A/N: Okay, so I know I have stories that need to be updated and stuff but there was this one idea I just had to write about. If you remember my short lived Christmas fic thing then you'll know who the main character is. Anyway, enjoy!
Summary: One WWE Diva's escape is the beach, and there she finds peace within herself even during the worst of times. ONE-SHOT
Rating: T, mentions of suicide/death
Characters: Christy Hemme, mentions of Dave Batista
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, and wouldn't want to own Batista because I'm not too fond of him but whatever.
"It Brings a Smile to My Face Again"
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CHRISTY'S POV
I don't know how I make it through the day without him by my side. I miss him so much that sometimes I can't carry the weight of his death on my shoulders. He was always there for me when I was depressed, but I guess I was too blinded by my friends and our love to notice how unhappy he was.
I lay down in the cool sand outside of my beach house in North Carolina. It used to be our beach house, but just saying 'our' brings tears to my eyes. My hands fold neatly over my slightly protruding belly and I heave a heavy sigh.
Looking up at the stars, I remember a scene from the Lion King. We used to watch it every night before bed. It was his favorite movie. It was their favorite movie. His favorite part was when they were talking about the stars. I guess that's why I come out here so much.
The waves soothe my thoughts as I drift in and out of a light sleep. My baby boy was so excited the day he was going to the football game in Raleigh. It was the Carolina Panthers against the Redskins, and everyone knows the big man is from Washington D.C. Vince even gave Dave the day off so he could go and see it.
I wipe a single tear off my cheek at the thought of that fateful night. Why God chose him to go so soon I'll never know. I knew Dave loved me, but sometimes it just wasn't enough. I needed the day away from him, so I called Melina and we went to the mall. When I came back, they were gone. Under the stars I pull out a folded sheet of paper and open it.
Christy,
We're off to the game. We'll be home late so don't wait up. I love you.
Dave XOXO
I read it a few times over, memorizing his handwriting and the words. I placed the paper close to my heart and sighed again. Life wasn't the same for a month after they died. The house had this emptiness that could only be filled by them.
But my life had to go on.
I had received the call that they were in a car wreck on Interstate 1, and I had rushed to the hospital to find that I was too late. They had both died in the helicopter. The EMT on the scene said that the last thing Dave had muttered was, "I love you, Christy".
Tears pooled in my blue eyes, and I blinked them away. They swirled down my red cheeks in a zig zag pattern to hit the sand a moment later. I begged myself to stop crying, to stop this foolishness; but my heart was slowly opening.
Finding out he was gone was the hardest thing I had to endure. The worst part was knowing that my baby boy, Adrian Egan Batista, died almost instantly. I cried when I was alone. Opening up in public was not something I was accustomed to. My friends tried to console me, tried to comfort me, but I wasn't going to crack.
At the funeral I had refused to cry. A few tears escaped my eyes as they let twelve white doves go, six for both of them. I had arranged for them to do that, and they made a heart in the air before disappearing behind a tombstone. When the funeral was over and everyone was at my dad's house for the reception, I went home. I curled up into a ball in the corner and cried myself to sleep.
I had thought about suicide on many occasions. I thought about swallowing pills, slitting my wrists, and shooting myself with his handgun, but I didn't have the courage to do it. I remember when I used to go to church that the preacher said that committing suicide is a sin. I guess that's why Dave didn't choose to do something to himself.
I went to counseling for a while. She tried to help me, but in the end I gave up on her. No one could save me from the pain that escaped my heart that night. The heartbreak swallowed me whole, and I almost gave up on everything. But no one gave up on me. They willed me to work harder, to remember the positive things. My heart mended slowly, but every night while I watch The Lion King, I cry. I haven't touched the house since their deaths a year and a half ago. And every night at midnight I come out and lay on the beach.
I guess sitting out here reminds me of them as well. We'd have late night swims in the tingling cold water during the summer, and sit down in the white sand in the winter while wrapped up in fluffy fleece blankets. Adrian would snake his small body in between Dave and I, and Dave would eventually pull our six year old onto his big lap.
I wiped away the tears that made me shiver as they dried in the cool wind that blew the sand up around me. I pushed a strand of hair out of my eyes and held the paper tighter against me. I wonder if they're ever looking down on me, if they're ever helping me live my life. Trish and Melina tell me they're always with me, but sometimes doubt crosses my mind.
There are some things in life people can't change. As much as I'd like to, I know I can't turn back time and be in the car with them at the exact moment. I wouldn't be the only one left in the family we created. I wouldn't be the only one who had to suffer the extreme pain of sorrow.
The wind blows harder as I think of this, and I shiver at the sudden gust. Then my body's filled with a warm sensation, and a small smile crossed my sad face. That was enough to answer my question or to clear my head of all of the doubt I had about them not being with me at all times.
Tears fell from my eyes once again, and I looked from the waves crashing on the shore to the endless sky filled with bright stars. My thoughts travel back to the Lion King, and the part of the stars in the sky. We'd used to act like them, guessing what the stars were really made of. Adrian would always be Timon, saying they were balls of gas. Dave would be Pumba because we decided since he was the biggest one of the three as was Pumba. I was always Simba with the reasonable explanation.
Well, somebody once told me that the great kings of the past are up there, watching over us.
I will never forget what Simba says about the ones you loved being up in the stars. Sure, my boys were not kings of the past, the grasslands, or the world for that matter; but they were kings to me. I place my hands under my head and stare at the stars yet again. There was something so captivating about these two stars so close together, and I wondered if the Lion King was right about them being up there.
Whether it's true or not, a small smile still crosses my face.
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A/N: Okay, it's kind of short but I didn't want it to be too long. Also, I was watching the Lion King when I came up with this idea. I know kinda cheesy, right? Well… Lion King is my favorite movie ever, no matter what, and if you think about it it's pretty inspiring. Anyway, sorry it's so sad and please review!
Rachel