Roman POV

Standing in the doorway, I watched Amali warming up for her match against Sasha. And I couldn't help but notice the tense expression on her face. There was something about it that I didn't like.

"Hey... what's going on? Why do you look so tense?" I asked as I walked up to her and rubbed her upper arms reassuringly.

I immediately sensed that the tension wasn't just on her face. Her whole body was under tension. Amali sighed deeply as she looked up at me.

"Because I'm fucking nervous. I know it's not my first Falls count anywhere match, but something is different today. I can't help but have a bad feeling about it. And the fact that I didn't sleep well doesn't help me one bit right now," she replied.

"Everything will be fine, baby girl. You're both professionals. I know what you're capable of, Amali. Give her a beating that's worth its weight in gold. And then after the show, come to my room. I have a huge Jacuzzi tub there. Our tired bodies will probably really appreciate it later", I said to distract her a little.

I realized that there was nothing else I could do to break her of her bad feeling. There was usually a reason for it. And what else could I do? There was simply nothing I could say to make it better.

So I simply pulled her into my arms. I hugged her tightly. Slowly but surely, she relaxed a little.

"Better?" I finally asked.

"Yes, very much. And I'll be happy to take you up on your offer later. I have to get going. See you later. Wish me luck." she replied quietly.

"Good luck... Not that you need it. And have fun. Smile. I like it when you smile." I said and poked her cheeks with my index fingers.

Then I gave her a kiss on the forehead. It worked. She smiled immediately.

"Thanks, champ..." she grinned, took her championship and went on her way.

*****

My eyes were glued to the monitor just like Paul's as we watched Amali's match. Everything seemed normal. If I hadn't known how tense she was earlier, I wouldn't have noticed.

But then something happened that was definitely not planned. While the two women were fighting their way through the backstage area, Amali slipped. Sasha tried to hold her, but she couldn't. And so we had to watch as Amali slammed into a fixture on which countless long pipes were stored. Head first. She fell to the ground and didn't seem to be conscious.

I was just about to rush to her when Paul cried out loudly.

"Hell no!" he gasped so loudly that I flinched.

I turned my gaze back to the monitor as the pipes came loose and fell on top of her. A bone-shattering scream was heard immediately. We realized immediately that it was a real, far too real scream of pain.

This was not supposed to happen. Neither should Sasha pin her to win the title. The camera immediately cut to another segment.

I ran off. I wanted to get to her as quickly as I could to make sure it wasn't as serious as it seemed at first glance. But this wish did not come true. Amali was already surrounded by medical staff and other people who freed her from the pile of pipes.

She was still screaming and writhing in pain. Until she discovered me. Then she suddenly clenched her teeth, almost as if she didn't want me to know how bad it was.

They carefully placed her on a stretcher after putting a neck brace on her. I approached her and carefully took her hand in mine as Paul did the same on the other side.

"Amali... how bad is it?" he asked.

"Not as bad as it looks, I hope." she mumbled as tears ran down her cheeks.

"We're taking her to the hospital." said one of the paramedics.

"We-" I began, but Amali quickly interrupted me.

"You do your job. I'm not that important. The show must go on. I'll be back on my feet in no time." she said, panting.

"There's nothing you can do for her now anyway. Let the doctors do their job," said another man.

I didn't like that and a glance at Paul showed me that he felt the same way. I didn't want to leave her alone. Because I knew that despite the brave face she was putting on, something was very wrong.