All of the people in this story are owned by Vince McMahon and the WWF, except for Melanie, Monica, Pastor Smith, and the young orphan, Sam, Danielle, and Ms. Moreland. Marissa is not mine, I've noticed her name in other stories, and have found out from a friend that she is indeed Shane's wife(in real life).
Thanks for the info Scattia. :)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is obviously not mine, but I forget which movie company owns it.
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.
This story is based on the Bible scripture: 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7
Chapter 4: Lenae
Trish bent down next to the young girl, "What's your name sweetie?"
"Lenae."
"Well, which guests here are your parents?" Andrew asked, scanning the crowd.
"None," Lenae said quietly.
"What did you say? I didn't hear you." Andrew had to shrink himself even more, straining to hear what the little girl said.
"None," she repeated, a little more loudly.
"How did you get here? Did your parents drop you off?" Trish asked curiously.
"I sneaked in, to escape the social worker." Trish and Andrew looked at one another in concern. Lenae's eyes darted back and forth nervously between Trish and Andrew. A wild look in her in deep, blue eyes, Lenae bolted.
"Oh, no you don't," Andrew said. In two steps, his 6 ft. 4 frame caught up with her. Taking her arm firmly, his face hard, he said, "Come on, let's go."
Meanwhile:
Jessica slowly opened her eyes. *I feel so exhausted,* she thought wearily.
"How are you feeling?" Chris asked anxiously as he walked into the room, holding a styrofoam cup of coffee. He sat down in the chair next to Jessica's bed, and took her hand in his.
"Tired, and why am I so sore down below?" Jessica questioned. Chris looked at her sheepishly, "Well, you required some stitches. Even though the babies were born three weeks early, they are quite heavy for being premature. The boy is eight pounds, three ounces, while the girl is an even eight pounds."
"What?!" she asked, her eyes wide. "No wonder it felt like I was carrying watermelons," Jessica replied, slightly surprised.
"When can we see them, are they okay?" Jessica asked frantically.
"They are fine sweetie," Chris said, trying to get her to relax. The nurse is cleaning them up. Doctor Hartnett was here just a little while ago, he had to cut the umbilical cords- while you slept through it all," he added, smiling. "Hmm, I bet, the nurse is giving them a better clean up job than I did," Chris said ruefully. Thoughtfully, he pulled the red and yellow stained apron out of his pocket.
A quiet knock sounded in the open doorway, "May we come in?" Trish asked politely, a smile on her face.
"Sure," Chris beamed. He was surprised to see the young girl walking between Trish and Andrew. "What's your name honey?" Chris asked, smiling.
"Lenae," she said quietly. She lifted her eyes to look into his clear blue ones, then quickly stared back down at the floor.
"Thank you Lenae," Jessica said softly, smiling brightly at the young girl.
Beaming, Linae's head shot up, "Your welcome." Both Trish and Andrew exchanged smiles. It was the first time they had seen her smile since they met her.
"I uh, I don't know if this can be cleaned," Chris said sheepishly, handing the apron back to Lenae.
"You can't give that back to her!" Jessica scolded, snatching it out of his hands.
"Actually," Trish said quietly, "I'll take it and see if I can clean it."
All eyes turned towards her, "What?! Surprised I can clean? I am domesticated- some," Trish finished quietly.
"Thank you," Lenae said gratefully. She didn't have many pretty clothes as it was, and she really couldn't afford to lose more. Just then, the nurse came into the room carrying two tiny bundles of joy, each wearing their own soft, knit pink and blue caps.
"I think we'd better go," Andrew said softly, ushering Trish and Lenae out of the room. "We'll talk to you guys later," Andrew said. Chris nodded absent-mindedly as he took his baby girl in his arms.
"She's so beautiful," Chris said softly as he looked down into his daughter's wide blue eyes. "Hey, she's staring up at me!" he exclaimed in amazement, looking up at Jessica.
"See, she knows you already," Jessica said with a soft smile. He looked at his sleeping son, in Jess's arms. Chris wondered what color of eyes their baby boy had, but both babies had a small dose of light blond hair covering their heads.
"We do need to decide on names for them honey," Jessica reminded him gently.
Looking down at their little girl he said, "Marion, Marion Elizabeth." His voice was soft, but Jessica could hear the certainty in his voice. Jessica nodded slowly, thinking back to their discussion of countless baby names.
She smiled, "I like it, it's pretty. I've been thinking of the name David Gabriel, for our little boy. What do you think?" she asked, looking down at their son proudly.
"I think it's a nice name, strong yet unique. I think of Gabriel, the Archangel," Chris answered.
"So did I, that's partially why I picked it," Jessica said, smiling mischievously.
Just then Dr. Hartnett came in with two forms, "I'll need you to fill these out. Did you decide on names for the twins yet?" he asked. They shook their heads yes. "Good, I brought these in just in time then," he said with a smile as he handed them the forms.
As Chris signed on the dotted line, he whispered, "Welcome to our world, Marion and David."
On the road again,
Andrew drove on in silence.
"Your taking me back to the orphanage aren't you?" both fear and a challenge creeping into her voice.
"Yes," Andrew replied evenly, not pulling any punches.
"No, no you can't take me back, I don't want to go!" Lenae almost wailed.
Andrew looked sharply at her through the rearview mirror.
Straight forward, Andrew asked, "Why don't you want to go back?"
"I, I just don't, the people there are mean."
Trish turned around in the front seat to look at Lenae, "Perhaps you just need to get to know the children better," Trish offered.
Lenae shook her head vehemently, "No, it's not the kids," she said quietly, but firmly. Now in unfamiliar territory, Andrew pulled off onto the shoulder of the road, while Trish scoured the map, looking for the correct way to reach the orphanage.
"Got it," Trish said, folding up the map. After about thirty minutes of driving, they came upon a rather imposing building. They drove up the long, winding drive and through the wrought iron gate, only to stop in front of an enormous, three-story, red brick building. Lenae cringed inwardly as a tall, skinny woman with mousy brown hair came running towards them. Andrew regarded the woman skeptically as he got out of the car, opening first Trish's, then Lenae's door. Reluctantly, Lenae got out of the car. Almost instantly, the thin woman wrapped her arms around the little girl.
"Where have you been, I've been so worried about you," the woman gushed. Andrew crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't exactly an honor student when it came to kids, but he didn't like this strange woman in front of him, there was something fishy, fake about her.
"Hi, I'm Ms. Moreland," she said, extending a hand to Andrew, "thank you for finding her, I'll be forever grateful."
"No problem," he said non-chalantly. Cutting to the chase, he asked, "She's allowed to have visitors right?"
A bit taken aback by the directness of his question, she stammered, "Why, uh, yes."
"Good, we'll see you tomorrow okay?" he said winking at Lenae as they got into the car.
As Andrew drove away, Trish looked at him in surprise, "You like her don't you?"
"Yes," Andrew said, not daring to take his eyes off the road. *I can't believe this. Children and I don't mix, we're like oil and water. Yet, here I am, letting this kid get under my skin- and heart,* he thought.
As soon as Andrew's car disappeared down the drive, Ms. Moreland grabbed Lenae's arm painfully, "What did you think you were doing, running away like that? Did you want to get me in trouble?"
"Yes," Lenae spat out. Ms. Moreland slapped Lenae hard across the face. "We'll see how you like spending the night in your room with no dinner," the middle-aged woman said cruelly, dragging Lenae through the front door.
The next morning:
The McMahon family saw Stephanie and Paul off as they boarded the gigantic cruise ship for a two week cruise to Greece. Marissa and Shane secretly looked at each other and smiled. Their announcement could wait a little longer.
Andrew groaned as his alarm clock started beeping and with each passing second it got louder.
"Alright, alright," Andrew said, slamming his hand down on top of it. "I'm up. There, happy!" he fumed. Staring at his alarm clock, he ran a hand through his mussed hair. Just then a knock sounded at the door. Andrew grabbed his robe off the bedroom door, tying it around his waist.
*I can't let Trish see me in my boxers, not until we're married anyway,* he thought with a grin. He recalledt a funny line from, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, 'No ding ding without the wedding ring.' He chuckled at the thought. "Your early," he said as he opened the door. Looking at her smiling face Andrew commented, "I didn't know that you were a morning person."
"Normally, I'm not, but look, I got her apron clean," Trish said, holding it up excitedly.
Andrew smiled, "Good, I'm glad, why do I get the feeling she doesn't have many nice clothes," he said dryly.
As Trish waited for him to get dressed, she sat down on Andrew's plush sofa and let her thoughts drift. *I would love to patch up her cute, Raggedy Ann type dress for her. I hope Mom won't mind showing me how,* Trish thought hopefully.
Andrew broke into her thoughts, "You ready hon?" She nodded. When they reached the orphanage, Trish went inside to speak to Ms. Moreland, the matron, while Andrew strolled over to the playground and absent- mindedly watched the children at play. His eyes narrowed and instantly he became alert as his gaze went to one young girl, Lenae. He noticed the purplish, yellow bruise on her jaw and the black and blue bruise on her arm. *She didn't have those yesterday,* he thought angrily.
Trish jogged over to him, "Hey, what are you doing?" Trish asked, gently brushing back a strand of blond hair out of his eyes.
"Look, over there," he said. Following his finger, she spotted Lenae.
"Hey, I thought Lenae was busy, that's what Ms. Moreland told me," Trish said angrily.
"Ms. Moreland is a liar," Andrew said fiercely, his gaze turning to rest on Trish, "and we're going to find out why."
Lenae froze in fear as she caught sight of two people watching her in the shadows. When she caught site of a tall guy with blond hair, she ran towards the couple.
"You came to see me!" Lenae said happily.
"Of course we did honey, you didn't think we would leave without saying goodbye did you?" Trish asked with a smile.
"Goodbye? Your leaving m.. I mean your leaving?" Lenae asked, masking the pain inside her.
"Yes, we have to, Andrew and I have another wrestling show to do in West Virginia. Here, Trish said, handing the apron to her through the fence hole, I cleaned it for you."
"Thank you," Lenae said shyly.
For the first time Andrew spoke up, "Does Ms. Moreland treat you well here?" His voice was casual, but his gaze was piercing.
Lenae was silent for a moment, "Uh, yes," she said hesitantly. Andrew frowned, it was almost like a dead give-away. Andrew knew that they wouldn't be able to get much out of Lenae, she was well, afraid.
"Tell you what, how about we give you a call when we are in West Virginia, and get you a souvenir for you while we are there," Andrew grinned mischievously.
"Oh wow, would you really?" A puzzled look came over her face, "What exactly is a souvenir?"
"It's like a gift," Trish explained.
"Really, oh wow!" Lenae grinned from ear-to-ear.
"Be good, and be safe," Andrew said casually, yet Lenae could still see the intensity in his blue eyes.
"Okay," she said slowly. She really would try to be good, so she wouldn't hurt so much.
Andrew dropped Trish off at her apartment, and told her, "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for the flight to West Virginia."
"Okay, see you then."
"And now for some unfinished business," he said to himself as he headed towards Raleigh. He drove into Raleigh, North Carolina just as dusk settled upon the city. Pulling into the parking lot of a two story, slightly run down brick building, he grabbed the phone book lying on the back seat. He checked to make sure he had the right address. Taking a deep breath, he shut off his car and walked across the parking lot to the front entrance. He walked up the rickety, wooden staircase. His boots pounded on the hardwood floors as he walked down the hall. Andrew smiled faintly as he saw: Private Investigator: Samuel Harris, etched in the glass. *This is like straight out of an old Humphrey Bogart movie,* he thought as he opened the door.
An attractive dark-haired secretary greeted him, gracefully moved out from behind her desk and said, "Follow me, Sam's expecting you." He tried not to stare at her long legs clad in fishnet stockings. He shook his head and forced himself to stare straight ahead.
"You're an engaged man, it is not a hot idea for you to be checking out other women," he told himself sternly. As he entered Sam's office, Andrew could just picture himself in black and white. Sam sat behind a polished, though slightly worn, cherry wood desk. Behind it sat a man wearing a dark brown shirt with matching brown slacks and for contrast, he wore a beige tie. Next to his desk stood a coat rack with a beige trench coat and matching hat hanging on it.
"Thanks Danielle," Sam said, smiling warmly at her.
"Your welcome," she said. Not bothering to hide his curiosity, Andrew watched the two of them with interest. Even though her tone was casual, Andrew could see a slight blush creep up her face. *Certainly, this guy wasn't oblivious to that!* he thought.
"Excuse me," Andrew interjected politely.
"Oh, a hem, excuse me," the detective said, turning a slight shade of red himself. "I'm sorry about that, Mister, Mister"...
"Martin, Andrew Martin."
"Nice to meet you Mr. Martin, now what can I do for you?" the detective asked, covering his embarrassment with an easy smile. Sam leaned back in his chair linking his hands behind his head.
"Well," Andrew said, and proceeded to tell him everything that had happened since they met Lenae.
"Do you know the girl's last name?" Sam asked. His interest piqued, he leaned forward in his chair.
Andrew shook his head, "No."
Sam frowned, "It definitely sounds like an abuse case, and she may not be the only one," he said.
"I know, the thought has crossed my mind too. I've been wondering if she isn't the only one being abused at that orphanage," Andrew said, a scowl on his face.
"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Feel free to call me anytime to check up on the case." Sam handed him a business card. "My work and home phone number are on here. At the latest, I'll call you by the end of the week. I'll do my best to get to the bottom of this," Sam said determinedly. He rose up out of his chair to shake Andrew's hand. Andrew gave him the number of the hotel in West Virginia where he could be reached.
"Thank you," Andrew said gratefully.
"Don't thank me yet," the detective said with a wry smile. The detective frowned as he watched Andrew leave. *There's far more to this case than meets the eye,* Sam thought with conviction.
Everyone was excited to be boarding the United Airlines, 747 jet bound for West Virginia. For the Hardys, it wasn't too far from home, besides they loved much of the east coast anyway. While others thought the West Virginia scenery was absolutely breathtaking.
As they took their seats, the first thing Trish asked Andrew was how things went at the meeting yesterday.
"How did everything go, what did the detective say?"
"He's taken the case, and he feels strongly that it is an abuse situation," Andrew said grimly. "I gave him the hotel number in West Virginia and he said he will keep us up-to-date if anything comes up."
"Good, I'm glad he's decided to take the case. I feel soo bad for little Lenae. I'm worried about her, Andrew. What if something else happens to her while we're gone?"
"I hope not Trish, I most certainly hope not." He put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Absent-mindedly, he looked over at Jeff and Nora, sitting across the aisle from them.
Once Nora and Jeff got settled in their seats, Nora asked, "What happened yesterday? Why did you give me the brush off?"
Jeff shrugged, "It was nothing," but Nora noticed he wouldn't meet her eyes.
"That's not true, you've never been like that with me before. Did I say or do something wrong?" she questioned.
Jeff sighed, noting the concern on her face, "No, it could never be you sweetie. It's me," he said softly.
"Why? What do you mean?" Nora asked. Tenderly, she cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.
"I hurt you more when I started cleaning your cut, and it brought everything back: your nose, the blood everywhere, and I did it to you," he finished softly. "I just couldn't continue, so I gave you the cold shoulder instead."
Her hands pressed lightly against his cheeks, Nora looked him straight in the eyes and said, "You listen to me Jeffrey Nero Hardy, I never blamed you for that accident, and that's all it ever was, just an accident. You need to see it the same way and stop punishing yourself for something that was out of your control. I wasn't seriously hurt and I've long since healed up. I'm grateful for that. I don't love you any less for what happened, if anything I love you more for it. Shoot, you broke Matt's nose and he doesn't hold it against you, so why should you hold this incident against yourself?" she demanded.
Gently running his thumb down her cheekbone, Jeff replied, "You're right, as usual," he said with a small smile.
Al Snow leaned forward, "You do realize you sound like an old married couple, don't you?" he chided, a small grin on his face.
"Oh, well, we should make it official then," Jeff said with an easy smile.
Al pulled back, a shocked look on his face, "Jeff, I didn't mean"... he trailed off.
Before Nora could react, Jeff took her hand in his, "Nora, would you marry me?"
In memory of Lenae.
She was bright, vivacious, and wasn't afraid
to stand up for what she believed in.
1980-1994
Thanks for the info Scattia. :)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is obviously not mine, but I forget which movie company owns it.
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.
This story is based on the Bible scripture: 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7
Chapter 4: Lenae
Trish bent down next to the young girl, "What's your name sweetie?"
"Lenae."
"Well, which guests here are your parents?" Andrew asked, scanning the crowd.
"None," Lenae said quietly.
"What did you say? I didn't hear you." Andrew had to shrink himself even more, straining to hear what the little girl said.
"None," she repeated, a little more loudly.
"How did you get here? Did your parents drop you off?" Trish asked curiously.
"I sneaked in, to escape the social worker." Trish and Andrew looked at one another in concern. Lenae's eyes darted back and forth nervously between Trish and Andrew. A wild look in her in deep, blue eyes, Lenae bolted.
"Oh, no you don't," Andrew said. In two steps, his 6 ft. 4 frame caught up with her. Taking her arm firmly, his face hard, he said, "Come on, let's go."
Meanwhile:
Jessica slowly opened her eyes. *I feel so exhausted,* she thought wearily.
"How are you feeling?" Chris asked anxiously as he walked into the room, holding a styrofoam cup of coffee. He sat down in the chair next to Jessica's bed, and took her hand in his.
"Tired, and why am I so sore down below?" Jessica questioned. Chris looked at her sheepishly, "Well, you required some stitches. Even though the babies were born three weeks early, they are quite heavy for being premature. The boy is eight pounds, three ounces, while the girl is an even eight pounds."
"What?!" she asked, her eyes wide. "No wonder it felt like I was carrying watermelons," Jessica replied, slightly surprised.
"When can we see them, are they okay?" Jessica asked frantically.
"They are fine sweetie," Chris said, trying to get her to relax. The nurse is cleaning them up. Doctor Hartnett was here just a little while ago, he had to cut the umbilical cords- while you slept through it all," he added, smiling. "Hmm, I bet, the nurse is giving them a better clean up job than I did," Chris said ruefully. Thoughtfully, he pulled the red and yellow stained apron out of his pocket.
A quiet knock sounded in the open doorway, "May we come in?" Trish asked politely, a smile on her face.
"Sure," Chris beamed. He was surprised to see the young girl walking between Trish and Andrew. "What's your name honey?" Chris asked, smiling.
"Lenae," she said quietly. She lifted her eyes to look into his clear blue ones, then quickly stared back down at the floor.
"Thank you Lenae," Jessica said softly, smiling brightly at the young girl.
Beaming, Linae's head shot up, "Your welcome." Both Trish and Andrew exchanged smiles. It was the first time they had seen her smile since they met her.
"I uh, I don't know if this can be cleaned," Chris said sheepishly, handing the apron back to Lenae.
"You can't give that back to her!" Jessica scolded, snatching it out of his hands.
"Actually," Trish said quietly, "I'll take it and see if I can clean it."
All eyes turned towards her, "What?! Surprised I can clean? I am domesticated- some," Trish finished quietly.
"Thank you," Lenae said gratefully. She didn't have many pretty clothes as it was, and she really couldn't afford to lose more. Just then, the nurse came into the room carrying two tiny bundles of joy, each wearing their own soft, knit pink and blue caps.
"I think we'd better go," Andrew said softly, ushering Trish and Lenae out of the room. "We'll talk to you guys later," Andrew said. Chris nodded absent-mindedly as he took his baby girl in his arms.
"She's so beautiful," Chris said softly as he looked down into his daughter's wide blue eyes. "Hey, she's staring up at me!" he exclaimed in amazement, looking up at Jessica.
"See, she knows you already," Jessica said with a soft smile. He looked at his sleeping son, in Jess's arms. Chris wondered what color of eyes their baby boy had, but both babies had a small dose of light blond hair covering their heads.
"We do need to decide on names for them honey," Jessica reminded him gently.
Looking down at their little girl he said, "Marion, Marion Elizabeth." His voice was soft, but Jessica could hear the certainty in his voice. Jessica nodded slowly, thinking back to their discussion of countless baby names.
She smiled, "I like it, it's pretty. I've been thinking of the name David Gabriel, for our little boy. What do you think?" she asked, looking down at their son proudly.
"I think it's a nice name, strong yet unique. I think of Gabriel, the Archangel," Chris answered.
"So did I, that's partially why I picked it," Jessica said, smiling mischievously.
Just then Dr. Hartnett came in with two forms, "I'll need you to fill these out. Did you decide on names for the twins yet?" he asked. They shook their heads yes. "Good, I brought these in just in time then," he said with a smile as he handed them the forms.
As Chris signed on the dotted line, he whispered, "Welcome to our world, Marion and David."
On the road again,
Andrew drove on in silence.
"Your taking me back to the orphanage aren't you?" both fear and a challenge creeping into her voice.
"Yes," Andrew replied evenly, not pulling any punches.
"No, no you can't take me back, I don't want to go!" Lenae almost wailed.
Andrew looked sharply at her through the rearview mirror.
Straight forward, Andrew asked, "Why don't you want to go back?"
"I, I just don't, the people there are mean."
Trish turned around in the front seat to look at Lenae, "Perhaps you just need to get to know the children better," Trish offered.
Lenae shook her head vehemently, "No, it's not the kids," she said quietly, but firmly. Now in unfamiliar territory, Andrew pulled off onto the shoulder of the road, while Trish scoured the map, looking for the correct way to reach the orphanage.
"Got it," Trish said, folding up the map. After about thirty minutes of driving, they came upon a rather imposing building. They drove up the long, winding drive and through the wrought iron gate, only to stop in front of an enormous, three-story, red brick building. Lenae cringed inwardly as a tall, skinny woman with mousy brown hair came running towards them. Andrew regarded the woman skeptically as he got out of the car, opening first Trish's, then Lenae's door. Reluctantly, Lenae got out of the car. Almost instantly, the thin woman wrapped her arms around the little girl.
"Where have you been, I've been so worried about you," the woman gushed. Andrew crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't exactly an honor student when it came to kids, but he didn't like this strange woman in front of him, there was something fishy, fake about her.
"Hi, I'm Ms. Moreland," she said, extending a hand to Andrew, "thank you for finding her, I'll be forever grateful."
"No problem," he said non-chalantly. Cutting to the chase, he asked, "She's allowed to have visitors right?"
A bit taken aback by the directness of his question, she stammered, "Why, uh, yes."
"Good, we'll see you tomorrow okay?" he said winking at Lenae as they got into the car.
As Andrew drove away, Trish looked at him in surprise, "You like her don't you?"
"Yes," Andrew said, not daring to take his eyes off the road. *I can't believe this. Children and I don't mix, we're like oil and water. Yet, here I am, letting this kid get under my skin- and heart,* he thought.
As soon as Andrew's car disappeared down the drive, Ms. Moreland grabbed Lenae's arm painfully, "What did you think you were doing, running away like that? Did you want to get me in trouble?"
"Yes," Lenae spat out. Ms. Moreland slapped Lenae hard across the face. "We'll see how you like spending the night in your room with no dinner," the middle-aged woman said cruelly, dragging Lenae through the front door.
The next morning:
The McMahon family saw Stephanie and Paul off as they boarded the gigantic cruise ship for a two week cruise to Greece. Marissa and Shane secretly looked at each other and smiled. Their announcement could wait a little longer.
Andrew groaned as his alarm clock started beeping and with each passing second it got louder.
"Alright, alright," Andrew said, slamming his hand down on top of it. "I'm up. There, happy!" he fumed. Staring at his alarm clock, he ran a hand through his mussed hair. Just then a knock sounded at the door. Andrew grabbed his robe off the bedroom door, tying it around his waist.
*I can't let Trish see me in my boxers, not until we're married anyway,* he thought with a grin. He recalledt a funny line from, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, 'No ding ding without the wedding ring.' He chuckled at the thought. "Your early," he said as he opened the door. Looking at her smiling face Andrew commented, "I didn't know that you were a morning person."
"Normally, I'm not, but look, I got her apron clean," Trish said, holding it up excitedly.
Andrew smiled, "Good, I'm glad, why do I get the feeling she doesn't have many nice clothes," he said dryly.
As Trish waited for him to get dressed, she sat down on Andrew's plush sofa and let her thoughts drift. *I would love to patch up her cute, Raggedy Ann type dress for her. I hope Mom won't mind showing me how,* Trish thought hopefully.
Andrew broke into her thoughts, "You ready hon?" She nodded. When they reached the orphanage, Trish went inside to speak to Ms. Moreland, the matron, while Andrew strolled over to the playground and absent- mindedly watched the children at play. His eyes narrowed and instantly he became alert as his gaze went to one young girl, Lenae. He noticed the purplish, yellow bruise on her jaw and the black and blue bruise on her arm. *She didn't have those yesterday,* he thought angrily.
Trish jogged over to him, "Hey, what are you doing?" Trish asked, gently brushing back a strand of blond hair out of his eyes.
"Look, over there," he said. Following his finger, she spotted Lenae.
"Hey, I thought Lenae was busy, that's what Ms. Moreland told me," Trish said angrily.
"Ms. Moreland is a liar," Andrew said fiercely, his gaze turning to rest on Trish, "and we're going to find out why."
Lenae froze in fear as she caught sight of two people watching her in the shadows. When she caught site of a tall guy with blond hair, she ran towards the couple.
"You came to see me!" Lenae said happily.
"Of course we did honey, you didn't think we would leave without saying goodbye did you?" Trish asked with a smile.
"Goodbye? Your leaving m.. I mean your leaving?" Lenae asked, masking the pain inside her.
"Yes, we have to, Andrew and I have another wrestling show to do in West Virginia. Here, Trish said, handing the apron to her through the fence hole, I cleaned it for you."
"Thank you," Lenae said shyly.
For the first time Andrew spoke up, "Does Ms. Moreland treat you well here?" His voice was casual, but his gaze was piercing.
Lenae was silent for a moment, "Uh, yes," she said hesitantly. Andrew frowned, it was almost like a dead give-away. Andrew knew that they wouldn't be able to get much out of Lenae, she was well, afraid.
"Tell you what, how about we give you a call when we are in West Virginia, and get you a souvenir for you while we are there," Andrew grinned mischievously.
"Oh wow, would you really?" A puzzled look came over her face, "What exactly is a souvenir?"
"It's like a gift," Trish explained.
"Really, oh wow!" Lenae grinned from ear-to-ear.
"Be good, and be safe," Andrew said casually, yet Lenae could still see the intensity in his blue eyes.
"Okay," she said slowly. She really would try to be good, so she wouldn't hurt so much.
Andrew dropped Trish off at her apartment, and told her, "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for the flight to West Virginia."
"Okay, see you then."
"And now for some unfinished business," he said to himself as he headed towards Raleigh. He drove into Raleigh, North Carolina just as dusk settled upon the city. Pulling into the parking lot of a two story, slightly run down brick building, he grabbed the phone book lying on the back seat. He checked to make sure he had the right address. Taking a deep breath, he shut off his car and walked across the parking lot to the front entrance. He walked up the rickety, wooden staircase. His boots pounded on the hardwood floors as he walked down the hall. Andrew smiled faintly as he saw: Private Investigator: Samuel Harris, etched in the glass. *This is like straight out of an old Humphrey Bogart movie,* he thought as he opened the door.
An attractive dark-haired secretary greeted him, gracefully moved out from behind her desk and said, "Follow me, Sam's expecting you." He tried not to stare at her long legs clad in fishnet stockings. He shook his head and forced himself to stare straight ahead.
"You're an engaged man, it is not a hot idea for you to be checking out other women," he told himself sternly. As he entered Sam's office, Andrew could just picture himself in black and white. Sam sat behind a polished, though slightly worn, cherry wood desk. Behind it sat a man wearing a dark brown shirt with matching brown slacks and for contrast, he wore a beige tie. Next to his desk stood a coat rack with a beige trench coat and matching hat hanging on it.
"Thanks Danielle," Sam said, smiling warmly at her.
"Your welcome," she said. Not bothering to hide his curiosity, Andrew watched the two of them with interest. Even though her tone was casual, Andrew could see a slight blush creep up her face. *Certainly, this guy wasn't oblivious to that!* he thought.
"Excuse me," Andrew interjected politely.
"Oh, a hem, excuse me," the detective said, turning a slight shade of red himself. "I'm sorry about that, Mister, Mister"...
"Martin, Andrew Martin."
"Nice to meet you Mr. Martin, now what can I do for you?" the detective asked, covering his embarrassment with an easy smile. Sam leaned back in his chair linking his hands behind his head.
"Well," Andrew said, and proceeded to tell him everything that had happened since they met Lenae.
"Do you know the girl's last name?" Sam asked. His interest piqued, he leaned forward in his chair.
Andrew shook his head, "No."
Sam frowned, "It definitely sounds like an abuse case, and she may not be the only one," he said.
"I know, the thought has crossed my mind too. I've been wondering if she isn't the only one being abused at that orphanage," Andrew said, a scowl on his face.
"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Feel free to call me anytime to check up on the case." Sam handed him a business card. "My work and home phone number are on here. At the latest, I'll call you by the end of the week. I'll do my best to get to the bottom of this," Sam said determinedly. He rose up out of his chair to shake Andrew's hand. Andrew gave him the number of the hotel in West Virginia where he could be reached.
"Thank you," Andrew said gratefully.
"Don't thank me yet," the detective said with a wry smile. The detective frowned as he watched Andrew leave. *There's far more to this case than meets the eye,* Sam thought with conviction.
Everyone was excited to be boarding the United Airlines, 747 jet bound for West Virginia. For the Hardys, it wasn't too far from home, besides they loved much of the east coast anyway. While others thought the West Virginia scenery was absolutely breathtaking.
As they took their seats, the first thing Trish asked Andrew was how things went at the meeting yesterday.
"How did everything go, what did the detective say?"
"He's taken the case, and he feels strongly that it is an abuse situation," Andrew said grimly. "I gave him the hotel number in West Virginia and he said he will keep us up-to-date if anything comes up."
"Good, I'm glad he's decided to take the case. I feel soo bad for little Lenae. I'm worried about her, Andrew. What if something else happens to her while we're gone?"
"I hope not Trish, I most certainly hope not." He put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Absent-mindedly, he looked over at Jeff and Nora, sitting across the aisle from them.
Once Nora and Jeff got settled in their seats, Nora asked, "What happened yesterday? Why did you give me the brush off?"
Jeff shrugged, "It was nothing," but Nora noticed he wouldn't meet her eyes.
"That's not true, you've never been like that with me before. Did I say or do something wrong?" she questioned.
Jeff sighed, noting the concern on her face, "No, it could never be you sweetie. It's me," he said softly.
"Why? What do you mean?" Nora asked. Tenderly, she cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.
"I hurt you more when I started cleaning your cut, and it brought everything back: your nose, the blood everywhere, and I did it to you," he finished softly. "I just couldn't continue, so I gave you the cold shoulder instead."
Her hands pressed lightly against his cheeks, Nora looked him straight in the eyes and said, "You listen to me Jeffrey Nero Hardy, I never blamed you for that accident, and that's all it ever was, just an accident. You need to see it the same way and stop punishing yourself for something that was out of your control. I wasn't seriously hurt and I've long since healed up. I'm grateful for that. I don't love you any less for what happened, if anything I love you more for it. Shoot, you broke Matt's nose and he doesn't hold it against you, so why should you hold this incident against yourself?" she demanded.
Gently running his thumb down her cheekbone, Jeff replied, "You're right, as usual," he said with a small smile.
Al Snow leaned forward, "You do realize you sound like an old married couple, don't you?" he chided, a small grin on his face.
"Oh, well, we should make it official then," Jeff said with an easy smile.
Al pulled back, a shocked look on his face, "Jeff, I didn't mean"... he trailed off.
Before Nora could react, Jeff took her hand in his, "Nora, would you marry me?"
In memory of Lenae.
She was bright, vivacious, and wasn't afraid
to stand up for what she believed in.
1980-1994