Chapter 7

The Game

Part II Game Over

At the hospital Paul was rushed in to the emergency room, "We need to get him to surgery now!" one of the doctors yelled seeing Paul's condition. The doctors pushed him through the double doors to prepare him for surgery. "Hurry we're losing him." One of the nurses yelled. They rushed Paul into emergency surgery and now all Steph and the others could do was wait. Shawn was pacing back and forth in the waiting room, "I should've been there, this is all my fought." Shawn told them. "Shawn it's not your fought, you didn't know that Kevin was even in the building." Steph told him. Shawn just looked at her with tears in his eyes, "I know but I still feel like I let him down I should have known something was wrong when he interrupted my match with Randy and challenged me to a steel cage match. I could see it in his eyes and then when Kevin and those other guys showed up I knew it wasn't going to be good and somebody was gonna get hurt. I just didn't think it would be Paul." Shawn told her as he sat down beside her. Steph gave him a hug, "Don't worry Shawn he's gonna be fine, Paul is the strongest guy I know and if we pray hard enough he'll make it out of this I promise." She told him confidently. Shawn nodded as he let go and said a prayer for his best friend.

A few minutes later a doctor approached them, "Hello is anybody here for a Paul Levesque?" he asked. Stephanie stood up along with Mark, Randy, Shawn, Glen, and Show. "We are I'm his wife and these are his friends. Will my husband be okay?" Steph asked him. "Well your husband has lost a lot of blood from the stabbing and the impact to his ribs, the surgery went fine but he's unconscious right now and we'll have to wait to see if there was any permanent damage to his lungs or any other organs." He told her. "So does that mean he'll be okay?" she asked again in tears.

The doctor nodded, "Yes but he may not be able to wrestle again and will need your support to help him through this, by the way do any of you know a John Cena on the second floor?" he asked her. Steph nodded, "Yes we work with him is he okay?" Steph asked him. He nodded smiling, "Yes he's fine he woke up yesterday asking for a Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Paul Levesque and Mark Calloway." He told her. "Hey that's us!" Randy told him excitingly happy that his friend was okay. "That's great because he's been driving the nurses crazy!" he told him leaving shaking his head. "That's John!" Mark said to himself.

"Hey Steph you don't mind if we go check on him do you?" Mark asked her. Steph was like a little sister to him and didn't want to leave her by herself in this situation. "Don't worry I'll be fine you guys go check on John and meet me later in Paul's room." She told them smiling. They all nodded as they left going to John's room. Once there they walked inside and saw John sitting up watching television, but didn't notice the wheelchair he was in. John noticed them walking in and turned to them, "Hey guys am I glad to see you!" he told them smiling.

"Same here buddy we're just glad your okay." Shawn told him looking at the wheelchair. John saw the look they were giving him and started laughing. "It's okay guys I'm just in this chair until my rehab starts next week, plus I have to crutches to get around." He told them smiling. "Wow you're sure are calm about this!" Mark told him. "I know it's just I'm blessed to still be alive considering what happen and I'm grateful for that even if I won't be able to wrestle anymore, I'm just glad I'll be able to walk again." He told them. They all nodded,

"Since we're on the subject where's Paul?" John asked. Shawn took a deep breath and told John what happen, "Oh my god is he okay?" John asked. Shawn nodded, "Yeah the doctor said that he was unconscious and will have to wait until he wakes up to see if there was any permanent damage to his lungs and other organs plus he won't be able to wrestle again." Shawn told him. John nodded, "Where's his room I need to see him?" John asked him. "He's upstairs in ICU." He told him. "Okay let's go." John told them leaving the room heading upstairs.

The others followed him to the elevator; they got to Paul's room and saw how peaceful he looked. Steph didn't even notice them walking in until Shawn broke the silence, "How is he?" he asked quietly looking over at his best friend. Stephanie looked up at him, "The same, just waiting for him to wake up." She told him looking back at her husband. "Don't worry Steph if I can wake up from a coma and just be stuck in a wheel chair after especially after I heard how I ended up here in the first place, then I know Paul will be okay." He told her smiling. Steph looked over at him and knew he was right she was told of John's condition by Mark and Randy the night of his accident on Raw a few weeks before.

"Thanks John how are you holding up?" she asked. "I've been better I start rehab next week so I can start walking again but other than that I just take one step at a time. She nodded as looked back over at her husband holding his hand, she felt movement. "Paul?" she asked standing up still holding his hand. "Somebody help me please he's going to kill me." He cried softly. "Shhhh its okay honey I'm right here okay." Steph told her husband trying to calm him down. Paul opened his eyes and looked around the room, "Where am I?" he asked confused.

"Paul you're in the hospital." She told him. "What happened?" he asked looking at his wife. "Kevin came back after you again and tried to kill you but didn't succeed." She told him. "Where is he?" Paul asked her. Steph looked at the others and took a deep breath, "He's in jail for good and this time he can't get out." She told him smiling. Paul nodded as he started to relax and closed his eyes. The doctor came in a few minutes later and took Paul down to x-ray. The doctors told Stephanie that Paul had severe damage to his lungs and ribs. He would have to go to rehab to recovery from his injuries but unfortunately because of the damage to his lungs he wouldn't be able to wrestle anymore.

Several weeks later everyone was at the arena, "Hey Randy." Punk yelled running towards him. Randy turned when he heard his name called, "Hey Punk what up?" he asked drinking some water. "Where's John?" he asked. "He'll be here soon; he had to go to rehab today!" Randy told him. About an hour later John showed up on crutches, "Hey guys what's up?" John asked sitting down. Everyone turned to him, "Oh my god John you're back!" yelled Kelly running and hugging him. John laughed, "Hey Kelly I missed you too but I can't breathe can you let go please?" he told her. Kelly nodded as she let him go and stood back so he could catch his breath. A few minutes later Kofi came running towards them, "Hey guys Paul's back." He told them trying to breathe. "Awesome!"yelled Miz, as they all ran towards the front door to see Paul. It had been about nine months since anybody had seen him and today he was coming back!

Outside the arena Paul and Stephanie was sitting in the hummer, "Well this is it honey you're ready to go inside?" Stephanie asked him unlocking the door. Paul looked at her smiled and nodded as he grabbed his crutches and stepped outside breathing in the fresh air he walked towards the door with Stephanie. He could see everyone inside waving as he got closer and no sooner that he opened the door everyone was greeting him and Steph. "Hey Paul; glad to see you're back!" Show told him.

"Thanks big guy!" Paul told him hugging him. Everyone stood around welcoming him back, just like they did for John three months ago. You see because of Paul's condition he had to stay in the hospital longer than John and was just released two days ago. "So Paul when can you get back in the ring?" asked Punk. Paul looked at him and gave him a half smile, "I can't get back in the ring because of my breathing, there was so much damage to my lungs that if I do try to wrestle again, that the first wrong move like landing on the floor to hard could kill me." He told them. "So I'm retiring from the ring for good." He finished. Everyone was in shock, "When are you going to announce it to the fans?' Show asked him. "Tonight on raw that way everyone will know and no one will be left out of the loop." Paul told him.

Everyone was silent, it took them a long time to get over John retiring but now they had deal with Paul retiring too. They realized that Kevin didn't just take a lot from John and Paul but from them as well. Because now they had to get use to not seeing them in the ring doing what they love and that's wrestle for the wwe universe.

Monday Night Raw...

Later that night everyone was told that there was going to be a special guest and that he had an announcement to make that would shock the wwe universe. "Hey everyone and welcome to Monday Night Raw, we have a great show tonight and someone has a special announcement tonight." King told the fans. "That's right King and I think we're about to find out who's going to make that announcement." Michael told him.

"Ladies and Gentleman please stand and give a warm welcome to Triple H!" Lillian yelled into the microphone. The fans were all in shock as Triple H's music started playing, "Oh my god it's The Game Triple H, we haven't seen him in nine months since he had that encounter with Kevin Nash and was fighting for his life after being stabbed." King told Michael. "I wonder what announcement he has to make." Michael asked King as they watched Paul come to the ring on crutches, everyone was on their feet cheering.

Paul took a deep breath and grabbed a microphone, "Hey guys it's great to back on raw because I missed you all like crazy. Now I know you're all asking what the announcement is so here it goes." He told them as he took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone, "Nine months ago my life was almost taken away from my family, my friends, and you guys. But I fought as hard as I could and the result is that I'm here tonight to see all of you one last time." He told them on the verge of tears. The fans were all in shock as well as King and Michael, "That's right guys tonight I Triple H is retiring tonight from wrestling for good. Now don't worry you'll still see me just not in the ring, but instead backstage. The reason for my retirement is that because of Kevin Nash stabbing me and while kicking my ribs so hard he actually caused one of my ribs to puncture one of my lungs which is why my breathing is so heavy." He finished explaining the details of his condition.

All the fans were in tears and were begging for him to stay, "Now don't cry for me because I'm gone, just remember my matches with the guys in the back and just having fun in the ring at what I do and that's entertain each and every one of you. So I thank you and I love you all!" he finished in tears as he set the microphone down and started to exit the ring, he heard a familiar song and saw his best friend coming to the ring.

"Oh my god it's Shawn Michaels!" King yelled. Shawn stepped inside of the ring and hugged his best friend in tears. After a while he stepped back and grabbed the microphone off the mat, "If you think you're going to leave without a proper goodbye then you got another thing coming." Shawn told him smiling as he pointed towards the ramp and all of the superstars and divas came out clapping. Paul started to cry as he saw some of his closest friends and co-workers come towards the ring like the Big Show, Randy, John, Mark Henry, the undertaker, and even Kane came to give Paul a proper goodbye.

But what really got Paul emotional was when Stephanie came to the ring with his daughters, he helped them into the ring and hugged each one of his girls and gave Steph a kiss and hug as well. As the show went off the air you could still see the emotion inside of the ring, after everything that happened, they knew that one day Triple H will come back and will be inducted into the hall of fame by his best Shawn and John will also be inducted that same year by Randy and that the game is not over at least not for them.