Chapter 2: Fallen Soldier
A/N: So here's the second chapter in this little tale. Sorry it took so long, but I did have other stories to work on, and I'm flopping between all of these different ones, so that's why it took me so long to do it. I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter too.
Disclaimer: WWE and all related characters belong to Vince McMahon. I only own the plot, Baylee, her mother, and any other characters not associated with WWE.
Brittany left the hospital, feeling really happy. She was so glad WWE had granted Baylee's wish and had allowed The Shield to come visit her. Baylee had looked so happy, and it had warmed Brittany's heart to see her daughter smile, especially when she talked to her father. Brittany hated to leave her daughter, but she had to for certain periods of time just to get a break from the hospital which sometimes felt stifling. She had promised to visit again tomorrow, and Baylee had accepted that. She had thanked the wrestlers for coming and thanked them for making Baylee so happy, and they responded that they had been happy to do it.
Brittany had never really understood wrestling as a whole. She knew her husband and daughter liked it, and while she watched it with them whenever she could, she still didn't understand the inner workings of it. But after meeting Seth, Roman, and Dean, she knew there was more to them than the feuds on TV and that they really did care about other people. That warmed her heart, and she hoped that many others would see what they were doing and realize that this was how they really were. So many dismissed wrestling as not being a real sport, but these wrestlers not only trained as hard as any other athlete did, but they took the time to make children who were ill happy by meeting with them and talking to them. Nothing could be better than that.
The phone rang, and Brittany picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey, Brit, it's me," Brittany's mother said. "How are you?"
"I'm okay," she answered.
"I saw the news story about Baylee," her mother said. "That was so nice for WWE to do that for her."
"Yes, those men really are very nice," Brittany praised. "They took time out of their busy schedules to visit Baylee, and she was so happy to see them."
"Oh, I'm sure she was," Brittany's mother laughed. "I remember her looking sad, and when I asked her why, she said it was because The Shield had broken up. I didn't know what she was talking about until she showed me a picture of them and then I knew who they were. She was so sad that day."
"Well, now she has her wish," Brittany replied. "I just hope she won't be disappointed when they don't reunite on TV."
"You never know what WWE will do," her mother answered. "Maybe they will reunite when Seth gets better."
Brittany shook her head at her mother's optimism. "Only time will tell what will happen next," she said.
"Well, I have to go. I just wanted to tell you I saw the news story and to see how you and Baylee were."
"We're doing as fine as can be expected. They think she'll be able to go home after this next round of chemo is done."
"That'll be a relief to her I'm sure."
"Yes, it will."
"Well, I'll talk to you later, honey. Give Baylee my best when you see her again."
"I will. Goodbye, Mom."
"Goodbye, Brit."
After her mother hung up, Brittany put her phone away and drove up to the house she and Brian had gotten after they'd been married. It was a nice house, and Brittany was happy that she was able to live here. After Brian joined the military, Brittany and Baylee had opted to stay in Chicago due to Baylee's illness since she was getting the best care possible while Brian went to boot camp and then was transferred to Fort Hood in Texas. It had been hard to see him go, but she was proud of her husband for what he was doing for the country. Now he was in Afghanistan again doing what he had to do, but it was hard. She hoped he would come home soon.
She entered the house and turned on the television while she made dinner for herself. The news was showing the story about Baylee and how the WWE had granted her wish to see The Shield once again. She knew many would be touched by the story though others would probably be indifferent about it. She ate her dinner and continued watching the news, shaking her head at a story about a mother who had left her baby in a Dumpster. Why were parents so cruel to their children? Why couldn't they see how precious kids really were? Sometimes people didn't appreciate the good things in life, and that was sad.
After she finished dinner, she washed her dishes and continued watching television until it was time for bed. As she did every night, she kissed the picture of Brian she had on her nightstand next to the bed. It was a picture of him shortly after he'd joined the Army.
"I love you, baby," she whispered. "Come home soon."
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The next morning, Brittany woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. It was seven in the morning, but she couldn't think of why anyone would be coming to her door this early. She hurriedly put on a robe and ran downstairs to answer the door.
On her doorstep were two men she recognized from the military. They were from the base in Texas where Brian had been stationed, and a wave of dread filled her as she knew why they were there.
"Brittany Callaghan?" one man asked.
"Yes," she said.
"We regret to inform you that your husband was killed yesterday," he continued. "He was on patrol with his unit when he struck a land mine and was killed instantly, along with several others who were in the line of fire."
A chill struck Brittany's heart, and all she wanted to do was shake her head. Brian couldn't be dead. This was a joke, right? As she looked at the two men's solemn faces, she knew that they weren't joking. Brian was really and truly gone.
They started talking about when the body would be shipped to the United States and how she had to make funeral arrangements. She listened to it all, but she couldn't comprehend it. Things like this didn't happen to them. Brian was supposed to come home! He was supposed to be there for Baylee.
Baylee. This would tear her apart when she found out, but Brittany knew she couldn't keep it from her daughter. She had to be told.
"We're sorry for your loss," the first man said. "Your husband was a great soldier and did good work serving this country. We're very proud of him."
"Thank you," she said. "I have to go visit my daughter, but I'll make the funeral arrangements as soon as I can."
The men left, and Brittany started crying as she got ready to tell her daughter that her father wouldn't be coming home for her. He would never call her again to tell her he loved her. He would never sit and watch wrestling with her or comb her hair when it grew back. He would never kiss them goodnight before they went to sleep and tell both Brittany and Baylee that he loved them.
He was gone forever.
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Baylee was still very happy the next day. She was chattering on to her fellow patients about her visit with The Shield and how they were so nice to her. "They're going to reunite again," she said.
"Did they tell you that?" Cassie asked her.
"No, but I know they will," she answered. "That was one of my wishes, so I know WWE will grant it."
Cassie rolled her eyes. "No, they won't!" she scoffed. "They let you see them because that was what you wanted, but they aren't going to reunite The Shield just because you wished for it. They can't go around doing that. You still should have picked John Cena as your wish. He's so much better than The Shield."
"There's nothing wrong with The Shield!" Baylee snapped.
"Yes, there is," Cassie retorted. "Seth's a jerk, Dean acts like he's drunk or insane half the time, and Roman's horrible on the mic. Remember that stupid segment where he told that fairy tale to Big Show? It was awful."
"Yeah, but that wasn't his fault," Baylee replied. "He just did what they asked him to do. He's gotten a lot better since then, and now he's champion."
"And that's the worst part," Cassie said. "He's only champion because the fans feel sorry for him. It's just like it was with Daniel Bryan. He wasn't champion material, yet they stuck the belt on him because the fans felt sorry for him. And then he got injured and had to give the belt up. Roman's not a believable champion at all. He just doesn't have what it takes."
"Yes, he does!" Baylee countered. "Roman is a fine champion, and I think he'll do a good job with the belt. You just don't like him because you don't want to give him a chance."
"I don't like him because he's just not good," Cassie replied.
"Yeah, I think Brock Lesnar is better than him," a boy named Josh said.
Baylee rolled her eyes. "Yeah right," she scoffed. "Brock Lesnar is horrible, and he shouldn't even be in the company if he doesn't want to defend the belt once a month. I hated him as champion, and they better not give the belt to him again. I just wish he would go away."
Josh was about to retort when he was interrupted by Brittany's arrival. As Baylee looked at her mother, she saw that her face was stricken.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" she asked.
Brittany knelt down and looked Baylee in the eyes. "Honey, some men came to visit me today. They said that Daddy was in an accident."
Baylee turned pale. "Is he okay?" she asked.
Tears filled her mother's eyes as she shook her head. "No, sweetie, your daddy has gone to heaven," she said.
The shock of what her mother was saying filled Baylee. Daddy wasn't coming home. Daddy wasn't going to watch wrestling with her again or play games with her or sing to her at night. Daddy had gone to heaven and had left her alone. How could he have done that? How could he have left her?
Cassie, who had heard the conversation, asked, "How did he die?"
Baylee shot her a mean look as though she had no business asking such a question.
"He stepped on a land mine while out on patrol," Brittany answered. "He was killed instantly."
"Whoa," Cassie said softly. "That sucks."
Baylee bristled. "What do you care?" she snapped. "Do you think you're better than me because you have a daddy and now I don't? Are you glad that my daddy's gone?"
Cassie looked shocked. "No, of course not!" she said. "I'm really sorry your daddy's gone. I wish it hadn't happened."
"What are we gonna do, Mommy?" asked Baylee.
"Well, they're going to ship your daddy's body back and we'll have to make funeral arrangements," replied Brittany. "And after that, we'll just have to move on the best we can."
"But why?" asked Baylee. "How can we move on now that Daddy's gone?"
"It's what your father would want," answered Brittany.
"No, he wouldn't," protested Baylee. "He would want to be with us and not away from us. He would want to be here to watch wrestling with me and tuck me in and tell me everything's gonna be okay just like he used to. He didn't want to go to heaven yet. He once told me that he didn't want to die until he was old and wrinkled. But now he's gone, and he didn't ask to go."
"Baylee, when God asks you to go, it's your time," she said gently. "No, he didn't want to go, but he had to because God called him home."
"Why would God want that?" Baylee asked her. "Why would God take him away from us when we need him the most? Doesn't God see that I need my daddy? Doesn't He know that my daddy is a great man and deserves to live with us?"
"Yes, I'm sure God knows that, but He wanted your daddy with him," she said gently.
Anger coursed through Baylee. "Well, I hate God!" she snapped. "I hate God, and I'm never going to pray to Him again 'cause he took my daddy away!"
A shocked look crossed Brittany's face. "Honey, you shouldn't say such things," she rebuked. "God loves you, and you should love God."
"No, He doesn't," countered Baylee. "He hates me and took my daddy away. God is a mean man and a bad man, and I'll never pray to Him again for anything. He's no better than the devil if He wants to take away people like that when they need to live with their families. Who is God to tell anyone when they can live or die? I haven't died yet, but God took Daddy away because He's selfish. He'd rather see me suffer and be in pain. I have cancer, and I need my daddy to take care of me and love me, but God chose to take Daddy away. He doesn't care about me or how I suffer. It's all a lie, Mommy. God doesn't love anybody!"
Brittany put on a stern face. "Baylee Adele Callaghan, don't you EVER say anything like that again!" she chastised. "God didn't want to take Daddy away, but He knew that if he let Daddy live, Daddy would have suffered. He died instantly, and God granted him the mercy to be able to die like that. God is not selfish and mean. God is good. God loves all of us, and He loves you the most."
"No, He doesn't, Mommy," she replied. "I don't care what you say, but I don't believe that at all. God doesn't love me or you or anyone else. He hates all of us and is just doing this because He wants to. Well, that's fine because I'm never going back to church. I'm never praying to God again after what He did, and that's final!"
Brittany opened her mouth to reprimand the young girl, but a nurse laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn to face her.
"Don't yell at her," she said gently. "The poor girl's just upset. She doesn't mean those things. Let her grieve."
Brittany immediately started sobbing and held onto her daughter as though she was the last life raft on a churning sea. Things wouldn't ever be the same again without Brian, but they had to make do the best they could. She kept on sobbing and stroking her daughter's hair and wondered why this had happened to them.
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Seth Rollins sighed as he called up the Internet at home. His dog, Kevin, was at his feet, begging for Seth to play with him, but Seth had no time for that now. He wanted to check his Twitter account and see if anyone had sent him any messages. As Yahoo loaded, Seth looked at some of the stories and one caught his eye about a soldier being killed in a land mine attack. He saw stories like this every day, but as he looked at the man's face, he realized that he recognized the man instantly. It was Baylee's father.
Seth clicked on the story and started reading about how Brian's group had been patrolling and how he'd stepped on a land mind concealed in the ground, killing him and several others instantly. Seth's heart broke as he read the story and as he thought of the sweet little girl he and his brothers had visited. Now she had no father to tuck her in at night or to tell her that everything was going to be okay. She had only her mother, and though that was a good thing, it still was going to hurt her because of how close she was to her father. And what hurt Seth the most was that it had happened shortly after their visit to Baylee in the hospital right after they had talked to him and thanked him for his service.
Seth wanted to call Roman and Dean to tell them about this. They needed to know what had happened. Just as he grabbed his phone, it rang.
"Hello?" he said.
"Seth, it's me," Roman said. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay," Seth answered. "I just saw the story about Baylee's dad. Did you see it?"
"No, Dean and I were just calling to check in," Roman replied. "What happened?"
"Her dad was killed while they were on their mission," Seth answered. "He stepped on a land mine, and it killed him instantly."
"Dude, that sucks," said Dean sadly. "I bet Baylee's really upset."
"Yeah, I know," said Seth. "I think we should pay our respects at both the wake and the funeral since we visited her in the hospital. It only seems fair."
"I'm sure WWE would let us do that," said Roman. "We'll check and get back to you as soon as we can. We only called for a short chat because Dean and I have to get ready for the show."
A pang filled Seth at Roman's words. He really missed being in the ring right now. "Have fun and kick some ass," he said cheerfully.
"You know we will," Dean said. "We'll talk to you soon, okay?"
"Okay," Seth said. He hung up and sighed. None of this was fair right now. He should be out there entertaining the crowds instead of being holed up in Davenport with an injury. Life sure did suck sometimes. He checked his Twitter and after that was done he played with Kevin because the dog was driving him nuts with his incessant whining. And as he took Kevin out to do his business, he suddenly had a great idea. It was an idea that he knew would make Baylee happy again, but it was also an idea that would make him happy, too. He only hoped that Roman and Dean would be up for it.
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The funeral parlor smelled like a flower shop as Baylee followed her mother inside. The casket where her father's body rested was lying there on a raised platform of sorts. There would be no official viewing because of how badly he'd been burned in the blast, and that made Baylee feel horrible that she wouldn't get to see Daddy's face one last time. On a bulletin board were pictures of Daddy from all sorts of things like when he was little and even some from his high school days. There were pictures of Baylee and her father and pictures of him with some of his military friends, some of whom had been killed in the same blast. Baylee's eyes filled with tears as she looked at those pictures. It just wasn't fair for Daddy to be gone.
Throughout the day, mourners came and went, offering condolences to Baylee and her mother. Baylee thanked them, but she hated how they kept saying that Daddy was in a better place. He had a good place with them, and nothing could be better than that. Most of them were relatives as well as friends and other military personnel. But Baylee's eyes lit up when she saw three familiar men enter the parlor.
"Mommy, My Shield came!" Baylee yelled, and she ran over to give the three WWE Superstars big hugs. She hugged Roman first, and he held her and stroked her back.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Baby Girl," he said gently. "Your daddy was a brave man, and he gave his life for our country just as he wanted to."
"Thank you, Mr. Reigns," she said as she hugged him back. Then she hugged Dean who picked her up and twirled her around, causing her to laugh. Some of the mourners looked in her direction with displeased looks on their faces at Baylee's jubilation, but she didn't care.
"I know it hurts now, Sweet Pea, but with time, you'll come back from this," Dean assured her. "You're a tough girl."
"Thank you, Mr. Ambrose," she said.
Seth limped over last, and she gave him a gentle hug. "I really am sorry for your loss, Baylee. It's never easy to lose someone you love, but you know you can talk to us if you want to and if your mom will let you."
"I'd like that, Mr. Rollins," Baylee said. "Can I do that, Mommy?"
"As long as it's okay with them," said her mother.
They gave Baylee their Twitter names and e-mail addresses and promised her they'd get back to her as soon as they could. Then they went to stand in front of the casket to pay their respects. Baylee went with them and stayed quiet while they observed a moment of silence for her father. Then she introduced them to her relatives.
"Grandpa, this is My Shield," she said as she introduced them to an elderly man who was Brian's father.
"It's nice to meet you boys," Mr. Callaghan said. "My Baylee would often talk of you and how much she liked you. Such a shame they broke you up so soon. How's the leg, Seth?"
"It's getting better," Seth replied. "I still have a bit to go before I can be cleared though."
"Such a shame," Baylee's grandpa said. "But you keep on going like you should. And congrats to you two on your titles. They look mighty nice around your waists."
"Thank you, sir," Roman said. "Do you like wrestling, too?"
"Yeah, I've always been a fan," he answered. "I'm the reason Brian got into it, and I was mighty happy when he brought Baylee into it, too. So nice to watch the events together like we used to. Now it won't be the same, but I'm proud of my boy. He fought for his country the way he wanted to and he died a hero. Not much better than that, I say. I really do like you Shield boys though. You had guts and didn't take anything from anybody. Such a shame they broke you up. Waste of potential if you ask me."
"But they're champions now, Grandpa," Baylee reminded him.
"Yeah, but we all know it won't last long," he said. "They'll have them for a spell and then lose them. And after that, then what? They'll go back to fighting for the title and maybe being forgotten if the company has no faith in them. And look at Seth over there. He's injured, and by the time he gets back to where he'll be back in the ring, he'll have to work his way back up the ladder. You can bet they won't give him a title right away when he gets back. No sir, that's not how it works these days. Such a shame. Such a damn shame."
"But the Shield could get back together, right?" Baylee asked.
"That depends on if the company wants them back together. And they'd have to give a damn good reason for it, too. I know fans want to see them back and so do you, Sweetie Pie, but if the company doesn't see it as a good idea, then it won't happen. That's the way it works in wrestling. It was nice meeting you boys. Thanks for making Baylee's life better with your visit. It made her day."
"I'm glad we could help," Roman said with a smile. They moved on to meet some other relatives until it was time for them to go. Baylee was sad to see them go, but they promised her they'd see her again at the service and burial. She hugged them and thanked them for coming as did her mother. Then she watched them go and wished that maybe they'd get back together again as a team.
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The next day dawned bright and sunny, very different from how Seth pictured a funeral day to be. He followed Roman and Dean into the church where the service was going to be held. They found seats not far from Baylee, and she turned and waved to them. Seth waved back and put his finger to his lips to remind her to be quiet during church. The casket was brought in and kind words were said about Brian. His father got up and gave a very touching eulogy about how Brian was a sweet boy and how he was a brave hero who fought for the country he loved. He talked about how Brian loved wrestling and how that love had been carried over to Baylee. How Baylee's diagnosis had been heartbreaking for Brian and Brittany but how Brian had held on to the faith that everything would turn out right. He even mentioned The Shield and how they had made Baylee's day and Brian's day as well. He finished up by saying that it wasn't going to be the same without Brian, but the memories would last and that was the most important thing.
Other family members said kind words, and even Baylee said a few words about how she loved her daddy and how she would miss him. She thanked Her Shield for being there and knew that they'd always protect her no matter what.
The procession filed out to the cemetery where Brian was being laid to rest. Baylee was arguing with her mother about something and Seth noticed Brittany motioning for them to come to the front where they were. Seth and the others did so and stood right next to Baylee. They procured a chair for Seth so he wouldn't be standing that long, and he sat there. Baylee stayed by her mother, but then she asked to sit in Seth's lap, and he let her sit on his good leg. He stroked her hair as the minister said some prayers and then "Taps" was played in honor of Brian. A gun salute was done also and then the casket was lowered into the ground with the American flag draped over it. A replica flag was presented to Brittany and Baylee in honor of their husband and father's service.
Seth set Baylee down so she could join her mother again even though she didn't want to go back. The men followed them to a building where a reception was being held with food. Baylee begged for Roman, Seth, and Dean to sit with her, and Brittany allowed it. Despite her sad demeanor, Baylee chatted freely to them about her favorite Shield moments and how she knew her friends would be jealous of her.
After the dinner was over Roman, Dean, and Seth said goodbye to Baylee and promised to keep in touch. She thanked them and watched as they got into their rental car and drove to the hotel they'd be staying at for the night. Seth felt a bit antsy in the car as he thought over his idea. He knew it probably wasn't the best idea, but he couldn't help how it nagged at him. Even when he was asleep, he had dreamed that The Shield had gotten back together. If that wasn't a sign of what should be, he didn't know what was.
When they arrived at the hotel, Roman sat on the bed and stared at Seth. "Seth, there's something on your mind," he noted.
"How do you know that?" Seth asked him.
"I can just tell," answered Roman. "You're not yourself. What's going on?"
Seth took a deep breath. "Well, I have an idea," he began. "I now it may sound like a stupid idea, but I want you guys to hear me out, okay?"
"What's on your mind, little brother?" Dean asked.
"You know we'll listen to whatever you have to say," Roman reassured him.
Seth looked at his two brothers and knew they were sincere. They would hear him out no matter how ludicrous the idea seemed. "I want to reunite The Shield," he said.
A/N: And I'm going to leave the chapter there. Wow! I can't believe this was sixteen pages long! I certainly didn't plan for it to be that long, but it happened. So, I know I left it on a cliffhanger, but that was the best place to end it. What are Roman and Dean going to think of Seth's idea? What will Creative think? And how will this all come about in the end? Well, you'll just have to read on to find out. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.
