09-02-2014, 05:21 PM
*Empty blackness. Small lights slowly passing through the infinite stretch of darkness, illuminating the abyss we see in front of us*
GATOR’S MIND: ‘It feels weird to be alone with my thoughts for a change.’
‘I’m so used to having Todd follow me around like a lost puppy that I never get a chance to think straight anymore. What the hell did I used to think about when I was alone? ... I can’t even fucking remember. That’s not a good sign. Four plus years of fighting for my life, four plus years of hits to the head and I’m having a conversation with the loose marbles shaking around in my brain. Shit. Why the hell can’t I remember anything? Why can’t I move? Why the hell am I trapped here? You would think someone who wears a mask every single day would be used to feeling confined and away from the shackles of normal human behaviour.’
‘The last thing I remember is fighting Wally... I remember Swagmire too. Why was he there? And Tommy Gunn? No, Tommy Wish. He looks different from when we last met; that was my debut in the XWF right? Yeah, it was. Or was he from J-Pro? Argghh why can’t I remember!? It was only a few months ago. Or was it? Fuck! I can’t even remember how long I’ve been here. Come on Jacob think! Think! How long have I been out for? Did Wally do this to me? No, he couldn’t have won. I won. I beat him, I remember that. Okay, that’s a good first step.’
*The blackness wobbles and distorts for a few seconds*
GATOR’S MIND: ‘What was that!? Did, did I do that?’
*The blackness distorts again*
GATOR’S MIND: ‘Fuck! That hurt! Well, it’s strangely good to feel pain. Means I’m not dead or dreaming at the very least. Okay, what happened next? I won, I know that. And I left the ring with Todd. We walked up that ramp, and I felt out of breath. Really out of breath. We ... We walked out through the curtain and then we ... No, Todd fell down. Did he? Yeah, I'm sure he did. No, come on Jacob! Think straight you stupid bastard! I fell, yeah that sounds right. But why? Did someone do this to me?'
'No, I can't remember anyone being backstage apart from me and Todd. So what happened then? Was I drugged? I only drank bottled water before my match and I only had one joint. It couldn't of been that. My cigarettes maybe? No, I always had them in my pocket; no one could have touched them except for me. So what else was there? ... That cough I had? ... Yeah, I remember coughing a shit ton.'
...
'Fuck'
...
'I spat up blood when I coughed. Not just then, I've been spitting up blood for a few days. Why didn't I go to a doctor earlier? Why am I so fucking stupid! Okay Jacob, calm down. You're thinking of the worst case scenario here, it could just be gum disease or some shit. There's usually blood on my toothbrush, so maybe it's gingivitis. Definitely a bad day when you're looking forward to gum disease, but it's better than what else is in my head. I need to get my mind off this. Come on you ugly bastard! Wake up! Do something! Please don't leave me trapped like this! Fucking get up!'
*The black we see very slowly fades to a dark grey*
GATOR'S MIND: 'Well, that's a start. Good job Jacob, you can turn black into grey really earned that TV title... At least I haven't lost my sense of humour. Or got it back, thank you the colour grey ... This is so fucked. Am I going to die? ... Lame. Thought I was always going to go out the same way Owen Hart did, or choke to death trying to remove Scarlett Johansson's bra with my teeth. But nope; I die after a nothing match with a popular character from children's literature... In fucking Ohio!'
'At least I remember what happened now. Kind of. It felt like my lungs filled up with blood and I tried to vomit it all out, probably succeeded considering my current state. For fucks sake just wake up!'
T: "Gator!?"
*Todd's voice echoes through the empty space*
GATOR'S MIND: 'Todd!? Oh you beautiful fat bastard! Where are you?'
T: "Gator!"
*His voice echoes again*
GATOR'S MIND: 'Todd! You Canadian fuck! I'm right here! Help me for the love of God!'
T: "I think he's waking up!"
GATOR'S MIND: 'Think again fat ass. Pretty sure I'm the same as before! Wait that felt different. Am I?'
"~Awake?"
*The camera faces a white curtain, keeping Gator obscured. But we see Todd as he stands at the foot of a hospital bed, his arms folded. He looks troubled, yet relieved at the same time*
T: "Thank God."
"You're welcome. *cough* Fuck, my throat really hurts."
*Todd hands Gator a bottle of water, we hear the sound of him gulping it down and clearing his throat*
"How long was I out?"
T: "A while."
"... Stop looking at me."
*Todd looks towards the floor*
T: "Sorry. The doctors had to remove your mask, they were worried that the blood you were coughing up would just hit the material and and go straight back down."
"Pricks. Hand it to me would you."
T: "Sure."
*Todd rummages through Gator's belonging on a desk next to a vase. He picks up Gator's mask in between his fingers and shakes out some of the blood. He hands it to Gator, trying not to look out his face*
T: "You're secrets safe with me by the way. I won't tell anyone how you look underneath that thing, and doctor patient confidentiality means the doctors won't speak up as well, I think."
"Who cares, everyone knows I'm Shane
under this mask anyway." *Todd does a slight laugh before looking concerned again*
"So, what's wrong with me?
T: "... I don't know. The doctor took some blood, he's getting it tested now... I've been ... I've been thinking of the worst you know. Sorry, but I can't get it our of my head."
"You know a real friend would of said I drank too much kool-aid."
T: "Come on man!" *Todd's voice cracks* "This is serious you know."
"I know. Fuck. How long do blood tests usually take?"
T: "No idea. A few hours maybe, if we’re lucky.”
“I swear to God if it turns out that I have cancer-“
T: “Don’t say that.”
“-the Deadpool jokes will never end.”
T: “Really getting your priorities straight.”
“Don’t want to give my opponents more material now do I?”
*A doctor wearing a long white coat enters and pulls back the curtain, so we see the small room with Gator sat up in the bed, wearing a patient’s garb. A frail, balding doctor hunches over staring at his clipboard, not looking either Todd nor Gator in the eye*
Doctor: “Mr Woods.”
“Doctor, doctor. Give me the news. Do I have a bad case of loving you?”
*The doctor looks over his glasses at Gator*
Doctor: “I uh – I have your blood test results. I’m sorry to say, you have angina.”
“HA! Vagina.”
Doctor: “No. Angina Mr. Woods. Angina is a pain that comes from the heart. Each year about 20,000 people in the US develop angina for the first time. It is more common in people over the age of 50 years. It is also more common in men than women. Sometimes it occurs in younger people; like yourself.”
“So, what’s the sitch?”
Doctor: “The heart is mainly made of special muscle. The heart pumps blood into arteries which take the blood to every part of the body. Like any other muscle, the heart muscle needs a good blood supply. The coronary arteries take blood to the heart muscle. They are the first arteries to branch off the aorta. This is the large artery taking blood from the heart to the rest of the body. If you have angina, one or more of your coronary arteries is usually narrowed. This causes a reduced blood supply to a part, or parts, of your heart muscle.”
*Gator nods along with what the doctor is saying. Todd stands beside him looking confused*
Doctor:“The blood supply may be good enough when you are resting. When your heart works harder when you walk fast or wrestle, in your case, your heart muscle needs more blood and oxygen. If the extra blood that your heart needs cannot get past the narrowed coronary arteries, the heart responds with pain. The narrowing of the arteries is caused by atheroma. Atheroma is like fatty patches or plaques that develop within the inside lining of arteries. Plaques of atheroma may gradually form over a number of years. They may be in one or more places in the coronary arteries. In time these can become bigger and cause enough narrowing of one or more of the arteries to cause symptoms. Atheroma can develop in any section of the coronary arteries.”
“So what you’re saying is not enough blood is getting to my heart, so I cough up blood and pass out.”
Doctor:“That’s the simple way of saying it, but yes. The pain you suffer from the angina, causes you to fall unconscious. It can be a very aggressive at times. Here.”
*The doctor scribbles on his clipboard and hands a sheet of paper to Gator*
Doctor: “I would like to see you again some time in the next month, meanwhile take this, a prescription for Glyceryl trinitrate. It will help ease the pain and hopefully clear your arteries. You can pick the medicine up at our booth here or at any pharmacy in the US. Good luck Mr. Woods, you’re insurance will take care of the bill. Oh, and lay off the cigarettes.”
*The doctor leaves the room as Gator looks at the sheet of paper*
“Give up smoking? I never give up!”
*Gator throws the bed sheets off him and gets to his feet exposing his bare ass to the camera. He hands the piece of paper to Todd who crams it into his pocket*
“I’ll be right as rain with those nitro glycerine pills. Fuck, I’ve played Crash Bandicoot. Nitro is good for you.”
T: “Gator! You could have died! Maybe you should take it easy for a while.”
*Gator looks at Todd as he puts on his jeans*
“You know I can’t do that Todd.”
T: “Of course.”
“In the famous words of Cave Johnson; when life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons; what am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Gator lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down... with the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!”
T: “Words to live by haha.”
“That they are. Oh, and Todd.”
*Gator gets his pants on and looks at Todd*
“Don’t tell anyone about this. Please, I don’t want anyone to go easy on me because I’ve got a bad ticker. Promise?”
T: “Yeah...”
*Todd takes a glance at the camera placed away from them*
T: “... I promise.”