A/N: I hope you enjoy this next story. It is different as I actually write the boys as wrestlers. It is also different as this is a pairing I have long wanted to write, but just couldn't find the right story for them. I own NOTHING but the plot, and a few OC's that will come and go. All other entities belong to Vince McMahon and the WWE, or to themselves. The only profit I hope to make from this story is that you enjoy it! The WWE in the story is a mixture of past, present and future. It is the world of the WWE, but in my own time frame. Also, characters may or may not do things in my world, that they don't do in the "real" world. Thus the term fiction. I hope you enjoy it and if you do, please review, even a word or two can keep a writer encouraged. I don't mind criticism as long as it is helpful, constructive criticism can help a writer. I will let you get on with the story now. Have a wonderful and blessed day, LadyDragonsblood.
ADAM'S HEART
A Story of Love Lost and Love Found
The Calgary sky was gray, with a pink tinge to the clouds as the snow fell. Five men stood on a small rise in what was obviously a cemetery. They surrounded an open grave, where a casket sat, waiting to be covered with cold, red earth.
One of the men kept looking at his watch. He then leaned in to whisper into the ear of one of the other men. The man held up a finger to signal "one more minute." The process was repeated several times, until the impatient man with the watch, went to where two, long black limos waited.
Off to the side, behind a row of trees, another group of men waited. One sat on a small backhoe, three others leaned on shovels. They were dressed in heavy, warm coveralls, tall rubber boots, work gloves and woolen hats. The man on the backhoe also gave his watch an occasional glance. They had waited before, but never this long. It was freezing cold, he and the others wanted to get back to their warm work hut and drink some hot tea.
Finally, a young man with ginger colored hair, and another older man with short, sandy hair, put their hands on the shoulders of a tall, lanky, long haired blond man.
"Adam, come on honey. We need to leave. You are going to catch a cold, or worse." Heath Miller-Reso, the ginger haired man spoke softly. He cast a glance to Jason Reso, the sandy haired blond, his husband of one year.
The tall blond, Adam Copeland-Hart finally spoke. "Good. Then maybe I will die. I could be with Bret again." He stared down at the flower strewn casket. A brass name plate on the casket read: BRET SARGENT HART JULY 2, 1957-NOV. 25, 2015.
The last man, Shawn Michaels sniffed, then spoke. "You don't mean that, Adam. Bret wouldn't want that either. Come on, I'm sure everyone is waiting at the house." Shawn looked at Adam. His own turquoise eyes equaled Adam's in sadness. Bret had been his best friend and years ago... a very short term lover.
"Shawn is right, Addy. Jericho can only entertain so long before he breaks out in really bad jokes." Jason tried to sound light hearted for Adam.
"You go ahead. Shawn, join Hunter, I know he's anxious to get back to Tampa. I'm not leaving Bret, I can't..." Adam paused. He turned to look at Shawn. The gleam of tears in hazel eyes turned to fire as he continued. "Why Shawn? Why?" His voice was filled with anger.
Shawn bowed his head, he clutched at the black felt cowboy hat in his hands. "I don't know, Adam. Sometimes God does things we can't possibly understand now... but later... we know. Bret knew the risk, Adam. The Doctor said it could cause his old concussion to be aggravated and cause another stroke. Bret said, if it did... he'd fight that battle too. He did, for six weeks. I guess his body just... wore out. He tried so hard. Nobody ever fought harder than Bret Hart."
"Oh Shawn, what will I do without him? How am I supposed to go on?... Get me outta here..." Adam broke down in a flood of tears and soul ripping emotion.
Adam stumbled blindly as the three men helped him walk toward the waiting limos. Jason, Heath and Adam rode in the first limo, while Shawn and Hunter followed in the second. The road was now deserted.
Four hours ago, the street had been lined with people as thousands came to say good bye to their hero. Many were wrestling fans, others came out of respect for Stu Hart's son. Calgarians knew it was Stu Hart and his boys that put their town on the map.
Also gone were all the satellite news trucks from around Canada, the United States and Mexico. One crew had even driven up from South America. Their stories went around the globe.
Adam leaned on Jason's shoulder. The two men had been friends since the sixth grade. They came from the same small town of Orangeville, Ontario. Jason and Adam shared a love of wrestling. Through a lot of hard work, near starvation and determination, they both became WWE Superstars.
As the limo made its way back to Bret and Adam's house, Adam thought of when he and Bret fell in love. Bret had come back to the WWE on the premise of putting old wounds to rest.
Shawn saw how lonely his old friend, Bret was. He knew Adam had always had a crush on the Hitman, as Bret was known to his fans. Adam too was lonely and always seemed to find love in all the wrong places. Adam's last boyfriend, Drew McIntyre had left him utterly shattered.
Shawn arranged for the two to meet, "accidentally" at catering. At first Adam was so starstruck, he nearly dropped everything he touched. Bret thought Adam was not only beautiful and smart, but funny as well. Adam made him laugh, and that was a rare thing.
Bret asked Adam out and that was it. They fell in love, deeply in love and married. Those ten years were the happiest of Bret's life. He died of a second stroke, in Adam's arms. Once again, Adam was shattered, he had no idea how to go on without Bret.
The limo pulled into the driveway of the Hart's mansion. The house had been Adam's pride and joy. He made a comfortable home for Bret, especially after Adam was forced to retire from the WWE, a year before he'd planned.
Adam's old neck injury had gotten so bad, that the Doctors told him, one wrong landing and could be paralyzed or even worse, die. So Adam left the business he loved. He and Bret worked through Adam's surgery and rehab. Adam couldn't have done it without Bret by his side, encouraging him. When Adam was fully recovered he and Bret traveled the world. They also had a home in Hawaii. They sold it when they found out about Bret's prostate cancer.
Bret had battled through. He'd lost all his beautiful hair, but Adam didn't care. Adam tirelessly cleaned Bret up when he got sick, again, Adam didn't care, in sickness and health was a marriage vow he took to heart.
Bret slowly won the battle, he was cancer free, but needed more treatments to help prevent a sudden return. Bret had been helping Adam cook dinner. He'd bent down to take the chicken out of the oven, when he suddenly fell over. Bret had suffered a second stroke.
For the next six weeks, Adam helped Bret. He even moved into Bret's hospital room. The left side Bret's body had once again been affected. It was two weeks before Bret could speak, and then it was slurred out of the right side of his mouth. Adam fed Bret, until Bret could lift the fork himself.
Bret was winning again... until a week ago, when his body began to shut down. It had been through enough. Bret called Adam to his side. Adam climbed into Bret's hospital bed and held Bret in his arms.
The couple talked long into the night. Just before he closed his eyes to sleep, Bret told Adam how much he loved him, and how Adam had made the last ten years the most wonderful of his life. Adam returned Bret's love. He fell asleep, his arms still around Bret.
Sometime during the night, Bret's soul grew wings and flew up to Heaven. When Adam woke up, he realized Bret had left him. Anyone standing in the room would have heard the shatter of Adam's heart.
"Adam, Adam..." Jason called out softly. The limo driver had opened the door.
Adam shook off the black widows web of memory. He stared at the cars parked in the driveway. "I can't, Jay. I just can't face them. I can't stand to hear one more I'm sorry. Please, Jay?" He looked at his friend with the saddest eyes Jason had ever seen.
Heath laid a hand on Adam's knee. "You take him in the back. Shawn and I will explain. Don't worry honey, everyone will understand. It's not our first rodeo." He gave his husband and Adam a smile.
"Thank you, Heath. Jason finally won the lottery with you." Adam gave a brave smile to the red head.
Heath got out and spoke to Shawn. Together the two men went into the house. Hunter followed, cell phone glued to his ear. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere but where he was.
Adam sighed. "Hunter is being a big nosed asshole again. How Shawn puts up with him... no, no, I can't think like that, Bret's gone..." Adam was interrupted by Jason.
"No Adam, Bret would be worried about Shawn too. It's okay not to mourn every second. Bret didn't want that. He adored your smile, so let him see it." Jason tried to encourage Adam.
"I'll try, Jay." Adam replied as he slid out of the limo. The driver gave him a respectful nod.
Jason and Adam went around to the back of the house. Jason opened the kitchen door. The kitchen was busy as the catering service worked to serve not only their food, but food friends and neighbors had brought as well. Adam told Shawn to arrange for the homeless shelter kitchen to get was wasn't eaten. By the looks of it, half of Calgary could eat for months... or more.
No one noticed when Adam and Jason slipped in and went up the back stairs. Adam just wanted to lay down and hide from the house full of guests.
Jason stopped in front of the door of the master bedroom. "No, Jason, I can't... it's too full... of him. Down there." Adam went down the hall to the last guest room on the left.
Jason and Adam entered the room. Adam went to the bed and laid down. Jason went to the windows and pulled the drapes. He sat in a chair next to the bed.
"Jason, take me home... to my mountain." Adam spoke in a sleep laced voice.
Adam had home, on top of a small mountain, near Asheville, North Carolina. He'd built it to have in his retirement. It was his retreat. Bret had only been there once. It was Adam's haven and Bret respected that.
Bret had a retreat of his own, near the lake outside of Calgary. Adam had been there once, then he left it to Bret.
Sometimes, one or the other of them needed a few days to themselves. Bret's cabin was where he wrote his newspaper columns. He'd go one weekend a month and pound out four articles. Bret loved the solitude, but was always glad to get back to his "Sugar" as he called Adam.
Adam went to his mountain for a week, when the kayaking on the river was at its peak. He also went again in the fall, to hike when the leaves changed into their colorful coats. He returned to Bret, refreshed and relaxed.
Adam would also take pictures and paint. Very few people knew Adam was an artist, and was extremely good. Bret had Adam's paintings framed and hung them throughout the house. His favorite was a fall scene of the waterfall Adam often hiked to.
"I will, don't worry. Just rest. I'll go check on the dogs. All these people, they are probably upset." Jason stood to leave.
"Bring Branny up, please?" Adam asked for Branny, his faithful companion. The toy poodle had been through a lot with Adam. Adam's other dogs, Tundra, the red Husky and Shine, the Australian Sheep Dog, were also good companions. However, Branny was his special baby.
"I will. I might be a while, I should check on Heath." Jason explained as he left Adam to sleep.
When Jason closed the door, Adam buried his head in the pillow and sobbed. He'd held it in for too long. Adam poured out his broken heart. He simply didn't know what else to do.
Jason went back down to the kitchen, then to the basement. The basement had been finished, and it was where he, Heath, and Chris Jericho stayed. It was a fully furnished, four bedroom three bath apartment.
Adam's three dogs were curled up together on the couch. They seemed to be as sad as Adam. Jason gave them each a rub on the head. "I'll be back for you soon, Branny. Your mommy wants you, but he needs some time first. Be good kids." Jason spoke softly. He was a cat person, but he held a soft spot for Adam's "kids".
Jason went back upstairs, he heard loud whispers that came from the hallway that led to the main part of the house. He could tell it was Shawn and Hunter. Jason didn't know what to do. He went back up to the second floor and came down the front, main staircase. He'd almost forgotten there were two sets of stairs to the second floor.
The living room, dining room, front room and library were filled with people. A lot of the members of the WWE and NXT rosters were there. Dignitaries from Calgary and other parts of Canada helped fill the rooms. Members of the vast Hart family also roamed around.
Jason finally found his husband, out on the front porch with the smokers. Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton and a couple of Bret's family members were all puffing on cigarettes.
"Hey, baby. You... promised." Jason pointed to the lit cigarette in Heath's hand.
Heath hung his head. "I'm sorry. I finally just... I haven't really smoked it..." He tossed the cigarette into the sand filled bucket, that was used as an ashtray.
Jason caressed Heath's cheek. "It's alright, I can't really blame you. You're an adult, baby. Anyway, what are Shawn and Hunter fighting about now?"
Chris Jericho responded before Heath could. "Hunter wants to leave tonight. Shawn promised Adam they would stay until Sunday night. RAW is in Montreal this week, so Shawn said they could get there in plenty of time if they stayed." He took a last drag of his cigarette.
Dean Ambrose scoffed. "Notice who isn't here? And is in Montreal as we speak? That's why Hunter wants to leave." He gave the other men a knowing glance.
"Ambrose is right. God I wish Shawn would wake up and leave Hunter. Everyone knows, but Shawn." Jericho pulled another cigarette out of his pack by the teeth and lit it.
"Guys, now is not the time for office gossip. How is Adam?" Heath admonished the two men. But he too, flashed them a knowing look and a smirk.
"Your right, Slater. How is Adam?" Chris asked with a exhale of smoke. It seemed to freeze in a halo around his head before it wafted away.
"Probably crying his eyes out, but I hope he gets some sleep. He wants to go to his mountain. I told him we'd take him when he's ready." Jason explained as he pulled his coat around his body tighter.
"I can understand that. Bret was only there once, as far as I know. I guess Adam will be okay there. I'd rather he be there, it's closer to the rest of us." Chris added as he lit a fresh cigarette from the butt of the other one.
"Fucking hell, Jericho. I've never seen you smoke more than two during a whole house show." Dean Ambrose spoke in a worried voice, with a deep furrowed brow.
"Stress. It's... Adam and I have a long history. He'd been my road wife for a lot of years. Started when we'd make those drives on the winter roads. Then when I came to the WWE from WCW, Adam was one of the few people I knew. He traveled with me. You learn a lot about each other when you drive the circuits." Jericho only smoked a couple of puffs before putting the cigarette out. He was now cold and ready to go in.
Jason was about to speak when the front door burst open. Hunter came out of the house, dressed in his long coat. He carried his gym bag and brief case. Shawn was on Hunter's heels.
No one could hear what the couple said, but it was obvious they were in the midst of an argument. Hunter finally threw his hand up in front of Shawn's face, and got into the limo. Shawn stood, hands on his hips as he watched the limo vanish down the long driveway.
Shawn walked back up the porch steps. "Sorry you all had to see that. Hunter had to go back to Tampa, before coming back to Montreal. Adam getting some sleep?" He tried to sound calm, but he was furious Hunter had left.
The men moved into the house. A few people said goodbye and left. Jason wished they would all leave, Adam didn't the stress of a house full of people. He knew they meant well, but Adam would need their friendship later. Now, Adam needed rest.
Shawn, Jason, Heath and Chris went to the more quite library. "He hasn't slept through the night since we got here. I've heard him, wandering around every night." Shawn stated the group in a sad voice.
"That means you aren't sleeping either. Shawn, tell the truth, are you and Hunter alright?" Heath asked in a worried tone. The boy worried about everyone but himself. That was partly why Jason loved him so much.
Shawn let out a long, drawn out sigh. "I honestly don't know. He's changed. He is not the man I fell in love with any more. Ever since he became the COO. I wish now I'd never talked Vince into giving Hunt the job. He's becoming his character. I fell in love with Paul Levesque, I'm married to Triple H. I don't know what to do..." His raspy voice faded into another sigh.
"I'm sorry, Shawn. We've noticed the change as well. The bad part is, he makes a fantastic COO. Creative has improved and guys that should be pushed are finally getting pushed. But, is it worth it?" Chris looked at Shawn with a deeply furrowed brow.
"Business wise, yes. Personally..." Shawn finished with a shrug. Shawn had also heard rumors that Hunter was fooling around, but he refused to believe it.
"I'd better take Branny up to Adam." Jason stated as he started to stand up.
"I'll do it. I want to check on Adam." Shawn stood. He wanted away from everyone as much as Adam did.
"He's in the last guest room on the left. He couldn't go into the master bedroom." Jason told Shawn as the older man left.
Shawn gently carried the older toy poodle in his arms. "Come on, Branny. Someone wants to see you. Your mommy needs his special little buddy..." Shawn looked at the small dog in his arms, he felt calmer. "You are an adorable little thing." He spoke softly to the animal. Shawn understood why Adam loved his dogs so much.
Shawn found the room where Adam was resting. As Branny smelled, then saw his owner, he began to wiggle and whimper. Shawn put the dog down before he jumped and hurt himself.
Branny ran and jumped up on the bed. He began to lick Adam's face and ear. "Hey, Branny, did you miss me? Thanks, Jay." Adam called from the bed.
"You're welcome, but it's me, Shawn." The man's raspy, south Texas drawl was unmistakable.
Adam sat up. "Oh, then, thank you, Shawn. Is the house still full?" He asked as he cuddled Branny close.
Shawn stepped closer to the bed, the room was rather dark. "Yeah. Some have left. I don't think they will stay much longer. Um... Adam... Hunter had to leave, he sends his love." Shawn again masked his hurt and anger by keeping his voice light.
"Shawn, you could have gone with Hunter. You've done so much for me already. I wish... I know they mean well... but... I..." Adam's voice faded. He soaked Branny's fur with fresh tears.
Shawn sat on the edge of the bed. He put an arm around Adam's shoulders. "If they don't leave soon, I'll take care of it. Adam... no one expects you to be brave right now. Cry all you want... but just remember one thing. Bret Hart worshiped the ground you walked on. He was happier in the last ten years than I'd ever seen him. I thank you for that, Adam. You know how much Bret meant to me. You understood it, you have Jason. I'm staying until Sunday night as planned. I keep my promises." Shawn kissed the top of Adam's blond head.
Adam leaned against Shawn. "He made me just as happy. I just... wish I could understand... he was getting better. I guess... he's at peace... no more battles. He loved you too, Shawn. He told me you were always much closer as friends instead of lovers. Yeah... he told me... we didn't keep secrets." He held Branny close and took comfort in both dog and man.
"Well, back then... Bret was afraid to come out, I wasn't. Yeah, we were much better as friends. Are you hungry? I can bring you a plate." Shawn asked with a hug to Adam.
Adam shook his head. "Not hungry, but save me a plate for later, please. I'm going home to my mountain." He spoke in a firm tone.
Shawn nodded. "You should be closer to friends. Easy to get from Florida to Asheville, and vice verse. I wish... Hunter can't stand Texas..."
Adam shrugged. "I wouldn't mind it... lots to explore in Texas... as long as I have my mountain."
"Yeah, there is. I never get to my ranch. Good thing I have a great rancher living there and running it for me. At least I got Hunter to fish... once." Shawn was having a hard time, hiding the sadness of his cracked marriage.
Adam looked at Shawn. "Problems with Hunter? You will work it out. You guys love each other. Even Bret and I fought, all couples do." He tried to be helpful to his friend.
"I suppose so. Yes, Bret could be a bit... pig headed sometimes, and I know you're just a bit of a... a..." Shawn hesitated.
"A diva bitch. I know." Adam laughed slightly. When he realized what he'd done, he frowned. How could he laugh?
"Adam, please laugh. He loved to hear you laugh. One of his favorite things was watching Edge and Christian. When you two dressed up as Elvis, I thought he was going to bust a gut. It was one of the first times I heard him really, really laugh. He loved you guys with Kurt and Mick, too. You gave him so many laughs, and not just in the ring, but at home too. So laugh, and don't feel guilty. It would be the best thing you could do for him." Shawn explained with another hug to Adam.
"I'll try, Shawn. For ten years, Bret Hart was my world. I loved the fans and the boys, but I couldn't wait to get home. When Vince called me and told me I had to retire, Bret got me through it. Then after my surgery he cracked the whip, got me through rehab. Why couldn't it have happened to me?!" Adam started to lose his composure again.
Shawn tightened his grip around Adam's shoulder. Both men looked up when the bedroom door opened. A silhouetted figure appeared. Shawn snapped on the small lamp on the bedside table. The shadow became Chris Jericho.
"Hey, listen, everyone is finally leaving, they wish you well. Jason and Heath are playing host. I was sent to ask, the caterer wants to know if everything goes to the shelter? He'd be happy to deliver it on your behalf." Chris asked with a raised brow.
Adam nodded. "All the brought in food goes. Just leave me some of Shawn's fried chicken and cornbread. Chris, thanks for everything, I couldn't get through any of this without you, Shawn, Jay and Heath. I love you guys." He gave Chris a slight smile.
Chris smiled. "We love you, Adam. You'd be the first one there for us, and you have been. Who cared for Jay after his surgery? Who fed me ice cream when Evan left me? I'll go talk to the caterers. Should be safe to come down in half an hour." He gave Adam a wink and left the room.
Downstairs, Jason and Heath said goodbye to the guests as they left the house. Bret's family were the last. Sadly, they were only there because of the news coverage. Ever since Owen's death, they had blacked Bret out of their lives. Mostly they were jealous of Bret's success and they didn't like that Bret chose Adam over them. They were angry that Bret had left absolutely everything to Adam in an iron clad will. They could do nothing to break it.
When the last guest left, Jason closed the door. He put his back against the door and slid down to the floor an exhausted heap. He looked up when he saw Heath's booted feet.
"We'd better bring in some wood for the library fire. You know Adam likes to sit in there." Heath held out Jason's coat. Heath already wore his with a woolen cap pulled down over his ears.
Jason let Heath help him up. Jason put on his coat, his own wool cap and gloves. Together, the couple filled the wood box that went to the library. It didn't take too long, but it was cold and the snow had begun to fall in earnest.
While Jason and Heath filled the wood boxes, Chris saw to the kitchen. Shawn had come down to make sure Adam got his fried chicken and cornbread. He wanted Adam to eat, so he made sure Adam got what he had asked for.
It took the six wait staff of the catering service four trips each to get all the food loaded into the catering truck. There were no less than eight hams, three turkeys, twelve roast chickens and several Elk roasts, along with breads, cheeses, pies, cakes and all kinds of gelatin salads, vegetables and a few containers of ice cream. Chris kept a container of Ben and Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It was his and Adam's favorite.
When Chris' last great love had left both him and the WWE, Adam fed him ice cream and pepped him up. Adam spent two days convincing Chris that he would eventually find his true love. Well, there was this new guy on the roster, AJ Styles. Chris thought he was cute. AJ had agreed to go out with Chris once things with Adam were more settled.
Just as Chris closed the kitchen door for the last time, Branny came down the steps, followed by Adam. "Is it safe?" Adam asked from the last step.
Shawn smiled. "All clear. All that is left is fried chicken and cornbread. Should I let the kids up?"
"Please, I need to take them out." Adam stated as he took his winter coat and Calgary Hitmen woolen cap from their pegs on the coat rack by the door.
"I'll take them." Shawn stated as the opened the door to the basement. The two big dogs came into the kitchen and went right to Adam.
"Thanks, but I need the air." Adam pulled his cap down low and opened the door. The three dogs bound out into the cold, dusky outdoors. Adam followed them.
"Should I follow him?" Chris gave Shawn a worried glance.
Shawn rubbed his chin. "No, let's give him some time. We'll go, if he doesn't come back in an hour."
Chris nodded, but looked at the kitchen clock. He realized he was starving. All that food and he had forgotten to eat. He pulled out the bread, a jar of peanut butter and the apricot jam.
"Make me one too, please. I'll put on some coffee." Shawn asked as he reached for the coffee beans to grind.
Jason and Heath came in, their cheeks and noses were rosy red. Chris made two more sandwiches. Heath boiled water for a cup of tea instead of coffee.
"Poor Adam, it took him a year to get over his mother's death. I thought that was bad... he still upstairs?" Jason asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.
"No, he's out with the dogs. We're going to give him an hour before we go out after him. He has thirty nine minutes left." Chris replied as he again glanced at the clock.
Outside, Adam watched as his dogs leaped and snapped at the falling snow. Branny stayed on the driveway, he didn't like the feel of snow on his feet. The sun had set, but the snowfall and the city lights kept the sky light.
Adam looked up at the cloud covered sky. "Oh Bret, I miss you so fucking much. I need you, baby. Help me, Bretty... I can't do this without you. You fought so hard. I hope you are at rest, with Owen. Try not to let Owen rib God, I don't think he'd like it too much. Oh I loved you... still love you so much... just... be happy my love..." Adam's words faded. A gentle breeze caressed his face. There was a soft warmth to it, Adam just knew it was Bret. At that moment he felt all of Bret's love engulf him.
Adam felt slightly better. Bret was gone and nothing Adam could do would change it. He had to go on, somehow. He knew he had to get away from this house, go to his mountain. He could always find himself there.
"Come on boys, we'd better go in." Adam called to his dogs. Shine, the Australian Sheep Dog sat down and stared at Adam. Tundra and Branny had gone to the kitchen door.
Adam laughed, he bowed to Shine. "I'm sorry, Madame. Come on girl." He patted his leg. Shine "arfed" and happily followed Adam. "And they call me a diva." He gave Shine's ears a rub. She was deaf, and how she always knew when Adam said "boys" was a mystery, but she did.
Adam went into the kitchen. The dogs went to their water bowls. Chris and Heath had also filled their food bowls. The three dogs settled in to their dinner as tails wagged.
"Coffee, please." Adam's teeth chattered as he hung up his coat and laid his hat on the shelf rack.
Shawn poured Adam a mug of hot coffee. "Feeling better?" He looked at Adam, brow arched.
Adam kept the warm, embracing breeze to himself. "Yeah, a bit. He's gone, I can't change it. I've definitely decided to go to Asheville. Jay can you drive with me? I mean, Heath is going to Europe in two weeks. I can use the time to close up this place." Adam sipped his coffee and picked at a piece of fried chicken.
"Of course I can, be glad too. Heath can travel with Chris?" Jason looked at Heath, then Jericho.
"Yep, be glad to have the company. We've got the East Coast circuit. None of the drives are really that long." Chris responded, the took a bite of his second sandwich.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Adam." Heath added his approval to the plan. If Adam needed Jay, then Heath would not stand in the way.
"I wish I could stay, but, I have to go back to work Sunday. I have to make some changes due to injuries. So many of the boys are out right now." Shawn scratched his head. Hunter had added Creative to Shawn's list of jobs a couple of weeks ago. At least Shawn liked Creative, he had a great mind for it.
"You will be good at Creative. Bo, Curtis and Rosie have an idea, but I will wait till we're back at work." Heath gave Shawn a glance. He forgot, now was not the time to talk about work.
"It's alright, Heath. You can talk about work. Bret and I always did. Kind of fun to watch as a fan again. I couldn't watch for a while after my forced retirement, but then I realized I was still a fan. Bret and I watched..." Adam paused, bit his lip and hung his head. He was fine one minute, then the next he was ready to burst into tears. He'd grieved for his ma, but this grief now, for Bret, simply smothered him at times.
Jason went to his best friend. He didn't know what to say anymore. He put an arm around Adam. Adam laid his head on Jason's shoulder.
Shawn looked at Adam. He wished Adam had a stronger faith in God. Shawn knew turning to God had saved his life. He was not the kind to throw his religion in anyone's face. That's not what a real Christian did. A real Christian led by quiet works and good examples.
Now Shawn closed his eyes and muttered a silent prayer. He prayed for Adam to find contentment and peace of mind. He also added a prayer for his own personal situation, to heal his cracking marriage, if it was God's will to do so.
When Sunday evening came, Adam and Jason bid farewell to Shawn, Heath and Chris. They were flying to Montreal on the private jet Vince McMahon had let Shawn use.
Adam spent the week packing up his clothes. He used Vacuum bags so he could get everything in two suit cases. He also packed a few personal items. He was not able to go into the master bedroom, so Jason had moved Adam's things to the guest room.
Adam did have one of Bret's tee shirts, that the blond wore to sleep in. It still smelled of Bret and it brought Adam a slight bit of comfort. It was the only thing of Bret's Adam could handle right now.
Adam would give Bret's clothes and shoes to the shelter, but he couldn't deal with going through Bret's things now. It was too overwhelming.
Adam arranged for the housekeeper to move into the basement apartment. She had done it many times when Bret and Adam stayed in Hawaii. She was well loved and highly trusted. Adam knew the house would be in good hands. He also informed the security company about the housekeeper and his extended absence. They assured Adam the house and property would be safe.
It was be a 2,324 mile, 35 hour drive from Calgary to Adam's mountain in North Carolina. Adam chose to drive because he hated putting his beloved dogs in the cargo hold of an airplane. He could charter a flight, of course, but he loved driving across the country. Because of his surgery he could now spend hours in the car, fairly pain free.
Jason and Adam picked the route along the Trans-Canada Highway. The also avoided big cities like Chicago. It would take three days because of people and doggie potty and feeding stops. The two friends looked forward to the drive.
The night before they left, Adam and Jason packed Adam's truck. They made sure the hard shell protective cover was securely bolted down over the bed of the truck.
In the extended cab, Adam made two beds for Shine and Tundra. Tundra sprawled on the seat and Shine laid on the floor. Branny sat or laid on the floor of the front passenger seat or, when Adam wasn't driving, Branny would sleep on Adam's lap. The dogs traveled well and you hardly knew they were there.
At six in the morning, Adam locked his house and along with his dogs and Jason, left Calgary and Bret behind. Tears flowed down Adam's cheeks.
The last thing they did was to visit Bret's grave. Jason stayed in the truck with the dogs as Adam said good bye.
Adam knelt in the snow, he placed the single red rose on top of the fresh, snow covered mound of dirt. It looked like a drop of blood against the white snow.
"I have to go, Bret. I can't be in that house, knowing I will never see you there again. Never reading to each other in front of the fire. No more nights in the backyard, waiting for the stars to come out. No more fights over the hair dryer... oh God, Bret, I love you so much... I will never love anyone again. I know we promised each other not to do that, but you were my only love. I will miss you forever. You were the best there was, and ever will be. Goodbye now my darling Bretty. I. Love. You." Adam bent down and kissed the small brass plate that marked Bret's grave. The memorial gravestone Adam had picked out would be set in the late spring, when the weather would allow the cement to harden safely.
Adam stood, oblivious to the wet stains on his knees. He got in the truck, and headed south, to his mountain.
