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*One Week Later*

"Stephanie, can I speak to you for a minute?"

The brunette looked up at the sound of the small, and surprisingly almost timid, female voice. She nodded, gesturing with her left hand for Amy to enter her office.

"Of course," she said gently. She fixed sympathetic blue eyes on the other woman, knowing things had to be getting to her. She and Adam had really had a rough time before as it was, but she knew things were only going to get more difficult now.

"Thanks." The redhead sat down on one of the twin chairs directly before the General Manager's desk, her hands folding in her lap. The truth was, she felt a bit nervous about talking to Stephanie. She hoped the woman would take what she had to say in a good way.

"Um..."

"Again," Stephanie said, reaching out to grasp the other woman's hand in a sympathetic gesture, "I'm so sorry about Adam's neck. I wish it hadn't gotten to this point."

"Yeah," the redhead agreed with a nod, "me too." She glanced down for a beat, then raised her gaze to meet the GM's kind blue eyes. "Stephanie, I... J.R. called me the other day. He offered me a job announcing for Sunday Night Heat for the next few months until I can return to in-ring action." She paused as she watched for any kind of reaction Stephanie might have, negative or positive. Then, "I told him I'd do it. I can't wrestle right now, and I want to be able to be there for Adam those six days a week after his surgery to nurse him back to health, and-"

"I understand," the woman said, her eyes closing briefly but opening again. Stephanie nodded. "And Amy - it's okay. I agree with your decision. And you *should* be allowed to be there for Adam during the time when he's going to need you more than ever."

The redheaded diva felt a wellspring of emotion surging inside of her.

"Thank you, Stephanie... Thank you for being so very understanding."

"No need to thank me," the brunette said. She rose from her desk, and Amy did the same. Stephanie came around to the other side and hugged the redhead. Then, pulling away, "Your last official night with SmackDown will be at No Way Out," the General Manager said. That pay-per-view originally had Adam slated to compete in a six-man tag team match with Chris Benoit and Brock Lesnar and facing Team Angle, but the tall blond man was in no shape to compete. They'd instead decided to shoot a scene where he would be found lying unconscious backstage, and carried off on a stretcher. The mere thought of it had Amy horribly choked up - but it was miles better than her boyfriend having to wrestle with his broken neck.

As she left the General Manager's office moments later and was making her way down the hall to Adam's locker room, she felt a little sad. She really hadn't minded spending the last four and a half months on the SmackDown roster. Lord knew, she would miss Dawn Marie, Rey Mysterio and Nidia horribly. But her place was with Adam, and she wanted and needed to be there with him.

Sorrow gripped her as she entered the room.

"Well?" he asked as he watched her. "How did it go?"

"Very well, actually," the redhead said on a sigh. "Stephanie is so understanding."

The tall blond man nodded.

"Yeah... I guessed she would be." He shifted his gaze down, saddened by not only his situation in itself, but also by the fact that he wouldn't be here, wouldn't be able to do what he truly loved.

Sighing, Adam edged closer to Amy, the gleam of sadness in her hazel eyes not lost on him. He gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding onto him just as securely. He rested his chin on top of her auburn head, rocking her slightly in his embrace. He thought that, if he didn't have her, he honestly didn't know how he'd be handling this right now - or if he'd even be able to hold up at all.

His surgery was scheduled for March tenth. He'd already been to see Dr. Youngblood, and Amy had accompanied him. The doctor had of course remembered the redhead. He was a very nice man who'd made Adam feel comfortable and assured him that the procedure would be a success.

They stood there and clung onto one another for long moments, each taking solace in the other's strength.