Disclaimer: All the events and character description taken place in this story is COMPLETELY FICTION. No copyright infringement intended. All characters are copy written to their respective owners. No profit is being made from this story. It should be viewed only as entertainment.
Chapter Forty
Kurt sharply drew in his breath the moment he heard the voice on the other end of the phone. Did he really just hear Paul's voice? Quickly, he brought his phone out in front of him to make sure he had in fact called his home number. After all, Paul's number was in his contact list. Steph had insisted that he keep Paul's number in his phone just in case either of them needed to get in touch with him because of Aurora. No, he had not dialed the wrong number. Paul was answering his house phone.
"Paul, what the hell are you doing at my house?" Angle finally barked into the phone putting an end to the several seconds of silence.
"I'm taking care of Steph. She's sick and needed help with the kids. She asked me to stay." Levesque replied in a calm, cool, and collected voice. Deep down he was completely reveling in revealing to Angle the fact that Stephanie had asked him to stay.
"Let me talk to my wife." Kurt demanded with a hint of anger in his voice. He was doing his best to keep his exasperation at bay because he was at work with his fellow wrestlers who were within earshot of the conversation.
"I would but Steph isn't available right now. She's upstairs resting in bed. Don't worry, Stephy's in good hands. I tucked in her really good." Paul told him in a smug voice.
Before Angle could say even a word back, he heard click and then silence on the line. Did that asshole just hang up on him? He took the phone away from his good ear and then held it again in front of him so that he could see the display. It was back on the main screen. Levesque had in fact ended the call.
With his smart phone in his right hand, Angle brought his left hand to the touch screen and was about to find his wife's cell phone number in his contact list when he noticed what he had forgotten earlier that day. A white line was imprinted around his bear left ring finger. Kurt's wedding band was missing from his hand. He must have forgotten to put it on after his shower. He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed that it was missing earlier. Bringing his left thumb across his palm, he used it to rub the side of his finger, it felt weird not having it on. The only time he ever took it off was for matches, showers, and sleep. Oh well, at least he knew where it was at home. He would have been really upset if he had lost it.
Kurt turned his attention back on his cell phone and quickly found his wife's cell phone number. Right when he was about to touch the green call bar on the screen, his attention was diverted by his son crying out and then Kyra hollering for him.
"Daddy, Kody fell!"
Angle whipped around in the direction of the ring where he had left his two children. Kyra was now standing on the edge of the ring apron right above where her little brother was laying wailing on the black padded concrete floor. All the wrestlers in the immediate area began to make their way over to the crying child including his father who rushed down the ramp after hitting the back and lock buttons on his phone.
As Angle ran down to ringside, he was praying to God that his son wasn't seriously hurt. He should have never left him playing in the ring with his sister. Hadn't he learned by now that Kyra wasn't a suitable babysitter for her little brother? How would he tell Karen if their child was seriously injured on his watch? Her bitching and lecturing would never end.
"How did he fall?" Kurt asked quickly as he immediately scooped up his crying son.
"He was running to the ropes and he fell out in between this one and this one." Kyra explained to her father as she touched the middle and bottom rope.
"Is he okay? I saw the fall, it was really bad. He landed right on his head." Swagger reported to Angle while Kody continued to cry.
Kurt brought his hand up to his child's face and he saw right away a large bump forming on the two and a half year old's forehead. That was where he must have landed. Gently, he brought fingertips to the swollen area and touched it, causing the little boy to squirm away and cry louder. There was definitely heat coming from the injury.
"All right, all right, shows over everyone. We're going to go backstage and let the EMTs look at the bump on his head." Angle announced to the surrounding co-workers that had surrounded around them. He wanted them to go back to whatever they were doing and stop staring at them.
Kyra jumped down off the apron and followed her father up the ramp and through the curtain that lead to the guerrilla position and then the backstage area of the arena. She was making sure to keep up with her dad. Vince, who had been busy dressing down members of the creative team because of their weekend blunder, took notice of his son-in-law walking passed him.
"Kurt, everything okay?" He called after him. McMahon could see the look of worry on Angle's face while was holding his crying child.
The inquiry from his father-in-law caused Kurt to pause for a moment. Where did Vince want him to start? Did he want to tell him about the feeling he had when he called his home to check on his wife and heard her ex-husband's voice answer the phone? And if that wasn't bad enough, how about the comments Levesque made before hanging up on him? Vince would, without a doubt, be just upset by Paul's boldness just as much as him, hell maybe even more.
Angle wasn't going to take the time to go there right now. In his arms was his crying child. He was tending to his crying son that he should have been keeping an eye on while he played in the ring. It was his fault.
"Kody took a header out of the ring. I'm going to get him checked out in the trainer room." He finally replied and continued down the hall.
"Poor kid, I hope he checks out okay." Vince replied watching as Kurt continued to walk away and then finally disappear around the corner.
With a glass of ice water in his hand, Paul tried his very best to enter the Angle master bedroom without making any noise. Steph had been dead to the world for a few hours; her body must have needed it. The glass of water was for her. Paul knew how important it was that Stephanie stay hydrated.
"Sorry, I tried not to wake you." Levesque apologized the moment he saw his former wife slowly moving to sit up in bed.
"No, it's fine, I don't want to sleep all day. How long was I out?" Stephanie asked in a parched voice not even making an attempt to turn and look at her digital clock at bedside.
"A few hours, don't worry, I've been holding down the fort for you." Paul commented with his smile that turned into a smirk. He had taken a seat on the edge of the bed and was now holding out the cold beverage in her direction.
"Thank you..." Steph muttered, her voice trailing off before she reached for the glass of ice water.
"You're welcome." He answered back in a soft voice to watch hers.
Paul then took the time to study her while she drank from the glass. Her face was still just as pale as it was when he had first arrived earlier in the day. She seem to be quite out of it. The bug still wasn't yet out of her system. Because of her delicate state, he thought it best to refrain from bringing up the kiss they had shared just before he had left her to sleep. Though he thought he felt something was between them during the tender kiss, there was still that inner doubt within in since he did not know how she would respond to him bringing it up.
"Did Kurt call? He should be at the arena by now." Steph questioned the moment she finished taking a large sip of the water.
"Yeah, he called a little bit ago, but I didn't want to wake you up." Levesque told her nonchalantly. His tone of voice showed not even a hint of the nature of the conversation between him and Angle.
"Well, hopefully he's doing all right with the two kids. He probably has his hands full right now." She commented with a slight chuckle before wincing a little. Her abdominal muscles were still sore from all the vomiting.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure he's got a lot to deal with, not just the kids but Candice following him around like a cat in heat. Though, you know what, he probably likes that. I mean, what guy doesn't like that kind of a attention? She's probably watching his kids for him too." Paul told her with a smirk while making his eyebrows move up and down to add effect to what he was saying.
Levesque had his eyes focused on Stephanie all the while he was speaking about her current husband and Candice Michelle. He was hoping that some of what he was saying was sinking in and making her question what was going on backstage at the RAW show without her. He couldn't help but smile when he heard her let out a forced laugh and then fold her arms.
"There's nothing between Candice and Kurt. She's married too after all." Steph pointed out with a smile shinning through as she shrugged her shoulders; letting the small bit of suspicion fade away.
"Well, that never stopped Angle before. I think we both know that." Paul answered back quickly motioning with his chin in her direction.
Stephanie's eyes widened in response to her ex-husband's boldness. She was taken a bit off guard by his insinuation that Kurt was more than willing to not just be unfaithful to her, but do so with a married woman. He was using her, his former wife, as his evidence of Angle's modus operandi. As if her and Kurt's love, the basis of their marriage, was anything but legitimate.
She looked away from his obvious gaze. Steph was sure he was looking for some sort of a verbal reaction to his words. She was hesitating to do so. His suggestions caused her to feel uneasy and instead of getting upset at him, she'd rather just end the conversation. Setting aside his uncalled for remarks, he was taking such good care of her, their daughter, and her baby son.
"Can you please leave me alone for a little bit? I'm getting a bit of a headache. I'm sure the kids need you downstairs."
Paul's large frame contracted as he let out a long sigh of disappointment. For some reason, he wasn't expecting her to kick him out of her bedroom. Perhaps what he said really hit close to home. He had seen the look on her face. She didn't like him bringing up her past indiscretion with Angle. Funny how things changed when the preverbal shoe was on the other foot. He was making her think of her wonderful husband as a wife stealing cheater, and she didn't like it.
"Yeah sure, just holler if you need me." He answered before getting to his feet.
"Will do." Steph muttered while her eyes followed her former husband as he made his way to the double doors of the master bedroom and disappeared on the other side of them.
When she was left alone in her large bedroom, she let out a long sigh and let herself shift onto her right side, facing her husband's side of the bed. She didn't know why she was even letting Paul's words bother her at all. Steph had been through a marriage where infidelity had taken place. She was wiser now and would know what to look for if she even suspected it in her new marriage to Kurt.
While she wrestled with her thoughts, what she saw sitting on her husband's bedside table, caused her to come back to reality. She squinted her eyes slightly, thinking that maybe she was mistaking what she was seeing sitting there on the table. Slowly, she slide her body to his side of the bed, and reached out for the small object her eyes were focused on so intently.
Retracting her arm, Steph brought back her husband's wedding band in her hand. She then took the ring in her fingers and held it in front of her. One of her finger tips ran over each of the diamonds that were set in it. She couldn't help think back to when she had put it on Kurt's left ring finger before they were pronounced husband and wife.
What was the wedding band doing here? It wasn't like Kurt to leave it behind. In the full year they had been married, Steph knew that there were only three occasions when Kurt would remove the ring: when he slept, showered, and before his matches. He would never leave it at home, especially when he was traveling for a show. At first, Stephanie trusted that he must have just simply forgot it, but knowing her husband's strict routine, and thinking back to Paul's words, she couldn't help but second guess that trust.
"I'm telling you, something's going on between Kurt and Stephanie Angle. This is the second RAW she hasn't been at. It's just Kurt and his kids minus his wedding band." Maria Kanellis said aloud to the group of divas that were standing with her at the wide mirror in the divas locker room.
RAW had yet to begin and the women performers of World Wrestling Entertainment were doing their first stage of grooming before heading over to makeup and wardrobe. This was the prime time where they could gossip in the locker room when they were all there.
"And you actually take the time to notice if the man has a ring on his finger? I doubt there's anything behind it." Melina replied back while she ran her fingers through her hair in front of the mirror.
"Yeah I did notice. I got a good look at him when he was carrying his crying kid backstage to the trainer's room. He's not wearing it anymore and Steph hasn't been to a RAW in two weeks. There is definitely some drama going on." Maria quickly responded.
"I'm just going to go ahead and say what we're all thinking. Candice has something to do with it all. Why else was Kurt so willing to trust her with his baby while Steph was nowhere to be found?"
"Well, I went as Triple H's date to Stephanie and Kurt's baby's first birthday. I was kind of in party mode so I was a little smashed, but there was definitely a lot of arguing going on. I know that much." Kelly Kelly divulged, giving her somewhat vague account of the party. She couldn't resist doing her part to contribute to the gossip.
"Oh my God, they must be on the outs and that's why she isn't here. Poor Stephanie, this is her second marriage, isn't it?" Maria asked in a tone of voice that sounded sympathetic to her assessment of Stephanie's plight.
"Yeah, it is. I just can't believe he'd do that to her. They were so cute as a couple and they have a baby together. I just hope they can work it out." Kelly Kelly commented matching Maria's tone of voice.
"Who do you want to work it out?" Candice Michelle asked the moment she entered the divas locker room while Barbie Blank was finishing giving comments on the Kurt-Stephanie situation.
The arrival of Candice caused a hush to fall over the locker room. The divas eyes widened while both Maria and Barbie exhaled sharply. It was an awkward silence that lasted several seconds until Maria spoke up for Kelly Kelly.
"Oh, we were all just talking about Taker and Michelle. She had mentioned to Barbie that her and Mark were having some problems lately." Maria lied with ease.
"That's a shame, but you know, I'm not surprised. Being married and being in this business isn't easy. Ken and I have had our fair share of problems in the three years we've been married. I mean, I barely see the guy during the week because of WWE. Sometimes, it's like I'm not even married." Candice said with a chuckle and then a slight exhale. Her words caused a few eyebrows to raise.
"Not to change the subject but does anyone know what the story is on the buzz going on in the trainer's room with the EMTs? It seems like a lot of commotion before a show." Candice inquired while she placed her luggage into the vertical cubby she decided she would claim.
Again, there was a small pause in the locker room. It was obvious that the divas weren't exactly sure how to respond to her since they all knew that the drama going on in the trainer's room had to do with Kurt and his little son, Kody.
"I have no idea." Maria snapped back in a reply. She thought it was best to not get involved in the situation in anyway. Gossiping about it with the other girls was one thing, but directly playing a part in all the drama was quite another. She didn't want to take any chances of getting on Steph's bad side.
"Kurt's older son, Kody, hurt himself somehow and Kurt is in the trainer's room with both his older kids making sure everything is okay." Barbie Blank blurted out without batting an eye. She seemed to be more focused on herself in the mirror than the fact that she had just spilled the beans.
"Aw, poor thing, I should go and see if Kurt needs a hand. He's such a sweet guy." Candice gushed.
She had no reservations about leaving her luggage right where she had sat it without even unpacking her wrestling gear. The group of fellow divas watched in the mirror as she quickly left the locker room as if Kurt himself had beckoned her to come to his aid.
"Oh I'm sure she'll want to give him a hand." Melina joked making her right hand bend into the formation of the letter 'O' before she bent her wrist up and down. This caused the majority of the woman to give a few stifled giggles of laughter.
"You really don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?" Maria scoffed at Kelly Kelly. She was the only one who hadn't laughed at the crude joke that Melina told. Maria was sure that Barbie had no filter between her brain and her mouth.
Barbie just gave a look of confusion before shrugging her shoulders. She didn't seem to see the potential problem with giving information to Candice about Kurt.
"Do you think he has a concussion?" Angle asked the EMT while he watched him examining his son.
"I'd say he just has a nasty bump on his head. We can't be sure though unless you take him to the hospital for an MRI. He's doing a great job following my finger. That's a good sign." The medical professional commented as he slowly moved his right pointer finger horizontally from the left to the right in Kody's field of vision.
"I'm sorry you got hurt, buddy." Kurt told his son in a sympathetic tone of voice that also had a hint of guilt within it. Angle gently brushed his child's hair with his hand as an attempt to further comfort him. He completely blamed himself for not being the attentive father that he needed to be.
While the adults were busy attending to Kody, it was Kyra who first noticed Candice Michelle entering the trainer's room. She was quick to furrow her eyebrows as the diva walked further into the room toward them.
"Hi guys, is everything okay? I heard a little one hurt himself." Candice said aloud, as a way of announcing her presence to everyone in the room, especially Kurt.
"Oh, hi Candice, we think he's going to be okay. He took a header out of the ring." Angle explained moving to turn toward the diva while he spoke to her. When he moved, it allowed Candice to see little Kody.
"Aw, what a bump on the head. You poor little guy." She gushed immediately stepping forward to approach the child. Kody looked a little shy. He cracked a smile when the diva gave him a soft peck on the cheek. This was the calmest he had been since he had gotten hurt.
"He's a tough guy, being an Angle after all." Angle added with a proud smile looking on at his son.
"I'm sure he is. And I know he's an Angle because he's handsome just like his daddy." Candice pointed out glancing over at Kurt while she spoke. Her words caused him to smile wide. She was always so flirty with him. He had to admit, it was somewhat flattering.
"Hey Kurt, we need you for pre-tapes." A member of the production crew said popping his head into the room.
"Now? How many segments do I having to do? My son is hurt. I need to be with him and my daughter." Angle replied with a look of disappointment. He hated when he was being forced to choose between his career and family.
"Vince's orders, man." The guy replied giving him a shrug to show that it was completely out of his hands and that he was just the messenger.
"Kurt, go ahead and do the pre-taping. I'll be happy to watch the kids for you." Candice Michelle offered while she began to rub little Kody's back as he sat there on the trainer's examining table, rubbing his eyes.
Angle let out a long sigh, placing his hands on his hips. As gracious as Candice's offer was, he couldn't help but think to Stephanie's insistence that he not use her as child care. Then again, Steph only said that she didn't want the diva watching her two children: Aurora and Andrew. Kyra and Kody were his children from his previous marriage. And besides, why should he even take into consideration what his wife wanted? She was the one allowing her ex-husband to hang out in their home while he was at RAW. This was the second week in a row that he was at the house while he wasn't there. This time it was different though. Kurt's youngest child, Andrew, was at home with his mommy. And if Steph was preoccupied with being sick, Levesque would be left alone with his son; after Kurt had specifically told his wife not to let Paul around their child.
Screw it. If Steph wasn't going to be respectful of his wishes, he wasn't going to be respectful of hers. Besides, it wasn't like he was doing anything wrong by taking Candice up on her offer. She was just watching his children for him while he worked. It wasn't like lines were being crossed. Angle could only hope that the same was true for Steph and her ex.
"Thanks Candice, that's really nice of you." Angle finally replied back after a moment of deliberation.
"It's my pleasure. If you can wait just one second, I just want to go grab my cell."
After flashing a quick smile, the diva left the room. Kurt told the production crew member to tell his father-in-law that he would be there soon. It was when it was only the EMT, Angle and the kids were left in the room that Kyra spoke up.
"Why does that lady talk to you like that, Daddy?"
"What do you mean? How is she talking to me?" Kurt asked letting out a little chuckle because of his daughter's comment about the diva.
"Hi guys, is everything okay?" Kyra said in her best imitation of Candice Michelle from only moments ago. She was giving her voice the same flirty inflection and was even batting her eyes.
"She's just trying to be nice, sweetie. Just be nice to her while she's watching you and your brother. I have some stuff to film backstage and then I've got a match tonight." Angle explained giving his daughter a loving pat on her leg.
"Okay, Daddy." Kyra Marie muttered in a reply. She didn't like the idea of some stranger watching her. She wished that she and Kody could be with their daddy all night. She could be in the scenes backstage. Back when her mommy and daddy were still together in TNA Wrestling, she had been in little segments with them. It was fun.
"Dad, you gonna win?" Kody then asked as he began to pick at his right ear with his hand. The little boy's interest was focused on his father's match.
"No, not to night, little man, Daddy's going to lose because of outside interference." Angle told his son, answering his question.
As soon as Candice Michelle returned to the trainer's room with her cell phone in hand, Kurt left to perform his pre-tapes. It wasn't a minute after her father left the room that Kyra didn't speak up.
"My daddy is married." The child told the diva in a completely blunt tone of voice. She was cutting right to the chase to make sure that Candice knew that her father wasn't interested in her.
"I know, he's married to Stephanie. She's very nice." Candice replied back while taking a seat in a chair that was right next to the examining table in which both Kyra and Kody were sitting on.
"They have a baby too." Kyra quickly mentioned, folding her arms across her chest.
"Yeah, I know they do. I've watched Andrew before. He's really cute."
The diva couldn't help but laugh at how Kurt's oldest child was behaving. For a child that couldn't be over the age of six, she sure didn't miss a beat. Candice wondered if the fact that she had a small crush on Angle was obvious to his little daughter, was it also quite apparent to him as well.
"Mommy, I want you to tuck me in!" Aurora whined while being held in her father's arms as he ascended the stairs with her. He was right behind Steph while she was carrying baby Andrew, cautiously watching her in case it looked like she would fall.
"You don't want Daddy to tuck you in? Mommy needs to get your brother ready for bed." Stephanie explained in heavy breaths.
She was having some relief from the constant vomiting and it had allowed her to build up enough strength to start doing her job as a mother. Still, she was in no way back to her normal self. Paul had been a total God send.
Levesque had spent the whole day looking after both children, helping her prepare dinner, picking up the baby for her when she was too weak; and all of this without any hesitation. He even seemed happy when she awkwardly asked if he would stay in one of the guest rooms over night because of her fear that she would get sick in the night and not be able to take care of the baby or Aurora in they needed care.
"I want you and daddy boff to tuck me in; you and Daddy together." The three year old specified the moment they had all reached the second floor.
"Sweetie, Mommy needs to take care of your little brother first. He needs a diaper change and then I have to put his pajamas on him and put him in his crib. How about you let Daddy get you ready for bed and tuck you in first and then I will come in after to say goodnight?"
Aurora huffed air out and began to shake her head in objection to her mother's proposal. It was so upsetting that her mommy wanted to tuck baby Andrew into bed before being with her. She was her mommy first before Andy even came out from hiding inside Mommy's tummy. She should also be first for Mommy's attention.
"No Mommy, I want you!"
"Steph, why don't you go ahead and get her ready for bed. I can take care of the baby and then switch to say goodnight to Aurora." Paul offered before he gently set Aurora down her feet.
"Are you sure?" Asked Stephanie looking directly into her former husband's eyes.
She was still taken aback by how willing he was to take care of her one year old son. The baby wasn't his responsibility. Steph would hate to think that because of her sickness she was imposing on Paul. Having to help her with the baby had to be taking away from his time with Aurora.
"Yeah, just give me the baby and take care of our daughter." Levesque commented back holding his arms out toward her.
There were a few seconds of hesitation before Steph handed over her son. Unlike the last time Paul had taken the baby into his arms, this time, Andy let out a long whine. It was one thing to be taken out of a constrictive playpen but quite another to be taken out of his mommy's arms.
"All right, kiddo. Let's get a fresh diaper on you before we call it a night." Paul told the one year old while he made his way from the hallway into the nursery. Thankfully, when his mother was out of his sight, the child's whining ceased.
With her baby being taken care of, Stephanie went with Aurora into her bedroom and began to guide her through her usual bedtime routine. First, the three year old was able to choose which pair of pajamas she was going to wear from a draw full of colorful nightwear. Her selected choice was a pajama set featuring a handful of Disney princesses, after all, she was a princess so it was only fitting that she wore those pajamas. Steph sent her to her bathroom to brush her teeth like she had been taught while Steph slowly peeled back her bedding so that she could get in when she returned.
"Hop into your royal bed, Princess." Steph told her child with a smile the moment she walked back into her bedroom with nice clean teeth.
At her mother's request, Aurora ran across her bedroom and physically hopped right into her bed. Stephanie, who was sitting on the side of the bed, instinctively gave her little girl a kiss on the bed before she brought the covers up over her body. Knowing exactly what came next, Steph leaned over to the nightlight by her bed and flicked it on.
"Mommy?" Aurora asked aloud while she grabbed hold of her favorite pink teddy bear that was sitting propped up against her bed board on the edge of the bed.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"When you gonna come wif me to stay out my daddy's house? Why I have to go byself? You stay wif Andy's Daddy and him. When is it Daddy and me turn?" The three year old questioned, cocking her head to the side slightly while hugging the bear tight. This was a question that had been whirling around inside of her little head since they had started getting ready for bed.
Steph felt herself let out a small sigh. She could feel her heard literally ache for her small child. It was clear that she really didn't yet understand the fact that her parents were divorced and what that entailed. Stephanie was somewhat at a loss of words. She didn't know what would be the best way to explain to her little girl that her marriage to her father, Paul Levesque, had ended over a year ago. What would she say that would make it seem the least bit fair that Mommy lived permanently with Andrew and Kurt? The fact was, there was no way to make it seem fair to her. Aurora wanted the joy and comfort of having both her parents with her under the same roof without having to choose being with one or the other. Sadly, with the dissolve of the Levesque marriage, that had been taken from baby Aurora before she was even aware of it.
"Mommy's married to Kurt. That means that Mommy has made a promise to stay with and love Kurt forever. You and Andrew live with me because that's where you belong. Mommy loves her babies very much." Steph finally said in an attempt to give her three year old the answer she was looking for in the most appropriate terms.
"You love daddy?" She then asked looking her mother directly in the eyes.
Stephanie flashed her baby girl a warm heartfelt smile and slowly leaned in so that their faces were only an inch or so apart.
"I will always love your daddy because he gave me you." Steph whispered in reply before giving her child a kiss on the forehead.
Aurora smiled and wrapped her arms around her mommy's neck, giving her a nice tight goodnight hug. She had missed that oh so special time with her mommy since she had been away from her for a day while she was with her daddy.
"Who's ready for a bedtime story?" Paul asked poking his head into the bedroom.
"Me!" Aurora shrieked with excitement.
"Steph, don't you want to stay and listen to the story?" Levesque inquired while crossing into the room. He saw his former wife getting up from her seated position on Aurora's bed and was wondering why she was getting up.
"I'm going to be sick." Stephanie muttered in a whisper before she left of Aurora's bedroom in quite a haste. A sea of nausea quickly overcame here without warning
"Mommy sick again?" Aurora asked her father the moment her mother ran out of the room and Paul took his place on his three year old daughter's bed with her.
"Yeah, she's not feeling good. Do you know which book you want to read for bedtime?"
"Goodnight Moon." She answered back without even taking a moment to ponder the selection. Perhaps it was because that book had been the one he was reading to her when she had gotten sick last week. He had not been able to finish it since she had gotten sick.
Levesque got to his feet and made his way over to the pretty little pink and white dresser where a good amount of books were sitting on top of it between two Dora The Explorer book ends. While he was removing the "Goodnight Moon" book, his eyes caught sight of a picture on the other side of the dresser. In a silver frame was a recent picture of Stephanie and Aurora together. The three year old was sitting in her mommy's lap and their faces were right next to each other while Steph was hugging her close.
Seeing the picture of Stephanie with their daughter automatically caused Paul to think back to the kiss the two of them shared earlier in the day. He wanted more than anything for Steph to give in the smallest hint that she had enjoyed it as much as him. Hell, he'd be happy just to know that she even remembered kissing him.
"Hey Aurora, did Mommy say anything about Daddy while she was tucking you in?" He asked his daughter aloud bringing the book back to her bed.
Aurora quickly nodded her head with a big smile on her face. Her reaction caused her father to smile too. He lay down on her bed next to her, and kept his attention on his three year old to hear what she was going to divulge to him about Stephanie.
"Mommy said that she'll always wuv you." She told him in an excited tone of voice.
"And we are back from our commercial break, all eyes of the WWE Universe are on our main event here tonight." Michael Cole said into his headset when he was signaled that they were coming back from the break.
"What a phenomenal triple threat this is shaping up to be, Cole. The number one contender, Jeff Hardy, the Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle, and the WWE champion, Chris Jericho, are bringing down the house tonight." Added Jerry "The King" Lawler.
The main event had been given a full twenty minutes, and all three wrestlers had been putting their bodies on the line since the opening bell. Both Jericho and Hardy had each even their usual fast paced, spring board repertoire while Angle was methodical in wearing both men down with his wrestling ability and submission expertise. The match looked like it was about to be over when Kurt had the WWE champion, Y2J trapped in a standing ankle lock in the center of the ring while Hardy was lying on the outside after a failed attempt at a suicide dive to the outside earlier. Jericho, being the wrestling veteran, was able to roll out of the ankle lock, using his momentum to flipped Kurt over. Not only did Angle lose his grip on Chris' ankle, but he also knocked into the ref causing the classic ref bump.
"The referee is out! And wait a minute! It's the All American American, Jack Swagger! Swagger's running to the ring with a chair!" Cole hollered, calling the play by play.
"It looks like Swagger's going to help his mentor and friend, Kurt Angle." Lawler added.
Jack slide into the ring and stood there with the chair, poised to strike as both Jericho and Angle struggled to get to their feet. It looked like Swagger swung wide, clearly trying to hit Chris Jericho but he ducked and it was Kurt that was given a well placed head shot.
"Swagger just hit Angle by mistake! He could have just cost his mentor a win against the WWE champion!" Cole exclaimed.
The moment after the chair made contact, and Angle fell to the canvas, Jack dropped the chair and brought his hands to his head, showing that he did not mean to hit Angle. Chris then look a running charge at the interfering Jack Swagger who was able to turn toward him just in time to use Jericho's momentum in a belly to belly over head throw outside of the ring. With Jericho disposed of, Swagger exited the ring.
"Look who's up on top rope, Cole! It's the Legend Thriller, Jeff Hardy! Angle is still out after that brutal chair shot!" King commented with enthusiasm.
Hardy screamed out while doing his signature, 2-Xtreme Hardy Boyz pose before he jumped off the top rope, flipping in the air, and then coming down hard right across the chest of Kurt Angle.
"Swanton Bomb! Swanton Bomb! Swanton Bomb!" Cole screamed in his usual repeat the finisher name a few times to sell it commentary style.
Angle felt all his breath leave him. The moment he tried to inhale, he felt a sharp stabbing pain. He could only thank God that it was the finish of the match and all he had to do now was lay there and get pinned by Hardy. It felt like a lifetime for Jeff to crawl back over to him. A whole new rush of pain came when he laid across him for the cover. Angle winced while he heard the slow three count of the "groggy" referee. And after the final third count, he heard the sound of the crowd cheering and Jeff Hardy's music blaring in the arena. It was finally over. And now he was going to be with his son getting checked out in the trainer's room.
Stephanie slowly rose to her feet. She had just seen her way through another long bout of vomiting. It had been so bad that she had actually fallen asleep in between the waves of nausea. And now, after what felt like forever, her stomach was finally calm enough for her to leave her master bathroom.
The first place Steph went to was the nursery that was the closest room to her master bedroom. As quiet as she could, she crept in and peered down at her sleeping son. He was sleeping soundly, sucking slightly on a pacifier that Paul must have put him down with. She didn't care. If Andrew was sleeping soundly, he could have his binky. Satisfied with her findings, Stephanie then made her way to her little girl's room which was not far down the hallway.
Stephanie's heart melted the moment she peered into the semidarkness of her daughter's bedroom. There, framed by the illumination of the little nightlight, was Aurora snuggled up in bed with her daddy. It looked like Paul had fallen sleep reading a bedtime story to her. Steph didn't have the heart to wake him. They looked so cute together and she would be afraid of disturbing their sleeping three year old if she woke him up. Seeing the two of them together asleep brought back the memories of Aurora's infancy; those sleep deprived nights where if it was Paul's turn to be up with the baby, she would find him sitting with her in the nursery glider asleep. Those memories were specially close to her heart. It had been right before their family's unraveling; the last happy memories she had of her marriage to him.
After gazing on at the tender father-daughter scene, Steph quietly left her place at the doorway to her child's room and made her way back through the darkness to her own bed.
Paul's eyes blinked open. He was only half awake. The fact that he was looking up at the ceiling of a slightly illuminated room caused him to turn his head to see who he was feeling lying on his chest. It was his little girl. He had fallen asleep while tucking her in again?
Levesque closed his eyes again and sighed. He didn't remember putting a nightlight in the room that he made for her. Maybe he just didn't remember it because he was so tired. He had to get back to his own master bedroom. There was no way he could spend the whole night on Aurora's single bed with her and not be sore the next day. Carefully, with his eyes still closed, Paul began to slide out from under his daughter. He almost ended up falling onto the carpet floor below, but managed to catch himself. Getting to his feet, he quietly began to navigate from the dimly lit room to the completely darkened hallway. Paul didn't even think, he was still half in his own cloudy dreamlike world. He was letting his instincts take over and guide him through what he thought was the floor plan of the upstairs of his home. Without knowing it, he was shuffling through the veil of darkness, right into his former wife's master bedroom through the already open double doors.