Title: Caught in the Middle
Author: Shantay
Email: PG-13
Content: Swearing, drama, references to sex…
Timeline: Let's take this back to a couple years ago. Before Lita/Kane. Lita's neck was never broken and she never left. But Matt and Jeff did split as a team. Jeff still left WWE and Matt went to Smackdown.
Summary: Chris could never have imagined being in love, let alone with two women at the same time. Now, he's stuck trying to decide whether to break his girlfriend's heart or his other love. Chris, Trish, Lita, Christian, etc.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these people…tear…
Distribution: Please just ask me first.
He pushed the door open quietly, figuring she was still asleep. He had left the room pretty early, not wanting to worry her by not coming back soon. Plus, he knew how badly she needed him with her. That fact just made the entire situation worse.
"Chris? Baby, is that you?"
Chris's eyes shot up at the sound of her voice. She was up walking around with the brace on her knee.
"Trish…what are you doing up so early? And why are you walking all around on your knee?"
"I couldn't sleep, that's all. And I'm not a vegetable Chris. Don't worry. I just wanted something to eat."
Chris rushed over to her side, helping her get settled back in the bed. "Come on. I don't want you to re-injure that knee. You don't need that right now." He sat down beside her once he'd helped her put her legs under the covers.
Trish smiled at him. "Listen here Jericho, you don't always have to worry about me. I'm being careful. Trust me."
He patted her leg. "Good." Her noticed the way her smile faded as she looked off in the room. That look had been coming a lot lately. "How are you feeling?"
"I guess better than I have been recently. All of this is just so crazy. Just a couple of months ago I was on top of the world."
Chris sighed. He couldn't believe it either. It seemed that in just a matter of weeks, her whole world had come crashing down. She had been the Women's Champion yet again. But she lost it all in one match just because she landed one move wrong and hurt her knee. The doctor told her he wasn't sure if she'd wrestle again any time soon. Chris would never forget the look on her face when she heard that cold truth. He was sure he saw a part of her die. She couldn't stand the thought of not wrestling. It was her passion. And as though things couldn't get any worse, the worst day of her life came.
"Chris, I miss him so much. I think about him all of the time." Trish looked at him with teary eyes. He cupped her face, trying to let her know that he was there for her.
Chris knew how close Trish and her dad had been. All the videos and pictures he'd seen, all the letters he'd read, all the phone conversations he'd heard just proved that. There was no bond like the bond between Trish and her father. That's why he could only try to imagine the pain Trish had gone through when she got the call from her brother.
"It's not fair Chris. I never thought I'd say this, but it would have been so much easier if it was like cancer or something. At least I would have seen it coming. I would have been able to handle it better. I would have been able to tell myself that his pain was gone or something like that."
Her brother had told her that her father had died in a boating accident. Her father loved to sail. She'd bought him a perfect little sailboat for his 50th birthday. He'd loved it so much, he'd named it Patty after his youngest daughter. That was his special nickname for his little girl. No one was sure what exactly happened. Somehow his boat had flipped over and he'd drowned.
"Why did I buy that damn boat? If I hadn't bought it, he'd still be here." Chris pulled her into his arms.
"Shhhhh…don't do that. Stop blaming yourself. You know as well as I know that this is not your fault. These things happen. It was God's will."
Trish sniffed and pulled away, furiously wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I keep doing that. You've got to be so sick of me doing that."
"No, never. I understand that this has got to be rough on you."
Trish took his hand in hers and caressed the back of it with her thumb. "Thank you." She squeezed the hand. "I'm so glad that you're here for me. You've helped me so much and I don't know how I could ever really thank you. I'm so lucky to have you. You are so perfect."
Chris swallowed and looked down at the covers. "Well, maybe not perfect."
She put her hand under his chin and forced him to look up into her eyes. "Yes, perfect. You are so amazing, my darling. I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world."
He couldn't hear this anymore. "Well, you know there is nothing that would keep me from helping you through this. So, it's not that big of a deal." Chris cleared his throat and stood up. "Look, do you want something to drink? Do you need anything at all?"
"No, I'm fine." Chris nodded and headed for the kitchen. Trish eyed him carefully. That was definitely strange. She wondered what had gotten him so rattled. She shrugged and cut the television on.
Amy flipped through the channels on the television. It seemed like no matter what she did, she couldn't get her mind off of him. The shower she'd taken right after he'd left, after she'd finished crying, hadn't even helped. She wasn't sure how it was possible for her to have fallen so hard for him when they had just been friends before. Well, at least before last night.
Her ears perked at the knock on the door. Could it be? Would he really come back to her after they'd agreed to just part ways?
She hopped off of the bed, and nearly ran for the door. When she pulled it open, she realized a breath she didn't even realize that she was holding. "Oh, hey Christian."
"Well, don't sound so happy to see me."
She gestured with her hands. "No, it's just that I thought you were-" She looked at him as though she were unsure if she could say what wasn't actually a secret between them.
"Chris?"
She nodded. "Come in." She stepped out of the way and let him enter. She followed him over to the couch where they both sat. "What's up? You don't usually visit me."
"Well, I just wanted to talk to you about this whole situation between you and Chris. You know, what you two have done is wrong. Trish is my friend."
Amy looked away guiltily. "I know. I'm very sorry too. It's just that I love Chris and I can't resist him. I go to sleep thinking about him and wake up with him on my mind."
"Look Amy, I don't hate you. And I know for a fact that Chris feels the same way about you. This whole thing is killing him. He never thought he'd be in love with two women." Amy looked at Christian and sighed sadly.
"I just don't know what to do. I know that I should let him go and be with Trish. But the selfish part of me won't let me do that. I just want him for myself as horrible as it is."
"This whole situation would be different if he didn't love you just as much. I just wanted to let you know that while I do understand how you feel, Trish has been my friend for a very long time. I can't see her being used like this. I told Chris that he should make a decision."
Amy nodded. "I understand."
Christian grabbed her hand, which surprised her. "But I also wanted to tell you that I know how special you are to Chris and how much he cares about you. And I wanted to let you know that I'll always have your back because of that. So if ever need anything, I'm here for you. Kinda like I am for Trish."
She couldn't understand why he was offering to be there for her. He definitely didn't need to do that. But she appreciated it very much. "Thank you. That means a lot to me right now." She leaned in and hugged him. She wasn't sure if he could imagine how alone she felt.
"Well, I'm gonna take off. Just remember that someone else's feelings are involved here too. Trish has already been hurt enough."
Christian stood and made his way to the door with Amy right behind him. He turned to her one last time. "Just remember that things will make sense in the long run. All of this should work out eventually."
Amy offered a small smile. She closed the door behind him after he left. She leaned against the door and shut her eyes. She knew Christian probably wouldn't support her and Chris being together. No one probably would. But she couldn't help the way she felt. Her heart was so conflicted. The right thing to do would probably be to just get out of Chris's life completely. But it just wasn't that easy to do.