Chapter 22- Bedtime Stories
"He's absolutely perfect," Moma cooed, as she sat on the end of my bed, holding my child in her arms. I watched in amusement as she made faces at the little boy, and Keith waved his arms back at her. Bob and Elaine stood behind her, leaning over each shoulder so they could see their grandson. Randy had a chair pulled up, sitting at my side. I watched as little Keith looked at one of his grandmothers, his tongue sticking out of his mouth, causing his lips to pout out.
"It's because he looks so much like his Daddy," I said, reaching down to take Randy's hand in my own. Together, we had produced the greatest thing that would ever happen in our lives. Our love brought this child into our lives. And it just made everything so much better that he looked so much like Randy.
"I guess we are going to have that argument," Randy chuckled, squeezing my hand lightly. I looked down just in time to see him roll his eyes. "I have already pointed out that he looks more like you. Just look at that red hair, the nose and those cheeks. Keith is you made over."
"Well, I can't deny the hair is from me, but look at those eyes. That did not come from me. And he didn't get those lips from me either," I countered, without looking at Randy, keeping my eyes on Keith. He pushed at his mouth with his tongue, showing to the room a pair of full lips, just like Randy's.
"And don't forget the ears," Becky broke in, smiling down at her nephew. "Randy had those fly-away ears when he was little."
The room rippled with laughter and even I had to bite back my own giggles at the offended look on Randy's face. Elaine ducked her head, so her son wouldn't see her laughter. Randy scoffed, "I beg your pardon, but they weren't that bad. And I grew into them. And so will he."
"It wouldn't matter if he didn't," I said, holding my arms out for my baby. My mother stood from the end of the bed, and carefully handed me Keith. I wrapped my arms tight around him, running my fingers along the outer rim of his ear that was showing. "He's perfect the way his is."
No one else could say anything, because they all agreed that they would change nothing about him. The room fell into silence, and I knew every eye was either on me or on Keith. I wasn't exactly thrilled that I was the center of attention, along with my son, but who could blame them? They had waited, just as Randy and I, nine months to see this little person. And now that he was here, it was a wonderful moment. My heart warmed at the thought of everyone here coming to support my family. My eyes raked over my son's face. His cheeks were chubby, his toothless grin, his long skinny fingers; it blew my mind to think that this blessing came from me. That I had carried him in my stomach for so long. And now he was finally here.
"Knock, knock!" A deep male voice, new to the room, spoke out. I smiled before I looked up; I knew whom it was. Lifting my head, my eyes met those blue ones that I had grown so accustomed too. John stood in the doorway of my hospital room, with Casie right behind him. Randy's hand left mine, as he stood from his chair, and walked over to his best friend. Casie rushed in front of John, quickly hugging Randy's neck, and rushed to my side. I giggled softly, holding my stomach from the soreness that I still had, at the awed expression on my best friend's face.
"Oh my, Lora! He's beautiful! And that red hair, so adorable!" Casie gushed, gazing at my son with a look of wonder in her eyes. She had been nearly as excited about my pregnancy as I had been.
"See? What did I say about him looking more like his mother?" Randy said, letting go of John from the hug they had just been embraced in. I rolled my eyes in Randy's direction. It was then that I realized what John had in his hands. He was carrying a rather large stuffed dog, that was dark brown with lighter brown spots. It was nearly twice the size of Keith himself. John clutched to it with on arm, leaving the long and floppy dog-ears swinging over his forearm. I turned an amused look towards Randy, who shared a nearly identical look. Casie's soft sigh brought me back to her, and her attention towards my son. I smiled at her, and held my arms out, signaling for her to take Keith.
She looked at me with wide eyes, before smiling brightly, and carefully taking him in her arms. Her expression softened, and just like everyone else had, turned to complete mush. Keith seemed to have that effect on people. Or it might just be babies in general. But since I was so biased in this case, the first seemed to be the right answer. Casie slowly walked over to John, and from where I sat, I could see the baby's face and John's. Keith's little blue eyes stared up at John, who hovered over him. The sparkle in Keith's eyes matched the one in John. And just like everyone else in the room, John was already in love with the child. I could see that plain as day. Keith had this large extended family, and he didn't even know it yet.
John opened his arms, absent-mindlessly dropping the stuffed dog, which Randy caught with his undeniable reflexes. Casie slipped the baby into John's large embrace. It shocked me that John could hold something as small as my baby in his arms with just care and gentleness. Little Keith was nearly invisible from me, hidden by John's massive forearms, but I heard the soft coos echoing out loudly.
"Um, well, I hate to bring this up now, but do you know what I think?" John said, and I saw the beginnings of a smile on his lips. Randy rolled his eyes, knowing that John was about to say something John-like, and waved him on to continue. "Well, I don't know if Randy's the father."
"What?" I asked, my mouth popping open. What in the world was John getting at?
"Well, just look at him! Blue eyes, red hair… to me, he looks less like the Viper and more like a certain Celtic Warrior, if you know what I'm sayin'?"
I made a face at John, and gagged a little, not really having to force myself to act. The thought of actually having kissed that man, much less than sleep with him, was absolutely revolting. He made my stomach churn and my skin crawl. I heard Randy scoff, and close in on John. "Give me my son back before I knock you out!"
Laughter rippled around the room once more. A softly rustling noise tore my attention away from John and towards Casie as she sat down on the foot of my bed. In her hands, something I hadn't noticed when she'd sat it on the floor; a gift bag with baby blue baby decorations.
"Here's just a little something that came complimentary from the shop at WWE," she said, handing me the bag. "It's a bunch of the new releases and I just had to get them for you two."
I smirked at Casie and dug my hand into the bag. I felt a lot of cloth material. Slowly, I pulled out five little onesies. When my eyes grazed over the mass of baby clothes, I couldn't stop the laughter coming from my mouth. Each onesie had a certain phrase or picture of some big superstars. Keith now had an Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Triple H and John Cena onesie. But what really put stitches in my sides, was the little Randy "RKO" Orton one. It was a new design from creative, with an outline of a viper's face in burnt orange against a brown backing. I looked over at Randy through my laughter, holding my stomach against the soft pain in my abdomen, and saw that he had an amused smile on his face. I hugged my best friend, thinking that this day couldn't get any better.
oo
I woke up the next morning to the sound of Randy's soft laughter. I opened my eyes, laying on my side, and saw that Randy was stretched out in a recliner, his knees pulled up. He was laughing and smiling at something in his lap. It was then that I realized the baby cube Keith had been sleeping in next to me was empty. And to re-insure my thoughts, Keith coughed a little through a gurgle as he was propped up on Randy's legs. I didn't move, I didn't want too. The sight was beyond what I had expected from Randy. I knew he was going to be there for me and his son, and I knew he would want to be involved in his life; but to actually see this in action? To see that Randy wanted to spend time with his son, without me being present, made a moment that nobody could ever take away from me. I pressed my lips together, trying to hide my smile. But, just as I thought that I could get away with watching this peaceful scene for any longer, Randy lifted his head in my direction. His blue eyes met mine and his smile brightened.
"Oh, look here, Keith," Randy said in a soft voice, standing up with the baby in his arms. I watched as he carefully made his way towards the bed. Randy angled Keith in a way that he could see me. I looked in the blue eyes that my son shared with his father, and smiled. Once he knew who he was looking at, he reached his tiny arms out for me. It warmed my heart by many measures to see him react this way towards me. I had to suppress a giggle at his outfit; the purple and yellow Cenation onesie. "Mommy's awake. Say 'It's about time you woke up Mommy, I want to go home'."
"Home?" I asked, taking the baby in my arms, getting ready to give him his breakfast. Home? I just had a baby two days ago, and I was ready to go home? Randy nodded down at me, brushing my hair from my face, leaning down to brush his lips against mine softly.
"Yeah, a nurse came by earlier, and said that when you woke up, and you sign your release papers, we can go," he said, as he continually ran his long fingers through my hair. "I'm going to go get her to bring you your papers."
I watched Randy leave the room, and had to fight the panic that was threatening to attack. I wasn't at all comfortable taking Keith away from the hospital. What if something were to happen? What if he got sick? What if I did something wrong? Everything was just fine, and I was glad to spend all of my time with my baby, but to do it without the trust of a dozen nurses and doctors waiting in the wings in case I did something wrong was much easier on my nerves. I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to Keith and it was my fault. I had to take deep breaths to calm myself, or I would end up upsetting the baby, before we even made it out of the hospital.
Randy came back into the room, with a nurse at his heels, carrying a stack of stapled papers. She pulled the tray table up towards me as close was she could. And holding Keith with one hand, while he fed, I tried to sign my release papers. Randy finally had to come hold them steady, because I couldn't make it work one-handedly. Once that was over with, in less than thirty minutes, both Keith and I were checked out, and our family was ready to go home for the first time. After Randy and I changed Keith into full body sleeper, a pair of jean pants, a oceanic shirt, a green toboggan and a fuzzy thick jacket; well, it was late February in Missouri. Then, while Randy held the baby, I changed into another one of Randy's shirts, added his hoodie on top, and green sweatpants. I was glad that I wasn't sore enough that I couldn't change myself. Walking was another story. I could do it, but it wasn't very pleasant.
The nurse came back in with a wheelchair. Randy handed the baby to the nurse and left to pull the SUV around. I groaned, thinking about the ride I was about to take. Everyone in the hospital would be staring in my direction. Not that it mattered much anymore; it pleased me to know that people wanted to see my son. A different nurse lowered me into my mobile seat, that had my balloons attached to it, along with my flowers in an extended pocket on the back of the seat. Once I was comfortable, and my feet were propped up, Keith was handed back to me. I cradled him close to my chest, not wanting to carry him out side in this cold. I knew I was worrying too much, and that people take home babies' everyday in colder weather than this, but this time it was different. He was my child. And I knew in this moment, I would never stop worrying about him. I clutched him tight was we were pushed off the elevator and through the sliding glass doors out of the hospital. Randy was leaning against the side of his SUV, waiting on us. He popped the back door open, revealing the car-seat that was already strapped into place, and ready to go. I sighed when he took him from my arms, and watched from my chair as he got him securely fastened in. He closed the door and walked back to me. Taking his hand that was held out for me, I let him pull me to my feet. I shuffled slowly to the other side of the car, while Randy behind me every step of the way. He helped me into the back, to sit beside our son.
Randy climbed into the front, and started the car. I jumped a little when he started to pull away from the curb. My eyes turned towards Keith, watching him closely for any sign of distress. But, as it would seem, he had already fallen asleep. I smirked softly, thinking he looked like his father when he slept, digging out the green blanket from bag on the floorboard, and wrapped it around him softly. Even though Randy drove the slowest speed that I bet was his lowest record, we still made it home fairly quickly. When Randy cut the engine, Keith began to stir. I circled the car slowly, reaching the other side to get my son out of his car restraints. Randy walked ahead of us, unlocking the door. I paid attention to every step I took, really trying to avoid a nosedive with a newborn in my arms. I let out a long breath when I was finally in the safety of my own home.
I eyed the stairs warily, not knowing if I was strong enough yet to get myself up the staircase, much less myself and a child. I threw a worried glance at Randy, who smiled softly, and took his son from my arms. I watched as he started to make his way up the stairs. He held the baby with one arm, and let his hand guide up the railing. I slowly followed behind him, taking one step at a time. By the time I made it to the top of the stairs, Randy was already coming out of the nursery. Walking past him, I peeped into the room, wanting to see my baby again. He was lying on his back, and I noticed that Randy had removed his jacket, toboggan and extra layer of clothes. And a blanket was tucked in around his waist. And a pacifier was in his mouth, moving slowly as he sucked.
I leaned against the door-frame, watching him breath through my droopy lids. The ride home took a lot out of me, I suppose. He jerked softly in his sleep, slinging an arm above his head. His little fingers ruffled his thick red hair. As I rested my head against the frame, Randy's arms came around my waist softly, his chin propping on my head. Leaning into him, I whispered, "I don't care who he looks like, he's ours and he's simply perfect."
Randy turned his head and kissed the top of my hair, "Perfect isn't enough of a word to describe how completely flawless he is." I tried to smile, but a yawn cut across me, cutting off anything I was about to say. Randy turned me around in his arms, staring down at me. "Want to take a nap?"
I made a face. I wasn't to sure about going to sleep leaving Keith in a totally different room. "I don't know…. What if something happens?"
Randy smiled down at me, and lifted his hand. In it was a white receiver that I knew was a baby monitor. I turned around and saw the other one clipped to a railing on Keith's crib. "Then we'll hear it. C'mon, you're exhausted. I can tell. He's going to need his Mommy to be rested so she can play with him."
I smirked up at Randy, all the while I was soaring on the inside at the way he was talking. That was the second time today he'd called me 'Mommy'. And I had to admit, I loved it. Every minute of it. I laced my fingers with Randy's free hand and pulled him towards our bedroom. We settled on the bed in the clothes we were wearing. It didn't make any difference right now. I curled up next to Randy, and before I could barely rest my head on his chest, I was asleep.
oo
I yawned, and stretched on the bed. I rolled over to reach out for Randy, but he wasn't there. I pulled myself to a sitting position and tried to listen for any sound. But I heard nothing. Not Randy and not anything from the baby monitor. I searched the room with my eyes, and couldn't find it. I panicked. I climbed from the bed as fast as I could, and walked across the hall to the nursery. Everything seemed to be in the right place, except for the baby. Keith wasn't in his room. As I shuffled quickly towards the stairs, I heard something. The TV was on, turned low, but it was still on. I quietly tip-toed down the stairs, to see what was going on.
I had to suppress my laughter at the sight before me. Randy had his back to me, sitting on the couch. And from the looks of it, Keith was in his lap. And on the television, was Monday Night Raw. I had totally forgotten what day it was. I could see, from where I stood, that they were continuing with the Nexus story line a little bit longer, and having John try to finish them. I heard the music cue, and John exploded onto the ramp with a huge pop of cheers, and some boos mixed in with that. I was about to join them on the couch when I heard Randy begin to speak.
"See him right there, in the purple shirt? Well, that's Daddy's best friend, John Cena. He'll be your uncle, you know?" he spoke slow and soft. I covered my mouth when I heard Keith squeal out; a happy entertained squeal. Randy chuckled softly, "Yeah, I know, he is silly looking. Oh, and see those men in the black shirts, we don't like them," Randy said, his voice taking on a serious tone that nearly had me losing it. "Daddy doesn't like those guys. They aren't very nice." However, I couldn't hold back any longer when I heard Keith's squeal darken up, and I could tell that he wasn't happy with the men on the screen. I giggled softly, and Randy turned his head to look in my direction.
"Why didn't you wake me?" I asked, walking around to join them on the couch. Keith looked over at me, and let loose with another happy squeal. Randy handed him to me, and laid him on my lap, playing with his hands. Randy closed the space on the couch between him and me.
"You looked so peaceful, I let you sleep longer when I heard Keith start to cry," Randy said, draping his arm around me. I picked Keith up, hung my legs over Randy's lap, and replaced Keith on my thighs. I made faces for Keith, and pulled at his hands, while he squealed at me. Randy let his head rest against mine.
"Not even a week old, and you're training our son for the business," I mused, smirking at Randy from the corner of my mouth. His deep chuckle shook against me slightly. I raised my eyebrow at him. "What happened to 'He can be whatever he wants to be, it doesn't matter to me'," I said mimicking his deep voice and words that he had spoke to me not too long ago. His laughter deepened, and Keith squealed towards him, reaching a small hand out. Randy quickly took the hint, and gave Keith his hand to play with.
"I meant that and I still do," Randy said, running the fingers of hand that was around my shoulders against the skin of my neck. "But, he at least has to know where his family started. You as much a part of this business as I am."
I turned my head towards his, and kissed his lips softly. Randy cupped my cheek with one hand, and caressed my skin softly. Our moment didn't last long, because Keith let out a loud wail of unhappy, and Randy and I broke apart suddenly. As soon as we did, he quit crying. I looked down at him in confusion, but Randy just started laughing.
"I'm sorry little man, but she was mine before she was your Mommy," Randy said, grabbing Keith's little hand softly, playing with his fingers. I rolled my eyes at my boys. Not even been a family a week, but it felt right to sit here, in our home, with our son. It made me more at ease to know that I wasn't a totally failure at this whole parenting thing.
A/N
Ok, first off, I am sooooo sorry for the delay! I have been sooo super busy over the past week! It's just been crazy! But I'm going to try and get back on track and not take too long with any more chapters!
And second, who saw Night of Champions this past Sunday? I DID! I was super freaking happy that our man Randy got the title back! I was so hoarse after watching that ppv! Oh man! Great times!
KimmieCena, Xandman216, Queen Islanzadi, babyxbxgurl, xLou26, miamitravel, Eisac Namhort, undermyumbrella, alana2awesome, barnsley gal 09, littleone999, FireFlyFlicker, vipergirl86, Bingobaby, dreamin'BIG, jcilyx3, Christina89, Diivalover, Lil'MissCena, RICE20 and hardycenagrl you keep me young! (though I'm only 22, lol)