A/N: I'm back! A quick thank you all for your patience, and also noting that, in order to completely be caught up by the time I'm supposed to post chapter 168 next Wednesday, BtB 167 and EuM 7 will be uploaded TOMORROW.
Somehow Mike is granted his seat back at the Main Event commentary table that week, finding himself having to toe the very same line Alex had the past couple of weeks- wanting to say so badly all that he's been feeling, but yet not risk his job. Considering he's a deal more outspoken than the former NXT rookie, he struggles a bit more with this matter... and it comes out in a different, much worse way.
They somehow get on the subject of AJ during Big E's match, though the two of them hadn't been seen together in public really since Mike and she had confessed their feelings for each other, and before he knows it, that side of him that had so ruthlessly hurt Ricardo's feelings at this very desk not even four months ago resurfaces and calls the girl crazy, insisting that no one would want to be with her.
He's subdued through the rest of the match, wondering where that had come from, why he'd even said it when it was far from what he meant or felt, some of the past issues they'd not completely worked through, too lost in the other to think about things that had left them bitter and all but hating each other until they'd both snapped over Summerslam and confessed what was the truth deep down... He hopes she's not sitting in New Jersey right now, watching and replaying his hate-filled, hurtful words over and over again in her already-obsessive mind.
After a quick post-show conversation with Josh, he all but races to his car and just toes the speed limit, not wanting to get pulled over but also just needing to get to the hotel room so he can handle whatever might arise from his thoughtless words. Upon arriving at the hotel, he slams himself down on his bed and pulls his phone out, frowning at the lack of texts or calls.
Unsure if this is a good or bad thing, he hits speed dial #2 and listens as it rings in while he loosens his dress clothes, needing something for his hands to do while he waits. He frowns down at the device when it goes to voicemail, AJ's voice urging him to leave a message. Worry growing, he hangs up and dials again, not entirely surprised when it goes to voicemail again. "Dammit," he breathes, aware that the girl doesn't ignore calls, especially when it's him.
This time he leaves a message, barely able to hear his own words over the pounding of his heart. "Hey, AJ. I wanna talk to you. Please call me back... I'll be up late, so whenever you have a minute." He closes his eyes, listening to the silence as it slowly beeps, the message timing out. "Dammit, way to go, Mike," he tells himself viciously.
After two sleepless nights and an excruciatingly unending Thursday, he's relieved to face Friday, knowing that he'll see the Divas champion at Smackdown and face her rage while trying to explain himself, or even worse, her sadness. He arrives early for this reason, wanting to set things straight before too much more time had passed, and scopes the building out until he finds her locker room, resting a hand on the butterfly emblem before knocking.
He takes a breath when he hears shuffling around inside, the door slowly opening to show a wary looking AJ. Her eyes grow even darker when she spots him and he swallows, hating the unhappy, hurt twist to her lips when she spots him. "What do you want?"
He swallows. "To talk. I know you don't have a match tonight, so there's time-" But she moves to close the door on him, her stubbornness catching him by surprise when he tries to stop her by sticking his foot out before she can completely do it. He finally manages to squeeze inside as she huffs against the door, pressing her face against the wood. "AJ-"
"Get out, Mike. This is the last thing I need right now." She turns on him, eyes flashing warningly. "Get out now."
"No, not until we've talked-" But he's shut up immediately as her hand crashes against his face, staggering him. "AJ-" And again, Mike growing more than a little annoyed as she rounds on him for a third, but when he grabs her this time, he realizes quickly that tears are in her eyes and her ragged pants are from trying not to sob. His face falls as she struggles against him, slamming her fists against every inch of him she can reach.
"You were supposed to be different! Especially now! But just like the others, all you- you do is call me crazy? Really? You said you loved me!" she screams at him, all but folding in on herself when he refuses to let her go. "You're no better than any other guy-"
"I'm sorry," he breathes. "I'm so sorry, please-" It's all he can say, repeating it over and over and over again as he holds her up, strokes her hair regretfully. "I don't know- I don't understand myself half the time on commentary. You've done it, you know- you have to find things to fill time for fifteen minutes, or an hour, and sometimes you say things you don't really mean-"
"I've never said anything I don't mean," she says, eyes gleaming with fresh tears. "I would never talk like that about you-"
He takes a breath, relieved when she begins to take some of her own weight back, but doesn't try to get away from him in the meanwhile. "AJ, trust me, it's the way of the business, you'll get wrapped up in something during another MizTV segment or whatever else, and you'll say something less than flattering about me. We all run our mouths and regret it one way or another later, you can ask any one of my friends- Alex, John, Ricardo. Especially Ricardo. I thought for sure I lost his friendship, and I would've deserved to."
"But you're just so charming that they all come running back, huh?" she asks bitterly, glaring up at him as he rubs her arms.
He smiles wanly. "I'm not sure why they've forgiven me. I guess my good outweighs my bad, in some fashion." Realizing that she's perhaps just a little too hurt to seriously consider forgiving him just yet, he pulls away from her and takes a breath. "Listen, I'm not giving up on us, not after everything. But I'll give you some time to think about what I said, alright?" He cups her hands and stares into her eyes. "I love you. In case I don't talk to you before Sunday, good luck. I'm sure you'll do fantastic." He leans in and tenderly kisses her forehead for long moments, eyes squeezed shut tight, before painfully pulling away from her and, releasing her hands, leaves the locker room quietly.
Leaning against the door, he breathes in, trembling, unaware that she's leaning against the other side, tears pouring down her flushed cheeks as she stares down at her divas' title, shaking her head back and forth against the wood.
He wonders how she manages to focus throughout commentating the divas match later on, while he listens to her discuss Sunday and everything else for a few minutes, trying to sort out an outfit to wear for this dance off that's coming up soon. He's not part of it, it's supposed to be his former tag partner, R-Truth, against Fandango, but that alone's enough to inspire him to interrupt.
His changing into the clothes that look like something from the 80s is interrupted, Mike sitting there with his shirt half on, when AJ storms the ring before Aksana can be defeated, just to be beat down by her three opponents on Sunday. He swallows and watches as she's left laying, wincing. It's not an auspicious lead-in to the PPV, and he honestly worries that his own actions had knocked her off of her game.
He tangles his hands into the folds of his shirt, considering going to see her, when he shakes his head. "I don't want to make it worse for her... Maybe after the dance off, I'll look in on her," he breathes. Finding the ridiculous wig he'd found, he slips it on and stares at himself in the mirror. "Well, worst comes to worse, I'll maybe make her laugh instead of cry and that'd... that'd be good..."
So he goes out and does the most ridiculous dancing possible out to the ring, almost losing his wig a dozen times then alone, feeling multiple pairs of incredulous eyes on him as he enters the ring and faces Fandango with a sneer as he and Summer Rae glare at him, Truth looking more amused than anything else as he takes in his former tag partner.
When Khali comes out for no real reason and Vickie makes it into a four-way dance off, Mike smirks and watches the others dance, giving into it when it's his turn and letting the music take over, trying to be at his most ridiculous to make AJ, should she be watching now or will be watching later, laugh wherever she's at. When it's time for the audience to determine a winner, he receives the most cheers, which angers Fandango.
When he tries to attack, Truth and Mike doubleteam him and leave him spinning out of the ring, barely able to see straight in his anger as the former members of Awesome Truth dance together in celebration, Miz laughing once the segment ends, relieved to see that Truth seems a lot more stable than he'd been the last time he'd seen him, capable of having fun and not constantly worried about conspiracies and a multitude of other things. He thinks perhaps the tag team with Kofi had been good for him in the end, helped put his focus back on what mattered instead of what wasn't really there at the time.
His mood quickly plummets, however, when he and Truth enter the main locker room to find Alex watching the monitor with a worried look on his face. "Hey, kid, what's up?"
Alex points to the screen and they watch as Vickie speaks to Ricardo. "...if you can beat Alberto Del Rio tonight, then you'll be allowed to accompany Rob Van Dam at Night of Champions," she tells him coolly, barely blinking as he continues speaking in Spanish, trying to convince her otherwise. "I'm done. I said I'm done," she reiterates until finally he gives up and leaves the room.
Mike blinks, tearing the obnoxious pink jacket off of his back as he quickly forgets about dance offs and angry girlfriends. "What- what was that?"
A-Ri bites his lip a moment before turning to his former NXT pro. "She called Ricardo into her office and told him she was keeping him from being in RVD's corner at NoC for 'his safety' but he was trying to change her mind when she... when she made that match. Mike-"
Miz presses his hand to his mouth, blue eyes blazing as he stares at the monitor now airing commercials. "Dammit, why- why would she do that... I know she's never really liked him, but..." His mumbles quickly die away when the locker room door opens and a visibly worried, scared Ricardo enters, Rob Van Dam's hands warm on his shoulders. "Ricardo."
His eyes light up a little before dimming again. "Mike. Have you heard?"
"Yeah, man. I have." He walks over to them and claps his hands against the ring announcer's arms. "Hey, you're gonna be ok, alright? RVD'll be there, and Alex and I'll be at gorilla if you need us."
"Gracias," he breathes, eyes still downcast. When Mike nudges his jaw slightly, he finally looks up. "I don't know how I'm going to do this." His voice cracks. "He was- he was... my best friend and... it was one thing when I was just- helping Rob against him, but to do it personally, I..."
Mike sighs and ruffles his hair. "Hey, look at it this way. You know his wrestling style better than most, right? I know you don't get in the ring often but you two used to train together? I think you've said that in the past." Ricardo nods hesitantly and Miz smiles. "See, you'll be ok. You know what to avoid and what weaknesses to exploit."
He still doesn't look completely sold but he eventually nods and swallows. "Thanks, Mike. I'll- be ok."
"Damn straight," Rob tells him cheerfully. "I'll make sure of that. Now come on, let's go get you ready. I'll help you stretch out before the match."
Mike laughs slightly at the horrified look on the ring announcer's face at that offer before turning to look at Alex as soon as they're out of the room. "He will be ok... right?"
"God, I hope so," the other man mutters, verbalizing Mike's own thoughts. "Come on, let's go."
They've been standing there awhile, watching the show carry on as if this unsettling match isn't ahead, when Del Rio appears, sneering at them before going out to the ring. Mike looks on anxiously, growing all the more disgusted when Alberto barely acts like the fact that he'll soon be in the ring against the man he once claimed was his only friend even matters.
Alex turns sharply and nudges him when Ricardo and RVD appear, the ring announcer wearing RVD's merch shirt and picking at the tape around his fists nervously. "Hey, Ricardo," he says, gripping his roommate's hands to make him stop loosening the tape. "You're gonna do fine, man. Don't worry, it'll be alright."
"Of course it will," Mike says, trying not to look as wrecked as the ring announcer himself does, pulling him in for a hug which Alex quickly joins in on, all of them aware of how little time they really have for all of this, Del Rio's music still loud behind them. "You're strong and we'll be here waiting for you when you're done."
Ricardo forces a smile, nodding. They know he probably doesn't truly stand a chance against the World Champion, considering his limited ring time over the last few years, but they know he'll do his best and that's enough for them. "Gracias," he breathes out before pulling away hesitantly from them. Rob claps him on the shoulder again and they're off, Ricardo struggling to keep his anxiety to himself as they walk to the ring.
Alberto keeps the advantage for a few minutes but Ricardo finds an opportunity and takes it, surprising all of them- and himself- when he manages to down Del Rio with a tornado DDT, it all fading away when Alberto takes back control not long afterwards, knocking his legs out from under him and trapping him on the top rope and kicking RVD into the barricade wall when he gets too close to the ring for the Mexican aristocrat's liking.
As Ricardo gasps and tries to breathe through the pain, he feels the rope shift behind him as his former employer climbs up and hooks an arm around his neck. Something about this set up clicks with him and he responds instinctively by wrapping his arm around Del Rio's head, a subtle squeeze against his side reminding him even further as he feels himself being lifted and plants his feet against the post, controlling the fall somewhat as Alberto flips him over so he falls face-first on the mat, landing on top of him.
He's dazed, his chest and face sore, as he feels himself being turned over and pinned, unable to find the strength- physically or emotionally- to kick out as Del Rio is announced the victor. There's only a split second of nothingness but failure, realizing that he now has his answer after that dream the week prior, until- until... His arm is grabbed and he scrabbles, crying out as he's twisted up in the dreaded armbar, feeling nauseous as his best friend holds his arm in a tweaked position, the pain even this is causing bringing tears to his eyes-
But then Rob is there, kicking Alberto off and Ricardo rolls away hurriedly, clinging to his throbbing arm, unaware of what's going on behind him until Rob joins him, leaning over to murmur soothingly to him. "I'm sorry," he chokes out. "I failed. I won't- won't be in your corner Sunday."
RVD strokes his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, man. We have some time, let me handle it, alright?" He looks up, glaring over at Del Rio as Ricardo continues to struggle against the pain at his feet. He blinks when Ricardo reaches up and tugs at his shirt. "What is it?" He looks up at what Ricardo is staring fixedly at, smirking a little when he realizes. "Be right back." The ring announcer nods, breathing heavily as the trainer joins him and begins examining his arm.
Not going too far away, Rob reaches out and grips the abandoned World Heavyweight Title, staring determinedly down the ramp at Del Rio as he holds it up, vowing anew to leave Sunday champion, especially when Ricardo whimpers slightly behind him as his arm is rotated. Laying the belt down, he quickly moves back to his friend's side and supports him when they walk backstage, Mike and Alex joining them once more.
Ricardo looks even more miserable as Mike pats him on the chest. "You did really well out there, man," he tells him with a soft, sad smile.
"Not well enough," he breathes, squinting against the pain. "I won't be able to do anything on Sunday-"
"Leave that to me," RVD repeats with a soft smile, nodding at Alex as he steps closer. "I'll be back in a little bit. I have to go have a little talk with Vickie Guerrero."
Mike squeezes Ricardo's uninjured shoulder before turning to chase after Rob. "Wait a minute, I wanna talk to her too!" he calls after the highflyer.
Alex laughs as he hooks Ricardo's good arm over his shoulders, helping him the rest of the way to the trainer's office. "I think you won't have anything to worry about this Sunday with those two on your side," he tells the younger man with a faint smile. "Just relax and let's get your arm looked at, eh?"
"Si," he agrees faintly.
Mike and Rob walk side by side to the office, both silent as they consider what they're going to say to convince the woman, neither buying into this what's best for business nonsense. Mike's not sure what shape Ricardo's arm is in, but he knows the ring announcer pretty well by now. He'd struggled through a broken ankle for weeks to do his duty for Del Rio, and he doubts that a messed up arm would keep him from doing the same for RVD: He'd have to be unable to hold a microphone to be agreeable to sit in the back and do nothing, and even then he'd probably try to get someone else to hold it for him so he'd be useful.
He smirks a bit before RVD knocks on the door, pushing his way inside once the Smackdown general manager encourages him to enter. She glances suspiciously between the two men before standing up and crossing her arms over her chest. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm here about you keeping Ricardo out of my corner at Night of Champions," Rob tells her. "It's not fair. You knew when you stuck him in that match that he'd lose and probably get injured."
"I was proving a point," she says simply, eyes flashing warningly. "He was questioning my judgment of the situation but if he can't even handle a five minute match against Alberto Del Rio, what's the point of him being out there at ringside Sunday? Especially now when his arm is injured?"
RVD sucks in a breath and shakes his head at her. "He deserves to be out there because you yourself said what Del Rio did to him last month wasn't right. Ricardo has the same goals as I do, and he deserves to see first hand the conclusion to our match Sunday."
Mike speaks up then, "Besides what would HHH say about you making a match where a ring announcer ended up with a potentially serious arm injury? You yourself said he needed to be protected from Del Rio, but you still put him in that match because he annoyed you. I wonder what the board would think about that kind of thing."
She grows pale and he watches her, eyebrows raised, as she closes her eyes in annoyance. "Fine," she grits. "Depending on what the trainer tells me about his injuries, I'll consider allowing him to accompany RVD to ringside after all."
Rob grins as Mike smirks, both pleased with this verdict. "Thank you," he says, the two of them leaving the room. "Hey, good job on the backup, Mike," Rob tells him.
Miz nods, eyes glinting in pleasure. "We make a good team, huh? Now let's go tell that ring announcer of yours the good news."
When they arrive, Ricardo is still clearly in some pain but the trainer and Alex are looking relieved even as fresh ice is administered to the worst of the pain throbbing down his arm. "Strained muscles and some inflammation around his elbow," the trainer tells them simply. "I'll give him a sling to restrain the arm for a few days, but he'll be ok. No serious damage was done. Actually, considering some of the things I've seen Del Rio do to people with that move, he was pretty lucky."
RVD sits down next to his ring announcer and pats him on the back, smiling comfortingly as Mike glances at Alex. "Yeah, lucky," he mutters faintly, the two men shaking their heads.
Ricardo breathes in deeply before looking balefully between his two friends. "Sunday?"
"Oh, right," Rob says. "Well, considering what the trainer just told us, I'd say that you're going to be allowed to accompany me after all."
Ricardo's eyes shine as he smiles, relieved at this little bit of good news. "Gracias," he murmurs.
Mike is still keeping his distance from AJ, trying to allow her time to sort through whatever this is between them, but when it's almost time for her match, he texts her quickly, Good luck. Unsurprised by the lack of response, he carries on getting ready for his match against Fandango that's not long after the divas' match, wondering if he'll catch a glimpse of her on his way out to gorilla.
He's just pulled his merch shirt on when the match comes to its conclusion, AJ retaining after making Natalya tap to the Black Widow. He smiles a little and runs his fingers through his hair, ready to go out and once more embarrass Fandango. He once more texts her however, a quick, Congratulations, I knew you'd walk out still champion. He leaves his phone behind, not having time to wait for her to respond, and walks out to the ring for his match against the dancing Skittle, continuing the submission victories by locking in the Figure Four and making the other man tap out.
Next up is RVD vs Alberto Del Rio and Mike sits in the locker room, brushing his sweaty hair back as he watches the match begin. Alex is on the roundtable overseeing the PPV and so Miz is all alone right now, with nothing but his wayward thoughts to keep him company as Ricardo, wearing a sling but looking beyond relieved to just be there, announces RVD to the ring.
All and all, it looks pretty even, RVD holding his own against Alberto until the Mexican aristocrat locks in the very same armbar that had left Ricardo needing that sling on Rob, pulling back viciously again and again, refusing to break it even when the referee warns him. A five count later and it's over, the match going by DQ, and an incensed Del Rio storms out of the ring to grab a chair, rolling into the ring with it and preparing to use it against his opponent when there's a flash of black and Ricardo appears, pulling it out of his hand with his good arm, startling his former employer.
Mike chuckles a little at the look on his face, eyes widening when RVD kicks him and leaves him laying in the corner, visibly out of it and limp against the turnbuckles. RVD calls something over to the ring announcer and Ricardo moves quickly, still clinging to the steel chair as he crouches on the apron and holds the weapon against Del Rio's face, making sure it's steady as Rob climbs to the top rope and leaps out, striking the chair feet first and sending it straight into Alberto.
RVD may not have walked out champion, but he does look pretty pleased none the less as he and Ricardo leave the arena, Alberto still barely with it in the ring as trainers and referees assist him in sitting up, blood dripping sluggishly down his chin.
Mike smirks before going to join them, all of them planning on hanging out together to watch the show until Alex's responsibilities are finished. Hopefully celebrate afterwards, should Daniel walk out champion.
Which is, thankfully, what happens... but it only holds for barely 21 hours as HHH strips him the next night in the first half an hour of Raw, disgusting all of them as none of them really believe that Daniel could be in any kind of conspiracy with Scott Armstrong.
But Mike's focus is elsewhere- his parents, for one, are in the audience and Brad Maddox tells him he has a match against Randy Orton. He's nervous and excited all at once- his mom had always been supportive of his ventures, be it wrestling or reality TV, movies or just whatever... but his father had been a harder sell, the man just not understanding how a son of his could have such unbelievable goals for somebody from Cleveland, Ohio. And even when Miz had succeeded at most of them, he'd still been nonplussed, not understanding a minute of it. So when he'd agreed to come tonight, Mike had been amazed and more than a little worried about what he could possibly say, a few sentences from him typically enough to kill Miz's self-esteem until he had to pick himself back up and put on the sports entertainer face for the WWE crowd, and not allow his rivals to see any weakness.
Thus he's so distracted, he only sees bits of the show- AJ commentating another six divas match and staring Natalya down afterwards, and RVD wrestling Sandow to another victory, Del Rio nowhere to be seen. He's relieved for that, but there's no time to stop and talk to Ricardo as his match is coming up, so he only claps the ring announcer on the shoulder as he passes him by, making his way to the ring to face off with the angry, former WWE champion.
But of everything he expected from this, what he gets isn't it. He's taken the time to hug his parents, speak to them for a minute, when he's rushed from behind, Orton attacking him and throwing him around like he's nothing, his parents watching on in disbelief as his shoulder begins to throb almost immediately. The match begins a few minutes later, Mike struggling to his feet, but he's at a disadvantage early, barely able to move his one arm, so no matter how stubbornly he tries to fight back, it doesn't matter as Orton comes back at him with twice as much aggression, sending him into the barricade wall near his parents, throwing him into the timekeeper area, taunting his parents with him as they watch on, his father as unresponsive as ever, while his mother covers her face in horror next to him.
Orton clearly has lost interest in the match as it goes in a double countout but the beatdown continues on and on, Mike's body throbbing unceasingly as the deranged man DDTs him off of the wall in front of his parents before slinging him back into the ring. He disappears for a minute and Mike stares ahead blankly, thinking, hoping that it's all over, but the ring begins to shake again as Orton re-enters, smacking a steel chair down to the mat next to him, and his stomach sinks. He hurts too much to move, all he can do is feel as the cool weapon is wrapped around his head and neck, Orton pausing for excruciatingly long moments as he thinks out what to do.
Finally decided, he attacks and all Mike can do is spasm as first numbness then intense, all-enveloping pain takes him over, struggling away from the weapon, uncomfortably aware of how his mother must feel, watching all of this from feet away. Before darkness creeps into his vision, he wonders if AJ is watching, how she's feeling about it all. He breathes in as he remembers the look in her eye the first time he saw her after those stupid, stupid comments he'd made on Main Event and whimpers. "I'm sorry," he mouths to thin air, losing consciousness finally.
When he wakes up again, he's in the back, soft voices surrounding him. He recognizes his mother's reassuring voice, her touch against his hair, and groans, eyes fluttering open to find her leaning close to him. "Baby," she breathes sadly, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "You're going to be ok."
"Mom," he breathes out, reaching out for her with a trembling hand, which she scoops up in both of hers, holding it close to her chest. "I'm sorry."
"No, no, baby, you have nothing to apologize for. I love you," she tells him quietly. "You did so well tonight, even though that... that insane man was clearly only out to injure you." She sniffs and presses her face against his hair, overwrought with emotions at seeing her son in such a state.
Everything hurts and he can't move too much to look around, a brace stabilizing his neck, but he can tell his father is nearby, probably watching on with that same old, tiredly uncomprehending look on his face. Thankfully, Alex steps up then and rests a hand on Mike's mom's shoulder, smiling faintly when she glances back at him, shifting aside to allow him to step closer. "Hey, Mike."
"Hey," he breathes, noting a flash of black behind him as Ricardo and RVD enter the room, the ring announcer looking anxious and worried as he holds his injured arm close to his chest. "Hey, Ricardo, Rob." They look relieved at finding him at least conscious and venture closer, the room starting to fill up as his mom looks around at all of the people surrounding her son. "Mom, this is Ricardo," he says after licking his dry lips. "I mentioned him, remember?"
She nods slowly, offering a faint smile at the younger man, who murmurs something that Mike can't quite catch as fresh pain distracts him from his family and friends. The trainer approaches them and ushers them back so he can continue to examine the grimacing man, Mike hissing slightly as he prods at his neck, chest and arm, blue eyes trailing around the room as he looks for something else to focus on. His lips twitch when he finds AJ standing in the doorway, watching him with pain and horror in her brown eyes. The trainer pauses in his exam when Miz lifts his good arm and reaches out for her, the girl hesitantly making her way through the group of people until she's at his side, swallowing harshly as she stares down at him.
He stares up at her, guilt mixing in with the pain in some horrible cacophony of agony from all sides. "I'm so sorry," he tells her softly as tears fill her eyes, AJ shaking her head. "I am. I shouldn't have said-"
"No," she whispers. "You shouldn't have. But don't worry about it right now. Alright? Just- just relax." She cups his hand in hers and kisses his palm slightly, and he feels like crying too as she refuses to move through out the rest of the trainer's exam, steadfast in comforting him whenever he shows any sign of pain.
Finally the trainer concludes doing what he can, determining that it seems like Mike hadn't suffered any breaks, thankfully, but would need further examination at a hospital, who would have better equipment on hand to look for any kind of hidden injuries that he can't find. A stretcher comes quickly, the group of them following it out as the EMTs take Miz out to the waiting ambulance, the trainer following to tell them what he'd done and found since the initial injuries. All of them hover around, watching as he's packed into the back of the van, Mike's mom immediately slipping inside and taking her son's hand. Ricardo glances at AJ, who seems frozen outside, before looking over his shoulder at Rob.
"Go ahead, I'll come to the ER later after I see what happens with Daniel tonight, man. Text me if you need anything." Patting his ring announcer on the shoulder, the highflyer smiles as Ricardo nods in thankfulness before joining Mike's mom next to his friend. They're sitting there, awkwardly staring at each other on either side of the cot when the doors are shut and the ambulance begins to drive off to the hospital, leaving the others behind to find their own ways to the hospital.
Once it's gone and Rob and Mike's father has wandered, Alex turns his attention to AJ, who is still staring blankly ahead. "Hey, do you- uh, want a ride to the hospital?" he offers after a moment, unsettled by the vacant look in her eyes. She turns to look at him, still saying very little, and merely nodding. "Alright then," he murmurs. "Come on." He hears her follow him as he walks outside to the parking lot, unsure how the next few minutes will pass with them alone, but she says absolutely nothing, merely staring outside as streets zip past, Alex eventually catching up to the ambulance at a stop light just a couple blocks from the hospital.
When they get out of the now parked car, Mike's stretcher has just been pulled out of the ambulance and Alex is somewhat relieved to see he's dozed off again, hating the look of tense pain on his face. Ricardo looks up as they approach and struggles to smile, his eyes locked on AJ as she stares down at her boyfriend the whole way into the building. They settle him into a room and urges the others out, overwhelmed a bit by the amount of people who are trying to sit with him. His mom stays in the room while AJ, Alex and Ricardo venture out to the waiting room, even the drone of the TV in the corner not distracting them as they wonder what these tests will find out about their friend's condition.
Finally, tired of sitting around and fussing anxiously with his sling, Ricardo stands and offers to get them coffee, Alex agreeing reluctantly as he considers what sludge hospitals tend to pass off. He's at the machine, pouring cups for himself and Alex one handed, weighing getting one for AJ as well, when he turns to collect some sugar packets just to nearly run into the girl herself, gasping sharply. "Uh," he mumbles, flustered. "Sorry, you really shouldn't sneak up on a guy like that." She stares up at him, lips twisted into an unhappy grimace, and he grimaces, turning away from her. He didn't get along with Vickie, no, but AJ had been a special level of torture, especially when she was GM, sticking him in a six man match with Del Rio and Otunga when he was still fresh off of another neck injury following Sheamus' brogue kick back last fall... He wants to be supportive of Mike, especially after all he'd been through with the girl, but she just disturbs him more often than not, leaving him annoyed and a bit defensive.
When she takes a breath, sounding like she's about to start a conversation with him, he shuts his eyes and steels himself for what's to come. "I'm just curious," she says finally, sounding subdued and unlike much of anything he'd ever heard from her in the past. He turns hesitantly and stares into her eyes, which are still wet and red rimmed as she fiddles with the end of her hair. "I've watched those few weeks when you were sharing the commentary desk with Mike, the things he said to you that nearly ended your friendship. What caused you to forgive him?"
He stares at her and absently stirs a straw through his coffee, trying to sweeten it so it doesn't taste as horrible, while thinking about her question. Its origin. He'd heard what Mike had said about her on Main Event, unsurprised when he'd seen little of her since, but she's here now, and looking completely wrecked, so he releases a tense breath, deciding to give her a break, knowing that it's what Mike would want, especially now. "You know Mike threw a plate of food in my face once?" he asks with a sharp, derisive laugh, putting the straw down. "And then a couple of hours later he threw me off of a ladder into a table on the outside of the ring. But we were far from friends then... something clicked when Del Rio and he tag teamed against 3MB those times back in December." The memories are far from happy ones for him, leaving him feeling like he's choking on thin air as he remembers Alberto's reaffirmation in their friendship in those months, how happy they'd been, even if it was only for a few weeks before everything began to go to hell again, trying yet again not to think about that dream, especially when his arm being in this sling thanks to him seems to prove it was all just a figment of his stressed imagination.
"He speaks a lot before he thinks, I think... but deep down inside, he means well." He leaves the coffee behind and sits down in a nearby chair, his arm beginning to ache a little. She joins him and he watches her for a moment before continuing to talk. "I'm not sure you're aware of this but when Del Rio betrayed me, and- and... all of that, Mike was there for me every step of the way." He swallows and stares at his hands. "He even went to Florida with Alex and packed my things up and brought it back to me in California so I wouldn't have to deal with Alberto immediately after all of that. Without him and his support, I probably wouldn't have found a new place to stay so soon, nor would I have been even close to the proper mindset to begin working alongside Rob. I'm not sure what would've happened to me without him, but I doubt it would've been good."
AJ looks thoughtful as he sits there awkwardly, waiting to see if she'll say anything else, and when she doesn't, he collects the coffee and brings it over to Alex carefully, somehow succeeding at not dropping it one handed. The three of them haven't moved when finally things begin to move: Mike's stretcher is brought out again and his mom leaves him hesitantly, going to them immediately. "They agree with the trainer that he hasn't broke anything, but they're going to run a few more tests and scans... we'll just have to wait and see." Ricardo moves to get her a cup of coffee as well but she refuses it, resting a hand on his good arm before he can even take a couple of steps. "Thank you, no," she murmurs, leading him back over to the chairs and sitting between him and Alex, visibly exhausted and worn.
Rob arrives before Mike does, glancing around the waiting room before spotting Ricardo, joining him. "Hey, man, any news?"
"They're still running tests," Ricardo says softly, smiling a bit when RVD sits down next to him and claps a warm arm around his shoulders. "Did Raw end alright?"
"A number of us ran in to help Daniel at the end, when The Shield was trying to do their thing again. I'm glad I hung around to help out. Hunter will probably make me pay for it, but oh well," he says in his typical undisturbed fashion. "It'll be ok, man, don't worry," he adds anyway when he sees the look on Ricardo's face.
"Of course," he says doubtfully, the group of them falling silent as time ticks by slowly, a nurse finally approaching them almost half an hour later.
"Mrs. Mizanin?"
"Oh, yes?" Mike's mom asks, standing nervously. "Is my son ok?"
"The tests show that nothing is broken, but he has a severely bruised collarbone and chest bone, and we want to observe him overnight so he's being moved to a permanent room right now. I can take you there, but visiting hours are over so you all can look in on him, but please don't stay for too long. It's late and he needs his rest." They all release relieved sighs before Miz's mom nods and begins to follow her to the elevators to take them to her son's floor, the others following behind.
It's a long night for them all, Ricardo nor Alex willing to leave the hospital despite not being able to see their friend, nurses saying nothing when Miz's mom stays in his room with him, and AJ is hanging around somewhere while Rob plays solitaire on a computer, all of them relieved somewhat to see sun shining through the windows finally hours later. "Think he'll be released soon? His flight to California," Ricardo says quietly, watching as nurses bustle back and forth between the rooms, getting patients their breakfasts.
"I'll see what I can do about transferring it to a later flight," Alex says tiredly. "I think I want to go with him to California, I can't stay too long because they want me for commentary at Main Event, but just to make sure he gets settled ok. Wanna come too?" Ricardo nods immediately, none of them surprised until a female voice speaks up too.
"I'm coming as well," AJ says simply, all of them blinking as she reappears at the doorway to the fourth floor waiting room. She turns and walks away, hair flipping back and forth as she walks to Mike's room, Alex blinking after her.
"Sure she is," he mutters.
Despite the process to get Mike out of the hospital seems to take forever, they arrive just in time for all of them to board a plane to LA, and Miz gingerly hugs his mom goodbye, promising her he'll take good care of himself- and if he doesn't, the others will make sure to fix that. She smiles through her tears and pats his face before looking at his friends one by one. "I hope to see you again, under better circumstances," she tells them soberly.
"Same here, Mrs. Mizanin," they echo before shouldering their bags and walking slowly with Mike to their gate, all of them wanting nothing more than to be at Mike's house already. Alex had called John the night before during the horrendous waiting period, having no doubt he'd either watched Raw, or heard what had happened, and not wanting him to worry needlessly. Ordinarily they'd stuff themselves into his apartment like during Summerslam, but adding AJ to the mix, it doesn't seem like the best idea.
The flight seems to take as long as everything at the hospital had, but finally, Ricardo opens his eyes to find himself staring at the California coast out of the airplane's window as it begins to prepare for descent. Mike is even more stiff now after sitting in one position for so long, each step paining him even with Alex and Rob trying to assist him as carefully as they can, mindful of his bad arm held tightly to his side, and finally they get a small cart for all of their bags, Ricardo dragging it one handed to the exit and beyond surprised when AJ begins helping him load up Mike's waiting car, barely looking over at him as she does so.
They all sigh in relief when Alex pulls up in front of Mike's house, John's car waiting outside not surprising any of them really. He must hear the car because he meets them at the door and pulls Mike's good arm over his shoulder, easing him inside. "I would've met you all at the airport, but I was getting the house ready for the next few days," he says apologetically as he helps his former tag partner to the couch and sits him down. "At least nothing was broken, huh?"
"Yeah," he mutters. "Soon as I can move my head again, all will be fine and dandy."
John exchanges glances with Alex and Ricardo before spotting who can only be AJ lurking out in the hall, frowning a bit. "Oh," he mumbles, putting the pieces together. They hadn't met yet, the girl joining the WWE main roster a bit after he had gotten fired, and he remembers his and Mike's last conversation about her, how the Most Must See Superstar had said something on the commentary desk to hurt her feelings. But she had come all the way to California for Mike, despite living in New Jersey, so he suspects that she's not as angry as Mike had thought. Though, by what he'd heard of her, this would be hard to prove... Squeezing his friend's side gently, he levers him upright again. "Come on, let's get you to bed, let you sleep all of this off."
"Sounds good," he sighs, head held rigid as he allows John to walk him down the hall to his room. "There's plenty of rooms here, each of you pick whichever one you want. Doesn't really matter to me. John and Alex will tell you which are theirs."
"Damn straight we will," John agrees.
The rest of the day passes quietly, Mike sleeping hopefully peacefully in his room and Alex, Ricardo and John quietly wandering around the house, none of them sure yet again where AJ's snuck off to. They've just ordered supper, John going to wake up Mike while Ricardo is outside waiting for the delivery man, when AJ reappears, startling Alex during his search for paper plates and silverware, not wanting to dirty any of Mike's things and add onto the to-do list during the last few hours he'll have in California before traveling back to Ohio for commentary on Main Event.
"Whoa," he grumbles, staring at her suspiciously. "Where did you come from?"
She tilts her head and stares back at him. "My room," she says simply. "I have a question for you."
"Like what?"
She leans forward on her toes, dark eyes boring into his. "I understand you've known Mike for years. I'm aware of how he sacrificed your job to try to get under Cena's skin... how did you forgive him?"
He blinks, thrown a bit by how far back she's going with this line of questions, that particular memory faded and only a little painful when he recalls it. "I barely knew him in those days, not like I do now. But I just... he was apologetic afterwards and I could see how sincere he was, and he really did do everything he could to get me my job back, in some capacity. And my giving him a second chance was the best thing I ever did." He smiles faintly. "When I needed those surgeries last year, he was there, waiting in the hospital with me leading up to surgery, and then he and John came and stayed with me at the start of my recovery. He's an infuriating man, but he's also a really good, loyal friend. The bad comes with about ten times as much good."
She tilts her head, watching him closely as he swallows uncomfortably and turns, continuing his search for the paper products. When he turns back around, she's gone again and he shakes his head. "What have you gotten yourself into with this one, Mike...?"
They all eat in different parts of the house that night, John helping Mike to force down as much food as he can stomach while still out of it from muscle relaxers and painkillers, dropping the rest of it in the fridge and going to just sit with his best friend as he dozes, unaccustomed to seeing him in so much pain. John and Alex both had had their surgeries, Mike there for both of them as much as he could, but Mike had never been severely injured, the worst he'd ever had being a concussion, so this is unsettling to John, especially after so long out of the business.
Miz hisses and groans as John adjusts the sheets around his shoulders, pausing before resting a hand on top of his head. "It's ok, Miz. You're gonna be ok, I promise." He stays there for a little over an hour, just watching him, when he realizes just how quiet the house is. "I'll be back in a little bit." Standing, he ventures out into the hallway and blinks at the pure darkness, guessing that the others have gone to bed early. He's just about to turn back into Mike's room, however, when he hears a soft rustling from the kitchen and approaches it warily, somehow not surprised to find AJ Lee sitting alone at the table, staring at nothing. She barely looks up as John sits across from her. "Oh, someone is still awake," he says drily. She stares at him and he smirks, undisturbed by her. After all of the bizarre personalities he'd come across during his time in the WWE, he's not bothered by her. "So I've heard tell that you've been having conversations with Ricardo and Alex."
He says nothing else and she blinks slowly. "Yes. So?"
"Well, they may be good friends with Mike, but there's a name missing from that list." He sits back and crosses his arms over his chest, watching her. "I've known him longer than both of them combined, know his faults and strengths inside and out. So why not come to me?" She doesn't seem to have an answer to this, her eyes wide, and he merely smirks larger. "Come with me." He doesn't wait to see if she does, merely stands and ventures into the living room. She walks softly, but he can still tell when she's behind him, their shadows falling just so on the barely lit floor.
Mike's DVD collection is ridiculous and John thinks, if he hadn't obsessively organized them all the last time he'd been here with too much free time, he'd never find what he wants, but finally he succeeds and moves over to the DVD player, opening one of the cases and stuffing its contents inside. As it begins playing automatically, he moves to sit on the floor in front of the couch, so he can see both her face and the video. It starts with his final WWE match against the Miz back two years ago almost, the girl frozen as Mike attacks him again and again with a steel pipe, it not clear from this angle that he'd been protecting John with each strike. They watch the match through quietly, leading up to the pain in Mike's eyes afterwards as he chokes out a barely held together promo while John is helped out of the arena.
The screen goes dark and AJ is about to say something when John holds a hand up, quelling her comments and questions for a moment. "I knew my contract wasn't going to be renewed," he tells her simply. "That morning, I asked Mike to grant me my final match. He hated it, I think it honestly broke him that day, and I was afraid that our friendship wouldn't be the same, that I had asked too much of him finally. But somehow he found it in himself to not only give me the sendoff I wanted, he also forgave me for making him do it. He's the most annoying man in the world. But he's also the most dependable. If you ask him to do something, he'll do it, no matter how much it's killing him." He stands, collecting the DVD and putting it back where it belongs. "I understand that what he says can hurt a lot, more than most probably. We've had some ridiculous arguments over the years, but we always come back stronger from them because in the end, we're best friends and he's like a brother to me, even when I want to strangle him to shut him up."
She doesn't move or say anything, her lip trembling a little as she considers his words. John watches her for a moment before quietly making it to his feet and walking towards the door, deciding the best course of action would be to leave the girl alone, let her think things through, something she's probably had precious little time for the last few days.
Mike stirs slightly when his bedroom door creaks open a bit, a shadow slipping into the room and approaching his bed. He breathes in deeply before whispering, "AJ?" His guess is proven correct as she shifts the sheets and slips under them, resting her head gently on his uninjured shoulder. They lay there quietly for a moment, Mike almost afraid to speak or touch her, should she bolt, but finally he whispers, "I really am so sorry. I didn't-"
Her finger on his lips derails his thoughts as she looks up, eyes gleaming in the moonlight visible through the window. "I forgive you," she whispers, replacing her finger with her mouth, kissing him softly.
He smiles, his pain miraculously lessened at this.