February 10, 2014
San Diego, California
Thornton Hospital
“Stand back!!”
“Stephen please move!”
“We need you to stand back ma’am!!!”
“Stephen!!”
Who was that calling me? In fact, why wasn’t I moving? It felt like I was being strained or something. Everything’s a blur, nothing makes sense right now. Why are there so many lights in my face. My head hurts, what the Hell happened? Huh, it’s dark again, maybe I’m asleep? Could have sworn I was in a ring...what the fu--there’s light. I blink a few times, look around for a moment and realize I’m in a hospital after hearing that steady beep from a heart monitor. After a few moments I looked to see someone beside me, a beautiful woman, if I could only make out her face. Tears were running down her cheek as she sat there in a daze, glaring into space, curled up into her seat. Her eyes looked to me, her mouth opened with surprise as she realized I was finally awake.
Victoria: Stephen….
She had a smile on her face, a small one, but it was pretty clear to me she had been crying for awhile. She pulled her seat up to me and then gave me a small kiss on the lips stroking my cheek as she looked me over.
Victoria: Hey there.
I blink a few more times and looked around, the drugs they gave me still had me in a drowsy state. I cleared my throat and looked at Victoria.
Steve Lenton: What happened?
Victoria: Oh, uhm, you had...a little scare, that’s all.
Steve Lenton: ….
I felt on my head a bit, there was this dense, swollen pain. I winced and Victoria held my hands in her’s looking at me.
Victoria: It’s still a bit too early to move like that. Keep still love, okay?
I laid there, staring up, trying to piece together what happened to me.
Steve Lenton: ...Where’s Wulf?
Victoria: He was here earlier, talked for a bit, was a little angry about the situation y’know?
Steve Lenton: What situation?
Victoria: …
She clears her throat gently and leans in slightly to look over me.
Victoria: The doctors say you have a severe concussion and a linear fracture. You took a blunt force shot to the head from Ryuji, and...you were carted off here in this hospital. And...I’ve been watching you for approximately…
She checks her wrist watch.
Victoria: Four hours now. Truly amazing that you’re awake right now, so...I’d say to get some sleep. You need it, Jon said you could take as much time off as you need.
Steve Lenton: I can’t...DO that.
Victoria: What do you mean?
Steve Lenton: Ryuji, I can’t just sit here and let Ryuji get away with what the Hell he’s done to me.
Victoria: That’s well and good Stephen...but right now you rest, then you kill the bloody bastard.
Steve Lenton: I need to get up, I need--
I try to get up, but when I sit up my neck and head hurt, everything in the room is spinning. She places a hand on my chest and pushes me back down.
Victoria: No, alright, no...Stephen. You are hurt, and if you try and force yourself to go back to early who knows what will happen to you next.
Steve Lenton: He is not--
Victoria: HE...isn’t going anywhere, you are still alive, and you are going to stay here until you are fixed up nice and tidy.
Steve Lenton: But--
Victoria shuts me up with another kiss, she looks at me with those big colorful eyes and strokes my cheek.
Victoria: Be patient.
I just couldn't sit here and do nothing. What did she want me to do? I had to get back there, the others were depending on me. Gods and Monsters were trying to turn EXODUS into Hell on earth. They needed me...they needed my help or else they--I didn't want to think about it. Victoria pressed her hand against my chest and began to lay me down. I gave a sigh and looked at her.
Victoria: Why don't you get some more sleep. For please lovely...
I was hesitant, but I couldn't say no to her. I closed my eyes and laid there, she sighed lightly and went back to her seat where she sat and watched me.
A week later.
San Diego, California.
Sitting in a bed is Hell. Nothing to do, just rest and watch ESPN jerk off to Lebron James every 24 hours. Yeah this week was going over great. At least I had Victoria by my side. She kept watching me like a damn hawk. I couldn't lift, I couldn't walk two feet without her asking me where I was going. She made it her mission to make sure that I was going to heal, and I couldn't blame her. Me being the idiot I am I would try and move around as much as possible. It might be in my genetics, but I get edgy when I'm not doing something. I moved to the couch and laid there, the T.V. was on and I just sat and watched. Victoria came in with my medicine and some food for me to eat.
Victoria: ♪Here we go.♪
She placed it down in front of me, I sat up and looked it over. Soup, more soup. What I wouldn't do for a burger right about now. I sat there playing around with my lunch. Victoria watched me, blinking slightly at my silence.
Victoria: Something the matter?
Steve Lenton: ...Can't I got for...like a run or something?
Victoria: Darling.
She gave me a big smile.
Victoria: Absolutely not.
I let out a groan and flop backwards, Victoria just sighs and sits closer to me.
Victoria: Stephen you and I both know you aren't in any condition to do anything that will put stress on your body. Now the doctors said--
Victoria and Steve in unison: You suffered a grade three concussion, and any attempts of working out or wrestling would be a severely bad choice.
Steve Lenton: Yeah...I got it...but I'm fine y'know. Look, I'm moving, I feel great, I mean...I can't DO this. I can't even...y'know.
Victoria: Well if you're that stressed out why not pick up a hobby, like...reading or...maybe...writing OR if you're a good little boy we can have a nice quiet movie night. You mean, and horribly bad zombie movies...
I was silent for a moment. Victoria frowned slightly, I look at her and lean forward.
Steve Lenton: Tori...I...got to get back. This? This is what they want, and I cannot...let them win.
Victoria: That is why you have friends, okay? That is why Wulf is going to handle the situation and you rest. Now do you trust Wulf?
Steve Lenton: Yes.
Victoria: Do you trust me, Stephen?
I nod my head and look at her.
Steve Lenton: Yeah.
She smirked, leaning her head so it rests on her right hand softly.
Victoria: Then there's nothing else to talk about. Now...I'm going to go run to the store and pick up some ice cream. We are going to have this movie night and I will not hear another word of it.
Steve Lenton: Alright, alright, then can you pick me up something solid to eat? They gave me a conccussion, I didn't lose the ability to eat.
She rolls her eyes and giggles, she grabs her bag and leaves. Me? I sat there, thinking, contemplating. I looked at the soup, and realized I was getting hungry. Fuck it, wouldn't hurt, plus Victoria put a lot of effort into making it. I tried to pick up my spoon, but as soon as I did the room began to spin. There was a ringing sound that wouldn't stop and my entire head felt numb. My vision blurred and soon I felt like this entire place got smaller. I decided to lay down on the couch and closed my eyes. Ryuji did this to me...no...not just him...Gods and Monsters. This entire war they wanted to wage against the company and I was a casualty. I glared up at the ceiling, feeling the air around me becoming thin. I stared at the calendar on the wall beside the T.V. and had a stern glare. I needed a month...I needed a month and then I would get back. Ryuji and the rest of those bastards thought they had me down.
They were going to get a BIG surprise.
Present Day.
Thornton Hospital
Doctor: Everything seems to be clear. How do you feel?
Steve Lenton: Good, real good.
Doctor: Any headaches? Nausea?
Steve Lenton: Everything's good, the lady's been looking after me, so I haven't been able to do much of anything but sleep and eat. Not such a bad little vacation if I do say so myself.
The doctor chuckled some and wrote inside of his folder. He looked beside me, where Victoria sat with a small smile.
Doctor: Well I'm glad you've been taking care of him. He seems to have made good progress and his X-rays show that everything's in the green. I say you can go back to your job without a problem just--
Steve Lenton: Avoid any nasty blows to the head.
Doctor: You have to be careful, this is your second concussion. Now, you're still a pretty young human being, and your recovery time was a example of that; But you aren't superhuman, and I'd advise if you can to be careful of anything that might be hazardous to your health. Another blunt force blow like what you received last month could and will have a lasting effect on you. We don't want a man like you having dementia at your age, okay?
I looked at him, he was being straightforward with me. I glanced at Victoria and then back at the doctor, giving him a small nod of the head.
Steve Lenton: Okay.
Doctor: Alright, just in case of any headaches I'd advise aspirin. Good luck Mr. Lenton, and it was nice seeing you again Miss Reid.
Victoria: Likewise.
We shook hands and he gave us a minute inside of the room. I sat there for a moment, realizing what Ryuji had done to me--what he COULD do to me. Anything else like what happened last month and I'd become a vegetable. That was some serious pressure considering how much time I had put into wrestling. I wouldn't walk away from it so easily, no one could pull me from it unless I was hurt badly or if I couldn't take it anymore. Victoria placed a hand on my shoulder and rubbed it gently.
Victoria: Talk...
Steve Lenton: There is A LOT riding on this match...
Victoria: Mmm, yes...yes there is. Your health, WULF'S health...the company. Do you think you'll be able to go through with it?
Steve Lenton: ...
I stare forward, focused, Victoria felt on the back of my neck and kissed behind my ear.
Victoria: Kick his bloody ass for me.
Steve Lenton: Consider it done...
I clenched my fists tightly and thought about what I was going to do when I got in the same ring with DESTROY ALL HUMANS. I thought about the reaction the crowd would give me when I finally got back in action. Everything was riding on this match. One victory for us meant a major blow to G&M. We were going to tear down their foundation and let them see how strong we as a group truly were. You don't take out a EXODUS Sekigun without getting through the rest, and me and Wulf are the giant wall that WILL not crumble.
Believe That.
TEXT SUBJECT: “READY?”
FROM: brownskinassassin
"I'm dying to get back in that ring dude. You just don't know how it feels to get my hands on these clowns. You ready to get down and dirty again?"
Reply from "THE BIG BAD WULF".
Steve my humongous friend, I wouldn't ask for anything less. Let's take it to'em.
Steve Lenton: Wanna know what sucks? I don't remember what happened to me. I remember getting visits from doctors and friends telling me to get well soon, and it's all a blur to me. The throbbing headaches the feeling of being defenseless. I guess Ryuji and Emi did their job, they showed that they can take me out whenever they damn well please. Well there's one thing however one SIMPLE thing about that: THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE IT IN FEBRUARY!!!! BECAUSE THE BIG L IS STANDING HERE LOOKING YOU DEAD IN YOUR EYES AND TELLIN' YOU, I'M STILL HERE. Because damn, DAMN it's going to feel good when I get my hands on you both. DAMN it's going to be ELECTRIFYING when I step between those ropes, and lay down an ass kicking so hard it could move MOUNTAINS.
You think I'm going to give up because you tried to put me down?! Guess again, because as far as I'm concerned you just made me STRONGER. That hunger I had to take you out?! That FEELING I got when you tried to take my LIFE away from me, that PUSHED me and it's going to PUSH me again when me and Wulf take you both out and show you WHY we're the tag champs!!! So lace those boots up and get ready for an the beating of your LIVES!!! COUNT ON IT!!!!Wanna know what The Big L remembers when waking up to a sobbing Victoria in his face? White lights, bright white lights shinin’ in his face. He remembers being hooked up to a machine. A grade three concussion and a linear fracture healing later, I stand before you, that’s right I STAND BEFORE YOU ready to pay back a serious debt to an egg roll that calls himself Ryuji Kamigawa and his beefed up little she-beast Emi Watanabe. See The Big L would be lying if he said you didn’t hurt him. EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE saw what you did and they were worried. My mother and father were worried, my girlfriend was worried, my friends all over the wrestling world were worried, and most of all…
The fans were worried.
You tried to take something precious from me, something I worked hard for. You wanted to make a statement, well GODDAMN you made one a month back when you took a sledgehammer to my head. You made it KNOWN of what your actions were and honestly now that I know what kind of games you wanna play, I’M DAMN sure glad that this match was made, because The Big L is going to send your asses back to Monster Island where you BELONG. And I’m glad The Big Bad Wulf had my back, I’m glad he got some revenge TWICE...by makin’ that beached whale tap, and y’know what it just goes to you mess with one of us, YOU GET YOUR ASS BURNT!!! Ryuji Kamigawa likes to think of himself a gun for hire, and dammit a year back I would of agreed with most people, but you wanna know what makes him SUCK as a hitman?
He didn't FINISH the job.
When you attacked me you thought that you wouldn't see me again. Everyone on your team thought The Big L was down and out, you didn't have to worry about another body standing in front of you in your "New Age". WELL LOOK IN FRONT OF YOU NOW!!! NOW, I'm standing here, feet planted firm and my determination still burning JUST as bright as it did when I was in a ring and I'm itching for a damn fight. You wanna make an impact, you wanna make a "New Age", you want these Tag Team Championship?! COME...GET THEM!!! So Ryuji here's what I want you to do, I want you to go on a high fiber diet. Bran muffins; Corn flakes; Anything you can stuff into your porky lil' face and I want you to hold all of it inside of that belly big boy. So when the match starts The Big L can say that he KICKED YOUR SHIT IN!!! And you too Emi, you want a fight?! You want a brawl?! We're bring it to you, this Falls Count Anywhere match was something we were prayin' for. Me and Wulf got something for that ass!!!
You might have thought you had finally killed me. Better yet you probably thought I would never get back into a EXODUS ring. Let me make this perfectly clear: Don't you EVER...EVER count me out. Don't you ever think I'll give up because you want me to. Don't you EVER, EVER, EVER think that The Big L is going to stay down!! I will continue to fight with every fiber of my being for them, for the locker room, for my friends and family, and for my loving girlfriend who sat beside me and cried her damn eyes out wondering if I would ever wake up. With that much support and with that many people who have so much for love me, THAT is what gives me my strength to FIGHT. You only wish you had that, just like you only wish you could hold onto these tag team titles. Me and Wulf are going to make sure that we send you back to Magnus in a world of pain. You wanted it, well you got it...don't say we didn't WARN you.
Fade. Static. End.