She'll need to stay awake for a few hours but then you can let her sleep. You'll need to wake her up every half hour for first few hours of her sleeping, and then hourly after that. When you wake her up, you've got to assess her consciousness with the AVPU test. Alert. Voice. Pain and Unresponsiveness. As long as she's alert and able to answer questions, responds to voice and pain, then there's no need for concern and you can let her go back to sleep. But if she fails any of those tests you need to bring her back in as soon as possible." She turned her attention to the patient. ''Make sure to rest, and take a Tylenol if your head bothers you tomorrow morning. Don't be surprised if you feel nauseous or woozy. No strenuous physical activity, no television watching, no reading, no bright lights-"
"No fun?"
The woman offered Alexa a small smile at her comment. "No fun for the next couple of days.''
''Lex, wake up... Come on, you know you're not allowed to sleep yet... I know you can hear me..."
Alexa let out an annoyed groan, swatting at the hand that was resting on her cheek. They were curled up on the couch in her living room, Jon reclining on the seats as she lay in between his legs, resting on top of him. ''I just want to sleep.'' She grumbled, pressing her face harder against his chest.
''I know, but you can't. Doctor's orders.'' He told her softly, his thumb tracing gentle lines over her cheek.
''Thank you... for looking after me, you didn't have to do that.''
''I wanted to.'' He shrugged, frowning as he eyes began to close. ''Hey, stay with me.''
''I can think of a few ways for you to keep me awake.'' She mumbled, lips curling in a soft smirk.
''You heard the Doctor, no strenuous physical activity.'' He quickly caught her hand as it started to trail down his chest. ''How about we talk instead.''
''About what?''
''Anything.''
''How super specific of you...'' She rolled her eyes. ''Tell me something I don't know about you.''
He thought for a minute before responding. ''When I was in the indies I got pretty wasted and cut a promo while I was wearing a bear suit. Sami left the camera turned on and, well, I ended banging some chick while I was still wearing the suit and the whole thing was caught on camera.''
Alexa snorted, tilting her head to look at him. ''Classy.''
He just shrugged, a small smirk curling at his lips. ''Your turn.''
''Just before I signed with the WWE, I was doing a show with the BCW in Windsor. After the show, everyone went out for a few drinks and there was this sleazy guy who kept hitting on me at the bar. A little while later, I was pulled aside by his girlfriend. After explaining that I had no plans to steal her douchy boyfriend, we started chatting and realized we had a lot in common.''
''Please tell me this ends with your first lesbian experience?''
''No, sorry.'' She laughed. ''Anyway, we spent most of the night bonding and then her boyfriend found us. He was completely out of it and somehow got it into his head that we were all going home together for a threesome. We humoured him and practically carried him outside, we were just going to put him in a cab and send him home...''
''And?'' Jon probed, eager to hear the ending.
''Long story short; the next morning he woke up with the hangover from hell, tied to a tree just outside the bar.''
''You left him there overnight?''
''Naked.''
Jon laughed before a thought suddenly popped into his head. ''Wait, what did you tie him to the tree with?''
''Our underwear.'' She replied casually.
''Awesome.'' He chuckled. ''What happened with the girlfriend?''
She gave a wry smile. ''Jenna and I ended up becoming really good friends, still are. I lived with her up in Canada for a few years until I moved down here after I got injured.''
''Only you could make new friends that way.'' He shook his head. ''Speaking of friends, I know you and Shaul are pretty close, but what about Eddie? What was he like?''
''Eddie was... awesome. Funny, kind, passionate... he had a heart of gold, would do anything for anyone. My Dad told me that people used to call him chilaquil when they were growing up. There's a Mexican dish called chilaquilas, kind of like enchiladas with tortilla chips with spicy meat and sauce... he got the nickname from one of his uncles who said he was just like chilaquilas... a big pain in the ass.'' She chuckled softly.
''Must have been tough when he died.''
''It was.'' Alexa nodded against his chest. ''I, uh, didn't handle it very well... ended up getting suspended for a month.''
Jon's eyes widened in surprise. ''What for?''
''Well, a few months after he died, the WWE were doing an angle between Randy and Oscar... someone thought it would be a good idea to have Randy try to antagonize him by telling him that Eddie was in Hell... Eddie was a devout Christian and he would have been incensed at the thought of someone saying that... it was just completely inappropriate. I spoke to Court Bauer, who was one of the writers at the time, and he said that pretty much everybody had disagreed with the storyline. Vince was the one who pushed for it. Oscar, Benoit and Chris were all pissed and I know Vickie wasn't too happy about it either...'''
''What did you do?''
''Uh, it wasn't my finest moment, but I stormed into Vince's office and pretty much threatened to break his kneecaps.''
''Oh my God...'' He laughed in disbelief. ''What did he say?''
''At first, not much, he just let me go off at him. When I was finished he told me that he understood why I was so upset and apologized, agreeing that it was out of line. Then he suspended me for a month for my behaviour. Only a few people knew about it, everyone else thought I was off on compassionate leave.''
''You know, just when I thought I had you all figured out, you tell me something like that.'' Jon states, amusement crossing his features. ''Anything else I should know?''
Fully intending on blaming the head injury if this blew up in her face, she bit her lip before speaking softly. ''I think I'm starting to care about you a lot more than I should...''