Chapter Thirty Four

"Nick, I can't!" I insisted, although I could understand why he wasn't taking me seriously as I couldn't stop laughing.

"Come on, Mickie, just fly out here tonight, it's just a few hours."

"That's counter-productive seeing as how we're in Indiana for tonight's show, and I need to be in Stamford tomorrow afternoon."

"I'll make it worth your while," he said sweetly.

"Oh I have no doubts about that, but I'm still going to have to decline. I need this thing called sleep before tomorrow's studio time. But I'll see you on Wednesday."

"I wish I could see you on your birthday…"

"Why, so I can sit around stressing about how old I'm getting while sitting next to my boyfriend who's seven years my junior? Yeah that's good for the old self esteem."

"You're ten times better looking than I am, so really we even out."

"You watch your words mister, I just might jump on that flight tonight."

"Well in that case…" he continued with a string of compliments and I couldn't get a word in edgewise. It wasn't until Ted and Cody had ambled over that I was finally able to cut him off and tell him I'd call him after I checked in at the airport later tonight.

Ted told me they were on their way to catering and asked if I wanted to tag along, which of course I did. I was starving, and had basically survived off coffee all day what with travelling and practically having my phone glued to my ear since I woke up this morning. This tour business was a lot of work, and while I knew it would be worth it once it started, it was still stressful, and that said a lot coming from someone like me who'd been travelling the better part of the last ten years.

As if he could hear my thoughts, Cody said, "You look tired, Mickie."

"Is that your politically correct way of saying I look like shit?" I teased. "It's this thing," I tossed my phone down onto the table, perhaps a little too aggressively. I'd been feeling resentful towards it the last week. "I honestly can't remember the last time I went to the bathroom without it."

"Ah the perks of being a famous celebrity," Ted said dreamily.

"I wouldn't say I've hit celebrity status yet boys, and I certainly hope I never do."

"Yeah right, you had that reality TV thing going on – you're like a Kardashian Taylor Swift mutant who can also lace up her boots and throw down in a wrestling ring," Cody said with a grin.

"Gross, don't ever compare me to a Kardashian again, I'd much rather you straight up told me I looked like shit."

"Which I would never do," he responded, "I have something called manners. I know, they're not so common these days."

I chuckled, "So what's new with you two?"

"I have no news, Ted here is the one with a bombshell to drop."

"Ooh, I love bombshells. Spill!" I said threateningly.

He glared at Cody briefly and then turned to me, "I've decided it's time for me to hang up the boots, at least for the near future anyway."

"What?!" I almost spit the water I'd been in the process of drinking in his face, "Since when? You love wrestling!"

"Well I'm not doing so much of it lately, but mostly I've come to the conclusion it's time to focus on my family. This life is hard on relationships, and I've felt like I've been missing a lot of the important stuff with Tate. I don't want to be that father. It's a personal decision, and one Kristen fully supports."

"Of course she does, she gets to spend more time with you. That's great Ted, not many men could make that sacrifice. And trust me, I understand well the strain our lifestyle puts on relationships. I'm still picking up the pieces of that particular failure," I muttered.

"Well you seem to be in a much better place than Randy anyway," Cody said quietly.

Once more Ted glared at him and I narrowed my eyes, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Cody either didn't see or had chosen to ignore Ted's stare, "Dude's a mess."

"Yeah well don't expect me to feel sorry for him. He got himself into this situation, and I'm done being the good guy. He made sure of that. And if he wants to be involved with someone who clearly likes causing drama, I am definitely going to be keeping my distance. I've endured far too much of it over the years, and I'm at that age where all I want is to be happy."

"That's the thing, he's not …involved with Vanessa anymore."

"Excuse me?"

"Just leave it alone, man," Ted warned him, "It's none of our business."

"She's going to find out eventually, everyone else knows."

"Yeah, because you have a big mouth and this is a perfect example of that."

"Okay can you just tell me what's going on?"

Ted rolled his eyes, "Randy ended things with Vanessa."

"What?!" I half-shouted, "Wait …are you– you're serious. I don't get it. What happened?"

"That twitter business was the final straw, I think. What she did was wrong, everyone knows that. I can't stand people who put their own personal lives on twitter, let alone someone else's business."

"But I don't get it, why would that make him end things with her?"

"She wanted him to cut you out of his life completely," Ted explained casually.

"Well we're on our way to a divorce, surely that wouldn't be so hard for him?"

I couldn't believe this. Randy had seemed so certain about his relationship with Vanessa. He'd told me so himself, made it clear he was moving on from our marriage with her. And now this?! What a complete and total mess he'd made of everything.

"I think it obviously had more to do with her. With her actions, not being able to get over her jealousy, and let's be real, Randy isn't exactly the kind of guy you give an ultimatum to."

I raised my eyebrows. That was ironic. Since he seemed so good at giving ultimatums to other people. I'd never given him one, not back then, I would have stuck by his side through anything, and I had, which is why I never understood Vanessa's tweets.

"Like I said though, he's in a bad place. It really messed him up. I keep expecting him to bite my head off like he has been lately," Ted said, "But nothing. He barely even speaks unless someone else initiates the conversation."

-X-

"Happy Birthday!"

"You've already said that, like twelve billion times today," I said as I gestured the girls into my hotel room.

I was almost ready to go, I just needed to decide on a pair of heels and I was caught between nude pumps and a silver strappy pair to go with my cream colored peplum dress. The top half of it was decorated entirely with sequins, and the hem fell mid thigh. I was looking forward to the night out with the twins and Nattie, though when was that ever not the case? We were on the road another couple of days, and then I was flying to Florida to spend a couple of days with Nick, and then promised my mom I'd let her cook me a belated birthday dinner the week after that. Saying I was busy would be an understatement, and while I liked always being on the go, it wasn't fun constantly stressing that I wasn't spending enough time with the people I loved. That's why nights like this were necessary, because I got to relax and take a breath from life for a few hours, while catching up with all my favorite people.

"Go with the strappy pair," Nicole suggested, positioning herself in front of the mirror next to the bathroom door to reapply her lipstick.

"You read my mind," I said with a grin and sat on the bed to complete my outfit.

"So you excited for tonight, Mickie?" Brie asked.

I nodded my head, "Definitely. Thanks for doing this guys. Nothing sounds better than spending my birthday with my ladies."

"I thought you said you were going to ask Kate to fly up here?"

"Uh… I asked but she couldn't make it…" I said evasively.

Nicole narrowed her eyes at me, "That's like the third time she's declined to come and spend time with us. I'm getting the impression she doesn't like us very much."

"She likes you just fine," I insisted, to which all three girls stared back at me with equal amounts of sternness, "Fine, she likes Nattie just fine, and gets a kick out of Brie and her whole save the world attitude but she thinks you're…" I looked at Nicole and hesitated but she waved me on, "Materialistic."

The older twin scoffed, "Seriously! I can understand coming off that way what with the shoes and wardrobe, but my personality is so not materialistic."

"Hey," I insisted, "If she and I hadn't been friends for the last thirty years, she'd think the exact same thing about me. She's not used to our lifestyle. And besides, we all know you aren't materialistic, she just doesn't know any of you very well."

"It's kind of hard to get to know someone when you never spend time with them," Nattie pointed out, "It's not a very fair assessment."

"Hey not every part of my world has to mesh. She's great, and you guys are great, let's leave it at that. It's not like we gossip about it."

Nicole shrugged it off and surveyed the rest of the room as I finished putting on my shoes while the other two discussed the restaurant we were going to.

"Ooh looks like someone treated herself. Where can I get one of these?"

I looked over to see Nicole holding up an empty cupcake wrapper I'd left lying on the TV stand after finishing the delicious chocolate dessert this morning. "Oh," I said with a wistful grin, "It's tradition for me to have a cupcake for breakfast on my birthday. It's something my mom and I have done since I was six years old. And sorry, it was the only one."

"Darn, well I'm getting dessert at dinner. And I'm going to blame it on Mickie."

I grabbed my purse and then we were out the door and heading downstairs to the waiting taxi. We were just passing by the lounge when I caught a glimpse inside and stopped in my tracks. Sitting on one of the stools at the bar was Randy, a drink settled on the counter in front of him. Brie and Nattie were already out the door but Nicole, who had been walking alongside me, stopped too. She followed my gaze.

"You're not responsible for him anymore Mickie, remember? You were the one who told me that."

"I know," I started forward but then stopped, "You know, I'll meet you at the restaurant, you guys go on ahead. Seriously Nicole, I'll catch a cab and I'll be right behind you."

She was hesitant. "Mickie…"

"I promise. It'll be fine. I just want to check on him."

I didn't wait for her response, I just entered the lounge and took the stool next to Randy earning a look of surprise from him. But then he just continued staring at the glass in front of him.

"You going to tell me why you're sitting in this empty lounge, pouting?"

"I wasn't planning on it. Don't you have somewhere to be?" he gestured to my dress

"I do, but I managed to set aside a few minutes to join your little pity party. I finally understand how Punk's brain works, this is fun. I mean this whole demeanour of yours, it's so inviting!" I said playfully.

He managed a small smile and took a swig of his drink, "Two failed relationships in one year, I'm sure on a roll."

"Ah yes, the elephant in the room. I'd heard, of course, I'm sorry Randy."

"No you're not."

"I am, actually. I know how much you cared for Vanessa. And while I didn't think too much of her, for very good reasons I might add, I know that you did."

"Well that doesn't mean much now, since it's over and done with."

"Maybe it could work between the two of you," I said. I knew I was grasping at straws, but he just looked so upset how could I not try to offer him words of encouragement? And yes, I was fully aware of how odd this situation was.

"I was fooling myself, Mickie. That much I do know."

"So what happened? If you don't mind me asking. You seemed so certain about her."

He sighed, "She wasn't the person I thought she was. Or… I guess to be fair to her since this is my fault, she wasn't the person that I wanted her to be."

"And you rushed into it hoping that somehow it was going to help you regain what you thought was missing with us…" I stated softly.

He offered me a wry smile, "You know, I missed this."

"What?"

"Our ability to communicate and understand each other."

"That was a long time ago, Randy," I said cautiously.

"Touché," he turned in his chair to survey me.

"So what's with this old you? The bully. The one who treats everyone around him with such disrespect?"

"I think you and I both know the only reason I've been acting the way I have been. I've only just recently come to that realization, although I think that was more denial than anything."

"Because you're hurt," I answered, "That can't be an excuse, Randy."

He nodded and took another swig of his drink and then turned back to me, "You're looking good Mickie. Not that there's ever been a time where you didn't, but you know what I mean."

I wanted to be angry with him, but I couldn't. This was the most civilized we'd talked in ages. "Thanks. You on the other hand could probably do with a shave and a shower. Now I have to go, the girls are waiting, take care of yourself. And call Becky, please, she says you've been ignoring everyone's calls."

"Happy Birthday, Mickie."

I nodded once and left him, but a few paces I turned back to him with a knowing smile, "Hey, thanks for the cupcake this morning."

"Its tradition, right?" he returned the smile and then immersed himself in his drink again.

I continued watching him for a few more moments and then I left. It was true what I told the girls earlier, about mine and my mother's tradition. But it wasn't just ours anymore, and hadn't been since I first started dating Randy. Because every single year that I couldn't be with my mother on my birthday, Randy had made sure he upheld the tradition, and I don't think he quite knew how much that had always meant to me. It was like having that little piece of my mother with me, even when we couldn't be together. It made me emotional thinking about, as I climbed into the cab, for everything I was still grieving for. Apparently I hadn't come as far as I'd thought.

I arrived at the restaurant a short time later and our night of birthday festivities commenced. We spent a good portion of the time discussing Nicole's recent heel turn and how excited she was to be feuding with her sister – something I think the WWE should have done years ago for interest sake – and her hopes that the WWE would do the storyline justice seeing as how it had a ton of potential. And thankfully any talk of Randy didn't come up until we were halfway through dessert. They were curious, so of course I relayed my entire conversation with him.

"You know what that means?" Nicole said.

"What?" Nattie, Brie and I said in unison.

"She was his rebound. He thought she was the real thing, but he didn't even give himself time to mourn you. Therefore …rebound."

"Come on, Nicole…" Brie rolled her eyes.

"It seemed more serious than that," I said.

"Clearly you've never had a rebound relationship."

"No, I haven't. Randy was my first real relationship. And before you say anything," I pointed at her, "This thing with Nick is real. And you know how I know that? Because I'm still getting over Randy, but I've come to the realization that it's over. And I'm not with Nick because of that, I'm with him because he makes me happy, and I deserve to be happy."

"Well said," Brie raised her glass, "Now let's stow this relationship talk and get on with this night. We're here to celebrate a birthday."

"And a birthday we shall celebrate," Nattie added, clinking her glass with the younger twin.

-X-

I was awoken that night by the ringing of my cell phone. It was four in the morning and I'd only been asleep for a couple of hours. Grumbling, I reached out and placed my phone against my ear.

"Hello?" I mumbled.

"Is this Mrs. Orton?"

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, "Yes, this is she. Who is this?"

"I'm sorry to call you so late ma'am, but this is Officer Braden of the Little Rock Police Department. I have a Randy Orton in custody here. He was involved in a disturbance at a local nightclub. We're willing to release him, but only if someone comes to claim him."

I shook my head in confusion feeling suddenly invigorated, "I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Are you not his wife?"

"I'm… we're separated."

"Oh my apologies ma'am, he had us call this number from his phone. He said it was his wife. Is there anyone else I can call?"

I released a sigh, "Umm, no, no. I'll come by and bring him back to his hotel. We're from St. Louis, so unless you want to call our boss, which I beg you not to do, I can handle it. Can you give me the address?"

He gave me the address which I quickly scribbled down on a pad of paper, and then I hurried about the room dressing in some leggings, boots and a t-shirt. After grabbing my purse, I headed downstairs to the cab I'd called about. I'd gotten a couple hours of sleep, but I'd consumed enough alcohol I knew it wouldn't be entirely safe to drive even though I felt as sober as I had before I'd started drinking. Thankfully it was only a five minute drive down the main highway, and I asked the cab driver to wait before entering the station. At this time of night there were only a handful of officers working, and I asked the lady at the front if I could speak to Officer Braden. A man about mid fifties, with graying hair and a kind face came out to shake my hand.

"Mrs. Orton?"

"Yes that's me. You can call me Mickie." There was a bit of silence so I asked, "How is he?"

He shook his head and gestured me behind the desk and down a hall to the left, "Your husband is in pretty bad shape."

"Yeah, well he just broke up with his girlfriend."

"I didn't get the impression that's what he was upset about."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion, "What do you mean? What else is there?"

"He was pretty loaded when we brought him in. Mumbling a string of barely cohesive sentences, and angry too. Man, I've never witnessed such anger and I've experienced my fair share of drunken bar brawls. He kept mentioning his wife seeing someone else. Kind of sounds hypocritical if you ask me. Not that it's my business."

His words worried me. Hearing him talk about Randy's anger, a complete stranger, was troublesome on its own without factoring in the reality of this current situation. It was no secret to anyone who knew Randy that he'd always struggled with his rage. It was the reason I'd encouraged him to attend the anger management clinic all those years ago. But he'd gotten control over it after that visit and to see him unravelling this way was something for everyone who loved him to be concerned about, myself included. I couldn't believe, even though I'd witnessed it many times over the years, that he could do such a complete one eighty in such a short amount of time. It was like that guy sitting in the lounge less than eight hours earlier suddenly morphed into someone else entirely.

"Yeah, it does. Um is anyone pressing charges?"

We stopped outside a door at the end of the hall, "Nah, I think mostly everyone, including the guy he punched in the face twice for running into him by accident, just felt sorry for him. It wasn't hard to see how lost he seemed. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. And," he leaned down, "Between you and me, I'm a pretty big fan of the guy," he said with a grin.

I nodded my head, sending him an appreciative smile, and he typed in the code and entered into the room with me on his heels. The lights flicked on, and I saw Randy stir in the far cell, the sudden brightness waking him up from his slumber. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and I think it took him a few seconds to take in his surroundings. Officer Braden unlocked his cell and then looked at me, "I'll give you a minute, just meet me back out front when you're ready to go."

I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against the wall opposite Randy's cell, waiting for the door to close behind the officer before I spoke, "This is great."

"What is?"

I stood up straight and gestured to him, "You… in your element. No, I missed this, I really did," I said patronizingly, "And I guess you did too but our marriage was holding you back from being who you truly are. Well I'm glad you did in fact get what you wanted, Randy."

"Am I expected to listen to you all night?"

"If you didn't want this, you should have had them call Cody or John, not your wife. I lived through this side of you once, Randy, I won't do it again. This is the last time."

"Perfect," Randy scowled, and then stumbled out of his cell and followed me back out to the main area of the station. He had to sign a few things, and retrieve his belongings and then we were in the taxi and heading in the direction of the hotel.

"So how's Magnus?"

"You don't get to ask me that," I snapped, "How dare you?"

"I think I have every right to ask that considering you're my wife."

"So I'm your wife now, is that it? Now that I've got a new boyfriend, a new direction in life, suddenly I'm interesting to you again? What is it, Randy? Are you jealous because your own relationship was such a failure and I'm moving on without you?"

"No actually my problem is the fact that I was right about all of this."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You and this Nick. Back then when you were still living in Florida, I knew there was something between the two of you."

"Were you always this stupid and I was just too blind to see it? Or is this something new you're trying? There was never anything between Nick and I when I was living in Orlando. Yes, he admitted to me back then that he had feelings for me, and he tried to kiss me but I never returned those feelings or let anything happen between us because my heart only ever belonged to you. But now… why shouldn't I be with someone who has feelings for me? Who makes me feel special and loved?"

"You sure like the younger guys don't you?"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes, "Please Randy… there's a seven month age difference between you and I. You're not as young as you seem to think you are." After a few seconds of silence, I threw my hands up in a surge of frustration, "How can you do this? How can you be as sweet as you were earlier, and then turn into this? How is that even possible within the span of a few hours?! I thought maybe, maybe we could even be friends, but who was I kidding? You wouldn't know how to be a good friend if your life depended on it." The cab driver pulled up in front of the lobby doors, "Thank you for this, Randy, it was the perfect ending to my birthday evening." I slammed the door behind me, leaving Randy to pay the fare. I was far too angry. I couldn't deal with his mood swings. I was out of practice and quite honestly tired. He was a grown man, and it wasn't okay for him to go around punching people in the face left and right. He was a loose cannon, and maybe I was worried for him, but I refused to let him drag me down, not when things were finally heading in the right direction. I refused to get caught up in Randy Orton again.

I refused.