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-Four
"Hey Paul, have you talked to Vince or Linda? Any update on how Stephanie is?"
The interrogative sentences were hurled in Paul's direction the moment he had decided to turn the corner of the backstage hallway. They were being asked by the same people who had just been gossiping about his ex-wife's personal life mere moments ago.
Levesque shrugged his shoulders slightly, as if to shrug off the immediate questioning. It surprised him that he, of all people, was being asked for information about Steph's current wellbeing. He was the bitter ex-husband who was no longer a member of the company circle. Where the McMahons' sycophantic bureaucrats that desperate for potential gossip that they were daring to ask him for it?
"You should call either of them and ask them yourself." Levesque tactfully replied.
He didn't want to divulge even the slightest news that he had received from Mrs. McMahon earlier in the day. After how he had been snubbed by those same people after his divorce, he didn't owe them anything. Well, maybe he did owe them some form of gratitude for fostering the rumor of Angle's indiscretions that was most certainly going to get back to Stephanie.
"Well, we were just concerned, because the last we heard, Stephanie had to be admitted to the hospital. We're just hoping that it's not something too serious for Vince to be missing the SmackDown tapings."
Levesque's hazel eyes shifted from their focus on the creative team members to the bland white wall. It was the update on Stephanie's condition that pierced his mind. The last time he talked to Linda, she told him that Steph was on the mend. Why didn't his former mother-in-law tell him that it was serious enough for his ex-wife to be admitted to the hospital?
"Are you all right, Paul?" One of the female writer's asked after seeing some of the color drain from Levesque's face. It was obvious that something one of them said got to him.
"Yeah, I gotta go." He replied under his breath before walking away from the group of writers.
Like he had done so many times before, Paul followed the backstage hallway to the locker room that WWE had designated to the male wrestlers. Walking through the door, immediately, Adam Copeland and Jason Reso both turned their attention away from a laptop screen to watch him enter the room. There was an awkward vibe coming from the two multi tag team champion kayfabe brothers which was evident by the way they were staring him down.
"Hey boys, did I catch you looking at porn? Is that why you two have that deer in the headlights look on your faces?" Levesque asked with a chuckle after dropping his black duffle bag in one of the wooden cubbies. He then made his way over to the computer to take a peek at whatever nude bombshell was gracing the computer screen.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Paul. Unlike you, we aren't hard up. We get the real thing on a regular basis." Christian scoffed as he brought his hand to the laptop's touch pad to close out the internet browser.
"Why are you even here, Reso? I thought you were on the ECW roster." Paul commented back, slapping Jay's hand away from the touch pad as he leaned in to actually see what was on the internet site that Christian wanted to close out.
"I was transferred to SmackDown, and since when is this any of your business?" Reso replied before looking over at Adam who simply shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.
"Kurt Angle arrested for DUI." Levesque read aloud from what looked to be the TMZ website.
That had to be the greatest article title he had ever read. What made the report even better was the mug shot of Angle that TMZ had gotten a hold of and posted just below the headline, before the contents of the article. How far the "mighty" had fallen, and so rapidly too.
"Holy shit, what a jackass! No wonder Vince is MIA for the tapings tonight. He's probably shitting a brick right now! I guess Mr. Wonderful Son-In-Law isn't so wonderful anymore!" Paul laughed through a wide smile.
News of Angle's arrest made every single time he had to suffer through Vince's blind praise of him completely worth it. Kurt was not only bringing shame to WWE, as a company, but also the McMahon family since he was married into it. With a sudden surge of happiness, came a small amount of gratitude to Angle. The dumbass pulled his boner all on his own. Paul had nothing to do with it. This scandal was like a bolt from beyond, like God was listening to Paul. Kurt Angle was slipping the noose right over his own thick neck, and all Paul had to do was sit back and watch him hang himself.
"You're a real son of a bitch, Levesque." Edge sneered through gritted teeth, slamming his laptop shut.
"That may be so, but at least I'm not a stupid son of a bitch." Levesque quickly answered back with a smirk and a chin nudge toward the computer. He would always have the intellectual edge over Kurt Angle, no one could dispute that.
With his smart comment said, Paul turned his back on Edge and Christian and began to walk toward the locker room door when Christian decided to answer back:
"That's disputable."
His remark caused Paul to cease his stride and turn back around to attempt to give the final word on the matter.
"No, that would be your worth to this company." Levesque told him without even blinking any eye. Before either Adam or Jay could muster a comeback, Paul left the locker room.
The moment after Levesque finished gloating about Kurt's DUI, his thoughts shifted to his former wife. With Angle in jail, that left Steph all by herself and on the mend from an illness. This was his chance to be there for her, without any possibility of any interruptions from Kurt whatsoever. He had to take it.
Paul quickly found John Laurinatis backstage with a number of his fellow employees hovering around him. The guy looked overwhelmed. Anyone would be if they were unexpectedly saddled with all of Vince McMahon's duties.
"I need you to take me off of tonight's card." Levesque told Laurinatis as he inserted himself into the group of people, ending the constant chatter.
"What? You're joking, right? Vince finalized the card. You are a part of the fatal four way main event. I have to get everything set up for the show tonight, it's too late to revise it." John told him hastily before letting out a hard exhale. This was the most pressure he had ever been under working for Mr. McMahon.
"Look, I'm leaving. I'm worried about my ex-wife and my daughter. Now I can either do a backstage skit to explain me being taken out of the match tonight, or I can just walk out now and you can come up with something yourself. I can tell you which one will go over better. Isn't that what you're worried about, Johnny? You know that Vince will have your head if you screw up anything on the show."
Paul knew exactly what to say to Johnny Ace to get his way. The guy was definitely most concerned about getting through the taping tonight without any problems. Because of his experience, Levesque knew that with SmackDown, the stakes weren't nearly as high as they were for RAW's production. RAW was live and there could be no mistakes made. At least with SmackDown, WWE had a few days to edit the show before it aired; there was a bit of leeway.
"Fine, we'll set up a backstage attack, but if McMahon gets pissed, it's your ass!" Laurinatis barked back pointing his finger right at Paul to physically show where the blame would be shouldered. It was settled, and after his backstage skit, Paul could go back to Connecticut.
"Mommy, what this?"
Aurora Rose's hand gently touched the IV tube that was sticking out of the inside of her mother's arm at the elbow bend. She had never seen the tubing before and was curious to know what it was.
"It's just a tube to give me medicine so I feel better and can come home to be with you and Andy." Steph told her while she tenderly brushed back her daughter's hair away from her face.
Linda had brought the children up to see her as soon as she was settled in the private hospital room she would be staying in overnight. It was because of Aurora's insistence to see her mommy once more before they left that all of the children were there in her hospital room.
"You come home wif us?" Aurora then asked bouncing a little on the side of the hospital bed she was sitting on.
"You're going to stay with Gran and Pop over night, and then Mommy will be home tomorrow after she rests here." Stephanie promised as Linda helped the three year old off the side of the bed.
"Were you able to get a hold of Kurt, Mom? He better have a good excuse as to why he hasn't shown up." Steph then said looking up at her mother who immediately looked over at Vince for direction.
"Yeah, where's my dad? He was on TV downstairs." Kyra inquired piggybacking her question onto her stepmother's.
"Wait, what? He was on TV? Did something happen? Is he okay?"
"Linda, why don't you take the kids home while I talk to Steph." Vince told his wife before he held out their grandson for her to take.
Stephanie's eyes were wide as a million frightening thoughts began to race through her head; the worst of which concluded in her being a pregnant widow with two small children to look after all by herself. She was terrified by what her father had to disclose to her in private, but she did her best to hide it until the children left with her mother.
"What's going on, Dad? Did something happen to Kurt?" She asked letting her emotions come spilling out in the form of tears.
"I didn't want to tell you while you were still in the hospital but-"
"Dad, what is it? Tell me!" Stephanie hollered before bringing her hands to her face to both wipe away the tears and to brace herself for what was coming.
"He was arrested earlier today. Apparently, he consumed some alcohol and he failed a breathalyzer test." Vince finally divulged to his daughter.
Steph's emotions quickly shifted from worry and sadness to anger and shock. She sat up straight and looked on at her father like he was playing a unfunny practical joke on her. But, by the look on Vince's face, she knew that he wasn't. He was being completely serious.
"He was arrested for drunk driving? He went out drinking while I was at home sick as a dog with four children to look after? This is unbelievable! So what now, I guess we have to bail him out of jail?"
"I called my attorney and he's looking into it. He did say that he's going to have to stay overnight in lockup. He's going to try and get him released first thing in the morning."
"My God, I can't believe he would be so irresponsible! And oh my God, the media, if it's already on the news locally here, that means it's all over the internet!"
"Don't worry about that, honey. It's all going to be okay. You just put it all out of your mind and concentrate on feeling better. We'll get Kurt out of jail tomorrow morning and we'll immediately start doing damage control. We've dealt with worse controversy. It will be okay." McMahon assured her before giving her a loving hug.
The sound of Vince's cell phone ringing caused him to let go of the embrace and check the phone to see who the incoming call was from. It was Laurinatis. Steph knew immediately it was work by the look on her father's face.
"Go ahead and go, I know you have a lot on your plate with SmackDown. I want to be alone for a while, anyway." Steph told her dad as she motion toward the door.
"All right, sweetheart, I'll be back in a few hours to bring you some dinner, no hospital food for Daddy's Billion Dollar princess."
Her father's comment caused Steph to let out a chuckle and she nodded to show her gratitude. When Steph was left alone, she let out a sigh and brought her hand to her abdomen. Her eyes, she closed tightly, causing tears to break away and fall from their forming pools in her eyes. Here she was again; carrying a second child from a husband who was missing due to selfish reasons. It really made her wonder if history was indeed repeating itself.
"Shit..Shit..Shit..Shit." Angle whispered under his breath over and over again like it was a mantra of some sort.
He had screwed up royally. Kurt knew that there was little to no chance he was going to make bail without first spending the night in the small cell he was being held in. This was definitely one of the lowest points in his life. He was being held behind bars in a cell that contained only a large piece of wood that was attached to the wall that he was sitting on, which would be his bed, and a metal toilet, with no lid, and a sink. That's all he knew right now. He hadn't been able to reach Stephanie when he called the house.
What if she had taken a turn for the worst? If she was incapacitated, what would happen to the children? Did Kyra know enough to call 911 for help? If he had been thinking right that morning, he would have contacted Linda and told her of the situation.
"God, please let my wife and kids be okay..." He prayed to himself in the dimly lit cell, his hands he firmly clenched together as a sign of prayer.
It was maddening. There was nothing for him to do but dwell on the events of the day that had led up to him being where he was. His mind was constantly formulating instances where his wife and family were finding out about his arrest. God, everyone probably knew about it by now. It was probably popular discussion on the internet. His reputation was surely going to be tarnished because of his recklessness. There wasn't anything he could do about it now. All he could do was wait and hope that his family was going to get him out of there.
Kurt wanted to leave so bad. He kept wishing he would hear the footsteps of an officer coming toward his cell to tell him that Stephanie was there to take him home. He fantasized her standing in the police station waiting for him; her teary brilliant blue eyes filled with both worry and love. Angle would take her into his arms and tell her how sorry he was about everything, and how much he loved her.
And then, Angle's eyes widened as he actually began to hear the sound of shoes walking the hallway that his holding cell was on. As the walking was getting closer, he stood up and went to the cell door, his hands grasping the bars while he strained to try and see who was approaching.
"Hey, did anyone get a hold of my wife?" He asked immediately when he caught sight of an officer walking toward his cell.
"You should chill out, Angle, no one's coming to get you. You're in here for the night." The uniformed man answered back with a smug smile on his face. It was like he was enjoying putting the wrestling celebrity in his place.
Kurt closed his eyes and let his forehead fall into the metal bars of the cell door. It was going to be a long night.
It was late in the afternoon when Paul made it back home. The first thing he did was call Linda. She had informed him that she was looking after the children at her place since Stephanie had been admitted to the hospital overnight for dehydration. Levesque didn't even bother stopping at home before driving to Greenwich hospital. He parked his Hummer in the visitor's parking lot, and entered the hospital through the main entrance.
The atrium lobby was somewhat busy with people, both patients, their families, and medical personal. Upon entering, Levesque's hazel eyes fell upon the information desk. He was sure that the woman at the desk could tell him the floor and room number of Stephanie's private hospital room. Patiently, he stood in line and waited his turn.
"Can I help you, sir?" The woman asked to signal that it was now his turn at the front desk.
"Hi, I'm here to visit an admitted patient and I need you to point me in the right direction. Her name is Stephanie McMahon, or Stephanie McMahon-Angle, whatever she's calling herself these days."
The lady smiled politely and began typing into the computer in front of her. After a few mouse clicks, she looked back up at Paul.
"Mrs. Angle has requested strict visitation that is limited only to family. May I ask your relationship to her?"
Paul paused for a moment. If he was to answer her truthfully, he doubted that he would be granted access to go up and see Steph. Ex-husband didn't really fall into the close family member category.
"I'm her husband, Kurt Angle." Paul heard himself say in a confident tone of voice.
He was banking on the assumption that the hospital receptionist didn't know of him nor Kurt Angle from the on screen roles they played on television. He was also counting on the fact that Angle was in jail, and had no way of showing up at the hospital.
"Okay, sir, I'll just need to see some identification, it's hospital policy for all who claim to be close family visitors...Sir, excuse me, sir?"
Paul's attention had left the polite receptionist and had immediately been fixed on his former father-in-law the moment he caught sight of him exiting an elevator, walking toward him.
"Mr. Angle, excuse me, Mr. Angle?" The lady continued, a little louder this time. Paul's eyes widened as Vince turned in his direction after hearing the last name "Angle" being spoken by the receptionist.
Before their eyes had a chance to meet, Paul turned his back on the main desk, and immediately began to walk away. He was hoping he had not made himself obvious to Vince. The last thing he needed was him on his ass. His plan was to slip inside the gift shop until McMahon passed by.
"What the hell do you think you are doing here?"
Paul knew immediately that the jig was up. The loud booming voice was unmistakably that of Vince McMahon. He had almost made it to the gift shop when the voice compelled him to turn around to come face to face with his former father-in-law as he approached with his usual pissed off look on his face.
"I'm here to see Steph." Levesque answered in an exhale. He knew that this conversation was going to be anything but a pleasant one.
"You're not going to see my daughter! You shouldn't even be here! You're supposed to be in the main event of tonight's tapings. I got a call from Laurinatis a few hours ago and he told me that you wrote yourself off the show. Just who the hell do you think you are?" Vince asked sticking his finger in Paul's face as he dressed him down.
"You know who I am, Vince. And you're damn right I wrote myself off of tonight's show. I was worried sick about Stephanie. I traveled all the way back here just to check on her and Aurora. You can't fault me for caring about them. I'm not the terrible husband and father that you want to make me out to be." Paul replied with sincerity. He then began to walk away, back toward the front entrance of the hospital.
"You're not her husband anymore! When are you going to get that through your head, Levesque?" McMahon called after him.
His words compelled Paul to whip back around with a smirk on his face that was reminiscent of his time as the top heel of the company during the McMahon-Helmsley regime at the turn of the millennium.
"And where is her husband, Vince? Where is your new wonderful son-in-law, Mr. 1996 Olympic Gold medalist?" Paul asked in a sarcastic tone of voice that caused McMahon to raise his chin in the air while his face turned a nice shade of red.
"Oh, that's right, your daughter's new husband is sitting in jail because of a DUI charge. That's really great for not just Stephanie and Aurora, but for the company too- great publicity, Vince, bravo." Paul continued as he then began clapping his hands together.
"You miserable son of a-"
"Gentleman, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. This is a hospital and you are upsetting its patrons. If you wish to continue your conversation, it will have to be off hospital grounds." A security guard warned both Vince and Paul, cutting McMahon off.
"It's okay officer, I've already said my piece, the conversation is over. I'm leaving." Levesque told the security guard with his hands up to show that he was in no way a threat to security.
"Damn it, I'll pay you to escort his ass out. He was here trying to harass my family. He's nothing more than a disgruntled employee, hell bent on making me and my family's life a living hell! And he's lucky that I don't fire his ass!" Vince screamed as Paul began to walk toward the sliding doors.
"Sir, if you don't calm down, it will be you who will be escorted out of this hospital. He's leaving peacefully, now let's leave it at that." The hospital guard told Mr. McMahon.
Paul felt a wave of disappointment over power him the moment he stepped outside of the hospital building. He had completely blown off his responsibilities as The Game, Triple H, and travelled back home to Connecticut with the hope of checking on his former wife. If he would have known earlier today that the closest he could get to Stephanie was the hospital lobby engaging in a heated altercation with her father, he wouldn't even have bothered.