Mike grimaces. He has Seth Rollins on MizTV tonight, but all he can really think about is how he's missing AJ's ultrasound to be here. He knows she's going to be fine, had just felt their child shifting under his fingers before he'd left, but having to miss more and more and more... He kneads his forehead and tries to breathe. Saudi Arabia is this Friday, making things even worse, because he's going to be so far away, and...
"Hey," Heath greets him and Mike squints up at the man. "Rough day, huh?"
"Yeah," Mike mumbles. "AJ's having an ultrasound today. Right about now, actually." Heath nods, eyes dark and compassionate, as he reaches out and rubs Mike's back. "Wish I could be there with her... I know everything's going to be fine, but..."
"You'd just rather see it with your own eyes," Heath says quietly.
"Exactly." He leans back and sighs. "At least we're in this together, huh?" Heath nods and Mike's lips twitch, ever so slightly. They'll be making the flight to Saudi Arabia together, and although it's good money, Mike's not exactly looking forward to it. The long hours on the airplane, the heat, everything just to get shoehorned into a match with 50 other men. But he'll do his best, and maybe, just maybe, he'll win something. He doubts it, his luck hasn't been the best since his partnership with Shane fell apart, but he'll never stop fighting, he'll keep trying and trying, and trying. No matter what.
Another thing he and Heath have in common, he reflects as he looks over at the man. "Hey, Heath," he says suddenly and Heath looks up from his phone, a confused look on his face.
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here," he says. "So many people are coming and going anymore... you're pretty much all I have left, you know?" Alicia's all but gone, Ricardo lives in Texas now and he barely gets to talk to him, John's busy with Taya and his own career, he feels like a ghost in his own wife and daughter's lives sometimes. But Heath, Heath's always been right here with him, experiencing much the same as Monroe gets bigger, and Maryse's new pregnancy shows more and more.
"Hey, us Marine 5 guys gotta stick together, right?" Heath says with a soft laugh, nudging Mike. "I still can't believe they killed Jake Carter off, man."
"Yeah, me neither," Mike says, chuckling faintly. He has other projects on the horizon, of course, but he thinks that'll always kind of be with him, the role of Jake Carter. His first true success as an actor. They sit quietly in catering until Mike has to move, has to prepare to interview the champion. "See you around, Heath."
"See ya," Heath echoes back and Mike walks off to get dressed, figure out his line of questioning.
He may not be thrilled with the direction his career is taking, but he's not going to half-ass anything now. He never has, he never will.