The sound of the phone ringing was like a blunt rusty saw being dragged through my skull. I opened my eyes and gazed blearily to the front, confused as to where I was and why the room seemed to be wobbling around me. Eventually I managed to sit up and grab the phone from the little table beside the couch.
"'Lo?" I croaked.
"Do you feel like explaining to me exactly what you are doing splashed all over the Sun newspaper?" I screwed my eyes shut as my mother's voice rose in pitch. "No wonder you didn't want to tell me about him. How could you? I thought I brought you up better than that!"
"Mum, wait," I managed to interject. "It's not how it looks."
"Not how it looks? How can it be anything else? You had an affair with a married man and split up his family! Of all the selfish, self-centred and plain evil things to do! How could you be so stupid? I knew that being with that man was a bad idea! Just tell me this, is that why you left Ben? Because you were shacking up with that Neanderthal?"
"Mum, listen to me…"
"How could you do something so ridiculous? To leave a perfectly good man to take up with someone like that, and a married man as well! I'm so ashamed of you. Everyone is talking about it in the village. I have never been so embarrassed in my life! I can barely hold my head up in the local shop!"
"Is that the reason you rang? To tell me how inconvenient my love life is making things for you? Never mind the fact that none of it is true, but of course you'll believe anything of me." I wiped a hand down over my face.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that! After all the effort we put into to making sure that you were brought up correctly you go and behave like this, like a common little whore!"
That did it. I couldn't listen to any more. Clenching my free hand into a fist I took a quick breath and launched off at her.
"Have you finished? Because if all you want to do is insult me then I have better things to do than listen to you. Just piss off and leave me alone!" I dragged the phone away from my ear and pressed the end button. As soon as I did so it rang again and I punched the button without looking at the screen.
"What?"
There was a pause at the other end. "Jade, are you all right?"
I relaxed on hearing that voice. "I'm sorry, Mark. I thought you were my mother again wanting to call me a few more names."
"Ah," he said slowly. "It's reached over there then."
"Apparently we're splashed all over the pages of her least favourite tabloid. And she believes every word. Hell, I feel rough!" I worked my neck from side to side, feeling it crackle from where I had slept strangely on the couch.
"You OK, baby girl?" He sounded concerned.
"Yeah, just drank a little too much I guess. Feeling a bit lonely and sorry for myself."
"What are you going to do with yourself today?" he asked.
"Make the most of the time I suppose. Take my bike out for a blast, go and get some groceries 'cos I don't have anything to eat here." I got off the couch at last and went in search of coffee, the one thing that I was likely to be able to find in the kitchen. "House show tonight, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I've got to go and run through it before long. I just wanted to call and make sure you were OK."
"I'll be fine. Felt very strange to wake up here though. I could go right off this apartment. Look, you go and practice. I'll be off out soon to do some shopping and blow the cobwebs out. I'll talk to you later. I love you."
"Later, baby girl." I heard the click as he broke the connection. Fresh tears threatened to spill over my lids but I cuffed them away angrily and got on with the coffee.
I had always made a conscious decision not to ride a bike when I was angry. Especially not a sports bike like the one I now owned. All that power and speed coupled with a brain that wasn't exactly at its most rational could never be considered a good idea. I got away with it that time, both in terms of not getting a speeding ticket and not wrapping both that beautiful machine and myself round a tree. I rode for some miles that day, all the way out to the end of Mark's driveway where I parked up for a while, chain-smoking half a pack of cigarettes and just thinking about everything.
I had heard the subtext in what Peter had said. Basically it was just a matter of time until I was going to be fired. They had to get rid of as much of the scandal as they could and I was the disposable one. There was no way that the company was going to do anything to one of their biggest stars. Mark had told me himself in Stamford that Vince had come up with the angle of turning him heel and using the bad publicity to the company's advantage. Shaking my head, I ground out the last cigarette under the heel of my boot and pulled my helmet back on.
On the way home I stopped off at the store to pick up some groceries. While in there a woman actually spat at me. To an extent the comments and looks I had been getting were like water off a duck's back, stick and stones as the saying goes. That was totally different and really shook me up. I couldn't have said why it did but I got out of there as quickly as I could, dropping my basket of groceries on the floor and just walking out. I found another store a few blocks away and did a lightning fast shop there, heavy on the alcohol section.
Those next few days kind of blurred together in my memory. I had two constants in my life right then, one that kept me slightly grounded and the other that was going to threaten to take over my life. Mark called me at least once every day, sometimes twice if I had sounded really off the first time. As the days went on I guessed I was sounding off more and more often. That would have been because I spent a large proportion of my time drunk. It saved me from having to think. As much as I liked to claim that I didn't bury my head in the sand there was a large childish streak in me at times that kind of said 'I don't want to deal with this, so I'm not going to!' and that was helped most ably by the bourbon.
I started to get other phone calls too. Andy called me from Chicago a couple of times. He didn't believe a word of it, and that helped me feel better for a while. After a couple of days what I considered to be the strangest calls started. They were from papers and magazines, wanting me to tell my side of the story. I spoke to Mark about it and he just told me to do whatever I felt like. Typical sort of answer from Mark that gave absolutely no indication of what he was thinking. Sara still wasn't letting up and the publicity she had got from being on Oprah had been huge. I kept on saying no to begin with but then People magazine caught me at a time when I was feeling really low.
My mother had called again and hurled a lot of verbal abuse down the phone at me. It really hurt me that she had been so willing to believe all what had been written about me. It was Andy that filled me in as to exactly why, a story of my family that I had never heard. Apparently when I had been younger my father had been caught having an affair and had very nearly left my mother and all of us to go off with his mistress. It explained why my mother was so vehement about the subject but still not why she was so ready to believe that I would do such a thing. So when the person from People magazine called me I just didn't really think about it. Just said 'fine, let's do it.'
It was at the end of that first week of my suspension when the journalist called me back as arranged. It was done as just a friendly chat, a chance to give my side of the story and she promised that there wouldn't be any difficult questions. The magazine would be out a few days afterwards and she assured me that my interview would be in it.
The day the magazine was due to come out I woke up in the early afternoon with a huge hangover. It was that bad that I snapped at Mark at first when he rang.
"Hey, baby girl. How you doing?"
"Just fine and fucking dandy!" I spat out.
"Whoa, what's your problem today?" he asked slowly.
"Not a thing, everything is AOK! Things are so good I'm going to frolic through some fields later! What do you think my problem is?"
"Don't take it out on me, darlin'." He sounded resigned more than anything else.
"Well what do you expect? I'm here on my own, I have a hangover from hell and an interview that could quite possibly get me fired is out today! I'm taking it out on the first person I speak to and unlucky for you the bunny man was late!" I knew I was being a total bitch but couldn't seem to stop.
"You did an interview?" He was slightly taken aback.
I groaned. "Yes. It comes out today, I think. I can't quite remember."
"What is it in?"
"People or some shit like that. I can't remember right now." I ran a hand through my hair, wincing at the tangles in it.
"What the hell did you say?"
"I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, or even if I had dinner last night so how the hell do you expect me to remember that?" I sighed and wiped my hand over my face.
"Baby girl, how much did you have to drink last night?" He sounded concerned now, his voice gentle.
"Er…" I peered blurrily at the bottle on the table. "'Bout a fifth of a bottle."
"And before that?"
"I can't remember. Some beer, and some vodka."
"I'm worried about you, darlin'. It's not good to drink that much at all, let alone on your own." I felt the almost ever-present threat of tears trying to overwhelm me.
"I'm OK really. I just miss you."
He sighed. "Yeah, I miss you too. It's strange being on the road on my own now. Why don't you go have a shower, a gallon of coffee and see if you can figure out where that interview is? Call me when you find it, OK?"
"Alright. I'll talk to you later." I pressed the end button quickly as the tears couldn't be held back any longer.
I took his advice and took a very long, very hot shower followed by a couple of huge mugs of strong coffee. Feeling that I couldn't put it off any longer I traipsed to the local store to attempt to find the magazine. It took a little while of flicking through the glossies on display before I found it, and a couple of smartass comments from the guy in the store about it not being a lending library. I threw the right money at him and snarled a reply before stomping back to my apartment to assess the damage. I didn't know whether it was the amount I had been drinking since but I really couldn't remember clearly what I had said. I got back in my apartment and made more coffee. Sitting down on the couch I put the coffee next to the Jack on the table, figuring I was covered for however it had gone that way. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I opened the magazine, flicked through to find the article and began to read.
Among the big news currently is the alleged love triangle involving the wrestler the Undertaker, his ex wife and a mysterious English woman said to have been the cause of their marriage break up. Sara Calaway has been putting forward her version of events both in the papers and on TV but up until now nothing has been heard of the other side of the story. People magazine recently caught up with Jade Baron, the other woman caught up in this scandal and invited her to put forward her side of the story.
Q: You're here to tell the world the truth...so what IS the truth?
A: The truth is very simple. I didn't even meet him until after he and Sara were divorced. If they hadn't been divorced the idea of a relationship with him would never even have entered my head.
Q: Do you have proof? Not to take sides but it's what every reader has on their mind.
A: According to the allegations that have been made, I was sleeping with him before they were divorced. I have copies of the paperwork from immigration showing that I didn't even enter this country until two, maybe three months after the divorce was finalised.
Q: So why do you think Sara is doing this?
A: I think that she has realised she made a huge mistake letting a man like Mark go. I know for a fact that she approached him with a view to attempting reconciliation. She obviously didn't like it when he told her that his life didn't include her any more.
Q: Mark is The Undertaker's real name isn't it? She wasn't happy that Mark wasn't interested anymore and decided to make up a piece for the tabloids? Is anything she said true?
A: Yes, his name is Mark. As for truth, well, I did meet her once, very briefly.
Q: Has Mark ever hit you or been physical towards you in a way he shouldn't have?
A: Never. It's just not something I could ever see him being capable of. I know how strange that might sound given his career but no. Definitely not.
Q: There have been hints of child abuse. Is it likely that these are true?
A: I can categorically state that I would not believe him capable of abusing anyone. He adores his child.
Q: He's a big guy who looks like he'd have a temper to match. Are you saying that even when really angry he wouldn't raise a hand to say a woman or child?
A: I can't deny that he does have a temper, and I sometimes seem to do my best to provoke it, but I have never once thought that he would behave physically towards me in any way. And the idea that he would do such a thing to a child, especially his own is, quite frankly, laughable.
Q: Have you ever witnessed him interacting with either his child or another?
A: I haven't met his daughter, but yes, I have seen him with children.
Q: And how did that go?
A: It was really funny. She was terrified of him at first, as soon as she clapped eyes on him but he was fantastic with her, found a way to make her really comfortable with him. She absolutely adores him now.
Q: Sara mentioned keeping Mark away from his child. Would you comment on that?
A: I think that is the lowest form of threat to try and get what she wants. To keep a father from his child is deplorable.
Q: All of this must be very traumatising for you. How has this affected you?
A: Well, I'm currently on suspension from my job. Aside from that, it's pretty horrible. People make comments and shout at me in the street. I even had one woman spit at me when I was in a grocery store. On a personal level it's hard to deal with too. I'm stuck here on my own while the people who have become my friends are away in a different country.
Q: I can imagine. If you could talk to Sara right now what would you say to her?
A: Just leave us alone. We haven't done anything wrong. I don't know exactly what she hopes to achieve by these lies. Just that really. Let us get on with our lives.
Q: She's thrown some pretty big accusations around against you both and from what I'm hearing they all seem to be false. Will you be taking legal action or just let everything blow over?
A: That is something I am not willing to comment on at this time.
Q: It's been noticed that Mark has had his Sara tattoo removed. Was that his decision?
A: Definitely. I didn't know he was going to do it until he showed me that it had gone. I certainly never asked him to do it.
Q: And what about the tongue piercing? He seems to have gone through a few changes since being with you.
A: Again, that was something I didn't know about until it was done. Yes, he has made changes for me and I consider myself very lucky. He is an amazing man.
Q: Tell us about your relationship? You seem to care a lot for him.
A: Oh boy, our relationship. It hasn't been the easiest of roads for us but we've made it so far. Yes, I do care for him, about him a lot.
Q: What do you mean it hasn't been the easiest of roads?
A: Sometimes it just has seemed that everything that could go wrong has done. That is still holding true, I guess.
Q: What was your life like before you came to America? Tell us a bit about your past.
A: Well, I come from a fairly small village in the south east of England and I'm from a farming background.
Q: That's quite a bit different to the sports entertainment industry.
A: Very different. The change took some getting used to. I mean, not so very long ago I milked cows and drove tractors for a living or sold equipment to people. Now I fly around the world looking after the needs of some incredibly famous people. Or at least did until recently.
Q: Changing again must be very hard for you. Tell us a bit about how you are feeling.
A: For a start I have no idea as yet how my life is going to go from here. How I feel... lost I suppose. I had roots of a sort with the people I was travelling with so much and now all that has been ripped away from me.
Q: What are your plans when the suspension is lifted?
A: To do my job. I'm good at what I do and I love it.
Q: Do you think things will change after this? The way people act towards you, the public, and your work colleagues?
A: I suppose they must. There will always be some people that will believe what has been said and nothing will ever change their opinion of me. With regards to my work colleagues, I would hope they know me well enough to know the truth.
Q: Will you be hurt or take it in your stride?
A: If they don't believe me? Of course it will hurt. Some of the people I work with I thought counted among my friends. I suppose it is in a situation like this that you find out who your true friends are, in how they act towards you and what they believe.
Q: How are they acting towards you at the moment?
A: I didn't really get to see many of them before I was called back and suspended. The vibe I got was that feelings were mixed.
Q: What about Dave Batista? How has he reacted to all this? I believe he was mentioned in the article?
A: He was, yes. That was something else that I found incredibly objectionable. He's going through a tough enough time at the moment without having rubbish like that printed about him.
Q: So none of it was true?
A: Definitely not. Dave is one of my closest friends out there on our travels. To be honest it would feel a bit incestuous. He has helped Mark and I through some of the trickier patches in our relationship to date and I hope with all of my heart that he can get his own problems sorted out. If I could do anything to help him I would.
Q: How is he acting with you?
A: Dave? To be frank, he was a little wary at first but now we're fine.
Q: What's it like being separated from Mark right now?
A: Hard. Incredibly hard. We talk every day but it's nowhere near the same.
Q: How serious are you and Mark? Are there any wedding bells? Have you met each other's families?
A: Whoa, wedding bells? Jumping the gun just a tad there! I haven't met any of Mark's family but he has met all of my close family.
Q: How did they get on? What do they say about this as it has reached newspapers over there?
A: They were rather surprised on the whole. A lot of them watch the shows and were very surprised when they met him. Obviously the papers in the UK have had an effect on my family over there and it's making their lives quite difficult at the moment. It's the same for my family that live here in the US.
Q: Before we finish this up is there anything else you would like to say?
A: Just that we have done nothing wrong. None of these allegations are true.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I finished reading. I had managed not to say anything too bad and nothing about the company at all. It worried me a little that I hadn't been able to remember what I had said. All in all though I felt a little celebration was in order and took a hit from the Jack, feeling the fiery spirit slide down my throat and warm the pit of my stomach. I picked up the phone and punched in Mark's number. It was evening by then, and there was no show that night.
"You feeling better?" he asked as soon as he picked the call up.
"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. I was kind of crabby there." I tilted the phone away from my ear and took a quick swig from the bottle.
"You drinking again?" There was a hint of something in his voice.
"Er, no?" I put the bottle down quickly as if that made what I had said true. "Well, maybe just a little.
"You makin' this a habit now, little girl?" He was definitely tense.
"Don't know what you're on about, it's just a little drink," I replied defensively.
"And it was a little drink before too." His voice was cautious. "I just don't want you gettin' yourself in trouble."
"Stop mother henning me!" I moved my head away from the phone and took a quiet sip.
"Fine. I won't say another word," he growled. "Call me when you're sober."
"I am sober, and even if I wasn't what would be wrong with talking to me? You too high and mighty now? Stop acting like you've never had a drink before, Mark!" I stopped speaking before I said something I would really regret. "Look, I don't want to fight with you. I think the time away is getting to us."
Mark sighed over the phone. "You're probably right. I don't like it any more than you do, baby girl but I'm not self medicating over it."
"Just please stop getting at me. This is my way of dealing with it." I leant back in my chair. "Oh and you should probably go and pick up a copy of People magazine."
"What did you say? What did they ask?" He was quiet and thoughtful as the implications ran though his mind.
"I told the truth, nothing else I could do. They wanted to know what had really happened, they asked about Dave, my past and..."
"Dave?" He broke in quickly.
"You're not still hung up on the Dave thing are you?" I sighed.
"No, I am not 'still hung up on the Dave thing' but I want to know why you were asked about him."
"Because she implied that I was the cause for his failing marriage too!" I took another sip and coughed as it went down the wrong way
"What was that?" he asked suspiciously. "More drink? Baby girl, you have a problem."
"No I don't, its just water..." I hated lying to him but it came out unbidden.
"I don't buy it." His voice was flat.
"Well you're going to have to because you're currently thousands of miles away." I couldn't help the slight sound of bitterness in that statement.
"Not everyone is. Looks like I was right. You need some company."
I was instantly suspicious. "Mark what have you done? Are you keeping tabs on me?
"It's for your own good, darlin'." He was trying to be patient with me but the edge of tension was there to be heard.
"I'm not some little girl Mark! I don't need you parenting me!" I knew it was a stupid thing to say, but the alcohol coursing through my system made my mouth lose any semblance of control.
"You ain't some little girl, you're MY little girl." There was that possessive streak again. He was starting to sound worried and in my fragile state of mind that chafed at me a little.
"I'm not anyone's little girl, Mark. I'm not a piece of property and I don't need you checking up on me now who did you send? Damn it, Mark!" I took another drink. "I can look after myself!"
"Jade, I'm going mad up here without you. You keep doin' this and I'm gonna lose you forever." He spoke quietly, almost as if reluctant to say the words.
"And you don't think I'm going mad down here? At least you have all your friends around you but what do I have? NOTHING! I have to wait it out while I get dirty looks in the street and spat on in the shops only to come back to an empty and depressing apartment? And then I have you going on at me about drinking too much. It's not fair! Maybe if you'd talk to me a bit more about what you're going through I wouldn't take this so badly! You're like a brick wall, Mark!"
"You're not only hurting yourself there, little girl. And you know what kind of man I am. That's just not how I am, who I am. You know that."
" I need to know what you're feeling, what you're doing... For once will you just open up to me? This is who I am, yet you keep on trying to baby me."
He gave a gentle laugh. "But you are my baby."
"Don't try to sweet talk me!" I spat. Picking up the bottle I saw it was empty and went to the kitchen to look for another one, phone clamped between ear and shoulder. "Please, Mark, just this once. This is the only time I'll badger you about your feelings. I just have to know." I found a bottle but it was empty. Angrily I swung round to put it on the counter top and missed, watching it fall to the floor and smash.
"What was that?" he asked, concern lacing his voice once more.
"I dropped a jar. I'm just looking for something to eat." I found another bottle and grinned to myself, peeling the plastic from the top.
"Shit, I wish I could get down there," he muttered.
"Everything's fine, Mark, just fine. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself so I suggest you call off whichever lapdog you've sent down." I got the top of the bottle and took a big gulp.
"I know damn well you're drinking again, Jade."
"It's water, Mark, just water."
"If you say so." He sounded tired.
There was a knock on the door, making me jump. "Damn it, who's calling at this time of night?" I stomped angrily to the door and slammed it wide open. I promptly took one step backwards and dropped the bottle on the floor.
"That's a waste of good Jack, kid," Dave said, leaning against the doorframe and grinning, pointing to the bourbon trickling merrily out of the bottle before bending down to salvage what was left.
"What are you doing here?" I put the phone back to my ear. "Mark, what's he doing here?"
"I told you someone was coming to check you were alright. Now tell him to put the cap on that bottle."
"So can I come in?" Dave was smirking now. I stepped back, clearing the way for him to step inside.
"Give Dave the phone, Jade," Mark said. I just stood there staring stupidly at Dave with my mouth hanging open, unable to believe that he was there. Dave rolled his eyes after a few seconds and wrestled the phone away from me. I could only hear his side of the conversation as I paced up and down, pulling on his arm from time to time, trying to get the phone back.
"Mark? Don't worry about her. I've got some time. I'll take care of everything." He lost patience with me. "JADE! Sit your ass down!" he barked. His eyes were as cold as I'd ever seen them. "Look at yourself! Take a breath!" He turned his attention back to the phone as I stormed into the kitchen, searching through cupboards again as he had custody of what was left of the other bottle. "Alright, sorry man. Yeah, she looks like shit. Uh...aside from the one she dropped? I see at least two." He sighed. "Fifths. If I don't get that vodka away from her soon, it'll be three." He groaned and paused to listen to what Mark had to say. "Hey, don't worry about it. You and I haven't always seen eye to eye but Jade is my friend. Hell, she's probably the best one I've got right now. I promise you she's safe with me. Try not to worry. I've got her covered. You want me to give her back the phone? Hang on." Dave said and turned back to me. "Jade, you are really pushing my buttons. Sit down and shut up. Mark? You want to go back into the lion's den?" He nodded and handed the phone back over.
"Little girl..." Mark growled as I took the phone back. I could almost hear the tension in his body. "You need to start behaving. I don't like it when I have to worry about what you're doing to yourself. This is not healthy. I don't like not bein' able to get to you when you need me."
"And I don't like you fathering me so we're even."
"I can't even talk to you like this." He was laughing and it was not the good laugh. It was the laugh of someone who'd reached the end of his rope and was looking for somewhere to jump. "Baby girl..." Mark sighed. His voice had gone to that tired browbeaten tone again. "This is just as hard for me as it is for you. Matter of fact, did you stop to think of what it's like here? I don't have the luxury of drowning in my self-pity. One of us has to keep on for the cameras. Guess which one that is?"
"I would know if you talked to me a little, Mark but no, you have to be the big tough fucking man who keeps it all in!"
"I am what I am baby doll. You knew that when you signed on for this. I can't change over night. You of all people should know there's more to me than what's on the surface. Bein' this far away from you hurts like hell. I thought you knew that. Didn't think I had to spell it out. But it don't matter now does it? I can't let it show here."
"I know that but you haven't told me how you feel about any of what's going on. All I've seen from you is anger and I know there's more than that. I just don't know what." I sighed and took a drink. "I'm fighting a losing battle here."
"Baby doll, put that fuckin' bottle down and I'll tell you anything you want." There was a hope in his voice I'd never heard before.
I took one more drink and then set the bottle down with a thud. "There, it's down."
"I'll take that." Dave chimed in, swooping down for the bottle before I could stop him. I made to protest but it was too late. It was down the sink. The Jack was there too.
"It's gone, Mark." I sighed deeply.
"I'm gonna have to take your word on that." He chuckled then took a deep breath. The seriousness of his mood was suddenly palpable even through the phone. "Jade, I..."
I leant forward and asked quietly "You what?"
"I never..." He stopped and swore to himself. "I'm dyin' here without you close. I keep lookin' for you in the arena...at the hotel... I just wanna call Vince and tell him where to stick the whole damn scandal."
I put a hand on my forehead and felt a tear slip out. "I didn't realise you felt that bad. I wish you were here."
"I wish I was too darlin." His voice was shaking. Was he crying? I knew better than to even ask but... "God you have no idea."
I felt my heart breaking at the tone of his voice. "All I want is to be in your arms right now. I would move heaven, hell and all that's in between to make it possible…" I let out a long shuddering breath. "Is there no way you can get down here?"
"If I come down there it's not just my ass on the line. Your job is hangin' over this, not mine. I won't take the chance of takin' that away from you." I dropped my head, the drink making me over emotional, and tried to hold in the sobs that wanted to come. "C'mon now baby girl. Stop that. This is gonna work out fine. We've just got to wait 'til it blows over."
"I... I need to go, Mark. I can't talk to you right now. It's too hard."
"But I need you..." I thought I heard him say but it was so quick and so quiet I didn't have a chance to respond before he spoke again. "Alright darlin'. Go apologize to Dave and get yourself to bed."
"I love you," I said quietly before handing the phone to a confused Dave who hadn't been listening, and then running into the bathroom to hide. I heard the click as he put the phone on loudspeaker.
"Mark? You ok?"
"I'm good. Is she alright? No more hidden bottles?" I sat in the bathroom, tears threatening once more as I listened through the thin wall.
"I don't know to either of those questions. I've found a few empties but there's hundreds of places she could've hidden drink and as for her, she ran into the bathroom. Mark, are you sure you're alright? You sound rough, man" Now Dave was the one sounding concerned.
"I'll be fine." He chuckled. "Playin' a devil worshipper got me into worse shit."
Dave laughed. "Look I'm gonna go and check on her, Mark. I'll call you later with an update?"
"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks..." He paused. "For everything. I know you could've been spending this time with your family. I really owe you."
"It's no problem, Jade means a lot to me and I know she'd be doing the same for me." He chuckled slightly. "And yeah you owe me big time. I just hope she doesn't start singing again."
"I like it when she sings..." Mark mused. "Call me any time. I'll be up . Later."
Dave laughed. "Later, man." I heard the click, as the connection was broken. I sat in the bathroom torn apart at how Mark had sounded and holding my head in my hands. Dave knocked gently on the door. "Jade? You alright? You want me to make some coffee?"
"Gonna make it Irish?"
Dave's soft laughter was comforting through the door. "I don't think so. I don't think there's enough whiskey left in the house even if it was a good idea."
I swung the door open and faced Dave, having another mood swing. "Don't tell me what's a good idea! My heart is breaking, the heart of the man I love is breaking, and all I want to do right now is drink! Did you hear how he sounded? For fuck's sake, Dave, I think he was actually crying!
"Doesn't that tell you anything?" Dave blustered. "You're the one that put him there. He's that damn worried about you. So am I."
"Don't you DARE!" I cried out. "Don't you dare blame this on me! I did not tell Sara to go spreading that shit!"
"No, you didn't." he admitted, crossing his massive arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe. "But you're certainly not helping his peace of mind any by trying to pickle yourself before corporate decides what they're going to do."
I stormed past him, heading for the living room. "You want to know what they're going to do? They're going to fire me, Peter made that pretty clear and after the interview I'm screwed." I looked through the cupboard and grabbed the closest bottle. "I think I'm entitled to do whatever the hell I want right now so are you gonna be a stick in the mud and play daddy or are you going to join in?"
Dave rolled his eyes and snatched the bottle out of my hand. "I am here for both of you but mostly for you and I'll be god damned if I'm going to sit here and let you do this to yourself! Now, STOP feeling sorry for yourself and let's do some damage control! Talk to me!"
"What happened to drinking through our problems, Dave? I don't want to talk, I want to drink. I pretty much have the whole damn liquor store in this apartment so have fun trying to stop me!" I started to walk away
He nodded and sauntered casually over. "Thanks." He grinned snatching the bottle away and tipping it back, swallowing what looked like a quarter of it. "It would appear, my friend, that the only way to save you from alcohol poisoning is to go down with the ship."
"Dave!" I jumped forward to grab the bottle.
"I don't think so kiddo." He laughed and held the bottle high over his head. I had to jump onto the couch to grab the bottle but managed to get it away from him, stepping back to the floor with a triumphant shout. "You just don't quit, do you?" He shook his head and dove for me. He grinned and grabbed my arm.
"Never!" I laughed. "You wont take me out alive!"
"We'll see about that..." The determination in his voice gave me pause and that gleam in his eye only made it worse. Before I could come up with a snappy retort, he was on me, tickling for everything he was worth. I fell down as my legs gave out from under me and screamed at him to stop. "Give me the bottle, woman!" He growled and switched his tactics to my knees.
I held the bottle away. "No... Stop! I'm gonna …" I wriggled but it soon started to slow as the laughter gave way to the tears that had been threatening to fall since the phone call with Mark.
"Hey...hey...what's going on here?" Dave whispered pulling me tight to his chest. "Just let it out." I clung to Dave and sobbed my heart out. I tried to talk but wasn't able to get anything coherent out. "It's alright kid. It's gonna be alright," he cooed as he lifted me effortlessly into his arms and sat down on the couch.
" I just hate feeling so powerless," I let out between sobs. "I fucking hate this!" I grabbed Dave's shirt, balling my hands into fists.
"You've got every right to feel like this right now but you can't spend the whole paid vacation they're giving you wallowing in the bottom of a bottle."
"The bottom of the bottle is the only thing keeping me going. It takes my mind off it all and to top it all off he's in another country falling apart and there's not a damn thing I can do about it!" I looked up at Dave. "Tell me the truth, don't sugar-coat it. How's he really doing? How does he look?
Dave sighed heavily before he spoke. "He's stressed. He doesn't talk about it but I can see it. Jade, he's doing his level best to keep it together. It's all he can do. He's a professional but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."
I hung my head guiltily. "And I'm not making it much better for him, am I?" I leapt up from the couch and put my hands into my hair. "If he had never met me then he wouldn't be in this right now! I've been nothing but trouble for him. Maybe I should just do what the company wants and disappear."
"Stop it," he said and stood up. "I'm derailing that train of thought right there. I haven't seen him as happy as he is with you since before his divorce. Jade, do you know what he did before you came around?" I shook my head, facing away from him with my arms wrapped round myself. "Nothing. That's what," he said, walking around to face me. "He never came out with us. He never talked to anyone but Glen. You bring out some of the life in him."
I leant forwards and rested my forehead on Dave's chest. "I just hate that I've hurt him so much. It's all because of me that he's in the state he is."
"No, it's Sara's fault. Don't you ever forget it."
"I need to call him..."
"Call him tomorrow. He's as exhausted as you are." Dave leaned back slightly and looked down into my face.
"But I need to get this out before I lose my nerve! I promise I wont go off on him. I'm hoping it will make him feel better."
Dave sighed, his hands on his hips as he shook his head. "Alright. I was supposed call him anyway."
I put my arms around Dave's neck and reached up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Dave. I know you're going through a lot right now and you still came through for me."
Dave shrugged and hugged me back tightly. "I don't think there's much hope for my situation, kiddo. And besides, I know you'd do it for me. Just remember, if I hear yelling I'm coming for it." He retrieved the phone from where he had hidden it in his pocket. Laughing softly, I took it and dialled Marks' number, retreating to my bedroom.
"Dave?" Mark said as soon as he picked up.
I took a deep breath and replied quietly. "No, its me."
"Hey baby girl." His voice softened immediately. "You okay?"
"No, I'm not," I sighed. "I'm so sorry, Mark. For everything. You're hurting just as much as I am and all I've done is give you shit for caring, taking my problems out on the one person I truly care about."
"That's my job little girl. I don't have these big shoulders for nothin' ya know."
"You may have big shoulders, Mark, but you've also got a big heart and I know its hurting right now. I should have been there for you instead of drinking everything away and making it worse."
"Darlin', I've done my fair share. I just don't want to see you end up where I did. Hell, I don't remember a whole lot of the Nineties." He chuckled, a little grimly.
"That was you then. How are you dealing with this now? Please...talk to me," I said, whispering the last part.
"It's just...hard baby girl." He sighed and I could almost see him in my mind's eyes, leaning his head in his free hand. "Sara never..." He whispered but seemed to think better of the thought. "Jade, I don't think you know what you've done to me. I don't think I've got the words..." I stayed silent, terrified that he was going to tell me something I really didn't want to hear. "Jade, I...need you."
I closed my eyes and whispered. "I need you too. Like you wouldn't believe. I feel like half of me has been ripped away."
"Everything's gonna be alright. We've just got to ride this out." He sighed. "Then we'll be where we're supposed to be."
"What did Sara never do, Mark?" I could never manage to contain my curiosity.
"Never mind about that, baby girl. I don't even wanna think about her. Just know that no matter how alone you feel, I'm thinkin' about you." Suddenly he laughed. "And just think, when I get my weekends off you're right down the street."
"I thought you weren't going to come and see me because of my job?" I asked, confused.
"Darlin', I'll sneak over under cover of darkness." He was laughing again but there was a definite playful air to it.
I laughed as well. "With Mission Impossible style rolls down my hallway?"
"And into your bed," he growled.
I shivered slightly at the tone of his voice. "As if I'd let you be anywhere else."
"Baby girl, just tell me when all this is said and done you'll still be here."
"What?" I asked in shock at the sudden change of mood.
"Sorry darlin..." he whispered. "I just...had to ask."
"I'll still be here, babe," I sighed and then whispered once more. "I'd wait forever for you."
I heard him chuckle again. "Then I can keep this up as long as I've got to."
"You're stuck with me now!" I laughed.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Mark?" I burst out suddenly.
"Yeah baby girl?"
"No matter what we'll get through this. We're strong and it'll take more than some jealous bitch to tear us apart. I'm going to knock the drink on the head."
"Why's that?" I could almost hear him smiling.
"Because I love you."
"God darlin', you don't know what that means to me." The emotion in his voice was heart rending. "I'm all yours baby girl. I want you to know that."
"What did I do to deserve you?" I breathed lightly.
"You're just you. That's all I need. I don't even have words for what you do to me, Jade."
"You don't need them. I think I know how you feel."
A wicked laugh came out of the phone. "A lot harder when you're around." I could do nothing but laugh along with him, enjoying the fact that we were back to our easy banter.
I stretched and spoke once more with regret. "It's pretty late, big guy. Maybe we should go. Don't you have a show tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow night yeah..." He yawned. "I do need some sleep though."
"So do I. I think I'm going to cuddle up with your jacket again. It's losing its smell. You could've sent another one with Dave, you know."
"And do what? Freeze my ass off?" he laughed. "This is Canada, baby girl. I'll be around to keep you warm myself soon enough. I should have a day or two off comin' up soon."
"I hope so. I don't know how much longer I can go without you," I said hopefully.
"Don't worry darlin. It'll be soon, I promise."
"I guess for now I'll just have to make do with Dave," I giggled.
"He touches you and I'll break his damn neck," he growled once more.
I laughed outright at that. "Mark, you really can be very silly sometimes."
"Silly nothin'. You're my girl. Night baby girl. I'll call you tomorrow. You have my permission to kick my ass if I don't." He laughed. "I'll give you a free shot."
"Like you'd even feel it!" I jeered.
"But you'd still get the shot," he pointed out.
"I might just come after you with a chair again instead..."
"Hell!" He laughed. "I will definitely be calling tomorrow with that over my head."
He made me giggle once more with that line. "Night, Mark."
"Night baby girl. Sleep good." And with that, he was gone.
"Everything alright?" Dave asked poking his head into the room.
I looked up at him with a smile on my face. "About as perfect as they can be. I don't know for how long but right now things are perfect as they can be."
Dave smiled knowingly and walked over to give me a hug. "I'm glad. Now, I'm going to sleep. You are very draining."
My head dropped in embarrassment at the way I had behaved towards him. "Dave I'm sorry about all the yelling and, uh, did I bite you?"
He laughed and showed me an unmistakeable teeth mark on his arm. "Don't worry about it. I had to share a locker room with Randy Orton. You've got nothing on him." The big man shivered. "Trust me."