I'm so sorry with how long it has taken me to update. As I've told some of you in PM's and Emails, I've had a bit of a family crisis lately so sadly this has had to bare the brunt of my neglect. Thanks so much for your response to the last chapter and no, unlike what one of you asked I wasn't 'plucking kidding' you.
I really appreciate the support and I want to thank everyone who has reviewed the story whether it was the first chapter or the latest.
wwefan01, stacia, rochelle, cherrybomb13, diva101, missphillippinesuperstar, redbess, amyy, goddessofdeath312, gurl42069, tna'shottestnewknockout, jen, augustgirl, adalyn, babygirltiff, sparkleblack, mel, tammi, lana, rkogirl, stina, fastfuriouschick, kentuckygirl4029, xxjennyxax, angelrose82, john cena punk princess, leila hardy, skyryder, smile-always, lizzy, nikkikat. Thanks to all of you!
Chapter 18 : Waking, Family and Bubble Baths.
He left her early the next morning, so early that the dawn light hadn't stretched over the sky yet. Unable to explain, even to himself, what had happened last night he took extra care about not waking her. He had enjoyed talking to her but the thought of something else happening hadn't crossed his mind until it had actually happened.
He walked slowly over to the park that he had met her in the night before in order to retrieve his car. Sitting in the drivers' seat he turned the ignition but rather than putting the car in gear he just sat listening to the soft hum of the engine.
He took a deep breath and suddenly felt sick – he could smell her perfume all over him. Deciding that he desperately needed a shower he drove quickly out of the space and began driving like a possessed man.
A little over an hour later he walked through the wards of the hospital towards his sister's room. Finally stopping outside the door he noticed with surprise that she was awake and talking to Nathan about something.
Opening the door slowly he walked into the room and saw his parents in the far corner asleep in two chairs, their legs up on another.
"Becky," he said turning his attention back to her. Smiling at Nathan who nodded at him he took a seat besides his sister who was yet to acknowledge that he was even there. "I wanted to apologise for what I said last night. You've been through a lot and going off at you the way I did was –"
"Nathan," Becky said apparently ignoring her brother, "Could you please tell Captain Sensitive over there to tell me that either he's apologised to Jenni or to get the hell out of here?"
Randy frowned at the mention of his best friend but Nathan looked nervous.
"Umm, Captain Sensitive," he started, "I should tell you that Becks was really angry to hear what you said to Jenni last night and would like to know if you've apologised to her?"
"She went back to New York, I haven't seen her since she left the hospital." Randy spoke in a calm voice that was clearly forced and tried once again to talk to his sister. "Becks listen, I don't wanna talk about Jenni, I just wanna know if you're ok."
"Nathan, could you please tell our older brother that since being an insensitive little fuck–"
"Hey!"
"– is something he's so good at maybe he should go down to the morgue and laugh at a mother grieving for her dead baby!"
"Now hang on a minute Rebecca! Just because I had an argument with someone doesn't give you the right to talk to me like that!"
Finally turning to acknowledge her eldest brother she fumed, "An argument about me, which you ended by insulting her for not having a family!"
"I wasn't insulting her!" He said furiously even though in his heart he knew it had come out that way.
"I don't even understand why you picked a fight with her in the first place!"
"You could have died!"
"How is that her fault!"
"She knew!" He shouted, hardly aware that his mother and father were both awake and alert to what was happening. "She knew that you'd done drugs and she didn't tell me!"
"I made her promise not to!"
"You think that matters? This isn't some little trivial thing. It's not like telling someone about a bad test score it's about drugs. You could have died!"
"But I didn't!"
"But you could have! And that stupid bitch, who I call my best friend, didn't tell me!"
"Randall, Rebecca, this is getting out of hand." Elaine said sternly, "You both need to calm down."
"And that's what this is all about isn't it Randy, huh? This is about you! I'm lying in hospital and all you can do is obsess over how Jenni kept a secret from you!"
"She should have told me!" He said, his voice booming around the room.
"No she shouldn't. I should have. I shoulda told you, mom and dad, Nate anyone of you…but I didn't tell who I should have, I told who I needed to!" Becky said her voice sounding hysterical.
"What do you mean, who you needed to?"
"I needed someone who wasn't gonna judge me!" She choked back a sob at her own words while Randy continued to frown. Nathan stared down at the hospital bed and their parents, who had risen from their chairs, both stood quietly.
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Her mother asked finally.
"I needed someone who wasn't gonna judge me," she repeated. "I mean come on, what would have happened if I had told one of you? Randy, as you've proved, you would have flown off the handle completely, Nate, well, I'm not sure how you would have reacted but it wouldn't have been good, and you two," she finished, looking at her parents, "You guys would have been so disappointed if I told you."
Randy stared at her as tears slid freely down her cheeks, out of the corner of his eye he saw tears sliding down his mother's cheeks as well. He was a little too wrapped up in his own thoughts to pay attention to much else.
A thousand memories came crashing back to him as he watched his baby sister being embraced by their mother and somehow his words slipped out, in truth he didn't really want an answer to his question. "Am I a lousy brother to you?"
She slowly turned her head to look at him and he elaborated, in a voice not as strong as he wished it was. "A little while ago, you said that I was only your brother when it suited me. What did you mean by that?"
"Son," his father said, "I don't think now's the best time to be asking those kinds of –"
"Becks," he pleaded, cutting off his father.
"You only talk to me when you see me."
He was a little thrown by her answer, "Well how else can I talk to you?"
She notably scoffed at that, "This is 2006 Randy; you could use a cell phone."
"You know I'm not good at remembering to call people."
"You always call Jenni on the rare occasion that you're not with her. She finds time to call me a couple of times a week."
"Well," he reasoned, "when me and Jenni talk on the phone it's usually about nothing."
"Of course it is, you never have anything to tell each other because you're always together," it was Bob that spoke this time but his mother that spoke next.
"And what you do have to tell her you won't because you're scared."
He shook his head, the anger that had softened suddenly coming back to the surface, "When did this become solely about me and Jenni? Becky's what's important here."
"I might be what's important but I'm not what you're thinking about."
"You're the one that brought Jenni up!"
"Yeah because of what you said to her."
"I was angry!"
"You're angry because she's a better sister than you are a brother!"
Silence followed Becky's words and Randy felt his jaw drop. So it's true then, I am a bad brother.
Anger over-riding how much it hurt to hear that he turned for the door.
"Where are you going?" His mother asked incredulously.
"New York," he said sharply.
"Randy, you're family needs you right now."
He stopped his handle on the door and turned to his sister who was quiet again, seemingly surprised at what she had said.
"You think she doesn't judge?" he asked her and then turning to his mother he said, "And you think I'm too scared to tell her? Alright then, let's test that theory."
He stormed out of the room and the hospital altogether. Angrily turning the ignition on in his car he grabbed his cell and saw three missed calls from Sam, ignoring them he dialled up the airport and pulled the car from the drive.
"Hi, I need a flight to JFK airport as soon as possible." … "11am?" he said looking at the clock that read eight thirty, "I'll take it."
Jenni was lying on her large sofa in her living room when her phone started ringing. Ignoring it and continuing to stare at the ceiling she only partially listened when she heard Adams voice come onto her answering machine.
"Hey Jenni, I don't know if you're there or not cuz Cena said something about you going to St Louis but if you are there just a little reminder that it's New Years Revolution tonight and I guarantee you that you're not gonna wanna miss it. Well I haven't spoken to ya in around a week so I hope you're ok, call me tomorrow Jen, Bye!"
"He sounds chirpy," she said to herself, her gaze still firm on the ceiling.
She couldn't believe it; this was how she was spending her day off. Her last full day off for another thirteen days. Not that she felt she deserved to be having fun, Becky was in hospital because she, as Randy put it, was too busy being 'loveable big sis' to worry about her safety.
Those words stung but she couldn't deny the truth in them, she should have been smarter about it. She should have told Randy, or even Bob or Elaine, it wasn't like she didn't have plenty of opportunities.
Squinting against the sunlight pouring through the blinds she reluctantly stood up, her need for coffee over-riding her need to lay and wallow in her misery.
Pouring milk into her mug her eyes drifted to the pictures on her notice board. The picture that held her attention was from the European tour back in the summer of 2004.
He was on a bit of a career high at that point; winning the championship, having great matches with Beniot and Hunter and his feud with Evolution hotting up, and it all showed on his face. His eyes danced in the picture that showed him embracing his best friend tightly and both of them pouting – a way of mocking some of the dizzier Diva Search girls.
Staring at the snapshot she sighed before the beeping of her phone pulled her from her thoughts. Ignoring it she went back to the couch, clutching her coffee and went back to her thoughts.
"What do you think he's going to do?" Nathan asked nervously.
"I don't know," his mother replied honestly, "from what he said he wants to prove us wrong."
"Why though, I mean, I just don't get it."
"None of us do Nate," Bob said gruffly, "Randy's been a little out of it lately and let's face it, we all know the cause of it. If going to New York and talking to her is what he feels he needs to do then-"
"But he couldn't have waited?" Becky asked incredulously, "I'm here lying in a hospital bed and he's too busy sorting out his love life to stay with me a day!"
"Rebecca it's not that simple."
"Yes it is. You three aren't honestly going to tell me you agree with him leaving to sort something out that he could probably sort out tomorrow at work."
"He's just-"
"He's doing what he always does. He's looking out for himself!"
The cold afternoon air of New York hit him the second he opened the door of the car he had rented at the airport. He stepped out and leaned against the, now closed, door.
Looking up towards the higher floors of the complex he took a deep breath. Sadly, his mind wasn't as clear as he'd like it to be. When standing in the hospital room he had a moment of clarity and decided that it was time to tell her the truth about how he felt.
Quite what that meant, at this point, he wasn't quite sure.
She sighed as she poured more bubble bath into the tub of hot water. Her wallowing, while justified, had begun to annoy even herself. After deciding that she may as well make use of the rest of her last day off she stripped her clothes off and gently lowered herself into the water.
He continued to stand there – for how long, he wasn't sure. But he was cold and the longer he stood the more the flickers of anger that had began to settle on the plane, rose within him.
He opened the back door of the car and picked up the two bags of Jenni's luggage that she had left in his car the night before. Throwing one over his shoulder and clutching the other he walked to the main door of the building. Using the set of keys Jenni had given him he opened it up and strided towards the elevator.
The soft scents were so relaxing and helped take away so much tension. She forced herself not to think about Randy, Becky or anything else. She just sank deeply into the tub and closed her eyes sleep gently taking her over.
Stopping outside her door he took a deep breath once again before knocking firmly on the door. No answer. He knocked again a little louder but didn't get an answer.
Thinking she might have gone out he pulled the keys out again and opened up her door. Dropping her bags at the door he walked through to the living room. It was only when he smelt a nice, albeit girly, smell coming from her bathroom that he realised where she was.
He walked over and knocked lightly on the door. She made no response so he slowly opened the door and looked around, his eyes finally landing on the bathtub.
He stepped closer to her, his shoes making a clicking on the tiles.
"Jenni."
Getting no reply from his sleeping friend he exhaled a breath slowly.
"Jenni," he said again.
Still nothing. For a moment he half considered pulling her from her bath but even in his angry mind that seemed wrong somehow. He was about to turn and sit in the living room but a small sigh from her caused him to rethink that.
Seeing that she was still asleep he hoisted himself up onto the bathroom counter. Looking her over, he ran his eyes over the bubbles that covered her body from sight. His gaze stopped on her face and he noted, almost angrily, that she looked peaceful.
How dare she? How dare she be peaceful and content when it's her fault that my sister is laying in hospital! Just where in the HELL does she get off being peaceful and beautiful and relaxed while my family are worried about Becky!
He sat a while longer before she finally began to stir.
The waters getting cold, that was the first thought to enter her head as she slowly moved around in the water. She opened her eyes and let her eyes adjust to the light. Giving up she closed them again and settled back into her bath but a voice had her nearly jump out of her skin.
"Well, well. Look at that." His voice said, "Sleeping Beauty's finally awake."
She turned herself slightly so she could face him better. "Randy," she said breathlessly. "What are you doing here?"
Pushing himself off of the counter he made no effort to answer her question; instead he walked calmly to the towel rack and picked up a big fluffy towel, as she eyed him apprehensively.
Holding the towel out to her he stared her in the face, she took the end of it cautiously and the second she did he pulled it closer to him and pulled her with it.
"Get out of there and get dressed. I'll be in the kitchen," he said in almost a hiss. He stared at her a moment longer before moving out of the room.
As soon as she heard the door click into place she stood up and wrapped the towel around her. Stepping out of the bath and walking to the mirror she took from her hair the clip that had kept it from getting wet and it fell around her shoulders and down her back. She towelled herself dry but didn't hurry herself – uncertain of what was waiting for her in the kitchen.
He sat calmly at the table pouring himself a drink from the bottle he had taken from her drinks cabinet before sitting down. Downing it in one he poured another and waited for his best friend.
She took her time getting dressed but he didn't take his time drinking her alcohol.
"It's a little early to be drinking that much," she said when she finally entered.
He said nothing immediately but instead poured a drink for both of them. "Is that gonna stop you?" He asked with a smirk.
"Come on Randy, you know me better than that," she said sitting across from him and taking the glass in her hand. "How's Becky?"
He lay back on the chair and raised an eyebrow, "You care?"
"Of course I care!"
"Coulda fooled me, babe."
"That's not fair!"
He held a hand up to silence her. "There's something I wanna tell you."
"So tell me."
Pausing to gather his thoughts he took a sip from his glass. "Something's been wrong with me for a while, and I know you've noticed." She said nothing but he continued anyway, "We've had quite a few fights lately, usually with me flying off the handle and then apologising. But, last night, when I was sitting in hospital, again when I was lying in bed, I figured it out."
She stood up while taking a drink and leaned up against the sink, "What have you figured out?"
He stood as well. "I've figured out what my problem is." Walking slowly towards her he carried on speaking. "When I was engaged to Sam, it was there, with my family, it's there and at work,its there."
"Randy, what are you-?"
"I go to sleep, it's there," he spoke as if she hadn't, "I wake up, it's there." Stopping right in front of her he spoke gently, "I figured out what my problem is."
"What is it?"
He seemed to ignore the question, "I haven't been able to tell you. But I'm going to now. It's taken over everything."
"What has?" She asked confused, "What's it?"
"You," he said simply, almost as though he had expected her to work that bit out.
"What? How have I-"
"I can finally do it," he interrupted, "I can look you in the eyes and tell you exactly how I feel. Do you wanna know?"
She paused trying to read his expression but couldn't, he was guarding himself better than she had ever seen. "I don't know."
"Well I do. I want you to know how I feel."
"Ok. How do you feel Randy?"
He smiled, glad she asked, "When I look at you, when I stand this close to you, when I think back on the last few months, on everything going on in my life I realise…that I…I…" he faltered, unsure if he could actually do it before his resolve strengthened.
He brought a hand up to her face and traced her cheek bone, "right here, right now," his eyes hardened, "I can honestly tell you that I really, really hate you!"
Hate her? He hates her! What do you think! I know there was not much happening in the first half of the chapter but it really needed to be in there for Randy to come to his realisation. I know this wasn't my longest ever but time has been something of a bitch these last few weeks.
Let me know how you feel about this latest development in a review!
Love Ya! DollFace!
Ps, sorry to disappoint you, but we will see Sam again!
