Angel took a deep breath. Running her hand through her hair again,
she started up the car and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Vince had
offered to drive her and Hunter home but she felt she needed time with
Hunter, alone, to be in comforting silence.
The car drifted into traffic swiftly and Angel tried to keep her eyes dry on the road. But strangely, she felt nothing. No tears were pressuring to fall, no pains behind her eyes. She was oddly numb to the actions going on around her.
"Angel? Are you okay?" Hunter's voice was calm and cool, but she could sense the anger and frustration building up behind his words. She nodded quickly, still feeling nothing. Sometimes feeling dead inside was better than opening up to the world around you.
The drive back to the hotel was filled with uninterrupted quiet and silent questions. Angel prepared herself for the flood of questions and caring looks when they arrived. But as she parked the car in the underground lot and they entered the hotel lobby, there was no one there to greet them. Sharing a glance, they made their way up to their rooms, without even saying goodnight to each other.
Once inside the peacefulness of her room, Angel felt the stinging realization of what had just happened begin to settle its place in her heart. She fell on the bed, her body tensing in a reaction to the tears that suddenly flowed down her cheeks. Her tiny body was wracked with sobs as she reflected on all the times that her and Shawn had shared and how they would never happen again. She remembered the first time they had met and how he helped her grasp the concept of reality and get over the horrible relationships she had been in. She reminisced about the first moment when she knew that she had fallen in love with the Heartbreak Kid. And she thought about all the other times that she knew she had the best friend in the world.
"Angel? Are you okay?" Vince's voice was unsteady and Angel knew that he, too, had been crying uncontrollably. "Can I come in? Or do you want to be alone?"
"No, no. It's okay. Come on in." Angel sat up and tried to dry her eyes before her boss entered the room. He came in and his appearance startled her. Vince McMahon had always been a great giant of grace. No matter what the situation was or how it led him, he always managed to walk tall and speak with the voice of a thousand men. But that day, he had a less-than-menacing look to him. He resembled a little old, frail man whom couldn't handle much more. Angel knew the feeling.
Sitting on the bed beside her, he said nothing; he only held his arms out to the girl who needed a friend at that moment. Falling into his embrace, Angel once again let the tears consume her soul as she listened to Vince's sobs above her head.
The next three days were hard. The entire WWE Corporation flew to San Antonio, Texas, for the funeral. Since most of Shawn's family still resided in San Antonio, they felt it was necessary to have the funeral in his hometown.
Shawn's mother offered for Angel to stay at her house, considering how close her and Shawn were. Angel accepted, nervous about being in the house that Shawn grew up in. She wondered how it would affect her. But she found it nothing but comforting to sit in the same room that Shawn sat in night after night. To sleep in the same bed that he slept in was a little sad, but Angel also managed to find the comfort in it.
The day of the funeral, Angel found herself looking in the same full- length mirror that Shawn had looked in every day of his childhood, trying to sort out her dress. It was a simple black gown that Vince's wife, Linda, had assisted her in choosing. It wasn't anything special, but at that moment, fashion wasn't the main thing on Angel's mind. For a moment, she sat down on the bed, reflecting on when she first met Shawn. She had come a long way since then. When she first started out, she was the secretary of the WWF writing team. Now she was the head of the writing team. Writing had always been her dream. Shawn helped her realize her talent and she only continued to write to please him. He was so impressed with her stories that he quickly became her personal sounding board. She loved him even more for showing such an interest in her work and pursuits.
The day was dreary. Not exactly rainy, but close enough. Angel felt that it suited the day perfectly. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to her best friend yet. She still had some unfinished business to take care of. But when would she find the time? At the wake would have been the perfect time, but Angel felt so weak in the knees when she saw Shawn-strong Shawn- lying there in the casket, that she felt she couldn't even stand.
"Hey you. How's it going?" Hunter entered the room from behind her. He had promised himself he would remain steady for Angel, but the look on her face made him want to curl up and cry.
Angel screwed her face up. "Okay. This dress looks like crap on me. I look like a whale."
Hunter laughed gently. "No, you don't."
"I do, too! And pretty soon I'll be as big as one."
Hunter's face contorted to confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Angel swallowed. "Remember that night a few weeks ago? The one where all of us went out to that bar and drank ourselves silly?"
"The night that Shawn came back after Summerslam? Yeah, I remember, why?"
"Well, that night, Shawn and I shared a hotel room."
"Lots of us shared hotel rooms that night, Angel. What are you getting at?"
Angel sighed deeply. "Well, that night one thing led to another and another and another."
"Get on with it, Angel."
"I'm pregnant. With Shawn's baby."
The car drifted into traffic swiftly and Angel tried to keep her eyes dry on the road. But strangely, she felt nothing. No tears were pressuring to fall, no pains behind her eyes. She was oddly numb to the actions going on around her.
"Angel? Are you okay?" Hunter's voice was calm and cool, but she could sense the anger and frustration building up behind his words. She nodded quickly, still feeling nothing. Sometimes feeling dead inside was better than opening up to the world around you.
The drive back to the hotel was filled with uninterrupted quiet and silent questions. Angel prepared herself for the flood of questions and caring looks when they arrived. But as she parked the car in the underground lot and they entered the hotel lobby, there was no one there to greet them. Sharing a glance, they made their way up to their rooms, without even saying goodnight to each other.
Once inside the peacefulness of her room, Angel felt the stinging realization of what had just happened begin to settle its place in her heart. She fell on the bed, her body tensing in a reaction to the tears that suddenly flowed down her cheeks. Her tiny body was wracked with sobs as she reflected on all the times that her and Shawn had shared and how they would never happen again. She remembered the first time they had met and how he helped her grasp the concept of reality and get over the horrible relationships she had been in. She reminisced about the first moment when she knew that she had fallen in love with the Heartbreak Kid. And she thought about all the other times that she knew she had the best friend in the world.
"Angel? Are you okay?" Vince's voice was unsteady and Angel knew that he, too, had been crying uncontrollably. "Can I come in? Or do you want to be alone?"
"No, no. It's okay. Come on in." Angel sat up and tried to dry her eyes before her boss entered the room. He came in and his appearance startled her. Vince McMahon had always been a great giant of grace. No matter what the situation was or how it led him, he always managed to walk tall and speak with the voice of a thousand men. But that day, he had a less-than-menacing look to him. He resembled a little old, frail man whom couldn't handle much more. Angel knew the feeling.
Sitting on the bed beside her, he said nothing; he only held his arms out to the girl who needed a friend at that moment. Falling into his embrace, Angel once again let the tears consume her soul as she listened to Vince's sobs above her head.
The next three days were hard. The entire WWE Corporation flew to San Antonio, Texas, for the funeral. Since most of Shawn's family still resided in San Antonio, they felt it was necessary to have the funeral in his hometown.
Shawn's mother offered for Angel to stay at her house, considering how close her and Shawn were. Angel accepted, nervous about being in the house that Shawn grew up in. She wondered how it would affect her. But she found it nothing but comforting to sit in the same room that Shawn sat in night after night. To sleep in the same bed that he slept in was a little sad, but Angel also managed to find the comfort in it.
The day of the funeral, Angel found herself looking in the same full- length mirror that Shawn had looked in every day of his childhood, trying to sort out her dress. It was a simple black gown that Vince's wife, Linda, had assisted her in choosing. It wasn't anything special, but at that moment, fashion wasn't the main thing on Angel's mind. For a moment, she sat down on the bed, reflecting on when she first met Shawn. She had come a long way since then. When she first started out, she was the secretary of the WWF writing team. Now she was the head of the writing team. Writing had always been her dream. Shawn helped her realize her talent and she only continued to write to please him. He was so impressed with her stories that he quickly became her personal sounding board. She loved him even more for showing such an interest in her work and pursuits.
The day was dreary. Not exactly rainy, but close enough. Angel felt that it suited the day perfectly. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to her best friend yet. She still had some unfinished business to take care of. But when would she find the time? At the wake would have been the perfect time, but Angel felt so weak in the knees when she saw Shawn-strong Shawn- lying there in the casket, that she felt she couldn't even stand.
"Hey you. How's it going?" Hunter entered the room from behind her. He had promised himself he would remain steady for Angel, but the look on her face made him want to curl up and cry.
Angel screwed her face up. "Okay. This dress looks like crap on me. I look like a whale."
Hunter laughed gently. "No, you don't."
"I do, too! And pretty soon I'll be as big as one."
Hunter's face contorted to confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Angel swallowed. "Remember that night a few weeks ago? The one where all of us went out to that bar and drank ourselves silly?"
"The night that Shawn came back after Summerslam? Yeah, I remember, why?"
"Well, that night, Shawn and I shared a hotel room."
"Lots of us shared hotel rooms that night, Angel. What are you getting at?"
Angel sighed deeply. "Well, that night one thing led to another and another and another."
"Get on with it, Angel."
"I'm pregnant. With Shawn's baby."