Disclaimer: I only own Cassidy, Caitlynn, Hannah, and any other OC's that may pop up in the future. Basically, you recognize, I do not own. Thanks to my friend Aaron for his help in role playing this chapter with me.
Chapter 36
"Daddy." Caitlynn said, trying to get John's attention as they walked through the hallway of the arena. John was talking on his cell phone, and not really paying attention to Caitlynn.
"So that's good I think we'll go that route yeah. The T-shirt?" John asked. "Good. Good. Ok." He didn't even pay attention to Caitlynn, as he walked down the hall.
"Daddy!" Caitlynn said again impatiently, tugging on John's hand.
"Just a second baby." He said, glancing at her. "Anyway, so yeah that's what I want to do can you handle it?"
"Daddy!" She said again, as John stopped in the middle of the hallway.
"Good, I'm glad things are working out yeah." John said as Caitlynn saw a bathroom in front of them. She had been trying to tell him she had to go to the bathroom. She decided to just go and be back before he noticed. John finished up his conversation and turned to where Caitlynn had been. "Ok what'd you nee...Caitlynn?" He looked around "Caitlynn? Oh shit." John ran down the hallway, looking for her, hoping he found her before Cassidy found out.
"Dumb phone." Caitlynn mumbled, coming back out of the bathroom, and not seeing John around anywhere. "Daddy!" She yelled, looking around the hallway for him. Not seeing him around, she tried to look for one of the wrestlers she knew really well. Looking up and down the hallway, she didn't see anyone, as she started crying.
"Well, well, well" Adam said, coming up and seeing her standing there. He figured this was the perfect way to get back at John and Cassidy. He put on his best nice guy face and approached the little girl. "Hi." he said, bending down in front of her.
"Hi." Caitlynn replied, shying away from him.
"You know me don't you?" Adam asked in a pleasant tone.
"You yell at my Mommy." Caitlynn said, backing away from him, as she continued to cry.
"I was having a bad day." He said, smiling at her. "I apologized and everything. She probably didn't tell you though."
"You know where Daddy is?" She asked, looking up at him with tears in her eyes still.
"I can call him." Adam smiled. "Or your mommy."
"Mommy." Caitlynn said, a little bit miffed with John at the present time.
"Alright." He said. "Will you come with me to my locker room? I get better reception on my phone there. Plus there's a TV you can watch while we wait."
"Otay." Caitlynn said hesitantly.
"Good." Adam stood back up "Come on." He reached out a hand for her to take.
"You call Mommy now?" Caitlynn asked, leaning against the edge of the couch.
"Sure." Adam said. "I'm just going to go into the bathroom, so you won't be disturbed watching TV."
"Otay." Caitlynn whispered, turning her attention to an old Jetsons cartoon.
"Heh." Adam walked into the bathroom and shut the door, before dialing Cassidy's number.
"Hello?" Cassidy asked, not recognizing the number on her caller i.d.
"Hi Cassidy." Adam answered pleasantly.
"What do you want?" She asked, none too pleasantly.
"Just thought you'd like to know about Johnny boys bad parenting skills." Adam said, looking at his nails.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, somewhat annoyed by his phone call already.
"Have you saw Johnny lately?" He smirked on the other end of the phone.
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she sighed. "No Adam, I haven't seen John since this morning. I had to go to an appearance with Kurt, my SANE client." She said, looking through the stack of papers she had.
"Well." He said "Just that John left poor Caitlynn standing in the middle of the hallway, and I found her."
Sitting up panicked slightly, Cassidy was wondering how much of it was a set up, until she saw John walk in the locker room, completely upset. "WHERE IS SHE!" She yelled into the phone.
"With me." Adam said simply.
"Give me back my daughter." Cassidy said, her voice cold, matching the look in her eyes.
"You'll get her back." Adam told her "Maybe. I'll make you a deal."
"What?" She asked, her heart jumping to her throat.
"John gives up his title to me." He said. "And doesn't try to get it back while I'm champ, and also you two don't press charges against me, then you can have her back."
"Fine." Cassidy said, glaring coldly at John. Frankly, she didn't give a damn what it would cost him, she just wanted her daughter back.
"Alright." Adam said "You two go work that out with McMahon, after you have call me back, and I'll tell you where to find Caitlynn."
"Don't you dare hurt her." Cassidy said, keeping her voice calm. "I want to talk to her first, before I go and talk to McMahon about anything." She added.
"Fine." He walked from the bathroom to the main room. "Caitlynn honey." He said to the little girl who was engrossed in Rugrats on the TV.
"Yeah." She said, looking up at Adam.
"Mommy wants to talk for a second." Adam said, holding the phone out for her.
"Hi Mommy." Caitlynn said, holding the phone with both hands.
"Baby." Cassidy felt tears rush to her eyes, as she heard her daughters voice. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I watch Jetsons." She said, before asking. "When you get me?"
"Soon baby." Cassidy wiped at her eyes. "Daddy and I'll pick you up soon".
"Don' want Daddy." Caitlynn said quietly, forcing Adam to hold back his laughter.
"Well." Cassidy said. "We'll talk about it later, be good for Adam." Cassidy bit the name out bitterly "We'll see you soon. Hand the phone back to him please."
"Otay, bye Mommy." Caitlynn said, as she handed the phone back up to Adam.
"So." Adam said, walking back into the bathroom "Satisfied?"
"Fine, we'll go down and talk to Vince now." Cassidy said, before hanging up the phone.
xoxoxoxo
"Hey Caitlynn." Adam walked back into the main room "Do you want to go sit in the ring? Have you ever done that? You can see how big the Astrodome is from there, it's huge."
"Otay." Caitlynn said, turning off the TV and going over to the door with Adam.
"It's big isn't it?" Adam laughed as he watched Caitlynn look around in awe.
"Uh huh." Caitlynn said, looking up at the giant dome cover on the building.
"Just think when the people come in." Adam told her as his phone rang "Hello?" he answered.
"You've got a deal." Cassidy said, as Vince and Shane nodded their heads.
"Good." Adam grinned. "She'll be in the ring." He hung up before she could say anything. "Mommy's on her way." He told the little girl.
"Otay." She replied, looking up at Adam.
"I need to go to a meeting hun" Adam told her, not wanting to be around when Cassidy or John got there. "You wait here for mommy ok, don't leave."
"You leavin' me?" She asked, totally petrified at the thought of being alone.
"Yeah." He said, 'sympathetically'. "But mommy and daddy'll be right here ok, they're on their way right now."
"Otay." She muttered, sitting down by the corner pulling her knees up under her chin.
"Bye Caitlynn" Adam called as he practically ran down the entry way to the back.
xoxoxoxo
"CAITLYNN!" Cassidy yelled, from the top of the entrance ramp.
"MOMMY!" Caitlynn yelled back, going to the edge of the ropes hesitantly.
"Wait there baby, I'll get you out." Cassidy said, running to the ring.
"Otay" Caitlynn said, sitting on the mat as she waited for Cassidy to get there. She noticed John running behind Cassidy and muttered angrily to herself.
"You okay baby?" Cassidy asked, getting to the ring, and helping Caitlynn out through the ropes, as she took her in her arms, hugging her tight.
"I fine." Caitlynn cried into her shoulder.
"Baby are you sure?" John asked, putting his hand on her back.
"Don't." Caitlynn said, shoving his hand away from her.
"But baby..." John said, feeling wounded. "I didn't...I wasn't..."
"Don't wan' you." Caitlynn mumbled, clinging tighter to Cassidy.
"Oh." John said, his expression falling.
"You lef' me." Caitlynn cried, hiding her face on Cass' shoulder.
"Shhh calm down baby, you'll make yourself sick." Cassidy said, rubbing her back in a circular motion, trying to calm her down.
"I didn't mean" John said, before choking on his words as he felt tears spring to his eyes. He blamed himself for everything. If he hadn't been on the phone...
"I go see Uncle Randy now?" Cait asked, her face still buried in Cassidy's shoulder.
"Yeah baby." Cassidy said. "He and Aunt Hannah have the night off, so you can stay with them during the show. I think Randy has a run in or something but that's it." Cassidy started walking away then, not sparing John a glance.
xoxoxoxo
'Shit' John cussed mentally, as he fiddled with his knee pads 'I should have listened to her. I just thought she wanted my attention. I should have known she's not like that. If I hadn't been on the damn phone about my new merchandise'.
"Well I guess you're happy you'll manage to keep your title." Cassidy said, storming back into the locker room after taking Caitlynn down to Randy and Hannah's.
"I don't care about the fucking piece of metal" John spat as he glared at her. "My little girls well being means more to me, you should know that."
"Oh really? Why exactly couldn't she get your attention to tell you she had to go to the damn bathroom then? How is it she managed to walk away from you, and go into the bathroom herself?" Cassidy yelled, her anger through the roof.
"I was on the phone." John said lamely. "I thought she just wanted me to pay attention to her."
"Were you on the phone with your parents?" Cassidy asked, almost ready to slap the taste from his mouth.
"No." He blushed "It was about some new merchandise I'm getting."
"YOU COULDN'T PUT THE FUCKIN MERCHANDISE PEOPLE ON HOLD, JUST TO FIND OUT WHAT SHE WANTED!" Cassidy exploded, knowing it had been a reason like that, that caused Caitlynn to be found by Adam.
"Like I said." John said patiently. "I thought she just wanted me to hang up and pay attention to her."
"That has got to be the DUMBEST thing I've ever heard. You could have at least asked her what she wanted John. If that was the case, and she just wanted you to pay attention to her, then you could have told her to wait a minute. That damn title almost cost us our daughter, cause some sick bastard found her, and took her back to his locker room." Cassidy said, tears forming in her eyes at the end.
"I know." John whispered. "I just wasn't thinking at the time, I was preoccupied with the phone call."
"So is this going to happen every time you have her, and you get a phone call? Am I going to be scared to death that I'll get a phone call from Adam, saying he's got Caitlynn with him, only this time, he doesn't plan on giving her back?" She asked, clenching her fists to keep from shaking.
"NO!" John exploded. "I've learned my lesson ok? I fucked up, it's my fault, blame me. That's what you want to do anyway. If you haven't noticed Cassidy this parenting thing is still quite new to me. You've fucking had four years before you came back in my life to get used to everything, there are still things I have to learn ok?"
"John, usually if a child keeps saying 'Daddy' over and over, they usually want something. Don't you dare try and say that my leaving for 4 years, kept you from having common sense." Cassidy said, getting in his face.
"How should I know what she wanted?" John asked, pushing her away lightly. "I mean I don't know the ins and outs of a child, I've NEVER been around one. The only reason I've been as good as I am with Caitlynn, is sheer dumb luck that I'm doing the right thing at the time."
"So you've never watched the news, and heard about children being taken, right from their parents hands almost? You've never heard those sad stories of, 'I only turned my back for a second, and the next he was gone'?" Cassidy asked, hoping like hell she was scaring the shit out of John.
"YES!" John yelled "I have. But she was holding onto my pocket, I didn't think she'd let go for any reason whatsoever."
"Well you thought wrong." She spat, turning away from him, to grab her purse.
"What do you want from me?" John asked. "What do I say or do? I've already admitted I fucked up and I feel worse about it than you can imagine that I do."
"John, just never mind, I don't feel like getting into it right now." She said, digging through her purse for something.
"No." He said, grabbing her arm. "What? Tell me please. I want to know."
"I know you hold a lot of resentment toward me, for keeping you out of Cait's life for 4 years. I just don't want to end up losing that one true connection I had to you and our past. Hell John, we're not the same with each other like we were then. I remember after Cait was born, and I'd just sit and hold her, she reminded me so much of you, in the same mannerisms and how she looks. It was almost like I didn't fuck everything up, by leaving you." She said, knowing she didn't make much sense with her rambling
"What's that got to do with this?" He asked, confused by her rambling.
"When I got that call from Adam, my heart sank. I thought for sure he was going to say that we'd never see her again." Cassidy said, looking down at her purse.
"He may be a bastard, but he's not that much of one." John said.
"Yeah, but what if you hadn't agreed to give up your title? What if we hadn't agreed to not press charges against him?" She asked, keeping her gaze locked with the floor.
"We did." John took Cassidy in his arms "We did all that, its not like we wouldn't have."
"Well I know I would have." Cassidy muttered, knowing Caitlynn didn't see things the way Cassidy tried to get her too.
"You're thinking about Caitlynn?" John asked "About how she may not understand."
"She's mad at you right now, and I'm not quite sure when she'll let it go." Cassidy told him, looking up at his face.
"Do you think I should try and talk to her?" He asked.
"You can if you want. I'm not sure how much good it'll do." Cassidy said, shrugging her shoulders.
"How about you?" John asked.
"How about me what?" Cassidy asked, her mind on other things.
"Are you ok?" He asked. "Are you still upset with me? If so I'd like to work it out, one thing at a time."
"You better go talk to Cait, before she gets herself more convinced you don't care." Cassidy said, pulling away from John.
"Hey" John pulled her back to him. "Don't shut me out Cass please."
"I'm not, I just think you should deal with Cait first. She's the one you left." Cassidy said, looking up into his eyes.
"Alright." John nodded "I'll go now, the sooner the better".
Okay." Cassidy said, going over and sitting on the leather couch in there, going over Kurt's appearances and the two photo shoots again.
xoxoxoxo
"I hate Daddy." Caitlynn said, wiping away at the tears that were still falling.
"Why baby?" Randy asked, sitting on the bench beside her and pulling her on his lap. He rubbed her back soothingly as she lay against him.
"He don' love me, so I don' love him." She said, as Randy tried to calm her down.
"Aww baby that's not true." He said. "He loves you a lot".
"Nuh uh. He love a 'tupid title, an he left me." She cried again, not looking to calm down any.
"He didn't mean to leave you, and that title isn't as important to him as you are." Randy said gently.
"I still hate him." Caitlynn said, digging her heels into the bench.
"You shouldn't hate, it's a useless emotion that gets you nowhere." He told her, hoping to get her to understand.
"Fine den. I don' like him no more." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Think about something for me." Randy said "Why do you not like him? Tell me that."
"He 'nore me, and left me." She said, a duh tone in her voice.
"Did he mean to?" Randy asked.
"Yeah." Caitlynn replied.
"No" He said gently "You told me yourself earlier, that you just went to the bathroom without him knowing, he probably thought you were still there."
"He 'nore me though." She said, looking up at Randy.
"He didn't mean to sweetie." He said patiently. "It's just sometimes grownups get phone calls or have to talk to people and it's important to deal with it. He just wanted to get the phone call over with, it probably didn't cross his mind that you needed something."
"He no care." She said, looking up at him still.
"He does." Randy said knowingly. "He talks about you all the time to me, about things you do or say. He shows me new pictures of you and all, you're his world."
"So?" She asked, looking up at him with a tiny attitude.
"So?" He asked back "So that right there should show that he loves and cares for you".
"Cause he show you picture?" Caitlynn asked.
"Not only that, but because when he talks about you his face just lights up. It's like when you talk about Cinderella or something. He just goes on and on and on about things you've done or said. Anyone can tell he's very proud of you".
"I never getta see him anymore." Caitlynn said sadly.
"I realize." He really didn't know what to say to the young girl to make her feel better. "You know you need to tell him these things. Tell him how you feel, that you never get to see him, I'm sure he'll listen." In fact, Randy had no doubt John would listen to what Caitlynn had to say.
"He never home." She said, climbing off Randy's lap to go play with a few toys.
"I'm never home either." Randy tried a different tactic. "Does that make you think that I love you any less?"
"No." Caitlynn mumbled, putting the Barbie doll down she was holding.
"Do you see my point?" he asked, ready to flat out tell her if she didn't.
"Huh?" She asked, looking up at him questioningly.
"Honey" Randy said, getting down on the floor beside her, wincing when his knee popped. "Just because we do what we do, that doesn't mean we love any of our loved ones any less. I still love Aunt Hannah the same as I did when we first met and she feels the same. Your dad loves you and your mom so much and that will never change."
"He losed me though." Caitlynn said, not understanding why Randy didn't get that.
"I know." He nodded. "He was distracted and didn't keep up with where you were. That's his fault but baby it was a mistake, he didn't mean for it to happen and he certainly didn't want it to either".
"I still be mad at him?" She asked, looking up at Randy's face.
"You shouldn't be." He said "I can't force you not to be. Can I ask something though? A request, a favor?"
"What?" She asked, chewing her nail nervously.
"If John comes to talk to you." He said. "When he does. Hear him out. Let him tell you how he feels and you tell him how you feel and then try to work it out with him ok?"
"Why?" She asked, causing Randy to cringe in annoyance. She had drove him to the brink of insanity when she went through her 'why' phase, and that word was still like nails on a chalkboard at times.
"Because baby, you need to work things out with him because you need him in your life just as much as he needs you in his." He said patiently.
"He does?" Caitlynn asked, shock filling her young voice.
"Yeah." Randy almost laughed at her expression but held it back. "He sure does. He needs you to be his escape from work and all the stuff he has to put up with here."
"How I need him?" She asked, not understanding really that what she felt toward him, and John doing things for her, was her needing him.
"Well," Randy thought on it "what if you and he are home alone by yourselves and you get hungry, what do you do?"
"Daddy make sometin." She told him, twisting her hair on her finger.
"There you go." He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If daddy wasn't there what would you have done?"
"Ask Mommy." Caitlynn said, with a duh look on her face.
"But mommy's not there." Randy reminded "Remember I said it was only you and daddy, so if daddy's not there that means you'd be alone."
"Who baby-sit me though?" She asked, knowing she couldn't stay at home by herself.
"I dunno." Randy threw his hands up. "No one. If daddy's not there then that means his family isn't there, and if me and Hannah are here that means there's no one to keep you."
"Why not Mommy?" She asked, wondering where Cassidy had gone.
"She's at work." He said. "She has to support you and her somehow and needs to make money."
"Oh." Caitlynn said simply.
"So what happens?" He asked. "What do you do?"
"I don' know." She told him honestly.
"So if mommy's not able to be there, and I'm not and Aunt Hannah's not who would you need?" He asked.
"Daddy." She said, as Randy nodded his head.
"Exactly." He nodded "So there's how you need him. But you need him in A LOT of other ways too".
"How?" She asked, as Randy knew that would be her next question.
"To drive you places." He said. "To play with you, to buy you clothes and toys, to love you."
"Oh." She replied simply, as she realized a bit that John does all that for her.
"Do you get it now?" He asked, praying like hell that she did.
"Uh huh, Daddy need me, an I need him." Caitlynn said, as Randy smiled at her as she continued talking. "I still mad though."
xoxoxoxo
John slowly walked toward Randy and Hannah's room, collecting his thoughts along the way. He wanted to be sure he could handle anything Caitlynn threw at him. He got to the room and knocked.
"Hey John, I guess you know she's pretty pissed at you?" Hannah asked, opening the door to reveal John.
"Yeah." He said quietly "You think I could try and talk to her?"
"Sure, good luck though." Hannah told him, letting him inside.
"Hey." John said, looking at Caitlynn who was watching cartoons on Randy's portable DVD player. Randy was nowhere to be found and John guessed that he was doing his match or filming a promo.
"Go 'way." Caitlynn mumbled, keeping her attention on the cartoon that was playing.
"I thought we could talk a bit." He said sitting on the bench, making sure to keep his distance.
"Go 'way." She said again, this time getting up and going to the other side of the room.
"Come on Cait." John said. "Please, I want to work this out with you baby."
"No." Caitlynn replied stubbornly.
"Just like me." John mused to himself. "So is this it then?" He asked, trying a different approach. "You just want me out of your life after I mess up? Wanna give up on me that easily?"
"You hava title." She said, and John could almost hear the shaky breath she let out when she answered him.
"So?" He asked shrugging.
"'It more 'portant to you." Caitlynn said, wiping away at her face again.
"No it's not." John protested. "I was going to give it up to get you back."
"Why?" She asked, turning around to face him then. When she did, the look on her face broke his heart.
"Because I love you sweetheart, you and mommy are the world to me." He said, choking back the lump in his throat.
"'Den why you leave me?" She asked, her bottom lip quivering.
"I didn't mean to." John choked his own tears down. "I thought you'd walked off and I went to find you. I didn't think that you were in the bathroom."
"I try an tell you. You 'nored me." She said, keeping her distance from him still.
"I know." John nodded. "I was into my phone call, trying to get things worked out, I didn't mean to ignore you."
"You don' love me." She told him, sitting down on the floor.
"What makes you say that?" He asked, looking at her intently and brushing a few tears from his eyes.
"You's on a phone all day." Cait told him, as he had pretty much been phone to ear since that morning.
"Yeah." John nodded. "I have been on the phone quite a lot today, but how's that show that I don't love you?" He asked, he was trying his hardest to get into her tiny little head, but her logic wasn't quite making sense to him.
"You alway on a phone now." She said, keeping her head down.
"I know." He nodded again "I really am sorry. It's just at work they have me so swamped, and I have to approve things and it just seems like everyone needs a piece of me." John realized he may have been talking over her head a bit and stopped.
"You my Daddy though." She said, wiping away at her cheeks, and it was then John realized she was crying.
"Yeah I am." John said, in a voice full of the emotion he felt. "I realize I haven't been acting like it much lately. I'm so sorry for that sweetie."
"I ne'er see you, an Mommy say you play today, an you was on the phone 'gain." Caitlynn said, looking up at John for the first time in minutes.
"I'm sorry." John said again, feeling his heart break at the sight of her face. "I didn't realize you were looking forward to anything, if I had I would have shoved things to the side. I guess I should have anyway. If you're around I need to make you my number one priority."
"Uncle Randy say I shouldn' hate you." Caitlynn told him, not moving from the floor.
"That's good advice." John nodded, thanking God Randy told her that, because he knew it probably got through to her somehow.
"I still mad though." She told him, keeping her distance from him still.
"Alright." He said "That's fair, it's understandable." He wasn't about to force anything lest he make things worse. "Is there something, anything I can do to get you to forgive me? To make you love me again?"
"I don' know." Caitlynn said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Anything." John gently pushed "You name it I will do it. I don't care how outrageous it is I'll do it." John meant every word he said to, he wanted her to forgive him and things to be ok between them again.
"You play with me now?" She asked, looking up at John, who cringed realizing he had a match soon.
"Mhmm." He said "I will until my match, then I'll go do it, be gone like 10 minutes then I'll come back and shower and you'll have my full attention until you fall asleep. How's that sound?" He mentally crossed his fingers, toes and eyes in hope that she'd agree.
"You always tire' after match." Caitlynn said, looking down at the floor again.
"So?" John shrugged "It doesn't matter. I'll suck it up. All that matters is me spending time with you."
"We play tea party?" She asked, looking up at him hesitantly.
"Yep." He smiled at her. "Anything you want."
"We have ice cream?" She asked him, picking at the Pooh band aid on her knee.
"Yep." He nodded. "I'll take you by Dairy Queen after we leave here, and we'll get whatever you want."
"Otay, we friends 'gain." She said, staying on the floor.
"Wanna hug on it?" He asked hesitantly.
"Yeah." She replied, not moving from her spot though.
"Do you want me to come get you?" John joked. "Oh wait let me guess. Your legs have magically forgotten how to walk and need to be reminded." Giggling at John, Cait got up and ran over into his waiting arms. "There's my girl." He said, he could have wept at that moment. "So you forgive me? You still love me?" He asked.
"Yeah." She said, keeping her arms around his neck tightly.
"Good." John smiled widely. He looked down at his watch and noticed he needed to go for his match. "My match is soon babygirl. Wanna stay here and wait on me? If I'm not back in 30 minutes you can have Uncle Randy beat me up. Hannah'll even keep time for you."
"'Kay." She said, looking up at Randy and Hannah who were watching from the doorway. Leaning in, Caitlynn kissed John's cheek for luck and hugged him again. "Love you Daddy." She said sweetly.
"I love you too babygirl." He said. Hannah and Randy could see the tears shining in his eyes. John put Caitlynn on the bench, kissed her forehead and left to his match, calling back a promise of not being more than 20 minutes.