"I can't wait to see you either at graduation. I can't believe its months away!" Kate put the phone on speaker as she gave Coombs a bath.
"It's great that even that your home school you have your own little graduation. Maybe someone will get that guitar you've been asking for!" Mary said.
Kate said a hushed 'yes!' "That would be awesome! So what are you doing today?"
"Your aunt Tina and I are going to your mothers grave today."
"Oh, I see." She slurred. "Why are you going there today?"
Huffing as if she was aggravated, "Silly girl today is your mom's birthday. She's 42. Didn't your dad – He didn't tell you did he?"
When Bret got home from having a meeting with his wrestling friend Carlo, who was trying to convince him to referee at Wrestlemania XVIII which Bret obviously declined the offer; the smell of steak hit his nose. He walked into the kitchen to Kate washing the dishes she used to prepare for dinner. "Hey dad. Sit down."
"Yum. Steak, mashed potatoes and green beans. Gigs up, what do you want?"
Kate chuckled, "Nothing! Today is a special day."
"What do you –"
"Cakes done." She said putting the cake on the table. Her father noticed the words Happy Birthday written in yellow icing.
"You know it's not my birthday right?" Bret said.
She cut him the first piece, "I know. It's mom's birthday, remember."
"Yuck!" Bret shouted when he took a bite of his cake. He then heard rattling of the keys at the door. Flipping the light switch, a hush went over the room.
"Bret are you here?" Lori said turning on the light.
"SURPRISE!" She clutched at her plumb belly and started laughing. "What the hell is going on?"
Her family and friends, dressed in black and white attire, sang 'Happy Birthday' to cake as her husband held with 28 candles. Lori stared into Bret's eyes when it was time for her to blow out the candles. She thought to herself, I wish to continue to happiness of family, friends and myself.
"Now, while Lori is getting dressed for dancing, lets have cake!" Bret said.
"Dancing?" She raised her eyebrow. "I don't have anything to wear."
"Go look in the bedroom," He whispered. "Ok. Who wants cake?"
Dangling off the bed was a beautiful black dress with glistening pearls to the right. A gigantic smile formed on her face when she rushed into the bathroom to change.
"Honey, you almost -" Bret paused in amazement when Lori walked into the dining room. Trying to keep his jaw from dropping, Bret instantly wrapped his arm around her waist. "You look gorgeous." He whispered in her ear as she leaned in the kiss him.
"Pregnancy is a good look for you!" Ellie joked. "Those pearls are gorgeous. Good job Bret."
An hour later, Lori twirled in circles on the dance floor as she slow danced with Bret. "You know what, for the first time, in a long time, I feel like my old self."
"Thanks good. I've noticed you've been down so that's why I planned all of this. I'm glad everyone is having a good time."
Lori inclined to passionately kiss Bret as he pulled her closer. He loved the feeling of their baby in the middle of them as they danced. "I love you."
"I love you back." Lori replied.
"Well, it is, isn't it?" Bret's throat became dry. "This cake is really good."
"Thanks. Memow told me it was her birthday today. How come you didn't say something?"
"What kind of cake is this?" Bret asked.
"Dad!" Kate shouted standing up from the table. "I want to talk about this. Why won't you?"
"I'm not arguing with you about this for the third time this week. Drop it."
"I will not drop it. What happen? You cheated on her like you did with Julie and she left and never came back."
It took everything in his well being not to snap. His blood boiled at the insinuation that he would ever cheat on Lori. "Go to your room."
"No."
"Kate, go to your room!"
"Not until I get answers." Kate confidently stood with her head held high. "You never loved her did you? I was a mistake. You pity her situation and took me in! I can't believe you… Bret."
"She's dead! She's gone and she is never coming back! She fucking left us! And since you won't go to your room, I'll go to mine!" Bret slammed his bedroom door and laid in his bed teary eyed. For weeks they have been at each other's throats. All the frustrations of Cody and Kate's relationship crumbling and Bret loneliness getting the best of him were taking a toll on their father-daughter relationship.
"I'm staying at Lindsay's & Brooke's. Don't worry about me!" Bret heard Kate shouted and then his phone rang, it was his sister Allison.
"Bret, is everything okay? Lindsay just left to go pick up Kate."
"We had an another fight. I don't know what to do Allie."
"The topic of Lori isn't going away." Allison replied. "Just because you ignore it doesn't mean it's going to go away." After saying their I love yous and goodbyes, Bret spent the rest of the evening curled up with his body pillow wishing he could go back in time.
The following morning, Kate, Lindsay and Brooke look horridly staring at the TV screen as the watched the second plane flew into the World Trade Center in New York City.
"I can't believe this." Brooke mumbled.
"Grandma is stuck at the airport in L.A because of this." Lindsay noted.
"I can't watch this anymore," Kate walked away and went to her cousin's room to call Cody, a girl answered.
"Hello?" Kate said.
"Cody! Your girlfriend is on the phone." She yelled.
"What's up kitten?" Cody said.
"Who was that?"
"Oh my friend Kristen. She's on our skiing trip. I told you remember."
Kate laughed, "Oh yeah. You did. Sorry. Are you watching the news?"
"Oh yeah. We've been watching it all morning. It's kind of scary. Be lucky you're far away in Canada! Oh, I have to go have lunch. Call you later."
"Oh. I see. Ok then, I love you." Kate heard the dial tone.
Cody didn't call for a long time after this conversation. He had been on his skiing trip in Colorado with some of his high school friends and Kate was beginning to get worried a week later.
"I love you but I really think you should talk to your dad." Brooke suggested.
"Whenever he decides to be honest. I'm tired of the lies." Kate leaped off the bed when she heard Cody's ringtone on her phone. "Cody is finally calling! I'll call you back!
"Hey!"
"Uh, hay Kate."
"Is everything okay?"
"We need to talk. You sitting down?"
"You are scaring me Code. What is going on?" Kate said. Cody deeply exhaled as Kate sat in silence.
"I think we should break up. Things just –"
"What did you say?" Kate's voice cracked as an unsettling feeling at the pit of her stomach.
"It will make things a lot easier if you would just let me talk. I think we should break up because….because I'm leaving for Ohio tomorrow. I know, I know, I told you I was thinking about not going but this is something I want to do. Wrestling is in my blood Kate and I want to be with someone who approves of my passion. I'm so in love with you, Kate and that makes this hurt so much more. I just wish you would just come to terms with what wrestling has done to your family and we can be together. Get married when you are 18 like we talked about, our dream."
Lying back against her pillow, smearing the teardrops, "Get beyond it? You got to be kidding me Cody. I love you and I don't want wrestling to ruin your life! I could never, ever, marry someone who is involved with the wrestling business especially Vince McMahon. I can't approve. I won't approve."
"Then, I guess we are over?" He mumbled.
"I…I…I guess we are. Goodbye Cody."
Getting into her car, the sappy love songs played one after another making her tears fall faster. Parking at the Hart house, Kate ran inside to confide in the only person who really understood, her grandmother.
Helen had just arrived in Calgary a week late after her flight was delayed due to the extreme security. When she returned, she was incredibly sick because her diabetes medicine had been in luggage under the plane. As soon as Kate saw her sitting up in her bedroom, she could see the pain beaming from her face. Helen could also see the spatter of tear strains on her puffy cheeks.
"Kate darling, what is the matter sweetheart?" Helen said barely stretching her arms out.
"Cody broke up with me because I don't support him being a wrestler." Kate managed to say in the middle of sniffs. "I've suffered enough pain because of wrestling."
Helen heavily coughed before speaking. "You know darling, if you really loved him. You'd follow him anywhere. How do you think I've lasted with your papa."
"Your right."
"Listen to me. I might be old and winkled but I know a few things. This world's gone crazy. It's hard to believe that tomorrow will be better than today. Believe it anyway. You can love someone with all your heart for all the right reasons. In a moment they can choose to walk away. Love them anyway."
"I love you grandma." She blew her nose on her shirt and the noticed the glazed look in her eyes and they slowly closed as she fainted to the floor. "Oh my god! Papa! Papa! Papa!"
Stu clung at his heart as he struggled to lift his wife from the floor crying out in agony. "Helen! Helen!" Kate stood staring at her grandmother's seeming lifeless body.
"I'm going to call for help." Kate sobbed.
"No! I can help her." Stu cried as his feeble self still tried to pick her flimsy body up from the floor.
"Papa! I have to help her! She needs help!" Running to the phone, she called the ambulance.
Bret ran into the lobby of the hospital when he views the Hart family once again dealing with misfortune. As soon as he confronted his own children and some niece's and nephews, he saw Kate sitting in the corner with her head between her knees. Stooped down in front of her, "Pussycat." He reached out his hand but she immediately move away.
"No dad." She whispered.
"Ok. I'll let you be."
Days later, Helen remained in ICU with doctors doing everything they could to get her out of her coma, they were successful but she was too frail to talk. Helen could only use her hands.
"Mom, I love you so much." Bret said kissing her cheek before visiting hours were over. She squeezed his hand once more.
"How's Kate?" She whimpered.
Bret shook her head, "She won't talk to me or anyone else but she will be okay mom. Don't worry about her." He kissed his mom once more.
At three-thirty that morning, Bret got an unwelcoming phone call. "Bret! Bret!" Allison bawled. "Moms gone. Moms gone."
Walking into his daughter's room, he saw him surprisingly awake, sitting at her piano, pen in hand. "Sweetheart, what are you working on?" He didn't get an answered.
"You know you have to talk to me sooner or later." He sat down next to her.
"No I don't." She replied.
Giving a sideways smile, "That's a start. Can I hear some of it?"
Kate looked up at him and pressed down two keys, "This world's gone crazy. It's hard to believe that tomorrow will be better than today. Believe it anyway. You can love someone with all your heart for all the right reasons. In a moment they can choose to walk away. Love them anyway."
"God is great but sometimes life ain't good." Bret wrapped his arms around her as she cried. "And when I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should. But I do it anyway." Kate slammed her hands on the piano again, again and again.
"Kate! Kate! Kate!"
She broke down against her father's chest and kept repeating, "I can't lose anymore. I'm tired of losing."