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The last thing Jake Starr wanted, or needed for that matter, was to have one of his friends be taken by ambulance to the hospital, due to something being terribly wrong. Unfortunately, though, that is the case. As Jake was wrapping up his training session, and enjoying a moment of reflection, thinking back to everything that had happened over his lengthy tenure in Supreme Championship Wrestling, everything seemed to come crashing down around him. When Shawn received that phone call, Jake knew something wasn't right.
As Jake ran after Shawn, he quickly jumped into the car, not worrying about the traditional "routine" post work out. Jake wasn't concerned about showering, or cleaning up, his mind was set and focused on one thing, Brandon's health and well being. Weaving in and out of traffic, Shawn steams ahead toward the hospital. Jake has a firm grip on the proverbial "oh shit" handle, glad Shawn is wasting no time in getting there, but more importantly praying that his eratic driving doesn't get the two of them laid up in the emergency room, right next to Brandon. Jake knows, however, that should he have been the call, he would be the one driving like the maniac, other than Shawn. Aside from the occasional noise from Jake, showing how close he has perceived Shawn getting to cars he's steaming around, the two have sat in relative silence the entire time. Neither have been able to fathom any conversation that could possibly warrant them "discussing" in times like this. It's something they've never had to encounter, and deep down, the amount of panic that is flowing between them has them both fighting back the urge to actually shed tears. Jake is able to, finally, muster up the courage to break the silence, and try and find some answers to questions he has sitting inside his brain. Jake Starr: So... Did they tell you anything else? Shawn Wright: Honestly, all that I was told is that they found him on the floor, looking like he was in the middle of having a seizure. Then, they said they immediately called 9-1-1. That was all. Jake nods slightly.
Jake Starr: Who made the phone call to us? Shawn Wright: Roxie... I could hear Roeper and your parents in the background, though... So I assume everyone is already there. As they reach the hospital, Shawn speeds into the driveway of the emergency room and parks the car. Wasting no time, the two men each jump out of the car and run toward the entrance. As they get through the sliding glass doors, they immediately see everyone huddled together in a corner of the waiting room. Roeper sees the two dart in, and immediately jumps up. She runs to Jake, and Roxie does the same for Shawn. They immediately embrace their respective husbands, with tears still trickling down their face.
After a few moments of holding one another, Jake pulls back from Roeper and looks down at her. Jake Starr: Babe, what happened? Roeper sniffles once, before beginning.
Roeper Hart: ... I was taking Mara back to the bedroom to feed her, and then, I found Brandon lying on the floor of the hallway convulsing. I immediately screamed, and called out for your dad to come there. He came running, saw Brandon, checked on him, and then told me to call 9-1-1, so I did. It was so scary, Jake! He was so pale... So ghostly... So "not with us..." It was the most awful thing I have ever seen! Your dad, he went with Brandon, and your mom and I followed. I didn't know what to do, babe! I called Roxie, and she said she'd call Shawn, and I knew Shawn was probably with you, so I didn't bother calling, and I don't know if I should have anyway, and... I don't know... I'm just so scared! Roeper breaks down into tears again. Jake responds by grabbing her, and pulling her back toward him.
Jake Starr: It's going to be ok... I promise... Brandon is a fighter. He'll figure out a way to pull through... In the back of Jake's mind, he wonders how bad this truly is, and how likely it is that Brandon will truly recover from whatever it is that has happened to him. Curious if he's alone in this uncertainty, Jake turns his head to look over at Shawn, who glances Jake's direction with an equally worrisome look in his eyes. It tells Jake what he fears, everyone is worried this could be one of the worst moments in their lives.
Jake takes a deep breath, and resumes his role as Roeper's "rock." He gently pulls her away from his body, and looks down at her again. Jake Starr: ... You should go sit down. Also you should be proud of yourself for finding him... You're the one who is giving him a chance to fight. Roeper sniffles.
Roeper Hart: I hope you're right, Jake... I hope I wasn't too late! Jake tries to look as "comforting" as he can.
Jake Starr: If he was still moving, you weren't too late, babe... Roeper sniffles again, as a tear trickles down her cheek. She turns and walks back toward the group, and ultimately sits down next to Denise. Denise quickly wraps her arms around her daughter-in-law, as Jake looks on. Shawn encourages Roxie to follow, and she reluctantly agrees. As the women begin to huddle together, Jeff rises and walks toward Jake and Shawn, who, after their wives left for their nook, walked to the other side of the ER in order to talk more candidly about the situation. As Jeff reaches the pair, Jake is leaning on the wall, and wastes no time in inquiring about his father's thoughts.
Jake Starr: So... What're your thoughts, and what did you see? Jeff sighs.
Jeff Starr: I just heard Roeper scream, and I immediately came running. Your mom was right behind me. When I came around the corner, he was on the floor, and honestly he didn't look good at all. In all my years, that definitely didn't look like any seizure that I have seen, that's for sure. Shawn Wright: What about the paramedics? Did they give you any clues? Jeff Starr: They definitely didn't seem to be treating it like a seizure. They seemed to be pretty concerned about him possibly ingesting something he shouldn't have. Along those lines, I did see something kind of frothing out of his mouth, but it could have just been saliva, for all I know. They just seemed to have this mentality that, whatever was wrong, was relatively "common" in their line of work. My armchair physician says it wasn't some kind of freak accident, but honestly I don't know what in the hell I'm looking for. Jake Starr: Fuck... Shawn, echoing Jake's worry, begins to run his hand through his hair, from the front back.
After the brief period of chatting with Jake's father, both Jake and Shawn begin to pace around the waiting room. They do their best to try and occupy their mind with menial tasks, like reading magazines, trying to stare at the television in the room, anything, just to try and get their mind away from worrying. Instead, the two show the rest that they are just as worried and stressed as everyone else. Seeing the two like this tells Roxie and Roeper that things could, quite conceivably, be much worse than they may be trying to convey. What seems like hours pass, with nothing to go on but assumptions, when from the "Authorized Personnel Only" section of the hospital, a physician emerges. Both Jake and Shawn freeze, and notice the doctor, but aren't sure if he's coming in regard to Brandon, or another patient. They both look over toward the rest of their party, and immediately see Jake's father stand up, and begin taking a couple steps toward the man. That is their cue that this physician is, indeed, the one tending to their ailing friend. They instantly make a B-line toward the doctor, and intercept him, before he can make it to the "family" he knows was already there. Jake Starr: Is he ok? Shawn Wright: What happened? Jake Starr: What's going on back there? Shawn Wright: Can we see him? Jake Starr: Yeah, can we go back there? He'll want to know we're all here! The doctor looks at each one of them as they fire off their questions, but finally raises his hands up slowly to try and calm the pair down. Once their rapid fire questions are silenced, he immediately addresses them both.
Doctor: I am gathering that you are Shawn and Jake? The pair initially look confused at how he picked them out, but almost immediately shake it off because of more pressing matters. The both ultimately nod, as a simple symbol of their identities.
Doctor: Alright... I figure you two would be the first two who should know since, for all intents and purposes, you're as close to "legal authorities" on him as we're going to get. More importantly, there is written documentation giving you each power of attorney over him. If I didn't have any of that, I wouldn't be able to even tell you if he was here. Nevertheless, he's in the back, and he's being cared for as we speak. We're treating it as a pretty severe overdose of some kind of drug. At this point, it doesn't look to be any kind of prescription drug, although that is a very preliminary assessment... The doctor sighs.
Doctor: ... And I won't lie to either of you about this. He's in a very, very, bad place right now, but we're doing everything, and I mean everything, we can in order to treat him, and more importantly, save his life. Honestly, if it weren't for the swift actions of the rest of his "family," I can almost guarantee that he wouldn't have even made it to the emergency room. I can assure you both that we will continue to do everything in our power to save him. With that brief statement, the doctor turns to leave the waiting room, with everyone in a complete state of shock and horror. Roeper and Roxie cannot handle the stress and emotion, and both break down into tears. Denise lets a tear drop as well. The emotion also begins to weigh heavily on Jake and Shawn, who both are choked up, and fighting back the onset of crying. Trying to prevent the tears from flowing, Jake stretches out his jaw, and once the urge to sob has passed, he is able to speak again. He quickly hurries over to the doctor and whispers to him.
Jake Starr: Be frank with me doc... Does Brandon even have a chance, here? The doctor sighs again.
Doctor: ... Brandon has a chance, albeit a small one. He's damn lucky to have made it here, with as bad as he is. He's lucky to have been found. Another 5 to 10 minutes, at MOST, without any kind of medical care would have all but removed any chance of survival. Jake's head drops down. The doctor sees the dismay in Jake's eyes, and puts his hand on Jake's shoulder.
Doctor: .. Jake, you need to trust us. You need to realize that we're going to do everything in our power that we can. We're not going to stop until we have exhausted every resource that we have, in order to help and save him, I can promise you that. I will let you know once I have an update. The doctor walks past Jake, and heads back to tend to Brandon. Jake sighs, and turns back to the area where everyone is gathered. Roeper and Roxie are still crying. Jake looks up at Shawn, who is look down, and slowly shaking his head.
Shawn Wright: ... I can't believe it... I can't believe that Brandon would do that, man. How could we not have known? Jake Starr: I know, man... Obviously I screwed up as a friend somewhere. I should have seen something like this LONG before it happened. Shawn Wright: Jake, you can't blame yourself... Jake Starr: How can't I? I'm Brandon's best friend. He lives with me, it seems like! I'm the one guy who has stuck by his side through all of his insanity, both thick and thin. I should have been able to see that Brandon was having issues. I should have seen these warning signs... Roeper Hart: Jake, it's not your fault! Shawn Wright: More importantly, when he recovers, it's going to be all of our responsibilities to look out for him. We're going to have to collectively try and help him get better. This isn't something that any one of us can tackle alone. You shouldn't think that it's just your responsibility, just like none of us can. It's going to fall on us all to do our respective part, no matter how hard it is. Jeff Starr: Shawn is right, Jake... More importantly, we all have to start hoping and praying he is capable of pulling through. If he's going to get to the point where we all help him out, he's got to win the most difficult battle of his life... With that realization, that Brandon truly is in a fight for his life, everyone goes pretty much silent. They realize that if Brandon pulls through, he won't be seen in the same light anymore, either. They'll always look at him with a sense of worry. They'll always see him as on the verge of a possible relapse. It's something that, if he does indeed recover, he'll have to battle with the rest of his life.
For Jake, this tough period where he is trying to really put a serious focus on this year in his career, is now compounded by the fact he will always have the health and safety of his friend in the back of his mind. It's a tough world that he will be entering, and with everything on his plate, it's going to be a battle that tests his ability to really keep everything in perspective. If he is capable, and if Brandon is to pull through, it could help him become a stronger person, and capable of coming out on top of anything thrown at his feet. Jake Starr: Leave it to the "suits" to be the types of people to try and continue their bullshit, and continue trying to put me down. Just when I start to think that these dumbasses finally are realizing how much of a valuable commodity I am to Supreme Championship Wrestling, they find another way to put me down. I mean, c'mon... I'm the number one fucking contender for the World Championship. I am the guy who they have, basically handcuffed, making it impossible for me to defend myself, or protect myself. But in their eyes, I'm a nobody, still... I am still just another mediocre, non-financially viable, performer, who hasn't done shit in the business... I am still just someone trying to make a name for himself... I am still just a guy trying to prove I'm worthy of airtime... So I know what you're all asking yourself, right now. You're sitting there going, "where is this all coming from," and, "what could they have possibly done, to set Jake off again?" Well let me not allow you to sit there wondering, and tell you EXACTLY what they did. On the VERY FIRST episode of "The Show Formerly Known As Friday Night Ammo," or Supreme Saturday, I was booked in a match that was supposed to be the end-all, be-all, match between Dylan Howell and myself. It was supposed to be the moment that put all the talking to rest. We were supposed to go out there, put on a show, and make Supreme Saturday the crowning moment of our little "feud." With me so far? Jake turns his head, as if listening for the viewer to respond to his, obviously rhetorical, question. After a couple of beats pass, Jake returns to looking directly into the camera.
Alright, good! Well I walk into the arena, and some of the "suits" have sent their little cronies to handle some of the backstage "goings on." Now, to fill you in, that is a normal routine. These guys help make sure people are ready, when their matches start, and if they've been given airtime, they are the ones who go around and make sure they are ready to speak, when it's their turn. So that, in itself, is nothing new... But for Supreme Saturday, the way the show runs is a bit different. Some of the matches on the show happen when the cameras aren't live, and it's really to fill a smaller time slot. Well, when the card was announced, I saw some matches that I thought would be the OBVIOUS choices for the "highlights," and others that would be the real viewership draws. One, being mine. Again, don't forget... Number one contender for the top prize in the industry... This feud where one guy apparently getting all the praise, and yet has never done anything to back it up... Ok... Sounds about like a match the WORLD would want to see, right? Well when I get the news from those little pukes backstage that I'm relegated to a stupid set of "highlights," I realized that the powers that be were going to do everything they could to keep putting me down every chance they get. They want to try and get in my head, and try to make me believe that, by putting me in the same world as those people nobody even knows yet, they'll convince me that I am not good material for the World Championship. They are trying to convince the world that I only am the number one contender because of the fact I brought the fight to THEM. I didn't sit back, any longer. Quite frankly, even the fact they have actually ENDORSED the rest of the roster to attack me at will, and know I can't even PROTECT myself, shows just how big of a group of weasels they are. They want to do everything THEY can to make sure I don't have the success that I want. They want to ensure that I don't become the World Champion for a third time. They want me fucking embarrassed. That very fact is something that I am not ok with. I don't like believing that this conspiracy has been created against me, but it's the fucking truth. Why else would they say that I couldn't attack anyone, but everyone could attack me, and I would be FORCED to simply take it? How else can you explain the fact that a group could go out there, block every exit for me to simply walk away, and have one person charge in and beat the hell out of me, without me being able to defend myself? There's no logic to it, outside of payback. They are showing that they're a group of vindictive bitches, and quite frankly, I'm SO ready to go out there and do everything it takes to, not only win, but to subsequently rub it in their face EVERY CHANCE I GET! They will not be able to stop me from achieving my goal. I don't care how hopeful they are. I don't care much they think they can do to stack the deck, I am NOT going to let it get into my head. I am the one who has had to sit through all of their tricks, all of their insults, and all of their bullshit, and I have done everything necessary to not let it get the best of me. Each time they bring another challenge, I'll be there to throw it down. This will NOT be a victory for them, but will be another letdown for them to swallow. Jake snarls.
Trust me when I say that I am fucking focused to make this all happen, too. 2013 is a year where I don't let shit get past me, or opportunities pass me up. My quest to the World Championship began at, what I can promise everyone, was a stellar beginning to my year. Now, there's only one speed bump I must cross before I walk into Body, Heart and Soul, and I get my chance to do everything I have wanted to do for two years. That speed bump is the last hope for someone or something to completely screw me over, and hurt my chances or my confidence. And believe me when I say, this woman presents a tough challenge for me, going forward. Jake sucks in another deep breath of air.
Marina Trent is someone who has gotten a lot of focus from the masses recently. She's someone who was given an honor that very few ever receive, and that is the opportunity to be voted on, by her peers, to receive the opportunity to vie for the World Championship at the End of the Year Special. It was an event that I actually didn't compete in for the first time in my career, and it was because of the fact that I knew, deep down, that I needed to simply not try and force myself into the event. I knew that it wasn't a place I needed to be competing, so I just showed up, signed some autographs, and I watched... ... Hell, we all know I couldn't actually DO anything, due to the aforementioned dick-heads mentioned earlier... Anyway, she is someone that, obviously, has made a name for herself. She's going out there and proven that she's worthy of being considered one of the top competitors in this business. Receiving an honor, like being selected to receive the shot at the World Champion, isn't one to scoff at. In fact, it says a lot about how far she has come. Whether it's being associated with Shilo, or whether it's the fact she truly has proven to be one of the top rising stars in the business, I don't know. Hell, I don't even know if her and Shilo are even still together, nor do I even fucking care! Jake realizes that his lack of knowledge about the personal lives of his fellow superstars has seemingly garnered him a lot of "heat" in the past, so he wants to be sure he clears it up.
That's right people, Chuck Woolery isn't running SCW, so the love lives of the masses don't intrigue me. When we start intro'ing the show with the theme from Love Connection, and hearing if and when they may go on a second date, then I'll care! Until then, however, not so much! Good, now that we've clarified that, back to the world of relevance... I don't know what, exactly, has helped propel Marina into stardom, but it's obvious she's right there in the thick of things. She represents the future of SCW, and in doing so, represents everything that the front office wants to see in a future star. I can't say as I blame them. You look at stars like Marina, and you see someone who has been built from the ground up. She wasn't like me, and have a legacy forged in other organizations, that I brought with me. This is a home-grown star. This is something SCW can hang its hat on. They can look at her and say they "made" her a star, while guys like me, they can't. They have to accept that I made myself a star, and I did so IN SPITE of their hopes and dreams. Because of that, she is someone they wanted to throw in my way for multiple reasons. Sure, it makes a great match. Sure, it pits two of SCW's finest against one another, on the flagship show, the week before the first pay-per view of 2013. Sure it will get the crowd involved. But trust me when I say those reasons are NOT why they sent her my way... No, see their reasoning for bringing her my way is because they think she's going to be the one who takes me down. She was able to be perceived as the "next top contender" to Thiteen's championship by her peers, and when she came up a bit short, they felt they needed to try and skyrocket her back up to the top. Unlike with me, they WANT to push her. They WANT her to succeed. More importantly, they want me to fail, and they think she can be the catalyst to my final downfall. They think that if she can succeed, or simply do everything in her power to bring me down just enough to hopefully send my career down its final downward spiral. They know that Marina is hungry, now. They know she's thirsting for an opportunity to get back up to the top of the ladder, and vie for the World Championship again, so they want her to use that hunger to crush my will, and send me into Body, Heart and Soul with no momentum. But I promise you that won't happen! I will no go down! I will NOT lose! You see, nobody really fathoms how BAD I want to be the best again. Nobody can comprehend how much I obsess over it on a very REGULAR basis. It's not just a goal, it's a passion. It's a desire. It's something I tasted once, and like the drug it is, I want to consume again. It is something that people have tried their DAMNEDEST to take away from me. People have tried injuring me, blackballing me, ignoring me, putting me down, insulting me, anything they could think of, all to try and make me QUIT trying to climb the ladder, and be the best. People have wanted to see me fail more so than, I would argue, anyone else in the history of this fucking business, and you know what? That annoyance that I bring, that desire to see me fail, is what drives me to keep pushing forward. Knowing people want to see me fall short makes me want to anything and everything within my power to succeed. I want to see them eat crow. I want to see them have to accept that everything they had been clamoring for, hoping for, desiring, wanting, all of it was a waste of their time, and simply fuel to make me try harder. And believe me, Marina is fuel! See, when that list of superstars deserving of the title shot was announced, the list was long. It included pretty much every superstar on the fucking roster. Everyone who MIGHT have won a match, or gotten a LITTLE hype, was present and accounted for. All but one... Me! My name was NOWHERE to be found on that list. To be honest, I know I wouldn't have won, but I wasn't even on the fucking ballot. Yet another slam at me, from the front offices, that I do NOT appreciate. I realized how little I was thought of, to not even be included, so when Marina's name was listed opposite mine for Breakdown, I knew this was another moment for me to get fired up for this year. I knew that if they wanted to throw names like that my way, they were doing it to try and end my reign of terror, and instead would be pushing me harder and harder to succeed. I know that Thirteen will be watching. I know he's going to be wondering exactly how I will faire going into Breakdown, and especially coming out. And I know that he knows Marina could be the assist that he needs to beat me. Jake cracks his neck, as he goes on, with his conclusion.
Marina... This won't be personal, but yet, it will. You were on a list that I should have been on as well. I am not saying I should have won, I'm merely saying I was disrespected, and you weren't. I know you weren't involved, but since you won the little vote, understand that you're going to be reaping the consequences. You will be that person who has to accept responsibility for their mistakes, since I can't go and make sure they pay for it themselves. You're my opportunity to build on what I have already done, and ensure that I walk into the pay-per view with the wind at my back, and Thirteen dead in my sights. I don't care what it takes, or how much I have to push myself, the fact of the matter is you're in for a world of hurt. And while I know you won't simply walk in there, lie down, and let me win, here's a factoid you won't be able to avoid... You WILL be laid out... And I WILL win! Fin |
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