Ricardo decides to place the call during one of his dizzy spells. He thinks he's having a panic attack, remembering Paige's words. How her touch had felt. How some long forgotten part of him had yearned for more, despite how happy he is with Alicia. So he turns to the only person he can when Alberto isn't an option. Mike. He thinks by the sound of his friend's voice that he just disrupted his sleep, but Mike is calm and patient with him, hearing him out. By the time they hang up, he knows between Mike and AJ his problems will be resolved one way or another.
He rubs his temples and tips over on the couch, closing his eyes and immediately falling asleep for longer than a few minutes for the first time in over a week, the relief of having someone else taking care of his problems leaving him so relaxed that it's impossible to stay awake another moment, no matter how his head is aching thanks to his concussion.
When he wakes up, it's dark outside, quiet. Cool. He grunts and fumbles for his phone, grimacing when it gives him a warning noise while he's still struggling to get his fingers to work properly. There are messages and voicemails waiting, but none from AJ or Mike, so he lets it drop to the place on the couch next to him. His eyes are still burning, his mouth is dry, and when he stands up, the world lists to the side for a few moments before righting itself.
"Hate concussions," he mumbles to himself. "Hate insomnia. Hate everything." He gets another glass of water, downing some of it, pouring the rest of it over his throat and neck before putting the glass down and trudging back to his phone.
He falls into a half doze, jerking awake every few moments, ... when his phone rings. He almost throws it across the room before remembering. "Hola?"
"Hello, Ricardo." It's AJ. AJ never calls him, they usually relay messages through Mike if there's something one needs or has to say, so Ricardo blinks hard and gapes at the phone to make sure he's heard right.
"AJ? Is everything ok? Mike, Sara-?"
"Everyone's fine," she reassures him. "I just wanted you to know I talked to Paige. I was very discreet but asked about you and she tells me that she's sad how it all ended, but has moved on."
He blinks hard, still feeling the ghost of her touch on his skin. "I... do't know..."
AJ is uncharacterisically patient and kind. "I dug as deeply as I dared, Ricardo. There's nothng there, I would've known if she was hiding something from me."
He exhales gustily. "Thanks, AJ," he murmurs sincerely. As long as part of him aches for a chance at closure with her, in whatever shape that might come, he's relieved. Thankful for himself and Alicia that their life hasn't been jerked around by some random occurrence in his subconscious.
This ease lasts until he looks up during the next training event he goes through to see... familiar pale skin, dark hair, sitting in the shadowy area in a chairs, watching quietly. He drops the hold he's teaching and the man trying to observe tosses him an exasperated look and he quickly resumes showing him. Every time he tries to excuse himself and go up to Paige, someone else needs something, or someone scraped their head on a corner of the makeshift ring, or...
Finally they finsih for the night and he trudges over to her, not sure what to say or do. "Paige," he says evenly and she smiles weakly up at him. "What do you want?"
She gets to her feet and he finds himself entranced by her gaze, like in the dream. "I want absolution," she shrugs with a faint chuckle. "I want to be able to look myself in the eye and tell my reflection that I'm ok. So I came here, because out of everyone I hurt, I hurt you the most. Trust me, throwing away your love, and your ring, was the absolute hardest thing I ever did. And in hindsight, the dumbest."
He looks away, unable to handle it, when he's finally sleeping again, over some of the symptoms of his concussion enough to actually function like a half-way decent adult, and then she goes and throws this at him. But her cool fingers curling into his attracts his attention and he gapes at her, feeling something cool and circular in his palm as she pulls away from him.
"AJ asked me about you and it made me face the fact that I needed to stop avoiding you and just have this conversation finally. I believe it's an important part of my recovery." She smiles sadly at him. "I'm so sorry I tossed you away so carelessly. I suppose I was young and stupid and didn't know what to do with how easily you loved me. I've matured some since then, I think, and can see how badly I treated you."
He holds his hand up and looks at the ring delicately gleaming within his trembling grasp, before looking back up at Paige.
"You deserve to be happy," she informs him. "You deserve to be healthy and loved, and treated like you should've been treated by me all along. I never should've cheated on you. Not with Memo, not with Alberto. I know things are difficult between me and Alicia right now-"
"You're jealous," he says, the first thing he'd thought when she'd had her teammates attack Alicia, and then how they'd left her laying in the hallway, trainer concerned about her arm. "You say you love her, she's your best friend, but you keep siccing Mandy and Sonya on her."
Paige shifts uncomfortably. "That is probably true. She has something with you that I wish I could've allowed myself to accept all of those months ago- stability, adoration by the sweetest man I've ever met." She eyes his haggard appearance, pats his hand gently. "You need to take better care of yourself, Ricardo. For her. For your future. Maybe once what I say here today sinks in, you'll be able to." She leans in and kisses him gently on the cheek. "I wish you all of the best, Ricardo. And hopefully some day, you will find it in yourself to forgive me." She smiles sadly at him. "Not that I deserve it, but I know you. If anyone could, it'd be you." Steps back and takes him in, tugging slowly on the cords of her hoodie. "Goodbye, Ricardo."
And before he can find the words to respond, she's turned and left. He stares at the space she once filled and shakes his head. "Goodbye," he breathes. Looks one last time at the engagement ring and walks out of the door quietly, settling the simple band on top of the trash can outside of the building.
He immediately feels a weight fall off of his shoulders.