AN: Thanks once again for the reviews! I actually past 100, which was definitely superseded my expectations, so thank you guys. Here's another chapter. Hope you guys enjoy and hope you guys keep reviewing.
I Disclaim
Trish stood in a corner talking to Chris, Jay and Lisa as Stacy and Adam cooed over baby Emma. Stacy held her in her arms and gently rocked her back and forth as her and Adam made goofy faces at Emma, eliciting smiles from the adorable baby.
"Awww Trish, I'm seriously thinking of stealing your little girl….she's just too cute…." Stacy giggled as Adam nodded in agreement. Trish let out a small laugh as she looked over at her two good friends. 'If you did, I wonder whether Randy would notice….' the voice in her head taunted. Trish silenced her thoughts. She knew Randy loved Emma, being away from her didn't change that. It was the fact that he hardly called her to even ask how she was doing that made Trish have doubts. She could understand him not wanting to talk to her particularly because of the last argument that they had, but that didn't mean Emma had to be punished because of it.
"Hey T….you okay? You looked like you zoned out for a couple of minutes there….." Chris asked as he noticed the worry that had marred the blonde's beautiful features. Chris knew exactly what had her so bothered, but he didn't want to come out and say it because now wasn't the time nor the place. Trish looked him in the eye before forcing a smile and nodding her head.
"I'm fine Chris….I just wish Amy and Matt would hurry up already, I can't wait for the surprise" Trish responded. Even though she wasn't doing alright, she really did wish that Matt and Amy would hurry up. Everyone knew why they were there, but Trish knew a little extra something special about tonight that had her more than ready to get the night started.
She let a smile creep onto her face as she thought about Amy's surprise, however, the moment quickly left as she saw the large man that had entered. Chris had mentioned that they were waiting for one more person to arrive before Matt made his way in with Amy. She now assumed that that man was him. When she noticed that he wasn't there when she arrived, she had become hopeful that he wouldn't show….but there he was. Their eyes locked and Trish let herself keep his intense stare for a few moments before letting her gaze fall. Lisa, who now had possession of Emma, made her way over and handed over the crying baby to her mother.
"I think she was away from mommy too long…." Lisa smiled as she handed Emma back to Trish. Trish smiled appreciatively before holding on to Emma and whispering a thanks to Lisa.
"Oh crap, I've gotta take the cake out of the box and put it on the table" Trish remembered.
"Don't worry doll, I've got you covered…I'll go do that now. Just relax, you've been working since you got here and being the perfect hostess….tonight is going to be perfect and Matt couldn't have done it without your help, that's exactly why he asked you…."Lisa giggled.
Trish really didn't know what she would do without Lisa. The girl always knew how to make her feel better, especially about herself when she was feeling down in the dumps. Between Lisa, Amy and her precious Emma, Trish didn't have much time to feel sorry about her situation. Though she wouldn't admit it, deep down, she had faith that things would work out. It was the little tiny bit of hope that kept her from pulling out her hair and going bald from all the stress. If anything, if her and Randy could make it out of this intact, then she was sure that they could overcome anything. She looked down at Emma as she lay in her arms sucking on her thumb and her wide blue eyes staring at her mother.
"We need to talk…." Trish knew the voice but she couldn't help it when she instantly looked up to meet the eyes of her husband. He looked at her intently and she could tell by the way he clenched his jaw that he was angry. That was his tough luck. Now wasn't the time to be discussing their problems. If he wanted to talk so badly, he could have made the trip back home where his family was. She was probably being unfair, she subconsciously acknowledged, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to do this here. She opened her mouth to reply to his demand but she was saved by the announcement that Matt and Amy were just around the corner and would be here any minute. After Benoit made the announcement, Trish averted her gazed once more to Randy before walking around him to stand in front of him, facing the entry way to the room. As Trish moved around him, Randy took a minute, closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. He opened his eyes and turned around and stood directly behind Trish. He was so close that she was practically leaned up against him. He could feel her tense but didn't care. He bent down and whispered in her ear.
"Can I at least hold my little girl?" his needy tone forced Trish to bite her tongue from the remarks she wanted to make due to his request. She slowly turned around and silently handed Emma to her father. She didn't miss the way his eyes lit up as he brought her to his face and kissed her gently, whispering endearing words and telling her how much he had missed her. He actually sounded like he really did miss her. He propped the baby on his shoulder as he used one had to hold her up and the other to lightly rub her back. Emma rested her head on his broad shoulders and sucked away on her little thumb. At some points, Trish could hear Emma laughing at her father's words and it relieved all of her doubts and worries about Randy's commitment to Emma. He would notice if she wasn't there, and he certainly would miss her.
Everyone inside could hear Matt's bellowing voice as he made his way down the hall towards the room. That was everyone's cue to quiet down and get in position. Moments later, the door opened and Amy switched on the lights.
"Surprise!" everyone yelled as Amy immediately put her hand to her heart and a big smile spread across her lovely face.
"Happy Birthday Ames" Trish smiled and it wasn't until Amy saw Trish standing there that the tears began to flow. No one was oblivious to the strong relationship between Amy and Trish and everyone knew how much it meant to have Trish fly down with her baby to be with Amy today. Amy quickly made a dash over to Trish and enveloped her into a hug. Randy and Matt smiled at the exchange. Randy never understood the strong ties of friendship that Trish talked about until he would see Amy and Trish together. Amy pulled away and looked at Randy. She gave him a small smile, to his relief, it meant that she didn't complete hate him, though he was sure that she was considerably upset about the situation with himself and Trish. Her eyes then landed on Emma. Randy easily handed Emma over silently, already knowing that Amy wanted to hold her goddaughter. After cooing and laughing for minute with her, she gave her a gentle kiss and handed her back to Randy who, once again, propped Emma on his shoulder and whispered happy birthday to Amy. After the exchange, Amy whipped around to face her boyfriend. The smile on her face was contagious as everybody held big grins on their faces. Amy ran into her boyfriends arms and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips, not caring that everyone was looking. She pulled away and looked at him in awe.
"I can't believe that you did all of this even after taking me out for a such a romantic day…."
Matt began to blush a bit and Chris made a mental note to tease him later about it.
"Well, I can't take all the credit, I did get A LOT of help from Trish…of course" Matt said with a chuckle. Amy laughed and looked her friend's way.
"I already figured that much" she giggled.
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Hours had passed and everyone was enjoying themselves. Now, the crowd had simmered down to the closest friends of Matt and Amy. Chris Jericho and Benoit, Lisa, Jay, Terry, Adam, Trish and Randy were all left back as they sat and mingled with each other. Randy had first felt hesitant to engage in conversation with all of these people. He may have been friends with them before Trish, but his close friendships with all of them today, was a result of him being with Trish. If he hadn't been with Trish, he would have never known these people as intimately as he did. Now he could safely say that he could trust anyone of them with his life. Of course, if he didn't fix things with Trish, then he wouldn't be able to say that for long. As he stood there listening to Jericho speak, his eyes constantly fell on his wife as she and Amy stood in a corner with Matt just talking. He looked on as Trish slowly soothed Emma by rubbing her back gently. He couldn't help but think that she was the hottest mother that he had ever seen, but motherhood seemed so natural for her. It was probably her love for children in general that made her so at ease with Emma. That and years of practice with her nephews.
"Are you listening to me?" Chris asked with a smirk. Chris already knew the answer as he saw Randy quickly turn to face him. Chris knew without a doubt that Randy and Trish were going to get through this. They just had to. He had never met two people so in love with each other that had to fight tooth and nail to be with each other. They overcame so much just to be together and now only months after marriage, their love and loyalty to one another were already being tested again. Randy sighed as he looked at the older Canadian.
"Sorry, I just got a bit distracted…." Randy tried to explain.
"No worries….I understand…." Chris replied. Matt's voice interrupted both men from the prospect of raising the infamous issue of Randy's marriage.
"Okay guys…" Matt began as Amy gave him a confused stare.
"Everyone was invited here for Amy's surprise birthday party, but there is another reason why today is so special". Matt walked over to Amy and grabbed her hand and led her to the middle of the room. Randy walked over to Trish and once again took Emma from her as he stood behind his wife, waiting or Matt's next surprise. Looking around, it seemed that everyone else was as confused about Matt's speech. Everyone but Trish. Randy could hear the suckling noise Emma made as she sucked her thumb. She was fast asleep so Randy focused his attention on Matt and Amy. He could see from the reflection in one of the mirrors on the wall that Trish was smiling. 'She definitely knows something' Randy thought. Randy refocused his attention on Matt when he began to speak again.
"I wanted all of you to share this moment with me because you guys are such a large part of both our lives…..well that and I have a better chance at a positive response in front of a crowd….you know…maybe she'll be sensitive and not embarrass me in front of a crowd of people…." everyone in the room laughed including Amy, but no one knew what the hell Matt was talking about.
"Amy, you don't know how much it means to me just to be here sharing this moment with you. It seems like something really simple, but it isn't. For weeks I've wanted to do something special for you and that's what today was all about. That's why I enlisted the help of Trish" he chuckled as everyone else smiled at his words.
"I knew that as long as I had her working with me, everything would be perfect because she knows you better than anyone else, and that's how it supposed to be….today's your birthday and what I'm about to do is probably really selfish…..". The look of confusion was magnified on Amy's face. A look of worry crossed her features. 'What was he going to do that was so selfish?' she thought. She didn't want to think it, but for a second, the thought of him breaking up with her, crossed her mind.
Her worries were replaced with excitement as she saw him drop to one knee.
"Amy Christine Dumas….today is a day of giving and sharing with you. It 's a day that you receive, not give. It's incredibly selfish of me because I'm asking you to give me a gift….a promise that will make me the happiest man on earth….that will make me complete. Baby….will you marry me?". The tears in Amy's eyes were definitely tears of joy. Matt took the ring out of the box and held it at the tip of her finger, waiting for her to say yes, so that he could slip the ring on and seal their commitment to one another. Amy soundlessly nodded her head yes, too overcome with emotions to speak. Matt wasted no time sliding the ring on and getting on both feet to kiss his fiancée. As they embraced each other, Randy found himself overcome with emotion. He looked down at his wife and even though he couldn't see her face, he knew there were tears in her eyes. He let his free hand snuggle around her waist and pull her closer to him. He didn't miss the moment he felt her tense, but it was fleeting, as she almost immediately calmed down and welcomed his embrace. She leaned back against him and Randy's eyes once again found the mirror on the wall. He looked at the reflection of Trish, Emma and himself. It looked…..right. This was what he wanted, it was what he always wanted, but seeing their reflection today, it reminded him of how badly he wanted to have his family back and just what he was willing to do see to his wife look at him like the hero she once saw him as.
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Trish let out a sigh as she slid on her tight black boxer shorts and matching black tank top that read 'Kiss Me'. It was a long night and Emma finally had fallen asleep. She had been a bit fussy, probably because she wasn't used to the hotel room and was very different from her normal surroundings. She laughed to herself as she remembered Amy inviting her and Emma to stay with herself and Matt. Trish had begun laughing uncontrollably. To think, on the night that they newly got engaged, any normal couple would want the night to themselves to celebrate. But not Amy and Matt, no…they much preferred having a troubled wife and crying baby with them. Trish had politely declined and told them not to let the night go to waste…they had a lot to celebrate. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she detected a blush rise on Amy's cheeks. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she quickly made her way to the front door. In her haste, she forgot to put her robe on, but it didn't matter because when she opened the door, on the other side was her husband. Nothing he'd never seen before. Randy quickly gave her the once over. She may be his wife, but seeing like that, it was like looking at her for the first time, every time. His subconscious reminded him why he was there and he immediately stopped his visual appraisal and barged into the room without a word. Trish didn't bother to make a fuss that he decided to just mosey on uninvited. She was more curious as to why he was there. Sure, there little moments during the party had been nice and familiar, but that didn't make their problems disappear. She contemplated the best way to ask him why he was there but she didn't have the chance as she saw him slam a familiar envelope onto the coffee table. The contact of the envelope and the table actually startled her and she immediately looked up at him. Once again, his jaw was clenched tightly and she thought she saw fire in his eyes. She wasn't scared that he would physically hurt her, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a bit intimidated by him at that very moment.
"I'm not taking it……" he began fiercely. Trish eyes immediate looked at the envelope on the table and realized what this visit was really about. She looked up at him once again and she found it hard to speak. He was insulted by her actions, but he didn't seem to understand how his words had hurt her and insulted her as well. Part of her admonished herself for being so low and serving court papers requesting a paternity test. However, the other part of her couldn't help but think that he was getting his just desserts.
"I never once doubted that that little girl was mine….how could you?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Yeah…weren't you the one that rubbed it in my face that you never asked for a paternity test for Emma, so you shouldn't need one for Kevin….well, there's your paternity test, husband dear….". Her voice trembled as she spoke but she was determined to finish her thoughts.
"I think that the only pain that you realize in this whole ordeal is your own….I don't think you care that the woman you vowed to love and cherish for the rest of your life sleeps at night wondering what you're doing, where you are, if you're okay….because apparently to you, when we're fighting, that automatically means that I don't care about you anymore, or maybe it's the other way around…."
"I think about you all the time….." he said sternly.
"You and Emma are always in my thoughts. You are my first thought in the morning, my last thought at night and every other thought in between…..I hate this T, I hate fighting with you and I hate being away from you, but I don't know how to make this better….." he stopped when he noticed her expression change.
"You really want me to take that paternity test, don't you?….is that gonna make it better?" he asked, hoping to find a solution to all their problems.
"It's a start…..I want this to work Randy, I don't wanna lose you….but I can't keep fighting this fight when sometimes I'm not even sure if that's what you want…." she said crying. Randy quickly made his way over to her and held her close.
"I messed this up once already, I'm not going to do it again Trish…I'll get the test done. I'm going to be honest with you thought, I really think that Kevin is mine, he's got my blue eyes…." Randy said.
Trish pulled away from her husband to look at him.
"Randy…he has blue eyes like you Randy, but so does half of America, that isn't enough to assume that you're his father. Look, I'm not trying to make things hard on you, and I'll have no problem accepting Kevin if he is your son, but I just wanna know….for my sake. I need to see the truth in front of me" Trish replied. Randy nodded his head in understanding as he pulled her in once again for a hug. 'They were going to be alright' he thought. Their moment was interrupted by his cell phone. He answered it and Trish could distinctively hear Gail babbling on the other end in a frantic hurry about something. The look of worry that crossed Randy's face instantly made Trish worry. When he hung up, there were tears in his eyes as he looked down at Trish.
"That was Gail….Kevin got hurt and he's at the hospital….Gail is worried sick and they won't tell her anything because she's so frantic so they requested the father to come down….." Randy spoke cautiously, not wanting to upset Trish by mentioning himself as Kevin's father. Trish didn't think twice about his words, instead she pushed him towards the door.
"Go to the hospital and see what's going on….I'll call Lisa and ask her to baby sit and I'll meet you down there…." Trish said worriedly. Randy nodded his head and quickly exited the hotel room. Both of them silently prayed that Kevin would be okay.
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Forty five minutes later and Trish was running down the hallway looking for Randy. She finally found him and Gail in a corner where Randy held her as she sobbed. Given the situation, Trish wasn't the least bit jealous. She was sure that no matter how bitchy and manipulative Gail could be, she wasn't enough so to fake her sorrow over her hurt child just to get close to Randy. Trish walked over to them and silently put a hand on Randy's back. He looked her way and he immediately began to pull away from Gail until Trish stopped him and simply shook her head and gave him a small smile. Randy gave a small smile of his own and nodded his head before returning to consoling the distraught Gail.
Moments later, Gail pulled away and noticed Trish walking towards them, but this time she was carrying a tray of coffee. She set it down on the table and looked at Gail.
"I wasn't sure if you took sugar or not so I just brought the packets".
Trish handed her the cup of coffee and Gail easily took it and whispered a 'thank you' to Trish. Trish couldn't deny that she was beyond surprised that Gail actually thanked her but didn't make a comment on it considering the present situation. Trish noticed from the corner of her eye that Randy was talking to the doctor. The look of worry on his face indicated that something must be wrong. Trish carefully watched the exchange between the two men until Randy came back to update the two ladies.
"The doctor said that the hit from the door was too hard for a little baby because of their developing brain. There is some internal bleeding and because he's so small, they're gonna need a blood transfusion….not much, but they know that he's lost too much to support his internal system….." Gail sobbed at Randy's words. It was all her fault. If she had held Kevin properly, the door would have never hit his head while it was closing behind her and worst of all was that when he began crying, she assumed that he was hungry. It wasn't until she saw the bump twenty minutes later that she rushed him to the hospital.
"Gail, he'll be okay…." Trish whispered. Gail looked up at her and wiped her eyes.
"I hope so Trish….but they said he needs blood…." Gail said.
"Gail, both you and Randy are here…..one of you is bound to be a match for him. Randy's an O positive, do you know your blood type?" Trish asked, trying to find a way to reassure her.
Gail shook her head.
"No….I never bothered to ask, or if I did, I don't remember. I don't even remember Kevin's blood type…." she said helplessly.
"Don't worry, O blood type is easily transferable, so most likely that's his blood type. That and it's a universal donor, anyway can accept O positive blood. I thank God everyday that Emma got her father's blood type and not mine, since mine is rare."
Gail nodded and smiled nervously at Trish.
"I hope so too".
"Miss. Kim, Mr. Orton…we're going to get both of you tested right now to see which on of you is a match to Kevin's blood type" the doctor informed.
Gail and Randy nodded. Randy grabbed Trish's hand and gave it a kiss before he and Gail proceeded to enter the two separate rooms provided for them. They returned two minutes later.
"How long will it take" Trish asked Randy as he took a seat next to her and held her hand.
"They said it'll be ten minutes".
Thos ten minutes seemed like the longest ten minutes of their lives.
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The doctor entered the waiting room once again, as promised, ten minutes later. There was a look of confusion on his face.
"Um….Miss. Kim, you aren't a match…." Gail nodded and Randy immediately stood up.
"Where do I go?" Randy asked.
"Actually Mr. Orton….you aren't a match either….you aren't Kevin's father…." the doctor responded hesitantly. Randy immediately looked over at Gail as Trish stood beside her husband and squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"How the hell could you lie to me Gail….forget all the lies you've told me before, we're talking about a baby here…." Randy began. He made sure to keep his voice low but his tone easily indicated his anger. The doctor stood by, uncomfortably, watching the exchange. He figured that the alleged father would be more surprise by the test results than he had been.
"Randy I'm sorry…..I wanted you back and I knew that this baby was the way back to each other….I love you and I made a mistake and I just wanted to fix it….You aren't supposed to be with her, we're supposed to be together, I was the one that you promised to spend the rest of your life with, not her. You ruined my life Trish…it's like I'm always walking in your stupid shadow, no matter how much I try to get out..." Gail sobbed.
Randy was about to set her straight concerning Trish. She had no right no right to talk about his wife like that and if anyone had ruined her life, it was her. It was her decision that made him walk away…that made him find where he truly belonged. Trish spoke quietly before he had a chance to really give it to Gail.
"Look, we can deal with this later…as of right now, that little boy still needs a donor…how bout we focus on that right now and then we can all get at each other's throats and blame each other for ruining the other's life, but right now isn't the time" she said intelligently.
Randy gave one more cold glance Gail's way before turning to his wife and nodding.
"You're right….he may not be my son, but that doesn't mean he should suffer because of his mother's lies…." Randy replied. He felt a small warm hand grab onto his once again and he felt so incredibly lucky to have found her. He had put her through hell for the last couple of months because of the paternity issue and she was right all along. She was willing to stick by him even if he was the father and now that the secret was out that he wasn't actually Kevin's father, she didn't say 'I told you so', she simply thought of the baby's well being first. She had a heart of gold and Randy could admit that he was the luckiest man alive so he didn't dare question it.
Gail watched silently at the couple. She hated to admit it, but they were so perfect for one another. Emotionally, mentally, physically….they fit so damn perfectly together, she started to wonder why she even thought that she could break them up. She had held resentment for Trish for a long time because of Randy. But even before that, Gail always felt like she had to compete with Trish to be successful. They were both the Toronto girls, same background, but it was like you could only have one of those and everyone preferred to have Trish. She was the hometown girl that everyone preferred to cheer for…so much so that they actually changed her birthplace to Korea for character purposes. Trish was everything she wanted to be, but instead of learning from her, Gail thought that working against her would break her down, and then the true Trish Stratus would be revealed….Trish Stratus, the fraud. Looking at her right now, Gail came to an important realization. Trish wasn't a fraud. She was everything everyone taught her to be. She was obviously the beauty, but she was also the funny, down to earth, intelligent and kick ass woman that appealed to people because she was so real…not because she wasn't.
Trish once again took hold of the situation.
"Um 't Randy still donate his blood since he is a universal donor?" Trish asked hopefully. Gail looked up, hope shimmering in her eyes. Maybe her baby could be saved…..
"Actually, no. Because of the particular injury, a identical match is needed, however, even if that weren't the case, the blood type O is universal because everyone eventually develops an immunity to the blood type. Kevin, is still too young of a baby…his internal system hasn't developed that yet, so it wouldn't have worked either way…." the doctor said.
"I can tell you that the baby's blood type is an AB, so if you know anyone with that blood type and is willing to come forward and donate blood, then I can certainly guarantee that your little boy will be perfectly fine….but the sooner, the better. We don't have much time."
"Gail…." Randy tried to reason with her.
"You've gotta tell us who the baby's father is, he's your only hope….he's Kevin's only hope…." Randy said sadly.
Gail couldn't control the tears that slip down her eyes as she thought of her baby struggling in some room without her. Struggling because of her.
"Don't bother Randy…." Trish said stepping forward.
"Gail you should thank the heavens above, because I'm a match….." Trish turned to the doctor.
"I'll donate the blood" she said quietly.
The doctor smiled and motioned toward an empty room.
"Follow me….we'll get you set up in this room, It'll only take a few minutes. We wont' need that much because he's so tiny….."
Trish smiled and before she could move another step toward the door, she felt a tug on her arm. She turned around to see Gail. Before she could say anything, she was enveloped in a hug by the one and only Gail Kim.
"Thank you" she whispered.
"I'm so sorry for everything Trish….I don't know why you would do this for me, but I'm not gonna ask questions, I just wanna thank you…." Gail cried onto Trish's shoulders.
Trish met the eyes of Randy who was looking at her intently. He had a look of admiration in his eyes and Trish smiled softly at him. Things had certainly taken an interesting turn, but considering how things were Trish and Randy, interesting and drama were quickly becoming a part of their normal everyday lives. Trish wasn't sure how advantageous that was, but it sure did make some interesting conversation.