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*March 13, 2003*

Adam felt more than frustrated as he raised the water bottle to his lips. It was no easy feat to drink from it with the unforgiving neck brace he wore. Damn it, he should have gotten one of those bigger bottles with the sports tops... At the rate this was going, he was going to need a damn straw - like he was a little kid!

Amy glanced at him, fully aware of his frustration as he let out a sigh. The poor guy - but she knew exactly how he felt. And, seeing as Dr. Youngblood had been right in calling the tall blond man 'stubborn,' it was typical... Typical, but not surprising when she really thought about it. Men could be extremely silly at times, not asking for help even when they knew they *needed* it.

She braked for a red light and turned toward him.

"Need a hand?" she asked gently. Smiling, she grabbed hold of the water bottle and tilted it back just slightly at his lips. The Canadian kept his head straight - though he couldn't move it or his neck as it was with the brace - and managed a few quick swallows.

"We should've grabbed you a straw," the redhead remarked.

Adam rolled his eyes, knowing full well she was right. Even more frustrating for the moment was the fact that he couldn't speak worth a damn. Due to the procedure with Youngblood moving his throat three inches over, he had a case of laryngitis. Unlike the day of the surgery, now he couldn't even so much as whisper. He would have to communicate with Amy in some other way. She'd suggested getting some notepads and having him write everything that she couldn't lip-read him say.

"Don't worry, sweetie - we're almost home," the redhead said. Truth be told, she was exhausted. They'd just flown back from Atlanta. Adam had been required to stay at the hospital for three days for observation. He'd been quite the handful while he'd been there, too. As he'd commented to her, he'd been determined to break the records she and Chris Benoit had made after their surgeries. she herself had managed to climb one-hundred flights of stairs, and she knew the Crippler had done the same. However, Adam had managed to up them both and climb one-hundred and sixty!

He was really amazing. She found herself getting somewhat teary as she gazed at him again as they were stopped for another red light. But she knew he didn't want her to cry. She hoped she could hold back, at least until they returned home and she could retreat to the bathroom or another room to do it not in front of him.

Moments later, they were at the house. Amy hurried out of the car to retrieve the Canadian's and her own bags. He'd protested with hand gestures earlier, when they'd left for the short flight back to Florida, but she'd refused to listen. He wasn't supposed to lift anything heavier than a pound or two for the next few months. And although their bags weren't heavy by any means, she refused to allow him to carry them.

Adam eyed the redhead somberly as they walked up to the house, his head spinning from the entire ordeal. He'd hated the hospital food and hated the airline food even more. It had been a struggle to eat, thanks to the neck brace. He couldn't lift much of anything heavier than a pencil, it seemed, and he couldn't do really *anything*, especially over the course of the next six weeks. He couldn't remove his hard neck brace except to take a shower. He couldn't even make love to his girlfriend in all that time and knew he would be getting very well reacquainted with his hand because of it. Everything was all so frustrating... All of that, and he couldn't even shout and yell and scream about *how* frustrating it was because he had no freakin' voice!

At the door, Amy had to expertly balance her bag so that she could unlock the door. It wasn't exactly the easiest of feats, either. The dogs were barking inside, she was tired, and she felt a headache coming on. At the corner of her eye, she noticed her boyfriend put out his hand, but she ignored him.

Damn it... But then, he tapped her arm lightly, grabbing her attention as he mimicked the usage of a key.

Weakly, Amy smiled and gratefully handed the tall blond man the set of keys. He couldn't really stoop over because of the brace, but he knew his keys, and in seconds, he had the front door unlocked and open. He stepped aside, gesturing to the redhead and mouthing 'ladies first,' then followed her in. Luger and Branny were happy to see them, their tails wagging furiously. Amy set down the bags as Adam shut the door.

He stood there for a beat, eyeing the living room. This would be his *bedroom* for the next six long, *lonely* weeks... Dr. Youngblood had explained that he would have to sleep sitting up at all times until the hard collar came off - pillows propped all around him to prevent him from rolling over. Eyeing the couch, he didn't see how that would be possible. He sighed at the prospect. Well... Not that it had been any picnic at the hospital the last three days, but at least now he was home.

"Aww, don't just stand there," the redhead said, concern all over her lovely face. She came forward, and he pulled her into his arms, startling her somewhat in the process. She settled against him, her eyes closing. God, was she stressed out. She could only imagine how *he* was feeling - and she thought she knew. She clung to him, her arms tightening around his waist.

Adam held her tightly in his embrace, his chin brushing against her soft red hair. Damn his voice for leaving him. He wanted in the worst way to tell her he loved her.