Chapter 2

I only got a few hours of sleep before there as a knock on my door and my phone rang. I knew that it had to be AJ. He was bringing Kayleigh back to me before doing whatever it was that he had to do today. He never kept her much after she woke up in the morning assuming I could get him to keep her all night when he said he would. This was like maybe the third or fourth night he had taken him in her short life.

"Here," AJ said handing me Kayleigh and dropping her stuff by the door. I wasn't really sure what to say to him so I turned my attention to the baby.

"Hey, baby girl, did you have fun with Daddy?" I asked giving her snuggles. I knew that she wouldn't answer me, but I wanted her to know that I liked she was with her daddy.

"She just ate," AJ said. "Look, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to freak out like I did." There he went trying to turn on the charm. I knew that he was trying to play me for something. I wasn't sure what, but something.

"Whatever AJ. Thanks for taking her last night I ended up taking my dad to the ER," I said trying to be civil. I needed practice at this if I was going to make this work and let AJ be part of our daughters life. It wasn't for him by any means, it was all for her.

"Not a problem. I'll call tomorrow and let you know the next time I can see her," he said.

"That's fine," I said. I felt like saying that I shouldn't hold my breath. He's seen her maybe a couple times a month at most so far in her life.

AJ chose that moment to leave thankfully. I decided that Kayleigh and I were going to go out for a bit so we didn't wake up Kurt. He'd probably gotten less sleep than I had. Even though his neck wasn't damaged to much he had to wear a sling. He didn't tell me much of the reasoning why, but that's just how he is._

It was another night on Impact. I actually hadn't intended on being here, but AJ said that he wanted to see Kayleigh so here I was again. I was wandering around kind of aimlessly. I would normally hang out with Jeff Jarrett, my dad, or maybe Jeff Hardy or Joe. I wasn't talking to two of them. My dad wasn't coming in till later (he'd spent the weekend in Henderson with Kyra and Kody), and Joe was busy getting ready for his part tonight. He was going to have a confrontation that was going to end badly with Jeff.

"Hey you must be the mom of this little lady," a big man I knew to be Matt Morgan said. He was kind of hard to miss especially since he was holding my little girl.

"Yeah, that's my little one," I said. I glanced at the nearest monitor noting that AJ was out in the ring. "Thanks for helping AJ with her. He's kind of clueless with kids sometimes." I hated that I was making excuses for him. She's his third child he should know what to do with a baby.

"She's a sweetheart," Matt said. "She isn't any trouble at all. She reminds me of my kids."

I quickly glanced at his left hand and noted that it didn't have a wedding band. I was curious but wasn't going to ask. "It must be hard to be away from them so much," I observed. "I know it's hard for me when AJ takes her for the night."

"It is, but you get used to it and learn how to make the time that you are together count. You're a wrestlers kid you know how it goes," he said. Obviously he doesn't know the history between me and Kurt. I thought everyone did. We hadn't exactly been shy about where we would fight.

"Well Kurt and I didn't get close until I was older. It wasn't till after his divorce that we figured out how to have a good relationship," I said. I knew the man in front of me was a lone wolf. He was always looking out for himself, an didn't really get close to anyone. I wasn't sure why I was talking to him like this, but it just seemed right.

"Sometimes it's hard to see what's right in front of you," Matt observed.

Mat and I continued to talk for a few minutes until AJ came backstage again. It got an evil glare from AJ. I was afraid of what might happen. We weren't dating, but he still thought we were a lot of times. It was kind of scary sometimes especially when my dad wasn't here to be a buffer. I just kept talking to Matt hoping that AJ wouldn't say anything about it.

"Katie, what are you doing talking to him?" AJ asked pointedly when I didn't stop talking to Matt. I took a few deep breaths before answering him.

"Talking. Getting to know the person you rely on so much to watch Kayleigh when you're working," I said calmly. I didn't want to argue with him anymore about who I may or may not be dating. The last few months anyone I was talking to I'm dating, even guys that were married.

"Katie, you were totally flirting with him," AJ accused.

"What does it matter AJ. We aren't together anymore. How come you don't get that?" I asked rolling my eyes. Matt looked on silently.

"Don't roll your eyes at me. You should be taking care of Kayleigh not hanging out with random guys," AJ said grabbing my arm roughly. He was starting to scare me.

"Look, AJ, let the girl go. It's me one of your Fortune boys. Why would I want anything more to do with your ex then the fact she's the mother of your child?" Matt asked pushing AJ away from me slightly. I had a feeling that this was his way of getting AJ off my back. He didn't mean it the way it sounded. Even still I was taken back by his words a little, but was thankful that he was making AJ back off. I'd never known AJ to be quite like this.

"Man, she's my girl. No one else's," AJ said.

"I am not your girl. Damn it, AJ, you fucked everything between us up and now that I'm trying to move on your making it so damn hard," I said. "I don't want to fight with you, but I'm not going to let you control me."

"You are always mine, Katie. You'll be back soon enough. You've caved every other time you've told me you were going to stay away," AJ said confidently.

"All those times I didn't have a little girl who depended on me to keep her heart safe and teach her what relationships are supposed to be like. Us being together is toxic for us and everyone around us. I am not going to put a defenseless baby in the middle of something toxic," I told him. I had never stood up to him like this. Usually a few pretty words and I melted into his arms again and everything was fine.

"I'm not your dad, Katie. I'm AJ, and I'm the man you will always want. Even if you with someone else, you'll really want to be with me," AJ said.

"No, your not Kurt, but you are turning into the man that he used to be. I know what that does to a little girl. I'm living proof, and I will be damned if my relationship tells my daughter that it's okay to let people treat you like that," I said. "I want you to have a relationship with your daughter and will not do anything to prevent that as long as she's safe emotionally and physically with you, but there is no me and you."

A small crowd had formed around us backstage. I hated airing personal business like this, but I had to. It was the only way the idea I was serious about what I was saying. I needed him out of my system just as I was working on doing with me. Obviously for once I was doing the better job. "There will always be a me and you…" AJ began.

I heard Joe's voice followed by Jeff's music and instantly tuned whatever AJ was going to say out. I was entirely focused on what was going on between the mad I considered a second father and one of my absolute best friends in the world. I had the same feeling I had the previous week when my dad and Kurt had their confrontation.

I gasped when I knew that it was going to end up in a night in the ER. I dreaded it. I knew I also has to talk with Jeff and find out what the hell was going on in his head. He'd barely spoke to me all evening, and I had tried to speak with him. It seemed like some of his attitude was slipping into real life. I wasn't sure I liked it.

This time I didn't even have anyone to calm me down like Joe had done the previous week. All I had was AJ who was still yelling and the crowd many of which had turned their attention to the same thing I had.

Matt was giving me a sympathetic look. I had a feeling he would have said something to at least try to calm me if someone would shut his mouth. AJ couldn't tell that no one was listening to him anymore.

A few minutes later Joe came back on a stretcher and AJ had finally decided to give up on yelling at me. I wasn't sure which I was more relieving for me. I walked with Joe to the ambulance. I knew that whether I had to take Kayleigh or not I was going to the emergency room.

"AJ, can you keep Kayleigh tonight or not?" I asked. I was about done with this man. I wished I could keep Kayleigh from him but I couldn't.

"I'm not going to let you go running after your lover boy. She's just as much your responsibility as mine," AJ said.

"Fine AJ then go get her stuff for me. We need to go check on Joe. Sometime you would have to considering he was your friend," I said. I wasn't going to play games with him right now.

"No, I'm not done visiting her," AJ said. I sighed.

"Look AJ either keep her tonight or get her stuff I need to go," I said. I was not dealing with more of his crap right now. His crap sucked.

10 minutes later I was leaving the arena for the hospital. Matt convinced AJ to just let me take Kayleigh, and now I was going to check on my best friend. I wasn't sure how many more nights in the hospital I was going to be able to take.