(Nurse): Thought you could use this...the only thing worse than being in a hospitable bed is being in one of those chairs.
(Vanessa): Thank you so much.
As the nurse leaves the room, Vanessa looks over at Hans still sleeping. The top patch of his hair frumpy while the rest remains bandaged. She gets up and stretches feeling the tightness in her muscles as she turns her head to stretch her neck. She takes a sip of coffee and albeit some of the worst she’s ever had, its temperature is somewhat comforting. Hans shifts in his sleep and she looks over thinking he’s waking up but he doesn’t. She turns on the television turning the volume down very low. She checks her phone which has been on mute all night and sees a few text messages that she starts to return. Heinrich saying he’ll bring bagels in the morning when he comes. Her mom saying “I hope you’re getting some rest.” Which is her way of telling her than Hans can take of himself. Suddenly the television catches her eye and she sees on the news footage from the court case currently going on with HWA, and she dares to turn the volume up just a tad to hear better.
(Reporter): ….where the case continues in the preliminary stages. First witnesses have been called, a former wrestler in training whose career was cut short by a brutal beating at the hands of HWA’s Butch Parker. Later that evening Parker’s long-time off and on girlfriend and current fiancé Wisdom took the witness stand. Meanwhile on HWA programming Parker and tag team partner and World Champion Hans von Richtoven were making the prosecution’s case for them in a display of bloody violence where Hans remains hospitalized. The prosecution is building a strong case against violence and its influence on youth and is noted as saying “we will pursue this case until the message is clear: blatant disregard for social responsibility cannot and will not tolerated in our society. Meanwhile no comment has been made by the defense, and Dark Horse owner and CEO Senester, of which HWA is a subsidiary has remained poised during the proceedings, court resumes in a few weeks. This is Margaret Kreger WRDW Channel 12 News.
Vanessa takes a deep sigh and sees the light blinking on her cell phone. She grabs it and steps outside into the hallway to answer.
(Vanessa): Hey mom!
(Mom): How’d you know it was me?
(Vanessa): It’s Caller ID Ma.
(Mom): I always forget about that. Back in my day when the phone rang you just picked it up. Today you people are checking whose calling, ignoring those unknown numbers and such. What if I was laying half dead on the side of the road and called you from a pay phone and you didn’t pick up? I could be dead and gone by the time you check your voicemail to hear my last breath. You’re brother took a whole week to return your father’s call, had us worried sick. He was sittin’ up with that fast little heffer, that’s what he was doing. I told your father that, that girl was no good. She’s gonna wind up pregnant, just you wait and see. Mark my words.
(Vanessa): Ma?
(Mom): I’m sorry sweetheart, I’m just here ramblin’ on. You get my message last night? Took me a good ten minutes to figure out all those buttons and things in this phone, I don’t know why your father insisted I get this contraption. I don’t need all this clickety clackey stuff on here I just need to call folks up.
(Vanessa): I got your text Ma. I’m at the hospital with Hans, we came in last night after the show to get his head checked out, and they kept him over night.
(Mom): Mmmmhmmmm!
(Vanessa): We’ll probably be heading home sometime today, and get some rest before we hit the road.
(Mom): Where are those people sending you now?
(Vanessa): We’re going to Omaha.
(Mom): Oh…we haven’t been to Omaha in years. You’re father and I used to order those steaks in the box from there until that cow disease thing hit about 8 years ago. Just can’t trust people with your food all the time, and nothings gonna best a hot bowl of shrimp and grits, or gumbo anyway so we don’t miss it. Are you getting rest sweetheart? I don’t want you running yourself ragged.
(Vanessa): No…I’m fine Ma. The show was a bit crazy but I’m doing fine.
(Mom): What about that Parker fella, he ain’t tryin’ to hurt you nothing. If he so much as looking at you the wrong way your father’s heading over there with his shotgun he said.
(Vanessa): Butch is fine Ma. We’re getting along okay. There’s just so much going on now, that it’s helps to have someone kinda watching your back.
(Mom): I saw on the news what he did to that young boy…terrible…terrible business. That boss of yours sittin’ there lookin’ high on the hog.
(Vanessa): I haven’t talked to him about what happened, I know it was a bad time, and with Senester nothing is ever cut and dry. Ma…just don’t go taking everything you see on the news to heart. It’s those reporters job to embellish things. You should see Jason, he’s a TMZ fanatic.
(Mom): That boy find a nice girl yet?
(Vanessa): Jason’s gay Ma, you know that.
(Mom): Eh…I don’t believe in that stuff. He’s confused is what he is. You should bring him over, Sally Mae’s got a young girl about his age.
(Vanessa): Ma? Why do you always do that? I say one thing and you ignore me and say something totally different. You don’t even want to meet my boyfriend and you’re inviting Jason over to meet some girl that he’d sooner go swimming in the bayou and eat gator shit than hook up with.
(Mom): You watch your mouth young lady!
(Vanessa): I’m sorry Ma, I didn’t mean to curse at you, but you keep doing this and it’s not fair.
(Mom): I just want what’s best for you. I want you to settle down with a nice man, and have some kids to run around in the front yard. You’re up there in New York all the time and I know how those people are in the big cities. Look at those terrorists… what if they come after that building you’re in over there? Look at that court case going on…what if you get fired Vanessa…then what? The government could come in and just shut that whole thing down, and it’d be a blessing too all that beatin’ on each other and bleeding an-such-an-such that goes on.
(Vanessa): I’m not worried about my job, or Han’s place Ma….I’m safe…I promise you.
(Mom): It’s just not right him keeping you cooped up like that. People are gonna start thinking you’re one of “those” kind of women. You’re always there, it’s like you’re under lock and key…like a concentration camp. His people are like that though, that Hitler…that’s what those Germans like is to keep people.
Vanessa is getting more and more frustrated and decides that it’s time to wrap this up with her mom.
(Vanessa): Ma, Hans is waking up I gotta go help the nurse give him his medicine. I’ll call you later when I get home.
(Mom): Why do you have to help the nurse? Oh, lawd what kind of hospital are you in? Are they understaffed. I heard about all those lay-offs, but they shouldn’t be having you help out. What if someone tries to sue?
(Vanessa): Ma…I have to go…Love you, tell dad hi and I’ll call you guys later.
(Mom): Alright sweetheart love you too.
Vanessa hangs up and seems out of breath just with the emotional drain of the conversation. She takes a deep breath and blows it out kicking up a few strand of hair in her face. She heads back into the room and Hans is actually awake and just starting to sit up in bed. She smiles at him and walks over to the bed giving him a kiss on the cheek.
(Vanessa): Morning you!
The scene fades to black as Vanessa plumps up his pillow behind his back and pulls her chair close to his bed.
Message Thread
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