Thicker Than Blood
Chapter 6
"Kathryn Calloway, what the hell are you doing?" the question she asked herself came out as a whisper as the redhead looked at herself in the mirror. 'I came here to tell Dad. It wasn't necessary to interfere in that match,' she attempted to brush through her hair with her fingers. 'I could've just talked to him after the show; hell, that would have been easier.' Her eyes moved to the reflection of John in the mirror, still sleeping in the bed. 'I didn't want to see him hurt,' she thought to herself, and sighed. 'I tried to stop Dad from hurting him the best I could,' she affirmed. 'Why did I do it? Why do I feel so…guilty that I didn't?'
Kathryn shook her head, and decided to worry about the reasons for her own actions later. For now, she had to deal with a bigger problem. Obviously, the Undertaker was not in the right state of mind. 'I have to convince him that Paul Bearer isn't his conscience, and Paul isn't the only one who cares about him,' she thought, sighing. 'That's never going to happen, at least not before Sunday. And when Heyman buries Bearer… That will throw Dad off the deep end, and totally screw up that plan. I have to find Bearer. That's the only way,' she decided, her lips forming a straight line. 'Now how the hell do I do that?' Her eyes returned to the mirror, and she paused. 'First things first, Kat,' she thought to herself. 'Can't exactly walk around in this all day.'
After talking to the manager for fifteen minutes straight, and doing everything in her power to have him tell her where Torrie Wilson's locker room was located—well, everything short of breaking the law—Kathryn was standing in front of the blonde bombshell's room. She rapped on the door loud enough for her to hear, but not to wake the people in the neighboring rooms. After a minute, the door opened, revealing an irritated-looking Sable dressed in bra and panties, obviously caught in the middle of changing, and obviously not caring. Kathryn paused, and opened her mouth to speak, but the older woman beat her to it.
"You're that Calloway chick, aren't you?" she said. The way she said it didn't garner a response. Her eyes swept over the redhead's clothes. "One night on the show, and you've already slept with John Cena?" Sable questioned, and her upper lip curled. "Be careful, or you'll be another Dawn—"
"Is Torrie here?" Kathryn interrupted, her patience wearing thin, fast.
Sable rolled her eyes and stepped back from the door. Kathryn walked into the room and shut the door. "Tor! John's new girl is here!" she announced, and Torrie stepped out from the bathroom.
"You're John's new girlfriend?" she questioned, her tone much more polite than Sable's. "I didn't hear about this!"
Kathryn blushed profusely. "N-No… It's not like that…" she paused. 'What's it like, then?' her thoughts countered. 'If you explain it, she'll think you're nuts, and you'll sound like a huge liar,' she thought to herself, and sighed. "It's complicated," was all she said.
Torrie laughed. "I know what you mean. Men are more trouble then they're worth," she extended a hand to Kathryn. "Torrie Wilson, though you seem to know me… And hey, aren't you the girl who tried to stop the Undertaker from hurting John? That was mighty brave of you."
"Yes, it was me, and thank you," she took Torrie's hand. "Kathryn Calloway." If Torrie had any shock over her last name, she didn't show it.
"So what brings you here?" Torrie asked.
"Well, you see, when I took a flight here, they lost my baggage. It ended up in Grand Rapids, so I won't be getting it back for another week. I don't have any clothes, and I can't go shopping with this on, obviously, and you're the only one I could think—"
"Speak no further," Torrie said, interrupting her stream of words. "I always have extra clothes to lend. I'll give you something for today—"
"I'll hit the mall or someplace as soon as it opens, so I just need one for a little while," Kathryn interjected, grateful toward the blonde.
Torrie flashed a smile. "You can just drop it off whenever," the blonde said as she went over to her suitcase, pulling seemingly random articles of clothing into her arms.
"Thank you so much!" Kathryn exclaimed minutes later as Torrie deposited a pile of clothes into her arms. "I'll drop these off later tonight!"
"It's no problem, and if you need anything, I'm here," Torrie told her as she left.
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Kathryn sighed, looking at herself in the bathroom mirror. The black, low riding pants were something that she was not accustomed to wearing, but they fit well after fixing with the belt. She was extremely grateful that she and Torrie were within a few bra sizes of each other—the top and bra fit well. Kathryn smiled as she realized that Torrie had even thought to send a brush. 'There's definitely going to be one big thank you card sent to her once this is over,' the redhead thought as she slowly worked the tangles out in her hair.
Her thoughts traveled back to John, who had just been waking up when she stepped into the bathroom. He was no doubt curious what she needed to tell her father, and how she was going to end up doing it. Kathryn chewed on the inside of her lip, suddenly feeling uneasy. 'If Heyman or the Dudleys find out that I'm looking for Bearer, it could get nasty,' she realized. 'I can deal with it… I have to tell Dad, I'll risk anything,' she shot a look at the bathroom door. 'I'm not going to drag him into this. He's done enough, and I don't want him involved. He could get hurt…' she squared her shoulders and headed for the door.
It was decided. The last thing John Cena would see of her was her back while she left the hotel room. He could have no part in her search, for his own good.
And maybe even hers.
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Author's Note: Okay, so I lied. Wrote another chapter before vacation! Anyway, please review!