Chapter 9 - Adaptation

November 24th, 2020

Joey

I had just put the truck in park 2 minutes ago, and I have yet to make a move for the door handle. I was just sitting in the driver's seat, both hands still on the steering wheel, in deep thought. Ever since I finished up the call with the McMahon's and Hunter, I spent all day yesterday figuring things out in my head. What I want to do and have to do. First things first, I had a promise to keep. I picked up my phone, opened my call log, and immediately hit Rebecca's name.

"Please...pick up, Rebecca."

"Hi-"

"Hey Rebec-!"

"-you've reached Rebecca. Obviously, I can't answer at the moment, but do your thing at the beep, and I'll get back to ya!" Damn it, got my hopes up for a second due to a damn voicemail. But hearing her voice again reaffirmed it in my head and my heart, I missed her, and I wanted to speak to her badly.

*BEEP*

"Hey Bex. It's me...duh. Look, I can't do this through a voicemail. If you get this, please call me back as soon as possible. We got to talk...and I wanna know if you and Roux are ok. I miss you." I hit the end call button and immediately wanted to face-plant right on the steering wheel. The call going straight to voicemail made me wonder and worry.

"No. No, no, brain. Calm down." Curse my brain when I worry. Of course, she's still taking it easy after Survivor Series. She can take all the time she needs. The voicemail is enough. She'll get it. I kept reassuring myself because damn it, while not as bad as when I was younger, I hate when I overthink out of worry. Here I am thinking the likes of hoping I didn't truly upset her at all, all the way just hoping she and my daughter are safe and sound somewhere with someone she trusts and in a stress-free environment. I would've called her earlier, but I thought it was best to let her enjoy her morning as much as possible without me or anyone adding any drama or stress already.

"Everything is gonna be ok, Joey. It will." I told myself as I looked into the rearview mirror. The swelling had finally disappeared, but some bruising remained and the mental cracks were starting to show again. But I couldn't let them. I had to be strong. For my girls. "Let's do this."

I finally snapped out of it, grabbed my mask, and left the car. I locked up and took a good look at my destination, Target. A big superstore known for selling pretty much everything you can think of; especially anything essential for kids and babies. During my time of figuring things out, my mind told me to go here today...and it was obvious why. The way I found out was irrelevant. My worry for Rebecca and Roux growing at an alarming rate, and my coming here. The long-storied "Dad mode" that every new father would encounter was beginning for me. I wanted this. I wanted this slice of life for so many years, but damn it, I will admit, I'm scared.

"It's fine, Joey. It's fine. You've been here before. Just walk in and...just buy the right stuff for your baby girl. Not that hard, right?" I shook myself loose a little and walked right into the store & rode the escalators down the store. I took a scan around the place and my guard went from fully up to only halfway up. There was a decent amount of people shopping, from adults looking at TVs to parents looking at all sorts of clothing and toys for their kids. It was adorable, but I must admit, I was starting to feel like a fish out of water right now. I didn't even care if anyone recognized me.

"Hello! May I help you, sir?" My attention was grabbed by a young lady with the store's logo on her shirt. Seeing an employee that can help me brought me some relief.

"Hi! Yes, you can. Um...ok, I'm looking for...the essentials for a newborn baby girl. Clothes, diapers, a crib, toys, everything I need."

"Let me guess, about to be a first-time dad?" That question caught me off guard with how right on the money she was, it damn near made me blush.

"That obvious, huh?" She nodded in response with a laugh. "Yeah, I'm…excited and nervous about finally being a dad and… I want to do everything right for my daughter" Jesus, these words were really coming out of my mouth…and it feels good.

"Aw, well, I may not be a parent myself, but I'd say you're off to a great start. I'm sure your wife would agree." My "wife"…

"Um, girlfriend, actually." I quickly corrected her…with something that wasn't really 100 percent true. "But yeah, I'm very sure she would." That I actually felt confident saying. If she knew I was doing this, it would truly shock the hell out of her, but I'd like to think she would be proud.

After the small exchange with the employee, she happily pointed me in the direction of all the areas I needed to go for everything I needed. I quickly grabbed a cart and made my way around the store. Since it was the closest area, the clothing came first. I scanned the shelves until I found the clothes for newborns. So many options, different styles, and colors that do look nice, but damn, I do wish Becky was here with me for this. But she wasn't...so I had to think, I had to actually picture…my little girl in my head. She wasn't even here in this world yet…and I was able to get a picture. She was so beautiful…just like her mother. And just like that, the decision-making was easy. I picked two pieces of each kind of clothing from socks to shoes, from shirts to pants, and some nice onesies with a nice mixture of colors from black to blue. It was so exciting. Admittedly, I was picking what I think would look great on Roux, but I wanted to think Becky wouldn't disagree with my choices.

When I found myself content with the clothing choices, I moved on to the big essentials. Starting with the diapers made me laugh. I made sure to double up on them because not only is this gonna be a baby, this is gonna be MY baby. So there is a good chance she's gonna be a bit messier than most babies. The rest were a breeze to pick up, bibs, toys, towels, a baby tub, and other toiletries. Finally, I found my way to the baby cribs section. I thought picking one would be tricky, but my eyes were instantly drawn to this one crib that was a nice beige color and was able to convert from a crib into a regular bed for when Roux grows past needing a crib. It was perfect. I had to take the sealed box quickly. In fact, it was perfect enough to be the cherry on top of this cart full of baby stuff.

"Holy hell… I think that's it." I scanned the whole cart and felt the only grin grow on my face. I did it. I think I got everything I can get for Roux. I couldn't help but be proud of myself. I quickly took the cart and power walked my way towards the checkout. I didn't care how much everything was. I only want the best for my first child. I was always told by family and friends that when I finally had a kid, I was to spoil the hell out of them. Safe to say, I took that to heart and was making that happen.

Everything was paid for, and I was finally free to leave. I placed the bags and baby bathtub I had on the front passenger side of my truck and slid the crib into the back passenger seats. I jumped back into the driver's seat, ripped off my mask, and felt the freedom to take the biggest breath I could. I took a look at everything I bought for baby Roux. I was still pleased with myself for going all out like this.

"This is all for you, kiddo." Is all I could say. I belted up and started the drive back home to Queens Village. Along the way, I quickly had to think what room am I going to set everything in? My first thought was to set the crib up in my main bedroom. It was pretty spacious enough to fit, and it would be great to… At that moment, I had to stop myself. I was getting too ahead of myself. Reasonably, I was right to be excited…but I haven't even talked to Rebecca yet. To see where things would go with us. Speaking of, I waited till a red light to quickly check my phone to see if she had called me back.

"Ugh. Damn." My only response to seeing she had not. I took another deep breath. I don't want to think negatively at all. Of course, we'll talk soon…and we'll work things out. I had to remain hopeful.

It was just past noon and I had finally made it to my home in the Village. I've owned this house for a few years now since leaving Phoenix. I used to live right next door to Bryan and Brie when they were there as well when Bryan was seriously injured in 2014. While Brie was away on tour, and I was on leave first working on the Prince of Darkness character for the first time, I was there to help him during his recovery and time of need. It helped us bond more, as we always talked and watched anything wrestling-related. Since they left for Seattle where Bryan was close to home, I wanted the same and returned to New York. To be closer to my parents and family. So I found this nice little house in Queens. It was beautiful, cozy, had a nice backyard, and it was all mine. Everyone else I know jumped straight to these crazy, unnecessary, expensive mansions. That wasn't my style.

I fully parked in the driveway and quickly wanted to get everything inside. I brought the bags and the tub up the stoop and to the door first, unlocked it, and dropped everything in the living room. I ran back out to the truck and carried the crib carefully inside before locking up the truck and the front door. I firmly place the crib on the TV wall next to everything else. I took a quick scan of the old home sweet before pacing around. I placed myself back in deep thought. Even though I cut myself off earlier, I still believed in my original plan of setting things up in the main bedroom. I walked over and took a look to reconfirm. I have the space for it. The plan was in motion. I moved everything into the bedroom and focused on opening the crib first. I ripped the box open and started to carefully lift the pieces out. Good lord, there was a good amount to put together, but I felt it would be a fun challenge.

*Doorbell rings*

That was my doorbell…

"I'll be right there!" I yelled. Just as I was about to get down to work on this crib… Who would be at my door these days? I walked over to unlock the front door. "I swear, if it's another Jehovah's witness…" I mumbled under my breath. They do tend to be an annoyance from time to time, even in a pandemic. The locks were unbolted, I opened the door and locked eyes with the visitor at the bottom of the stoop… A visitor I instantly recognized…and couldn't believe I was seeing. My heart stopped. I felt myself going numb from shock, my throat drying up on me, trying to make me struggle to speak. There was no way...this was happening.

Rebecca (a few minutes earlier)

I couldn't help but keep replaying Joey's voicemail to myself. When I turned off airplane mode on my phone earlier and I saw he tried to call and left a voicemail, I played it immediately. I felt a great mix of emotions from laughter due to his sense of humor still being alive even if a little, to damn near crying tears of joy from him reaching out to me, sounding ok, and wanting to know how Roux and I are. I never hit the call button so quickly…but because the service was so shit, I wasn't able to get a single ring. I wasn't even able to call back Pam, as I noticed she blew up my phone, demanding I call her back to let her know I was ok. I expected that from her, but I'll get back to her when I'm ready to. Honestly, as weird as it sounds, I felt it was all for the better. I just wanted to focus on one thing right now; get to Joey's place safely.

"Here we are, mam! Would you like help with your things?" The driver's question snapped me out of my little daze as I realized he parked in front of Joey's house. I immediately noticed a Ford blue pickup truck parked in the driveway. Joey's truck… He was home…

"I got it from here. Thank you so much." I collected my bags, stepped out, and waved the kind driver off.

I walked up to the stoop of Joey's place and just as I was about to ring the bell, my brain was running laps again, making me wonder how he was going to react. But I couldn't let my nerves get to me now. I'm a soon-to-be mother, for Pete's sake. I have to be calm and cool. For us.

"Let's do it, Bex." I took a deep breath and just pushed the doorbell.

*Doorbell rings*

"I'll be right there!" I actually gasped a little. It's only been a couple of days and I just heard his voicemail, but to make this crazy risk of coming all the way here, to finally hear his voice and see him in person… I felt myself starting to become emotional again.

"Keep it together, Bex." I told myself. Remember, stay cool. Easy, right? It was…until the front door opened, and I saw him. He walked right out and we finally locked eyes. He was right there in front of me…so stunned to see me. We both just stood where we were…completely frozen, trying to find the right words to say. Despite my efforts, tears were building up in my eyes. "I…um…" Come on, Bex. Say something! Break the silence! "I…got your voicemail!" Ugh, I never wanted to slap myself more than I want to right now. That's the best I could think of? "I already know you think I'm crazy for-" I was so busy talking, I didn't realize Joey just walked right up to me and just embraced me with a hug. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I just melted into his arms and embraced him, letting the waterworks come right out. I didn't see his face, but I could tell Joey was letting it all out as well.

"Yeah. You are crazy, and I should rip into you for putting yourself and our little girl in danger." Joey finally spoke. It was a serious truth, but his tone made it sound funny enough to warrant a little laugh out of both of us. "But I'm just glad you're OK."

"I'm glad you're OK! I was so worried when Stephanie told me you weren't doing so well. It was a big part of why I came here."

"I should have figured she'd tell you. But I'm holding up alright. I promise." He said as he finally backed out to look at me face to face. I immediately noticed he still had bruises on his face, thanks to Colby.

"Oh, you poor thing." I couldn't help but point out the bruises. Bruises that I…still feel horrible and guilty of.

"Oh, yeah. It looks worse than it feels. Should've seen me when I was a swollen mess. Heh." A pretty dry attempt at humor. I could tell he was a little embarrassed now.

"I'm sorry I said-"

"No! It's perfectly fine." He waved it off with his hands as the wind was picking up a little, reminding us we are freezing our asses off out here. "Ok, we've been out here long enough! Go on in! I'll take your stuff!"

"Thanks! What a gentleman!" The laughs and banter were coming back, and my lord, I missed it. It helped soothe my nerves even more, but not all the way just yet.

I fully stepped foot into Joey's home as he was right behind me with my things. It was still a beautiful home, as I remember from my last visit last year. The living room was so nice and well-kept, with a huge black L-shaped couch occupying a lot of it with a nice little wooden table in the middle. It was just so nice.

"Feels like forever since you've visited to check the place out." Joey spoke as he locked the front door.

"I was just thinking about that. It was only last year I came by, but…everything with the pandemic just…made it feel so long ago. I hate it."

"Me too. Hey, you get to eat today?" As he said the word eat, I felt and heard my stomach yell at me.

"Um…yeah, about that… Haha." Joey rolled his eyes so hard at me. I didn't even need to say it.

"I can make something for us. I'm feeling hungry too. Please! Have a seat! Make yourself at home." Joey walked off into the kitchen and I just happily obliged. It was nice to finally get off my feet and hopefully for good. Suddenly, I found myself drowning in this feeling of warmth.

"Do you want anything specific?" Joey yelled from the kitchen.

"Whatever you want to make is good enough for us! Especially Roux!"

"Gotcha! Looks like I'm making a lot today and I have just the thing!" A smile was growing on my face. Not just a grin or a smirk, but a genuine, made from the heart, smile. After 2 days of mental hell, I felt like I could finally breathe. I felt comfortable and safe. I finally felt…happy.