Post by Tombstone on Feb 19, 2012 5:54:13 GMT -5
February 18th, 2012
1:24 p.m.
Boston, Massachusetts
1:24 p.m.
Boston, Massachusetts
"So have you decided what you're going to do?"
Ashley Stone dips a french fry in ketchup, looking at her husband, Chris. It was a sight she was still getting used to. Him being awake that is. It had been a month since he came out of his coma, which he was in for well over a year. She remembered getting the phone call around 3 a.m. on January 21st. She had been home, reorganizing the kitchen yet again. The phone barely got to the second ring when she picked it up. She got to the hospital in less than 20 minutes.
When she arrived, Chris was confused, a lost look in his eyes. He could barely move without exerting a lot of energy. His doctor, Dr. Matthews, was trying to calm him down, along with two nurses. She had immediately ran to him, throwing her arms around him. He did his best to put his arms around her, giving her a weak embrace.
It had taken a good day for everything to soak up in his mind. He accepted being in a coma in no time. But it was how long he was in it... That was the one thing he couldn't wrap his mind around. A year. A year of his life gone.
He had been living peacefully for the first time in years. As much as he loved wrestling, he loved his wife more. It took him a good, long time to realize that. He loved being able to wake up in the morning, pain free, and spend the entire day with Ashley, doing whatever popped in their mind. And not once did CPW pop in his mind.
He had walked out of CPW shortly after one final bloody battle with Tyler Shane, Ashley's brother, late in the summer of 2010. The two of them had been battling off and on for nearly 2 years. Chris and Tyler had once been friends, back when Tyler recruited Chris into The Suicide Club. Even as the group began to dissolve, they stuck by each other to the bitter end. But then Chris and Ashley got married and everything changed between the two. And after almost 2 years of battling Tyler, after almost 3 years of everything else in between, Chris had enough. So he walked out.
A few short months later... he was in the deepest sleep he had ever had in his life.
"So have you decided what you're going to do?"
Chris stares out the hospital window, looking at the blue sky outside. A year... Just gone like that.
"Baby?"
Chris turns to her, finally hearing her.
"Huh?"
Ashley eats the french fry, wiping her hands and places the napkin on her plate. She shoves it aside, scooting her chair closer to the bed.
"What we talked about. Have you made a decision yet?"
He looks back out the window, leaning more on his pillows.
"Well, I'm definitely not going to tell the cops I suddenly 'remember' what happened to me if that's what you're getting at..."
"Why not? You've laid in this bed for over a year because of him!"
He looks at her, grimacing slightly. She stares back at him with concerned eyes. This was a subject he didn't want to think about. It was also one he certainly not want to talk about. He had already made up his mind on what he was going to do. He just knew she wouldn't like it whenever she heard it.
Throughout his career in CPW, he didn't make a lot of friends. John King wasn't one of them. The history between the two stretched years before either had been in CPW. John's life was forever changed by Stone's hands one night in Mexico. 8 years later, their story would come full circle. Except instead of happening in a ring, it happened where he least expected it. In his home, months after he walked out on CPW and wrestling in general.
"Because I'm not going to do that. Besides, you could have mentioned this to the police long ago. But you didn't."
Ashley throws herself back in her chair, running her hands over her hair frustratingly.
"Look, I know I could have and I feel stupid for not. But you don't understand... I came down the stairs, you were on the floor and he was in my face, threatening me. Sorry for taking something like that seriously from a guy like that."
"Are you fucking serious? No matter what he said to you, it's no reason to not say anything to the police! There's no excuse for that, Ash... It's like... it's like..."
"It's like what?"
This is what they were like now. It had been about two weeks when they started talking about the night Chris had been put in the hospital. And from the very first conversation, the subject had always devolved into an argument between the two.
"It's like you want me to go back to what I was..."
Ashley frowns, leaning forward and placing a hand on his.
"Are you saying that I thought you would just wake up and go take care of him yourself? That I want you to go back to CPW and beg for your job back just so you can get a match with him? Because that's the last thing I want. I want you to do the right thing. Tell the police. Save other people from this guy."
"I'm not going to do that..."
"Why not?"
"Because I made him like that! Don't you get it by now? He would be a completely different person if I hadn't done what I did... And the second time our life paths crossed... I fucked him over again. And then I track him down with some insane idea of taking over a company from inside the ring. I find him in some hospital, locked up, straight jacket and all... And I got him out of there, I gave him his life back... And then..."
He trails off. Ashley couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"He was in there for a reason, Chris. I'm sorry you feel like you're responsible for who he is today, but you know that's not true. He was like this before all of that."
"No, no he wasn't. He did have a twisted side, but nothing like what he turned into after what I did. I just... I just want to forget about it all and get out of this hospital and get far away from Boston. Just... put it all behind me."
Ashley shakes her head, letting out a sigh.
"You can't keep running from things, Chris. This is one thing that you just have to go with. Say we move from Boston, go back to L.A. What's to stop him from making another visit to us if he finds out?"
Stone shakes his head.
"He won't."
Ashley lets out a surprised laugh, sitting up.
"Are you kidding me? And what makes you say that?"
"Because he got what he always wanted. His revenge. I deserved what happened. Now it's time to put it behind us and move on."
"A year of your life, our life, is gone."
"I get cleared in two days. I'm getting out of this hospital and going home with you. We get to pick up where we left off. And there isn't anything John can do about it. I'm going to do the right thing. But it isn't going to involve the police. But it will involve CPW one more time."
Ashley's eyes instantly widen and she jumps up, sitting on the bed close to him.
"No, no, no, you can't do that. Please don't do that. I can't take that anymore."
Chris smiles, brushing her hair over her shoulder.
"Relax. It's not going to involve a match either. I'm going to make a phone call when I get home. And I'm going to take care of this my way. CPW, John, even everyone in the back. I'm going to settle everything. I'm going to put all of them behind us and we're going to get away from Boston after that. I'm just going to need your support."
"What are you going to do?"
He smiles, pulling her close.
"I'm going to get us on the path to the rest of our lives."
Ashley Stone dips a french fry in ketchup, looking at her husband, Chris. It was a sight she was still getting used to. Him being awake that is. It had been a month since he came out of his coma, which he was in for well over a year. She remembered getting the phone call around 3 a.m. on January 21st. She had been home, reorganizing the kitchen yet again. The phone barely got to the second ring when she picked it up. She got to the hospital in less than 20 minutes.
When she arrived, Chris was confused, a lost look in his eyes. He could barely move without exerting a lot of energy. His doctor, Dr. Matthews, was trying to calm him down, along with two nurses. She had immediately ran to him, throwing her arms around him. He did his best to put his arms around her, giving her a weak embrace.
It had taken a good day for everything to soak up in his mind. He accepted being in a coma in no time. But it was how long he was in it... That was the one thing he couldn't wrap his mind around. A year. A year of his life gone.
He had been living peacefully for the first time in years. As much as he loved wrestling, he loved his wife more. It took him a good, long time to realize that. He loved being able to wake up in the morning, pain free, and spend the entire day with Ashley, doing whatever popped in their mind. And not once did CPW pop in his mind.
He had walked out of CPW shortly after one final bloody battle with Tyler Shane, Ashley's brother, late in the summer of 2010. The two of them had been battling off and on for nearly 2 years. Chris and Tyler had once been friends, back when Tyler recruited Chris into The Suicide Club. Even as the group began to dissolve, they stuck by each other to the bitter end. But then Chris and Ashley got married and everything changed between the two. And after almost 2 years of battling Tyler, after almost 3 years of everything else in between, Chris had enough. So he walked out.
A few short months later... he was in the deepest sleep he had ever had in his life.
"So have you decided what you're going to do?"
Chris stares out the hospital window, looking at the blue sky outside. A year... Just gone like that.
"Baby?"
Chris turns to her, finally hearing her.
"Huh?"
Ashley eats the french fry, wiping her hands and places the napkin on her plate. She shoves it aside, scooting her chair closer to the bed.
"What we talked about. Have you made a decision yet?"
He looks back out the window, leaning more on his pillows.
"Well, I'm definitely not going to tell the cops I suddenly 'remember' what happened to me if that's what you're getting at..."
"Why not? You've laid in this bed for over a year because of him!"
He looks at her, grimacing slightly. She stares back at him with concerned eyes. This was a subject he didn't want to think about. It was also one he certainly not want to talk about. He had already made up his mind on what he was going to do. He just knew she wouldn't like it whenever she heard it.
Throughout his career in CPW, he didn't make a lot of friends. John King wasn't one of them. The history between the two stretched years before either had been in CPW. John's life was forever changed by Stone's hands one night in Mexico. 8 years later, their story would come full circle. Except instead of happening in a ring, it happened where he least expected it. In his home, months after he walked out on CPW and wrestling in general.
"Because I'm not going to do that. Besides, you could have mentioned this to the police long ago. But you didn't."
Ashley throws herself back in her chair, running her hands over her hair frustratingly.
"Look, I know I could have and I feel stupid for not. But you don't understand... I came down the stairs, you were on the floor and he was in my face, threatening me. Sorry for taking something like that seriously from a guy like that."
"Are you fucking serious? No matter what he said to you, it's no reason to not say anything to the police! There's no excuse for that, Ash... It's like... it's like..."
"It's like what?"
This is what they were like now. It had been about two weeks when they started talking about the night Chris had been put in the hospital. And from the very first conversation, the subject had always devolved into an argument between the two.
"It's like you want me to go back to what I was..."
Ashley frowns, leaning forward and placing a hand on his.
"Are you saying that I thought you would just wake up and go take care of him yourself? That I want you to go back to CPW and beg for your job back just so you can get a match with him? Because that's the last thing I want. I want you to do the right thing. Tell the police. Save other people from this guy."
"I'm not going to do that..."
"Why not?"
"Because I made him like that! Don't you get it by now? He would be a completely different person if I hadn't done what I did... And the second time our life paths crossed... I fucked him over again. And then I track him down with some insane idea of taking over a company from inside the ring. I find him in some hospital, locked up, straight jacket and all... And I got him out of there, I gave him his life back... And then..."
He trails off. Ashley couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"He was in there for a reason, Chris. I'm sorry you feel like you're responsible for who he is today, but you know that's not true. He was like this before all of that."
"No, no he wasn't. He did have a twisted side, but nothing like what he turned into after what I did. I just... I just want to forget about it all and get out of this hospital and get far away from Boston. Just... put it all behind me."
Ashley shakes her head, letting out a sigh.
"You can't keep running from things, Chris. This is one thing that you just have to go with. Say we move from Boston, go back to L.A. What's to stop him from making another visit to us if he finds out?"
Stone shakes his head.
"He won't."
Ashley lets out a surprised laugh, sitting up.
"Are you kidding me? And what makes you say that?"
"Because he got what he always wanted. His revenge. I deserved what happened. Now it's time to put it behind us and move on."
"A year of your life, our life, is gone."
"I get cleared in two days. I'm getting out of this hospital and going home with you. We get to pick up where we left off. And there isn't anything John can do about it. I'm going to do the right thing. But it isn't going to involve the police. But it will involve CPW one more time."
Ashley's eyes instantly widen and she jumps up, sitting on the bed close to him.
"No, no, no, you can't do that. Please don't do that. I can't take that anymore."
Chris smiles, brushing her hair over her shoulder.
"Relax. It's not going to involve a match either. I'm going to make a phone call when I get home. And I'm going to take care of this my way. CPW, John, even everyone in the back. I'm going to settle everything. I'm going to put all of them behind us and we're going to get away from Boston after that. I'm just going to need your support."
"What are you going to do?"
He smiles, pulling her close.
"I'm going to get us on the path to the rest of our lives."