Chapter 50
Stephanie leant against the wooden door frame and smiled as her hand absently rubbed the side of her stomach. The nursery had really started to take shape the last couple of days and she was excited to see it starting to look like a proper baby's room. The old decor was gone and the room was now decorated in pretty pinks and yellows. Most of the furniture had been assembled too apart from the crib but Paul was apparently working on that now.
Stephanie watched as he began to tighten a couple of the screws joining two of the sides together. Paul had been working so hard on the room and she could see his brown eyes were heavy and tired and it was little wonder after getting little rest. He had been pretty upset after a dream he'd had last night. He had tossed and turned for hours before eventually giving up and leaving her in bed alone. Instead of sleeping, he had worked on the baby's room and in fact had spent the last four nights here. Stephanie just wished he would talk to her and tell her why the dreams he was having were affecting him so badly to the point that he had become an insomniac. However, every time she tried to broach the subject with him he would bite her head off. She just hoped his medication would start to take effect soon and he could get a proper night's rest. She was so worried about him and Paul was practically running on empty. He had to be absolutely exhausted.
Just then, Paul tossed down the screwdriver and looked up to see Stephanie standing watching him. He smiled as he pushed himself to his feet and she crossed the room to meet him.
"So McMahon, what do you think? Do you like it?"
She nodded her head before sliding her arms around his waist and leaning against his chest, breathing in the faint spicy scent of his cologne.
"I love it. The colours all blend in really well."
She tilted her head up and grinned at him.
"Whoever picked them did good don't you think?"
Paul's body shook with his deep chuckle as he kissed the tip of her nose. "They certainly did. Remind me to reward them for their efforts later on."
Stephanie's blue eyes widened with her curiosity. "And what does that reward entail exactly?"
"Hmmmm." Paul rolled his lips together thoughtfully. "How about a nice meal followed by a hot bubble bath run by yours truly. And if you're really lucky, I'll even hop in and wash your back."
He paused as his hand sought out her stomach and his palm gently rubbed over the bump.
"Although I'm kind of wondering if there's enough room in there for all three of us."
Stephanie laughed and gazed down at herself. "She's getting big now, isn't she? I mean my feet have basically disappeared and can you imagine the size I'll be in a couple of months' time? I'll practically be the size of a small country."
Paul wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed the top of her head. "It doesn't matter. You'll still be beautiful to me."
"Oh you're just full of charm today aren't you?" she smirked.
"I try Steph. I really do but it's not easy being this damn good you know."
"I'm sure it's not."
She smiled and her hand lifted to tenderly tuck his soft blonde strands behind his ear. "Oh by the way the doctor called. Your appointment's been set up for Monday at 11.00am."
"I'm not looking forward to it, you know." he said as his nose crinkled with disapproval. "I hate being interrogated."
"They're not there to interrogate you Paul. They only want to help you."
"I know but who knows what kind of questions they'll be asking." He lightly shook his head as he scowled. "I'm a private person Steph. I don't want to go into all that stuff."
Stephanie's blue eyes pleaded with him as she curled her hand around his face. "Please give it a chance Paul. It might not actually be that bad once you get there."
He sighed in resignation. "I know. I'm just nervous I guess."
"I don't blame you. I can come with you if you want me to."
As she smiled up at him, Paul felt gratitude for her support. Then again, he didn't expect anything less. Stephanie has been nothing but supportive since the moment he'd woken up in that hospital room. Her strength amazed him; more than that he loved her for it. He loved her so much that there were times when he looked at her and he could hardly breathe.
"Thank you but I think it's something I need to do on my own, for now at least." He smiled back at her. "But if it gets too scary, you're more than welcome to come and hold my hand if you like."
"I think you've got yourself a deal."
"Good. That's settled then."
Paul brushed his lips over her forehead before he pulled away and turned his attention back to the crib. He lifted the flat pack away from the wall and began to unwrap the base.
"Maybe you could tell the doctor about your dreams when you're there. I think talking about them would really help you."
Paul swallowed hard as his hand stilled and his brown eyes hardened as they stared out towards the window. "I don't want to talk about it Steph."
"But Paul they're obviously bothering you. I heard you calling out my name last night. You sounded really scared."
His eyes fluttered shut and his stomach churned as a vision of a bloody and battered Stephanie entered his head. Last night had been the first time he'd dreamt of her being stabbed. Even now he could remember the knife piercing her skin. It had all been so vivid and real that when he had awoken he had been so terrified, thinking he had actually lost her. The only thing that had calmed him down was finding Stephanie lying next to him and hearing her steady breathing had soothed him somewhat. But the whole dream had really freaked him out so much so he couldn't handle it. Christ, he couldn't even handle a conversation about it that's how screwed up he was and he could feel his anxiety getting the better of him. His control was starting to slip. It always did every time someone mentioned those fucking dreams.
"Drop it Steph. I mean it." he warned her as his eyes popped open. He could feel Stephanie's hand on his arm, the gentle heat of her fingers warming his skin.
"But Paul I'm only trying to help you."
His anxiety clutched tightly at his chest and Paul shrugged her off as his breathing began to deepen, his anger bubbling to the surface.
"No you're not helping. You're not helping at all. Not when you bring the subject up every fucking minute. Why can't you just stop interfering and just leave me the fuck alone!"
Stephanie shook her head at his outburst and her face wore a hurt expression as she stared back at him. "I'll be happy to. I don't have to take this shit from you, you know."
"No-one's asking you to. I'm just glad you finally got the message to back off instead of being a goddamn pain in the ass!"
"You know you really are a bastard at times." she shot back before she left.
The slamming of the door echoed around the room and it seemed to being him to his senses. Paul immediately felt guilty as he realised he had gone way too far. Stephanie was right. He was a total bastard and she sure as hell didn't deserve to have been treated that way. God knows she'd been nothing but supportive since the attack yet every opportunity he had, he seemed to throw it back in her face. And it wasn't like he meant to hurt her. It killed him to know he had upset her but his anger just seemed to explode and he was unable to keep it under control. He just wished she would stop constantly hassling him to talk about his dreams. Didn't she understand that it wasn't because he wouldn't talk about it? The truth was he just couldn't. The dreams scared him to death. They freaked him out. He wanted to forget about them not relive them with her. But then again, how could he expect her to understand when he never gave her the chance to? He never talked to her. Hell, he didn't even offer her an explanation.
Paul sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, the soft strands falling around his face gently. As he looked around the room, he knew he had to apologise to Stephanie.
The door lightly creaked at the hinges as he opened it and stepped out into the hallway. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he could hear the loud banging in the direction of the kitchen. It was quickly followed by a loud curse and he winced as he walked through. He was met by a less than friendly scowl and he rolled his eyes knowing she wasn't going to make it easy on him. A pissed off McMahon was a stubborn McMahon, especially one brandishing a knife.
Holding up his hands in a gesture of peace, Paul cautiously approached her.
"Steph, look I'm sorry okay? I acted like a jerk."
Stephanie glared at him for a second before she turned her back to him and walked in the direction of the counter. "You're right. You were a jerk. It was totally uncalled for."
She began to aggressively chop with the knife and Paul tentatively reached for her shoulder feeling her tense up at his touch.
"I was out of line. I know that and I truly am sorry."
Stephanie remained silent as she stared ahead at the wall, her hand hovering above the counter as it loosely gripped the knife. Paul sighed as he gently pleaded with her.
"Can we sit down and talk about this? Please?"
She remained still for a moment before she lifted her shoulder in a shrug and stepped away from him. Paul's hand dropped to his side as he watched her walk to the table and pull out a chair. He held out his hand towards her as she sat down.
"Before we start can I have the knife please?"
Stephanie snorted at him but eventually passed him the utensil. He placed it on the counter before pulling out the chair next to her and sitting down. He let out a heavy sigh and he lifted his hand and rubbed at his chin.
"Look, I didn't mean to shout at you." he said softly as his hand fell away to drop to his lap. He leant forward towards Stephanie, his face softening as he looked into her blue eyes. "I just get so angry sometimes. I can't help it."
Her lips twitched with a smile of acknowledgement. "I know and I try to understand Paul. I do. But when I have to stand there and take the verbal abuse, it's hard. It's really hard."
Paul's eyes briefly dropped to the table as he felt a stab of guilt in his chest.
"I know." he agreed.
His head tilted upwards as he offered her a contrite smile.
"And I know I don't always show it but it really means a lot to have you supporting me through all of this. You're my rock Steph. I'd be totally lost without you. You know how much you mean to me, don't you?"
Stephanie's expression instantly softened at his admission and she reached for his hand, clasping it in hers. "I just worry about you Paul. I don't mean to be a pain in the ass."
Paul grimaced. "I didn't mean that you know."
"I know." she smiled. "And I didn't mean to call you a bastard."
Paul smirked. "Yes you did."
Stephanie lifted her shoulder in a playful shrug.
"And you were right. I was a bastard. But I honestly don't mean to be and especially not to you."
Stephanie brought his hand to her mouth and gently kissed his knuckles. She toyed with his fingers as she let out a sigh, a breath of courage as she brought up the subject again. "I know you don't want to talk about them. Well not to me anyway."
"What? My dreams?"
Stephanie looked up and slowly nodded.
"I can't Steph. I…I just can't. Not to you. I can't risk it because when I talk about them, for some reason I just get angry and I can't be angry at you. Not any more."
Paul began to fidget nervously on the seat and she squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"It's okay. I understand. But if I promise to lay off the subject will you do something for me?"
He nodded his head and she was encouraged to continue.
"Talk to someone about it. If you can't, then fine. But I'd really appreciate it if you'd at least try."
As her hopeful blue eyes stared back at him, Paul knew he had to give her this. After all, it was the least that she deserved even if talking about them ranked up there with sticking pins in his eyes. He nodded once more and his heart lifted when he saw her beaming smile.
"Thank you."
"You've got nothing to thank me for Steph. If there's anyone who should be saying thank you, it's me."
Stephanie said nothing as she stood up and sat on his knee wrapping her arms around his neck. "Then I'll just say you're welcome."
She brushed her lips softly against his and as she broke away, she smiled at him.
"Now I seem to remember someone promising me a reward earlier on."
Paul grinned. "Nice to know you can still remember some things."
Stephanie stuck out her tongue. "Ha ha. Very funny. You know you're just back in my good books. I wouldn't push it if I were you."
"Point taken."
She grinned playfully pinching his cheek. "Good boy."
She stood up and took Paul's hand to pull him to his feet.
"You'd better get cracking and get dinner started. I'm starving Levesque."
Paul rolled his eyes biting down on his lip to conceal his smile as he made his way over towards the counter. He picked up the knife that Stephanie had been using earlier.
"Oh and Paul?"
He turned round to see her leaning against the door frame and smiling at him.
"If you do a good job at dinner, I'll let you join me in that bubble bath you promised."
Paul grinned as she winked and walked out the door. Her hips swayed seductively and Stephanie certainly knew how to push his buttons that was for sure. And the fact she was still talking to him after his little outburst was more than he could have asked for. Still, he knew they couldn't keep going on like this. One time he might just go too far and push her away and he just couldn't risk that. Stephanie was far too important to him to lose her. God knows she meant everything to him. So maybe she was right. Maybe to fix things, he did need to talk to someone although the simple thought of that alone freaked him out. Still, he was going to have to do something. He wasn't prepared to live like this any longer. More importantly, he wasn't prepared to hurt Stephanie any longer. So in order to keep her happy and safe he had to suck it up and try and find the courage to deal with this thing head on.
Vince scowled in annoyance as the shrill ringing of the phone interrupted the silence of the study. Muttering under his breath, he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Vince? Hey. It's Andrew. Andrew Martin."
His face turned pale at the name. "Martin! What the hell do you want?"
"It's quite easy. I want to come back and you're going to make it happen."
Vince's mouth parted in disbelief as he absorbed Andrew's request. "Over my dead body you will. You really expect me to let you back after what you did to Paul? You're crazy. Besides, you should be locked up for what you've done."
"We'll see. In the meantime you will let me back to wrestle or I'll make sure everybody knows about your involvement in your daughter's personal life. Once everyone knows the truth, I'm sure no-one will be shocked to find out that you masterminded the attack on Paul. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Vince's blood immediately chilled.
"You bastard Martin! I had nothing to do with what happened to Paul and you know it!"
"Maybe but I'm pretty sure everyone else will have a hard time believing you including your precious daughter. I'll give you twenty four hours to make up your mind."
Vince swallowed hard as he heard Andrew hang up at the other end. He stared incredulously at the receiver in his hand. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. There was no way in hell he could justify letting Andrew back. On the other hand, he couldn't let Stephanie know about his interference in her relationship with Paul. She would hate him for it and he couldn't risk losing his baby girl. He had to face the cold hard fact that he was screwed whatever he decided to do and that what ever his decision was, it was going to cost him and cost him dearly.
