A/N: The inspiration for this new story came from watching the McMahon DVD, particularly the Smackdown episode after 9/11, in which Vince McMahon addressed the crowd out of his character. We were all affected by 9/11 in some way, shape, or form, and it will be etched in history forever. Vince's speech was very moving, and Lillian Garcia's rendition of the National Anthem was incredibly extraordinary! After watching the clips again and again, I decided to put my own spin on how the McMahon Family were really affected by 9/11. I have to admit I am not really proud of how I wrote this chapter, but a lot of research on YouTube was done in order for the first chapter to be possible. I have to warn you this story may be very sad and very emotional, and I apologize. I don't own any names in the McMahon family. I take full ownership of Sabrina.
A/A/N: I hope you enjoy this story, and please review so I know what you think of it! Thanks!
Finding Sabrina
Chapter 1: Wake-Up Call
8:45 – 8:51 a.m.
It was supposed to be a picture perfect Tuesday morning in mid-September.
The sun shined brightly. Its beams bounced off the large living room windowpane in the luxurious 13-room penthouse apartment. According to the weatherman, temperatures were supposed to rise about seventy degrees in Manhattan.
Perfect weather for a stroll down to Central Park, thought Linda McMahon as she freshened herself up in the grand master bedroom. Though her main home base was outside of Stamford, Connecticut, the gracious, yet defiant, chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment had been in New York City for about a week partaking in a series of meetings with stockholders and executives at the WWE branch office uptown.
After an exhausting week, Linda was finally able to have some free time before heading up to Stamford the next day for another round of meetings at the world headquarters.
Next to the Connecticut town, the Big Apple was a favorite place to visit for the McMahons. Not only is New York City a mecca for many international, cultural, and commercial institutions, but Linda's son Shane and his family also reside there. In fact, Shane, his wife Marissa, and their baby son Declan are full-time residents in the penthouse apartment. Despite portraying a member of a highly dysfunctional family on camera, Linda enjoys every moment spending quality time with her husband and children.
Linda began her usual morning routine without a hitch. Dressed in a light red blouse and brown slacks, she swiftly walked down the curved stairs to the sounds of soft cooing in the living room. Baby Declan was in his bassinet next to the window. With the curtain pushed all the way up, the sunlight gleamed directly at the bassinet, causing the baby to get a little irritated. Maternal instincts immediately kicked in as Linda pulled down the curtain halfway, preventing any further sunlight potentially damaging Declan's eyesight.
Linda walked over to the bassinet and proudly smiled at her grandson. She gently grabbed hold of his tiny hand and played with him. "My goodness, look at your grip. You're getting strong!" she playfully reacting to Declan's hold of her finger. "Let's go into the kitchen so I can fix you up something good to eat!" Declan smiled and cooed some more. Linda lifted her grandson from his bassinet and gently rocked him in her arms while walking to the kitchen.
With her many responsibilities as a front-runner corporate businesswoman, her favorite roles were being a mother and grandmother. She and Vince, her husband and business partner of 34 years, were enormously proud of the way their children turned out. Shane, Stephanie, and Sabrina had graduated with high honors in their respective years from the same school – Boston University.
All were following in their parents' footsteps and working in the family business. Aside from being on-air talents, Shane just started his role as head of the public relations department, and Stephanie was the director of television writing. Fresh out of Boston U, Sabrina had completed another successful internship with the WWE's marketing department. Like her oldest siblings, Sabrina had a hunger for the family business ever since she was a little girl. Further down the road, a new crop of McMahons will follow the same path with the eldest grandchild leading the way.
Holding Declan against her head, Linda deftly turned on the television, bringing the volume up so that she could hear it in the kitchen. She flipped through the channels and stopped on Channel 4, where The Today Show was in progress. Matt Lauer was interviewing bestselling author Richard Hack about his latest book called Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters.
Linda and the baby went into the grand kitchen, where they were met by more welcoming company. "Declan, can you say good morning to Mommy and Daddy?" Linda smiled. She took his tiny hand again waved it at Shane and Marissa.
"Morning, little buddy!" Shane rose from his seat at the breakfast table and walked over to his son. He took Declan from Linda's arms and gently placed a kiss on his forehead as he walked back to his seat.
"Has he eaten yet?" Linda asked.
"I'm almost finished heating up his formula," replied Marissa, who was standing near the stove. "Do you want me to make you something, Linda?"
"No, thank you, honey. I'm just going to have some fruit and coffee," Linda walked over to the table and sat down. "Is this today's New York Times?"
"Yeah. Here you go," replied Shane in a mouthful of cereal. "There's nothing much worth reading."
As her coffee was getting brewed, Linda skimmed through the black and white pages. "Has your sister called yet?"
"Steph called from the road about a half hour ago. She said she'd call again when the bus arrives in Houston," Marissa joined her husband and mother-in-law at the table. She began to feed Declan his formula.
Linda grinned, but it wasn't actually who she was referring to. "What about Sabrina?"
"I thought she was upstairs sleeping," Shane replied as he got up from his seat to put his plate in the sink.
"No, she left early this morning to meet up with her friend Jenna for breakfast at Windows on the World," Linda explained. "She said she would call when she arrived."
"Windows on the World. Marissa and I have been there before. Great restaurant. I didn't think they served breakfast," Shane exclaimed as he made his way to the living room. He plopped himself on the sofa and watched Matt Lauer's interview.
"Well, Jenna's dad is an executive chef there, and she's training to be sous chef. She asked Sabrina to try out some new recipes she made," Linda explained. "There's nothing wrong with showing some moral support early in the morning."
Linda took a sip of coffee from her cup and placed the New York Times aside. She happily watched as her daughter-in-law fed Declan his bottle. "He looks so peaceful and happy."
Marissa glanced up at Linda and smiled. "He sure does." She took the bottle out of Declan's mouth and held him against her chest. "So what are your plans for today?" She gently patted his back so that he could burp.
"Well thankfully, I don't have any meetings. I wanted to spend some quality time with my grandson," she proudly declared. "I was thinking since it's a beautiful day, how about we all take a stroll down Central Park?"
Declan finally burped. "I think that was a yes," Marissa laughed. She turned the baby around to face his grandmother. "Would you like that, honey? We can take you to the zoo there." Declan cooed happily.
Linda smiled. "Then, it's settled-" She was immediately interrupted by Shane.
"MOM, MARISSA! GET IN HERE NOW!"
Linda and Marissa, still holding Declan, rushed over to the living room. "What's going on?" they both asked in unison. But before Shane could say anything, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer returned from the commercial break. They were sitting on the couch.
"As Matt just mentioned we have a breaking news story to tell you about. Apparently, a plane has just crashed into the World Trade Center here in New York City. It happened just a few moments ago, apparently. We have very little information available at this point in time," Katie reported.
A live footage of the World Trade Center twin towers from the top of 30 Rockefeller Center was shown on the television screen. Plumes of smoke gushed out of the large gaping hole at the top of the North Tower.
Reality hit like lightning as Shane, Marissa, and Linda horrifically watched the event unfold. Linda could hardly feel her knees buckle as she crashed onto the couch.
"Windows on the World…" Marissa began as she stared at the television. "…isn't that in the North Tower?" She put Declan back down in his bassinet, but still focusing her attention at the twin towers.
"It's located in the top floors!" Shane started to freak out, while pointing at the smoke. "Sabrina's there!"
Linda couldn't say anything. Her maternal instincts kicked into super high gear as she realized that her youngest daughter was most likely on the same floor in the same building where the plane hit. She felt her heart sank into a million pieces. "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" Linda finally weeped at the revelation that Sabrina's life was in extreme danger. "My poor baby!"
Shane and Marissa tried to calm Linda down, but to no felt helpless. She had to do something. She had to find out if Sabrina was aware of the plane crash. More importantly, she needed to know if her daughter was alive or dead.
"Where's my phone? Where's my phone?" Linda frantically demanded to herself, as she searched around the living room. Shane pulled his cell phone out of his pant pocket.
"Don't worry, Mom. I got it," Shane yelled. He speed dialed Sabrina's number and impatiently waited for the dial tone, pacing around the apartment.
"Come on! Come on!"
One ring.
Two rings…
Three rings …
Four rings …
Sabrina did not pick up.