Adam's recovery is going well. After so many months of struggle and frustration, he'd almost never thought he'd get to this level, but he's here finally, and his return to AEW full-time is so close he thinks he can almost taste it. Which means he feels better and he feels like doing something nice for Max so whenever Max is out traveling for Dynamite and whatever else, he scours New York pawn shops. He has a long list of them and he makes sure to check all of them carefully, asking every person he comes across at them.
No after no after no, and he's about to lose hope until finally one man looks him in the eye and says yes.
-x
Adam is at All Out. He'd snuck in, hid in barely used locker rooms and waited, watched. Max's match is starting the show off and afterwards he's going to surprise him, cradle his hand, show him what he reclaimed, and-
All he can do is sit in shock and watch as Garcia recovers from losing, grasps Max, and piledrives him off of the top turnbuckle. "No," he chokes, thinking about the various neck issues Max has had since they first won the ROH tag titles back a year. "No, no, no-" Giving up the element of surprise, he runs. Out of the locker room, through the halls, finds Max getting stretchered back stage. "Max, Max," he pleads, grasping Max's hands. "Hey, baby, hey, I'm right here."
He struggles to find a way around the brace and the medical staff and everything else, but he finally succeeds in kissing Max on the forehead. "Baby, please," he pleads. "I'm with you. I'm right here." He lifts Max's hand and pulls out his surprise, pushing it into place on his hands. Max's diamond ring glints in the lights overhead and Adam sobs at how unfair it is that he'd succeeded at giving Max back one of his most valued possessions, but he isn't even conscious to marvel at it. "Wake up, Max, please. Please wake up," he continues to plead as he follows them back through the halls, to a waiting ambulance. "Please..."