Author's note: New chapter, yeah! It's been awhile, hasn't it? I would love to thank WhiteAkusalover, PrettyRecklessx, Trishrocks, DashingsDestinty, xLightweight, Rated-R-Edgehead, Sakura Waldorf, Ainat, Lovelydoll91, and dashinginconverse for all the amazing reviews! Honestly, you guys just don't know how much it means to me knowing you enjoy my fic. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well. :)

Since he was a small child he always considered this place to be his sanctuary, long before he even knew what the word actually meant, but nonetheless more eager to find his way back here, whether he ended up grounded for life just from the urge to sneak out in the middle of the night or even flying here on his favorite bike through the pouring rain, clearly not caring enough if he caught a cold. He knew the moment he did, he'd be wrapped in a heating blanket, still reading the latest comics while munching on a bowl of popcorn, exclusively for he and the boy he declared his best friend since their first meeting at their childhood elementary school. Yes, times in the 80's, when there deemed to be nothing to worry about except who was ultimately the best Marvel superhero and who couldn't defeat the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage was the greatest decade of their young lives, but unlike almost thirty years before, there appeared to be everything and so much more to worry about now, especially after the last events that had only recently come in and shake both of their adult lives to the core.

And quite frankly, just from the emotional stress that came with the seemingly everlasting reminder that if at any time Adam's heart wanted to just give up on the artificial air pumping through his physically-incapable body, he still fought within himself to not get too attached to the past even though now, more than ever before, he wished things could go back to being so simple. But he knew under the circumstances, such would never happen again, whether he brought himself to visiting the home the little boy he always looked up to from then, onto today happened or not, it still wouldn't change the current events of today. Fortunately enough, as much as Jason didn't want to get so greatly caught up in the past, it would happen anyway, given the setting before him; the place where he could basically do no wrong while also losing himself from the rest of the world, including his annoying little sister and school: Adam's childhood home. His home.

The three-story home still breathed of the same life it had so many years before when he first set foot on the pathway leading to the house, only now looking a bit more modernized yet still pleasant to the eye since his last memories of the house at the young age of seventeen. Just as if it was yesterday, he still remembered the days when he and Adam were just barely over the age of sixteen, both of them hauling back and forth by boat between the United States and Canada in order to wrestle wherever they could, pneumonia or hypothermia the last thing on their young minds, knowing that if they played their cards right, they too would be in that very ring their childhood heroes were in. Surely enough the opportunity came through, going by faster than ever the long their years in the business went by, even moreso after Adam's retirement, but as it seemed at that very moment when the other half of E&C lie on his deathbed, the good and even came by in the blink of eye, happening all too fast in Jason's heavy mind.

The Canadian's eyes peered through the glass of his Corvette one last time at the house, hoping that he'd done the right thing by coming here after his last conversation with Judy. Obviously the phonecall didn't go as planned, garnering the older woman to break down into a sobbing mess the moment it was brought to her attention that her son had suffered a life-threatening accident such as this one. In no position to continue on with the exchange of words that only made her fractured state of mind ache even more, she'd already left the phone as quick as she came, never answering another phonecall from Jason for the simple fact that it would only furthermore remind her as to why she would most likely never hear her son's voice again. He couldn't blame her, though.

Not in the least, but just for today, he hoped she would at least be willing to talk. Jason started for the house, his eyes scanning the very atmosphere around him. He wasn't even back in Toronto for an hour and already the memories of so many years before came flooding back to mind with every minute his blue eyes searched the surroundings that made up the sleepy neighborhood. Basically his entire childhood life he lived in Canada, but for some reason today, when he found himself visiting the very place he called a second home, he couldn't help but feel as if this were all new to him again just by the desire to study every inch of the breezy, cool atmosphere.

The trees in the distance swayed along the crisp, morning air as the air, the closer Jason came to the house, smelled of fresh cinnamon. A scent he always recognized the night after a long round of playing video games and doing their other usual boyish routines. There was nothing like waking up to the fresh batch of Judy's cinnamon French toast and just from the fragrance that danced under his nose, he was sure it was just that. His feet slowly hit the few steps on the porch, quite still debating within himself to figure out if he were doing the right thing by just coming over here unannounced. He knew Adam would want him to visit just to check up on her, but the fact still remained: would she want him to? Jason didn't know, but he would surely find out in just a few moments. His knuckles lightly wrapped against the door, finding every inch in his being to just turn around and go back to the hotel.

Not only would it save him the trouble of coming here, but embarrassment as well. When the first few knocks failed to bring the older woman to the door a breath of satisfaction escaped his throat. She wasn't here, thank God...or was she? Before the former world champion could reach his car, with his back turned opposite of the door, he was greeted by none other than the woman herself. Her small voice squeaked in desperation the moment she realized just who her visitor was, a look of joy written all over her face.

"Jason?" she exclaimed, clearly not wanting him to turn down those steps to his car. She brang her body forth in an attempt to keep the younger Canadian around.

"Jude?" After all of that, she seemed just as happy to see him than he was to see her. Instantly, Judy pulled the younger man into a hug, hanging on for dear life the second he hugged her back. She might not have told him she was happy to see him, but just from the happiness that lip up her pale face, nothing needed to be said.

"Oh, Jason, I'm so glad you're here! I wanted to pick up, I really did, but I just couldn't." she admitted, practically on the verge of tears from her confession. The last thing she wanted Jason to think was that she hated or didn't want to be bothered with him. Far from it, but she just couldn't find the strength to answer that telephone, for she knew the anguish over her son's recent accident would only furthermore remind her that the vision she seen on that television screen was not some dream, it was reality.

Jason took the older woman's hands in his before giving her a reassuring smile, "Hey, don't worry about it. Are you alright?" He didn't mean to ask her the obvious, but with a forced smile, Judy gave him the best answer she could.

"I've been better, just going one day at a time for him. Would you like to come in? I was just in here thinking about Adam, then decided to make French toast. I know it was both of your favorites growing up," she chuckled. "I'm not forcing you to stay, though. I just thought you'd also like to-"

"Yeah, of course."

She didn't have to ask him twice before she led Jason into the house he hadn't been in for years. His eyes wander around the home, taking in all the memories he'd expect to relive in his mind all over again even though he beg his mind not to get too sucked into it. The past wouldn't make anything better. Surely wouldn't bring out of the coma he'd been in for almost a two weeks. At this point in time, when he'd yet to show any kind of performance in his movement or even vitals, there still would be no denying that he could leave their lives whenever the time was right. But maybe the memories Jason so badly didn't want to just let happen did make things better? Such as coping with some of the pain, even only for a little bit. He needed some kind of remedy, he just didn't want it to be this, no matter how much he fought it. Either way it went, he still would find himself wrapped up in all the years that flown by in a hurry.

The first thing he noticed when he walked through the living room was the small picture sitting on the mantel of he and Adam dressed in their homemade Halloween costumes at the age of fifteen. Both of them sporting a plastic pumpkin pail, obviously not caring enough if they were far from little children - they too would be lurking from neighborhood to neighborhood in order to get the candy they deserved. A small smile crept upon Jason's lips just thinking about that night, still tasting the candy that gave them both a bellyache from eating all in one night while never once complaint about the issue since they knew once morning came, their troubles would soon disappear just from the taste of the hearty breakfast awaiting them.

"I still remember taking that photo like it was yesterday." Judy took her spot alongside Jason to admire the photo. "You two couldn't wait to trick or treat by yourselves. You know, I have more photo similar to that if you want it. Maybe I could put this one next to Adam's bed just incase he does wake up." A glimmer of hope rested in her voice as her hazel eyes glisten with fresh tears. Before she could release them, she'd already put another forced smile on her face to clarify that she would be okay, but barely. "Come on, why don't you join me for breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me." Jason mumbled, voice clearly in no mood to talk now. The younger Canadian followed Judy to the round table seated for four, taking in the view of the backyard. He knew coming here would be the death of him just from one swift view of the surroundings that make up the Toronto home. Every crevice of the home, every inch, he found himself furthermore tortured by the decision to not allow the past get to him, even though it was doing quite the job when he'd been in the house less than five minutes. He took a seat across from Judy, taking in the sweet aroma of cinnamon and maple syrup. God knows he hadn't had a decent home-cooked meal in months, the last coming from his wife whose meals were sorely missed around holidays.

"You seem rather shy to dig in now, you weren't like that when you were eleven," Judy smiled. "I understand if you don't want to eat." The smile on her face disappeared in an instance just from looking at Jason's mannerisms. He seemed so distant, but she already knew the reason why.

Jason licked his dry lips, "I'm sorry. You know I thought that I would be, but still not. I don't know, I haven't as much since the accident. It's just hard to get food down when the pit of your stomach is just stressed out and telling you 'no'."

"Understandable. Well, since breakfast seems to be over with, I wanted to tell you something that I found out the night before...Adam has made enough improvement to be located back here," A hushed sigh of relief came from Jason's lips - so maybe there was more than over a fifty percent chance of him living.

"Jude, that's great! Did they say anything about him responding to his surroundings yet or..." The look on Judy's face told Jason another story, she obviously still had her doubts just as much as he did, so without saying another word, the former world champion took his hand in hers. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Jase. I just wish that I was able to hear the same, so I could know that he's one step away from waking up, but I can't. There's still a chance that...", she didn't want to say the words, so she continued elsewhere. "I would love if you were there to see him...just so if it ever...", the words were so difficult to roll off her tongue. The last thing she wanted to do this morning was talk of her son's possible death. It made her feel horrible, but nonetheless, the issue still needed to be addressed, not to mention couldn't be avoided, even if she tried.

"Yeah, sure. Definitely!" Jason inched his body closer to the table, his voice showing the most life it did in weeks courtesy of the semi-good news. "What hospital is he at?"

"The one not far from here. I should be getting the call to let me know when he gets here, I've been trying to keep myself busy all morning just to kill the time. Seems like its longer than two to three hours. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as ungrateful, Jase. I just wish that I could hear my son's voice again, hug him, but I know that won't happen when I visit him. The good thing is that I can still see his face. I mean that's the most that matters, right? As long as he's still here in the flesh." Judy sighed. "But what if not for long?"

"Hey, you can't think like that, alright? There's still a chance that he'll survive too." Jason looked the older woman in the eyes, wishing that he could say the same thing to himself. Quite easy to tell someone to stay optimistic when he couldn't even do the same. Well, hopefully when they arrived at the hospital all of their doubts would be put to rest.

The telephone sitting on the counter rang, bringing Judy from her thoughts. Instantly, the older woman got to her feet to grab the phone, a wave of anxiety tugging at her very being. Judy grabbed the cordless from its cradle, "Hello? Yes, this Judy Copeland. Mhm. Oh, thank you! There weren't any difficulties getting him here, were there? I will, thanks again for your services. You take care now, bye-bye."

"That the hospital?"

"Yes, they said he just made it here. Oh, Jase, he's here! But what if...", she couldn't allow herself to be negative about the situation, knowing her son made it here, all in one piece. She couldn't think about the "what if's", not now at least when she finally had the chance to spend time with Adam, something she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to do the moment the comatose patient's accident came to her knowledge. "Nevermind that last comment. So the hospital is getting his room together, they said he needs a little rest before we visit, but he seems to be stable, no seizures or funny behavior, so that's good. I think in an hour or so we'll be able to see him."

"I've got time."

Jason genuinely smiled for the first time that morning. He would be on his way to the arena shortly after the hospital visit which honestly couldn't have come at a better time, seeing as that just before he stepped foot in the spacious living area, he didn't have much of a desire to do anything besides sit in his hotel room. Now more than ever, he was eager to see the man he'd grown up alongside, a gust of anxiousness arising in the pit of his empty stomach. He looked at the plate of French toast sitting before him - in no mood to eat in the first place, but furthermore after the news he'd just received.

Things would maybe change in an hour or so depending on Adam's visit, which couldn't be any worse than the last time he'd seen his face. Bruises and scratches lie etched in his skin while breathing came to be so difficult for his broken down form, an image that Jason had managed to only see once just before leaving Tampa again to get back on the road, but nonetheless one that couldn't be ignored even if he tried. The would permanently be burned in his brain forever, but just for the sake of his sanity his only wish was to see that he looked nothing as he did the morning of the accident.

The halls of Toronto General Hospital were exceptionally calm that morning, nothing out of the usual, for it was still rather early. Looking at his surroundings, Jason couldn't be any more grateful for the lack of patients in tow, clearly having no desire at all to see such around the lobby at the expense of his anxiety growing even heavier than before. Just to save himself from the nagging pain that stir up in his head from thinking incredibly too much about their visit to the intensive care unit. His blue eyes gazed over to a silent Judy, the look of worry showing through her features.

"Just going to head to the front desk so we can get his room number, okay? You can wait for me over by the elevator, I'll be over soon."

Jason nodded his head before taking off to the elevators right around the corner. He took a seat in one of the chairs located along the walls before closing his blue eyes to prepare himself for the upcoming visit. And just as soon as he found himself somewhat relaxed, the elevator chimed in an instance, bringing the former world heavyweight champion from his state of relaxation.

"You ready?" Judy asked, a half-smile on her face. Of course he wasn't ready, but wouldn't let her know that. Without saying a word, he simply returned the half smile to Judy before quickly making his way inside of the elevator. In all his years of riding an elevator, this had to have to been the slowest ride of his life, courtesy of the anxiety that swarm his body. His eyes averted to the numbers above the doors. ICU had to have been on the sixth floor, which honestly couldn't come quick enough. After a second or two of fumbling with the button of his cargo jacket, the elevator doors opened, releasing him to the floor that he last expected to ever find himself on, but would be today.

"Just sign in right here and I'll give you the number to his room and a visitor's sticker." The receptionist sitting behind the tan desk said. The young woman flashed Jason a smile before proceeding to give he and Judy their visitor stickers. "Its that room right down the hall to your right. The doctor's were just in there not too long ago, I can have him stop by if you'd like."

"Oh, no worries. I'll be able to talk to him after I visit, won't I?"

"Sure, just hit that button in his room and we'll have him in there shortly after, okay? Have a great day you two," she smiled one last time before getting back to her work, leaving both Jason and Judy to head to their destination. Luckily the room's location wasn't too far away, allowing the anxiousness to no further prolong any more than it needed to. From the outside the hall, they could see a sleeping Adam lying soundly in the bed that would eventually be his home the next few weeks if he just so happened to keep up at overcoming the odds. The moment Judy saw her son's weak form lying about in that very bed, salty tears clouded her hazel eyes before slowly inching her way to the bed.

Not wanting to interfere with the reunion between mother and son, Jason took his place alongside the wall, feeling a bit of ease rise in his soul. From the looks of it, the bruises and scratches that cover his arms and face were already beginning the healing process, even his breathing seemed to have calmed down since the last time he'd seen him, his chest no longer expelling the artificial air as hard as it did his first night on the ventilator. But then there was his head injury - an issue he'd forgotten all about when that was of course the sole reason of either life or death for Adam...Jason wasn't a brain surgeon nor he could tell, even if he tried just of what Adam's mental state could be, but as of right now, the best thing was to not even know.

Judy took her son's limp hand in hers, finding it difficult to even fathom her son's lack of response. Any other time he would've given her that million dollar smile before squeezing her hand even tighter, but not today. The older woman turned her sights to Jason, motioning with her hand to join her over by her son's beside. Jason stepped further into the room before placing his hand on Judy's back in a comforting manner, the other gently placed atop Adam's.

"Hey, man. Not sure if you can hear-or even recognize my voice right now, but its me, Jason..."

Not even a response. Before could say another word, the door flew open, bringing forth the visitor on the other side: Adam's doctor. The brunette man, who looked around the age of forty stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the two others near his patient, "I'm sorry, didn't mean to barge in here unannounced. I thought the room was empty..."

Judy turned to the dark-haired man, "No, don't be. Are you Dr. Michael Lansing?"

"Yes, I am," he furthered his way into the room, a smile arising from his pale features, "And you must be Judy? It's nice to finally meet you." He stated with a smile laugh as he extended his large hand to Judy, followed by a nod to Jason.

"Is it alright if I spoke with you outside the room? I'd like to talk to you for a moment; it's just further information on what I never got to discuss with you over the phone due to another patient needing me. Any questions you have, just ask me and I'll be happy to answer them."

"That would be great. Yeah, sure," Judy said wasting no time in answering the brunette man. Then she turned to Jason, "Hey, I'm just going to speak with the doctor for a few minutes, would you-"

"No, not at all. Take your time."

Judy nodded her head, "Thanks Jase." In an instance, the older woman turned on her heel, hopeful that during her time out in the hall, Jason would find a way to bond with Adam under the circumstances. She knew her son couldn't respond-hell, he couldn't even move, but that didn't mean Jason wouldn't be able to connect with him on a different level. They'd been eachother's half since the tender age of eleven, there was bound to be a way.

Looking back at two men, Judy eyed them one last time before disappearing through the door, unbeknownst that in the next minute or so, her visit here would be much short lived. An uneasy smile crept upon her thins lips as her eyes met with Dr. Lansing's, a sense of worry tugging so obviously at her features. Before she could even open her mouth to thank the man for his help thus far in keeping her son alive during his stay in the facility, she was cut off the by the deafening sounds of the low oxygen monitor back in his room.

Engulfed in the flood of nurses, plus Dr. Lansing, Judy was left to stand there as she watched her son's chest fail to heave, his body sprawled lamely against the white spread of the bed. Horror filled her brown eyes, unable to even pull away from the scene as her body found it so difficult to move or even react to the chaos that was only now beginning to answer the highly anticipated the questions that lie heavily etched in her brain. For a brief second her eyes were able to divert from the view, only to meet with pair of familiar blue ones. And just like that, her trip here ended just as quick as she arrived.

The rusty swing set creaked amidst the night air, holding as the only form of solace Jason could easily accept. He thought today would be a different day - no more allowing his conscience to think the absolute worst of Adam's condition after he'd been told that the older man came to improve over the course of time, moreso since the last time he'd seen his face, but quite frankly, none of that meant much of anything or even mattered after the episode from this morning. He didn't understand. He didn't understand how one could seem perfectly fine-or so it seemed, only for his body to want to give up on the last strength he had left in his being. There were no signs of heart complications yet his body that defiantly rejected the air pumping through such a near lifeless form said otherwise, giving the notion that maybe it was time for him to leave. Of course he was in a stable position, but that still didn't mean he wouldn't revert back to where he started yet again.

As he told himself before, any time that his heart wanted to give out on the artificial air passing through his soul, which meant it could easily happen tonight if it so badly desired to. The older man clearly wasn't safe when it came to life and death, which only brought the question when would the latter finally just sweep in and come through? There had to be some realism in all of this, no matter how much Jason hated the thought of even thinking of yet another death in his life. Either Adam would live to see the age of forty, or he wouldn't. It was that simple, yet the loyalty in Jason just couldn't bring himself to totally think Adam would slip away. There still lie a glimmer of hope, but as of right now, his doubts outweighed his hopes.

The blonde stood to his feet, taking in the sweet Toronto air. Any other night back here, he would've been enjoying his time with family, hanging out on the deck and catching up on things he missed while on the road. But unlike so many other nights here, he ended up only visiting his mother, father, and sister for a brief hour before disappearing through the night knowing that if he stayed too long, they would only make him feel even worse than he already did. He knew they would only mean well, but he just couldn't afford to hear anyone else's sympathy. He'd gotten enough of that on the roster and he surely didn't need the same from his family. The dark, Toronto skies began to gray, revealing the night star in the distance. A part of him wanted to go home and just sleep this utter, sickly feeling off while another didn't want to go home just yet, not when his friend needed him the most.

Maybe he could walk around the block, possibly clear his mind, even grab a bite to eat even though he had no real appetite. Or...he could make a quick visit to the last person he knew would give him pity since they too would be somewhere in the same boat as him. He hadn't seen her in months, had every reason to visit her now...and just wanted to check up on her since he hadn't talked to her since word got out about the accident. This visit might even do him some good since his mood the last 8+ hours or so consisted of an ill feeling in his gut with a blank stare to match his attitude. Yes, it would do him some good.

The few lights of the three story home lit up the driveway, giving Jason a pang of hope that the woman would be here. She usually parked her car in the garage, so there wasn't any definite way to know she was here, but Jason would take his chances. His fingers wrapped against the door of the living space, just before revealing the person he hadn't seen since April, a smile resting on her full lips,

"Jason?" she said, her voice holding a bit more joy than usual, courtesy of seeing the older man's face. Before Jason could even respond to explain just why he was here, the former Diva wrapped her arms around his larger frame in a hug that spoke volumes on good how it felt to see his face once again.

"Hi," he let out a small laugh. "Just thought I'd come by to see you since I was in town," his voice turned to a more serious note. "May I come in?"

The brunette gave him a knowing look, "No, you can't...Of course you can! Come inside! I was just trying out this new oatmeal recipe and since no one is here, I thought maybe you could try them for me - you know? Be my taste tester?"

Jason gave the seven time women's champion a puzzled look, hoping that she was kidding when she asked him such. Just from the looks of it, she had yet to break the smile on her face, giving Jason the notion that she obviously didn't know what he knew - or better yet knew and just didn't want to express her sorrows by putting on the façade he wished he had the ability to do. His face formed into a frown when she'd yet to remove that silly smirk off her face. Now wasn't the time to pretend like things were okay when they weren't. She was one of his closest friends, she didn't need to hide anything from him.

"Maybe later, I wanted to sit down and chat for awhile...if that's alright with you."

"Sure," Trish shrugged. "But you have to promise you'll try later," she added with yet another one of those killer smiles.

"Fair enough." Jason half-smiled. Then his smile faded to turn to a more serious note. "How are you? You know after...?"

"After? My retreat? I didn't even think you knew anything about that, Reso. Hmm...let's say I never knew yoga could kick my butt as it did those four weeks overseas. And how are you? I heard not too long ago you became world champ. How did it feel winning the big one?"

Oh, no. She must not have not known yet! But how? Didn't one communicate with others and make use of the Internet during their vacation overseas? Jason forced a smile to painfully grace his pink lips to keep from blurting out his most obvious reason for being here. This was impossible, was this woman really living under a rock the past two weeks long enough for to have no clue of Adam's accident?

"Awesome. The feeling was awesome." Nice answer, Jase, his mind screamed, practically begging him to just come out with the truth. Then he looked at his clock to stall, "Aw, Trish, I have to get back home. Forgot we've got an early show tomorrow and I gotta be at the arena early. Maybe we could catch up later tomorrow if you're not doing anything?"

"Sure, why don't you come by to my studio? The crew would love to meet you. I've already brought Adam by and it seems as if the girls and guys loved him. I think they'll love you too!" She poked Jason's chest before giving him yet another smile. "Well, I'll see you around, Reso. I gotta get to tasting these cookies myself since you wouldn't. Maybe I'll call up Adam and ask him, huh?"

Jason didn't respond but simply laughed at the gesture. "Well, see you tomorrow, T." He placed a kiss atop her forehead before making his exit through the door, unsure if he even had the strength to share the same news with her too. Obviously she was oblivious to everything, including Jason's lack of communication with her. Somehow, someway he would be able to find the courage to tell her if no one else would, but right now, he wasn't sure when that would be. The moment he did share the news he'd kill her inside and quite frankly, he himself wasn't sure if he was ready for any of that.