Jeff's New Life

I am lying in a hospital bed thinking about my life. Life as I knew it was never going to be the same again. I was going to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. My brother Matt always said I would kill myself doing those crazy high flying wrestling moves I do but that is not the reason I will never walk again. I was in a car wreck two weeks ago. A drunk driver crossed over the yellow line and hit me head on. The doctors did not think I was going to live through the night but I have too much of a fight in me to give up that easy.

My first reaction when I regained consciousness was what happened, did I miss a move in the ring? I heard my brother Matt and my girlfriend, Kaylene, crying, and then I really wanted to know what was going on. I did not feel like I usually do in the hospital, I was not in pain or discomfort. I turned my head to where Matt and Kaylene were sitting. They were amazed that I was awake, they called the nurses’ station and a nurse came on the run. My reaction was what is the big deal; I have been in the hospital before. Nothing is too wrong, can’t be. Matt just explained that I had been in a car wreck 2 weeks ago and I had been in a coma ever since.

The doctor then came in and explained to me, “You have been in a car accident and in the car accident you severed your spinal cord. You will never walk again.“

I was in shock. I would never walk again. “I don’t believe you, this is just a joke, a dream, I will be all right,” I said to the doctor.

I tried to move a leg, wiggle a toe, anything to prove the doctor wrong. “I can’t move my legs I can’t feel them,” I yelled.

“I know, your spinal cord was severed in the accident that is why you can’t move your legs,” the doctor said. “You will spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair, I’m sorry.”

*What am I going to do? I have eaten, slept, breathed, and lived wrestling for 10 years. The best day of my life was when I signed a WWF contract with my brother, Matt. But if I am paralyzed I can’t wrestle. I don’t want to lose one of the two most important things in my life. What am I going to do with my life? The only thing I know to do is wrestle. My girlfriend will leave me and I will be in poverty for the rest of my life. I thought frantically. *

When I went back to my room and I got a surprise visit from my girlfriend Kaylene, who worked in the WWF with me. She worked as a teacher for the wrestlers’ children.

“Everyone misses you and wants to come for a visit when they get some time off. Adam (Edge), Jay (Christian), and Chris (Jericho) are nearly killing their opponents in matches, they say that it is in tribute of you. All of the superstars are wearing black armbands to the ring in honor of you,” Kaylene told me.

I was happy to hear her talk. She stayed until the doctor came in.

“Excuse me miss. I have some news for Mr. Hardy,” said the doctor.

Kaylene started to walk out and go to the waiting room. I said, “stop and go get Matt and come back to the room. I don‘t want to hear bad news alone.”

The doctor said “I don’t have any bad news, I just wanted to say that after some physical therapy Mr. Hardy should be able to live a regular life. But for now he needs to have help doing everything.”

I had so much to grasp. My house would have to be remodeled so I could go around in a wheelchair. I was never going to step foot in a wrestling ring again. I was never going to walk again; my new mode of transportation was going to be a wheelchair. I was going to have to trade my 2000 Corvette Convertible in for a car with hand controls and room for a wheelchair, if I was even capable of driving again. I closed my eyes to think and Matt and Kaylene thought I was asleep and they quietly left the room. After they left I started thinking about a few months ago when Kaylene had knee surgery. She was not capable of doing anything on her own for about a week. When she left the hospital I had to tie her shoes and carry her to the car. I did everything for her for a week, if she needed water I got her a glass of water. If she needed to go to the bathroom I carried her. How is she going to react to having to take care of me for the rest of my life or the rest of hers? How can she even take the stress of living with a paralyzed man? I guess the only way I will know is to ask her when she comes back to visit me again.

Finally I fell asleep and stopped thinking of my problems. The next morning I was woke up to the sound of a nurse checking my vital signs. I looked at her nametag and it said Jane. When she saw that I was awake she told me my plans for the day.

“You are going to go to PT as soon as you are dressed and ready to go,” Jane said.

Jane smiled at my now greasy blue and purple hair and me. She asked, “do you want a shower, you haven’t had one in two weeks.”

I looked happily at Jane and said, “A shower would be great. That would make me feel almost human.”

She undressed me and took me in the bathroom and sat me on a stool in the shower. She asked, “do you need any help.”

I replied with my usual sarcasm, “I think I can handle it.”

She agreed and said “I will stay in the room just in case. Tell me when you are ready to get dressed.”

I took a shower and was the happiest man alive because I was able to bathe myself and brush my hair out of my face.

Once I finished the shower I said, “I am ready to get dressed.”

She said, “I have a surprise for you.”

I quickly got excited I love surprises. She held out a bag that I usually carried with my wrestling gear, I opened it and found real clothing. No more pajamas or hospital gowns.

She grinned and said “your brother brought it over earlier this morning.”

On top there was a note, it said I am back on the road but I will be back this weekend. Enjoy your clothes and see you soon. Love, Matt.

I chose a baggy pair of green shorts and a white t-shirt to wear for the day; I had a pair of slippers to wear on my feet. Jane helped me into my chosen clothes and smiled as she put me in a wheelchair to go to the PT room on the 4th floor.

She pushed me in the room and a young guy about my age came up and said hello. Jane introduced me to Steve, my PT. When I introduced myself as Jeff Hardy, Steve was shocked. He could not believe that I was, in his words, “the Jeff Hardy.” After the introductions were made we began the tasks that I would need to live on my own. I don’t like to think about PT very much because I was not happy depending on someone else. I enjoyed getting to know Steve but I hated depending on him to do everything. But I did this everyday for a month without complaint.

On Friday when I got back to my room there was a group of people waiting on me. There was Matt, Kaylene, Adam (Edge), Jay (Christian), Chris (Jericho), and Paul (Triple H). They were there to say hi and spend some time with me. I was grateful to have such great friends that would take their time off from the WWF and spend it with me. We talked for a while and I showed off my new skill of getting out of bed to the group when they wanted to go for a walk in the garden. Everyone cheered when I did that. I even got myself to the elevator on my own. We talked for a while longer then they left knowing I would need a nap before I went back to PT for my afternoon session.

As everyone was leaving I asked, “Kaylene, would you stay and talk for a while?”

She agreed and I did not waste any time. As soon as everyone was out of the door I said, “You should break up with me. You don’t deserve to have to deal with a cripple for the rest of your life.“

She looked at me and said, “I love you and you have to deal with me for the rest of your life. I will not leave you for a stupid thing like an injury. Also you would drown in self-pity and despair in a week without me. But my greatest reason is I love you! I couldn‘t live without you.”

When I went back to PT that afternoon Steve had news for me. Steve said, “The plan is to have you move into an apartment on the hospital grounds until you are able to live on your own and be finished with therapy.”

Everyday I learned new tasks that I would need to live on my own. I learned to get myself in and out of the tub, I learned to push myself everywhere, and I could even cook and do dishes on my own. After a week my doctor met me in my room after therapy with good news. I was able to leave the hospital as soon as Steve was ready for me to move in with him. I looked at Steve with questions in my eyes. The doctor then left to finish his rounds and I began asking my questions.

“What did the doctor mean by I would be living with you?” I asked.

“I live in the apartment you are moving into,” he said.

“I know that you have a story behind why you want me to move in so tell it?” I asked.

Steve told me his story. “I live in an apartment owned by the hospital. When I was 15 I was in a skateboard accident and was paralyzed. My parents did not want to deal with a son in a wheelchair so after I got out of the hospital I was sent to a group home. Instead of helping me with things I couldn’t do I was forgotten about. Finally I turned 18 and was able to move out on my own. Then after almost 6 years I had improved enough to walk on my own again. I had gotten my physical therapy license while I was in the wheelchair and I had gotten a job at the hospital. That is where I am now.”

Now everything was going great in my life. I was able to move out of the hospital and get even closer to living on my own.

After a good session in therapy Steve said to me, “you have good upper body strength from wrestling so everything is easier for you. Most people spend a week just learning how to get in and out of bed. Then another week learning to get in and out of a bathtub, at least a month on the other basic tasks that are done in a house, and another month doing other tasks that are done in the normal life. At the pace you are going you will be ready to live on your own in a month where as other people take two to three months at the least.”

I had been in therapy for about 3 and 1/2 weeks and I was getting closer to going home. I did not know what I was going to do for a job when I went home. I didn’t want to follow Matt and Kaylene around the country doing nothing. But Steve knew that I was a licensed physical therapist and could get a job anywhere I wanted to. So Steve had an idea to get me out of my funk.

Steve said, “the rest of the hour will be spent making laps around the garden. I will get a wheelchair and race you. If you win I will treat you to dinner at any place in town but if I win you will have to spend tomorrow in the therapy room helping me out.”

I agreed to the race, it was going to be ten laps around the garden track and Jane was the judge. We went down to the garden and Jane started the race it was a hard fought battle, I was tired by the time we got to the last lap and I could see Steve pulling away but I could do nothing. I was too tired. Jane raised Steve’s hand in victory as I came across the finish line. I had lost the race but I was happy, I had just pushed myself for a mile in a wheelchair and I did it in less than 15 minutes. That was an accomplishment for me! Steve congratulated me and said that I would have to help him all day tomorrow. I didn’t care, it meant I was getting back to real life.

When I got back to the apartment I had a visitor waiting for me. It was Vince McMahon; he was there to discuss my future in the WWF.

He said, “your therapist called me and said that you wanted to be a full time physical therapist in the WWF so you could spend time with Matt and Kaylene and stay involved the WWF.”

I did not know anything about Steve calling Vince and telling him that I wanted to be a therapist in the WWF but I was beginning to like the idea. So I told Vince I was in love with the idea of staying in the WWF.

He said, “having a full time therapist for the wrestlers to come to would be a dream come true. Wrestlers could come to you before and after shows and would not have to go home and be off TV for weeks while they recovered from injuries.”

After Vince said that I was amazingly happy. This was a wonderful day; I had a job to go back to after I was able to get out of therapy. Vince walked to the door of the apartment and opened it. In walked Matt, Chris, Adam, Jay, and Kaylene. Kaylene walked in pushing a new wheelchair. It was electric blue with green paint splatters.

“What’s this all about?“ I asked.

Matt explained “the chair is a present from the wrestlers. When Vince told us about your new job in the WWF and we thought it would be easier for you to get around and do your job in a smaller and lighter chair.”

Kaylene pushed it over to the bed and I got in and made a couple spins around the room. This was perfect! I would be able to practice tomorrow.

I asked, “did Steve tell you that I was spending tomorrow in the PT room?”

They all nodded yes. We celebrated that I was getting closer to independence. After a while everyone left and I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning at 6:00 am to get ready to go help out. I got up and settled myself into the wheelchair and went to take a shower. I went to the hospital and onto the therapy floor and waited for Steve to get there from the apartment. I wanted to show Steve how excited I was to be able to get back to normal life. Steve saw me waiting for him to arrive and smiled. He could tell I was happy to be getting back to normal life, even if it wasn’t the same as before. He went ahead and opened the door and allowed us to have our session before patients came in.

My day was exciting, at first I just got things out of closets and off shelves but as the day progressed and more patients came in I was telling them what exercises to do and where to do them. I even got to demonstrate the proper way to enter and exit a bed. This was an exciting day for me; I took my first steps toward resuming a regular life.

Steve said that as a celebration of my first day of work we should go out for dinner. I didn’t want to face the walking world and possibly make a fool of myself in public but Steve convinced me to go. We went out to dinner at the best Chinese restaurant that I had ever been to. I was able to get myself in and out of Steve’s car and I pushed myself into the restaurant. This was a major accomplishment for me.

After we went out I went to the apartment and promptly fell asleep. For the rest of the week I did the same thing as the first day, I woke up early and got myself ready to go to the hospital to help out in the PT department. Every morning when Steve got up he was amazed to see me sitting in my wheelchair, ready to go, and reading a book. While Steve got ready for work and I cooked breakfast and did the dishes. We went to the hospital and I proved I knew how to do some task that was in front of me. Then I would put in my mile on the track. I worked with some of the patients that Steve thought I would be able to help. Then after everyone left I got my PT session. As a surprise, since I loved basketball, Steve decided that I should learn to play wheelchair basketball. Steve got a wheelchair and we played a game of 1 on 1. This became tradition after work.

On Friday Steve said “you are ready to go on the road with Matt and Kaylene when they come on Wednesday.”

I was so happy that I popped a wheelie. It was wonderful I was going to get to spend even more time with my ‘family’. I even got to start a new job in the WWF.

After I finished my celebration Steve said, “if you ever get tired of traveling you will always have a job waiting for you at the hospital and a partner to help you out. If you ever have questions about something or you were having trouble with something you could always call and ask me.”

“Thank you so much! Without you I would not have ever gotten this proficient at all of these tasks this quickly. You knew how much I could take and how much I could do at one time,” I told Steve with a smile. “I have one more question; will it be possible to teach me how to drive in the few remaining days?”

“I would love to teach you how to drive a hand-controlled vehicle. It just so happens that I have one. My car, the one we took to the restaurant, is a dual controlled vehicle. It can be driven with hand controls or foot controls. I usually drive with hand controls since it was the way I learned to drive but you were so amazed that I could walk again. I did not want to show any sign that I was any less of a normal person than you thought,” Steve said.

“You can’t be comfortable driving with leg controls if you learned to drive with hand controls,” I remarked.

“It is not hard. I have gotten used to driving either way. I adapt to the circumstances, if I have a regular person in the car I drive normally and if I am alone or with a handicapped person I drive with the hand controls,” Steve said with a smile.

“Sounds like a good plan to me, unfortunately I will never have that chance,” I said sadly.

“I have heard of new techniques for paralyzed people to learn to walk again. They are in a machine and they teach the muscles and nerves to function again. I heard that they have had good success doing this. It might be something to look into,” Steve said.

“Right now I just want to go back to the WWF and work for a while. I just want to accept the way I am but if the chance arose I would not turn it down to relearn to walk. But first things first, I want to learn to drive,” I said grinning.

“I have one question for you, how good of a driver were you before the accident?” Steve asked with a smirk.

“I wasn’t TOO bad if I was in the mood to drive. But I have only been in one accident and that was this one and I was not at fault,” I said showing off my regular wit.

“Okay, so teaching you to drive with not end my life,” Steve said as we went to the parking garage to get the car.

I gave him a dirty look and continued to the parking garage.

When we got to the garage Steve tossed me the keys and told me to get in the drivers seat. I got in and Steve folded my wheelchair up and put it in the backseat. I looked at the controls like they were going to bite me. I figured out that the set up was a cross between Kaylene’s truck and my corvette. The gearshift was on the column and the accelerator/ brake was on the floor. Everything else was the same as a regular car. I was in love with the freedom I could get by driving. After I had figured out all of the controls I asked Steve if I could take it for a spin. He said how else are you going to learn to drive. We went out and drove around the block and I took it really slow. Then I gained confidence and Steve told me to go out on the highway and drive for a while. I did it and it felt wonderful. I had regained even more freedom by learning to drive.

“I have another question, where can you buy a car that has hand controls?” I asked.

“You pick any car you like and have the hand controls added in,” Steve told me. “Do you want to have your car redone with hand controls?”

“No, my car is not a good vehicle for a person in a wheelchair. It is a Corvette and it doesn’t have any room for my wheelchair. So I want to get a new car and I want to have Kaylene to help me pick it out,” I said to Steve.

“That sounds great, you guys seem like a good couple,” Steve said.

“We have bonded over injuries. Kaylene injured her knee really bad about 5 months ago and she had to have surgery. I helped her with her rehab and we became engaged. Now I am in a wheelchair and incapable to do my chosen profession, wrestling. But I have my new profession, therapy, and I get to do it in the WWF with my fiancee and brother,” I said remembering everything that I have been through.

“When you and Kaylene get married I want to be invited to the wedding,” said Steve.

“No problem. We have not set a date yet but as soon as we do I will call you,” I told Steve. “I am getting tired so let’s go back to the apartment and get some sleep.”

“That is fine with me, everything is a little more difficult when you are in a wheelchair. Things take more time than you are used to,” Steve said.

We went back to the apartment and I got into my wheelchair. We went to the apartment and I went into my bedroom and got into bed to wait for Wednesday to come. I was going to miss working with Steve in the hospital but I was going to enjoy being back with Matt, Kaylene and all of my friends. Finally I fell into an exhausted sleep.

The next morning I got up the same time I normally do and thought about the fact that it would be my last day of working in the hospital and living with Steve. After work today I would pack my things up from the apartment and get ready to go. I knew Matt and Kaylene would be coming early, they were on the beginning of a 5-day vacation with me. Vince was not making them work house shows this week so they could spend time with me before we started back to the WWF on Monday. This was going to give me a chance to see my house now that it had been remodeled and to get a new car so that I could drive when I was home and when I was on the road.

Steve and I went to the hospital and I did my last days work. I said good-bye to all of the patients I had been treating. Then I went to personal and picked up my paycheck for two weeks worth of work. After Steve and I had went out for another driving lesson and a celebratory dinner I went back to the apartment and packed all of my things. Steve and I talked about everything that happened in the past month and then we exchanged phone numbers, addresses, and e-mail addresses so we could keep in touch while I was on the road. Then we went to our rooms and fell asleep so we could get up early in the morning.

The next morning I woke up at 5:00 so excited that I could not sleep another minute. I got a shower and got dressed in my blue workout pants, Hardy Boyz t-shirt, and Nike running shoes. I had redyed my hair the night before (green and blue) and I pulled it into a ponytail and stuck a hat over it. I went to the kitchen and began to fix breakfast. I was ready to go as soon as Kaylene and Matt were here. I was so happy to get to go home and return to normal life. This was the first traveling I was going to do and I did not know how it was going to go. Sitting in a car for 5 hours was a killer when I could walk much less when I had to sit down for the rest of my life. While I was doing all of this musing I heard a knock at the door. I rolled my way to the door and opened it and saw Matt and Kaylene standing in the doorway grinning.

“You are awake at 5:30 in the morning? What is wrong with this picture?” Matt asked.

“Don’t laugh but I have missed you guys and I am ready to go back to Cameron and see dad and Liger. And I even want to see the WWF people on Monday when I go back to work,” I said.

Kaylene came up to me and kissed me. I kissed her back and was very happy to see my girlfriend again.

“We always seem to be the happiest when we are getting to go home after spending time in the hospital,” Kaylene remarked.

“I know, but you don’t have to tie my shoes for me. I did it myself” I joked with Kaylene.

After hearing all of the commotion Steve came out. When he saw Matt and Kaylene he put on a fake looking smile.

Seeing this I said, “it is time for me to leave but I will talk to you soon. I will always have questions about physical therapy and I can’t forget a friend like you.”

I hugged him and picked up my bag of stuff and left the apartment. Matt said that we were in his car and it was parked on the street. I saw it and I went to the door. Matt got in the driver’s seat while I got in the passenger seat and Kaylene folded my wheelchair and put it in the backseat and got behind me. We began our 5-hour drive to Cameron, North Carolina. Since I had not been off of the hospital grounds I was paying attention to all of the scenery. The strangest thing was since my legs did not move I just sat there and did not move. No wiggling like I usually did on car trips.

After about half an hour Matt said, “this is too weird. Jeff you are just sitting there like a zombie. Just because you can’t move your legs doesn’t mean that your arms are broken too.”

“I know. I am just thinking. Thinking about how soon I can convince you to stop for breakfast, I’m hungry,” I joked, not wanting them discover what I was really thinking. I had been thinking about how much my life had changed in the last 2 months.

“I hate to agree with the bionic stomach but I am hungry too,” Kaylene said.

“Okay, I get the point. Where do you want to go?” Matt asked.

“I want to go someplace to sit down and have a breakfast. I don’t want to have fast food, that ranks right up there with hospital food” I said smiling.

“Sounds good to me,” Kaylene said to Matt and I.

We drove down the highway and a few miles after our conversation I saw a billboard for a Cracker Barrel in 10 miles.

I pointed this out to Matt and he said; “now I have a great navigator in Jeff. Since he sits still he sees billboards and finds good places to eat.”

“I agree,” Kaylene said on Matt’s side.

“Now that we have found somewhere to eat, I have news. While we are on vacation I want to go shopping for a new car, I’m trading in the corvette and getting a car with hand controls. Steve taught me to drive in his hand-controlled car while I was recovering,” I said.

“That will be fun. It will mean that you are going to be able to drive when we go on the road,” exclaimed Matt and Kaylene.

“Yeah I want to have both of you there to pick a car that you will be comfortable driving too. I will have dual controls in the car, hand controls for me and regular controls for you two. We can take it on the road with us instead of your car,” I said to Matt.

“That would be great. So none of us has to do all of the driving. Jeff doesn’t have to feel like he is not pulling his weight in the driving department. It would be ideal for all of us to have a new car. I have a question though, what is the difference in a regular car and a hand controlled car?” Kaylene said.

“Not much, the only difference is there is a gearshift on the column and there is what looks like a gearshift on the floor. The one on the floor is the accelerator/brake for me,” I explained. “It will not be any different for you guys than driving this car. I am the only one who sees the difference.”

“The car sounds great but we are at the Cracker Barrel,” Matt said to us.

Kaylene handed me my wheelchair and I settled myself into it. I released the brakes and wheeled myself into the restaurant. When we went into the restaurant I wanted to sit at a table so I didn’t have to be in the way. The waitress accommodated us with ease. There were some fans in the restaurant and they saw Matt and I and wanted autographs. We obliged and they wanted to know how I was doing. Vince had came out and said I had been in a car accident and was injured but he didn’t tell that I was paralyzed. I explained to the fans that I was paralyzed in a car wreck last month and I was going to go on Raw Monday and tell the fans what happened. Then we went and sat down and ate breakfast. When we were done we got back in the car and continued toward my house.

I fell asleep and Matt woke me up when we got home. We did nothing the first day. The next day I wandered around my house seeing what had changed. This was interesting; I was able to go in and out of rooms and up to the 2nd floor without help from anyone. I loved it. In the middle of the tour I was taking Matt came in and asked, “do you want to go shopping for that new car you wanted?”

“Yes! I want to get the car as soon as possible so that we can take it with us on Sunday when we go back on the road,” I said.

“Kaylene, are you ready to go?” Matt asked.

“Yes, here I am,” Kaylene said. “It’s not like I was taking all of the time in the world. You were not only waiting for me; Jeff just got ready to go too.”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough. Let’s go, I want to get a new car,” I said smiling at the fact they fought like brother and sister even though they were not related yet.

We drove to the car dealership and got out to look at the cars. I was a little nervous because I had not been out in the ‘real world’ for very long and everything was new again for me. A salesman came out to us and began talking to Matt and Kaylene. He didn’t even acknowledge me. Matt said that he was not the one wanting to buy a car so the salesman began talking to Kaylene. She shook her head no. The salesman wanted to know who was getting a new car then and they pointed to me. The salesman looked at me like I was a 3 headed man. I said that I wanted a new car since I could drive again. The salesman looked apologetic and showed us the newest cars and I found a wonderful vehicle, a 2001 Chevy Suburban. It had enough room for my wheelchair and my friends. It is perfect; I broke the tradition of handicapped people always driving minivans. I traded in my Corvette and bought the Suburban on the spot. I sent the suburban to a place to get hand controls put in. It would be ready on Friday.

This was my first experience in the real world with people that did not understand about my wheelchair and what was going on in my life. But that was just water under the bridge, I was not going to let this change how I was going to live my life. I was going to live my life the best way I could.

We got back in the car and started back to my house. Matt and Kaylene usually stayed with me when we were not on the road, but now they would not leave me alone for a minute. I could not do anything without one of them wanting to help me. I hope that they will calm down on Monday when we go back on the road.

On the way home we stopped at a video store to rent some videos for that night. We rented some comedies for all of us to watch and a romance for Kaylene and I to watch together later. Then we stopped at a supermarket to get some food to eat. After our stops we went back to my house.

When we got in to the house I said, “Matt and Kaylene, I want you guys to go somewhere, anywhere. I am going to cook dinner for us, on my own, just to prove I can. Okay?”

“Are you sure that you can cook an entire meal on your own?” Asked Matt.

“I will help you,” said Kaylene.

“NO! I will be fine. That is the reason I had my house redesigned for my wheelchair, so I could do things without the two of you helping me,” I said.

“If you say that you can do it I will go talk to Amy (Lita, his girlfriend) for a while. Since she is still at work,” Matt said happily.

“I will go in my room and make some new lesson plans for the group when I get back,” Kaylene said. She is a teacher for the wrestlers’ children in the WWF.

They went to their tasks and left me in the kitchen to cook. I cooked a meal of spaghetti and garlic bread. I set the table and put the meal on the table before I called Matt and Kaylene to the table. When they saw that I had done everything on my own they were amazed.

“You really can do things on your own,” remarked Kaylene.

“This meal is wonderful, the best you’ve ever done,” said Matt with a smile.

I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner and went to the living room to watch a video with Matt and Kaylene. I put myself in my recliner and put my feet up. Matt put the movie in the VCR and settled himself on the couch. Kaylene settled into a chair next to mine. We watched the movie and then everyone was tired and ready for bed. It was not too late so I called Vince and got Amy, Adam, Jay, Chris, and Paul off of the house shows on Saturday and Sunday. It was to be a surprise for them and Kaylene and Matt that I was having a party at my house for them. I was celebrating my return to life and I needed friends around to help me party. Vince agreed to let them off and send them to the airport where tickets to North Carolina would be waiting for them. Vince was to tell them nothing of where they were going or what they were doing. After I finished with Vince I called the airline and got 5 tickets for them and they were to tell them nothing but their flight number and to hand them each an envelope with a note I dictated. It would say “When you land a man will be waiting with a sign that will say WWF and he will take you to a black Suburban where you will get your next information.” It would be unsigned. I decided to tell Matt and Kaylene that I was throwing the party and have them come with me for company. After all of this I was tired and I fell asleep quickly.

The next morning I got up and told Kaylene and Matt that I was planning a party on Saturday for Adam, Jay, Chris, Paul, and Amy.

“How are you going to get them out of the house shows? They have to work this weekend,” Matt said.

“I know but I called Vince and he agreed to give them the weekend off,” I explained. “They don’t know where they are going or what is happening.”

“That is great, we haven’t seen them in ages. We have been busy with you and when we were in the WWF our thoughts were with you. This is a wonderful idea,” Kaylene said.

“I have another question for you, Kaylene. Do you still want to marry me?” I asked.

“YES! I love you so much and I can’t wait for us to pick a date for the wedding,” Kaylene said.

“How about this Sunday while we have the ‘gang’ together?” I asked.

“Sure, I don’t care when I marry you but I want to do it soon and Saturday is wonderful,” Kaylene exclaimed. “I almost lost you and that was the scariest thing in the world, waiting for you to come out of the coma and then finding out you would never walk again. It was a terrible thing to go through but it made me realize that I was truly in love with you and I can’t stand the thought of living without you.”

“That is what I needed to hear. I have some more calls to make then. If we are going to have a wedding on Sunday. I need to call Steve, Dad, Shane (Helms), Shannon (Moore), and a priest would be nice,” I joked.

“Do you need any help?” Asked Matt.

Kaylene said, “I do. I need someone to give me away, since my parents are dead. Do you think that your dad would do it?”

“I think he would be honored that you thought of him and he thinks of you as a daughter already. It will be perfect,” Matt and I said.

“I also have something to ask. I need a best man. Would you be my best man, Matt?” I asked.

“I would be honored to,” he replied.

I then went to call Steve, Shane, and Shannon. They each said that it was wonderful we were getting married and they would be here on Sunday. Then I called Dad, I told him that we were getting married and then I let Kaylene talk to him. He said it would be his pleasure to give her away. Then I called the preacher from the First Baptist Church of Cameron I explained that we were planning a wedding on Sunday and I would like him to officiate. He agreed and said he would be there. Kaylene said that she needed a maid of honor, she wanted Lita.

Then only thing left was to get our friends from the WWF here. I was going to get married in 2 days!

The next day my car was ready, so we went in to town. Since the car was not going to be ready until the afternoon we were going to go shopping for clothes for the wedding. We had decided that the wedding was going to be dressy casual. That meant Kaylene was going to wear a skirt or dress that was nice but not wedding dress fancy. I was going to wear new pants and a new button down shirt instead of a suit and tie. Kaylene found a pale blue dress that went to her knees and had spaghetti straps. It showed off all of the curves that were always hidden in baggy t-shirts and jeans. I found a new pair of black pants and a new baby blue shirt (the same color as her dress). I was even going to wash the Manic Panic out of my hair for Kaylene but she said, “that is a part of who you are, I want it dyed blue to match your shirt.”

I agreed and she found the perfect color and promised to help me dye it. Matt decided that he would wear the same thing as me (minus the hair dye). Kaylene said that Amy would look wonderful in the same dress as well so she bought the dress in Lita’s size. After the shopping trip we went to the car dealership and got my car. I took a spin around the block and it drove much better than Steve’s car. Matt drove his car home and Kaylene rode with me. At home I showed Matt and Kaylene how to switch from hand controls to foot controls and they drove down the street.

“It is easy to drive. I like it,” Kaylene said.

“This is fun, I could get used to driving this,” Matt said.

“I hope so. We are taking it with us on Sunday when we leave to go to the next arena,” I said. “There is enough room for us and for the rest of the ‘gang’ too.”

“How many does it seat?” Asked Matt.

“We have room for 9, the wheelchair, and our gear,” I responded.

We just did things to get ready for the wedding the rest of the day. The next morning we were going to pick the rest of the group up from the airport. It was great. They did not know anything about the wedding or the party this weekend. I had a person from the airline stand with a sign saying WWF and send them to my Suburban. When they got in and saw that it was Matt, Kaylene, and I they were so happy.

“Jeff, what are you doing behind the wheel of a car?” Paul asked.

“Who planed this surprise trip?” Chris asked.

“This is my new hand controlled Suburban and I am the planner of this trip,” I replied.

“Is there a reason for this surprise trip?” Adam asked.

“Yes, we have news,” Kaylene said. “Jeff and I are getting married on Saturday; we want to have our friends there. Also we want to return to the WWF as husband and wife.”

“What about a honeymoon?” Jay asked.

“We don’t care about that, getting to be together is reward enough,” I answered.

“I have something to ask of Amy,” Kaylene said.

“What is that?” Amy asked.

“I want you to be my maid of honor,” Kaylene said.

“It would be my pleasure, Kaylene. I get to be part of the wedding of my best friend and my almost brother. It’s a dream come true,” Amy said.

We drove to my house and got settled in. Amy went to try on her dress and see what she could do for makeup. All of us guys went to the back yard and sat down.

“I thought that you would not get married if you could not walk down the aisle?” Asked Chris.

“I decided that I want to marry Kaylene no matter what. I don’t care that I can’t walk but I will be with her backstage and everyday,” I replied happily. We talked a while longer and then I realized that I had 3 more people to go pick up from the airport, Shane and Shannon were coming from Ohio Valley Wrestling, a training camp for the WWF and Steve was coming from the hospital in Florida. I had promised to pick them up and I was going to be late.

“Who wants a ride back to town with me? I need to pick up Shane, Shannon, and Steve.” I asked.

“I will go,” Adam said.

“Me too,” Jay said.

“I will go with you too,” Matt said.

Chris and Paul decided to stay and get ready for the wedding. They got in the Suburban while I went in the house and told Amy that we were going to the airport and would be back later. Amy made Kaylene come with us so they could plan a party for the soon to be married. Chris, Paul, and Amy said good-bye. Kaylene and I got in the Suburban and drove to the airport. Adam, Jay, Kaylene, and I stayed in the car while Matt got out and collected the passengers. When they got back we started home since our friends were planning a party for us. When we got back Paul, Chris, and Amy were waiting to get the party started. They had cooked food and had drinks set out. They had even found some old movies of Matt, Shane, Shannon, and I when we were younger. After we ate and listened to music the group decided to watch the movies. They were of our backyard wrestling days. It was difficult for me to watch me being able to walk and do things that I will always miss but it was good for me. I liked seeing us as little boys and it put me in a good mood. After this we went to sleep since the next day was going to be busy.

The next morning my beautiful fiancée kissing me waked me up. She got me out of bed and said we had to dye my hair, get me showered, dressed, and downstairs in the next 5 hours. I got up and went to the bathroom where Kaylene began to dye my hair. An hour later she was finished and I got a shower. I dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to eat breakfast. After getting some food in me Matt came up and said that we had 2 hours to get ready and to the altar. I went to get in my new pants and shirt with Matt. We got dressed and I brushed my hair out of my face and I decided to leave it down. Dad came in and saw his sons dressed the same and looking good he just shook his head.

“You look great, Amy and Kaylene are lucky to have you,” he said.

“Have you seen them in their dresses yet,” I asked?

“Not yet, I am going to see them after I saw my boys,” Dad said.

“We have 10 minutes to get you downstairs and in place before they think that you are not coming,” Matt reminded me.

“We better get going,” I replied. “See you soon Dad.”

We went downstairs. I said hello to all of the guests; everyone was dressed very nice, very similar to the way I was. A button down shirt and good pants. I took my place just as the wedding march began to play. I turned to see Lita and Matt coming down the aisle together. They separated and Dad and Kaylene began to walk towards us. I looked up and seen her hair it was put up on her head and it was the same color as mine. I could not believe that she would dye it the same color as mine, but it matched her dress and my shirt. I gave her a smile and she walked to my side.

“Who gives this woman away?” the pastor asked.

“Her parents in heaven and me on earth” answered my dad.

“Do you Kaylene Elizabeth Smith take Jeffrey Nero Hardy to be your lawful wedded husband? I would say in sickness and in health but you have withstood more in the past few months than most couples will in a lifetime. So I know that is not a problem,” the pastor said.

“I do with all of my heart,” Kaylene said.

“Do you Jeffery Nero Hardy take Kaylene Elizabeth Smith to be you husband?” he asked.

“Forever and until the end of time,” I replied.

“I know pronounce you husband and wife you may kiss the bride,” he said.

I kissed her and she sat down on my lap. I pushed us to the reception. We cut the cake and fed it to each other, actually we shoved it in each other’s faces. Then Matt gave the typical speech and wished us good times forever. Then everyone else did the same. We did the traditional first dance together. Then I took off her garter and threw it Matt caught it. Then it was Kaylene’s turn to throw her bouquet; Amy was the lucky person to catch it. I told Matt and Amy what that meant, they would be the next to get married. Just as I said this Matt got down on one knee and pulled out a ring and asked, “Amy would you marry me?”

“Yes I would love to marry you!” Amy said.

“When do you want to get married?” Asked Matt.

“The pastor and all of our friends are here, so how about now?” Amy asked.

“Sounds great to me,” Matt said.

The group went back out to the chairs and Kaylene and I switched places with Matt and Amy. The ceremony was the same as ours just changing the names. Everyone was happy that they got 2 weddings for the price of 1. The group went back to the party and I gave a toast to Matt. Then Amy and Matt had the couple dance. We partied until 10:00 pm when we knew that we would have to leave in the morning to go back to work. The next morning we woke up 6:00 and began packing. Everyone who was going back to wrestling took showers and did laundry since we would not see a real unoccupied washer and dryer for a couple weeks. Half of us went to Dad’s house to use his washer and dryer and half-stayed at my house. As laundry was finished it was folded and put into a suitcase. At 10:00 am Shane and Shannon’s flight left so when their laundry was done Dad took them to the airport. Chris, Adam, Jay, Amy, Matt, Paul, and I were going to drive to Washington DC and drop off Steve at the airport to go back to Florida. Here goes my new life, how perfect it is.

Epilogue

Kaylene and I were blessed with a baby soon after our wedding. Nine months later we had a wonderful set of triplets, 2 boys and a girl. Kaylene and I named them Ashley Adriana, Brandon Brent, and Charles Christopher. Not to fall behind Matt and Amy became pregnant with twins. A boy and a girl, Derek Daniel and Elise Elizabeth. Each of the new families lived a long and happy life in the WWF, after Matt and Amy got tired of wrestling they became trainers for the new wrestlers (think Al Snow on Tough Enough). I never took Steve up on the offer to work in the hospital because Kaylene and I stayed in our respective jobs for many years until Shane told us to retire. I’m not saying my new life was always easy but I loved it and I would not trade it for anything!