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A cold knot of fear gripped Adam as he entered the medical facility. His heart was racing at about quadruple time as he made his way to the front desk.
"I'm here to visit a friend, Amy Dumas... She's scheduled to have neck surgery with Dr. Youngblood."
The woman flipped through a notebook, then nodded and gave him a room number and directions to the proper elevators.
The tall blond man ran a hand through his hair as he took long strides to the elevator bank. He'd spoken to Jeff earlier and had planned to meet him in the waiting room of the neurology unit at the hospital.
Amy's surgery was scheduled to take place later today. Adam couldn't believe what had happened to her - well, not that it had occurred on the set of the television show, at least. One would think if such a thing were to happen to a wrestler, it would take place in the *ring*.
He was lucky to have gotten a bit of time off to be with the redhead. Vince McMahon could certainly be an asshole, but the man had been nice enough to allow him a couple of days off just to see Amy. And for that, the blond man was thankful.
"Jeff!" Upon leaving the elevator, Adam immediately spotted the rainbow-haired man sitting in the waiting room. He was right there, exactly as promised.
"Hey, Adam," he replied as he stood up and started towards the Canadian. The blond man blinked in confusion at the apparent calmness of his friend. He would have thought, given the circumstances, Jeff would be a nervous wreck - much like himself.
"Where is she?"
"Easy, man," Jeff said, gesturing with both hands as though to calm the taller man down. "She's in her room. I'll take you to her."
Adam followed the younger man down a hallway, and it seemed as though they'd walked about a mile until Jeff finally made a right turn into a room.
From behind the other man, Adam could see her. She wasn't in the hospital bed but sitting in a chair up by the window, gazing out. She was, however, already clad in a hospital issue gown, but that didn't matter a damn to the blond man. What did was that, although he could see only a bit of her profile, she looked so very sad.
"Ames - visitor," Jeff said, and the redhead looked up, gingerly turning her head in their direction.
Despite the depressed expression on her face and in her eyes, the woman seemed somewhat animated as their eyes met.
"Adam?" There was a hint of surprise in her voice as she rose to meet him halfway.
"Hi," he said lamely, and forced himself to smile. As it was, he was having a difficult time keeping himself from going to pieces. He gently pulled her into a hug, terrified of coming into contact with her neck. If he put anything further out of whack or hurt her in any way, he'd never forgive himself.
The redhead held tightly to him, her eyes welling up as she glanced over at Jeff, who was still standing just beyond the doorway. The young man cleared his throat, excusing himself, and left.
Amy didn't fail to notice how very gingerly the blond man was handling her. It touched her, and she felt as though her tears were going to break free - but damn if she didn't want them to. She hated the way she was feeling - weak, and that was a trait she absolutely despised in herself. But her neck was broken. She couldn't help feeling this way.
A small sob managed to escape her, and she hated herself for it.
Adam gently pulled away just enough to gaze down into her face, concern flooding his green eyes.
"Oh, God... I... I didn't *hurt* you, did I?" he asked.
"No," she replied. "Not at all. I just hate this!" A single new tear trickled its way down her cheek, and she tasted its saltiness as it reached her lips.
"God, Ames... I..." Adam raked a hand through his long blond hair as he searched for the words to say. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."
"Yeah," she said sardonically, "so am *I*."
His heart was thumping so hard and fast in his chest, it was uncomfortable. Just thinking about it made him feel like passing out, but that was crazy. This woman was one of his best friends, and he'd never had reason to feel at all uncomfortable around her.
"I love you..."
A small but audible gasp escaped the redhead. She simply stared at him, her eyes slightly wide.
"What?"
Well, there was no going back now... Without repeating himself, Adam dipped his head, and, with the tiniest, softest pressure he could manage, he kissed the diva on the lips.