“What in the hell is wrong with him?”

Rachel Calvin demanded this question as she slammed her hands on the table, glaring at the man in the white coat who had the nerve to call himself a ‘doctor’. Her husband Brian had checked into the hospital that morning, complaining about the knee that he had injured in the previous night’s match against Chance. He hadn’t seemed too bothered by the injury that night, but the next day he had complained of severe stiffness and swelling, so Rachel had driven him in around ten thirty to get a quick check up.

It was one o’ clock, and Rachel’s patience was beginning to wear thin. She didn’t know what to think – was the injury more serious then Brian had been telling her? Was this another potential career ender, like the one that Brian had just fully recovered from seven months ago?
Doctor Cameron had certainly realized the tension mounting, as Rachel Calvin definitely didn’t look like someone who would slap a table and curse at a doctor in a normal situation, so he tried to do his best to cool her down. “We ran through the normal scans, Mrs. Calvin, and your husband doesn’t have anything more serious then a sprained knee – and please, don’t misunderstand me – it’s a very minor sprain at that. A week or so to rest it and he should be just fine.”

Rachel shook her head, still not satisfied. “But he’s booked for a match this week, against Leviathan. What is he supposed to do?”

The doctor shrugged. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. If he just calls in sick, I’m sure that your husband’s boss won’t have a problem with --”

Doctor Cameron had continued to talk, but it was at this point that Rachel stopped listening altogether. She had been watching Meltdown last week, and she had seen Leviathan take out Mark Harrington, the owner of the World Wrestling Alliance, and carry him to the back over his shoulder. She had seen Matt Warr’s face, laughing and watching it all with a big smile on his spoiled little sellout face. The WWA was going through a power struggle like she had never seen before, and the new management wasn’t exactly ‘friendly’ towards its employees.

There was no way that Matt Warr was going to allow Brian to get out of that match. If he didn’t wrestle, he would be stripped of his title, and it would be given to Harley’s right hand man, Leviathan. And although that’s what Rachel would have rather seen happen rather then letting her husband risk a greater injury to his health, she knew Brian’s pride wouldn’t allow him to just sit back and allow Matt Warr to strip him of the title because of a no-show. Brian didn’t have too many options.

A thought suddenly sprung into her mind. “Doctor, if you said the knee injury was a minor one, why is my husband still being kept in the back? It’s been nearly four hours.” She crossed her arms, looking worried once again.

Doctor Cameron took a deep breath, and then his shoulders came up into a shrug. “I don’t really know, Mrs. Calvin. That’s why I came out here to speak with you. Your husband seems to be in a bit of a… well, in a bit of a state of depression, really. He doesn’t want to leave the room.”

What? Rachel’s mouth dropped a little bit. This was something she had never heard of before. Why would Brian not want to leave the hospitals, he hated hospitals.

“Do you mind if I go speak to him, doctor?”

He nodded. “Yes, please. I don’t mean to sound rude or insensitive, but we have a lot of patients in line and we are going to need that room sooner or later. If you could convince him to leave, that would be best for all of us, I think. Right this way.”

Doctor Cameron lead Rachel into the back, weaving through the halls quickly as he whistled a little tune to himself. Soon they came to Room 14, which is the door. Doctor Cameron stopped in front of. The door was closed.

“He’s right in here, Mrs. Calvin. I’ll let you head in by yourself, I’m sure you can talk to him better then I could. He’s already signed the checkout papers, so you can leave whenever you want. I’ll check back in ten minutes or so, all right?” He looked anxious to get going.

“Sure, doctor.” Rachel smiled as the doctor strode away, and then let herself in to Room 14.

Brian was sitting on the examination table, his shoulders slumped and his head down. Rachel knocked on the inside of the door, trying to get his attention, but he kept his head down.

“Brian, it’s Rachel! What are you still doing here?” She made her best effort not to be overly cross; it was obvious that he had been doing some thinking and wasn’t in the best of moods.

“I’m hurt.” His tone was one of depression and sadness, and he kept his head down, not bothering to look up at his wife.

“The doctor said it was only a sprain, Brian. A couple of days of rest and you’ll be good as new.” She tried to sound positive.

“I have a match this Monday.” Again he sounded saddened.

“I know. The doctor said that maybe if you told the WWA you were still injur --”

“You know as well as I do that that isn’t going to happen, Rachel. I’m gong to have to wrestle Leviathan on Meltdown, whether I like it or not.”
Rachel paused, puzzled. If Brian already had accepted this fate, then what was there to be depressed about?

“Brian, look at me. What’s wrong?” She stepped closer to Brian, placing her hand on his shoulder. Finally he looked up, and his eyes looked dead, lifeless.

“The reverential awe of destruction awaits you.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I’m no better then him.”

“Who?”

“LEVIATHAN!” He got to his feet quickly, glaring at Rachel, and she saw for the first time how red and puffed his eyes were. He must not have slept the entire night last night. “He said that this week on insider, ‘The reverential awe of destruction awaits you…’ Don’t you see, Rachel? He’s right, I’m no better then him…”

She looked worried. “Brian, why? Why would you think that? Of course you’re better then him, he’s nothing – he cares for nothing. Leviathan is just some big tool for Harley, a pawn to do his bidding, a lifeless beast without a heart --”

“AND WHAT AM I, THEN?” He yelled, throwing his hands up. “Look at me, Rachel. Look what I did last week! I smashed Grunge’s face with a chair, an ’effing CHAIR. When was the last time you ever saw me hit anyone with a chair, Rachel?”

She tried to think, but really couldn’t remember so quick –

“Exactly! And that’s exactly why I don’t do things like that, Rachel… I hit the man that had come down to the ring to help me. Instead of keeping my head, I lost control… And in the process I hurt someone who had been on my side. I did Chance’s bidding for him… I was a tool… So, how am I better then Leviathan?” He looked at her pointedly, but she was much too flustered to think of anything to say. The only thing she could manage was to gape, open-mouthed.

He picked up his coat, slipping it on. “I’ve got to find a way to apologize to Grunge. We aren’t supposed to be enemies… we have to come together! To stop the bastards of the company, like Chance, Harley, and… and Leviathan. I may have taken a step in the wrong direction, but there’s still time to make amends. Come on, Rachel.”

He stormed out of the door, his wife trying to keep up behind him.

You have a title he wants and he has sent me to do the job.

That’s what you face Brian, the rolling thunder.

The oncoming storm.

---

‘I will face the storm, defeat the storm.’

---

Brace yourself for there will be impact and there will be a toll on your body.

---

‘I am willing to accept the pain. Pain expresses honesty. Honesty breathes forgiveness, re-gains trust.’

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I need redemption.

---

‘As do I.’

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And you will be it.

---

'And you... will be it.'