Don't Tell Me

John couldn't shake the queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't exactly felt very well for two or three days, but this was his tilte he was defending. He wasn't going to let Drew take it back without a fight. As he was changing into his gear he paused as his vision began to blur. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Mike literally bounded into the locker room, tremendously excited that his baby had a chance to regain his Intercontinental title. "Hey sweetie!" he jumped up and gave his lover a kiss, frowning when the brunette stayed silent "Baby are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine Mike," John said, adding a smile for emphasis. "Just getting ready for tonight."

"You sure?" Mike wasn't convinced "You look kind of pale."

"Relax Captain Worry, I'm fine," John said. "I promise."

"Alright...if you're sure." Mike couldn't help but notice how slowly John was moving around "Maybe you should visit the medic, just in case."

"Mikey," John whispered. He looked his lover straight in the eyes. "I'm fine, you know I'd never lie to you."

"Alright, alright" Mike sighed as John got ready to head to the backstage position "Just be careful out there, alright?"

"I will baby I will," John said as he headed out of the lockerroom.

Mike went to the monitor room backstage and sat down to watch John's match.

Everything about that match was going John's way as he set up for the move that would seal the deal. Just as he as about to execute a picture perfect Starship Pain he lost control as he was taken over by a rush of diziness in mid air that sent him crashing down hard on the mat.

It took the combined efforts of Jericho, Matt, Rey, Adam and Jay to keep Mike from running out to the ring to check on his lover "Damnit let me go!" he snarled "John needs me, let me go to him!!"

"Mike I'm sorry!" Rey apologized as he continued to hold the frantic young man back "I know you and John are together but if you run out there and break character Vince will have your HEAD! Just wait, let them bring John back here and then you can be with him, okay?"

"Alright..." Mike panted "You're right, I'll wait."

As the medics began to tend to John, loading him up on a stretcher his stomach began to lurch again as he tried his best not to retch in front of the entire WWE Universe.

"Oh god baby, oh baby why?" Mike couldn't stop moaning as he watched the medics wheel John up the ramp at what seemed to be a snail's pace "Why did you lie to me baby?"

John moaned again as the medics finally got him to the back. "Mike," he whimpered, his voice nothing more than a pained whisper.

"I'm here baby, I'm here" Mike finally forced his way to John's side and took him by the hand "Just relax baby, you're going to be alright now."

"I'm sorry," John muttered, eyelids growing heavy.

"Don't be sorry" Mike murmured, softly caressing John's cheek "C'mon baby stay with me now, keep those pretty eyes of yours open."

"But....Mikey, I'm so tired," John nearly whined. "Too tired."

"I know you're tired but you gotta stay awake, you might have a concussion and those are really bad, remember?"

John meekly nodded as though he understood even as his eyelids began to fall, the darkness that enveloped him felt so warm, so welcoming that he faded almost instantly.

"John JOHN!!!" Mike started to panic when his lover no longer answered him "Baby please don't leave me!!"

John didn't moved, didn't respond in the slightest way as he was loaded into the waiting ambulance.

"C'mon baby, come on..." Mike held John's hand the entire way to the hospital "Fight this, I can't lose you."

It was appent to the EMT's that whatever this was hadn't started just a few days ago, it looked more like a few weeks, months even.