Chapter Twenty-Five
Ryan
“Morning, Sunny,” I said to Blaire.
It was late in the morning and Blaire had only just surfaced. I was sitting in the kitchen reading a newspaper and waiting for her to wake up before making breakfast. Despite bringing a suitcase filled with clothes, she was wearing one my old t-shirts. She looked incredibly cute.
“Hey, Ryan. I didn’t know you were up. Wow, I slept in much longer than I normally do. You should’ve woken me up.”
“Are you kidding? You were sleeping so nicely. Anyway, I think you needed the sleep.”
She sighed. “Yeah. I battled to get to sleep last night. That’s probably why I was so exhausted this morning. Can I make you coffee?”
I grinned. “That would be great. You make the coffee. I’ll get us something to eat.”
Afterwards, we took our toast and coffee to the living room.
“Thank you again for letting me stay here Ryan. I don’t think I would’ve gotten any sleep if I had stayed in my own house.”
“I wouldn’t have let you. I’m glad you’re here. I still cannot believe you got that letter. I’m starting to think it’s some crazy stalker fan.”
“So am I. Which is absolutely crazy considering how few films I’ve been in. I mean, the cowboy movie hasn’t even come out yet, and that was probably my biggest role.”
I took a bite of my toast while I contemplated the situation. “Yeah, but you’re a great actress, and you’re beautiful. Also, this person probably realized that they live in the same city as you. All of those things combined has probably made him obsessed with you.”
“I just hope we find out who it is. I mean, I can’t hide out forever.”
“You can stay here as long as you want. But yeah, I also hope that we find out who it is.”
“So, do you have any plans today? Are you going to talk to Nick?”
I nodded. I’d gone all the way to talk to Nick yesterday but I’d turned around when Blaire had called me. Nick still had no idea what was going on, but he was aware that I wanted to talk to him.
“Yeah, I better go. I’m going to go after breakfast. Hope that’s okay? You are more than welcome to come with me,” I said. I was sure that she wouldn’t want to be alone.
But Blaire shook her head. “Even though I just woke up, I’m still feeling exhausted. I think I’m going to stay and just get some rest. If you don’t mind?”
“Of course I don’t mind. Like I said, I feel more secure with you being here than in your own house. This place is safe. Just get as much rest as you want.”
“Thanks, Ryan. And thanks for the breakfast. Mind if I make some more coffee?”
“Actually, you climb back in bed. I’ll bring you a cup.”
Blaire smiled. “You’re the best.”
Minutes later I walked into the bedroom with a steaming cup of coffee for Blaire. She was lying in bed with a book, and she grinned at me when she saw me.
“Thank you so much. I’m rather enjoying Hotel Ryan.”
“You are? That’s good to hear. I hope you’ll enjoy it a bit more later on . . .” I said suggestively.
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, that’s definitely on my hotel agenda. And, just so you know, I happen to tip very well.”
I felt my body stirring with excitement. I took a deep breath and tried to put her naked body out of my mind. I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
“I’m going before I jump into bed with you and miss my meeting with Nick. Bye, Blaire.”
“Bye, Ryan. See you later. And thank you again for everything.”
It was strange to be back at the training facility. Even the smell of the place made me feel strange, and as I looked around me, I felt a pang of sadness for what I was going to be leaving behind. Being with Blaire had helped me forget about my problems for a while, but being back at the facility brought it all flooding right back to the forefront of my mind. I found Nick sitting in his usual spot, reading a newspaper. He smiled when he saw me.
“So, are you here to tell me about this secret wedding? I cannot believe you’d leave me out of the loop like that. I thought I was going to at least be your best man. I had my speech prepared and everything.”
I groaned. “Seems the media knows things in my life that even I don’t know.”
“So it’s not real?”
I looked at him. “Are you serious? Of course it’s not real. The photo they used was from the night that you and I went to see the fight, and we bumped into Blaire. The doctored a ring on her finger and everything. Amazing how much time people have to spend on something so frivolous.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Did you really think I would get married without telling you?”
He laughed. “I hoped not.”
“Just for that accusation, you can make me a cup of tea. Also, can we talk without anyone around?”
He gave me a strange look and then nodded. “Sure. The office is free this morning. Meet me there. I’ll make the tea first.”
I made my way to the office, saying hello to some of the guys as I walked past. I took a seat and tried to calm myself down before Nick came in. I wasn’t a very emotional guy, but for the first time in a long time, I felt close to tears.
Nick came in moments later with the tea and handed me a cup. I took a sip, just grateful for something to do.
“So, good vacation?”
“Uh, yeah. It was great seeing my brother again and so good to see little Trinity again. Every time I see her, she seems to have grown. She took a shining to Blaire. The two of them were inseparable the whole week.”
“Does that mean things are going well between you and Blaire?”
“Well, we are married you know,” I said and chuckled. “Yeah, things are going great. Although, she’s been having a rough time lately.”
I told him everything that had been going on with the threatening letter, calls and the knocking the on the door, and Nick shook his head.
“That’s crazy. So, she’s staying with you now? And you don’t mind having her there? I mean, you’ve lived alone for such a long time.”
“And so has she. But, I don’t know man . . . it’s strange . . . she’s just so easy to live with. Maybe it’s because so much is going on, but we both just feel better being together.”
Nick nodded. There was silence for a while before he spoke. “And what exactly is going on? Because I’m assuming you didn’t want to talk in quiet about Blaire. Something else is happening, isn’t it?”
I gulped. “Yeah. Uh . . . Nick, remember those headaches I was telling you about?”
He frowned. “Of course. But you said they weren’t anything serious.”
“Well, I sort of lied about how bad they were. I didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t want to worry about it myself, to be honest. But, they’ve been getting worse. So I went to see Reed while I was in Seattle. Nick,” I said, “I have a contusion.”
“A what?”
“A contusion. It’s the result of a direct impact to the head. Or in my cases, many impacts to the head. It can cause bleeding on the brain.”
“Shit, Ryan. That’s not good. What does this mean for you?”
“Well, Reed says I should give up fighting. He says that one big blow to the head could cause some serious injury, if not death. I . . . I haven’t really thought about it much. I mean, with everything that’s been going on with Blaire, I’ve tried to put it out of my mind. But now that I’m back, I know I can’t ignore it forever.”
“Ryan, I think you need to listen to your brother. I know this is not what you want to hear. But what’s the point in continuing to fight if you’re only going to injure yourself? Head trauma is not something that should be taken lightly.”
I nodded. “I wish I didn’t agree with you. But I do.”
“Shit, Ryan. I’m so sorry.”
“Now I know what you went through. It’s the worst feeling in the world. You know, I thought I was going to be okay. But coming here has made me realize just how much fighting means to me. What am I going to do without it in my life? I don’t know anything else. It’s not like I can just suddenly change my job. This is all I know.”
“You know, Ryan, just because you’re not fighting doesn’t mean you don’t have to be involved in the business anymore. I mean, look at me. I’m making better money than I was when I was fighting. And, as it turns out, I actually love training. There’s some sort of satisfaction to be had helping other guys reach their full potential. I used to think that I’d get so angry at helping someone else live their dream, but it’s not like that. I love it. And I get to go home and still enjoy a great life without all the pressure that fighting brings along with it. You and I have always been a team. So, why don’t we continue to be one? I could definitely do with someone to help me with the training. There are more and more guys coming in, and I’m starting to have to turn people down. Anyway, I know it’s a lot to think about right now, but will you give it some thought?”
I nodded. “Thank you, Nick. I’m not sure I even need to give it some thought. I think that’s the only thing that I can really do right now. I can’t leave this world. It’s who I am. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else but this. I remember my brother Grant sitting in an office for a full year before changing his life. A full year of being miserable. I’m not meant for anything else. I won’t be happy unless I’m here. This isn’t going to be an easy transition though, but I think I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it. But don’t join just yet. I think you need a bit of time off. Like you said, the transition is the hardest part, and there’s no need to rush it. And anyway, you can be there for Blaire for now.”
The two of us sat there for another half an hour while we drank our tea and talked over the logistics of the whole thing. Nick had certainly helped to make me feel better about everything. I felt sad about not being able to fight again, but the thought of at least staying in the business brought me a glimmer of hope. I just hoped I wouldn’t become bitter, but that was something only the future would tell. I couldn’t imagine being nearly as upbeat as Nick was. But I definitely admired him now more than ever before. I had no idea how hard this must’ve been on him.
“Anyway, I better go. Blaire is at my house, so I think I’m going to go check on up her. Thanks for listening, Nick. It’s been a tough week. I’ve been trying so hard not to think about it all even though, in a way, it’s been the biggest thing on my mind. Between that and Blaire, it’s been emotionally draining.”
“I can imagine. And trust me, I know all about it. I’ve been through this exact thing.”
That cheered me up slightly. Knowing I had someone like Nick on my side. We shook hands, and I walked out. But the moment we walked out of the office, a reporter came running up to me and shoved a microphone in my face. It took me by complete surprise. I took a few steps back and regarded the man in front of me.
“Ryan Maxwell, what do you think about The Prowl’s recent comments? What do you have to say about it?”
I frowned at the reporter. I had no idea what he was even talking about. I looked at Nick and then back at the reporter. My head was filled with too many things, and nothing was making sense. What did I think about The Prowl’s comments? I thought back to the interview that I had seen. Wasn’t that old news now? I was grateful when Nick came forward and pushed the microphone away from my face.
“I’m sorry, but you are not allowed here. This facility is only for the trainers and their clients. You do not have permission to be here. You’ll have to leave.”
After a bit of back and forth, the reporter finally left. I turned back toward Nick in confusion.
“What the hell was that all about?”
Nick sighed. “I didn’t want to say anything to you after you’d just shared your news with me. But Ron is still going on about wanting to fight you. He made a declaration recently that he wanted to set a date to fight you once and for all. I’m sure you’ll see the video in due time.”
My head was reeling. “What? Are you serious?” I groaned. This was really the last thing that I needed right now. “Why are so many damn things happening at once? Man, that guy does not give up.”
“Yeah, he’s such an idiot. I actually thought that was what you wanted to talk to me about today.”
“I wish. You know, I don’t even feel angry right now. I don’t actually care about Ron the stupid Prowl. I just want everything to go back to normal. What should I do? Because I’m assuming the media are not going to give up. Ron is going to go on and on about how I’m too scared to fight. Do you think I should go and speak to the reporter?”
“I’m not sure if that’s going to help.”
Just then another reporter came in, shouting through the doors and asking me what I was going to do. I opened the door, despite Nick telling me not to, and glared at him. If I wasn’t angry before, that was certainly changing by the second.
“Ryan, what do you say to the allegations from The Prowl? He says you are too scared to fight him. He said that he is the best fighter in the world and that you are nothing but a fake.”
I stared at the reporter. His beady little eyes were bothering me. Everything he was saying was bothering me.
“The Prowl has nothing on me,” I said and slammed the door in his face. Then I turned around to a shocked looking Nick. “Nick, I’m going to do this one thing whether you like it or not. If I’m going to stop fighting, then I’m going to go out with a bang. I need to hold a press conference, and I need to do it right now.”