"Ow!"
A sudden stab caused nineteen-year old Jade McMahon to drop the file
she was holding and clutch her abdomen in pain. Triple H, otherwise known
as Hunter Hearst Helmsley, stood at her side, grasping her arm.
"Jade, are you okay?"
Jade gritted her teeth, but managed to emit a small cry of, "I think
the baby's coming."
Hunter looked around desperately for help. They were alone in the
backstage area of Toronto's Air Canada Center. The WWF was holding Monday
Night Raw there and Jade and Hunter had just been about to propose a new
idea for a storyline to Vince McMahon, Jade's father. Normally, the halls
were filled with backstage crew, running around trying to be ready for the
next match, but as luck would have it, the halls were empty and silent,
except for Hunter's echoing voice, calling for help.
"Hunter," Jade managed to gasp. "I think I have some time. You
don't have to panic just yet." Her hand began to release the powerful grip
she held on his hand as she straightened up. "It was just one contraction;
we've got time."
"But the baby's not due until February!"
"Hunter, it's January 20th; I don't think this baby cares."
Around a corner came a running crew worker. "Did I hear someone
yelling for help?" she asked, out of breath from the dash.
"Miss McMahon is going into labour," Hunter said, gesturing to Jade
with his hand. "Can you please call Mr. McMahon and his wife to alert
them?" Turning to Jade as the crew worker took off in the direction of the
offices, he said, "I'll try to contact Shawn. Sit here and wait; I won't
be long."
Jade slid her back down the wall, breathing steadily. So he leaves
me alone, she thought to herself as she watched her friend run down the
hallway. But laughter invaded her throat as she thought of the panicked
look on Hunter's face. It was humorous to see a big man like Hunter look
so scared.
He looked kind of like her father had when Jade told him she was
pregnant: scared and nervous. Until she told him who the father was.
Then the anger roared.
"I thought I told you to stay away from Shawn Michaels!" he hollered,
his face getting redder and redder as he spoke. "He's no good! He's going
to leave you as soon as you tell him and you're going to be an teen mother,
raising a baby all by yourself!"
"If he's no good, Dad, then why did you hire him in the first place?"
"Your father's just disappointed, honey," Jade's mother, Linda, said,
placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "He's not really angry; just
upset."
"Don't tell me what I am," roared Vince. "I'm damn well pissed off.
She had no right to do this!"
All the while Jade listened, she couldn't keep the smile from her
face. She was going to have a baby! A baby that was living inside her at
the moment, depending on her for its health and safety. The baby of the
man she loved.
When she first met Shawn, it was just for the pleasure. He was quite
a man and knew how to treat a lady, inside and outside of the bedroom. But
as time wore on, she discovered true feelings for him, which she soon
realized to be real love. And when she told Shawn of her pregnancy, he
couldn't have been happier.
"We'll move in together and raise this baby the way we want!" he
cried, insinuating that Jade's parents would have no say in it. "I love
you, Jade, and I'm going to look after both you and our child."
Those words rang in her ears as another contraction began. She
glanced at her watch, marking the time as seven minutes from the last one.
This baby was coming; there was no doubt. And where was Hunter with Shawn?
"Jade! Thank God you're okay! Can you stand?" Vince came running
up beside his daughter, with the female crew worker who had fetched him.
"I'm fine, Dad," she said, standing with awkwardness. It was nice to
see such concern on his face for both his daughter and his grandchild. For
the majority of her pregnancy, Vince had been avoiding her by working late
and not going to the apartment that she had with Shawn every Saturday with
Linda, Steph and Shane. She didn't think he wanted to have anything to do
with her again.
"How far apart are the contractions, Jade?" Linda came up beside her
husband and seized her daughter's hand.
"Seven minutes," Jade replied, gritting her teeth as the contraction
died down. The pain relented and Shawn arrived, with Hunter close in tow.
Between the four of them, they helped Jade to her feet and out to the car,
where Vince and Shawn fought over who was going to take her to the
hospital.
"Damn it, just someone get in the car and drive me there before I do
it myself!" Jade growled as another contraction hit, even stronger this
time.
"Vince, let Shawn take her. We'll follow in our car," she said to
her daughter, "and we'll meet you there. Vince, let's go." With a bit of
tugging and persuading, Linda managed to drag her husband away from the car
door to allow Shawn to get in and start up the Hyundai Accent.
"Well, at least we know our baby will be born in a good city," Shawn
muttered as he drove through the streets, admiring all the city lights.
"The lights in this city are almost mesmerizing."
Jade continued to smile at her boyfriend while breathing through
another contraction. "Maybe Lamaze classes would have been a good idea,"
she said, while breathing heavily.
"You seem to be doing a good job on your own."
"I guess. I just wish the hospital were closer! Doesn't this city
have a hospital within ten miles of the ACC?" Jade's temper was flaring as
the contractions continued, stronger than ever. She bit down on her lip
and resisted the urge to pound Shawn's face in.
Once they arrived at the hospital, Jade breathed a sigh of relief.
In the ten-minute drive, they had avoided three car accidents, nearly
missing four people on bicycles, and barely scraping a pedestrian who tried
to cross the road in the middle of an intersection.
"He should have crossed with the light," was Shawn's reply.
Jade had been wrestling ever since she was a little girl, whether it
be with her father, brother or professional wrestlers. But she was certain
that she had never felt such an excruciating pain as she did giving birth.
She was hardly in the hospital room for half an hour before they decided to
move her to delivery.
"Your daughter's moving along quickly," she heard the doctor tell
Vince and Linda. "Is this her first child?"
"Of course its her first child!" Vince screamed. "She's nineteen for
crying out loud!"
The doctor backed away, nodding. "Okay, I was just checking." She
hurried to get suited up and into delivery for she was positive that Jade
was going to give birth before the hour was up.
With Shawn at her side, yelling in her face to push harder and the
doctor at the end of the bed, screaming for her to keep pushing, Jade was
ready to start taking people out. With a choke slam here and a Last Ride
there, she thought to herself, while bearing down and pushing, I could take
them all out in no time!
"Come on, babe, don't quit now," Shawn whispered in her ear, kissing
her cheek softly. That seemed to be the bit of encouragement that Jade
needed. She took a deep breath and began the last push.
"Come on, Jade, you're doing great!" Dr. Yolander cried. "Your baby
is almost here!"
With one final deep breath, Jade pushed and knew instantly that her
baby had just come into the world.
