8 months later
Seth
“Seth” Hazel breathed against my lips, her tongue brushing against the opening.
My fingers slid underneath the spandex shorts she wore under her barely there skirts of her ring attire. My tongue found her neck, nipping and sucking on the exposed skin while her body molded perfectly against mine.
“Babe.” She tried again, her hands placed on my chest to create the smallest bit of distance. “It’s almost time. I have to stretch.”
I smirked, picturing all the different ways I could help her with that. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” I replied roughly against her skin.
She laughed, meeting my lips to kiss me I’m between speaking. “There’s only one thing I want more than to have you stretch me out against every surface of this locker room, and that’s to keep my title.”
“Fine.” I groaned, taking a step back to adjust my dick. “But the second we get back to the hotel room tonight, I’m going to make you pay for being a tease.”
“Counting on it.” She smirked, giving me a wink as she slid her hand down my length over my pants.
I inhaled deeply but stepped out of the room to regain some composer before going out to the ring with her. As promised, Stephanie had put Haz in a title match every two weeks since Summerslam. I’m sure she had expected her to lose the title almost immediately but by some miracle, she hadn’t.
At some point the Authority had gotten desperate and started allowing sneak attacks so the Shield stepped in the guard the ring and make sure it went off without any outside interference.
We were given the two minute warning and walked out to the entrance, Hazel kissed her belt then fist bumped the three of us before walking out to her entrance music where Paige was already waiting in the ring.
We walked out to our intro, surrounding the ring on three sides. Paige looked at us nervously but once the bell rang it was on. Hazel was focused. Her head was in it. Just like it had been time after time.
“Come on, Haz!” I yelled out, hitting the mat.
Paige hit her with a backhand to the chest. Followed by a kick to the stomach. Hazel dodged her attempt to kick her in the head causing Paige to spin around with her back towards her. That one move giving Hazel the opportunity to drop kick her into the ropes. She bounced off the ropes, springing back towards Hazel and she executed a standing back flip kick.
Paige hit the ground and Hazel got on top to get her for the count but she kicked out. Frustrated, the two went blow for blow with Hazel kicking her into a corner.
She charged towards her to hit her with a corner spear but Paige slid out of the ring at the last minute, causing Hazel to go shoulder first into the steel pole.
The scream she let out was something guttural, full of agony. It echoed through the entire stadium and everyone went silent, watching as she slide out of the ring holding her shoulder. Dean was closest to her and the two were talking as Roman and I ran over.
Announcer: Oh hot damn, if you could see what we’re seeing right now. Hazel in need of medical attention. Her shoulder is undoubtedly dislocated. Are they going to call the match?
That’s when we got a good look at her. The bone was practically protruding from her skin with her arm already turning a nasty shade of red.
“It’s starting to swell. We need pop it back in.” She told him.
“No fucking way.” I interjected. “You need medical. Call the match.”
The ref started the count and cameraman surrounded us, the image of her shoulder showing on the overhead screen eliciting gasps from the crowd.
“10!”
“NO.” She said, leaving no room for argument in her tone before she turned to Dean. “Pop it in.”
“9!”
Dean looked between us then at her with a sigh. “Alright kid. Hang onto something.”
“8!”
It wasn’t uncommon for us to hurt ourselves in the middle of a match and keep going, but to pop in a dislocated shoulder, especially by someone that wasn’t a professional, wasn’t something you saw everyday. She took my hand and I gave it a squeeze.
“7!”
Announcer: They’re doing what?! It looks like Hazel is still in this!
“6!”
Announcer 2: Uh-oh! I don’t know what they said but it looks like Dean Ambrose is about to –
Dean hit her shoulder, popping it back in. The stadium fell silent again as she screamed out, tucking her head into my neck to mask the pain.
“5!”
Announcers together: WOAH!
Announcer 1: What in the hell?! Dean Ambrose just pushed her shoulder back in place and Hazel seems ready to go!
Announcer 2: There she goes jumping back in the ring, John! That right there is the definition of a real woman’s champion.
The crowd cheered, everyone standing and chanting her name.
We watched as Hazel jumped back in the ring where Paige was waiting. The other woman had gotten a chance to regain herself and stood to her feet. The two started going blow for blow again until Hazel managed to hit her with an enziguri. Paige, while dazed, kept on her feet. Despite clutching her shoulder, she climbed to the top rope, waiting for Paige to face her before jumping into a somersault, catching Paige’s head with her legs to execute a perfect Dragonrana.
That was it.
She yelled out in pain but kept Paige pinned for the count of 3.
“That’s my fucking girl!” I yelled as the ref handed her her title belt.
She sat on her knees clutching the belt, fighting off tears. She retained the title once more. It was getting costly though. Harder and harder every time. This was Stephanie’s plan all along though. To wear her down until she have no fight left. Some matches it felt like it was working.
Matches like this one where she would get seriously injured, but she would never give the Authority the satisfaction of seeing her pain.
Every person in our line of work aimed for one thing. To be champion. Despite them all being friends. Every woman on this roster had their eyes out for her championship title. They would use these injuries against her every chance they got.
Her eyes met mine and I could see the triumph through the bloodshot glaze. She raised her title over her head with her good arm and the crowd cheered again.
Sliding out of the ring, I wrapped my arms around her tightly, careful not to hurt her but unable to hold back. She was a fucking warrior that was for sure.
We walked backstage and took her to medical where the doctor kicked me and the guys out for overcrowding the room while he examine. I leaned back against the wall hearing the groans of torment coming from the other side.
“You alright bro?” Roman asked Dean who looked slightly shaken.
Dean lifted his eyes off the ground to shake his head. “Nah, brother. That was the weirdest feeling in the world. I mean what we do is rough and people get injured but to push someone’s bone back in place? Craziest thing I’ve ever done.” He shuttered at the thought.
Roman did as well, shaking his head. “That’s taking dedication to a whole other level.”
“Well maybe if we did that we wouldn’t be on a losing streak.” I said finally speaking up.
“Maybe if you got your head out of your ass and tried to work as a team instead of single handedly trying to win everything – we’d actually succeed.” Roman replied.
“Oh really?” I stepped forward. “When was the last time any of us tried to win something together instead of one our own? You two left me high and dry to get my ass kicked last week!”
“Woah woah woah, you mean when we were fighting off two other people and you couldn’t handle yourself in the ring?” Dean said, standing taller.
Hazel
I screamed like a little bitch at the pain but the doors opened and Stephanie walked in with Hunter so I held back my tears. Seth and the guys came in behind them, coming around to stand by me. Hunter snatched the chart from the doctor’s hand, looking at it with a smirk.
He smiled, showing it to his wife. “Oh look, a dislocated shoulder too.”
“Sure is. For your safety, I think you might have to relinquish your belt and take some time off.” She said, not even trying to hide the smile on her face.
“Like hell she will!” Seth stepped forward. “She’ll be fine. These things are common.”
“I’m afraid he’s right.” The doctor spoke up. “She’ll need to get examined at the ER before she can get cleared but from what I see there isn’t any nerve damage. If she ices her shoulder and rests, she’ll be good to go in no time.”
“Alright,” Seth nodded listening to him. “I’ll help her get changed then we’ll go.”
“Ooh. No can do, You and Roman have a match tonight.” Hunter smiled, deviously.
“Forget it. Dean can take my place.” He said, standing up to him.
“No no no. This is for the tag team championship, Sethy.” Stephanie replied. “This is between you, Roman, and the Usos.”
“I’ll take her to the hospital.” Dean said.
“No way. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
“Stop.” I managed to get out. “I’m fine. I’ll go with Dean. You two go kick ass these fucking rats try to pull something.”
Despite the intense stares being exchanged around the room, Seth agreed and Stephanie and Hunter walked out.
“I don’t think it’s possible to hate anyone more than I hate them.” Seth seethed, running his fingers through my hair as I laid my head against my chest.
“I know brother. They’ll get theirs. Believe that.” Roman said, nodding his head. “We have to go get ready.”
“Go.” I whispered, kissing him back as he held onto me.
“Take good fucking care of her dude. I’m trusting you.” He pointed a warning at Dean.
“Yeah yeah. Get outta here.” Dean pushed him out of the room.
—
To my surprise, Dean could actually put his gruff macho-ness aside. He had Bayley help me get changed into my regular clothes and very gently helped me into the car where he drove like a grandma to not hit pot holes or shake me too much.
“You could go a little faster you know.” I reminded him.
“Nope, this is good. Smooth and steady so we don’t hurt you any further.” He said, turning up the radio. ” You like country in the car right? Here sing it.”
“Dean, it’s not a concussion, it’s just my arm.” I complained, closing my eyes again. ” I’ll be fine.”
He ignored me singing out loud off key, drumming his hands on the steering wheel “All I wanna do today is wear my favorite shades and get stoneddd … play a little less, fuck a little moreee… that’s what this day is forr.”
“Oh god! No! Those aren’t even the lyrics!” I laughed, turning the volume back down.
“Well how the hell would I know!” He defended with a laugh. “Come on, you don’t like my singing?”
“No!” I replied quickly.
“Fine!” He said purposely loud. “Fine, what should we talk about?”
“How are things with you three?” I asked as I turned my head to face him.
His smile faded for a second but he shrugged his shoulders. “Why do you ask?”
“Don’t act like I don’t notice the constant tension. It’s not my place to say anything but …”
The fame was great. The four of us were bigger than we’d ever imagined we’d be, but the Shield was starting to implode. The three of them disagreeing more and more. So much so that it had started to show in the ring. They had a number of outs in front of the audience. Not having each other’s backs or walking out in the middle of matches. No matter how they tried to publicly make up, the cracks in the Shield were becoming obvious.
Keeping his eyes focused on the road, he was quiet for a moment before speaking. “Something’s off with us.” He admitted. ” Roman and I haven’t seen eye to eye in months. Seth’s being a little bitch about it. We’ve just hit a rough patch man.”
I nodded in understanding. “It happens. You guys spend a lot of time together.”
“Yeah, they’re still my brothers. I love those guys. We just gotta get it together.”
Seth
We lost.
We fucking lost all cause Roman couldn’t keep from getting pinned. What kind of bullshit was that?
He knew my head wasn’t in it.
He knew all I wanted to do was get to Haz.
He said he had it.
Then he didn’t.
After changing out of my ring attire, I was ready to drive to the hospital but an assistant told me Hunter wanted to see me in his office. I wasn’t in any mood to put up with his shit but maybe a fight with him was exactly what I needed to release some tension.
I stormed down the hallway, looking at the clock posted on the wall and wondering if they’d already seen Hazel at the hospital or not. The scream she had let out echo through my head. Without knocking, I walked into his office, shutting the door behind him.
“Have a seat.” He said with a pleasant smile on his face that I wasn’t accustomed too.
“I don’t have time for this shit. What do you want?”
He stood from his desk, slowly walking around it to lean on the backs of one of his chairs, facing me. “I saw that loss out there. How many matches is that now?”
I didn’t respond.
“Aren’t you tired of losing Seth?” He spoke again. “I mean it seems to me that you’ve outgrown the Shield. You’re more talented than them. That’s obvious to see. Can you imagine the career you’d have without them dragging you down?”
Again. I didn’t respond.
I had thought about it. More and more lately.
“You’re worth more than that. Just look at all your success as an individual. Roman’s not going anywhere. Dean’s self destructive. Where does that leave you?”
“What’s this about?” I asked blatantly.
“I want you to join us, Seth. The Shield can only take you so far – your girlfriend can only take you so far – but I … I can make you a legend. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”
I stared him down, looking in his eyes before turning around and walking out the door.
“Think about it Seth!” He called out behind me.
Fuck him. Fuck that guy for even having the audacity to think I would turn my back on my brothers and Hazel. They mean everything to me. Hell. I’d been ring shopping for months trying to find the right one for her.
“Dean.” I spoke into the phone after he finally answered. “You still at the hospital? Is she alright?”
“We’re back at the hotel. They gave her some pain meds for her shoulder and she passed out. You just gotta keep her out of the gym for the next week.”
“I’ll be right there.” I said, hanging up.
The thought of her being in pain pulled at my heart more than any loss in the ring. I made it to the hotel as fast as I could, opening the door to find Dean sitting on one of the chairs watching sports center while Hazel was asleep on the bed, curled into my hoodie with her arm in a sling.
She looked just as vulnerable as she had almost year and a half ago when I found her sick in her hotel room. That was the day I knew I was in love with her. Except this time it hadn’t been me taking care of her. It was Dean.
He stood crossing the room to walk over to me. “She’s out cold. Just check on her during the night to make sure she’s not laying on it. And Doc said nausea is common with the pain meds so I put a bucket next to her head. Ice chips also helped her so I had room service bring up a bowl.” he pointed towards the mini fridge. “Not even going to ask how the match went. I’ll see you next week.”