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She winced as she kept her hazel gaze on the television monitor. It hurt her heart to see him like this, it really did.
Amy Dumas hurried out of her locker room and to gorilla position. She wanted to be sure to meet him out here, felt an almost mother-like concern for him. Even though he hadn't seen any action and had merely been Chris Jericho guest on The Highlight Reel, he had to be in excrutiating pain.
As she stood and watched intently, he suddenly appeared, his face contorted with effort as he used his crutches to pull himself through the curtain. A stagehand helped by holding the curtain to one side so his progress would not be impeded.
"Adam..." She raised a hand and waved at him, a small but sad smile taking residence on her face. Although just laying eyes on him sent her temperature roaring up, seeing him like *this* positively broke his heart. He was normally a vibrant, vital man who was full of life and energy, yet he was hurting due to his torn groin.
"Hey... There's my girl," Adam Copeland managed despite the obvious pain on his face. He couldn't manage much more than limping, favoring his left leg. He was glad to see her right there, standing in gorilla and waiting for him. There seemed to be this anticipation on her pretty face. She was happy to see him, despite the sadness he also detected there - sadness as to his plight.
She hurried over to him, to his side, and she walked as slowly as he needed to as they made their way back to the locker room.
"Are you okay, babe?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. It had just about broken her heart to watch him as he'd somehow made his way into the wrestling ring. Just lifting his leg to enter it must have killed him. She'd winced as he'd done it, but she'd felt her heart swelling with love for him as he'd performed what was normally the simplest of tasks, not displaying just how much pain he felt the whole time.
He nodded. "I'm okay, Ames." He turned his head to gaze at her as they reached the locker room they were sharing - ever since the previous night, they would now be sharing one. They hadn't even been a couple twenty-four hours yet, but he'd insisted on sharing with her. He loved the feeling of having her so near him, wanted to hold onto that feeling.
"I'm all through for the night," she said, relieved that she wouldn't have to partake in anymore of the Kane-Lita nonsense for the remainder of the night's RAW. "What do you say we head back to the hotel, and I'll take good care of you."
Despite the innocence he knew she meant in her words, the tall blond man stopped in his tracks, his breath catching. He *wanted* her to 'take good care of' him - in the worst possible way. She'd done just that the previous night when she'd come to his hotel room to comfort him, tell him that she loved him. They'd even tried to consummate their newly-admitted love, but to no avail - and so she had indeed taken care of him in a very beautiful and special way. Of course, that had been *before* he'd taken the time to go see a doctor, before he'd found out the problem indeed resided in his groin.
The doctor had told him to refrain from 'any physically exerting activity.' That, of course, included any sort of sexual activity that would excite him to the point of an erection... Which, in a nutshell, basically meant he couldn't even *kiss* the redhead beyond a chaste peck. She excited him *that* much. Meanwhile, all he wanted to do was throw her down on a bed and ravage her, have his way with her and pleasure her to the point that she would be screaming - screaming his name and screaming for more, and... and he needed to get hold of himself right now, or else he would be in real trouble.
"Adam? Baby, are you all right?" Amy asked, her beautiful face full of concern, her hazel eyes flooded with worry - and evident love - as she peered up at him. She touched him gently on the left arm with her small right hand, and the muscles of his tricep seemed to jump just at the feel of her touch. God, how he wanted her.
He nodded. "Yeah, it's just..." He held his tongue, hating the thoughts in his head as she hefted up both their bags for them to leave the arena.
"What?"
He kept his gaze on her, wonder filling him at her actions. She was carrying both of their luggage due to him being hurt, and she'd insisted on it. He felt lousy letting her do this. It should be *him* carrying *her* bags, being the chivalrous gentleman toward her. He longed to pamper her, show her affection such as she'd never known. He wanted to just grab her, press her up against the wall and kiss her for all she was worth. He wanted to show her just how much he loved her.
And damn it, this was not good. It was *so* not good. These mere thoughts were getting him aroused, and he winced with the pain at the slight stirrings of desire.
By now, they'd reached the rental car they were sharing. The redhead caught sight of the pained expression on his face, alarm filling her as she dropped the bags.
"Adam? Oh, God! What is it?" She was directly at his side in a flash, her small, soft hands gentle as they gripped his arm.
He shook his blond head, dismay filling him at the sudden knowledge that he simply couldn't be around her at the moment. He physically *couldn't* - she excited and aroused him way too much for him to handle right now. "Pain..." he moaned. "Pain..."
Her lovely brow furrowed with sympathy, and she felt somewhat useless, as she knew she couldn't do anything to alleviate his suffering. And how she wished she *could*. The truth was, in spite of all the pleasure she'd given him the previous night when she'd gone to his hotel room, she felt awful now - awful and guilty. If only she'd known how serious his injury was, and that it had indeed been his *groin*. She never would have done what she'd done.
"Oh, Adam... honey, I'm so sorry," she said, her eyes beginning to tear. She couldn't stand to see this normally strong, vibrant, active man so weak and hurting. "I just want to take away all your pain and make you feel good."
"Oh, God..." He winced yet again, reaching up and putting a hand out toward her, as though trying to cut off her speech. "Please... I can't-" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ames... Baby, maybe we should just go our separate ways for awhile." It broke his heart to even think of these words, and even more so to see the look on her face. She looked shocked and hurt, and as though she were two seconds away from completely breaking down.
"What?" she croaked, the lump in her throat constricting her breathing slightly. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes and threatening to overwhelm her. She searched his face, her heart breaking as it sunk in. He didn't want her around him. And it stung like hell.
Adam reached out and placed one hand on her cheek, sliding it around to the back of her surgically repaired neck and in her lush red hair. He hated seeing her looking so sad, but if he stayed near her while he was stuck with this injury, it would be the death of him. "Let's ride back to the hotel and then get separate rooms," he said softly.
The drive back to the hotel was done in relative silence, and Amy felt so uncomfortable. At the same time, however, she was holding back her tears, as she refused to allow them to fall in front of the blond man.
When they arrived at their destination, the redheaded diva held her breath as she exited the car, fearful she would be unable to hold back, and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. And who was she kidding? 'Crying' was a vast understatement. What she really felt like doing was dropping to the ground and bawling her damn eyes out, complete with the harsh, wracking sobs.
She walked around to the passenger's side door, barely able to look at the tall blond man as she assisted him out of the car. God, she loved him... Even though they'd only just decided to give it a go as of last night, she'd been in love with him forever. Because of that, the fact that it wasn't going to happen after all - she knew what it *really* meant when a man said they should go their separate ways 'for awhile' - her heart was broken, shattering in at least ten million pieces. Call her crazy, but she'd honestly thought she would spend the rest of her life with this man, have his children.
They were both silent as they entered the hotel, and she mumbled something about him taking the room they'd reserved, that she'd get a new room or share with one of the divas. He nodded at that, his face sad as he searched hers.
"Hey..." He peered directly into her face, his large hand turning her head so that she was directly facing him. She tried to avert her eyes from meeting his, and he gazed into them, forcing her to look... To not look away. She had no choice but to meet those deep emerald depths, as always. "Don't be so sad... It'll all be all right," he said.
Amy winced as she ducked, shutting her eyes tightly. She had to get out of here, had to get away from him before she *really* broke down and completely lost it. Maybe he could call Jay and get him to help him with his bag, because she didn't feel she could do it at this point.
He stared after her, when, a moment later, she pulled out of his gentle grasp and turned away. He frowned as he watched her walk away through the lobby, confusion setting in at her lack of a farewell. And why did he feel a deep piercing in his heart?
Adam shook it off, pushing his feelings to the backburner for the time being, as he had to get to his room but needed some help. He reached down for his cell phone at his beltloop and dialed the first number of one of his friends who was a fellow WWE superstar.
"Hey... yeah... Think you could lend me a hand?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The heartbroken redhead wandered aimlessly through the hallway of the second floor of the hotel, her mind reeling. She couldn't believe it. Absolutely could not believe it.
It was over... And it was over before it had even really begun. And how it was that she was still not weeping all over herself was beyond her.
She was so consumed by her misery that she didn't even realize she was about to bump into someone - until she actually *did*.
"Oh! Amy, be careful!"
She looked up at the familiar voice at Lisa Marie Varon, the raven-haired woman looking a small bit irritated until she caught sight of the redhead's face.
"Are you all right?"
That was when she lost it. She stopped in her tracks, the suitcase dropping from her hand as the sobs finally came - and overwhelmed her.
Lisa Marie stared at her friend in shock. "Oh, my God... What's wrong, honey?" The dark-haired woman reached out and pulled the redhead to her, hugging her gently. "What happened?" she asked.
Amy merely shook her head, unable to speak for the moment. She watched bitterly as the other diva bent over to retrieve her bag and grabbed her by the arm, tugging at her. "Come on," Lisa said. "We'll talk in my room."
Once they were safely inside, Amy was finally composed enough to at least speak. She sniffled miserably, wiping at her nose with the back of her hand. She looked up slowly, meeting her friend's eyes. "Lisa, do you think... Well, can I stay here with you tonight?"
"Of course, sweetie. But what happened?" she inquired, narrowing her dark brown eyes as she sat down on the edge of the bed beside the other woman.
The sorrowful redhead shook her head. "It's... it's over." The raven-haired woman's eyes widened in shock, but she didn't say a word and instead allowed Amy to continue. "He wants us to go our separate ways for awhile," she said. "And I know what that *really* means."
"Oh, honey... You think he meant it as a breakup?"
Amy nodded. "What else can he mean?" She felt more tears forming, and they slowly trickled down her cheeks as she held onto the vision of the tall blond man's face in her mind. How was she going to go on? She loved him. Maybe it was crazy of her to feel so terribly when they'd only just gotten together a mere twenty-four hours earlier, but... that was how deeply she felt for him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Damn it, I am such an idiot..." Adam muttered, raking his hand through his long hair. It had been two hours since he'd returned to the hotel and Amy had walked away from him. He shook his head as he recalled the expression on the redhead's face from earlier that night. He'd definitely made a mistake.
"Well, Junior, you don't have to tell me twice," Chris Jericho remarked, the wisecracking blond man delivering a smirk to his friend. "How could you stand to be apart from that woman for any length of time?"
"That's just the thing," the taller man said as he gingerly stretched his long legs out on the bed upon which he was sitting. "I *can't*. But you don't get it, man... when I'm around her, I just..."
Chris let out a chuckle. "I know, I know... Spare me the gory details." He rose from the chair across the room in which he'd been sitting for the last half-hour. "You're really something... From everything you told me, her reaction and everything, I get the impression she thinks you dumped her."
"You really think that?" Adam asked thoughtfully. Damn it, he really *was* a dope.
Jericho nodded. "Sounds like it."
"Well, shit... I'm just gonna have to call her up and set things right, then."
The smaller blond man smirked again as he headed for the door. "You do that, buddy. Just don't get too carried away, or you may never *walk* again." He chased his words down with a chuckle.
Adam smirked himself as he watched his good friend leave, and he reached out with his left hand for the cell phone he'd placed on the nightstand. He supposed Chris was right, though - as ridiculous as that seemed. Damn it, he was crazy about Amy! He would never get rid of her, and especially after they'd finally hooked up. He should have elaborated that he just need to stay away from her until he recovered from his injury, since the doctor had told him he couldn't get excited.
"Hey, baby, it's me..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She crossed her arms over her chest, her heart pounding too fast as she waited. And then, he opened the door, his tall form supported by the crutches as he stared out at her.
"Hey... Get in here." His handsome face wore a small smile, and somehow, there seemed to be a slight sadness in his emerald eyes.
Amy walked inside, and she desperately hoped she would not break down yet again. It was bad enough that she'd been crying for the better part of an hour. She had to look a mess, her eyes red at the very least.
The blond man hobbled past her to the queen-sized bed, where he gingerly positioned his long body, grimacing as he tried to get comfortable. She, meanwhile, merely stood still as a stone in front of him, her gaze drifting from him to nowhere in particular.
"Ames... Sweetheart, sit. We need to have a talk." He patted the side of the bed near him, and she nearly flinched.
Although she obeyed and sat down next to him, he got the distinct feeling she really didn't want to be there. His heartstrings tugged as he looked up into her sad face. Chris was right - he *knew* he was.
"Honey, there's been a misunderstanding," Adam said softly, reaching out and placing the palm of his hand flat against her soft, silky cheek. She was forced to turn her head and look directly into his eyes. "I'm sorry for that. I should have explained..."
"No... No, Adam, you don't have-" She shook her head and he placed a finger against his lips and then on hers, silencing her.
"Shh... hear me out, beautiful..." She sat there silently, still sad, and merely eyed him. "When I said we should go our separate ways for awhile, I only meant that... Well..." He chuckled a little at the sheer humiliation of it all. "Here's the thing... The doctor told me I couldn't get... excited while I've got this injury."
The redhead still didn't speak, but she arched one eyebrow in recognition and surprise.
"Baby, every time I'm near you, I start thinking about everything I want to do with you - and *to* you when I'm better. And every time *that* happens..."
"Oh, Adam... You don't mean-" Her jaw dropped.
The blond man nodded. "Yeah, that's *exactly* what I mean. You can't even imagine how crazy this is making me - the doctor's orders and what I *want* are pulling me in opposite directions and... and I just want to throw you down on this bed right now and tear off all your clothes and just go wild on you." And with his last four words, he winced in agony.
"Oh, baby," she said, reaching out to place her hand against his arm. "I wanted to take care of you, but if I make you - hurt - I should go." She started to rise, but he reached out to take hold of her wrist.
"Don't go... I love you, Amy."
She felt a tiny smile curl her lips as she gazed down at him, his green eyes so full of love for her. A delicious chill raced up her spine as she read it. He really did love her.
"Love you, too, Adam. But I don't want to hurt you in any way, and I want you to heal up... because guess what?"
The blond man stared up at her, one brow arched in anticipation. Damn, she was beautiful.
"I'm gonna hold you to what you said when you're over this injury."
Despite his pain, he couldn't help but chuckle. He turned her hand over and placed a tender kiss in the middle of her palm before she blew him a kiss and left.
Adam was still smiling ten minutes after she'd gone. He couldn't wait until he was better.
// End \\