Post by Nick Knight on Sept 14, 2024 9:25:35 GMT
September 3
A buzzer rings and the sally port door slides open letting Nick Knight step out into the sunshine for the first time in weeks. The air smelled of pine and cedar instead of unwashed bodies and industrial cleaners, which made him smile. It was only eight o’clock but he already knew that it was going to be the best day that he had had since leaving Japan.
He was only waiting a few minutes until an unfamiliar SUV parked in the circle drive and his good friend and business partner Randy climbed out of the passenger seat. “Penny and Cin both apologize for not being the ones to pick you up, up business is crazy right now.”
“I thought the movie was done,” Nick says.
“After editing, we realized that there were some scenes that were just shit, so Penny is back in Mexico reshooting them. She’s planning on being home on Friday and spending the whole weekend with you.”
“What about Cin?”
“She’s in Miami at some big massage therapy symposium. She’s taking a red-eye home tonight and I’m picking her up at LAX in the morning,” Randy answers
“How are they doing?”
“They’re doing alright.”
“Don’t bullshit me Randy, how are they dealing with this shit?”
“Penny is pissed off at you, and Cin is scared.”
“Do they even want me to come home,” Nick asks.
“They’re happy that you’re out, but it’s going to take a lot of work to rebuild your relationships.”
“I know, but I'm not sure where to even begin. I mean, I take my medicine and regularly see my therapist. What the fuck else am I supposed to do?”
“I wish I had the answer Nicky. I know how hard you've worked to get well. Sometimes shit just happens and the only thing that we can do is clean up the mess.”
“Randy, I don’t even know what happened on that airplane. I remember taking off, and then nothing until I woke up with four sets of taser barbs in my chest and three dudes laying on me.”
“What the hell did you take,” Randy asks.
“Just my prescriptions, which is the reason I’m sitting here. Had I been fucked up on something I’d most likely be on my way to federal prison,”
“What is your punishment?”
“I’m on probation for seven years, which means I must keep seeing Dr. Goode, and I’m currently on the no-fly list, although my attorney had a hearing scheduled about that next week.”
“Is that enough to keep this from happening again?”
“I don’t know, Randy. I’ve got a lot of thinking to do, so I want you to drop me off at that Marriott close to the house.”
“You sure,” Randy asks, and Nick just nods.
September 5
Nick is sitting at the desk typing on his new laptop when a knock interrupts him. Annoyed at the interruption he stomps across the room ready to snap on someone, but he’s completely stunned by a slap across his face followed by another one on the opposite cheek.
“How dare you hide from us!”
“I’m not hiding.” Another slap connects with his cheek which is quickly turning red. “Randy and JC both know where I am. I figured that you and Penny don’t give a shit about where I am.”
“Of course we care about where our husband is.”
“You care so much that you couldn’t make time in your busy schedule to visit me once. I was left alone in that place except for Saul visiting every other Sunday.”
“You know why we couldn’t come up, Nicky.”
“That didn’t make it any less lonely, or scary. Do you have any idea what those places are like?”
“No.”
“They’re worse than you can imagine, and Pacific Waters is one of the nice ones. I mean, I didn’t see a single person killed, and there were hardly any roaches.”
“I’m sorry.” A ran down her cheek. “But it was scary for us too. The first lawyer was saying that you could spend the rest of your life in prison and we were worried about how we were going to pay for the house, put food in everyone’s belly, and send the kids to good schools.”
“I told you, just call Saul if anything ever happened because we’ve got it…wait did you say kids?”
“Yeah about that, you’re about to be a father again.” Cin unzips her hoodie to show off a little pooch of a belly.
“Twice.” The room’s door swings all the way open and Penny walks into the room. “You managed to knock us both up stud.”
“Now I really am scared,” Nick says. “I mean take one look at JC and you’ll how bad I fucked up this father thing the first time.”
“That kid is a fucking degenerate,” Cin agrees.
“An absolute menace,” Penny says, making all three of them laugh.
“This all does scare me.” Cin sits down on the bed “I’m scared that the father of my child is gone forever.”
“I don’t know if that man ever existed, or if he was just another character.” Knight sits beside the beautiful blonde. “I’m not even sure who the real me is, but maybe the loving husband is just a role I play to make people think I’m a good man. What if I’m just like my brother?”
“I should slap you again just for saying that. You are absolutely nothing like Lou because you’re actually sick and trying to get better, he’s just a fraud who was taking advantage of troubled people.”
“I attacked a flight attendant without even remembering it, Cin. I think that makes me just as dangerous as him, if not worse. I’m fucking lucky that air marshall was on that flight, or might have killed her.”
“Well that didn’t happen and you’ve done everything that’s been asked of you.” Penny sits down on Nick’s other side. “Although, you need to check in with Dr. Goode by tomorrow or they can lock you back up.”
“I’ve talked to either Doc or his new assistant every day since I’ve been out. I just have to go into the office tomorrow and sign some paperwork for the probation people,” Nick says.
“Then what do you have you have planned,” Cin asks.
“I guess I’m going home for a couple of days, and then driving to Phoenix for Odyssey. I’ve been completely released to return and I’m booked or a match.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea,” Penny asks.
“I guess we’re going to find out.”
September 6
Nick jiggled his foot nervously as a middle-aged woman stared at him over the top of her reading glasses. He had talked to Dr. Stephanie Frost several times on the phone, but this was the first time he had been the subject of her intense gaze. “How are you feeling Mr. Knight?”
“I’m scared shitless to be honest with you.” He sighs loudly and does his best to stop shaking his foot. “The world just seems to be throwing a whole bunch of shit at me at once, and I’m not sure if I can handle it.”
“You can handle anything that’s thrown at you, Nick. We just need to work on some skills that will help you get through each of them. I’m sure the biggest thing weighing on your mind is getting out of the hospital, so what can we do to help with those feelings?”
“Believe it or not, Doc, those feelings are pretty fucking far down on the list. I know that the only thing I can do is try to pay attention to how I’m feeling and take the right steps to get help before something happens.”
“What else are you worried about?”
“Fatherhood.”
“Don’t you already have a son?”
“Yeah, James Christopher. He’s 15 and acts just like me, which is pretty fucking scary.”
“So why does fatherhood scare you?”
“Because I’ve got two more kids on the way, and I don’t know if I can be a good father. I’m not even sure I’ve been anything close to a good father to JC, but I’ve tried.”
“Sometimes that’s the best that you can do. What kind of relationship do you have with your parents?”
“They’ve both passed.”
“Alright, what was your relationship like?”
“My mother was a drug addict that couldn’t take care of herself, much less a child. I ran away when I fourteen and never looked back. I heard from a cousin that she overdosed a few years ago, and I’m sad to say that I didn’t give a shit.”
“What about your father?”
“It was the complete opposite with Jimmy. I didn’t meet him until I was in my early twenties and he was actually a father to me until he passed a couple of years ago.”
“Why didn’t you meet him sooner?”
“Jimmy was a wrestler and had a one-night stand with my mother and knocked her up. He didn’t know that I existed until I met him when my youngest brother came to my wrestling school.”
“It sounds like the thing that you fear the most is letting wrestling get in the way of being a good father, but you’re already not doing that.”
“I don’t know,” Nicky sighs. “We go on these long tours and it can be weeks before I’m able to get home. I try to get my family over to visit for a few days, but it can be hard with JC having school and Cin and Penny working.”
“Do you think being away from home for so long is what caused your latest episode?”
“Fuck if I know, Doc. All that I know is I don’t have to worry about it for a long while because the only shows we have outside of the US for the next six months are in Mexico.”
“Sounds like you’re looking forward to getting back to work.”
“No, I’m actually it scares me."
“Why?”
“My life as a professional wrestler can sometimes be at odds with everything I’m working on for the rest of my life. Outside of my job violence has been the cause of the lowest points in my life, but in my job, it’s celebrated. I’ve become a rich man or doing things that would put normal people in prison for a long time.”
“I see. Do you really think you’re ready to go back?”
“I guess we’re about to find out.”
Well howdy there pardner.