"Thanks," she said softly.  "I needed that."

"Have you seen him yet?"

"No...no, I haven't.  I want to," the redhead admitted, sniffling a bit.  "I actually stopped by his locker room earlier, but he wasn't there."

"You should go out there now," Trish suggested.  "You'll definitely catch him if you go now..."

Amy nodded, knowing the petite blonde was right, as Adam's segment had just come to an end.  She reached out and squeezed her friend's hand gratefully, then, without another word, she slipped over to the door and let herself out.

*

Adam Copeland gingerly rose and stepped off the stretcher, a quick burst of depression gripping him at his situation.

Damn it... He couldn't believe he wasn't going to be able to wrestle for an entire year.  He loved wrestling - lived for it.

Although the tall blond man knew that getting injured, sometimes seriously, was obviously always a risk in such a business, he still couldn't help feeling angry - with himself.  It was just like May of last year, when he'd gotten a tear in his shoulder after executing a spear from the top turnbuckle on Kurt Angle during their cage match on SmackDown - he'd been mad as hell at himself then as well.  He'd blamed his body for giving out on him.

Damn it... He'd been so fortunate up until then, as he'd never been seriously injured before that.  But now... Now was worse - a hell of a lot worse.  Now, it was his neck.  Shit!

"Good job," Stephanie McMahon was saying, and Adam shifted his green eyes to glare at the SmackDown General Manager.

"I know how hard this has to be for you, Adam..." the brunette continued as she moved closer to him, her blue eyes filled with compassion.  The tall blond Canadian couldn't help feeling annoyed by her, at least for the moment.

"Yeah," he muttered, raking a hand through his long hair as he turned around to leave the area.

Adam's heart nearly stopped, his gaze softening as he took in the vision before him...

Amy Dumas stood a few feet away in the corridor, her left hand pressed against the wall as she gazed upon him.  The redhead's face looked sad, and the blond man could swear she'd been crying - and very recently, by the looks of it.  And then, as he took a couple of steps closer, his suspicions were confirmed - her lovely hazel eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot.

"Amy...Hi," he finally managed to say, so startled to see her right there, and like this.  She looked as though she'd just lost her best friend - or seen her best friend die.  Adam couldn't bear that emotion in her.  Without a word, he moved even closer until he pulled her in his embrace, hugging her tightly against him.

Amy hugged him back just as tightly, her arms around his waist.  She seemed to cling to him as though her life depended on it, then, when they parted, she gazed up into his eyes.

"H-hi," she finally said, and the Canadian could see how desperately she was trying to smile - and he knew it was for his benefit.  She bit her lip, her gaze falling somewhat lower, and the blond man realized she was staring at his neck.  Oh, God...

His heart positively ached at the expression on her face.  He didn't want her to feel like this... That was why he'd never told her anything about his injury - he knew she would worry.

The expression on her face and the look in her eyes tore him up inside with their tragedy.  Damn it... He probably had her feeling even worse because he hadn't told her what was going on - and if anyone knew and completely understood that, it was her.

The tall blond man blinked, not really knowing how to begin as he continued to gaze down into the diva's beautiful but sad face.

The truth was, he was still in love with her.  He'd never told her so, but it was true.  He'd never stopped loving her, not even when he'd been furious at her for ending their relationship and giving up on him - on them.  She'd already been far too deeply embedded in his heart for so long a time by then for him not to continue loving her... And it crushed him each and ever day.

Each and ever time he saw, heard or thought about her was difficult.  Adam remembered how very surprised he'd been when he'd first seen her alongside Jonathan Coachman, hosting Sunday Night Heat.  It had been the last thing he'd ever expected.  It had taken his breath away to see her sitting beside Coach, her long red hair cascading around her shoulders, some wispy streaks of golden blond now adorning the very front of her lovely tresses.

"Adam?" the redhead said in a soft, almost plaintive tone.  She reached out slowly, as though unsure of touching him despite the embrace they'd shared moments before.

The tall blond came back to his senses, his reverie forgotten as he focused his gaze on her hazel eyes - which were still flooded with concern.

"Why didn't..."  She bit her lip, her gaze wavering for a beat as she struggled to control her emotions.  "Why didn't you tell me?"

Adam sighed and raked his hand through his long hair, glancing away quickly.  Then, forcing himself to meet her eyes, he reached out for her hand, grasping it tightly in his own.

"What do you say we get out of here?" he suggested softly.  "Obviously, I'm no longer needed here tonight...and, since Heat is long over, I assume you aren't, either..."

She shook her head, telling him she wasn't needed for anything in the pay-per-view.

"Okay," Adam said.  "Come on...I'll explain back at the hotel..."