Triple H

It has been a week now since I had heard of Chris' death and I'm still in shock over all of it. Every day now new information is being released and none of it exonerates him. The media coverage keeps getting worse and worse with each passing day.

I glance towards the side of the room where Steph is busy tending to Aurora. I love my wife with everything I am and my daughter is the light of my life. How could Chris do this to his own family?

I lean back in my chair and think back to that fateful Monday evening when we had first found out.

We had been at the arena not more than 45 minutes, pulling up in our luxury bus and parking it near the entrance. I had decided to make the trip with Steph, knowing that she was going to need help with Aurora. She was slated to make another appearance to further the 'Mr. McMahon is dead' storyline. It was not one I agreed with in any way, shape or form; but once Vince got an idea in his head, no matter how macabre, he usually ran with it. You could not talk him out of it if you tried.

We had barely settled in when I heard a knock upon the door. I get up and answer it, partially surprised to see Vince standing just outside. He usually waited for Steph inside in his office to go over any final plans before the show. One glance at his face and body language told me instantly that something serious was wrong.

I step out of the way and allow him to enter. "Vince? What's wrong?" I ask as he passes by me to go sit on one of the small couches inside. I'm almost dreading his answer. I've only seen that look on his face a few times and each time it was followed by real devastating news.

"Is Stephanie here?" He asks quietly, scrubbing one hand over his face. "I need to talk to the both of you." His voice is eerily calm compared to the concern radiating out of his pores.

"Yeah. Yeah, she is. She's in the back getting Aurora dressed." I tell him and start to walk towards the back of the bus. "Are you okay? Do you want a drink or something?" I turn back to look at him.

He shakes his head. "Just get Stephanie." He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, and puts his head in his hands.

He was usually the pillar of composure, the bedrock everyone could lean upon. To see him like this was really setting my insides churning. I turn back to the doorway to the sleeping area and knock on the door before opening it.

I see Steph inside putting Aurora's socks and shoes on her small feet. My daughter gurgles up at me from where she was laying on the bed. Steph looks up at me and smiles, then it fades as she really gets a good look at me. "Hunter? Is something wrong?" She leans down and picks up the baby.

I shrug. "Vince is here and he's not looking very well. He wants to talk to us." I hold out my hands and Steph puts the baby in them. I shift Aurora until she is resting close to my chest.

My wife pushes past me and steps into the small hallway, passing the built in shower stall to get to her father. She finds him still leaning forward, looking like his world had just caved in. I follow her out and stop just behind her as she takes a seat on the couch next to him. One hand reaches around to touch his back and the other to lift his face to look at her. "Daddy? What happened? Is Mom okay? Is Shane?"

I rest my free hand on her shoulder, ready to lend support if she needed it.

Vince sighs heavily as he takes Steph's hand in his and strokes it with his thumb. "I have some terrible news. I was just contacted by the Fayetteville Police Department." His voice is full of sorrow. "Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and their little boy Daniel were found dead."

I feel my stomach drop from my body to fall down around my ankles. I look at Steph and she has brought her free hand up to cover her mouth which has opened in shock. Her eyes have grown wide as she takes in a breath of air.

I quickly sit in one of the chairs across from the couch before I dropped my daughter. "What?" I ask automatically.

Vince swallows thickly, his adam's apple bobbing with the effort. "I don't have the details yet, but I had Corporate contact the police down there when we could not get in contact with Chris." He sighs again and I can see him fighting tears. "They entered the house and found the bodies."

"No!" Stephanie cries out and tears form in her eyes, spilling over and rolling down her cheeks.

The rest of he night was a blur as Vince cancelled the show, turned the fans away and had most of the superstars leave. A select few he allowed to stay and tape segments to appear on what was now going to be a three hour tribute to Chris Benoit. Steph and I taped segments, of course as Chris had been our friend. When we spoke, it was from our hearts.

Vince pulled the plug on his storyline without a second thought. As we watched the RAW show, I couldn't help but wonder just what had happened. All we were told was that Chris' family was sick and he had to fly home immediately. I hadn't heard from him since.

Steph cried most of the night and I had a hard time keeping my own tears at bay. We were losing too many good guys the past few years. Chris was only slightly older than me. This shook me to my very core.

I shake my head and dismiss the memory of that night. The following day the details had starting coming out and people were outraged at the news. I felt numb myself, not sure if what I was hearing was correct. I was hurting, my wife was hurting and we didn't know how to deal with the new facts. We had just lost a man we considered a very close friend in a very unfriendly way.

The next few days were a roller coaster ride of accusations, speculation, denial, and finally withdrawal. Vince had no other choice than to retract his tribute to Chris and pull all mentions of the man from the website. I took my wife and we headed back to our home in Nashua. We needed to get out of the limelight before we were raked over the coals for our small spots in the tribute show.

Steph now wanted nothing to do with the whole situation. Any mention of it brought a death glare from her eyes and a cold shoulder. As a new mother, I couldn't blame her. I still found it hard to believe that he was gone, let alone what they were saying that he did.

I swallow away the rising emotions in me as I watch Steph play with our daughter. The circumstances were too bizarre to be real, yet somehow there were. Like a bad horror flick, yet we couldn't just get up and walk away. We still had to wait for the toxicology reports, but it was pretty much an open and shut case so far.

No matter what the reports came back saying, the damage was done. Chris' memory had been forever tarnished in the hearts and minds of his fans. Nothing could bring him back, nor restore the image he had worked 20+ years to build up. In one weekend, it was gone. No Hall of Fame for him now, no mentions of his name on the air again. It was like he never existed.

Yet the ache in my heart told me he had. He had existed, become part of our extended family and had now taken himself out of the equation without a note or explanation; taking his wife and son with him. No one was ever going to know the whole complete truth.

I sigh and rub at my eyes as I hear Steph call my name. I had to put my thoughts away for now, as I had a family I needed to be with. I would deal with my own private feelings later, when I was alone and more able to let them out. Chris left a big void in all our lives. It was not going to be easy getting past this death, or closing the hole in my heart. I get up and walk over to Steph and hug her before leaning down and giving my daughter a kiss on the head. The most I could do right now would be to just take each day as the gift it was and never take those I loved for granted.