Post by Thunder on Apr 12, 2014 21:51:10 GMT -5
Thunder’s head continued to pound as he wormed his way around the backstage area, hoping he found his way to the locker room soon. This particular section didn’t look familiar, which sent visions of a potential This Is Spinal Tap scenario running through his head. The pounding in his head was a little bit concerning too. He hoped it wasn’t a concussion from the shot he took at the end of an ill-fated conclusion to Revolution. Even if it was, there was nothing he was going to do about it anyway. With the biggest match of his career in years on it’s way, he wasn’t going to be sidelined by doctor’s orders. Injury be damned, he wasn’t going to miss out on his perhaps final shot at the title.
Mercifully, he found his locker room a moment later. Almost as soon as he crossed the threshold in the locker room, he heard the rumbling of his phone vibrating from his bag. Again he wondered why phones even had a vibrate feature when they ended up being just as loud as a normal ringtone. He rushed over and pulled the phone out of his bag, seeing that Stacey was calling.
“Hello?”
“Where the hell were you? I’ve been calling, and no answer.”
“The show just ended. Weren’t you watching?”
“Yes, I was. And I called when the show was over. Nothing. Called again and again. Still nothing.”
“You gotta cut me some slack here. It takes me a minute or two to get back to my locker room. I just walked in now.”
“Uh huh, sure. Come on, Michael. You can’t be this selfish. You knew I missed you and I needed to talk to you right away. You should have known that.”
“Well . . . I guess I just didn’t know it didn’t need to be so soon.”
“Now you know. It’s not too much to ask for.”
“I know, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Now, don’t forget you have that redeye flight.”
“Are you sure I can’t take a later flight?”
“Please, Michael. I really miss you and need you back as soon as possible.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll see you then. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Michael placed the phone bag into his bag, and when he looked up, he saw a very strange sight. Sitting on the bench across from him was Stacy. It wasn’t the dark haired French Stacey, either. It was none other than the original knockout blond, the mother of his son.
Stacy didn't look the same as when he last saw her, all those years ago. His final images of her hadn't been all that pleasant. Sick, pregnant and dying is not the proper final image people deserve. She had always looked so perfect, but in those final moments of weakness she looked truly unlike herself. But now, sitting across from Michael in the locker room, her beauty was fully restored. It struck him as almost otherworldly, a glow practically emitting off of her slender frame. She spoke before he even had a chance to form a coherent sentence.
”I can’t believe you’re letting her walk all over you like that.”
“Stacy, I don’t understand . . . How can you . . . You’re . . .”
”Look, that’s not important right now.”
“Not important?! You’ve been dead for like five years!”
”For one thing, time is just something manufactured by people in the first place.”
“Nevertheless, you’re still . . .”
”Look, let’s not sidetracked here. I’m here to help you out.”
“Help me out? Help me out with what? Everything is going great. I’ve got a lovely girlfriend now, and I’m main eventing Superbrawl and will get the WFWF Title back. Things are better than ever.”
”No, it’s not. It’s not at all. It’s worse than ever, and I can’t believe it’s happening to you. I can understand you not picking out important points in a relationship because you’re so focused on wrestling. But now you’re letting this girl you’re with walk all over you.”
“Come on, now. I think you’re getting a little extreme there.”
”Trust me, I’m not. I just heard the conversation you had with her. It was more one sided than Heather Mills without the prosthetic. It’s completely unlike you, and I just don’t get why you’re falling for it. What do you see in her?”
“Now you’re being unfair. She’s a great person full of wonderful qualities.”
”Like what?”
“It’s a lot of things. Like . . . I shouldn’t have to justify my relationship in the first place. We like each other. Isn’t that enough?”
”If that’s what was going on here, then yes, that would be enough. But that’s not what’s going on here. I think anyone else can see that this is harmful to you, and if you take a step back you’ll see that too.”
“I know you’re trying to help and everything, but you’re really just off base here. Stacey and I are very happy together.”
”I can see this is going to take a lot of convincing. Don’t worry, you’ll come around soon enough. If only I could figure out why it is you’re drawn to this girl so much. I’ll have to keep trying to figure that one out.”
“Again, I appreciate the concern but I’m fine. And how are you here anyway . . .”
It was no use. The room was completely empty. Just as quickly as Stacy had apparently appeared, she was gone. Just to be sure, he combed the whole room and found nothing. For all intents and purposes, he was completely alone. It made no sense, but there was nothing else he could do about it.
Predictably, there was nothing on the radio. Well, to be precise, there was nothing good on the radio. Michael's options were, at the moment, not particularly desirable: some song involving the mind numbingly terrible thing known as dubstep, some song about hitting the clubs, a bloated idiot who unfortunately shares a name with a great Canadian band, endless sports talk and a dubstep song about hitting the clubs. He made a mental note to get satellite radio some day soon, at least before it became totally obsolete. For now, he was just left with his own thoughts.
It was hard to think of anything else but Superbrawl. When he first made the commitment to return, it all seemed so far in the distance. And it wasn't just distant in the calendar sense either. The ultimate goal of getting a shot at the title again seemed highly unlikely and so far. The question of if he even had the ability to make it that far, to reach the top of the WFWF, was completely uncertain. Even if it was possible, getting there was a long and hard journey ahead of him.
And now, after all that work, the moment was finally here. The awful memories of his previous run were starting to fade more and more. Soon enough, he would able to cement his legacy even further, and get the WFWF Championship for the fourth time. Then no one would remember the way he went out last time. Then he would finally have respect again.
With that in mind, he knew that life was good. He still didn't understand why Stacy had even showed up in the locker room, but she was off base with what she said. Things were great. His WFWF career was about to hit it's zenith, and he was along for the ride with a lovely woman who supported his career.
"Oh come on, man. You can't honestly believe that."
Michael jumped, and noticed to his amazement that Stacy was in the passenger seat. He could have sworn she wasn't there just a second ago.
"What? How . . . How are you here? And I didn't even say that stuff out loud. I was just thinking it. How can you even comment on that?"
"You can't keep asking these kind of questions. It just takes up to much time and we can't waste time on that kind of stuff. I'm just trying to tell you the way it is."
"I keep trying to tell you that I'm happy. Stacey is very supportive with everything in my career."
”You're fooling yourself. It just seems like she's that way now.”
“I'm telling you, she really is."
”Trust me on this one. I'm the one who was in a long term relationship with a wrestler, namely you. At first, the traveling on the road isn't a problem. But it becomes a problem very, very fast. It can be tough, especially considering you let wrestling consume you. When you're on the road you're not there, and when you're home there's a lot of the time when you're not mentally there."
“Okay, I'll give you that. That's always been a problem with me. But Stacey is understanding.”
”No, she's not! I was the one that was pretty understanding and let you get away with a lot. She's far too clingy to put up with it. She already can't put up with it. Look at what happened after Revolution. She gets mad at you for not answering a call when you physically weren't able to and then insists you take the earliest and most inconvenient flight possible. Doesn't that strike you as a little bit ridiculous?”
“I'll admit it was a little bit much.”
”Okay, now we're getting somewhere, at least. So again I ask, why is it that you like her so much?”
“Why do you keep asking me that?”
”Because I don't think there's any real answer.”
“Why must you keep driving at that?”
But, of course, the seat was now empty. Michael wasn't too fond of her nasty habit of leaving on vague little notes and providing him answers to his questions. It was more than a little bit unsettling.
For the moment, Michael tried to get it out of his head. It was a little too much to deal with.
One doesn't realize how much luggage is too much until the time comes to carry it around. That revelation hit Michael as he climbed the stairs up to his house and futilely attempted to get his key out of his pocket. Quickly he determined it was a useless mission, so he just knocked on the door instead.
No response. Well, surely Stacey just didn't hear him. So he went ahead and knocked again, this time a whole lot louder. Whereas with the first time Michael believed she hadn't heard, this time there was no doubt at all about that. Not only were there first her footsteps, but she even looked through the window in the door, and then promptly walked away again.
He couldn't wrap his head around this one, but now had no choice but to put all his stuff down and get in with his key. Once that was done, he had the unenviable task of still carrying all that stuff into the house. Predictably, it didn't work out and he went ass over teakettle as he stepped into the house. For someone who made a career doing athletic stuff, this was not a good showing of his physical capabilities.
Stacey stood there by the staircase, just watching it all unfold as Michael got back to his feet.
“Good to see you're finally here,” she said.
“You know, you could have helped me.”
”At least you figured that one out on your own.” Michael quickly got a glimpse of Stacy popping in from the living room to comment. Evidently, Stacey didn't see her presence.
“I thought you had a handle on it.”
“Obviously I didn't,” Michael said and abandoned his bags for a moment in the hallway to head into the living room. He caught another quick glance at Stacy, watching silently from a chair in the room of the room.
Stacey followed him in and evidently didn't take too kindly to his previous statement. She stood, motionless, her eyes forming a liquid film that was likely to turn into a waterfall of tears at any given moment.
“I'm sorry. I just didn't even think of it. I was just so excited and missed you so much, and was dying to be with you again. And then you're yelling at me right away and it's . . .”
Perceptive enough to realize the tears were about to hit (but not perceptive enough to figure out anything else going on), Michael ran over and grabbed her in his arms.
“It's okay, really. I didn't mean any of that. I just overreacted for a second. There's no problem.”
“You're not mad?”
“Not at all.”
“Thank you, Michael. You're the greatest. I'm so lucky.”
From behind him, Michael heard Stacy faux gagging at the previous statement. He turned towards her and placed one finger over his mouth, in an attempt to shush her.
”Oh please, that's not necessary. You know she can't see or hear me anyway. If she did, she would have erupted in jealously that some other woman was in the room, and accuse you of cheating.”
“You really think she would do that?”
”She's that kind of person, trust me.”
Michael shrugged and turned his attention back to Stacey, who was blissfully unaware of any of these goings on.
“So how was Aaron while I was gone?”
“Alright, I guess. Haven't seen him much. He stays holed up in that room most of the time.”
“Well, don't you check on him sometimes?”
“Why should I? He's old enough to come down for his meals if he wants to.”
“He's only five! And he's my son! That's why you should be checking up on him.”
Stacy jumped up from her chair, now furious at what she just heard. One semi-real finger got pointed in the direction of Michael.
”You left our son with her?”
“It sounded like a good idea at the time. I know her and trust her.”
”But you barely know her! You think you actually know someone in just a few weeks, enough to trust them with our only child? He's the last thing I left behind in this world, so I need him to be in safe hands.”
“It just seemed like a good idea at the time.”
”Didn't anyone try to tell you it's not a good idea?”
“Robin tried to talk me out of it.”
”And?”
“Well, we kind of had a falling out of sorts.”
”And why was that?”
“Because I was sticking up for Stacey."
”Holy hell, man. If burning bridges had a hall of fame, you'd be the greatest of all time in that field too. You just can't push away one of the few people who still somehow want to be with you after all these years. You're lucky she's still around to begin with.”
“You might have a point there. Maybe I was a little unfair since she's looked out for me before in the past.” He considered this for a second, and then another, less pleasant thought occurred to him. “But she's also trying to get in the way of me having a happy relationship with Stacey. I don't know what she wouldn't want me to be happy with her, but that's the way she's been acting. And I'm getting the same vibe from you.”
”That's not what it is at all! We're both trying to help you. We know this will be nothing but a destructive relationship for you, and potentially for our son, as well. You're just blinded for whatever reason and I can't get through to you. You've got to listen."
The argument likely could have continued on indefinitely, if it weren't for the sudden knock on the door.
“I'll get it,” Stacey said and immediately rushed over to see who it was.
”Funny how this time she's eager to get the door this time, huh?”
“Oh, be quiet.”
Stacey quickly returned right away, only confounding Michael's ever growing confusion with the whole situation.
“Who's at the door?”
“Just your sister and your dead girlfriend’s dad. So naturally, I'm not going to open the door for them.”
"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on here for a second.”
”Yes, please don't just let this thing slide. This should be a sign of major trouble.”
Michael nodded to her and turned his attention back to Stacey.
“First off, how would you even know who Stacy's father would be? You've never even met him.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Fill me in on this since I'm unaware of it.”
“He stopped over while you were gone.”
“Why didn't you tell me this? If Henry is coming over, it must be something important.”
“Oh, I don't know what it was. After he got a bit of an attitude about seeing Aaron, I told him off and made him get out.”
“You told him off?! I just finally reconciled with the guy like two months ago. You can't do that.”
“I had to. He was just trying to get in between us just like your sister is.”
“That's an absurd statement! You can't know that. You don't even actually know what he was here for. I need to let them in to find out what's going on.”
“Don't you do it.”
“I need to. Get out of my way.”
Reluctantly, Stacey did as she was told. She made her thoughts clear with the look she shot him. If looks could kill, Michael would have been deader than Chris Christie's presidential hopes.
Henry and Robin were, thankfully, still at the door when Michael opened. They didn't look too happy either, given their wait time.
“Thanks for letting us in,” Henry said. “We weren't sure that was going to happen.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Someone wasn't too eager about letting you in.”
“I can take a guess about who that is. You don't mind Robin being here too? I know you two had some problems lately.”
“Yeah, that's fine. Come on in.”
The three headed into the living room. Stacy was back in her chair in the corner, but once again no one but Michael seemed to notice. Stacey, on the other hand, was hard not to notice. She stood incredulously with a hand on each hip.
“You know, you shouldn't have done this, Michael.”
“It's going to be okay, Stacey. They're good people.”
“If you say so.”
“I know you two are a couple and everything," Henry began. “But would you mind if we talked to Michael alone for a minute?”
“Yeah, like I'm going to fall for that. I know what's going on here. You want me out of the room so you two can bad mouth me to Michael.”
“No one has said that's what's happening,” Robin said.
“You're not gonna fool me, honey. You've had it in for me from the start.”
”She's more paranoid than I ever even thought. This has gotta raise some red flags for you.”
“Everybody, let's just calm down,” Michael said. “I don't anyone at anyone's throats.”
“There doesn't have to be confrontation. I just don't want these two talking behind my back. If there's something they want to say, they can say it here to my face.”
“I'd prefer not to,” Henry said.
“You have no choice. I'm going nowhere.”
“Fine. This is not the way I wanted this to go down, but I guess I have no choice. Michael, I know you still like me and I feel like we're on good terms after the last time we talked.”
“Absolutely. You were a big help with me getting my head on straight, and I'm glad you're a part of my life again.”
“Great. So you value my opinion?”
“Of course I do.”
“Good. You see, I wanted to talk to you about a specific thing, and I thought it would be best to have Robin here with me too. I'm not sure if you know or not, but I stopped over here a couple days ago just as a surprise. That way, you know, I could see you and maybe do something with Aaron. Little did I know that you weren't home at the time. That meant I got to meet Stacey here for the first time. And I was, to be frank with you, a little concerned with what happened. It bothered me, I have to admit. So I just wanted to talk to you about my concerns.”
“See, I told you this is what was going to happen! This is nothing but a smear job.”
“Hold on,” Michael said. “Henry is an honest guy. Let's hear him out. Henry, what happened?”
“I'll try to put it simply. She basically implied, more or less, that I should not be around you, and that she would make sure I would never see my grandson.”
“You said that?!”
“Absolutely not!” Stacey exclaimed. “He's a dirty filthy liar. I never said anything of the sort. He's the one who said terrible, awful things. He threatened to take away our son from us.”
Stacy could no long remain in her chair in the corner. She jumped up right next to Stacey, making sure she was firmly in Michael's line of sight.
”Michael, are you listening to what she's saying? She's gone off the deep end. She said OUR son. OUR son. That's not her son! She has nothing to do with Aaron and doesn't even seem to care about him. And you know what she's saying can't be true. My dad would never try to taken Aaron away. You know him well enough to know that. You don't know her well enough, though.”
It was all too much for Michael to comprehend and soak in. He just stared blankly at the three living people in the room, along with his special guest. Figuring out who to believe wasn't easy. Meanwhile, Stacey knew exactly what to say, and went right back on the offensive.
“You see, Michael, that wasn't even all of it. I had no choice but to kick him out, because then he said the worst thing possible. He said that Stacy never loved you at all.”
“Henry . . . I . . . I don't understand. You . . . you said that?”
“Of course I didn't!” Henry exclaimed. “Stacy loved and cared for you. She's lying.”
“I am not. He looked me right in the eyes and said that.”
Michael practically fell backwards, feeling like he'd just taken several shots right to the head. Words nearly exited his mouth, but he stalled out and found himself unable to get anything out. That was partially to blame on still having no idea who to believe or what to say.
Stacy, not being about to take any more, jumped right in front of Stacey to grab Michael's attention.
Michael! Listen to me. She's lying. She's lying and if you look deep within yourself you will figure that out. She is just desperate because she knows she's in trouble and will do anything to keep you. You know I loved you. You know that is the case. If I didn't love you, I never would have reconciled with you after our problems. I stuck with you because I cared about you. She doesn't. You haven't been able to see her for what she truly is yet, but now is the time you need to. Take a good look and see her for yourself who she truly is. Michael, the problem is the name. She might have the same name as me but SHE IS NOT ME. LISTEN TO WHAT SHE HAS BEEN SAYING AND REALIZE SHE'S NOT ME.”
Stacy stepped back so Michael could take another look at his current girlfriend. It took a good, long look but he finally realized this was not the person he had tried so hard to pretend she was. The hair was different. The voice was different. But most importantly, the attitude was different. The attitude was toxic.
“Get out of my house.”
“What?! You can't really be believing Henry, can you? He's just trying to get between us.”
“He would never say those things. And I know Stacy never said that to him. Her feelings for me were genuine. If there's anything on earth I know, it's that.”
Stacey inched closer and closer to Michael, not yet speaking. She eventually pressed herself right up against Michael. More in surprise than anything, Michael didn't immediately back up, although he eventually created some separation.
“They just want to get between us, but I'm committed to you. I'm committed to your forever, especially now that I know something none of you know. While you were gone, I found out I was pregnant.”
”She's probably bluffing, Michael. You should be able to see too that she totally just pulled that out of her ass.”
“Where's the pregnancy test?” Michael asked as he backed up even more.
“I don't have it with me any more, obviously. I threw it away and then took out the garbage.”
“I don't believe you at all, not for one second. Still, on the off chance you're not bulls***ing me, we'll have to get this confirmed at some point. But not now. After all the stuff you've said and the lies you've said, I want you out of the house this instant. If at all possible, I wouldn't like to see you ever again. Get out. We're through.”
Tears welling up in her eyes, Stacey advanced towards Michael in almost a zombie like state. No matter how much he backed up, she just kept on coming. And all the while, it turned into outright full tears.
“No, Michael, you can't do this. We need each other and I need you. I can't even imagine being without you.”
“Well, you're going to have to try to imagine it, because this isn't happening.”
“There's nothing I can do to convince you?”
“For final time, no.”
“Fine. If you won't be with be then I have no choice but to make sure our child isn't with us either.”
“What are you talking about?”
Still crying profusely, Stacey offered no response. Silently, she moved behind where all of them were standing to the main staircase. As she started to climb up, Michael still was unaware of what exactly was going on. Robin was the first to pick up on it.
“Oh god,” Robin said. “There's no way she's about to do what I'm thinking of.”
“I wouldn't out it past her,” Henry replied. “Not with all the stuff she's said already.”
Stacey reached halfway up the stairs and stopped, looking once more at Michael.
“I just want you to know, Michael, that this is all your fault. It didn't have to be this way.”
Before Michael could even say anything, Stacey turned her attention straight ahead once more. Contemplating her next move one final time, she eyed the floor and then seemed to decide on her fate. She closed her eyes, outstretched her arms and closed her wet eyes shut. After that, she bounced off her feet and jumped into the air.
Michael caught wind of what she was doing just before she left her feet. Once he did, he set himself in motion and nearly knocked over Henry in the process. The old man proved to be surprisingly spry and adverted the contact. Michael, for his part, reached the bottom of the stairs just in the nick of time. The grab he made wasn't a clean one. Stacey's knees still came smacking down onto the hardwood floor. As for her upper body, Michael got a hold of her by the armpits, and rest of her body coming up against him. A smile on her face appeared as soon as their bodies met. He quickly recoiled.
“I knew you'd change your mind!”
“I didn't. I'm just trying to save that child, on the off chance it actually exists. And now we're going to head to the hospital to find out first if you're pregnant at all, and if you are, find out if it survived your little psychotic episode.”
“Want us to come too?” Henry asked.
“Sure, why not. The more the merrier. Let's get moving.”
“I'm sure I'll be fine,” Stacey said, her mood darkening again. “I especially don't want to go with these two awful people who have ruined my life.”
“Honey, I assure you, you're the one doing the ruining around here,” Robin replied. Michael stepped in to stop the bickering and get the whole process moving.
“I'm not taking any chances on this. I want to find out right now if this thing is all a charade so I don't have to see you again. And if it isn't, let's hope the kid survives and then I'll be able to get him away from you afterwards. Let's go now.”
Much to his surprise, Stacey didn't offer up any more protests. They all put their coats on headed out the door. Michael was the last to leave, and took one more look in the house. Stacy was nowhere to be found, but he had a feeling she was pretty proud of him at the moment.
Michael realized that he hadn't been in this hospital since a fateful day five years earlier. Almost immediately, all of the emotions came rushing back. It all came back just like it was yesterday. He had been sitting in a chair just like this one, trying to think about anything other than what was going on in an operating room down the hall. The tv didn't help because all the shows were awful, and all the magazines were either out of date, useless to read, or both. Not worrying about what was going on was impossible. Two lives hung in the balance.
The news that Stacy might not survive the child birth had rocked both of their worlds, and their families as well. But it was her solemn vow that she would go through with it regardless, and take the chance of bringing their son into the world. And so, he waited with bated breath with the same group he was with now-- Henry and Robin. The only person missing was Henry's since deceased wife.
In some ways, the situations were parallel. Once again, he was waiting to find out about the future of a potential child's life, with a woman named Stacey involved. But that's where the similarities ended. The whole field of emotions were very different. For one thing, he knew Stacey would be physically okay. By catching her, most of her fall had been broken. It was just now a question of if the baby was still okay, if the baby even existed at all.
Michael found himself wishing that Stacy was right when she stated she was bluffing about the kid. Sure, having another child at some point would be a good idea. Ideally, though, he didn't want this child to be with Stacey. After what had gone down, he just wanted her out of his life forever. If they had a child together, he had no choice but to still see her more and more often, under the most tenuous of circumstances. An awful, ugly custody battle would surely follow, one that would completely and totally suck the life out of him. Still, if she was actually pregnant, he hoped a miscarriage hadn't happened.
Henry was doing his best to pass the time with a magazine, which Michael didn't even bother with. Past experience told him it was a waste to try to read a dog eared Time Magazine that probably was current during the previous presidential administration. Robin, on the hand, was busy on her phone, while Michael just stared off into space.
As the minutes ticked away, he found himself even more and more annoyed. His life was always filled with some kind of drama, and it always seemed to crop up right when he needed distractions the least--right when he had a big moment in his professional life coming up. Maybe that was why the big triumphant Superbrawl moment had eluded him all these years? Traditionally it was not a good night for him. His only useful moment, retiring Yukio Blaze, had been annoying nullified since then. The big moment on the biggest show still hadn't occurred, and he wondered if his inability to focus due to personal events was part of that problem.
And now, annoyingly, it was happening again. Things should have been looking up after Scars and Stripes and heading into Superbrawl. The chance to cement his legacy was finally in front of him, and now things had gone to hell in a handbasket once again. And it was all because he hadn't listened to his sister about Stacey. He just hoped that once this was done, he would able to focus on the win he needed to be happy with his WFWF career to be satisfactory. He needed that win, and he needed to have a clear head to do so.
He was ready to apologize to Robin for not listening to her when they were approached by a doctor.
“Are you the boyfriend?”
“I was, ex-boyfriend now.” That only got a blank stare from the doctor, so he let the matter of semantics go. “But yes, I am here with her.”
“I just wanted to let you know that she was not pregnant in the first place, and aside from a few cuts and bruises, she appears to be completely healthy.”
The news caused Michael to jump to his feet right away, turning towards Henry and Robin.
“Well, that settles that. Let's go home.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Knight. I know that I said she was okay, but it will still take a little bit of time before she's okay to go home.”
“Oh, I'm not going home with her. We’re through.”
“I'm not sure I understand, but I will say that she did specifically request to see you right now.”
“Don't do it,” Robin said.
“You know what, I think I am going to go talk to her. After all she did, on top of trying to con me with the pregnancy thing, I want to go give her a piece of my mind.”
“Just be careful,” Henry said. “Don't be persuaded by anything she says. She's going to try to win you back again, but don't fall for it.”
“I think I'll be okay. I won't get sucked into this again.”
“I hope you're right. You sure you don't want us to go in with you?”
“Nope. I'll be fine in my own.”
The bemused doctor pointed Michael in the direction of the proper room, and he headed out on his way.
Stacey’s face lit up as soon as Michael walked into the room. It was easy for him to see why he had fallen for her so hard when he saw that smile. It was just about the most perfect one he had ever seen. Well, with one notable exception.
“Thanks for coming in to see me. I know you're mad, but I was hoping you would.”
“Don't get any grand ideas. I'm just here because I have some things to say to you.”
“Before you do, I just want to let you know that I really thought I was pregnant. I guess it must have been one of those false positive type of things.”
“Uh uh, sure. Whatever you say.”
“Just come over here for a second, will you Michael?”
He sighed, but in a moment of weakness entertained her request. He walked over to her bedside and stopped, waiting for whatever it was she wanted. The answer wasn't one he was expecting.
Although placid only seconds earlier, Stacey lunged forward and planted him with a long and passionate kiss. At first, Michael fought it, but he soon found himself lost in the moment and not minding it. When they separated, all other thoughts left his head. Suddenly, looking into her eyes, he was mesmerized as the moment when he first laid eyes on her in Paris. How stunning she was. And that smile. Oh that smile. The look in her eyes too, practically telling him come hither was almost too much to bear. She was just the total package. And the name, Stacey. What a beautiful name . . .
”Michael! DON’T DO THIS. You were almost free and now you're getting sucked into this again. Don't do this. Just LOOK PAST THE NAME. I'm begging you.”
Michael didn't even notice Stacy in the room prior to this moment. Maybe she hadn't even been there until after the kiss. Whatever the circumstances upon her arrival, it was enough to snap him back into reality.
“No, no, no. I'm not going to do this.”
“Why, Michael? Wasn't that nice?”
“Isolated on it's own, that was nice enough. But it cannot and will not ever work for us. After what you have done to me and the people who care about me, I can't ever be near you again. Let me tell you something, there are very few people in this world who care about me. Some of the other ones are dead, and many others I ruined due to my own fault. The only ones that are left are the ones who managed to withstand all the stuff I've put them through. I am beyond lucky that they have granted me that. I finally had peace with them before you came around. And then you went and ruined it all. I was finally done burning bridges and you decided you had to go ahead and burn the ones left for me. You told horrible, disgusting lies to accomplish that, and that is unforgivable. I don't know what happened in your life that made you act like this, but I hope you get help for it. I certainly won't be the one to help you, though.”
“Please, Michael,” she said in between tears.
“No.”
Michael could have sworn he heard someone applauding as he exited the hospital room. He didn't look back to confirm, but he had a pretty good idea who it was.
Henry and Robin were anxiously awaiting Michael when he walked back into the lobby. They looked almost like a scared family awaiting news about an illness, which would have made Michael laugh if he weren't still so shook up by the whole serious of events. They tensed up even more once Michael walked right up to them.
“Don't worry, guys. It's all over.”
“You're sure about that?” Robin asked. “There was no room for anything in the future?”
“Absolutely not. That door is closed forever. I told her exactly the way it is. I am done with her forever.”
“Thank god. There's probably going to be a lot to talk about, so why don't we head outside? This doesn't strike me as good place for this kind of discussion.”
Michael and Henry accepted that without any argument. It became pretty obvious that more than a few people were listening in to the conversation. In a way, Michael couldn't blame them. It was a hell of a lot more interesting than reading Good Housekeeping or watching The Talk. All the same, he didn't want to willingly put his dirty laundry out there in public like this.
They piled on the elevator with someone with a rather alarming cough. Whatever it was, Michael hoped it wasn't contagious. They stopped to talk again once they were outside and standing at their respective cars.
“I need to apologize to both of you. You guys both got put through way too much with this whole situation. It wasn't right. I don't even know how I could have fallen for her so hard.”
“I think I know,” Robin said, and Henry nodded in the affirmative.
“Okay, I mean, I guess now I have the general idea. Me getting hypnotized by her just on the name was so stupid. You would think I'd be more mature than that by now, but I guess not. I guess I just needed help from all three of you to come to that realization.”
“All three of us?” As soon as Henry asked that, Michael realized he'd screwed up big time. Letting that little statement would make him sound like a complete madman if he kept with it. It was best to brush it off and try to move on without things getting questioned any further.
“Did I say three people?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Sorry about that, must have misspoke. It's been a crazy day. But anyway, there's some other things I need to say. Robin, I owe you a special apology. You, more than anyone else, stuck with me through all these years, even when no one else wanted to have anything to do with me any more. And then, I somehow threw it all aside at a crazy woman's suggestion and shut you out. I absolutely shouldn't have done that.”
“It's okay. Believe it or not, you've put me through worse.”
“I guess you're right. I probably have. You're a pretty amazing person. How do you still put up with me after all these years? Other people have made me persona non grada over the years, and deservedly so.”
“Because we're family, Michael. That's what family does. And for another thing, I know there's a good person in there. Sometimes it's not so easy to see that person, but he's always there. I've just been fighting all these years to make sure that person comes out. You've been getting better, too. You're growing up a lot more and more as time goes on.”
“I don't think that's really the case, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same.”
“She's right,” Henry said. “You're not the same guy you used to be. The time has come where you're finally maturing.”
“It seems to me like you've been saying that to me since 2007, and I always find a way to prove you wrong.”
“That's true, but you're not the same man you were back in 2007, or even a year ago for that matter. The fact of the matter is, even though you take a lot of blame for the stuff that happens to you, it's not all your fault. You've been dealt a lot of awful, rough hands. Most people never even have to deal with a fraction of the levels of trauma you've been through. And yet, through all of it, you're still here right now. Everything you've gone through hasn't stopped you. You're still here, and I think you're stronger because of all of that.”
“Yeah, but does it finally ever end? The constant onslaught of awful things has been ridiculous. When is all going to actually end so I can be happy?”
“Part of that is on you,” Henry continued. “Making the right decisions, which is something you've gotten much better at. That's a step in the right direction. As for the rest of it, life isn't perfect. Sometimes awful things happen, and you've just got to roll with the punches as best you can. Make the most out of what you have, and you'll be fine.”
“That makes a lot of sense. You know, you could be a philosopher or something. You always have some mind of words of wisdom to expel.”
“I can't help it. Stacy always found it annoying. At least you enjoy it.”
“It helps me, I'll say that much. You know what, I just thought of something. When I have to head off for Superbrawl, why don't you watch Aaron? Robin deserves a break from all that once in a while. Plus, it would give you a chance to spend some time with your grandson.”
“That would be great! I'd love that.”
“I figured you would. Well, anyway, I think I need some alone time now after all this. I'll call both of you later. Thanks again. I really appreciate it.”
They waved goodbye to Michael, which caused a pretty big grin to creep on to his face. Yes, it was true that he didn't have a lot of people in his life. But if it was quality and not quantity that mattered, then he was a very lucky man.
The lights were out inside the house when Michael made his way back home. That wasn't a big deal when he left for the hospital, but the time there had been so long that day gave way to night in the meantime. And so, once he stepped into his living room, he faced nothing but pitch blackness.
Even before he switched on the light, Michael got the sense that he wasn't alone. There were no auditory or visual clues to back this up, but something just told him the room wasn't vacant, either. That knowledge didn't scare him at all. He also knew that, if he was correct, the visitor was not an unwanted one. He flipped on the light, and there she was.
Stacy stood leaning against the entryway leading to the dining room. As with all the other times he had seen her lately, Michael was rocked by her almost otherworldly beauty. Serene, there was a calm and knowing smile plastered on her face. The glow from her pale skin remained.
She didn't speak, seemingly waiting for Michael to make the first statement. That was fine by him. On the way home, he had hoped that her appearance in the hospital wouldn't be the final one. There were still an awful lot of things he needed to say to her.
All the same, he nearly stumbled when trying to articulate what he wanted to say. With a great deal of effort, he managed to calm himself down.
“Thanks for helping me out, Stacy. I guess I still needed you after all this time.”
”Don’t be ridiculous. You never needed me in the first place.”
“What are you talking about? Of course I needed you. I wasn’t always aware of that, but by the end I was.”
”That’s what you’ve built up in your head, because you’re not thinking of me. You’re thinking thinking of the idea of me. The reality is really quite different. We had some good times there for a while, but it just was never going to work out. We weren’t right for a permanent thing together, and honestly, you weren’t ready for a relationship.”
“Yes, I was. I knew I was for sure when Aaron was born.”
”No, you weren’t. You’re fooling yourself. You weren’t ready then, and you’re still not ready now.”
“How can you say that?”
”Because I know. I know that you still can’t be in a healthy relationship as long as you are still involved with your one true love: wrestling. You just can’t balance the two.”
“Oh, come on now. I’ve had that problem in the past, but I’m long over that.”
”No, you’re not. Quit lying to yourself. If you were over that, you wouldn’t have come back again in the first place. You would have been able to accept that you were done, then maybe you would be telling the truth. But it kept eating and festering at you again until you just had to come back for one more taste of it. You still didn’t have enough.”
“But I needed to do this. For the sake of my own reputation, I needed this.”
”If that’s what you think, then fine. You’ve done what you set out to already. You made it to the top again. You won the Rumble and you’re in the main event of Superbrawl. If you win the title, great. If not, you’ve still done enough. This run has been a high note anyway. It’s time to walk away after Superbrawl.”
“If I don’t win, though, it’s still incomplete. I’ll have to keep going until I get it.”
”Stop it. Stop right there. Let me ask you a couple questions. Do you want a long and healthy relationship with a woman?”
“Of course I do. That would be great.”
”Do you want to be a good father to Aaron?”
“You know I do.”
”Do you want to be happy?”
“Oh come on. What kind of a question is that?”
”Answer it.”
“Yes. Everyone wants to be happy.”
”Then you need to give it up. It’s time to let go. Wrestle your heart out at Superbrawl and be proud of yourself for even getting there. But whatever happens, let it go. Wrestling may have given you all of this around you, all the money and a great house and all that, but it took a lot away from you as well. You’ve spent the better part of a decade chasing around some gold and that’s the reason why you’ve never been able to lead a happy life outside the ring. It’s always consumed your thoughts and it’s time to cut the cord for good.”
“How can I let that go, though? It’s been my whole life for so long.”
”That’s the whole problem. There’s a good man inside of you, but you need to ask yourself how many relationships of yours have been hurt by your consumption with wrestling.”
“Too many, honestly.”
”Exactly. That’s why you’ve finally got to let it go. You’ve done enough in the ring and you’ve done enough damage outside of it. It’s going to be hard, I know. They say an athlete dies twice, and the first time is when he finally steps away from the game. But once you get beyond that, there will be a better and more fulfilling long life. You’ve lived an amazing fantasy, but now you need to come back to reality.”
“I guess you’re right. I sure had a good run, though, didn’t I?”
”Now you’re just fishing for compliments.”
“It was worth a shot.”
”Well, I better get going now.”
“You can’t do that now. I’ve missed you all this time and now you’re finally here again. I need you here.”
”No, you don’t. In a minute or two it will finally hit you that I was never here at all. And once you find out that this manifestation of me was false and you came to this conclusion on your own, you’ll feel even better.”
“But . . . what . . . I don’t understand.”
”Trust me. It will make sense soon enough. I think I'm done here.”
“No, no. You can't just leave like that. Hold on, at least for a second.”
Michael rose from his chair slowly, making sure to never take his eyes off Stacy, who still stood as rigid as board across the room. He knew what he had to do, and the idea of it both excited him and scared him at the same time. It was unreal that this was even happening, and yet, somehow it was. If all went according to the exact way he wanted it, this would be the moment he dreamed of for five years.
Stacy still appeared impossibly far away, and it seemed as though no matter how many steps he made, he never got any closer to her. Michael had to look down at his feet to confirm that they were actually moving forward. The look confirmed that they were, even though it sure didn't feel that way.
The other indication was the growing smile on Stacy's face. Although she herself made no effort to move forward, her anticipation was clearly growing with each passing second. Stacey's smile now paled in comparison to seeing the genuine article on Stacy's face. Her blonde hair was moved to the side enough to give him a full view of her completely stunning face. The smile itself was enough to light up the room, and the piercing blue eyes just added the icing on the cake. Michael wondered if she had ever looked more perfect than she did at this exact moment. He also wondered how he could have been so foolish as to ever treat her so terribly. His mistreatment of someone so perfect was deplorable, and it caused permanent irrevocable harm. But right now, none of that seemed to matter. Everything was okay again.
Michael continue to inch his way towards her until he was finally only inches away. He expected to feel her cool breath against him now that they were this close, but for some reason he felt no such sensation. He looked deeply within her eyes, and then took one final deep breath before it was time to do the one thing he'd waited all of this time for. Michael stretched his arms out wide, closed his eyes and embraced Stacy tightly.
Or, at least, that was what he expected.
Instead, Michael felt nothing but air. His arms connected with nothing at all. Something was very wrong here. He opened his eyes and found nothing around him. Stacy was nowhere to be found. He looked around more and more, to see if maybe she was just in a different spot in the room after all.
The room was empty. Empty? Well of course it was empty. Stacy being there just didn’t make any sense at all.
He actually did reach the conclusion on his own, and that fact hit him like a bolt of lightning. It was on his own that he realized it was time to let go.
For the first time in his life, he felt like an adult. It felt good.
In the world of sports, success doesn't come easy. Sure, that doesn't apply in all other parts of the world. Apparently any homophobe with a big beard and duck calls can get his own line of clothing nowadays. But that's besides the point. In a competitive athletic environment, success is not a fluke. It requires more than just your natural god given abilities. It also requires the brains to apply the skills correctly, a drive, a passion and a willingness to make a wealth of sacrifices to get that success.
I know all about the sacrifices. Hell, I might know more about them than anyone else. I've had a ton of success in my day, done almost everything I ever wanted to do. But the cost was immeasurable. By throwing myself so fully into this business, I made a lot more enemies than I made friends. The tunnel vision associated with myself as a wrestler cost myself friends, family members, romantic relationships. If you can name it, I've ruined it. I did it all because I was consumed with obtaining great success in the WFWF.
And, you know, for a while it all was great. All that working and all those sacrifices paid off. Not many people can say they had as massive of a rise as I did. Going from the opener of Superbrawl IV to walking into Superbrawl V as the champion was a metamorphosis to be proud of. And along the way, I did it all. Everything I ever set out to accomplish, I did. So at the time, all those sacrifices sure seemed worth it.
But then somewhere along the line, everything changed. My personal life still remained at level zero, but the WFWF career was no longer so pleasant. I still can't exactly pinpoint what went so wrong for me at the end of my last run. All I know was is that I was an embarrassment. The most decorated champion in company history looked like he didn't even belong in the ring. With each passing day, I harmed my legacy more and more and more. I had to walk away to prevent further embarrassment for myself.
And once I stepped away, it truly hit me that I now had nothing. Sure, my personal life was still in the toilet, but I no longer had the solace that my sacrifices were worth it. They no longer were. All the great things I did were forever tarnished by the way I bastardized myself. Most of the younger guys in the back and the newer fans probably never even had any idea I was ever worth anything. To them, I was just an old talentless hack who had no business existing in the ring. Everything I'd done was either unknown, forgotten or ruined. All of my sacrifices meant nothing.
When you sit around alone and let that sink in, it starts to eat away at you. It's a slow thing at first. You can try to deny it, but in time the realization hits you right in the face, that you've thrown your whole life away and have nothing to show for it. It made me sick and I decided I couldn't accept that. At some point in time we all make our final exit from this earth, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't a non entity to everyone. As celebrities, we have a special opportunity most people don't get. Those of lucky enough to be in the spotlight get that rare chance to be immortalized forever through the great work we do. At one point, I had that in the bag, but now I'm not so sure. I want to make sure that when I thin out that I'm well thought of.
This time, returning didn't seem like much of a sacrifice personally. I didn't have much else left to ruin there. But I did have to question myself on a wrestling level. I just plain didn't know what would happen when I stepped back in the ring again. Could my body even will itself to be what it used to be? I had no way of knowing that answer. It was with some reluctance that I finally decided to step back into the ring again. The risk of even further and greater embarrassment was there.
The reward, however, was oh so enticing. If I could just capture what I once had, maybe everything I'd ever worked for wouldn't be for naught. People would never look down on me ever again. Instead, they would look at me for how good I actually was and had been. My legacy would not be that of a guy who hung around too long and was nothing but a washed up mess. My legacy would be a tremendous comeback, an all time great achieving one more memorable run.
The ultimate goal was the same as everybody else's ever is when they get to this company. I wanted to main event Superbrawl once again and get that WFWF Title one more time. And even thought that thought was in my head, it seemed like such a distant possibility, something that was so far off. I didn't know if it would be possible.
But look at me now. After co-winning the Scars and Stripes Rumble, one of the few things I had never done, I'm going to get my wish. I am stepping into the main event of Superbrawl with the WFWF Heavyweight Championship on the line.
Even after the amazing turnaround to get to this point, I'm still probably an underdog in this match. They look at the dominant defending champion in Trace Demon and they see someone that may be unbeatable. They look at a Malakai and see someone who's desperate to finally reach the brass ring, especially given he's got no time left. They look at Solomon Crow and they see the hungry young guy who's been on an amazingly fast rise. They look at Scarlett Quinn, the recently dethroned champion, someone certainly out redemption. And then they look at me, someone on a miraculous return run, but also someone with the most recent track record of failure. I know the odds aren't in my favor.
And you know, I don't care about that. No one's ever trusted in my full potential, and I reached my highest peaks against people who seemingly had my number. No one thought I would earn myself a title shot in the Survival of the Fittest Match. That was Pierce Deville's throne, not mine. And no one thought I would win the title when I earned that shot and faced Obo. It was all to his advantage. He was seemingly the better man, and it was taking place in his style of hardcore match. And yet, I did. I have defeated the greatest in this place's history, the McGurks and the EBRs when no one thought I could. All I need to do is defy the odds one more time. It took a miracle to get to this point. Now I just need one more miracle.
And I think that's very possible, considering I know them all so well. I know what I'm getting with each of these competitors. And part of the reason why I think I can get it done is because they're all, quite frankly, pretty sad and pathetic characters.
Shawn's the obvious one, because anyone who's facing death so quickly is rather sad. I say that as a guy who has been friends with him in the past. And even I came back for my own selfish reasons and did somewhat use him as a reason to come back, I did feel bad for him. It is very sad because of how his career turned out. He's gotta know deep down inside him the same thing I know: his chances of winning just aren't that good. It's not due to a lack of passion or desire. His body is just betraying him at an alarmingly fast rate. The amount of strength and power keeps diminishing with each passing day, and as a result he's had to overcompensate by putting himself through ridiculous daredevil physical activities that are only causing further unfathomable harm to his fragile self. His best chances at competing and winning the title are long behind him. Lots of guys talk about leaving it all in the ring, but that is literally his only chance. So it is truly sad. It's sad that he finally rose above his usually mediocre self when it was a little too late.
That kind of failure to reach the top has never been Trace Demon's problem. He certainly earned that spot, and as someone who's been around with guy for years, and even teamed with him, I assure you there has never been a time when he didn't think he deserved that spot. For as big as my ego has always been, he far surpasses it. And after this last episode of Revolution, he strikes me as a pretty sad figure. He actually went out on national television and proclaimed he's the smartest person in that match. The very fact that he's so delusional is pretty sad. He honestly thinks he is the smartest man in the match, but he's really the dumbest. Does he not realize there's nothing smart about making yourself the most hated man in the company? He's done a pretty good job of that and I think I can safely say he's antagonized himself to everyone in the match. Was that really the smartest move, Trace? Was it really the smartest move to make yourself the most hated man in a match where you're locked in a cell with all your enemies? I can't speak for everyone else involved, but I know there's gonna be a little extra feeling behind it when I bash his head into that cell repeatedly. Trace is a marked man, and he's the only one who doesn't know that.
I think it goes without saying that Solomon's little mental derangements and insane nature is pretty sad and pathetic. And as someone who's had the unfortunate task of talking to the guy, it's even worse from that short of a distance. His rapid rise to the top pales in comparison to his rapid rise towards spending all his time in a padded room. Whatever it is that motivates him, he is pretty strongly motivated, I'll give him that. But someone that mentally deranged makes it pretty darn easy to exploit their weaknesses. And as for Scarlett Quinn, it's really quite sad that she couldn't be here for this little match. Oh, she'll be there physically but she's been too wrapped with her little friend/enemy Penny to mentally be there at all. But she could have been easily handled anyway, since we all know she's never been quite the person her father was in that ring.
Those are the sad stories of the men and women I face in that cell at Superbrawl. Unlike them, my story is not a sad one. Mine is one of hope. I've already reached my saddest and most pathetic point. And because of what I have already accomplished since my return, all of that is behind me. I've clawed my way all the way back from the bottom and now I'm so close to the top I can almost touch it. All it takes is one more step.
That final step, winning the WFWF Championship again, is a big one for me. I want to be proud of myself for once. There's not too many things in my life I've been proud of. But at least at one point in time I could look in the mirror and say I was the best. It's been many years since I could say that. And when I was gone, it was no consolation to think “you used to be great” when no one on earth remembered that fact or even cared. At the core, what I truly wanted more than anything else when I came back was to be proud of myself again. If I walk out of Superbrawl the WFWF Champion for the fourth time, I will be the proudest man walking the face of the earth.
And even if I don't, I'll have nothing to be ashamed of. My final chapter has already been rewritten. It's no longer a broken man who couldn't cut it. It's now a great who got one more chance and took full advantage of it.
The ending to that final chapter has still yet to be written, and I think I know how it's going to end. In my own life I've had some visions of the past lately. That's the same thing everyone will experience at Superbrawl. I know how much I have left in me, and I know the afterimage of the man who once was Thunder will make one more appearance.
For one more night, I will be the greatest there has ever been. And I will walk away with my head held high.
Mercifully, he found his locker room a moment later. Almost as soon as he crossed the threshold in the locker room, he heard the rumbling of his phone vibrating from his bag. Again he wondered why phones even had a vibrate feature when they ended up being just as loud as a normal ringtone. He rushed over and pulled the phone out of his bag, seeing that Stacey was calling.
“Hello?”
“Where the hell were you? I’ve been calling, and no answer.”
“The show just ended. Weren’t you watching?”
“Yes, I was. And I called when the show was over. Nothing. Called again and again. Still nothing.”
“You gotta cut me some slack here. It takes me a minute or two to get back to my locker room. I just walked in now.”
“Uh huh, sure. Come on, Michael. You can’t be this selfish. You knew I missed you and I needed to talk to you right away. You should have known that.”
“Well . . . I guess I just didn’t know it didn’t need to be so soon.”
“Now you know. It’s not too much to ask for.”
“I know, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Now, don’t forget you have that redeye flight.”
“Are you sure I can’t take a later flight?”
“Please, Michael. I really miss you and need you back as soon as possible.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll see you then. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Michael placed the phone bag into his bag, and when he looked up, he saw a very strange sight. Sitting on the bench across from him was Stacy. It wasn’t the dark haired French Stacey, either. It was none other than the original knockout blond, the mother of his son.
Stacy didn't look the same as when he last saw her, all those years ago. His final images of her hadn't been all that pleasant. Sick, pregnant and dying is not the proper final image people deserve. She had always looked so perfect, but in those final moments of weakness she looked truly unlike herself. But now, sitting across from Michael in the locker room, her beauty was fully restored. It struck him as almost otherworldly, a glow practically emitting off of her slender frame. She spoke before he even had a chance to form a coherent sentence.
”I can’t believe you’re letting her walk all over you like that.”
“Stacy, I don’t understand . . . How can you . . . You’re . . .”
”Look, that’s not important right now.”
“Not important?! You’ve been dead for like five years!”
”For one thing, time is just something manufactured by people in the first place.”
“Nevertheless, you’re still . . .”
”Look, let’s not sidetracked here. I’m here to help you out.”
“Help me out? Help me out with what? Everything is going great. I’ve got a lovely girlfriend now, and I’m main eventing Superbrawl and will get the WFWF Title back. Things are better than ever.”
”No, it’s not. It’s not at all. It’s worse than ever, and I can’t believe it’s happening to you. I can understand you not picking out important points in a relationship because you’re so focused on wrestling. But now you’re letting this girl you’re with walk all over you.”
“Come on, now. I think you’re getting a little extreme there.”
”Trust me, I’m not. I just heard the conversation you had with her. It was more one sided than Heather Mills without the prosthetic. It’s completely unlike you, and I just don’t get why you’re falling for it. What do you see in her?”
“Now you’re being unfair. She’s a great person full of wonderful qualities.”
”Like what?”
“It’s a lot of things. Like . . . I shouldn’t have to justify my relationship in the first place. We like each other. Isn’t that enough?”
”If that’s what was going on here, then yes, that would be enough. But that’s not what’s going on here. I think anyone else can see that this is harmful to you, and if you take a step back you’ll see that too.”
“I know you’re trying to help and everything, but you’re really just off base here. Stacey and I are very happy together.”
”I can see this is going to take a lot of convincing. Don’t worry, you’ll come around soon enough. If only I could figure out why it is you’re drawn to this girl so much. I’ll have to keep trying to figure that one out.”
“Again, I appreciate the concern but I’m fine. And how are you here anyway . . .”
It was no use. The room was completely empty. Just as quickly as Stacy had apparently appeared, she was gone. Just to be sure, he combed the whole room and found nothing. For all intents and purposes, he was completely alone. It made no sense, but there was nothing else he could do about it.
~ ~
Predictably, there was nothing on the radio. Well, to be precise, there was nothing good on the radio. Michael's options were, at the moment, not particularly desirable: some song involving the mind numbingly terrible thing known as dubstep, some song about hitting the clubs, a bloated idiot who unfortunately shares a name with a great Canadian band, endless sports talk and a dubstep song about hitting the clubs. He made a mental note to get satellite radio some day soon, at least before it became totally obsolete. For now, he was just left with his own thoughts.
It was hard to think of anything else but Superbrawl. When he first made the commitment to return, it all seemed so far in the distance. And it wasn't just distant in the calendar sense either. The ultimate goal of getting a shot at the title again seemed highly unlikely and so far. The question of if he even had the ability to make it that far, to reach the top of the WFWF, was completely uncertain. Even if it was possible, getting there was a long and hard journey ahead of him.
And now, after all that work, the moment was finally here. The awful memories of his previous run were starting to fade more and more. Soon enough, he would able to cement his legacy even further, and get the WFWF Championship for the fourth time. Then no one would remember the way he went out last time. Then he would finally have respect again.
With that in mind, he knew that life was good. He still didn't understand why Stacy had even showed up in the locker room, but she was off base with what she said. Things were great. His WFWF career was about to hit it's zenith, and he was along for the ride with a lovely woman who supported his career.
"Oh come on, man. You can't honestly believe that."
Michael jumped, and noticed to his amazement that Stacy was in the passenger seat. He could have sworn she wasn't there just a second ago.
"What? How . . . How are you here? And I didn't even say that stuff out loud. I was just thinking it. How can you even comment on that?"
"You can't keep asking these kind of questions. It just takes up to much time and we can't waste time on that kind of stuff. I'm just trying to tell you the way it is."
"I keep trying to tell you that I'm happy. Stacey is very supportive with everything in my career."
”You're fooling yourself. It just seems like she's that way now.”
“I'm telling you, she really is."
”Trust me on this one. I'm the one who was in a long term relationship with a wrestler, namely you. At first, the traveling on the road isn't a problem. But it becomes a problem very, very fast. It can be tough, especially considering you let wrestling consume you. When you're on the road you're not there, and when you're home there's a lot of the time when you're not mentally there."
“Okay, I'll give you that. That's always been a problem with me. But Stacey is understanding.”
”No, she's not! I was the one that was pretty understanding and let you get away with a lot. She's far too clingy to put up with it. She already can't put up with it. Look at what happened after Revolution. She gets mad at you for not answering a call when you physically weren't able to and then insists you take the earliest and most inconvenient flight possible. Doesn't that strike you as a little bit ridiculous?”
“I'll admit it was a little bit much.”
”Okay, now we're getting somewhere, at least. So again I ask, why is it that you like her so much?”
“Why do you keep asking me that?”
”Because I don't think there's any real answer.”
“Why must you keep driving at that?”
But, of course, the seat was now empty. Michael wasn't too fond of her nasty habit of leaving on vague little notes and providing him answers to his questions. It was more than a little bit unsettling.
For the moment, Michael tried to get it out of his head. It was a little too much to deal with.
~ ~
One doesn't realize how much luggage is too much until the time comes to carry it around. That revelation hit Michael as he climbed the stairs up to his house and futilely attempted to get his key out of his pocket. Quickly he determined it was a useless mission, so he just knocked on the door instead.
No response. Well, surely Stacey just didn't hear him. So he went ahead and knocked again, this time a whole lot louder. Whereas with the first time Michael believed she hadn't heard, this time there was no doubt at all about that. Not only were there first her footsteps, but she even looked through the window in the door, and then promptly walked away again.
He couldn't wrap his head around this one, but now had no choice but to put all his stuff down and get in with his key. Once that was done, he had the unenviable task of still carrying all that stuff into the house. Predictably, it didn't work out and he went ass over teakettle as he stepped into the house. For someone who made a career doing athletic stuff, this was not a good showing of his physical capabilities.
Stacey stood there by the staircase, just watching it all unfold as Michael got back to his feet.
“Good to see you're finally here,” she said.
“You know, you could have helped me.”
”At least you figured that one out on your own.” Michael quickly got a glimpse of Stacy popping in from the living room to comment. Evidently, Stacey didn't see her presence.
“I thought you had a handle on it.”
“Obviously I didn't,” Michael said and abandoned his bags for a moment in the hallway to head into the living room. He caught another quick glance at Stacy, watching silently from a chair in the room of the room.
Stacey followed him in and evidently didn't take too kindly to his previous statement. She stood, motionless, her eyes forming a liquid film that was likely to turn into a waterfall of tears at any given moment.
“I'm sorry. I just didn't even think of it. I was just so excited and missed you so much, and was dying to be with you again. And then you're yelling at me right away and it's . . .”
Perceptive enough to realize the tears were about to hit (but not perceptive enough to figure out anything else going on), Michael ran over and grabbed her in his arms.
“It's okay, really. I didn't mean any of that. I just overreacted for a second. There's no problem.”
“You're not mad?”
“Not at all.”
“Thank you, Michael. You're the greatest. I'm so lucky.”
From behind him, Michael heard Stacy faux gagging at the previous statement. He turned towards her and placed one finger over his mouth, in an attempt to shush her.
”Oh please, that's not necessary. You know she can't see or hear me anyway. If she did, she would have erupted in jealously that some other woman was in the room, and accuse you of cheating.”
“You really think she would do that?”
”She's that kind of person, trust me.”
Michael shrugged and turned his attention back to Stacey, who was blissfully unaware of any of these goings on.
“So how was Aaron while I was gone?”
“Alright, I guess. Haven't seen him much. He stays holed up in that room most of the time.”
“Well, don't you check on him sometimes?”
“Why should I? He's old enough to come down for his meals if he wants to.”
“He's only five! And he's my son! That's why you should be checking up on him.”
Stacy jumped up from her chair, now furious at what she just heard. One semi-real finger got pointed in the direction of Michael.
”You left our son with her?”
“It sounded like a good idea at the time. I know her and trust her.”
”But you barely know her! You think you actually know someone in just a few weeks, enough to trust them with our only child? He's the last thing I left behind in this world, so I need him to be in safe hands.”
“It just seemed like a good idea at the time.”
”Didn't anyone try to tell you it's not a good idea?”
“Robin tried to talk me out of it.”
”And?”
“Well, we kind of had a falling out of sorts.”
”And why was that?”
“Because I was sticking up for Stacey."
”Holy hell, man. If burning bridges had a hall of fame, you'd be the greatest of all time in that field too. You just can't push away one of the few people who still somehow want to be with you after all these years. You're lucky she's still around to begin with.”
“You might have a point there. Maybe I was a little unfair since she's looked out for me before in the past.” He considered this for a second, and then another, less pleasant thought occurred to him. “But she's also trying to get in the way of me having a happy relationship with Stacey. I don't know what she wouldn't want me to be happy with her, but that's the way she's been acting. And I'm getting the same vibe from you.”
”That's not what it is at all! We're both trying to help you. We know this will be nothing but a destructive relationship for you, and potentially for our son, as well. You're just blinded for whatever reason and I can't get through to you. You've got to listen."
The argument likely could have continued on indefinitely, if it weren't for the sudden knock on the door.
“I'll get it,” Stacey said and immediately rushed over to see who it was.
”Funny how this time she's eager to get the door this time, huh?”
“Oh, be quiet.”
Stacey quickly returned right away, only confounding Michael's ever growing confusion with the whole situation.
“Who's at the door?”
“Just your sister and your dead girlfriend’s dad. So naturally, I'm not going to open the door for them.”
"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on here for a second.”
”Yes, please don't just let this thing slide. This should be a sign of major trouble.”
Michael nodded to her and turned his attention back to Stacey.
“First off, how would you even know who Stacy's father would be? You've never even met him.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Fill me in on this since I'm unaware of it.”
“He stopped over while you were gone.”
“Why didn't you tell me this? If Henry is coming over, it must be something important.”
“Oh, I don't know what it was. After he got a bit of an attitude about seeing Aaron, I told him off and made him get out.”
“You told him off?! I just finally reconciled with the guy like two months ago. You can't do that.”
“I had to. He was just trying to get in between us just like your sister is.”
“That's an absurd statement! You can't know that. You don't even actually know what he was here for. I need to let them in to find out what's going on.”
“Don't you do it.”
“I need to. Get out of my way.”
Reluctantly, Stacey did as she was told. She made her thoughts clear with the look she shot him. If looks could kill, Michael would have been deader than Chris Christie's presidential hopes.
Henry and Robin were, thankfully, still at the door when Michael opened. They didn't look too happy either, given their wait time.
“Thanks for letting us in,” Henry said. “We weren't sure that was going to happen.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Someone wasn't too eager about letting you in.”
“I can take a guess about who that is. You don't mind Robin being here too? I know you two had some problems lately.”
“Yeah, that's fine. Come on in.”
The three headed into the living room. Stacy was back in her chair in the corner, but once again no one but Michael seemed to notice. Stacey, on the other hand, was hard not to notice. She stood incredulously with a hand on each hip.
“You know, you shouldn't have done this, Michael.”
“It's going to be okay, Stacey. They're good people.”
“If you say so.”
“I know you two are a couple and everything," Henry began. “But would you mind if we talked to Michael alone for a minute?”
“Yeah, like I'm going to fall for that. I know what's going on here. You want me out of the room so you two can bad mouth me to Michael.”
“No one has said that's what's happening,” Robin said.
“You're not gonna fool me, honey. You've had it in for me from the start.”
”She's more paranoid than I ever even thought. This has gotta raise some red flags for you.”
“Everybody, let's just calm down,” Michael said. “I don't anyone at anyone's throats.”
“There doesn't have to be confrontation. I just don't want these two talking behind my back. If there's something they want to say, they can say it here to my face.”
“I'd prefer not to,” Henry said.
“You have no choice. I'm going nowhere.”
“Fine. This is not the way I wanted this to go down, but I guess I have no choice. Michael, I know you still like me and I feel like we're on good terms after the last time we talked.”
“Absolutely. You were a big help with me getting my head on straight, and I'm glad you're a part of my life again.”
“Great. So you value my opinion?”
“Of course I do.”
“Good. You see, I wanted to talk to you about a specific thing, and I thought it would be best to have Robin here with me too. I'm not sure if you know or not, but I stopped over here a couple days ago just as a surprise. That way, you know, I could see you and maybe do something with Aaron. Little did I know that you weren't home at the time. That meant I got to meet Stacey here for the first time. And I was, to be frank with you, a little concerned with what happened. It bothered me, I have to admit. So I just wanted to talk to you about my concerns.”
“See, I told you this is what was going to happen! This is nothing but a smear job.”
“Hold on,” Michael said. “Henry is an honest guy. Let's hear him out. Henry, what happened?”
“I'll try to put it simply. She basically implied, more or less, that I should not be around you, and that she would make sure I would never see my grandson.”
“You said that?!”
“Absolutely not!” Stacey exclaimed. “He's a dirty filthy liar. I never said anything of the sort. He's the one who said terrible, awful things. He threatened to take away our son from us.”
Stacy could no long remain in her chair in the corner. She jumped up right next to Stacey, making sure she was firmly in Michael's line of sight.
”Michael, are you listening to what she's saying? She's gone off the deep end. She said OUR son. OUR son. That's not her son! She has nothing to do with Aaron and doesn't even seem to care about him. And you know what she's saying can't be true. My dad would never try to taken Aaron away. You know him well enough to know that. You don't know her well enough, though.”
It was all too much for Michael to comprehend and soak in. He just stared blankly at the three living people in the room, along with his special guest. Figuring out who to believe wasn't easy. Meanwhile, Stacey knew exactly what to say, and went right back on the offensive.
“You see, Michael, that wasn't even all of it. I had no choice but to kick him out, because then he said the worst thing possible. He said that Stacy never loved you at all.”
“Henry . . . I . . . I don't understand. You . . . you said that?”
“Of course I didn't!” Henry exclaimed. “Stacy loved and cared for you. She's lying.”
“I am not. He looked me right in the eyes and said that.”
Michael practically fell backwards, feeling like he'd just taken several shots right to the head. Words nearly exited his mouth, but he stalled out and found himself unable to get anything out. That was partially to blame on still having no idea who to believe or what to say.
Stacy, not being about to take any more, jumped right in front of Stacey to grab Michael's attention.
Michael! Listen to me. She's lying. She's lying and if you look deep within yourself you will figure that out. She is just desperate because she knows she's in trouble and will do anything to keep you. You know I loved you. You know that is the case. If I didn't love you, I never would have reconciled with you after our problems. I stuck with you because I cared about you. She doesn't. You haven't been able to see her for what she truly is yet, but now is the time you need to. Take a good look and see her for yourself who she truly is. Michael, the problem is the name. She might have the same name as me but SHE IS NOT ME. LISTEN TO WHAT SHE HAS BEEN SAYING AND REALIZE SHE'S NOT ME.”
Stacy stepped back so Michael could take another look at his current girlfriend. It took a good, long look but he finally realized this was not the person he had tried so hard to pretend she was. The hair was different. The voice was different. But most importantly, the attitude was different. The attitude was toxic.
“Get out of my house.”
“What?! You can't really be believing Henry, can you? He's just trying to get between us.”
“He would never say those things. And I know Stacy never said that to him. Her feelings for me were genuine. If there's anything on earth I know, it's that.”
Stacey inched closer and closer to Michael, not yet speaking. She eventually pressed herself right up against Michael. More in surprise than anything, Michael didn't immediately back up, although he eventually created some separation.
“They just want to get between us, but I'm committed to you. I'm committed to your forever, especially now that I know something none of you know. While you were gone, I found out I was pregnant.”
”She's probably bluffing, Michael. You should be able to see too that she totally just pulled that out of her ass.”
“Where's the pregnancy test?” Michael asked as he backed up even more.
“I don't have it with me any more, obviously. I threw it away and then took out the garbage.”
“I don't believe you at all, not for one second. Still, on the off chance you're not bulls***ing me, we'll have to get this confirmed at some point. But not now. After all the stuff you've said and the lies you've said, I want you out of the house this instant. If at all possible, I wouldn't like to see you ever again. Get out. We're through.”
Tears welling up in her eyes, Stacey advanced towards Michael in almost a zombie like state. No matter how much he backed up, she just kept on coming. And all the while, it turned into outright full tears.
“No, Michael, you can't do this. We need each other and I need you. I can't even imagine being without you.”
“Well, you're going to have to try to imagine it, because this isn't happening.”
“There's nothing I can do to convince you?”
“For final time, no.”
“Fine. If you won't be with be then I have no choice but to make sure our child isn't with us either.”
“What are you talking about?”
Still crying profusely, Stacey offered no response. Silently, she moved behind where all of them were standing to the main staircase. As she started to climb up, Michael still was unaware of what exactly was going on. Robin was the first to pick up on it.
“Oh god,” Robin said. “There's no way she's about to do what I'm thinking of.”
“I wouldn't out it past her,” Henry replied. “Not with all the stuff she's said already.”
Stacey reached halfway up the stairs and stopped, looking once more at Michael.
“I just want you to know, Michael, that this is all your fault. It didn't have to be this way.”
Before Michael could even say anything, Stacey turned her attention straight ahead once more. Contemplating her next move one final time, she eyed the floor and then seemed to decide on her fate. She closed her eyes, outstretched her arms and closed her wet eyes shut. After that, she bounced off her feet and jumped into the air.
Michael caught wind of what she was doing just before she left her feet. Once he did, he set himself in motion and nearly knocked over Henry in the process. The old man proved to be surprisingly spry and adverted the contact. Michael, for his part, reached the bottom of the stairs just in the nick of time. The grab he made wasn't a clean one. Stacey's knees still came smacking down onto the hardwood floor. As for her upper body, Michael got a hold of her by the armpits, and rest of her body coming up against him. A smile on her face appeared as soon as their bodies met. He quickly recoiled.
“I knew you'd change your mind!”
“I didn't. I'm just trying to save that child, on the off chance it actually exists. And now we're going to head to the hospital to find out first if you're pregnant at all, and if you are, find out if it survived your little psychotic episode.”
“Want us to come too?” Henry asked.
“Sure, why not. The more the merrier. Let's get moving.”
“I'm sure I'll be fine,” Stacey said, her mood darkening again. “I especially don't want to go with these two awful people who have ruined my life.”
“Honey, I assure you, you're the one doing the ruining around here,” Robin replied. Michael stepped in to stop the bickering and get the whole process moving.
“I'm not taking any chances on this. I want to find out right now if this thing is all a charade so I don't have to see you again. And if it isn't, let's hope the kid survives and then I'll be able to get him away from you afterwards. Let's go now.”
Much to his surprise, Stacey didn't offer up any more protests. They all put their coats on headed out the door. Michael was the last to leave, and took one more look in the house. Stacy was nowhere to be found, but he had a feeling she was pretty proud of him at the moment.
~ ~
Michael realized that he hadn't been in this hospital since a fateful day five years earlier. Almost immediately, all of the emotions came rushing back. It all came back just like it was yesterday. He had been sitting in a chair just like this one, trying to think about anything other than what was going on in an operating room down the hall. The tv didn't help because all the shows were awful, and all the magazines were either out of date, useless to read, or both. Not worrying about what was going on was impossible. Two lives hung in the balance.
The news that Stacy might not survive the child birth had rocked both of their worlds, and their families as well. But it was her solemn vow that she would go through with it regardless, and take the chance of bringing their son into the world. And so, he waited with bated breath with the same group he was with now-- Henry and Robin. The only person missing was Henry's since deceased wife.
In some ways, the situations were parallel. Once again, he was waiting to find out about the future of a potential child's life, with a woman named Stacey involved. But that's where the similarities ended. The whole field of emotions were very different. For one thing, he knew Stacey would be physically okay. By catching her, most of her fall had been broken. It was just now a question of if the baby was still okay, if the baby even existed at all.
Michael found himself wishing that Stacy was right when she stated she was bluffing about the kid. Sure, having another child at some point would be a good idea. Ideally, though, he didn't want this child to be with Stacey. After what had gone down, he just wanted her out of his life forever. If they had a child together, he had no choice but to still see her more and more often, under the most tenuous of circumstances. An awful, ugly custody battle would surely follow, one that would completely and totally suck the life out of him. Still, if she was actually pregnant, he hoped a miscarriage hadn't happened.
Henry was doing his best to pass the time with a magazine, which Michael didn't even bother with. Past experience told him it was a waste to try to read a dog eared Time Magazine that probably was current during the previous presidential administration. Robin, on the hand, was busy on her phone, while Michael just stared off into space.
As the minutes ticked away, he found himself even more and more annoyed. His life was always filled with some kind of drama, and it always seemed to crop up right when he needed distractions the least--right when he had a big moment in his professional life coming up. Maybe that was why the big triumphant Superbrawl moment had eluded him all these years? Traditionally it was not a good night for him. His only useful moment, retiring Yukio Blaze, had been annoying nullified since then. The big moment on the biggest show still hadn't occurred, and he wondered if his inability to focus due to personal events was part of that problem.
And now, annoyingly, it was happening again. Things should have been looking up after Scars and Stripes and heading into Superbrawl. The chance to cement his legacy was finally in front of him, and now things had gone to hell in a handbasket once again. And it was all because he hadn't listened to his sister about Stacey. He just hoped that once this was done, he would able to focus on the win he needed to be happy with his WFWF career to be satisfactory. He needed that win, and he needed to have a clear head to do so.
He was ready to apologize to Robin for not listening to her when they were approached by a doctor.
“Are you the boyfriend?”
“I was, ex-boyfriend now.” That only got a blank stare from the doctor, so he let the matter of semantics go. “But yes, I am here with her.”
“I just wanted to let you know that she was not pregnant in the first place, and aside from a few cuts and bruises, she appears to be completely healthy.”
The news caused Michael to jump to his feet right away, turning towards Henry and Robin.
“Well, that settles that. Let's go home.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Knight. I know that I said she was okay, but it will still take a little bit of time before she's okay to go home.”
“Oh, I'm not going home with her. We’re through.”
“I'm not sure I understand, but I will say that she did specifically request to see you right now.”
“Don't do it,” Robin said.
“You know what, I think I am going to go talk to her. After all she did, on top of trying to con me with the pregnancy thing, I want to go give her a piece of my mind.”
“Just be careful,” Henry said. “Don't be persuaded by anything she says. She's going to try to win you back again, but don't fall for it.”
“I think I'll be okay. I won't get sucked into this again.”
“I hope you're right. You sure you don't want us to go in with you?”
“Nope. I'll be fine in my own.”
The bemused doctor pointed Michael in the direction of the proper room, and he headed out on his way.
~ ~
Stacey’s face lit up as soon as Michael walked into the room. It was easy for him to see why he had fallen for her so hard when he saw that smile. It was just about the most perfect one he had ever seen. Well, with one notable exception.
“Thanks for coming in to see me. I know you're mad, but I was hoping you would.”
“Don't get any grand ideas. I'm just here because I have some things to say to you.”
“Before you do, I just want to let you know that I really thought I was pregnant. I guess it must have been one of those false positive type of things.”
“Uh uh, sure. Whatever you say.”
“Just come over here for a second, will you Michael?”
He sighed, but in a moment of weakness entertained her request. He walked over to her bedside and stopped, waiting for whatever it was she wanted. The answer wasn't one he was expecting.
Although placid only seconds earlier, Stacey lunged forward and planted him with a long and passionate kiss. At first, Michael fought it, but he soon found himself lost in the moment and not minding it. When they separated, all other thoughts left his head. Suddenly, looking into her eyes, he was mesmerized as the moment when he first laid eyes on her in Paris. How stunning she was. And that smile. Oh that smile. The look in her eyes too, practically telling him come hither was almost too much to bear. She was just the total package. And the name, Stacey. What a beautiful name . . .
”Michael! DON’T DO THIS. You were almost free and now you're getting sucked into this again. Don't do this. Just LOOK PAST THE NAME. I'm begging you.”
Michael didn't even notice Stacy in the room prior to this moment. Maybe she hadn't even been there until after the kiss. Whatever the circumstances upon her arrival, it was enough to snap him back into reality.
“No, no, no. I'm not going to do this.”
“Why, Michael? Wasn't that nice?”
“Isolated on it's own, that was nice enough. But it cannot and will not ever work for us. After what you have done to me and the people who care about me, I can't ever be near you again. Let me tell you something, there are very few people in this world who care about me. Some of the other ones are dead, and many others I ruined due to my own fault. The only ones that are left are the ones who managed to withstand all the stuff I've put them through. I am beyond lucky that they have granted me that. I finally had peace with them before you came around. And then you went and ruined it all. I was finally done burning bridges and you decided you had to go ahead and burn the ones left for me. You told horrible, disgusting lies to accomplish that, and that is unforgivable. I don't know what happened in your life that made you act like this, but I hope you get help for it. I certainly won't be the one to help you, though.”
“Please, Michael,” she said in between tears.
“No.”
Michael could have sworn he heard someone applauding as he exited the hospital room. He didn't look back to confirm, but he had a pretty good idea who it was.
~ ~
Henry and Robin were anxiously awaiting Michael when he walked back into the lobby. They looked almost like a scared family awaiting news about an illness, which would have made Michael laugh if he weren't still so shook up by the whole serious of events. They tensed up even more once Michael walked right up to them.
“Don't worry, guys. It's all over.”
“You're sure about that?” Robin asked. “There was no room for anything in the future?”
“Absolutely not. That door is closed forever. I told her exactly the way it is. I am done with her forever.”
“Thank god. There's probably going to be a lot to talk about, so why don't we head outside? This doesn't strike me as good place for this kind of discussion.”
Michael and Henry accepted that without any argument. It became pretty obvious that more than a few people were listening in to the conversation. In a way, Michael couldn't blame them. It was a hell of a lot more interesting than reading Good Housekeeping or watching The Talk. All the same, he didn't want to willingly put his dirty laundry out there in public like this.
They piled on the elevator with someone with a rather alarming cough. Whatever it was, Michael hoped it wasn't contagious. They stopped to talk again once they were outside and standing at their respective cars.
“I need to apologize to both of you. You guys both got put through way too much with this whole situation. It wasn't right. I don't even know how I could have fallen for her so hard.”
“I think I know,” Robin said, and Henry nodded in the affirmative.
“Okay, I mean, I guess now I have the general idea. Me getting hypnotized by her just on the name was so stupid. You would think I'd be more mature than that by now, but I guess not. I guess I just needed help from all three of you to come to that realization.”
“All three of us?” As soon as Henry asked that, Michael realized he'd screwed up big time. Letting that little statement would make him sound like a complete madman if he kept with it. It was best to brush it off and try to move on without things getting questioned any further.
“Did I say three people?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Sorry about that, must have misspoke. It's been a crazy day. But anyway, there's some other things I need to say. Robin, I owe you a special apology. You, more than anyone else, stuck with me through all these years, even when no one else wanted to have anything to do with me any more. And then, I somehow threw it all aside at a crazy woman's suggestion and shut you out. I absolutely shouldn't have done that.”
“It's okay. Believe it or not, you've put me through worse.”
“I guess you're right. I probably have. You're a pretty amazing person. How do you still put up with me after all these years? Other people have made me persona non grada over the years, and deservedly so.”
“Because we're family, Michael. That's what family does. And for another thing, I know there's a good person in there. Sometimes it's not so easy to see that person, but he's always there. I've just been fighting all these years to make sure that person comes out. You've been getting better, too. You're growing up a lot more and more as time goes on.”
“I don't think that's really the case, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same.”
“She's right,” Henry said. “You're not the same guy you used to be. The time has come where you're finally maturing.”
“It seems to me like you've been saying that to me since 2007, and I always find a way to prove you wrong.”
“That's true, but you're not the same man you were back in 2007, or even a year ago for that matter. The fact of the matter is, even though you take a lot of blame for the stuff that happens to you, it's not all your fault. You've been dealt a lot of awful, rough hands. Most people never even have to deal with a fraction of the levels of trauma you've been through. And yet, through all of it, you're still here right now. Everything you've gone through hasn't stopped you. You're still here, and I think you're stronger because of all of that.”
“Yeah, but does it finally ever end? The constant onslaught of awful things has been ridiculous. When is all going to actually end so I can be happy?”
“Part of that is on you,” Henry continued. “Making the right decisions, which is something you've gotten much better at. That's a step in the right direction. As for the rest of it, life isn't perfect. Sometimes awful things happen, and you've just got to roll with the punches as best you can. Make the most out of what you have, and you'll be fine.”
“That makes a lot of sense. You know, you could be a philosopher or something. You always have some mind of words of wisdom to expel.”
“I can't help it. Stacy always found it annoying. At least you enjoy it.”
“It helps me, I'll say that much. You know what, I just thought of something. When I have to head off for Superbrawl, why don't you watch Aaron? Robin deserves a break from all that once in a while. Plus, it would give you a chance to spend some time with your grandson.”
“That would be great! I'd love that.”
“I figured you would. Well, anyway, I think I need some alone time now after all this. I'll call both of you later. Thanks again. I really appreciate it.”
They waved goodbye to Michael, which caused a pretty big grin to creep on to his face. Yes, it was true that he didn't have a lot of people in his life. But if it was quality and not quantity that mattered, then he was a very lucky man.
~ ~
The lights were out inside the house when Michael made his way back home. That wasn't a big deal when he left for the hospital, but the time there had been so long that day gave way to night in the meantime. And so, once he stepped into his living room, he faced nothing but pitch blackness.
Even before he switched on the light, Michael got the sense that he wasn't alone. There were no auditory or visual clues to back this up, but something just told him the room wasn't vacant, either. That knowledge didn't scare him at all. He also knew that, if he was correct, the visitor was not an unwanted one. He flipped on the light, and there she was.
Stacy stood leaning against the entryway leading to the dining room. As with all the other times he had seen her lately, Michael was rocked by her almost otherworldly beauty. Serene, there was a calm and knowing smile plastered on her face. The glow from her pale skin remained.
She didn't speak, seemingly waiting for Michael to make the first statement. That was fine by him. On the way home, he had hoped that her appearance in the hospital wouldn't be the final one. There were still an awful lot of things he needed to say to her.
All the same, he nearly stumbled when trying to articulate what he wanted to say. With a great deal of effort, he managed to calm himself down.
“Thanks for helping me out, Stacy. I guess I still needed you after all this time.”
”Don’t be ridiculous. You never needed me in the first place.”
“What are you talking about? Of course I needed you. I wasn’t always aware of that, but by the end I was.”
”That’s what you’ve built up in your head, because you’re not thinking of me. You’re thinking thinking of the idea of me. The reality is really quite different. We had some good times there for a while, but it just was never going to work out. We weren’t right for a permanent thing together, and honestly, you weren’t ready for a relationship.”
“Yes, I was. I knew I was for sure when Aaron was born.”
”No, you weren’t. You’re fooling yourself. You weren’t ready then, and you’re still not ready now.”
“How can you say that?”
”Because I know. I know that you still can’t be in a healthy relationship as long as you are still involved with your one true love: wrestling. You just can’t balance the two.”
“Oh, come on now. I’ve had that problem in the past, but I’m long over that.”
”No, you’re not. Quit lying to yourself. If you were over that, you wouldn’t have come back again in the first place. You would have been able to accept that you were done, then maybe you would be telling the truth. But it kept eating and festering at you again until you just had to come back for one more taste of it. You still didn’t have enough.”
“But I needed to do this. For the sake of my own reputation, I needed this.”
”If that’s what you think, then fine. You’ve done what you set out to already. You made it to the top again. You won the Rumble and you’re in the main event of Superbrawl. If you win the title, great. If not, you’ve still done enough. This run has been a high note anyway. It’s time to walk away after Superbrawl.”
“If I don’t win, though, it’s still incomplete. I’ll have to keep going until I get it.”
”Stop it. Stop right there. Let me ask you a couple questions. Do you want a long and healthy relationship with a woman?”
“Of course I do. That would be great.”
”Do you want to be a good father to Aaron?”
“You know I do.”
”Do you want to be happy?”
“Oh come on. What kind of a question is that?”
”Answer it.”
“Yes. Everyone wants to be happy.”
”Then you need to give it up. It’s time to let go. Wrestle your heart out at Superbrawl and be proud of yourself for even getting there. But whatever happens, let it go. Wrestling may have given you all of this around you, all the money and a great house and all that, but it took a lot away from you as well. You’ve spent the better part of a decade chasing around some gold and that’s the reason why you’ve never been able to lead a happy life outside the ring. It’s always consumed your thoughts and it’s time to cut the cord for good.”
“How can I let that go, though? It’s been my whole life for so long.”
”That’s the whole problem. There’s a good man inside of you, but you need to ask yourself how many relationships of yours have been hurt by your consumption with wrestling.”
“Too many, honestly.”
”Exactly. That’s why you’ve finally got to let it go. You’ve done enough in the ring and you’ve done enough damage outside of it. It’s going to be hard, I know. They say an athlete dies twice, and the first time is when he finally steps away from the game. But once you get beyond that, there will be a better and more fulfilling long life. You’ve lived an amazing fantasy, but now you need to come back to reality.”
“I guess you’re right. I sure had a good run, though, didn’t I?”
”Now you’re just fishing for compliments.”
“It was worth a shot.”
”Well, I better get going now.”
“You can’t do that now. I’ve missed you all this time and now you’re finally here again. I need you here.”
”No, you don’t. In a minute or two it will finally hit you that I was never here at all. And once you find out that this manifestation of me was false and you came to this conclusion on your own, you’ll feel even better.”
“But . . . what . . . I don’t understand.”
”Trust me. It will make sense soon enough. I think I'm done here.”
“No, no. You can't just leave like that. Hold on, at least for a second.”
Michael rose from his chair slowly, making sure to never take his eyes off Stacy, who still stood as rigid as board across the room. He knew what he had to do, and the idea of it both excited him and scared him at the same time. It was unreal that this was even happening, and yet, somehow it was. If all went according to the exact way he wanted it, this would be the moment he dreamed of for five years.
Stacy still appeared impossibly far away, and it seemed as though no matter how many steps he made, he never got any closer to her. Michael had to look down at his feet to confirm that they were actually moving forward. The look confirmed that they were, even though it sure didn't feel that way.
The other indication was the growing smile on Stacy's face. Although she herself made no effort to move forward, her anticipation was clearly growing with each passing second. Stacey's smile now paled in comparison to seeing the genuine article on Stacy's face. Her blonde hair was moved to the side enough to give him a full view of her completely stunning face. The smile itself was enough to light up the room, and the piercing blue eyes just added the icing on the cake. Michael wondered if she had ever looked more perfect than she did at this exact moment. He also wondered how he could have been so foolish as to ever treat her so terribly. His mistreatment of someone so perfect was deplorable, and it caused permanent irrevocable harm. But right now, none of that seemed to matter. Everything was okay again.
Michael continue to inch his way towards her until he was finally only inches away. He expected to feel her cool breath against him now that they were this close, but for some reason he felt no such sensation. He looked deeply within her eyes, and then took one final deep breath before it was time to do the one thing he'd waited all of this time for. Michael stretched his arms out wide, closed his eyes and embraced Stacy tightly.
Or, at least, that was what he expected.
Instead, Michael felt nothing but air. His arms connected with nothing at all. Something was very wrong here. He opened his eyes and found nothing around him. Stacy was nowhere to be found. He looked around more and more, to see if maybe she was just in a different spot in the room after all.
The room was empty. Empty? Well of course it was empty. Stacy being there just didn’t make any sense at all.
He actually did reach the conclusion on his own, and that fact hit him like a bolt of lightning. It was on his own that he realized it was time to let go.
For the first time in his life, he felt like an adult. It felt good.
~ ~
In the world of sports, success doesn't come easy. Sure, that doesn't apply in all other parts of the world. Apparently any homophobe with a big beard and duck calls can get his own line of clothing nowadays. But that's besides the point. In a competitive athletic environment, success is not a fluke. It requires more than just your natural god given abilities. It also requires the brains to apply the skills correctly, a drive, a passion and a willingness to make a wealth of sacrifices to get that success.
I know all about the sacrifices. Hell, I might know more about them than anyone else. I've had a ton of success in my day, done almost everything I ever wanted to do. But the cost was immeasurable. By throwing myself so fully into this business, I made a lot more enemies than I made friends. The tunnel vision associated with myself as a wrestler cost myself friends, family members, romantic relationships. If you can name it, I've ruined it. I did it all because I was consumed with obtaining great success in the WFWF.
And, you know, for a while it all was great. All that working and all those sacrifices paid off. Not many people can say they had as massive of a rise as I did. Going from the opener of Superbrawl IV to walking into Superbrawl V as the champion was a metamorphosis to be proud of. And along the way, I did it all. Everything I ever set out to accomplish, I did. So at the time, all those sacrifices sure seemed worth it.
But then somewhere along the line, everything changed. My personal life still remained at level zero, but the WFWF career was no longer so pleasant. I still can't exactly pinpoint what went so wrong for me at the end of my last run. All I know was is that I was an embarrassment. The most decorated champion in company history looked like he didn't even belong in the ring. With each passing day, I harmed my legacy more and more and more. I had to walk away to prevent further embarrassment for myself.
And once I stepped away, it truly hit me that I now had nothing. Sure, my personal life was still in the toilet, but I no longer had the solace that my sacrifices were worth it. They no longer were. All the great things I did were forever tarnished by the way I bastardized myself. Most of the younger guys in the back and the newer fans probably never even had any idea I was ever worth anything. To them, I was just an old talentless hack who had no business existing in the ring. Everything I'd done was either unknown, forgotten or ruined. All of my sacrifices meant nothing.
When you sit around alone and let that sink in, it starts to eat away at you. It's a slow thing at first. You can try to deny it, but in time the realization hits you right in the face, that you've thrown your whole life away and have nothing to show for it. It made me sick and I decided I couldn't accept that. At some point in time we all make our final exit from this earth, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't a non entity to everyone. As celebrities, we have a special opportunity most people don't get. Those of lucky enough to be in the spotlight get that rare chance to be immortalized forever through the great work we do. At one point, I had that in the bag, but now I'm not so sure. I want to make sure that when I thin out that I'm well thought of.
This time, returning didn't seem like much of a sacrifice personally. I didn't have much else left to ruin there. But I did have to question myself on a wrestling level. I just plain didn't know what would happen when I stepped back in the ring again. Could my body even will itself to be what it used to be? I had no way of knowing that answer. It was with some reluctance that I finally decided to step back into the ring again. The risk of even further and greater embarrassment was there.
The reward, however, was oh so enticing. If I could just capture what I once had, maybe everything I'd ever worked for wouldn't be for naught. People would never look down on me ever again. Instead, they would look at me for how good I actually was and had been. My legacy would not be that of a guy who hung around too long and was nothing but a washed up mess. My legacy would be a tremendous comeback, an all time great achieving one more memorable run.
The ultimate goal was the same as everybody else's ever is when they get to this company. I wanted to main event Superbrawl once again and get that WFWF Title one more time. And even thought that thought was in my head, it seemed like such a distant possibility, something that was so far off. I didn't know if it would be possible.
But look at me now. After co-winning the Scars and Stripes Rumble, one of the few things I had never done, I'm going to get my wish. I am stepping into the main event of Superbrawl with the WFWF Heavyweight Championship on the line.
Even after the amazing turnaround to get to this point, I'm still probably an underdog in this match. They look at the dominant defending champion in Trace Demon and they see someone that may be unbeatable. They look at a Malakai and see someone who's desperate to finally reach the brass ring, especially given he's got no time left. They look at Solomon Crow and they see the hungry young guy who's been on an amazingly fast rise. They look at Scarlett Quinn, the recently dethroned champion, someone certainly out redemption. And then they look at me, someone on a miraculous return run, but also someone with the most recent track record of failure. I know the odds aren't in my favor.
And you know, I don't care about that. No one's ever trusted in my full potential, and I reached my highest peaks against people who seemingly had my number. No one thought I would earn myself a title shot in the Survival of the Fittest Match. That was Pierce Deville's throne, not mine. And no one thought I would win the title when I earned that shot and faced Obo. It was all to his advantage. He was seemingly the better man, and it was taking place in his style of hardcore match. And yet, I did. I have defeated the greatest in this place's history, the McGurks and the EBRs when no one thought I could. All I need to do is defy the odds one more time. It took a miracle to get to this point. Now I just need one more miracle.
And I think that's very possible, considering I know them all so well. I know what I'm getting with each of these competitors. And part of the reason why I think I can get it done is because they're all, quite frankly, pretty sad and pathetic characters.
Shawn's the obvious one, because anyone who's facing death so quickly is rather sad. I say that as a guy who has been friends with him in the past. And even I came back for my own selfish reasons and did somewhat use him as a reason to come back, I did feel bad for him. It is very sad because of how his career turned out. He's gotta know deep down inside him the same thing I know: his chances of winning just aren't that good. It's not due to a lack of passion or desire. His body is just betraying him at an alarmingly fast rate. The amount of strength and power keeps diminishing with each passing day, and as a result he's had to overcompensate by putting himself through ridiculous daredevil physical activities that are only causing further unfathomable harm to his fragile self. His best chances at competing and winning the title are long behind him. Lots of guys talk about leaving it all in the ring, but that is literally his only chance. So it is truly sad. It's sad that he finally rose above his usually mediocre self when it was a little too late.
That kind of failure to reach the top has never been Trace Demon's problem. He certainly earned that spot, and as someone who's been around with guy for years, and even teamed with him, I assure you there has never been a time when he didn't think he deserved that spot. For as big as my ego has always been, he far surpasses it. And after this last episode of Revolution, he strikes me as a pretty sad figure. He actually went out on national television and proclaimed he's the smartest person in that match. The very fact that he's so delusional is pretty sad. He honestly thinks he is the smartest man in the match, but he's really the dumbest. Does he not realize there's nothing smart about making yourself the most hated man in the company? He's done a pretty good job of that and I think I can safely say he's antagonized himself to everyone in the match. Was that really the smartest move, Trace? Was it really the smartest move to make yourself the most hated man in a match where you're locked in a cell with all your enemies? I can't speak for everyone else involved, but I know there's gonna be a little extra feeling behind it when I bash his head into that cell repeatedly. Trace is a marked man, and he's the only one who doesn't know that.
I think it goes without saying that Solomon's little mental derangements and insane nature is pretty sad and pathetic. And as someone who's had the unfortunate task of talking to the guy, it's even worse from that short of a distance. His rapid rise to the top pales in comparison to his rapid rise towards spending all his time in a padded room. Whatever it is that motivates him, he is pretty strongly motivated, I'll give him that. But someone that mentally deranged makes it pretty darn easy to exploit their weaknesses. And as for Scarlett Quinn, it's really quite sad that she couldn't be here for this little match. Oh, she'll be there physically but she's been too wrapped with her little friend/enemy Penny to mentally be there at all. But she could have been easily handled anyway, since we all know she's never been quite the person her father was in that ring.
Those are the sad stories of the men and women I face in that cell at Superbrawl. Unlike them, my story is not a sad one. Mine is one of hope. I've already reached my saddest and most pathetic point. And because of what I have already accomplished since my return, all of that is behind me. I've clawed my way all the way back from the bottom and now I'm so close to the top I can almost touch it. All it takes is one more step.
That final step, winning the WFWF Championship again, is a big one for me. I want to be proud of myself for once. There's not too many things in my life I've been proud of. But at least at one point in time I could look in the mirror and say I was the best. It's been many years since I could say that. And when I was gone, it was no consolation to think “you used to be great” when no one on earth remembered that fact or even cared. At the core, what I truly wanted more than anything else when I came back was to be proud of myself again. If I walk out of Superbrawl the WFWF Champion for the fourth time, I will be the proudest man walking the face of the earth.
And even if I don't, I'll have nothing to be ashamed of. My final chapter has already been rewritten. It's no longer a broken man who couldn't cut it. It's now a great who got one more chance and took full advantage of it.
The ending to that final chapter has still yet to be written, and I think I know how it's going to end. In my own life I've had some visions of the past lately. That's the same thing everyone will experience at Superbrawl. I know how much I have left in me, and I know the afterimage of the man who once was Thunder will make one more appearance.
For one more night, I will be the greatest there has ever been. And I will walk away with my head held high.