Chapter 42

The day she arrived at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, for Dynamite was when Delilah got the phone call she'd been dreading. The C1 needed to be surgically repaired, just like she suspected. A lot of wrestlers who had this type of surgery didn't recover from it completely because it was such a sensitive area of the neck. Once a surgery happened, the appendage or that part of the body was never the same again. It was time to talk to Tony Khan, the boss, and tonight she would be dropping her title to Britt. Her surgery would take place in two days, they wanted her in as soon as possible to repair the damaged C1. She had no idea Jon had destroyed his cell phone because they hadn't spoken in a couple of days, so she sent him a text message.

Simple and to the point. I need surgery. My career is pretty much over.

Jon had only just gotten his new cell phone up and running, smashing his had been such a childish move, and he regretted it the next day. Cells were required in this day and age, especially with all the promotions he wrestled for currently, not to mention…his jackass, decision-making for everyone, wife. He hadn't slept well, drinking and smoking, only finally dozing when Eddie drove them from spot to spot. Jon also hadn't shaved in a few days, and he probably smelled like an ashtray, the car window open because he was on a new cigarette.

Naturally, he had a million notifications, and then he saw the message from her. Not necessarily. Copeland bounced back. No acknowledgement of what was said, and her hanging up so he couldn't argue, just him…he didn't even know anymore. Jesse Sorenson did. Kid had gotten his C1 fractured back in 2012 while working for TNA and had returned to the ring as well.

There was a damn good reason she wasn't giving Jon a choice in this matter. Maybe she was being a jackass, but wrestling was Jon's everything, just as much as it was hers, and it was bad enough she wouldn't be able to do it anymore after this surgery. Copeland took over 10 years to come back from his injury, Jon. And I don't know how bad the damage is until they get in there and fix it. I'm in my 30s already and you know how it is for women compared to men in this business. Don't try to sugarcoat this and make me feel better, please.

It would be extremely hard for her to come back from something like this, and there was no way in hell she'd be wrestling in her 40s. Honestly, she had maybe a few years left of her career before having to hang the boots up, so it was happening sooner than she wanted. Women wrestling in their 40s typically didn't look very well, and she refused to overstay her welcome. That was the problem with women like Lita and Trish Stratus; they were in their 40s and kept coming back for the spotlight. That would not be Delilah.

When she was done, she was done.

What bothered him the most was the fact that he was trying to meet her halfway with this next phase of her neck, trying to be there for and with her, and she was pushing him away. She was shutting him down and making decisions for them both, not giving him a say. Not only was his mind rebelling at this, but so was his heart. Didn't she know how much she meant to him?!

"Country man, really?"

"Brother, sometimes country is good for the soul."

Jon was going to have to stop riding with Eddie, pinching his nose as he looked out the window.

"I don't feel comfortable with you wrestling at all, Delilah, not with a neck injury this severe." Tony was being honest with her, sitting across from her at his desk with his hands folded on top. "Look, you know me and you know I let a lot of things go around here when it comes to the wrestlers, man and woman. But I'm sorry, I can't in good conscience allow you to compete to drop the title. You'll have to go out to the ring and give a promo and vacate it."

"Tony…this may be my last match…"

"You don't know that."

"But I do know that." Delilah still couldn't believe this was happening to her and let a few tears fall down her cheeks. "I'm not getting any younger. I've done this nearly my whole life with my brother and husband. I've given everything to this business, my blood, sweat, tears, and heart. There's not one inch of me I haven't given, and you're telling me I can't go out my way? I have to say some stupid promo in the ring…"

"You should speak from the heart, Delilah." Tony stood and walked around to squat in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Go out there and tell your fans what's going on. Speak the truth, and no matter what you say, there is a chance you'll make it back. But you have to put your health first before your career because, without your health, there is no career. But you can't wrestle with your neck, it's a liability."

Delilah left Tony's office feeling more frustrated and heartbroken than ever, finding a dark, empty dressing room to break down in. Tonight, she would have to go out there and vacate her women's championship instead of letting Britt take it from her in a match. There was no point going out there in her ring attire…ring attire she'd probably never wear again. That made another shard puncture her heart, and she pulled her phone out, deciding to warn Jon ahead of time about tonight's show.

Tony won't let me wrestle, so I have to cut a promo in the ring and vacate the title. Surgery is on Friday at 9 AM, gotta be there by 7 for prep and shit. FML. She sent that and stood up from the floor, wiping her tears away before heading out to get her makeup and hair done.

For what could be the final time, she stepped foot in a wrestling ring for the rest of her life.

Jon already had a feeling that was what was going to happen. On his downtime, he had spoken privately to Tony about what was going on with Delilah. One of the best things about Tony was the fact that he was not 'push through it', not like Vince had been in the past. He hadn't told Tony one way or another what he should do, nor had he said what he wanted done. But he had expressed his concerns as a desperate husband. Honestly, he wasn't sure if Delilah would tell Tony just how bad it was, given the extent of the injury.

Tony wasn't an idiot. The last thing he wanted was one of his wrestler's suffering death or paralysis in his ring, and that's what Delilah would be risking with a final match. He cared about the wrestlers, and he was also a businessman, a smart one. Broken wrestlers weren't worth anything, and neither was the bad press. He could balance both caring and smarts.

I'm sorry. I have Friday off. Want me to come be with you?

Delilah wasn't sure what he had planned for Thursday, maybe media or something. I was hoping you would because I need someone to drive me home. I won't be able to drive after the surgery until my follow-up. Britt didn't know your schedule, so she said she'd come with me if you couldn't. I'll tell her you'll be there.

Delilah hadn't seen her husband in what felt like ages, even though they lived together and worked for the same company. It'd been at least two months since everything started going downhill for them, and now she was in a bad way. She thought about texting her brother to let him know what was going on with her and decided he could find out on national television, along with everyone else, when she opened the show tonight to vacate her title.

Meet you in the parking lot after the show? He'd just go home with her.

It would be awkward because he had a lot of things he wanted to unleash on her, and her messed-up way of thinking she could control other people's lives with her decision-making garbage, which had YET to work out for her in the long run. But he also wanted his wife and friend back, so he had to swallow it down and just keep on…staying quiet and letting her do what she wanted. If Delilah kept leaving doors shut in his face, he'd just start making holes and getting sneaky, much like he had the night he had gotten her lit and married her.

It wasn't that Delilah was trying to control Jon's life.

That's not what she was trying to do at all. She was trying to conserve and protect his career. However, if she ever found out what he'd done, how he'd gone to Tony Khan to express his concern over her well-being and stuck his nose in her career…Delilah would've been livid. It was a really good thing she didn't know, and hopefully, she never would.

Really? You'll come home with me? Delilah looked down at her tattooed ring around her finger and closed her eyes, keeping the tears at bay while her hair was being teased. She had a white jumpsuit she'd brought with her that she planned on wearing to the ring to give her speech.

"Everything okay, Delilah?" Sasha, one of the stylists, asked when she saw the woman wipe a stray tear from her cheek.

Good thing her makeup hadn't been done yet. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, just something in my eye."

Sasha didn't believe that for a second and kept on teasing away, dropping the subject.

By trying to protect and preserve his career, without giving him any say, that was controlling someone. Jon wasn't having it. He would quit out of sheer spite one day if it came down to it. She was actively making decisions based on HER wants and needs and what she WANTED for him yet would blow her load everywhere if she knew he had talked with Tony out of sheer desperation. They eventually had to get on the same page or else this wasn't going to work. They were supposed to be a team, supporting each other. Not making stupid decisions for each other or tearing each other apart. They both seemed to have forgotten that.

Jon sat in his room, avoiding the beer tonight and, when he couldn't help it anymore, he began doing his warmup, his volume up on the monitor so he could hear when Delilah hit the ring. Did Sami know? He imagined Sami knew something was going on, given her hospital visit being aired online. His heart broke the second he heard her music hit.

It was the opening segment of Dynamite.

Delilah came out with the women's championship over her shoulder, her hair and makeup done to perfection, with large silver hoops in her ears. She was also wearing her wedding ring she brought with her, since she would not be wrestling after tonight. Taking her time, she stopped in front of the ring and soaked it in, doing everything in her power not to start crying. Squaring her shoulders, she put one foot in front of the other, wearing white heels with the white jumpsuit. She slipped through the ropes as the fans cheered her and held the title up, going to each corner before grabbing a microphone from the ring announcer.

"Since I was a little girl, the only thing I've dreamt about in life is becoming a professional wrestler. Not a sports-entertainer. That was all my life revolved around was this 20x20 square circle I'm standing in tonight as the AEW Women's champion," She paused for the crowd and then continued, knowing if she paused too long, the tears would start flowing. "For the past 15-plus years, I have dedicated myself to pro-wrestling. I have sacrificed everything for this. My blood, sweat, and tears all went into pro-wrestling. This is my dream…and unfortunately, here tonight, I have to give up that dream."

Christ, this was a lot harder than Delilah thought it'd be, and the tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "For the past several months, I've been having pain in the back of my neck. The night I won this title from Britt Baker, I could feel something wasn't right with one of the bumps I took. Turns out, I fractured my C1, and I was told to take some time off to rest it. I didn't. I was the women's champion, I had to keep going, and I trained to push through the pain, to endure, regardless of how much pain you're in or what you're going through. You endure. That's what a champion does. And I can honestly tell you all that I gave you everything that I had inside of me. I left it all here in the ring…literally."

The fans started cheering and chanting her name for a minute before she started to speak again. "A few days ago, I went to the doctor because the pain has gotten worse, not better, and because I didn't rest my neck, I now have to have surgery to repair my C1 and possibly my C4. As we all know, several wrestlers, men and women, have had this surgery, and…a lot of them have never wrestled again. So tonight, as much as I hate doing it this way, I have no choice except to vacate the AEW women's championship. I let you all down, I let myself down, my husband and family down, but most of all, I let all of you down. But I do promise you one thing: I will do my absolute best to heal and recover from this surgery. I will bust my ass day in and day out, I will rehabilitate and do what I have to do to get back in this ring one day." The passion and fire in her voice and eyes made the crowd roar, and it made her wipe some stray tears away. "Thank you for your undying love and support. I love you all, and this isn't the last you've seen of me, I promise you that." Just as she dropped the microphone, a very familiar song blared through the speakers as the barbed wire lit up the screen and Delilah's eyes snapped to the back entrance, her heart pounding in her chest.

WILD THING! This was her husband's theme entrance – what the hell was Jon coming out here for?!

Because she was WRONG! She had NOT let him down! Jon could not be any prouder of her, and it showed on his somewhat wet face as he made his way down to the ring. The look on her face was nothing but shock, and he knew she hadn't expected him out here. She should've! She knew him. He never did anything Delilah expected or even wanted. Jon was always the wildcard in her life, the variable. The only constant was that he loved her fiercely, sometimes angrily, and always passionately. She just hadn't realized any of that yet. Delilah's hardest critic had always been herself, even when she had given her ALL. She was never satisfied and he was proud of her, even when she thought she hadn't done enough. This woman…

He took the microphone off the mat, listening to the fans. Some were cheering, some were confused and he paced before her for a second. Finally, he stopped and inhaled deeply, his electric blues locking with hers. "Delilah," his voice was lower than usual, more rasp and grit in it. "You're wrong, doll…" She looked so confused, and he reached out for her hand, bringing it up to his lips in front of all these people with absolutely no shame. "I have never been prouder of you than I am right now." In her struggle to get here, her victories and losses on this road, and now, when it seemed like it might be the end, he was proud of her and her strength in the face of her dreams dying around her.

"Jon…" She whispered, feeling breathless at his words, and could not pull her gaze away from his, not believing he was out here right now.

He was breaking character, the fourth wall was non-existent, and she really hoped Tony Khan was all right with this. None of the fans knew their marriage had been on a lifeline, slowly fading, and his coming out here in front of all these people, and however many watching from home, made those tears in her eyes rush down her cheeks. The feel of his hand in hers, she gravitated to him and touched the side of his bearded face, so much love and certainty in his electric blues under the bright lights.

"You're crazy, you know that?"

No, he wasn't crazy; it was love that drove him to come out here, without Tony Khan's consent. It was love that drew her into his strong arms, kissing her for the entire world to see. It was the first kiss in what felt like a lifetime, and the crowd roared for them both, making her cry harder.

Even backstage, Britt was bawling and Chris had teared up, both standing side by side watching this on a monitor.

Tony wasn't the least bit surprised or upset, grinning from ear to ear at the emotional moment. This was what professional wrestling, this world, was all about.

Jon broke the kiss a minute later and took her arm, raising it in victory.