I woke up this morning with a mix of excitement and nervousness about how the day was going to play out. It was SummerSlam Day, one of the biggest events on the WWE calendar. Though I wasn't a WWE superstar, I was still a staff member who had worked closely with all the stars on the roster. Especially Triple H. Over the years, Paul has become my best friend and on occasion my therapist. Tonight, he was going up against The Rock, a great talent in his own right and Dwayne was definitely a crowd favorite. They had been building this match up for months and neither man could have been more ready than they were.
The match was one of the most heated matches I have seen in a while. Hunter and Rock went back and forth for a while on who was dominating the match. The crowd was roaring loudly in the background and were all on the edge of their seats, or at least I was. Everything was going really well, it seemed, but in a split second, all of that changed.
Dwayne had delivered the strongest spinebuster I had ever seen he had ever done. It was something that Triple H could normally come back from with no problem, but Paul wasn't getting off the mat. When the cameras got closer, I could see the look on his face was etched in nothing but pain. The referee stopped the match completely and I watched as the medical team rushed down to the ring with a backboard and gurney.
My body acted before my brain could catch up with what I was doing, and I ran down to the ring after them. It was like I was autopilot and the only thing I could focus on was getting to Paul. When I got out there to him, the medics had just placed the neck brace on him.
I followed them as they headed to the ambulance that we kept on site for moments like this, Hunter held my hand the entire way to ground himself. We stayed locked hand in hand the whole way to the hospital. I don't know who was more comforted by it, me or Paul.
I sat there in the waiting room as complete nervousness raked through me as I waited for an update on how bad the injuries to Paul's back were. When the doctor finally came out, he filled me in on everything that was going on and informed me about the road to recovery that my best friend had in store for him. She then directed me to his room.
I stood in the doorway for a moment, taking note of all the wires that he was hooked up to and how he was a ghostly shade.
"So, our Cerebral Assassin isn't as indestructible as we thought," I said as I made my way further into the room. "You really know how to scare the crap out of a girl, you know?" The relief mixed with concern was fully evident in my voice as I spoke.
Paul managed to give me a weak smile before he said, "Sorry, YNN. It was not my intention to make you worry the way I knew you probably were this whole time."
I reached out and took his hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to apologize. Thing only thing I need from you is to get better and from what I was told, the damage wasn't all that intensive. You just need to take the time to heal."
"So, I'm told," he stated with a small nod. "I was also informed that I have a great support system to go along with it."
I smiled slightly. "Oh, do you actually think I would let you recover from this without me especially knowing how stubborn you are and wouldn't follow orders to a T without me? You're funny."
"So, you're gonna play nurse now?" Paul questioned with a look of amusement written on his face.
I shook my head at his question. "Nurse? No. The best friend that is as equally as stubborn as you when it comes to helping the people she loves? Most definitely. So don't try anything, mister. It won't work in your favor. I assure you." I warned the blonde-haired man that was lying in the hospital bed in front of me.
Paul managed to let out a small painfilled laugh but just hearing that made me feel a little more at ease than I was.
Over the next few weeks, Paul went through some tough physical therapy and numerous doctor's appointments. It was slow and grueling, but he was getting through it all like the champ he was, and I was there every step of the way. Sometimes we would joke about when he returned to the ring, which helped get him through the majority of it all.
During the day I would help him with the daily tasks around his house that he was still having trouble doing. It never bothered me to help him. If it meant it was helping him recover, then it was worth it even if I was a little short to reach most of the things he or I needed. This led to being called "Shorty" or "Smurf" a lot. Which was nothing new.
One evening, as we sat out on the porch enjoying a nicely lit fire, if I do say so myself, he looked over at me with a grateful smile. "Thank you for being here for me, YNN."
"That's what friends are for. We take care of each other. Besides not many people are able to keep you in line." I said with a loving smile of my own.
"Well, I'm lucky to have someone like you who can."
Soon after that, Hunter made his return to the ring, and the Cerebral Assassin came but in full force. The look on his face before heading back out into the ring read of pure gratitude. Gratitude to his fans who cheered for him and kept him in the hope of getting back out there and doing what he loves.
I knew there would be a moment in time somewhere in the future when he might be in the same boat again. I knew there would be more times that I would need to be there to hold his hand again to ground the two of us. And just like before, I will be there every step of the way.
