I don't own any WWE wrestlers or figures utilized in this story. This is all from the mind of a brilliant scientist.
Damian and Zoe belong to DaLiz13
Sixteen year old Erin Calaway grunted as she heard her a distinct knock at her door. Sighing she dropped her pen and slid her headphones off of her neck. Not being surprised at all when Mark walked into the room, Erin pushed her books away from her knowing that this would ruin her mood. Looking up and down at the man before her, Erin cringed at the now lifeless look that he always seemed to exude. He walked in and rubbed his hands over his face. "Hey kiddo," the man took a deep breath, "how was school?" Erin gave the man a faint smile and shrugged.
"Good, I guess." The man nodded. Erin couldn't help but to notice the absence of happiness in him. Shaking her head she just took a deep breath. So much had changed since that day almost two years ago. So much. Soon after discovering Michelle's blood and miscarriage. The family had learned that Michelle had contracted a highly rare virus that attacked her lungs and immune system, thus changing life as they knew it forever. Shaking her head she glanced back down at her history homework and then back up at Mark.
"So um, how were things, well you know." Mark nodded and took a deep breath.
"Pretty much the same, she's still not responding to any medicine or anything." Erin turned and sighed.
"I thought for sure that last bit of experimental drugs would have worked." Mark nodded solemnly. Erin sighed, she knew that he did too. He'd spent a small fortune trying to get them to Michelle. Erin flicked the pen in her hand, they all knew time was running out. They had to find a cure and soon. Mark grunted and stood up from leaning on the door frame.
"So, Pup, get to bed, ok?" Erin nodded, in the last year they both had officially become Calaways. Well sort of...Michelle and Mark had adopted Phoenix, but Mark had adopted Erin. It was a weird twist of events. By the time the adoption papers for Erin came around the virus had completely zapped Michelle's strength and ability to reason. Erin shook her head, the virus hadn't just taken the baby, but it'd taken the essence of their reality. "Er?" Erin broke out of her trance.
"Uh yeah." She shrugged. "He's been pretty manageable these days. He wants to go and see Michelle tomorrow. He made her a card." Mark took a deep breath.
"Yeah, sure thing." Mark zoned out. Erin just looked at the man. He was practically out at his rope's end. Erin sighed, she felt horrible about this situation.
"Dad?" Mark quickly shook himself out of his trance and smiled at the teenager before him.
"That still brings a smile to my face." Erin smiled at him happy that she could help in some way. Mark walked over towards her desk and kissed her forehead. "I wanna say thank you so much for all the help you've given us in the last few years. It's really helped." He shook his head. "I don't know where we'd be with ya." Erin smiled.
"Thanks." Mark nodded and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a set of keys. Erin looked at the unfamiliar set of keys and then back at Mark. "Um." Mark smiled.
"Its to the red Jeep Cherokee in the garage." Erin looked at him.
"We don't have a red Jeep in the garage." Mark kissed her one final time and turned to leave.
"We do now," he said as he closed the door. Erin looked down at the keys and then back at the now closed door. She guessed things weren't all that bad. Not bad at all.
Erin rolled over to feel a shift in her bed. She quickly looked up and then back down. "Phoenix, what's wrong?" This had become almost a weekly ritual since Michelle had become a permanent resident of the hospital. She sighed, the little boy just couldn't adjust to this. Who could? Erin felt the small boy curl up at her side, with quiet sobs that preceded to break her heart.
"I miss her." Erin wrapped her arm around the boy.
"I know buddy."
"Do you miss her?" Erin smiled, she did, as weird as that was.
"Yeah buddy, I miss her." The little boy smiled and took a deep breath.
"Will she ever get better?" Erin sighed, she didn't want to pump his head with crap. She sighed.
"I don't know buddy." The little boy sobbed.
"Why can't life just go back to how it was?" Erin took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the boy.
"I don't know." Taking a deep breath, she turned to look at him. Phoenix was now asleep, but Erin was wide awake, why had her fantasy become a reality?
Why?...
Erin sighed as she turned the scrambled eggs over trying to get them hard like Mark liked them. She really missed his cheerful self. Phoenix came running into the kitchen in his school uniform. "Daddy's coming, are they done?" Erin smiled and nodded.
"Just about. Why don't you get your lunch out of the fridge and put it into your bag?" Phoenix nodded and began pulling out the already prepared lunch and setting it into the ziploc bag. "Can I have a brownie today?" Erin thought about it.
"I thought you wanted Doritos? It's your share day." Phoenix shrugged.
"I don't really feel like sharing today. So can I have the brownie?" Erin smiled.
"Yeah, but put the Doritos in there just in case you decide to share, later." Phoenix smiled and did so. "Alright buddy, your omelet is on the plate. You better hurry if you want to get there early enough to get the good tether ball pole." Phoenix chewed on his piece of toast. He shrugged.
"I don't care about that anymore." Erin sighed, he was losing what made him, special. That zeal, that fire, that it. Erin shook her head as she plopped Mark's eggs onto the plate. The two heard the sound of boots walking into the room. Erin quickly moved the eggs over to the counter and waited. Mark walked into the room still sporting his distant gloomy stare.
"Hey guys," he grunted. Erin glanced at Phoenix who shook his head. Crabby Mark was becoming less and less of a rarity these days. Erin nudged Phoenix with her eyes to get him to speak. Chewing on another piece of toast, the boy spoke.
"Daddy, me and Erin made ya breakfast," he said hopefully. Mark turned around from the fridge and glanced at the plate. He shook his head.
"No thank ya, I wanna just get going with some coffee." Phoenix rolled his eyes. Erin tried to get him to try again but the boy just shook his head. Erin sighed, she wouldn't give up that easy.
"Dad, we uh made i special for you. They're hard just the way you like em." She smiled, pleading with him. "With just a bit of cheese." Mark glanced at his watch.
"I've gotta go. Erin meet me at the shop after school, Phoenix, be a good boy." Mark left the room traveling with only his thermos of coffee in hand. Phoenix hopped off of the barstool.
"I told ya he wouldn't care. He don't care about us no more." The little boy grunted. "Just come get me. I'll be out back."
"What about your omlet?" The boy shrugged.
"Let the cat eat it." Erin sighed and nodded. She wanted to yell after him to not get dirty, but it wouldn't matter. Who'd care anyway. Sighing Erin plopped onto her own barstool.
"So much for a family breakfast," she said. "So much for a family." It was only then did she notice Mark staring at her. The man had a twist in his eyes.
"So much for a family?" he exploded. Erin cringed. His yelling almost deafened her. "Do you know how stressful this is for me? I'm doing the best I can."
"I'm sorry. I didn't meant to..." She sighed. "I'm sorry." Mark shook his head with disgust in his eyes.
"Just shut up before you say something else stupid like that again." Mark turned and left the plate yet again. Erin oddly felt cut by his words. She threw her toast at her plate. Of course she couldn't do anything right. She hadn't meant to say it like that.
"I'm an idiot," she said. "I can't do anything right." Standing up she'd lost her appetite and grabbed the plates carrying them to the trash. "So much for trying to help." Erin turned around to wash the plates and ran smack into Mark's torso. Shaking her head, she tried to maneuver out of the way. "Oh, uh sorry." Mark shook his head and pulled her close to his chest in a tight embrace.
"No, I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "You and Pup, were just trying to cheer me up and I snapped at ya. I'm sorry." Erin shrugged.
"It's alright, Dad." Mark held her at arm's length and smiled at her.
"I don't even deserve that name after the way I treated ya. Erin, you have to believe me when I say I'm sorry." The girl nodded and pulled away.
"I understand." Mark smiled.
"Here lemme make it up to ya, don't make any plans for tonight. You, me and Pup are gonna go to dinner, how does that sound?" Erin plastered on a fake smile. That was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment, but her head betrayed her by nodding. Mark rubbed his hands together happily. "Alright that's what we'll do." Erin continued the fake smile as he kissed her on the forehead and left the room. Erin sighed and ran her hand over her face. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...otherwise known as sober and drunk. Erin sighed, so much for her fantasy becoming true. Kicking the cabinet Erin cursed. Welcome to her new reality.