Chapter 1

Looking down into the body length mirror, Jack saw the bruises on his ribs. The large bruise on his right leg, around his thigh, would possibly need medical attention. He knew from the limping as he walked back into the room, that he would need rehabilitation to make those muscles work properly again. Even through the sports tape around his right foot he could see where the swelling would take many ice packs to help go down. His right hand hurt badly, he doubted a serious breaks in the bones of his hand, but swelling was a almost guarantee.

Pure and simple Jack Mafford was a mess. He did his last job and was going to collect his check, the last check that would make his retirement official. At twenty-six he wasn't by far the oldest person he knew doing the job he had, but every day it seemed younger, faster, stronger and more cunning guys came onto the scene. He had to get out while he could, no Mickey Mantle days for him. Get out on top, while they still chant your name, he could think of nothing sadder than watching a former great still grasping for the glory days. It was not something he thought he could endure, that fading glory, the one last summer. Traveling around the world, training six days a week, six hours a day, and getting the ever loving shit kicked out of his body no longer held the promise of fun for him. He was done, with about five minutes before the press conference he was now living his last moments of a Mixed Martial Arts fighter.

His sister was in the dressing room sitting on the couch. Still beaming her hundred watt smile at him, she quickly rehashed the exploits of the fight. It had been a long one, a very long one in Jack's eyes. He had gone three rounds with his opponent, a younger friend who was trying to make a name for himself by beating the title holder. It was between friends though, so Jack knew this fight was going to hurt. Enemies may stab you in the back, but friends do it in the chest. Three rounds of pure hell, Jack couldn't remember most of the fight, that was what Amanda was for. It wasn't some zen outer body experience, no he simply lived for the next moment, it was like chess to him, he was already planning five steps ahead. He knew the basics of it, but not all the details of which he was hearing now. All he really cared about though was the last thirty seconds of his career, he threw a hook so hard at the guy that he thought his shoulder socket may have popped loose. It was the only thing he had left that far into the fight, both of them were so sweaty and oily from the two and a half previous rounds they had gone through. They tried the technical side of things for most of the fight, from arm bars to triangles, nothing seemed to stick for either of them. What the last two minutes came to though was what many had said it would result in. Standing toe to toe throwing what they each hoped would be the one and only lucky shot, for final two minutes of the match.

Jack remembered the very instant it all ended. In all the hours of video footage he had watched on his opponent he never noticed the very small tell tell sign that the guy was about to throw a right hook until this very moment. The guy just barely tilted his head to the left exposing his jaw just right, getting ready to throw his what was referred to as the hay maker. Jack did the only thing he could possibly think of, he threw his right fist against the guy's chin as hard as he could hoping that he would hit that magical spot, the one that allows an opponent to fall asleep for a few seconds. The guy's head snapped back and Jack charged, but the ref was quicker as he put himself between the two battling men to stop the fight for the win going to Jack! Jack just stood there, staring down at his hand and then the guy knocked out. He could still remember his one and only thought as he stood there with time moving in that unreal way that it seems everything but him has stopped. So this is how it feels to finish a career.

That was a first for Jack, whenever he had previously won a fight he would do anything from running around the ring screaming in triumph, to a back flip. This time he just stood there.

Then as it always does time quickly sped up to normal, his coach and sister were both practically ripping the door off of the cage to get in to him. Amanda as always threw her body through the air in a leaping hug as she screamed for joy at his win. His coach waited his turn, then literally picked him up by the waist and ran him around the ring. Even then, though, Jack knew what he had to do. It was time.

He pulled himself away from his cheering sister and coach so that he could go check on the poor guy he had just knocked out. Kneeling down beside him, Jack tried to see if the guy was okay. He sighed with relief when the guys eyes opened up and his opponent groaned sadly knowing what had happened.

Leaning down, Jack gave a half attempt at a hug as he said into the guys ear, "God you kick like a fucking horse. I won't walk right for a month."

The opponent, Matt, gave a sad smile, "Yeah but your punch fucked my head."

As they both stood up to face each other a few seconds later Jack hugged Matt this time hard and furious.

"I'm done now, I hope you will take my place." Jack said quietly. Matt only looked at him oddly as Jack smiled and felt his hand being raised as the winner.

The press conference was exactly as he expected. All wanting to know who he thought would be the next challenger, what he thought of this fighter, or of that fighter. When did he plan to fight next.

" I have an announcement to make." Jack said quietly into the microphone.

Only two people knew what he was about to say, his little sister sitting beside him and his main coach. This kind of statement was often when a fighter would make a challenge towards another, or say something about a new product endorsement he had. Not this time, though, Jack thought. Even the president of the company didn't know what was about to be said, which was good for Jack, because his contract had just ended with this fight. The president had been wheedling Jack for the last two months to sign a new one, but Jack had just kept putting it off. The offer for more money had been thrown into the talks to Jack, but he just kept avoiding it all. But not now, it was time.

Looking into the crowd he saw Matt standing off in the corner of the large room, still giving Jack that odd look. Feeling Amanda's hand lightly brush his arm, he forged on, he knew he had at least her and his coach's support.

"I have been fighting in MMA for almost nine years now. Since I was 18, I have trained and battled men to what seems like death. But as I said, I have an announcement. I'm retiring, tonight was my final fight..." Jack had planned on saying just a few more things and giving thanks to all his fans and supporters, but that wasn't to be.

The audience in the hall simply erupted into a flurry of screaming reporters and fans as they tried to ask him all the questions they could think of. The president of the company was probably the one person speechless out of the whole lot, he stared at Jack with his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

He felt his hand being grasped tightly by Amanda as he looked out into the crowd of faces who showed emotions ranging from disbelief, smiles, anger. When he saw Matt in the corner with what looked like a smirk he just winked and tipped his head in respect. With that he stood up from his chair and pulled his sister behind him as he walked out of the hall and into the corridor behind it.

"Holy shit!" his sister exclaimed as she hugged herself tightly to him.

"You're telling me."

"Are you..." Amanda started to say, but quickly stopped when she felt Jack lean heavily against her. She wasn't the largest of people, standing only five feet two inches and weighing an even one hundred and five pounds. She had a man ten inches taller than her, and almost eighty pounds heavier than her, leaning against her. She grunted quietly, as she looked up into his bruised and swollen face.

"Jack, are you okay?"

"Yeah... Mandy, lets go to the hospital now. I think my hand is broken." Jack said grumpily in pain now that the emotions had all left his body. He stood up straight with a grimace as he turned towards the exit and their car.

They both walked towards the exit as he quickly stopped to grab his bag of gear, and then they went out into the dark night. He handed the keys to Amanda for the plain black Ford Explorer. It was a simple low key car that they drove to every event that was in America, his parents had instilled the enjoyment of taking it slow, which meant flying was almost unheard of to them when it came to going somewhere they could drive.

As he sat very slowly into the seat, he groaned loudly, "No broken ribs or anything, but Gods I hurt right now."

"I know Jack, a few minutes and we will be there."

It was well known by almost every person who had ever heard of Jack Mafford that as he was probably one of the best fighters around, he was also the smallest spender of money. There were many stories floating around the fighting community of how Jack and Amanda would camp along the way to a fight. It was one of their rituals, along with the visit to the hospital if needed, and the only night they stayed in a hotel was the night the fight happened, win or lose they stayed in a room to celebrate.

It was well into the early hours of the morning that Jack and Amanda got to their room at the local Holiday Inn. Collapsing onto one of the two queen sized beds, Jack frowned as he thought of the light weight immobilizing cast on his right wrist. The wrist wasn't broken, the doctors had said but he had bruised the bones, knuckles, and a sprained wrist. They decided that it would be for the best if he kept the brace around his wrist in order to keep it compressed, with orders of ice for later.

Collapsing into the second bed, Amanda laughed loudly.

"Hey, old fart, you okay over there?" snickering all the while when Jack looked over at her and stuck his tongue out.

"Hey we have gone through this, I am not old! Just because I am 'Retired'." he said making quotations at the word retired. Shaking his head, he laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a strange smile on his face.

"Feels pretty good, though, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does. I mean, I can wake up tomorrow and simply eat everything I haven't had for the last how ever many years..." he said happily, the thoughts of glazed donuts filling his mind. When he rolled over to smile at her, he grunted with pain.

"Want me to get the ice packs and ointment Jackie?" Amanda asked with concern.

"Yes, please. I'm going to need the full treatment this time."

Amanda nodded as she hopped off the bed, and quickly came to Jack's side. Kneeling partially on the bed, she helped him remove all of his clothing, using quick but caring motions as she pulled them up or down off his body. Piling them onto the floor beside of the bed, she quickly left the bed, grabbing the ice bucket as well as a few empty grocery bags. She went out the door quickly, shutting it behind her.

This was another one of their rituals. If the fight went like this one had, she would help him ice and relax the tight or sore muscles till he was able to sleep. She had started off taking a few courses in medical massage therapy, but ended up with a degree in physical therapy. Little known to Jack, he was the reason why she took that degree. Every time he had to fight, her heart broke watching him look so tired and in pain.