It was the day of Clementine's knee surgery. Jay had been able to catch an early flight which had allowed Alexa and Clem to pick him up at the airport in Atlanta. From there, they had driven to the private hospital where Dr Andrews was going to perform the surgery.
Only when they got out of the car in the hospital parking lot could Clem properly thank him for coming. It wouldn't have felt right when she was in the front of the car and he was in the back.
"Thanks so much for coming, Jay," Clem said. "I know I've said it before, but someone as busy as you taking time out to come down just to be here for me means so much."
"You know I'm going to have to tell you off for repeatedly thanking me," he said as they hugged each other.
"Well I've done it now so it's a bit late to tell me off," she pointed out.
"True," he admitted, glad she was in good spirits. He spotted Alexa taking a travel case out of the trunk. "Want me to get that?"
"No, thank you. I got it."
Jay reminded himself not to consider her slight stature an impediment. This was a former police officer and FBI agent he was talking to. Then it dawned on him that he hadn't thought of her as an FBI agent or a human lie detector machine for a while. That was important progress.
They proceeded into the hospital, where Clem was quickly checked in and shown to her room. As with all of the top quality private hospitals that WWE sent talent to, this one had excellent, friendly service and private rooms for all patients. The room came with its own bathroom and TV, and there would be a selection of enjoyable food for Clem to choose from, in contrast to the slop that was served in public hospitals.
Barely had Clem started unpacking the belongings she had brought with her when Dr Andrews walked in.
"Morning all. How are we today?" he asked. Greetings were exchanged, then his attention turned to his patient. He remembered from the previous consultation how she preferred to be addressed. "How's the knee after your Wrestlemania match, Clem?"
"The night of and the morning after it was super painful. Hasn't been all that bad since, surprisingly. Still, I'm ready for you to get in there and fix it."
"We're going to do just that. We're going to get you prepped soon, and we'll begin the surgery in an hour." He now spoke to Jay and Alexa as well. "The surgery is going to take around two hours. Then there will be another two hours in the recovery room before she returns here to spend the night. So you guys can hang around or come back later."
Jay looked at Alexa, instinctively deferring to her. But he saw she was already deferring to him. He wasn't used to being in that position, but he figured he ought to go with it for her sake. "Why don't we go get a coffee or some lunch? That'll kill some time, then we can come back and find out how the surgery went?"
"I think that's a great idea," Clem opined.
"Okay, we'll do that," Alexa agreed.
"Why don't you guys take off? I'll sort my stuff out, then Dr Andrews' team can get on with prepping me? I'll see you in a few hours," Clem said.
Jay didn't know when or how he had acquired the ability to understand people, but he found himself realising that Clem wanted them to go so that she could focus on what was ahead of her, and get it over with.
Alexa seemed to come to the same conclusion because she didn't object. Stepping forward, she exchanged a tight embrace with her fiancée. In a way it was hard to imagine a couple loving each other as much as he and Erin did, yet he was witnessing it first hand. Clem and Alexa shared exactly that kind of love.
"I'll be fine, Lexi. You'll see," Clem said softly.
"Once we get to the point where the surgery is done and we know that for sure, then I'll be happy."
"Don't you worry, we're going to fix that knee up," Andrews assured Alexa, who was having a harder time than the patient who was about to undergo the surgery.
Jay stepped up to Clem, trying to project confidence for both women. "I'll see you on the other side, with a brand new knee," he said as they hugged each other. It managed to get a laugh out of her.
"A brand new one is a bit of a stretch. But I'll settle for one that works without hurting me."
"Then let's go for that."
A few minutes later, Jay and Alexa were making their way out of the hospital. It seemed like they had only just walked in.
"They're efficient here, aren't they?" Alexa said.
"That's the kind of healthcare you'll get while you're under contract to WWE. It's something Erin has been strong about. Before she took over, the company only covered injuries sustained in the ring. Now it's almost all healthcare."
Alexa looked at him as they walked out of the building. "Erin's a remarkable person. You're very lucky, you know? She's equally lucky of course."
"I don't know about that. I'm definitely the lucky one in our relationship he said."
She stopped walking and gave him a serious look. "Don't underestimate what you bring to the table. You are a remarkable person too, Jay. And you're a good man."
As Alexa continued over to the car, Jay stood there for a moment trying to process the fact that he was so well regarded by someone other than Erin.
Partly to pass the time, and partly because he was hungry, Jay had suggested finding somewhere to have something to eat. Alexa had said the main thing she needed was coffee, so they had settled on a small, family-run coffee shop that also served food.
Jay had gone for a chicken salad sub, and Alexa had decided to at least eat something light by ordering a salad box. Their food and drinks soon arrived, and they began eating, seated on comfortable leather couches either side of a low table in the upstairs area of the coffee shop.
It was obvious to Jay that Alexa's mind was still stuck on Clem and the surgery she would now be getting prepped for. He understood that, but he wanted to do something about it. Worrying was unproductive, but what could he do to occupy her mind? Productive. That was the key word. Do something productive.
"Since we have a few hours to kill, how about we do some work on your training?" he suggested, immediately wishing he had been able to phrase it better.
"That's a good idea," she replied, showing only a positive reaction despite his wording. He supposed she was getting used to him not always being the best communicator.
"Okay. While we eat, I'll think of a good subject we can get into while we're here."
Their light meals didn't take long to consume. By then, Jay had decided what he could teach his understudy.
"We're going to talk about timing," he announced. "Timing is vital to getting the audience invested in what you're doing in the ring, or even in a backstage promo. It's also one of the thing's Clem is best at. Her character work is the main reason she get's the crowd reactions she does. I want to teach you how it's done because I think you have the natural talent to be every bit as good at that side of the business."
"Seriously? That's a big statement."
"It is. But it's one you can live up to, with the right training and guidance. So, how about we watch some footage and I explain some of the subtleties?"
"Sounds good," she said, coming over to sit beside him as he took out his phone.
"Why don't we start with that entrance Clem made in Chicago a few weeks ago? Well, you both made, since that was your first appearance on TV. You know what I'm saying though."
"Um hmm," Alexa said positively, waiting for him to load up the video.
Jay found the official upload from WWE's YouTube account. It was titled 'The Final Boss returns in Chicago!' The clip began with a short segment of the beatdown Maya the wildcat had been getting from the ring full of heel women before Clem's music dropped.
"Look at that top comment. That's your shot their talking about."
He looked at the featured comment below the video. It had a timestamp followed by 'That shot as Clem and Alexa walk out is fucking fire. WWE's production has been next level under Erin.'
Erin was getting the credit because people didn't know any different. But Jay knew the shot in question had all been his vision. Clem and Alexa knew it too.
"So, what I want you to do is pay attention to Clem. Study every little movement she makes with timing in mind.
Thirty seconds into Clem's entrance music there was a breakdown where it transitioned from her previous theme into the more sinister and powerful Final Boss music.
"Pay attention when the music transitions," he said, noting that Alexa was watching intently next to him.
Clem was looking out into the crowd on the left side of the arena. Right at the moment pf the music transition, her head snapped towards the ring. Final Boss mode was engaged. There was also a notable kind of 'oh shit' reaction from the crowd.
"That's... I see. I get it," Alexa said. "The music, the movement, the crowd really notice it. Also, that thing the commentator did."
"Yes," Jay said, pointing to her in acknowledgement that she had made a good point of her own. Right at the transition point, Christopher Herrman had made a sound that was somewhere between a squeal and an expression of horror. Only a second long, and not even a word, it was a great piece of commentary in it's own way before Kelly Severide started hyping up The Final Boss.
"Play that moment again," Alexa requested.
Happy to do so, Jay scrolled back and they watched it over.
"Everything there is timed perfectly, apart from what I'm doing. I'm just standing there looking at Clem."
"Because you hadn't been taught timing or much about character work yet," Jay said, his tone conveying that she was in no way in the wrong. "That's on me for having you out there, but you did a great job. Now, we're going to watch the rest of the entrance. Then we'll watch some clips from other people. Timing is also key during promos and matches too. It's something you need to get a feeling for so that it comes naturally to you."
They ended up spending two hours and three cups of coffee watching clips and drilling into the finer points of timing. Jay could see why William Regal at the PC had been impressed with Alexa. She was a dedicated and receptive learner.
"I think that'll do it for timing class," he decided eventually. "In any case, my phone is nearly dead. We should head back to the hospital."
"You're right," Alexa said. "I'll pay for all this. The least I can do after you came all the way down here to support us and spent like two hours teaching me. You know, you're easy to learn from. You've got a way of explaining things."
Jay felt very happy with that feedback. It dawned on him just how much enjoyment he was getting out of mentoring Alexa. Her progress was going to be a source of immense pride for him. Suddenly he missed Erin so much that it was painful. He wanted to share the moment with her, but she was almost a thousand miles away.
"Are you okay?" Alexa asked, unsurprisingly reading something straight away.
Be honest, Jay told himself. "What you just said made me feel very proud. Then it made me miss Erin a lot because I wanted to share the moment with her. God, I'm so lucky to have her."
"I know exactly how you feel. Clem makes me feel so loved, and makes me happy all the time. My life has completely changed since I met her. Such an amazing person."
Jay nodded agreement, both with the comment about Clem but also because felt exactly the same way about Erin. Then another thought came to him. "There is one thing you can do for me."
"Name it," she said immediately.
"Erin's come to the realisation that she's been so work-focused since she took charge of WWE, she doesn't really have any friends. She's trying to work on that, as you've probably noticed. My ask is for you to try and give friendship with her a chance, you and Clem. Being friends with the boss isn't easy, I know. But try and be friends with Erin instead. Am I even making sense?"
"You are, and I hear you. Erin seems like a nice person to me, and hearing you talk about her is striking. I can't promise you I'm going to befriend someone, that's not how that works. But I will be open to it and give it every chance. And I'll have a discreet conversation with Clem too. I think she'll be open to it now that they worked out their differences."
"That's all I can ask," he said gratefully. "Okay, shall we get back to the hospital?"
"Yes. I want to be there ready for when the doctor has some news for us. Just want to hear Dr Andrews say the surgery was a success, then a huge weight will be lifted from me."
Their eyes met, and even someone with Jay's limited ability to relate to others was able to tell she was struggling emotionally, again.
"It's going to be okay. Trust me," he said.