Just hours before the TV tapings were set to begin, Dr. Stevie was in his Office in the Impact Zone, typing out a patient progress report on his computer.   On his desk, in a small frame by his computer, sat a picture of himself with someone he considered very dear to him.   His star patient, if you will, Daffney Unger.   Stevie had met Daffney years ago in passing, as wrestlers often do, before her mental problems started to interfere with her daily life.   She was a classic schizophrenic, whose condition first presented itself as an obsession with David Flair, the eldest son of ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair, in 1999.   She, like David, suffered from similar delusions, and upon meeting him, the two quickly fell in love.   Their love, though, was not meant to be, as David soon found himself infatuated with Stacy Kiebler, leaving Daffney behind with only the voices in her head to comfort her.   After the demise of WCW in 2001, Daffney found herself on the Indy Circuit, where she seemed to go through something of an identity crisis, changing her name to Lucy Fur, then back to Daffney again, before adopting the Shark Girl persona.   It was in this time spent as Shark Girl that Daffney was finally committed to Belleview’s Mental Health Ward, where she once again ran into Stevie Richards, who had, in the time since they had first met, earned his medical degree and gained a residency at Belleview.   It was there where Stevie and Daffney formed a bond, and, perhaps because of that, he was able to treat her and help her stabilize herself just enough to be able to go back out into society.   It was through her that Stevie found his way into TNA.   After what he was told was ‘a rather glowing referral’ from Daffney, Dixie Carter asked Stevie to come on staff and serve as a counselor to the TNA talent.   It was here where he first met Chris Parks, who had made his name in TNA as the monster, Abyss, and became his primary psychiatrist.  

If there was anything in life Steven Richards understood, it was Mental Illness.   As a child, he watched as his best friend, a once active, happy lad named Scott Levy, turned into the depressed, antisocial Raven, who manipulated people in ways that would make Charles Manson take note.   In recent years, Raven has come to acknowledge his more glaring shortcomings, as well as wean himself off of the narcotics that only exasperated his condition.   In truth, Raven has done quite a bit to repair the damage he’s caused to himself over the years, and, in turn, Stevie has dedicated more than a fair share of time using what he learned in medical school to help his friend manage his life, and his illness.   Perhaps, because of this, Stevie is seen as a pushover.   But, in all actuality, it’s only because he empathizes with the mentally ill.   He has seen how devastating these conditions can be, and, in turn, dedicated himself in the past decade to helping others overcome their illnesses.   He had helped the once depressed and somewhat maniacal Victoria become the relatively well-adjusted Tara, and has played a rather pivotal role in Raven’s recovery, as well.   While he has seen some setback with Chris Parks, it was only because he chose to embrace the Abyss persona, rather than embrace treatment.   But overall, there was one patient, one person, Stevie held closest to his heart.   You could even say, in many ways, he loved her.   But he was her doctor.   It would be unethical to act on such feelings.   Wouldn’t it?   Perhaps, but given her fragile condition, any major stressor, even a positive one, could send Daffney into downward spiral.   He concluded, for now, that it was best to leave things as they were, for her sake.   The last thing Stevie wanted to do was worsen her condition, especially after all the progress she had made in the past year.   Daffney was, for the first time, managing her condition, in control of the voices in her head.   Stevie wasn’t about to jeopardize all of that for something as silly as love.

As Stevie continued his report, there was a knock on his office door.

“Come in,” Stevie said.   “It’s open.”

The door opened, and in walked Eric Bischoff, the #2 Man in the Hogan Regime.   It was Bischoff who did most of the footwork for Hogan, holding meetings with talent and staff.   He was also responsible for the string of releases lately.   If anything, Bischoff was the single most-feared entity in the company.   One word from him could mean the difference between life and death in TNA.   So, obviously, when Bischoff entered, Stevie immediately turned from his work to serve whatever need Eric may have.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Bischoff?” Stevie asked.

“You’re not busy, are you?   I’d hate to interrupt…” Eric began.

“Busy?   No, this can wait,” Stevie assured.  

“Good,” Bischoff smiled.   “Walk with me.   I need to talk to you about something.”

“Sure,” Stevie said, making sure to save his work before leaving his office.   Once saved, Stevie joined Bischoff in the hallway.

“You like to hit that ‘save’ button one last time, don’t you, Steven?” Eric asked him.

Stevie stammered, nervous that his answer would upset Eric.

“That’s good.   It’s prudent.   I like that,” Eric said, sensing Stevie’s fear.   As they walked down the hall, Eric continued, “It’s things like that that make me glad to have you on board, Steven.   You’ve really grown up since I last saw you.   Back then, you were just some lackey for a lazy, good-for-nothing bum.   But look at yourself now… a respected psychiatrist, a resident of one of the most well-known and respected medical facilities in the country, and yet… yet, you’re still… here.”

“Well, sure,” Stevie said.   “Pro Wrestling is a high-stress environment.   It only makes sense to have a psychiatrist on call, especially one who’s wrestled himself.”

“I understand that, Steven.   And, believe me, I’m just as grateful to have that resource at my disposal as anyone, but that’s not exactly what I was getting at,” Eric said.

“Oh,” Stevie gasped.   “I’m sorry, sir.”

“Don’t worry,” Eric smiled, devilishly.   “I’m not here to fire you.   If anything, I’m here to commend you.   Out of everyone here, no one, and I mean no one, has done as much for the New Administration as you have, Steven.   So relax a little… You’re not walking on eggshells, here.”

“So,” Stevie began, “exactly what did you mean, then?”

“Well,” Eric began, “what I mean is, despite all of your schooling, your training, you’d still rather be here, among fellow wrestlers.   Most people with your expertise would be off in New York, writing books and earning Nobel Prizes.   Instead, you’re in Orlando, with, well… this.”

Eric stopped and pointed off into the distance, where Daffney was playing cards with Amazing Red, Jay Lethal, and Consequences Creed.

“Yahtzee!” Daffney shouted, throwing her cards down.

“Ooooh no!” the Black Machismo replied.   “I think you’re thinking you’re playing the wrong game, there, Queen Sherri!”

“Yeah,” Red added.   “There’s no ‘Yahtzee’ in Texas Hold’Em, Daffney.”

“Oh,” Daffney said sheepishly, picking her cards back up.   She then slapped them back down on the table and shouted, “King me!”

“Oh Jesus almighty!” Creed sighed.  

“Daffney,” Red said to her, “maybe you should just sit next to me and help me deal for a while, okay?”

“Okay,” Daffney said, moving over towards Red.   Looking up, she saw Dr. Stevie and Eric Bischoff in the distance.   She waved to Stevie and smiled.   As Stevie smiled back, she returned her focus to the Amazing Red, who began to explain to her the rules of Texas Hold’Em.

Eric then turned to Stevie, and began walking back toward Stevie’s office.   Stevie followed.

“See, Steven, I know you got a soft spot for the girl, but, honestly, she’s an idiot.   She’s also holding you back.”

“What do you mean, ‘holding me back’?” Stevie asked.

“Well, what I mean is… say there’s a spot opening up in the administration, a spot that maybe you’d be interested in,” Eric began.   “A position where you’d more or less be in charge of who stays and who goes here in TNA.”

“Wait,” Stevie interjected.   “Are you asking if… I… would want to be Head of Talent Relations?”

“Well,” Eric said, “let’s just say that, hypothetically speaking, that position would be available to you.   Now, I know that your practice here is important to you, and you’re very passionate about what you do here.   And I’m not asking you to stop doing that, necessarily.   I’m just giving you an opportunity to, well… expand your reach, somewhat here.”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean, sir,” Stevie said.

“What I’m saying is, with you at the Head of Talent Relations, TNA may see fit to, well... expand your current practice.   Bring in other people to deal with the day-to-day stuff, while you manage and oversee the whole Talent Roster,” Eric said to Stevie.   “That, and with your obvious expertise, TNA may be able to avoid certain Public Relations nightmares, if you know what I mean.   You’d be able to catch, early on, anyone who might be a threat to themselves or others, and, perhaps, get them the help they need before they end up like poor Frankie Kazarian.”

“I see,” Stevie said.   “So, with this, you’re basically saying that you want me to weed out potential… problems.”

“Exactly,” Eric said, stopping in his tracks.   “And, as Head of Talent Relations, you’ll have the power to hire or fire just about anyone you see fit.   Your power would only be second to Hogan’s… and mine, of course.   And I bet your friend Gabe Sapolsky is just dying for an opportunity to prove to the world that he’s the best creative guy in the business.   You could give him that opportunity.   Hate Russo?   Hell, so do I!   He can be on the street in an hour, if you say so!   It’s your call…”

“But,” Stevie interjected, knowing there had to be a catch, “You need me to do something for you.”

“Steven,” Eric smiled, “you don’t really think…”

“What do I have to do?” Stevie asked, looking Eric dead in the eye with perhaps the most serious look his face was capable of producing.

“Ditch the Goth Chick,” Eric said.

“You want me to fire Daffney?   What for?   She’s no threat to you, or Hogan!” Stevie appealed.

“Not a threat?” Eric gasped.   “You really believe that after that whole thing with Suicide a few weeks back that anyone, including your little girlfriend over there, isn’t a potential threat to what we’re trying to do here in TNA?   I’ve read your little file on her.   ‘Paranoid Schizophrenic’ I believe is the diagnosis.”

“You don’t understand, Eric, if you fire her now, there’s no telling what might happen to her,” Stevie pleaded.

“And if she stays here, she’s a potential powder keg waiting to explode.   I’ve got enough of a PR nightmare on my hands just dealing with the Kazarian situation, let alone the fallout from Jeff Hardy’s indictment, and I’d really appreciate it if I didn’t have to worry about some looney toon running around loose in the Impact Zone!   So, let me put it like this.   The offer’s on the table.   You want to be Head of Talent Relations, you go and fire Daffney.   Otherwise, you can kiss your job in TNA goodbye!   Do we have an understanding, Dr. Richards?”

Stevie closes his eyes and sighs.   He takes this moment to consider the possibilities.

“Well?” Eric asked, impatiently.

“You’re going to need to get security to escort her out.   She’s not going to leave willingly,” Stevie sighed.

“That’s understandable,” Eric agreed.   “You need me to call Belleview?”

Stevie hesitated for a moment, then said, “No.   She’s my patient.   I’ll make the call.”

“You’re doing the right thing, Steven,” Eric said to Stevie.   “Now, go.   Make it quick.   Like ripping off a band-aid.”  

Stevie nodded, then walked back towards Daffney.   Eric watched in the distance as he gave her the news.   Stevie was solemn, almost saddened, but he delivered the news quickly.   Eric knew by the expression of shock on the Amazing Red’s face that Stevie did exactly what Eric had asked.   Daffney, not knowing how to take the news, simply dropped her head.   Perhaps, she was crying, but, by then, Eric had seen all he needed to see.   He could care less about the fallout, just simply that the deed was done.   He would walk off now, back to his office to call security, just as Stevie said he would need to.   He would then call maintenance and let them know to prepare an office for the new Head of TNA Talent Relations, Dr. Steven Richards.