The redhead had looked somewhat crestfallen when he'd announced he was leaving.  A look somewhat akin to panic had initially crossed her features, but she'd swallowed it all down, and it had made his heart swell with both love and respect for how strong she was trying to be.

The Canadian left his rental car and stepped into the hotel, his need to speak to his best friend extremely strong at this point.  He'd been wanting to talk to Jay ever since coming to his heart-wrenching decision, but there'd been other, even more pressing things going on - such as the trip Stephanie and Shane had, by now, concluded.

He thought about his former girlfriend and her older brother, wondering how they were faring.  In his eyes, it would be an absolute miracle if Vince McMahon would even agree to see them, despite the fact that they were the man's children.

Damn it... Adam suddenly remembered that there was to be a SmackDown taping that night.  He didn't want to be there.  In the midst of everything, he'd completely forgotten about the show.

He raised a hand to knock on the door to Jay and Nora's room, further cursing the fact that he would have to be in the ring for a portion of the night rather than just at Amy's bedside at the hospital.

"Hi, Adam..." Nora said as she opened the door to see him standing there.  She gave him a small, almost uncertain smile and held the door open wider for him to enter.

"Hey, Nora..."  He noticed that the little blonde was recently showered, her long hair still damp and hanging in neat ringlets over her shoulders.  She was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a gray tank top and looked very fresh.

"You look exhausted," she observed.  "How is Amy?"

"I am exhausted," he said, running a hand through his hair as he sat down at the small desk beside the bed.  "Amy is...Well, physically she's better.  Getting better..."  The blond man sighed, then continued.  "She had a dream last night - a really bad one."

Nora shook her head, her pretty face looking concerned.  "Well, that's to be expected after..."  She allowed her voice to trail off.

"Yeah..." he agreed.  "Damn it...The doctor said she might be discharged as early as a day or two."

"Oh, well that's good," the blonde diva said, but she frowned at the expression on Adam's face and at the fact that he'd said 'damn it,' because it seemed so out of context.  She would think he would be happy about his girlfriend being released from the hospital.  That would mean she was okay... Or was going to be...

However, the Canadian didn't look one bit happy.  On the contrary, he appeared to be quite distressed.  Nora wondered exactly why that was.  Maybe he felt that Amy was safer in the hospital, what with Paul still roaming around out there - free and believing he was exempt from the law.

"Nora...Is...is Jay here?"

"Yeah - he's in the shower," she replied, gesturing toward the bathroom with one hand.  She cocked her head to one side as she studied him more intently.  He really did look out of it - like he was on his last legs, so to speak.

"Adam, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the tall man responded, but his eyes were downcast when he spoke.  Afterward, however, he raised his weary head and looked directly into her eyes for a beat.

Nora was unconvinced.

"Oh, hey, Adam..." Jay spoke as he suddenly stepped out of the bathroom, a towel in his right hand - he was pulling it off his head, as he'd been drying his hair.

The little blonde eyed her boyfriend, then his best friend, knowing she wasn't going to push the issue any further by asking Adam what was wrong.  She knew the taller man wanted to speak to his best friend, and she sensed it was urgent.

"I'm surprised to see you around here so early," the shorter of the two blond men said.  "I figured you'd be at the hospital awhile longer..."

Nora quietly made her way to the hotel room door, not wanting to disturb them or interfere.

"Hey...Where are you going?"

She turned back upon Jay's words, facing him with an almost guilty expression on her face.  Then, recovering quickly, she said, "I want to go next door to see Torrie and Kurt."

"Oh...okay, babe.  See you in a bit, then."

The petite blonde nodded, hoping that, somehow, he wouldn't be able to see her nervousness.

The moment Nora was gone, Adam stood up anxiously.  "I'm glad she's gone," he admitted.  "Jay, I need to talk to you."

"Well, I'm all ears...What's up, man?"

The taller Canadian sighed heavily.  "Well...a lot, actually..."  Then, as he began to steadily pace the room before the other man, he began to explain.