One More Light (CD)

Should've stayed, were there signs, I ignored?
Can I help you, not to hurt, anymore?
We saw brilliance, when the world, was asleep
There are things that we can have, but can't keep

---

Date: ...You got me there
Cameras: About as off as they possibly can be

“Where am I? What is this place? What happened?”

All Adrien Cochrane can see is white. His other senses are completely numb. He smells nothing, tastes nothing, hears nothing, and feels nothing. And in a way, it made Adrien deeply uncomfortable. It was all surreal to Adrien. He searches the deepest depths of his mind to try to remember the last thing that happened.

Adrien: “The text message! Stacy!”

Adrien starts running, making his legs do what they knew how to do best, sprinting full speed. But this felt different. As hard as Adrien’s legs were moving, it felt like there was no movement. After realizing the running was futile, he stops. He continues to look around at his surroundings and still sees nothing but emptiness. It was like Adrien was standing in some sort of void. Or at least it was until some sort of figure starts to form in front of him.

Adrien: “Hey, what’s going on here? I was walking around…”

Adrien’s words fall off the moment he sees the blue eyes and the blonde hair in front of him. The black leather jacket, fitted blue jeans, and even the hat on the head...as much as it didn’t make sense, Adrien was becoming aware of what exactly was starting to happen.

Adrien: “This can’t be. This doesn’t make any sense.”

The figure spoke back. It was eerie to hear a voice Adrien has known his entire life come out of the figure in front of him. It was the voice that he hears every time his mouth opened.

Adrien?: “When has anything made sense?”

It was like he was some sort of doppelganger. Adrien turns around for a second, rubbing his eyes for a moment. The doppelganger is standing in front of him once more.

Adrien: “Who...who are you?”

Adrien’s words tremble a bit as he tries to piece together all the available data, trying to figure out what exactly is going on.

Doppelganger: “It’s like looking in a mirror, isn’t it, Adrien?”

Well, my reflection would be wearing the same clothes as me, wouldn’t it?

Doppelganger: “It’s not my fault you put the wrong clothes on this morning.”

Adrien’s eyes widened as he nearly jumps backward.

Adrien: “You heard that?!”

Doppelganger: “Of course I did. I’m in your head, Adrien. All of this is in your head. I know you’re freaking out right now because you have no idea what the hell is going on. BECAUSE I AM IN YOUR HEAD. ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ARE FOR MY VIEWING PLEASURE!”

Adrien: “So does this mean you’re…”

Doppelganger: “All part of that wild imagination of yours. Think of me as that little voice you hear in your head that tries to act like the voice of reason.”

Adrien gives a bit of a distrustful look at his doppelganger who keeps smirking.

Adrien: “I still don’t understand what I’m doing here. Why am I here?”

Doppelganger: “Because you, sir, fucked up big time.”

Adrien was getting more and more uncomfortable with this doppelganger and everything he is saying. And since said doppelganger had access to Adrien’s thoughts, he knew Adrien was getting uncomfortable.

Doppelganger: “Oh wow, have I made the great Adrien Cochrane speechless?! Really? Wasn’t sure that was possible, quite honestly. I could probably write a book about this. Think the Destroyers would pay big money for this? Perhaps you’d be more willing to talk to me if I change my appearance.”

The ganger shifted his appearance to look like Stacy now, wearing her trademark superhero costume. The voice was even a perfect replication of Stacy’s.

Doppelganger: “Wounds too fresh for me to use this one? Get it? Wounds? Because she’s laying in a hospital bed right now and you’re stuck in your own head. Way to go, being there for her, buddy. Now you’re going to be in that match by yourself.”

Adrien clenches his fist as the Stacy doppelganger quickly turns into Eddie.

Doppelganger: “What about the best friend? You know, the one that decided that you weren’t bringing him to high enough places alone so he decided to sign on ten million other clients, right? About what percentage of the wrestling community is he going to sign when this whole jig is up? Come on, what more do you want? The student you failed?”

He then turned into Adam Sanders.

Doppelganger: “I can’t win a match to save my life. Why the hell did you try to make me think I could do this, Adrien? Why did you put me in harm’s way when I clearly am not cut out for this? Why didn’t your train me better or let me just keep pursuing my education?”

Now he’s turned into Kenzie Rydell.

Doppelganger: “I used to look up to you like a father figure. Then you decided to go on a training excursion in Alaska and now I can never trust you the same way again. I will never love you the way I did before, no matter how much I tell you I moved past it. I will never succeed because of you. Everything I do is DESPITE you.”

Adrien: “ENOUGH!”

The figure changes once more to a person he hadn’t seen in almost ten years. Adrien’s jaw drops as if he’s seen a ghost. In a way, he has. The person he is currently emulating has been dead for almost a decade now.

Doppelganger: “Oh, so you do remember me. It’s me, the fiancee that died, the one you couldn’t protect. And now you’ve let someone else that you love have the same fate as me. You couldn’t save me, and you couldn’t save Stacy.”

Adrien is too stunned to react as he reverts back from Stephanie Armstrong and to Matthew Shields.

Doppelganger: “I’ve been the king of this company for almost a year. And what are you? The joke that lost his championship to Tyson Gregory again. We will destroy you and leave your broken body so distraught that you will not be fit to fight John Blade.”

For once, he was a form Adrien wasn’t afraid to throw a punch at. He swings his fist as hard as he can, aiming for the throat of the figure of Matthew Shields, but his hand goes right through the apparition. He vanishes and reappears behind Adrien, once again in his Adrien form.

Doppelganger: “Use your head, Adrien. I’m not some problem you can just dropkick away. Not this time. I’m the monster in your own head, buddy. Want me to start using newer friends of yours next? I could do Blair reminding you that she will never team with you. What about Alechs saying he is only nice to you because he feels like he has to after you helped out the Young Cubs? Sarah Lacklan stating that she is trying to make #DoNotBelieve a thing? I can do this all day!”

Adrien resists the urge to try an attack again, knowing it is hopeless. The doppelganger laughs he knows exactly what Adrien wanted to do.

Doppelganger: “Oh look, you’re learning! Such a touching moment. It’s like watching a baby cub learn to walk for the first time. Kinda like how you let Honey get that pin against the Destroyers because you couldn’t do it yourself.”

Another idea pops into Adrien’s head as he starts walking in the opposite direction of the doppelganger, who vanishes and reappears in front of Adrien.

Doppelganger: “Excuse you. Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

Adrien: “I just found out my girlfriend is in the hospital with God only knows what. If you excuse me, I don’t have time for your games. I need to get back to the real world where shape-shifting assholes don’t exist.”

Doppelganger: “Oh, you think it’s that easy, huh? You think you can just walk right out of your own head? That isn’t how this works.”

Adrien: “THEN HOW DOES THIS WORK?! EXPLAIN IT TO ME THEN!”

The only reply he gets is a cocky smirk.

Doppelganger: “You’re here for as long as I say you need to be here.”

Adrien: “Then when are you freeing me from this? When you believe I’ve learned some stupid lesson? When you no longer find it enjoyable to torture me?”

Doppelganger: “In a way, isn’t this just you torturing yourself? Because this is what you do. YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF. So do yourself a big, big favor...stop doing to you what I’m doing to you. And maybe, just maybe, you won’t ever have to be back in this godforsaken place again.”

The doppelganger snapped his fingers and Adrien snaps back to reality. He’s in the parking lot of Chalmette Medical Center.

---

If they say
Who cares if one more light goes out
In the sky of a million stars
It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone's time runs out
If a moment is all we are
Or quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out
Well I do

---

Date: July 22nd, 2017
Cameras: OFF

“Room 234...room 234…”

Adrien Cochrane kept repeating the room number to make sure he didn’t forget it. Those three little digits were the only thing on his mind, trying to make sure he didn’t accidentally burst through the door of another room and watch someone give birth. He sees a sign that states the rooms 230 through 245 were a left-hand turn from the hallway. While trying not to dash through the hospital where he could inadvertently injure someone by running into them, his pace was definitely faster than your standard walk.

Adrien: “Room 234…”

He takes a deep breath as he opens the door. As the door opens, he see’s a nurse, standing in front of the patient in the hospital bed. The nurse turns around and smiles at Adrien and begins walking towards him.

Nurse: “You must be Ms. Sterling’s boyfriend? She has been talking about you since arriving here.”

Adrien nods, but he was in no mood to speak to the nurse. As she passes by him, he sees his girlfriend, Stacy Sterling, who despite the injury was doing her best to remain in positive spirits. She wore a half smile that grew and widened upon seeing Adrien.

Stacy: “Adrien…”

It took everything in the young woman to not try to hop off of the bed and run to Adrien, but she knew that would be a bad idea. Adrien hurries over towards the bed and leaned down, wrapping his arms around Stacy.

Stacy: “I can’t believe this happened. I’m sorry...for everything.”

Adrien pulls away and glares into Stacy’s icy, slightly watery eyes.

Stacy: “I was training and I jumped off of the top rope like I always do, and I just...collapsed. I don’t even know what happened still. Adrien...now you’re going to be alone, this was supposed to be our chance to be there for each other every day. I have to figure this out. I can fight through it. I’ll do it!”

She knows she couldn’t but she was almost arguing with herself, trying to pump herself up.

Stacy: “It’s just a foot injury, right? I have two feet. Let’s just get out of here, okay?”

Adrien: “Whoa, whoa, whoa...what’s the extent of this injury before we even think about you leaving out of here?”

Adrien was taking a look at the foot, but it was completely covered at this point. Adrien was almost afraid to even remove all the bandages because then everything that just happened with his girlfriend would become real to him. It was almost like Schrodinger's Cat...until he knew what was underneath all those bandages, how would he know if she was even hurt at all?

Adrien: “Be honest, what is the diagnosis, Stacy?”

Her lips quiver as she turns her head. She doesn’t respond, the first time she has kept anything from Adrien.

Adrien: “You’re aware I could just grab that chart right there at the end of your bed and read it for myself, right?”

Adrien gives a stern expression towards his girlfriend. Part of him was trying to look stern to try to keep the tears at bay. The sound of his voice was enough to let her know how serious he was. Stacy slowly turns her head back to Adrien, but her eyes rest on her bed.

Stacy: “My foot is broken. I don’t know how long I’m supposed to be off of it for, but it’s a pretty safe bet that I won’t be able to wrestle for awhile. I won’t be there for you. There, are you happy?”

For the first time in their relationship, Sterling’s words were spat out in a resentful tone.

Stacy: “Not so super anymore, am I?”

While Stacy didn’t know the typical recovery time for a broken foot, Adrien was around wrestling and other sports long enough to know. She was going to be out a minimum of six weeks. Possibly up to twelve or more. Adrien takes a deep breath as he tries to process everything that’s going through his mind. Was the doppelganger in his head right? Did he push Stacy too hard to try to fight alongside him that she put herself in this position? Was he causing all of these things to happen with all the people in his life?

Adrien runs his hands through his blonde hair, taking another deep breath.

Adrien: “You’re not super because of anything you can do. It’s because of here.”

He points at his heart.

Adrien: “Because you do what you do for the good of others and not for selfish reasons. We got through you being blinded by Ally. We can get through this. It’s just...going to take some time…”

Adrien’s voice trails off a little bit as it’s starting to sink in a little bit more than his girlfriend won’t be able to be with him in the ring anymore. She didn’t even look fit to travel in her current state.

Stacy: “Well…”

Stacy sniffles and wipes at her eyes, hope returning to them.

Stacy: “Redemption has like, a ton of people looking for work, and when I signed my contract, there was an injury clause that said if I were to miss more than two shows in a row, the contract would be void. Just tell me I won’t miss more than two shows? I can tape the foot, and we can...we can team together. I won’t even do any crazy flying moves, okay? Adrien...just tell me that I’ll be good to go after a show or two.”

Stacy sat up in her bed as much as she could.

Stacy: “I feel better already anyway. Let’s just work on getting me back in-ring shape, I’m sure I’ll be good to go after One Night Only.”

Adrien knew that out-of-ring injuries could void out her contract. Yeah, she would get paid out an injury payout for her contract being voided, but she would no longer be employed. After what happened with Ronnie North, Redemption wanted to put said clause in Adrien’s contract as well, but Eddie had them alter it to protect Adrien a bit more. But Stacy didn’t have the leverage Adrien had when it came to contract negotiation.

Adrien: “Stacy, a broken foot is usually a six to twelve-week injury.”

Adrien couldn’t lie to her. Their entire relationship was based on trust, and there was no way Adrien was going to damage that, even if it meant breaking Stacy’s heart.

Stacy: “Okay you said usually, but I’m different. I defended The Compound from thugs. I flew into Redemption and saved you. I took down Alicia Hixx, nothing has stopped me and I’m not letting this stop me either. Just...sign me out, okay?”

The response from Stacy was more of a demand than a request as she slowly pushes her body towards the edge of the bed, trying to step off of it. Adrien, however, did not comply. Her safety was more important to him than just some match.

Adrien: “No. It’s...you need to rest and heal, Stacy.”

Adrien closes his eyes for a brief second longer than your standard blink. It was another measure to prevent him from crying. He had to be strong for Stacy.

Adrien: “They are going to give you a cast and some crutches and we will leave when we have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”

Stacy: “I’m going to lose my job. Eddie worked so hard to get me in there…”

The sniffles turned into quiet sobbing as she wiped the tears that began trailing down her cheeks. The injury was nowhere near career ending, but it would signal the end of her career in Redemption.

Stacy: “He’s not going to want to represent me anymore, and then you’re going to have to wrestle two people by yourself. Can I please just try to get through this one match? I know I can do it...for you. Please?”

She begs but it’s in vain. Adrien looks down as Stacy nods and wipes at her cheeks once more.

Stacy: “Then...I guess that’s it. I’ll do what I have to do. I’m just...crushed. This was my big break.”

Her own wording was humorous to her, even with the realization of everything that was going on.

Stacy: “Look, I can’t even cry without saying something silly. Gosh...Adrien!”

Adrien wasn’t even sure what to say next. His mouth opened a little bit, but the words weren’t there for him to use. He was utterly speechless at the whole situation, a rare occurrence for the Dropkick King. It’s hard for him to even look at Stacy’s foot, still wrapped up in bandages. Everything was setting in. He was going to have to step into the ring with Shields and Richards by himself. But that wasn’t as important as what was happening to his girlfriend. Sensing the loss of words her boyfriend was experiencing, Stacy slowly slips her hand out from under the blanket. She takes Adrien’s hand and squeezes, also saying nothing. Sometimes actions truly speak louder than words.

They were together. Despite the ups, the downs, and everything in between, they had each other, and in this moment, maybe that was all they would need.

---

The reminders, pull the floor from your feet
In the kitchen, one more chair than you need, oh
And you're angry, and you should be, it's not fair
Just 'cause you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there

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