After Climax Control...
The evening had been blessedly quiet for a hospital's normal occurrences. There had been no emergencies today, a miracle of sorts given that Carson City was, in fact, the capitol of the state of Nevada.
The ambulance pulled up alongside the patient drop off entrance for the Carson City Memorial Hospital, one of the city's premiere medical care hospital facilities. The rear doors opened and the paramedic stepped out and turned to wait as the driver shut the engine off and stepped out himself. The driver walked around to the rear of the emergency vehicle and looked inside, "Sir, are you absolutely certain we can't wheel your friend into a room directly?" He asked this as a nurse walked out with a wheelchair being pushed before her. The hospital, of course, had been notified along the way about the circumstances of the patient and what would be desired and/or requested.
"No." Synn said as he took a step out of the ambulance and dropped down to the pavement. The back end of the ambulance had been decidedly crowded, with Synn's 6'8" bulk taking up most of what free space there was to be had, with the patient and the paramedic feeling rather cramped with what was left. "Trust me, it'll work out better if we just do it this way. We have friends on the way and it would be best if we wait by admissions for their arrival."
He paused and took a step back as the driver climbed into the back and the first paramedic stepped up into the back and with a team effort, they worked together to remove the gurney, and the patient being Gabriel, out from the vehicle.
"Are you certain?" The nurse asked, looking up at the tall form of Synn with wonder and a hint of apprehension in her voice. "If you're worried about your friends locating him, that'll be no problem. They can just ask at the admissions desk and be directed from there."
"Yeah man." Gabriel grunted as he was assisted by the two paramedics from the gurney and into the wheelchair. To keep him leg steady, one paramedic swung the foot rests around so Gabriel could securely rest his foot against it. "Why waste time? The sooner they see me, the sooner the doctor can give me some wicked pain killers and the sooner this will be over with." The one paramedic who rode with him in the back then scooped up the teddy bear from the gurney that Despayre had made sure also made the trip with his friend, and passed it to Gabriel whose cheeks suddenly flushed scarlet.
"Gabriel..." Synn placed his hand on the magician's shoulder and leaned down so that he could speak gently, if not privately, to the man. "Shane is bringing everyone here, Fantasia, Despayre, Kittie... they're going to walk in, expecting to see us. Do you want to experience the chaos of Joshua running rampant through the halls of this place, trying to find you?"
Gabriel paused momentarily, lost in thought, as he contemplated this very same scenario. Slowly he turned his head to look up at Synn and the most wicked of smiles crossed Gabriel's handsome face. He murmured, "Only if there's somebody recording it."
Gabriel's mirth was matched as he saw Synn's face remain stoically serious but the corners of his lips twitched, showing he was slightly losing the battle not to betray his amusement at the thought. He said carefully, "I know, I wouldn't mind seeing it myself." He choked back what would have had to have been a laugh but then continued, "But perhaps they're right. They should be here any moment." He stood upright and looked at the nurse and nodded, "If you take him, I'll wait for our friends."
The nurse nodded and moved behind Gabriel, and taking a grip on the handlebars of his wheelchair, she moved him forward toward the entrance where the automatic doors slid open to admit them and they disappeared inside with the two paramedics following to pass on to the nurse what they knew about the injury and the cause thereof. The last thing Synn heard was the nurse saying aloud, "Nice teddy bear."
"IT'S NOT MINE!"
Synn shook his head and turned around to wait for the next arrivals. It would turn out that he didn't have long to wait.
The way Shane drove he must have been cutting off every other car in the heavy Carson City traffic trying to tail the ambulance because it wasn't no more than five minutes later when Synn's own car pulled up around the drop off where Synn stood waiting for him. The vehicle swung around into one of the few parking spaces for visitors and the engine was cut off. The doors opened and Despayre practically climbed on top of and over Shane who shouted, "Oy! Watch it!" in his haste to escape the confines of the car and rush to Synn. He almost darted right past him and into the hospital straight away, had it not been for Synn's swift reflexes as he reached an arm out and ensnared the youth around the waist and reeled him back.
"Hold it, Joshua." Synn said as he pulled him around in front of him and turned him about to wait as the others, Shane, Fantasia and Kittie, joined them at the front.
Kittie frowned, "Why are you out here? I would have thought you'd be waiting inside, checking Gabriel in."
"They're taking him straight to a room to get checked in and examined." Synn explained. "I thought it perhaps prudent I wait here for you so a certain someone (pointed at Despayre from behind) didn't go running around the halls trying to find his best friend."
Kittie smirked but Shane grinned widely, "Damn, that would be hilarious."
"Can we go find Gabriel now and see how he is?" Despayre whined, looking upside down at Synn.
"Yeah." Synn nodded. "You three first." He said to Shane, Fantasia and Kittie who walked past the pair and entered as the glass doors slid in opposite directions to admit them inside of the facility. Before Despayre could hurry to follow, Synn turned him around and leaned over to look closely into his eyes.
"Are you certain you want to go in?"
Despayre's face turned to one that would have brought a barking laugh had it been anyone but the ice-veined Synn who remained staring at him. The look would almost bear the question of, "What are you, nuts?"
"Of course I want to go!" He answered back. "I told you Gabriel needs me!"
"Okay." Synn said with obvious reluctance, "But the first sign of your feeling badly and we leave." and he straightened up and placed a hand on Despayre's smaller shoulders and directed him toward the doors. They slid open and the pair set foot inside, but no sooner did they than did Despayre freeze up and stop moving. Synn turned to look at him with concern.
"Joshua?"
Despayre fidgeted with his arms, unused to not having Angel's security snuggled within them. He loosened his arms and let them fall to his sides, where his hands clenched and unclenched into fists. Shane, seeing this, took a step forward and looked at Synn.
"He okay?"
Synn hated to do this but he placed a hand on Despayre's arm to steer him around and take him back outside but surprisingly, Despayre pulled from his grip.
"I'm okay." Despayre whispered in a tone that told them that statement wasn't entirely accurate. "It's not the bad place. It's not."
Synn leaned down and inspected him closely and Despayre's head whipped up to return the gaze. Synn asked, "Are you sure?" to which Despayre just nodded. Despayre inhaled a shaky breath as Synn draped an arm around his diminutive shoulders and led him towards the admissions desk where the others stood.
********************
The examination room was like any other in its sterile environment with the charts on the wall and instruments sealed away behind the glass cabinet doors. On the examination table, Gabriel sat with both legs stretched out, and the one leg from his black, leather pants had to be cut away by a swift hand and sharp scissors so the afflicted knee injury could be closely scrutinized. The injury was painfully obvious now to the naked eye as the knee that Goth had taken out and struck down with a steel chair was swollen to three times it's normal size and discolored a sickening array of blue, green, purple and yellow. Gabriel held an ice pack against the knee and breathed deeply as he attempted to dull the pain in his mind, at least until something a little more potent prescribed to him could do the job for him.
An older woman of Asian descent stood at the foot of the exam table with a clipboard in her hand when there was a soft rap on the door. She glanced up over her glasses on the bridge of her nose and looked to the door for a brief moment, before it opened and a young male intern peeked inside. He saw Gabriel where he sat, and a perplexed expression only briefly crossed his face when he spotted the teddy bear on the table at his waist. He then regained his composure and looked to the woman.
He said, "Oh, Doctor Ochi? Your patient's visitors are here."
"Finally." Gabriel grumbled as the intern opened the door wider. Synn was about to step inside but he was almost bumped into the door frame as Despayre barreled right past him and leapt, landing at the exam table's side and he leaned in close to look Gabriel in the eyes, almost nose-to-nose.
"Are you cured?" Despayre asked. "Did the doctor take your temperature in the normal way or the funny way?"
Doctor Ochi blinked and looked over to Synn who had stepped inside of the room and shut the door behind him. "You'll have to forgive him." Synn said to the doctor as he moved around her to stand on the other side of Gabriel and the table. "He was worried about his friend here." And he picked up Angel and leaned over to offer the teddy bear up to Despayre's waiting arms.
Despayre cuddled the bear closely against his chest and looked at Gabriel, "Did he take good care of you?"
"Yeah, he did Despy." Gabriel replied. "He tried to bite the nurse for coming at my pants leg with the scissors."
"Well nobody wants to see your legs."
Gabriel looked up and frowned, the pain dulling his sense of what to and what not to say. He growled, "I am getting a little bit tired..."
"Boy and you haven't given him the pain killers yet and he's already tired!" Despayre looked at the doctor in wonder. "He's going to totally zonk out!"
"Joshua..." Synn said in a soothing tone, holding a forefinger to his lips. Despayre turned to Gabriel and repeated the gesture. Synn then turned to the doctor who was looking at the clipboard in her hands.
She stated, "I have all the information on what happened Mister..."
"Just call me Gabriel."
Doctor Ochi looked up with her eyebrows knitted in wonder, before saying, "I'm afraid we're going to need your last name for our files."
"He doesn't have one." Despayre spoke up. "He's like Madonna." He looked at the bear he was holding and nodded. "Right. Or Cher."
Synn reached into his jacket and pulled out a fountain pen and handed it over to Gabriel, saying, "Just write it down for her if you prefer it kept a secret."
The doctor nodded and passed the clipboard to Gabriel. He started to write it down when he paused and looked at Despayre who was stretching on his toes to try and see. "Despy?" Gabriel said, and his 'little buddy' dropped back down to his feet and bit his bottom lip with a frown. Gabriel started writing again when a fuzzy face appeared over the back of his shoulder, 'looking' down at the writing. Unable to help himself, Gabriel smiled and poked Angel in the nose with the pen. Despayre pulled his bear back with a soft laugh and held him tight as the doctor took the clipboard back.
"So," She started to say. "Three repeated shots to the knee by a steel folding chair?" She looked at Gabriel and held her hands out in wonder. "Do you mind if I ask why the authorities haven't been summoned?"
"Fat lot of good it'll do." Gabriel grumbled as he turned his head away and watched as Despayre peered into the cabinets, inspecting the utensils. He looked back at the doctor and shook his head, "The guy who did this will get his, doc. But I don't want to send any more time focusing on this than I have to. Calling the cops will just keep me here even longer than I want to be, and I never was much of a fan of the police anyway."
The doctor shrugged, clearly not agreeing with his decision to not involve the police. She instead jotted down some notes before she looked up and said, "Well, I have all of the information I need. I'm going to send you down for some X-Rays."
Synn folded his arms and leaned back against the wall, "He's not going to need surgery, is he?"
"We won't know until the X-Ray results are back." Doctor Ochi answered. "But it is possible if enough damage was done to the knee or tendons around it, he might."
The news was neither good, nor welcome, but it had to be accepted. Synn looked at Gabriel who met his eyes, before they both glanced over to Despayre who had a fearful expression of concern on his own face, eyes wide and darting between the doctor and Gabriel.
The doctor opened the door and turned back to the men inside of the room, "I'll get started on the paper work and Jaymes will take you down for your knee to be X-Rayed. It'll be just a few moments."
"Thank you doctor." Synn said as the door closed with a soft latch.
Gabriel asked, "Where are the others?"
"In the waiting room." Synn answered. "The nurse told us only two visitors and Joshua and I were the two most likely candidates. Soon as you get taken down to be X-Rayed, Joshua and I'll go fill them in on what's happening."
Gabriel nodded when a light snort brought his and Synn's attention to look at Despayre who was holding a hand over his mouth and nose, tittering gleefully.
"What's so funny?"Gabriel asked.
Despayre lowered his hand and tried to compose himself, without much success. He answered in between giggle fits and said, "Angel just told me your last name."
"Angel doesn't even know my last name."
"Does so!" Despayre protested. "He looked over your shoulder when you wrote it down, remember?"
"Oh really?" Gabriel arched a brow, looking his friend over. "What is it then?"
Despayre leaned up onto the exam table and whispered in Gabriel's ear. Gabriel's eyes opened wide and he looked at the bear, "How the hell did he...?"
********************
Doctor Ochi stood in the exam room, alongside Synn who stood in the background against the wall, and Gabriel who was again seated with his legs outstretched following a series of X-Rays on his knee. Despayre, who had refused to remain in the waiting room with the others, stood close to the table's edge and at Gabriel's side. All eyes were on the bright box of light against the wall with the X-Ray film pinned against it.
Doctor Ochi lowered her hand from her lips and turned her head toward Gabriel and said, "Well, the good news is that you won't be needing surgery. Somehow, despite the fact you took three shots like you described, the damage, although bad, was minimal compared to what it could have been."
"And the bad news?" Gabriel prompted.
She turned to him and answered freely, "The bad news is that despite it not being as bad as it could have been, it is still bad." She turned slightly to point at an area on the film. "Right here indicates a slight, very slight, fracture of your kneecap. You also suffered some damage to the tendons surrounding the joint itself."
Synn held up a hand to emphasize a point, "But nothing, you said, that would require surgery."
"Correct." Doctor Ochi nodded and then returned to looking to Gabriel. "But you are going to have to wear a brace around your knee, and keep the pressure off of it for as much as possible while you recover."
"So, what? I can't walk at all for... however long?" Gabriel frowned.
Doctor Ochi stepped over and removed the X-Ray from the screen, all the while responding with professionalism, "No, certainly not. You can move around but I recommend it be at minimal intervals, at least initially. Also you'd do well to use a set of crutches to help elevate the pressure from the knee when you do so. Keep it straight for as much as you can and..."
Despayre interrupted, asking innocently, "Will he be allowed to wrestle again?"
The question had been on Synn and Gabriel's mind as well, but they had yet to ask. Once Despayre took the initiative, the doctor found all of their eyes on her.
She sighed and slowly removed her glasses, "I will be honest. I have never been a fan of these form of contact sports. Boxing, UFC, professional wrestling, so when I am able to offer this advice, I usually suggest it be in my patient's best health interests not to take part in them."
Gabriel shook his head. "Not an option."
"I understand." The doctor nodded. "So in knowing this, I would say that after four, perhaps five weeks, you would do well enough to be able to return to the ring. However at first I would also recommend you wear a brace for the first couple of weeks when you do so. Just to be sure."
"Not a problem." Synn said before Gabriel had the option of doing so himself.
Doctor Ochi then added, "Also, for the first few weeks at least, do you have anybody that might be able to help you get around, to take care of you?"
"I'm not an invalid." Gabriel spoke up suddenly, perhaps harsher in than intended. Before he could say anything else, Synn interrupted and said matter-of-factly.
"He'll be staying at my place for the duration."
Gabriel swerved his head around to stare daggers at Synn but there was no room for argument judging by the big man's face and tone.
"Don't argue." Synn said. "It's for your own health. It's not forever so it isn't like you have to give up your place or anything like that."
Gabriel turned away, shaking his head and grumbling, "Christ..."
"Hooray!" Despayre cried out. "Gabriel's staying with us!" He held his teddy bear at arm's length and cooed to it, "You hear that Angel? Gabriel's going to stay with us! Doctor Angel and Nurse Joshua taking care of Gabriel!"
Gabriel turned his head back to the man and bear pairing with his brow furrowed in a curious blend of frustration and curiosity. He could not help it though when the corner of his lips twitched in amusement. Synn shook his head but the doctor herself also seemed amused.
She said, "Now... if there are no further questions, I'll just write out..."
"I have a question." Despayre said timidly, raising his hand.
"Yes?" The doctor slid her glasses on, looking to him as he slowly lowered his hand and he leaned in, a curious look on his face.
Despayre asked, "When I order at Panda Express, and say no MSG ... do they really put it in anyway?"
Doctor Ochi blinked, and Gabriel snorted back his laughter while Synn hid his face behind the back of his hand as he shook his head, but the quaking of his shoulders spoke volumes of his amusement. Despayre just looked around at them in his innocent nature toward his question.
She then regained her composure and said, "I'll go have Gabriel's prescriptions written out. He'll be put on a mild muscle relaxer and pain killer..."
Gabriel muttered, "Hot damn..."
She smiled and opened the door to take her leave...
Only minutes later, the intern from earlier, Jaymes, had made his way to the room and fit Gabriel's leg into a firm knee brace that would keep his leg straight. He also had a set of crutches and offered them over to the patient as he slid carefully from the exam table.
Synn stepped up and said, "Okay, we'll go get your prescriptions filled and..."
"Not yet." Despayre said and all eyes turned to him. "We can't leave yet."
"Why not?" Gabriel asked.
Despayre rolled his eyes and exhaled, his expression saying that the answer should be obvious. "Because they haven't given Gabriel his sucker yet. Everybody knows when you go to the doctor, you get a sucker."
"Joshua..." Synn started to say but Despayre shook his head vigorously.
"I am not leaving until Gabriel gets his sucker!"
Synn exhaled through his nose and turned and looked at Jaymes who got a deer caught in the headlights look.
********************
Out in the waiting room, Shane glanced up and he gave Kittie a nudge with his hand. She too looked up and the three of them, Fantasia included, hurriedly stood up as Synn, Despayre, and Gabriel stepped into the waiting room area. Gabriel was carefully maneuvering himself on his crutches, trying to keep the weight off of his injured knee. Despayre was hovering all too close to him, just in case his best buddy were to have an accident.
"It's about damn time." Kittie said as they met the three. "It's been over an hour. What did they s..." She frowned and pointed at Gabriel. "Where did you get the Blow Pop?"
Gabriel pulled the purple sucker from between his lips and smiled, "Where do you think?" And tilted his head toward Despayre who puffed out his chest and smiled proudly.
Now...
Synn sat far off in the dining room of his spacious home, talking on the phone as he glanced up every few moments to look toward the kitchen and watched as Despayre practically hovered over their housekeeper, Teresa, as she went about her work in the kitchen, preparing their evening meal.
Under almost all circumstances, the older, Hispanic woman clearly intimidated Despayre into being on his absolute best behavior, and he was doing no wrong now, but he knew well enough when to keep a proper distance. in fact, in this case, she was allowing him to lend her a helping hand. And why not? She was making Gabriel's supper too. Despayre had initially wanted to make it all on his own but there was an established rule in the household; the kitchen was Teresa's domain.
"Hand me that Joshua." She said, pointing off to the counter at a bottle of virgin olive oil. Despayre hurriedly grabbed it and passed it to her, and watched in wonder as she expertly added a dash of it to the dish in the skillet and she gave it a slight stir before moving on to one of the other two pots and pans on her large stove.
Synn glanced back down and spoke into the phone in almost a conspiratorial tone, "So it's final then? The match isn't being canceled? ... Fine." He clicked the phone off without so much as a good-bye to whomever he was speaking to and whispered, "Son of a bitch..." Before he turned to look back into the kitchen and slowly stood up.
Teresa then leaned over at the waist and pulled open the oven door and peeked at the contents inside, and Despayre hurried around the edge of the counter so that he could do the same.
"Is it ready?" He asked.
"Yes." She said, straightening up and he followed suit. "Supper is ready. Will Gabriel be eating in his room or joining us at the table?"
Despayre frowned and thought, unsure, when Synn entered the kitchen. Having heard the question himself, the 'dark priest' said, "With us, as usual." He arrived at the counter and placed a hand on Despayre's shoulder and said, "If he were to stay in his room any longer, I worry he'll grow roots."
Despayre laughed as Teresa pulled a beautiful chicken and spinach casserole from the oven and set it on the marble counter atop a matting. She said, "Oh he gets out plenty. He only eats breakfast in the bedroom, and the rest of the time he's in the rest of the house or off somewhere with you two on one of your adventures. When he should be in bed, resting." She waved a spoon at Synn in reprimand. "It's just a good thing you put him in the guest room downstairs instead of making the poor man sleep upstairs. How he would have gotten down..."
Despayre spoke up, "I would have shown him how to slide down the banister, just like Angel showed me."
Teresa turned her spoon on Despayre and shook it at him, "I seem to recall you trying that and flying off the end and breaking one of Synn's good tables."
Despayre bit his bottom lip and hurriedly looked down, avoiding her eye contact, as well as that menacing spoon.
"Joshua," Teresa said, turning her tone from strict to soothing and he glanced 'up' from the top of his brows, his head still down. "Will you please set the table while I get things set up and moved into the...?"
Despayre turned and rushed off, not letting her finish her statement in his excitement at helping out. He watched for a moment as she started getting the dishes ready before he turned and walked out.
In the downstairs guest room, Gabriel leaned back on the bed with his arms folded. His body spoke of relaxation but his facial expression spoke of being bored. On the stand beside his bed were stacks of snacks of every kind, including cookies and pretzels and popcorn -- as well as the customary half-empty bottles of Cherry Coke which indicated who was sneaking him all of these goodies from Teresa's kitchen and into his room. A handful of books laid nearby, and two coloring books with spilled crayons over the hastily colored pages. And seated beside him, snuggled up against a pillow, was Angel, clad in a little doctor's outfit Synn purchased for Despayre at the Build-A-Bear store in the local mall.
His gaze fell on the television screen as he was watching a copy of Despayre's DVD movie "The Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie". There was a soft rap on the door and he looked up.
"Yeah?"
The door opened and Synn stepped inside. He looked around at the mess of the room and smirked, "I see Joshua has been taking his responsibility of caring for you seriously."
Gabriel raised his eyebrows and eyes opened wide as he exhaled. He nodded silently before finding the words, "Oh yeah, that's putting it mildly. He won't ever let me get bored. He's always finding something to occupy the time. Most of it includes Coke and Looney Tunes but he's started to vary. Had me reading him 'Lord of the Rings' yesterday."
"He's not bothering you, is he?" Synn watched him for an honest answer and Gabriel shook his head.
"`Course not." Gabriel said. "But I wouldn't object to getting outside once in awhile. I think I can manage a trip with you guys in town you know. It won't kill me."
Synn nodded, "Funny you should mention that. I was thinking of taking Joshua and Teresa to a movie after supper tonight. Originally it was to get you a breather but if you'd rather go...?"
Gabriel looked thoughtful and nodded, "Sounds good."
Synn said, "Speaking of which, supper is ready. Joshua is helping Teresa set the table as we speak."
"Oh boy." Gabriel whistled. "That's asking for..."
They heard a crash from out of the bedroom...
"Oh Joshua...!"
"Sorry!"
Gabriel smiled widely and Synn slowly pulled the door shut. He turned to the man in the bed and had a concerned look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked.
"I just got off the phone with Mark Ward." Synn answered. "It's just like what I told you. They're not going to cancel the match."
"What?"
"It's moving forward as a singles match. They're making Joshua wrestle Goth one-on-one."
"You're kidding." Gabriel frowned, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "So Goth gets everything he wants, huh? Take me out of the equation and that leaves Despy to fend for himself?"
"Well, he won't be out there by himself, that's one thing." Synn admitted, glancing at the door before returning to watch as Gabriel moved to pull himself from the bed. "I'll be out there to make sure the bastard doesn't try to pull any funny tricks out of his hat. Joshua can handle himself against Goth."
"Of course he can." Gabriel agreed. "This is the same guy that attacked the teddy bear."
"Attacking Angel had a diverse affect on Joshua's mind frame, I'll give you that." Synn said as he moved over to reach and scoop up the aforementioned bear. He then moved back to the door and waited for Gabriel to join him. He continued, "But Goth did something far worse to him when he attacked you. Joshua knows this. I've overheard a few of his one-sided conversations with Angel about Goth when he thought nobody else was listening."
"And...?" Gabriel prodded.
"And... he's angry. He's not showing us that fact very much, but I have a feeling when that bell rings, Goth is going to find out just how big of a mistake he's made."
The bedroom door suddenly swung open, slamming into Synn and knocking him back against the bedroom wall.
"SUPPER IS SERVED!" He announced merrily. Then he looked around and leaned into the room, peeking behind the door where Synn was pressed, massaging his now tender nose. "Well now that was certainly a silly place to stand!"
Gabriel snorted back a laugh, looking away as Synn slid out from behind the door and offered the teddy bear to Despayre.
"Loyalty. It's an endearing quality in this day and age, and yet so very rare. It's small wonder why you weren't able to recognize it when it stared you straight in the face, Goth. You don't even know the meaning of it. I remember dealing with you back in the AWA. You were sadistic in the treatments of even those who claimed to be loyal to you. if they did not satisfy your needs and wishes against those you deemed an enemy or inferior, woe be to they who upset the big, angry boss man."
"Look at our very own friend, Kain. Was he not a man whom you took an initial shine to? Did he not work for you and fight against those you wanted to make an example out of? What happened to him, hm? You took him straight to the AWA World Championship, and thought what better beast to unleash against this group of athletes that have been defying me, in the Seven Deadly Sins? You had been looking for someone, anyone, to put the shoulders of Gabriel and Despayre to the mat for the first time in their careers, and yet failed each and every time. How many times did you force Gabriel and Despayre to go against the same men, in singles and tag team divisional contests, hoping for that elusive victory ... only to turn away in defeat each and every time? You were so certain that Kain would be the one, yet there was that lingering doubt in your head. Why else would you have refused to allow the World title to be on the line? It's not as if you could say Gabriel didn't deserve the title opportunity. The man was a champion and unbeaten! You just knew, however deep down in your own subconscious, of what might occur."
"And did occur. Gabriel did what you imagined to be impossible, when he pinned Kain in the middle of the ring -- cleanly -- one, two, three. You weren't a happy camper after that match, were you? Not only did you 'punish' Gabriel by stripping him of the Television championship, you and your little harem delivered a beating to Kain and sent him away for a very long time. That is why you do not know the meaning of the word loyalty. That is why when you attacked Gabriel, you started shoveling the dirt in your own grave. the same one you dug out when you attacked Angel."
"You see Goth, I have never had much use for tales from the Bible. I believe fairy tales have their time and place, and it's usually in childhood and at bedtime. You seem to have this fetish for Biblical references so let me give you an example that you just might be able to understand, from your own view point."
"Do you recall a man by the name of Job? oh come on now. think back into that deluded little walnut of a brain. The story goes, and I have to admit I wasn't paying very close attention in Church when it was passed down -- I just happened to notice the young Reverend had one serious ass on him that held my undivided attention."
"So many years ago, God and Satan were talking. See, this is why I have such a hard time buying into these little stories. I always thought the two were supposed to always be fighting, and in this one they're talking? Anyway, Satan makes a claim that God's loyal 'servant' Job, who had every blessing a man might want, would denounce him to his face and curse him if his luck were not so blessed. It was Satan's claim that Job served God only because God protected the man and gave him much out of life."
"God accepted this challenge, and allowed Satan the leave to take everything from Job, save for his life. Satan went about and took away the lives of Job's wife, and his many children. Satan took away his home, the food from his table and the great wealth that Job had known. He could not take the man's life, but Satan did play Hell, pun intended, with his health. Through his initial losses, Job prayed but these curses continued to visit him. Job was angry, and cried out for why he had been abandoned, but never once did he cry directly against God. Unfortunately for Satan, this act itself cost him the bet, and God restored Job to a new glory, with wealth, a new wife and a new generation of children."
"It's a funny story, really. The Church tells us all that the Lord loves us and we are under his care, but here in the almighty Bible is a tale of God allowing a man devoted to him to suffer greatly at the hands of Satan, and for what? To win a silly bet with his former favorite and the now deposed of the angels. Some caring God, is it not? A loving Lord that allows his loyal follower to suffer, just because He wanted to emerge the winner of a meager wager. A loving God who allowed an innocent woman and children to die, all because of a wager."
"And this is the God that the Church wants you to put your faith into, and to love unconditionally."
"**chuckles**"
"Think about it Goth. There is a reason why this tale was the one I chose to use as an example. Only every so often do you see an example of true, undying loyalty. And if you would have looked closely, you would see the perfect, modern example when you see the brotherhood bond that exists between Despayre, the man you wanted to victimize, and Gabriel, the man you attacked to get to him."
"Gabriel has never once avoided you, Goth. As I recall, you were the one who made yourself scarce back in the day, after Despayre returned the favor of your attack with one of his own. An attack, I might add, that bloodied you badly and put you out of commission. The Sins were still around after you took your leave, but where were you? Under strict medical care, as I am told, and realizing the bizarre truth that you, indeed, are but a mortal man. A mortal man that can bleed, that can be hurt, and that can be defeated."
"Your mind games are meaningless here, Goth. You are now dealing with a rabid mind that wants to hurt you much like you hurt him and those he loves. Despayre never avoided you. He has not avoided you here, in this new territory. He is simply waiting. Waiting for you to set foot inside of the ring, so the two dearest things he holds to his heart can be avenged. You unlocked this cage, Goth. You set loose an animal that this time, I have no intention of controlling. And this time, like the last...?"
"You will have only yourself to blame."
