AN: Wow...I haven't updated in like forever and I really do apologize for that. I've been so stuck with this story. I know how I want everything to go but the hard part is trying to figure out how to do in the least possible chapters that I can. I'm only go do two or three more chapters after this one so this story will be coming to a close shortly because I really wanna get started on another fic...I know, I'm bad but I can't help it! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy and since so many of you left threats for me because of the cliff hanger from Not Like This...I'm actually considering whether I should give you a happily ever after or leave you in suspense once again. Except this time, there ain't gonna be no other part, lol. Anyways, please read and review...until next time.
I Disclaim: I don't any of the superstars that are portrayed in this story and believe me, if I did own them, I wouldn't be sitting here right now in front of my computer reading fanfics when I could be living it out...oh wait, nevermind. I wanna keep this clean, lol.
It had been four days since he had left and three and half days that she had cried mercifully in hopes that he would return. She knew she had messed up but she wasn't sure what sort of message Randy was trying to send but by last night, Trish's agony and grief turned into pure anger and mild hate.
'How could he just walk out on us like that?' she asked herself countless times throughout the day. This was by far the most trying situation that their marriage had to face, and though she could never forget all that he had done for her in the past, she still couldn't help but think that he was being a coward. Her thoughts were interrupted by feet pattering towards her. Seconds later she felt the weight of the bed shift and soon she was face to face with Emma and Josh looking back at her. She would have to remember to thank Emma for being on her best behaviour. Emma was a smart girl and as much as it pained Trish, she knew that Emma had some sort of idea as to what was going on and Trish strongly believed that a girl as young as her daughter should not have to go through that. She gave her daughter a small smile before she was greeted with a kiss on the cheek and a good morning. Her eyes shifted its gaze onto Josh…the little guy who was unknowingly the centre of all of this commotion.
"Hey baby" Trish said as she stifled a yawn. Josh's face broke out into a grin before leaping towards his mother and giving her kiss before cuddling up beside her. His actions were just another example of a child's innocence. Despite the commotion he had caused at the restaurant, the day apart from his parents was enough to make him forget his anger and remember that he had missed them a lot. He had run through the day and straight into his mother's arms the night Amy and Matt had brought him back to their hotel room. First Trish was relieved that he had calmed down, but that was soon replaced by sadness when Josh has innocently asked for his father. Trish didn't have an answer so she did the only thing she could think of, she made something up.
"Mama….I'm hungry" Josh interrupted her thoughts. Trish glanced at her two kids before giving them a sympathetic smile.
"Sorry guys. I was awake really late with Noah so that's why I woke up so late today" she apologized.
"That's alright mom. I figured you had a late night, Noah's been acting up lately since dad's been gone" Emma pointed out.
"When is dad coming back?" Josh asked as he sat up on the bed and eyed his mother curiously.
"Honey, I've been so busy, I can't even remember what day your father said. I'll have to call your Uncle John and ask him because I'm sure your father must have talked to him about it as well" Trish lied. Emma gave her mother a sympathetic smile before turning to her brother.
"Come on, let's go watch some cartoons while mom gets dressed" and with that she pulled Josh out of the room so that her mother could start getting ready for another day…another day alone.
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It was early afternoon when a fateful knock on the door had Trish leaping over furniture in hopes that it was Randy. The mere thought of him actually coming home was enough for her to forget just for a few minutes that she was mad at him. She just wanted him back home so that they could deal with everything together. The last thing they needed was a rift in their marriage to make things more stressful and complicated.
The smile on her face was bright with anticipation but when she opened the door, a tall man in a dark suit and tie with matching shades was on the other end. She didn't know who he was, but she could guarantee she was about to find out.
"Good afternoon…are you Patricia Strategias Orton?" the man asked.
"Uh…yes. Can I help you?" Trish asked politely.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm here on behalf a Mr. Adam Copeland. A copy of this form was requested to be delivered to you so that you are fully aware of the following proceedings that Mr. Copeland has issued along with his attorney. You will be expected in court in nine days where a trial hearing will take place in the custody of little Joshua Orton therefore you are expected to return to the United States within the this week. Thank you for your time Mrs. Orton and have a good day."
Trish stared at the brown manila folder that the man had given her before he left.
"He actually filed for custody" she whispered softly to herself. After several minutes standing in the doorway in shock, she slowly turned around and headed to the bedroom to make sure that all three kids were still sleeping. She had to make sure that Emma nor Josh had overheard the conversation at the door. When her mind was finally at ease, Trish made her way out to the television area and picked up the phone. She dialled the all too familiar number of a cell phone and she quickly decided, she would spare no words or feelings. She had to start getting her act together and she knew just where to start.
After eight rings, she was directed to the voice message. She waited patiently for the beep and prayed that nothing she said would get cut off by the machine. Seconds later, she heard the beep and she wasted no time.
"Randy…it's Trish. Listen, I know you're mad right now at me but that's not reason to stay away for so long. I'm tired of crying and now I'm simply pissed off that you aren't here right now. This is more than our marriage, this is about our son and now of all times you decide to lack a conscious and walk out on us because you need time for yourself? Adam served me custody papers today and I have to be back in the US by the end of the week. The court date is nine days. I understand that you're mad at me but our children don't deserve this and if you don't think you can get over your fucking ego and come back home then….don't come back at all." At this point, she was crying and it was obvious in the way she spoke but she was going to have to pull through this because it needed to be said.
"If I have to go through this alone, I'd prefer you let me know now so that I don't have to worry if I'll ever see you again….Goodbye." She slammed the phone down and waited a couple of seconds before picking it up again. She proceeded to call Amy and told her the situation as best she could without crying but failed. Being the darling that she was, Amy immediately offered to go back with her and despite Trish's pleas to stay, both of her friends were determined to go with her. Matt was already booking flights home which left Trish with packing the suitcases and breaking the news to her kids that they would have to cut their vacation short.
In a matter of hours, Trish and the gang were sitting in the airplane, all strapped in and fifteen minutes away from landing in St.Louis. She tried her best to ignore Josh's pleas for his father and whether or not Randy was informed that they were leaving. Trish avoided the question as best she could and thankfully Josh had fallen asleep. She looked over at the sleeping form of her three children and this time, she didn't bother to stop the tears that began a trail down her cheeks. Her life was spinning out of control and for the first time, she felt almost positive that she wasn't going to make it. She felt a tiny hand reach over and touch her arm. She looked over to meet the blue eyes of her daughter.
"It'll be okay mom…everything will be okay."
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Three more days left before the trail hearing and Trish was spending every desperate moment with her lawyer as they planned some form of defense in hopes that it would enough for her to keep her child. This was a case that she couldn't afford to lose.
"Okay Trish. I think we've done all we could do for today. I'll come by again tomorrow and run over our options but for now, it's two in the morning and we're both tired and not to mention that you've got kids who are early risers…you need some sleep. I know it's hard sweetie, but you have to try and get some rest or else you're just gonna end up shutting down" her lawyer Diane advised her. Trish gave her a small yet grateful smile before getting up and offering to see Diane out.
"I know you're right…it's just hard Diane. I mean, this is really big and right now I'm juggling everything by myself. If there's anyone that can help me, I know it's you….but sometimes that's not enough" she said softly.
"I understand your pain. I had to go through the same thing with my ex and it was hard as hell. I can't make all the promises in the world Trish, but if there's one promise that I can keep, it's that I'll try my damndest to win this case. I know how much is riding on this and I don't wanna let you down." With a confident smile and quick hug, the women parted ways. Trish turned around and looked around. Her house was spotless…such a contrast to the big disaster that was brewing inside of her. She sighed as she turned off the kitchen light and made her way up to her bedroom to sleep.
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She had an hour of what could be the described as the closest thing resembled to sleep. She lifted her head slightly to see Noah nestled away in his crib fast asleep. She had a strange feeling wash over but decided ignore it. She slowly lowered her head back down to her pillow and that's when her eyes finally adjusted to the dark so that she could see a figure sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. Her heart began to beat faster and faster and the only thing she could think about was her kids. She slowly reached over the side of the bed and grabbed the steel bat that she had propped up against the bed since Randy's absence. With a deep breath and quick prayer, she flicked on the bedside lamp to see the tall figure in the chair.
"Randy?…." she asked hoarsely as she tried to regain her composure. His eyes were red and puffy and she could tell that he had been crying. Every angry thing that she had said or felt for him over the past several days flew out the window. She jumped out of bed and knelt beside him as she grabbed one of his hands and stroked his cheek with the other.
"Baby…are you okay? Did something happened to you? Are you hurt?" she kept rambling on.
It took a while but he finally looked up at her and though his face said it all, he had to say it to her.
"I am so sorry…I'm awful. I can't believe I did that to you and the kids. I was just so…." the tears were threatening to spill again and Trish quickly leaned over and embraced him. His arms wrapped around her tightly and despite his anguish, he couldn't help but think of how much he had missed holding her, smelling her, and seeing her. His family was his everything and he had turned his back on them and no matter how much Trish could say she forgives him, Randy knew it was going to take a lot longer for him to forgive himself.
"I would've been here sooner but I couldn't get a flight" he offered as a way of explanation. She didn't let him go, but he could feel her nod her head against his body. When she finally pulled away, their hands remained intact.
"Come on to bed, we can talk in the morning" she offered. With tired eyes and bit of hesitation, he agreed.
The both laid down on the bed and he instinctively reached over and pulled her close to him as he rested his arm around her tiny waist.
She smiled despite herself. He was finally home and though they still had some talking to do….it was definitely a step in the right direction.
She laughed lightly to herself.
"The kids are going to be jumping off the walls in excitement in the morning when they see that you're home."
"Yeah, I missed them too. I stopped by each of their rooms to see them…I couldn't wait till morning" he replied before kissing the top of her head.
"Trish…."
"Hmmm" she responded as she relaxed in his arms.
"I missed you a lot and I love you more than life itself….and I'm sorry for making you think that my leaving was because of you. You're right. I was a coward. I didn't want to face the situation because I didn't want to stop and think for a second that Josh would one day want his real father. I love him so much and I should've never let my fears complicate everything that I hold dear to me."
Trish let out a giggle as she turned around his arms.
"I guess that just about covers the conversation we were supposed to put off till tomorrow. I forgive you Randy and I should ask for you forg….." Randy quickly put a finger against her lips to quiet her.
"Don't. You've already said your sorry and though I still think what you did was incredibly dangerous and stupid, I can understand why you did it all the same." Trish wordlessly nodded her heard and cuddled herself closer to him. She allowed her heavy lids to close and for the first time, she felt at ease despite all the calamities that surrounded her. She was no longer alone. She had Randy by her side, just like he always has been, and that alone was enough to instil the confidence in her that their family was going to get through everything alright. Now all she had to do was pace herself. She was Trish Stratus….and nobody fucked with Trish Stratus.