[Kristopher Ryans]

 OFF-CAMERA
Somewhere In Arizona
18 June 2017
11:51 PM PDT

Kris was in bad shape. Following his match at Climax Control he was put into the back of an ambulance and sent to the nearest hospital to be checked out. He was not really surprised. He and Joshua Acquin practically destroyed the backstage area during their fight. He had emerged victorious, but at what cost? He had a forehead full of stitches, his entire body hurt, and half of his face was covered in a bruise. To make matters worse, he had asked for it to happen. He clicks his phone screen to life, pacing back and forth in his room and waiting for a text. It had taken more than an hour worth of convincing, but he finally got someone to come and help him. However, their window was slowly closing. He slams the phone down on the side table next to the bed and fights his urge to just make a sprint out the door.

Kris: “Where is she…..?”

Mikah is seen walking down the hallway, dressed in a pair of short jean shorts and a simple turquoise shirt, headed in the direction of the nurse’s station.  She was typing something on her phone but presses the button to lock her phone as she reaches the desk. She reaches back, shoving the phone into the butt pocket of her jean shorts.  She glances around before pushing the few strands of hair out of her face that just would not stay tucked behind her ears.

Nurse: “Can I help you?”

Mikah:  â€œYes, which room is Kris Halc in?”

The nurse looks at the blonde before typing something in the computer in front of her.  The nurse squints at the computer screen before looking back up at the blonde.

Nurse:  â€œThere is nobody in this hospital by that name.  I’m sorry.”

Mikah sighs, trying not to be irritated with the woman before drumming her fingers against the countertop of the area.

Mikah:  â€œKristopher Halich, I mean.  Which room is he in?”

She narrows her eyes at the slightly older woman, who grumbles something under her breath and types the name into the computer and then points across the hall at a door, not even bothering to utter the number.

Mikah: “Kris....”

Her voice was clipped as she turns and walks in the direction of the room that the nurse had pointed to.  Mikah knocks lightly before walking into the room, shutting it behind her softly to see him in a hospital gown, a panicked look on his face.  Mikah looks a bit perplexed for a moment, clearly deciding how to approach him.

Mikah:  â€œKris…”

She spoke softly, not wanting to startle him or set him off.

Kris: “We have got to get the fuck out of here…

As soon as the door closes he springs into action. The first thing he does is check the time on his phone and the sighs heavily.

Kris: “Cutting it close… Too close… way too close…”

He moves across the room, opening a closet and tossing a pair of pink scrubs at her. It only adds to her mounting confusion. He moves around her, into the bathroom inside the room and emerges with a wheelchair. Once he wheels it out he looks at her for the first time.

Kris: “You're going to have put your hair up or something and wash off some of that makeup so you're not too attractive to be a nurse.”

He looks her over, but she does not move despite all of his instruction. His eyes widen on her, and he realizes for the first time that he is once again scratching at the crease inside his right elbow. He forces his hand away, and a smile onto his face to attempt to soothe her fear.

Kris: “We. Have. To. Go.”

She still has a worried look on her face as she holds the pink scrubs in her hands.  She looks down at the ugly pink color before looking at Kris again as she sits in the wheelchair.

Mikah:  â€œThis is crazy, Kris. CRAZY.”

She wasn’t sure about his idea and she wasn’t about to scrub the makeup off her face.  However, she slowly starts to pull the scrubs on, not really liking the salmon pink color.  She sighs before reaching up and pulling a scrunchie out of one of her back pockets.

Mikah:  â€œI do not  want to go to jail, Kris.  And I don’t even think that this little get up is going to work!  The nurses saw me come in here! They’re going to know I’m an imposter!”

She places her hands on her slender hips as the scrub pants start to fall off of her slender hips a bit.  She sighs and pulls them back up.  She pushes her shirts up, holding them in place as she focuses on tying the drawstring of the pants. When she looks up she is surprised that he is not still watching her. Instead, he has moved to the door, cracking it open and looking at the nurse behind the desk. He lets out a sigh of relief and silently closes the door back. He crosses the room again, and she tries to step into his path but he is not playing games. He skims the wall to get past her, and back over to his phone. He checks the time again, and then turns the phone off before moving back to the closet grabbing a ziploc bag full of his personal items and leaving his clothes. He tosses the phone into the bag before zipping it closed. He stops when he turns back towards her and sees the scowl on her face. However, he is still too focused on getting out to acknowledge it.

Kris: “You still have to get some of that makeup off. You need to look like a semi-smart overachiever too broke to go to med school. Not some supermodel.”

He disappears into the bathroom. She hears water run for a moment before shutting off, and a moment later, Kris emerges and hands her a damp washcloth.  She looks at the washcloth in his hands before looking back at his face.

Mikah:  â€œKris, this is insane. Will you stop for a moment, please?”

She looks into his eyes again, trying to get him to think more logically.  She looks at the damp washcloth again before looking at him.

Mikah:  â€œAll that is going to do is smear my make up, Kris.  It’s better if I just leave it on, rather than walking out of here with you looking like a two cent hooker.”

She sighs before running her fingers through her hair before grabbing the damn washcloth and walking into the bathroom for a minute.  She pulls her hair back into a loose ponytail with her scrunchie, leaving a few strands out to frame her face.  She looks at the washcloth before looking in the mirror, wishing she’d have brought her purse with her.  She turns the sink on and carefully gets it a little more wet before wiping off the light eyeshadow and eyeliner she was wearing, careful not to rid herself of the mascara.  She dries her skin before walking out.

Mikah:  â€œI am NOT taking the mascara off, Kris.  This is going to have to work.”

She didn’t think it would do either of them well for her to argue with him. She searches around the room for him, before turning around to find him at the door once again, staring out at the desk. He is mumbling himself in an excited tone, and then closes it again. He crosses the room to the wheelchair, taking the small plastic bag and placing it on his lap, but under his hospital gown so it cannot be seen. He looks up at her, still finding the annoyed look on her face. He lets out a deep breath and looks down at his lap.

Kris: “The nurses just switched shifts. Meaning the one that was out there, isn't. Anyone that doesn't recognize you will blame the shift change. None of this is illegal. Can you please just wheel me out of here? I will explain it to you once we are out.”

She still seemed unsure about this whole idea and it showed on her face.  She hesitates, staring at the wheelchair handles.

Mikah:  â€œIt sure feels illegal, Kris.”

She mutters to him as she looks at him, the panicked look on his face hit home with her and then the fact that he said please also made her more willing to do what he wanted.  She hesitates a little more before placing her hands on the handles of the wheelchair to push him out.

Mikah: “Okay..let’s do this, then.

He puts his foot up against the door to stop their progress, and turns in the chair.

Kris: “Turn left. The elevator to the MRI is down the hall. It should be open and waiting. I noticed the elevators stop here when they are not in use instead of in the lobby. Ignore everything I say and look annoyed.”

He reaches out and takes the handle of the door, pulling it open. As he said there would be, there were two new nurses who are behind the desk. Both of them look up and are immediately drawn to Mikah’s appearance, but only for a second.

Kris: “How many different fucking tests are you idiots going to do before you just let me go home?”

The nurses immediately look down to the man in the chair. In the bright lights of the hallway, Mikah can see just how bad of shape he is in. The bandage covering the dozen stitches in his forehead has spots of blood starting to seep through. The whole left side of his face was a light yellow bruise that she knew from experience would be purple by tomorrow. She turns the chair left, rolling her eyes at the nurses who do not raise question with her.

Kris: “I mean seriously! This is like five over the course of a few hours? Why do you feel the need to keep me in this ass backwards state longer than I need to be?”

Again, Mikah does not answer. They continue along the hallway as Kris continues to. Internally she laughs at the fact that doctors and nurses alike take one look at an angry patient in a wheelchair, and try to pretend to be busy to stay out of the line of fire.

Kris: “Don't get me wrong, it would be different if it wasn't a state full of fugly, busted bitches and the guys that could manage to hold back their gag reflex long enough to stick it to them…”

They get to the elevator, and as he said it would be, the door is open and waiting for them. However, problems arise when the group of doctors walking towards them appear to be heading towards the same place. He realizes there is only going to be one way to stop them from joining them on the elevator.

Kris: “Hey, smart guys that manages to get stuck in Arizona instead of a real state, you think you could convince whoever is in charge to hire better looking nurses, or at least competent ones? That way I don't have to do this same shit so many times?”

Two of the three men suddenly make excuses to head off in different directions while one stops, and smiles at Mikah.

Doctor: “I'm sure she's just doing her job. Plus, she's one of our best. You're in good hands.”

Kris rolls his eyes and laughs while Mikah wheels them into the elevator. The doctor that stopped to address them stays on the outside. Mikah spins his chair around to be in front of the door and presses the button for the lobby.

Kris: “...if she is one of your best ones, you got a real fucking problem on your hands. She's prettier than she is smart and at best she's---”

The elevator door closes before he can finish his statement. As soon as it does he stands up from the chair and pushes it out of his way. He turns towards her to see her waiting on him to finish the thought.

Kris: “...nothing short of amazing.”

He can tell she is not buying it, but they did not have time.

Kris: “Take off the scrubs. I am going to need them.”

He shrugs out of the hospital gown, now standing in the middle of the elevator in only boxer shorts, and reaches into the ziploc bag to find a name tag in it that he swiped while being admitted.  She looks at him like he’s crazy as she takes the scrubs off and tosses the shirt at him, following by the pants before adjusting her shorts and tee.

Mikah: “Okay, how did you know that would work?”

She seemed unphased by him being in his boxers, but he is quickly covered. He pulls the scrub top over his head carefully before going to work on the pants. He looks behind him as he goes. They only had two floors.

Mikah: “Or were you just winging it?”

He pulls the top down to cover the tops of the pants that rode a little too low, and then reaches out to the back of Mikah’s head as the elevator slows to a stop. He pulls the thick scrunchie from her hair and holds it in his mouth for a second while he pulls the taped bandage off of his head. The stitches were fresh, and look painful, but he takes the hair tie and puts it around his head like a headband, making sure it covered most of the stitches. As the doors open, he clips the name tag to his shirt and reaches into the ziploc bag again, putting on his glasses.

Kris: “This isn't the first hospital I have broken out of…”

He takes her by the hand, even though she fights it at first, she walks next to him as they step out of the elevator. He turns left, but a large group of people in their way causes him to reverse direction. He looks at the walls for navigation, angling down one without people. He leans over to her, speaking just loud enough for her to hear.

Kris: “Doctors don't pay attention to nurses. They just compliment blindly in hopes of banging one....”

They get to the end of the hallway, only for a few nurses to be walking in the opposite direction. He uses his grip on Mikah’s hand to spin her towards him, resting his head on her shoulder and hugging his arms around her as they pass.

Kris: “I can't believe he didn't pull through! I'm so sorry!”

His faking crying sounds in between the words actually act to speed up the passing nurses. When they are gone, he takes Mikah's hand again and continues down the hallway. He continues explaining in a low voice.

Kris: “Nobody wants to ride in an elevator with an angry patient.... No nurse is going to be dumb enough to interrupt another breaking bad news to a patient's family… no matter how bad they are bombing at it.”

They turn towards the attached parking structure and Mikah finally pulls her hand free of his. Kris steps up and opens the door, motioning for her to to through first.

Kris: “After you…”

She gives him a look, before shaking her head and stepping through the door as she turns back to look at him, making sure that he was okay. He takes the hair scrunchie off of his head, shooting it between a few of the cars.

Kris: “That had blood on it.”

He looks back over at her to catch a scowl from her. He shrugs.

Kris: “I’ll buy you a new one.”

She was at least slightly impressed by how well the escape had gone, not having near as much experience in them as he had.

Mikah:  â€œI haven’t spent a lot of times in hospitals….only after my mi--an incident that wasn’t wrestling related.”

She looks at him before pointing at the stitches on his head.  She only knew the basics of first aid and she knew that it was going to have to be changed.

Mikah:  â€œAnd you need to get that covered back up…”

She smiles softly at him before trying to decide if she needed to reach out to offer to help him walk or not. He reaches up and touches the wound on his head, pulling back his fingertips and rubbing them together.

Kris: “I can grab a first aid kit at the airport. Can you drop me off?”

She widens her eyes at him a bit before folding her arms over her chest.

Mikah:  â€œI may not know all the ins and outs of escaping a hospital because that’s not me, but I’m pretty sure that you’re NOT supposed to fly after what you went through.  And with a gash like that and I’m probably guessing a concussion?  That’s just a guess.  Your match was brutal and I don’t think you should be getting on an airplane anytime soon.”

She keeps her arms folded over her chest as she looks at him. She didn’t care if she was acting ‘motherly’ or not.

Mikah:  â€œSo, I can take you to one of two places: a hotel or back up to the hospital room.”

She gives him a look. He shakes his head back and forth and the look of panic comes back to his face.

Kris: “I'm not going back up there….”

He shakes his head and there is a legitimate sense of fear in his eyes.

Kris: “Please don't make me go back up there…”

She frowns, the panic and fear in his eyes.

Mikah:  â€œWhy?  What was going on up there that you don’t want to partake in?”

She wasn’t understanding it but she knew that there was some reason he didn’t want to go.  And she hated hospitals too, but she had never been like that. He opens his mouth to answer sarcastically but closes it without a word. He looks around, and then back to her, shrugging and holding his arms out to his side.

Kris: “Want do you want me to say?”

He turns away from her and kicks at the ground. He takes a few steps, looking down.

Kris: “This doesn't leave this parking lot….”

She nods her head, a small smile crossing her face.

Mikah:  â€œOkay…”

She looks at him, trying to be patient with him and let the empathy she felt reach her eyes and let her guard down, if only a little. He takes a deep breath, turning back towards her.

Kris: “If I get caught with drugs in my system again, I lose. No more chances. I get divorced. My kids get taken. I get fired. No questions.”

She opens her mouth to ask a question, but Kris already has the answer ready for her.

Kris: “Last time it happened we signed a bunch of papers that don't have dates on them. As soon as I fail a test they get dated and filed.”

He turns back towards the entrance to the hospital, pointing at the door.

Kris: “I told them, and I told them, and I told them. I disconnected my IV twice. I said no over and over again. They just kept coming. Kept asking.”

He shakes his head, his eyes watering slightly.

Kris: “I wasn't going to be able to keep saying no… and one slip… I’ve been there before. All it takes is once and it's just a matter of time before I go all the way back down to the bottom.”

He shakes his head, his bottom lip shaking.

Kris: “I can't go back in there.”

Mikah:  â€œOkay...you don’t have to go back in there, I promise.”

She bites onto her bottom lip, chewing on it for a moment or two.

Mikah:  â€œBut I don’t think taking you to the airport is a good idea either…”

She looks at him and then looks around before moving to the rental car she’d been driving around since her time there.

Mikah:  â€œSo, do you have any other ideas?”

She turns her eyes back to him, looking for a suggestion. He pulls off his glasses and wipes at his eyes, shaking his head.

Kris: “I don't need one.”

He puts his glasses back on his face, and manages a smile.

Kris: “An airport isn't going to let me on a regular flight. I don't need a regular flight though.”

She looks confused, and the smile falls from his face.

Kris: “Oh my god! You didn't watch my announcement when I came back to SCW, did you?!”

She shrugs her shoulders a bit sheepishly.  She looks around, avoiding eye contact for a few seconds.

Mikah:  â€œUm...that was a long time ago. I might have missed it.."

She chews on her bottom lip a little more, her cheeks flushing pink.  She looks at him before sighing and digging the car keys out of her pocket, playing with them.

Kris: “Scottsdale Airport. It's only about twenty minutes away…. and nobody is going to kick me off of the Jet City jet for being too beat up to fly.”

She blushes a little at not knowing that. She nods her head before pointing over to a silver Mercedes Benz. He stumbles a little, but Mikah is quick to come to his side, ducking under one of his arms to help him to the car. He pulls open the passenger side door, and she attempts to help him into the seat, but he stops, bringing his other arm up and around her in a hug.

Kris: “Thank you…”

He pulls back from her, and she silently nods, helping him down into the seat and closing the door.


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ON-CAMERA
Long Beach, CA
23 June 2017
2:25 PM PDT



”Oh, I have been waiting for the right time to do this for such a long time….”

We open on Kris. The side of his face is still mostly covered by a bruise that had little chance of fully resolving itself in time for Climax Control. The line stitches on his head were covered by an orange band-aid with the word PURE written across it. Every time he looked in the mirror, he was reminded that the pain was better than his alternative.

”Polly… fucking… Playtime...”

He laughs, clearly enjoying himself. He is laying back against the windshield of his car, sitting on the hood. The car faces a fence, and the camera pans towards it slightly to show that he is sitting just outside of an airport, at the end of a runway.

”Fuck your olive branch. Fuck your vendetta against Mikah. Fuck your short-lived Bombshell Championship reign that you didn’t earn or deserve. Fuck your entire existence. You are a waste of a spot on the card. I don’t care how much management might sing your praises. To be completely honest, if you didn’t look the way that you do, you would have never gotten handed the opportunities that you got. And before you think that I’m impersonating Steve Ramone and making bullshit, baseless claims, let’s look at the tale of the tape. You’re a two time flop champion and you’re the reason that I didn’t win Blast From The Past this year. Even worse, you took the fall that got us eliminated from the tournament. You are the one that came up short after talking such a huge game in the weeks heading into the first round. What did you get after that? A main event shot and a fluke win to walk away with the top prize for the Bombshells. Where did I go? Straight to the bottom of the card and treated like shit for a few weeks. I don’t know what you did to get out of that punishment, but I applaud you because you must have all kinds of skills that we don’t get to see in the ring.”

His own laughter cuts him off and it takes him a few moments to compose himself.

”And you just love that bitch personality you try and put on. You act entitled. You act like you are some younger, better version of the person standing next to me in this match. I have some bad news for you, you come up a lot short. See it doesn’t matter is Mark and Christian let you pick your matches and book yourself in a few matches, it doesn’t change the fact that you can’t win. You aren’t going to beat Mikah. You can’t. If you could, you would have the first time, or the second time, you tried. One thing I can assure you is that this third time isn’t going to be your charm.”

He slides down the hood of the car, landing on his feet, and taking a few short steps to the fence, looking at a few of the planes getting into position for takeoff. He turns, putting his back against the fence to look into the camera.

”Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but there’s never been an imitation better than the original. You don’t find celebrity impersonators getting cast in movie roles instead of the people they can kind of act or look like. That is all you are though. An impersonator. I feel sorry for Ryan, because unfortunately for him, my tag team partner is the real thing. She’s going to beat your ass at Climax Control, and then again at Summer XXXtreme when you get your second title rematch for whatever reason. Best of all, this time around I get a front row seat. I hope I get to watch her choke you out. That would make this whole painful week worth living. That would make this match that I’m not 100% for worth attending.”

He holds up his hand, shaking them back and forth before people get the wrong idea.

”...and I know that I am not going to be allowed to lay a finger on her. That’s why I said I’m just going to be happy to be there to witness it. I have someone else to worry about. Someone else to prepare for. Someone that I apparently have to break a promise to.”

He puts his hand on his chest and sighs heavily, shaking his head as the smile fades off of his face.

”Ryan, before our fight at Into The Void I said that if I won, I would make sure that you got a shot at this title one on one. I didn’t want anyone to be in the middle of us. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that we were the only two people with a chance to walk out of Into The Void with the Roulette Championship, and because of that, I told you that I would give you the first shot if I won. Unfortunately Mark and Christian weren’t feeling that idea, and chose to have me silence Steve Ramone first. I thought after that match happened that maybe it meant we were finally going to get our chance, but then they inserted another undeserving loudmouth into the match. Now that match becomes about which one of us is going to take out Travis Andrews. That’s not what I wanted. I wanted us to go one on one, however the wheel decided, and put on the match of the year. I should have made that match happen back on the 11th, but I got lost in everything that happened that night. For that, I’m sorry. I let you down.”

He seems sincere enough, and he pauses for a second, staring into the camera in the hopes that everyone would take him seriously for once. Once the moment passes, he raises up his index finger.

”....but there is the matter of the match this week before we get to that point. This will be our third time Ryan. We went one on one and I walked out the winner. We had our Ultimate X match, and I walked out with the Roulette Championship. Now we have this mixed tag team match. It sucks to be the one to have to tell you, but the result is not going to be any different this time around… but just like what I told you at Into The Void, it’s not going to be your fault when I win. That night you had a couple of hacks taking up the spotlight in a match that should have been just between us. This Sunday you share the ring with someone that will talk down to you, and then cost you everything. Believe me. I’ve been there.”

Kris runs his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily.

”I like you Ryan, so I’m trying really hard not to be mean here. Trust me when I tell you that you can’t rely on Polly though. She has proven that she’s not better than Mikah. She’s proven that when she gets thrown in a mixed tag match she’s a liability. I know you might not believe me. I bought into her bullshit when she was standing next to me on the apron. I even agreed to be part of her little self-promoting segments. I thought we had a chance. Then she got pinned by a retiree. If that’s the level of skill she has in the ring, it’s no wonder she keeps getting dominated by Mikah.”

He shrugs, offering a compromise between the two.

”So here’s what I’m thinking Ryan. I’m thinking we start this match, and we go all the way to the end. We don’t get our chance to go head-to-head at Summer XXXtreme. We have a third wheel. However, if you don’t tag Polly, and I don’t tag Mikah, we get our chance to throw everything we have at each other. I know you might be a little hesitant to take me up on it given my current condition...”

He turns his face to the side, and takes a step closer to the camera so that the bruising is evident.

”...but I’ve been in worse shape than I am now. That’s not me talking out of my ass either. I might be a little sore, a little worse for wear, but the one thing that I am is clear-headed. I know what my limits are, and I’m ready for you. It’s okay though, if you conscience gets the best of you, it just means I get to stand on the apron and watch my co-host beat Polly’s ass up close and personal. Either way I win. The ball is in your court. I guess I’ll get your answer when the bell rings.”