"I'll miss you," Hook says, leaning into the warmth of Orange's hands as he cradles Hook's face in his palms.
"I'll miss you too," Orange says, resting his forehead against Hook's for a moment before kissing him. "I'll call you as soon as I can."
Hook nods, lacing his fingers around Orange's wrists. "Alright," he says softly. "Take care of yourself."
He doesn't necessarily like Orange traveling to shows alone, but he hopes that at least Kyle and Mark's presence will be able to help if anything happens at the arena. Trent hasn't been around in awhile, but the worry persists. After all, he thought he was done with Jericho, and now he's stuck at home, blinded and unable to travel to get revenge for himself or Joe, and it eats at him. Thinking about something like that happening to Orange too... He can't stomach it.
"I will," Orange promises, kissing him. He then pulls away reluctantly and collects his luggage. "Talk soon."
Hook nods, hands curling and uncurling at his sides as he listens to Orange preparing to leave.
As soon as the door clicks behind him and Hook hisses out a shallow breath, Mrs. Senerchia walks up to him and squeezes his shoulders. "Baby," she says. "Come sit down. Orange'll be fine."
Hook exhales. "I hope so, mama," he says, allowing her to lead him over to the couch.
"What do you want to eat?" she asks, smoothing her hand through his hair. "I'll make whatever you want, baby. Just let me know."
"I'm not really hungry," he mutters, his sleeping and eating habits still really poor since Jericho's attack. "Can I think about it and tell you later?" he asks, still twisting his hands together anxiously.
"Sure, baby," she says softly, hating the tension in her son's shoulders, especially considering how long he'll have to wait until Rampage starts so he can hear for himself that Orange is ok.
The day passes slowly, Mrs. Senerchia doing a few things around the apartment, but mostly just sitting with Hook, keeping him company while they wait for Rampage.
"I think he's only doing commentary," Hook mumbles. "Roderick has a match or something."
Mrs. Senerchia nods. "That's fine, baby. I don't mind watching it with you."
"Thanks, mama," he says.
She plays with his hair, smiling a little as she reflects on watching wrestling with him when he was a little boy. As many things have changed, just as many have stayed the same. Especially when he starts to nod off and she hums, tapping his shoulder. "Baby?"
He jerks awake and looks around, a confused frown on his face. "I'm awake," he insists.
She stifles a giggle and tugs lightly on his hand. "I know you are, but lay down, baby. You can listen just as easily that way."
He hesitates, then sighs. "Alright, mama," he mumbles, following her guiding hand to settle down with his upperbody resting against her lap.
"Comfortable?" she murmurs, brushing her fingers through his hair, careful not to disrupt his bandages.
"Yeah," he mumbles. "Thanks, mama."
"I think you should go to bed after the show, baby, you look really wiped out."
"I guess I'll try," he sighs.
"That's all I can ask for." She continues running her fingers through his hair while watching Rampage. She smiles a little when Orange, Kyle and Mark finally appear at the commentary table and Hook's head tilts towards the TV.
"I miss being able to see him," he mumbles.
Mrs. Senerchia's lip trembles for a moment but she exhales slowly and resumes stroking his hair, regaining control of her emotions before the silence goes on too long and makes her response too awkward.. "I'm sure your follow up appointment next week will go better, baby. We'll get some good news there."
He sighs. "I don't know. I hope so." They fall quiet, listening to the trio on commentary for the short period of the match. Afterwards, Orange, Kyle and Mark go to the ring to 'stare them down', as O'Reilly had said, and Hook exhales. "Are they ok?" he asks once things move on.
"Yeah, baby, everyone's fine," Mrs. Senerchia tells him softly.
"That's good," he says. "Thanks, mama."
"Of course, baby," she says.
They listen and watch the rest of Rampage and then as soon as it's over, Hook slowly rolls his legs off of the couch, sitting up. "Mind helping me get ready for bed before Orange calls, mama?" he asks wearily.
"Of course, baby," she says, standing up and reaching out for his arm. "Let's go."
He's snug in bed, comfortable in a tank top and some sweats, when the phone rings. Mrs. Senerchia obligingly hands it over to him, kissing his forehead. "Good night, honey," she says to him quietly. "I'll see you in the morning." In the immediate days of his accident, she'd stayed with him overnight, but he'd convinced her he's be alright overnight so she had agreed to go home to be with Taz through the night, helping him with things he needs. Hook feels heavily guilty that he's taking her away from him at all right now, when he can barely use his fingers for anything they're so numb from lingering nerve damage, so he's relieved she'd agreed to this much.
"See you, mama," he says, He lifts the phone and smiles a little. "Hey."
"Hey," Orange says. "How are you doing?"
Hook sighs. "Hanging in there," he says, nuzzling into his pillow. "Missing you."
"Miss you too," Orange says softly. "Did you have a nice day with your mom?"
"Yeah," Hook says. He sighs, relaxing into the sheets. "Can you stay on the phone for awhile? I don't think I'll be able to sleep for awhile."
"Of course," Orange says. "I think I'm too keyed up to sleep too."
Hook smiles into his pillow. "We're kinda pathetic, huh?"
Orange sighs, then chuckles. "Kinda," he agrees, shuffling on the other end of the phone telling Hook that he's settling in for sleep as well.
Hook wakes up the next morning to his phone held loosely in his hand, his mom gently easing the device out of his grip. He wonders if Orange woke up the same way as she guides him out of the bedroom and starts getting breakfast together for the two of them.
It's another quiet day that feels like it drags on for a really long time, the two of them sitting quietly while the TV drones on, Mrs. Senerchia making lists of things to do in the week ahead while Hook dozes in and out until Collision comes on. He half listens, Mrs. Senerchia next to him, commenting on what's happening in matches and making fun of some of the commercials that attract her attention.
He tries to follow along, laughing with her, but it feels insincere, weighed down, sensing something brewing. There's something about tonight that has him on edge, even worse than the night before when he was waiting for Rampage, but he can't explain it or make sense of it. He knows that he's lucky that his parents are so patient with him, because his mom just sits and rubs his hands briskly between hers while he waits and listens, shoulders tense, lips pressed in a tight frown.
Finally it's main event time and Orange teams with Kyle against the Kingdom, Hook trying to follow along with commentary for as long as he can. It makes sense, generally, until there's a scramble at ringside and Hook's mom's hand tightens around his fingers, squeezing tightly until he winces. "Mama?" he asks lowly.
She shifts. "It's Trent, baby, he... he's attacking Orange."
Hook doesn't remember standing, but he finds himself pressed against the table that's across from the couch, staring blankly into the darkness, thinking desperately about what to do. How he can possibly help Orange. Try to fix things. "Fuck," he gasps. "Orange-"
Mrs. Senerchia grabs him, guiding him back to the couch. "Baby, listen to me. Trent is in the ring now, Orange is on the outside, it's g-" Her voice dies away abruptly and Hook blinks against the bandages still covering his eyes.
"What? Mama? What is it?" he demands, reaching out for her blindly. "Mama! What's happening?!"
Mrs Senerchia sounds strained. "He... baby, Orange entered the ring. He, uh." She falters, worrying Hook more.
"Mama, please," he all but begs her.
"He had a monkey wrench," she rushes through. "Trent had been attacking Kyle and Orange- Uh, Orange hit Trent in the back of the head with a monkey wrench and knocked him out."
Hook sits there, frozen, agape. "Wha- what?" He trembles. "What?"
She holds his hands. "It's ok, baby. It's ok. It's going to be ok."
He shakes his head, sounding more than a little frantic when he finally wraps his head around how to speak again. "How am I supposed to believe that? Mama, he's been- he's been struggling for a long time, and now I'm injured and not on the road with him, and he... I mean, a monkey wrench?! Mom-"
Mrs. Senerchia hugs him tightly. "Baby, I know things are awful right now, but you have to breathe- you can't help him by panicking, just... just breathe, honey. Just try to breathe for me."
Hook shudders but tries to listen, finally taking a deep breath. Exhaling. Inhaling. "Alright," he mumbles. "Alright, mama. I... you're right."
She pulls back, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "That's my guy." She smiles sadly at him, hurting all over again than he can't see it.
He leans into her touch, still breathing a little shakily, when his phone goes off. He turns towards it but before he can move to try to find it, Mrs. Senerchia gets it off of the table and presses it into his hand. "Mama?"
"It's Orange, baby," she says softly.
He answers immediately. "Orange?"
"It-, uh. It's Kyle, Hook," O'Reilly greets him. "Sorry, but I- Orange isn't really verbal right now, and I thought maybe..." He exhales. "I thought maybe talking to you would help? I don't know."
"Where are you?" Hook asks, mind racing with what little Kyle has said.
"We're sitting in my rental," Kyle says. "I want to take us back to the hotel room so Orange can sleep, but I... thought it was important he hear your voice first."
Hook exhales. "Thanks. Can I...?"
"Yeah, of course." There's a muffled noise as the phone gets passed over, and Hook listens, waiting. "It's Hook, Orange," Kyle's voice says faintly.
"Orange? Hey," Hook says quietly. "Hey, can you hear me?" He tries to think fast as the silence from Orange's end of the phone draws on. Think about what he'd like to hear if roles were reversed, think about the best case scenario out of all of this. "Orange, listen. I don't... I don't know what's going on, really, but I'm on your side. Whatever you need. I- I know I can't do a lot for you right now, since I can't travel, and I can't even really see... but I support you. And I'll be here for you. Just... I just want you to know that, ok?"
Orange doesn't respond for a long, long moment, and Hook starts to worry that he's said the wrong thing, or Orange has hung up, or- "Hook," Orange says, voice sounding strained and a little weak.
"Yeah?" he asks, digging his nails into his wrist in a desperate attempt to not sound too eager or risk pushing too hard.
Orange exhales shakily. "I love you."
Hook pauses and presses his forehead to the cell phone for a moment, more than a little overwhelmed by the relief that warms him at those simple words, before putting the phone back up to his ear. "I love you too," he says.
"I'll be home in the afternoon," Orange says after another pause.
"Ok," Hook murmurs. "Try to get some sleep."
Orange doesn't respond and Hook breathes in time with him until the phone gently gets shifted again.
"Hook?"
"Kyle?"
"Yeah, sorry, he handed the phone back to me."
Hook nods, feeling his eyes getting damp behind the bandages covering his face. "Alright," he mumbles. "Look, uh, will you try to help him out tonight?"
"Yeah, of course I will," Kyle says.
"Thank you," Hook responds quietly.
"I'll call in the morning, or have him call."
"Ok," Hood says. "Thanks. Bye."
"Bye," Kyle says before the phone clicks.
Hook sits there for a few moments, fingers curling and uncurling in his lap as he tries to think through everything Kyle's said, the few things Orange has said, what he sounded like. "Fuck," he breathes, dropping his face into his hands and trying just to breathe.
Mrs. Senerchia rests a hand on his back, rubbing slowly. "It's going to be ok, baby," she says soothingly.
Hook exhales and leans into her. "I hope so," he mumbles. "But I just... I don't know, mama."
She sighs and hugs him close, feeling as he nuzzles into her. "Just be patient with him, baby. It's all you can do."
"Not something I'm very strong with," he sighs, and she chuckles.
"I know, but try, alright?" She pulls back and cradles his face in her hands. "Now what do you say we get you ready for bed? Orange will be home sooner then."
Hook makes a face, his nose crinkling. "Alright," he groans. "I guess."
She hovers as he cocoons himself into his sheets, some tension leaving his body as he curls up into the pillows. "I can stay if you need me to," she says, resting a hand on his arm.
"No, mama," he mumbles. "I'll be ok. Dad needs you anyway."
"Ok," she says. "I'll probably check in on you in the morning, make sure everything's going ok."
"Alright," Hook relents, knowing that she'll come by either way. "Thanks, mama."
"Any time, baby," she says, brushing his hair back to press a kiss to his forehead. "Try to sleep well tonight."
"Mm hmm," he sighs, somewhat relieved that the bandages are enough to hide from her how wide awake he actually still is. "Good night, mama."
"Good night," she says softly before leaving.
Hook exhales shakily once he hears the apartment door click shut behind her and sits up, fumbling around until his fingers brush against the table on Orange's side of the bed, feeling around on the few things scattered there. His fingers hesitate against a book that Orange has been reading aloud for Hook's benefit on nights when neither of them can find sleep easily.
He sighs and hugs it close to himself, finding some comfort in tracing the familiar ridges of the letters embedded into the spine, wishing that Orange was laying next to him, safe and comfortable, reading the next chapter.
He sighs and rolls over with the book still held snug in his arms, hoping that things will look better come morning.