Trading Heartbeats

Chapter 10 - The Announcement

Amelia had awoken with a startle. Her dream or nightmare, whatever it was, had her mind in a daze. Her thoughts ran rampant trying to contemplate what she'd just seen in her head. Her breathing had become heavy with every thought that swirled past. Finally, she took a deep breath. Whatever it was, it was just a dream; however, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen those hazel brown eyes before. Shaking her head in all attempts to push those thoughts away, she looked down at Cody who'd been sleeping soundly. She half-smiled as she rolled off of him and got to her feet. She then proceeded to change back into her previous attire; as she had finished pulling her shirt on, she'd caught a glimpse of an awakening Cody.

His eyes blinked thrice before opening lazily. Propping himself up on his elbows with the sheet gently laying across his stomach, he looked at Amelia curiously. "Going somewhere," he asked with a raise of his eyebrow. Amelia smiled and shook her head climbing back onto the bed. Cody took a deep breath before lying back down on his pillow and staring up at the ceiling. He then looked at Amelia. "I guess we should get some breakfast," Cody voiced groggily.

"Sure," Amelia giggled as she moved herself off the bed and proceeded downstairs to the kitchen giving Cody a bit of privacy to freshen up. Amelia had made her way into the kitchen marvelling at how homey this grand house had been. With its walls ranging from colours like beige, crème and dark brown, Amelia had a warm and comfortable feel for each room. The kitchen's walls were painted a warm brown colour which complimented the tiled counters perfectly. As she peered into the fridge, her ears had picked up the sound of footsteps; however, they weren't coming from the stairs. "Cody," Amelia called out in an inquiring tone. There was no response.

She closed the refrigerator door and hesitantly proceeded out of the kitchen and into the living room. "Cody," Amelia called out a bit quieter this time. Again, nothing stirred. Suddenly a rounded and aging man wearing a mustard yellow shirt with his cell phone clutched to his ear had stepped through the front door.

"See here, see," his said with his lisp heavy on his speech. He'd stopped abruptly in the middle of the phone call and looked up at an awed Amelia. Confused, he merely spoke into his telephone, "Um, I'll go call you back." He tucked his phone away in his pocket while continuing to look suspiciously at Amelia. As he'd opened his mouth to speak, footsteps had been heard running down the steps. Cody had appeared at the bottom of the staircase. Placing an arm around Amelia, he'd realized they weren't alone looking up at the rounded, aging man he nervously smiled.

"Dad," Cody started, "what're you doing here?" The legend, Dusty Rhodes (Virgil Runnels) chuckled at his son's question.

"Who is she, son," he asked completely avoiding Cody's question.

"This is Amelia … erm, Amelia this is -" Cody had said before being cut off.

"Dusty Rhodes," Amelia had muttered louder than she thought. Bringing herself back from her daze, she merely blushed and looked down at her feet. Both Cody and his father gave a slight chuckle. Amelia looked up only to see Cody's father's hand stretched in front waiting for hers. Amelia had taken it and they'd shaken hands.

"It's very nice to meet you, Amelia," he said. Amelia gave a courteous, the-pleasure-is-absolutely-all-mine-great-legend-sir sort of nod in return. "Well, I suppose I'll drop by later," he spoke once more this time to Cody. Cody nodded once and both he and Amelia had watched the legend depart the residence. Slowly turning to Cody, Amelia raised one eyebrow mouthing the word 'wow'. He chuckled a bit. "Shall we make breakfast then," he asked as they both walked into the kitchen. Amelia gave a nervous nod. Don't mess this up, Amelia subconsciously warned herself. In little to no time, Amelia and Cody had prepared a breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast. With only one egg splattered on the floor (which had already been cleaned up), the two made their way to the T.V. room where they sat on the couch divulging themselves in their prepared breakfast.

"Do you have a show tonight," Amelia asked as she bit off a piece of her toast. Cody who'd been chewing his food shook his head.

Having swallowed, he said, "No, not tonight, but on Friday, I do." Amelia nodded once. Finishing her plate of food, she set it down on the coffee table set in front of the couch. "Do you have any plans for today," he asked after taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Well, I was going to see what the girls were up to," Amelia told him now sitting cross-legged and turning to him. "I haven't seen them since we landed," she explained. Cody nodded understandingly as he set down his plate as well. Amelia smiled once before standing up and reaching for both their plates in order to clear them away in the kitchen; however, a hand had placed itself on top of hers. She looked up at Cody who'd been standing over her.

"I'll take it," he whispered before planting a kiss on her cheek. Amelia blushed and smiled before retaking her seat on the couch. Cody cleared away everything in an instant. At this point sitting alone on the couch, Amelia's mind had allowed itself to circle back to her dream. Those hazel brown eyes, where had she seen them? "Amelia," a voice called out inducing her to give a slight jump as her brain racked itself trying to come up with faces to match those eyes.

Turning her head in the direction of Cody, she stood up. "Yes," she asked as Cody had neared her. He'd had a worried look on his face as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you alright," he asked in a whisper as he slid his hand up and down her back gently. Amelia's eyes looked down at the floor for an instant deciding on whether or not to tell him about her dream. Finally, her brain seemed to settle on an answer.

"Perfect," she said as she threw him a convincing smile.

A pair of soft lips had gently crashed onto Sonelle's awakening her from her sleep. As her eyes fluttered open, her lips had curved themselves into a smile as she stared up into the dark brown eyes of Kofi. A sight, she had constantly told herself, she'd never get bored of. Taking her hand in his, Kofi gazed at how the ring seemed to fit perfectly around her finger and how its shine had seemed to grow since it had been placed on her finger. "It fits you," he whispered - his voice still possessing a groggy, 'morning voice' sound. Sonelle grinned at this.

"Thank you," she also stated in a hushed tone. Lifting her head off her pillow, she planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. Kofi replied with a wink before pulling himself up into a sitting position. Sonelle mimicked this action drawing nearer to Kofi as his arm situated itself around her shoulders. "Are you wrestling tonight," she asked as she leaned her head on his shoulder still half-asleep.

"No, not tonight," he whispered resting his head on top of hers. "Tomorrow, though," he told her as his lips kissed the top of her head. Sonelle gave a slight nod as her eyes had begun to close once more. Kofi chuckled and rubbed her arm slowly. The shivers sent by this gesture had seemed to rejuvenate her a bit. With her eyes now opened, she looked up at Kofi who looked down into her eyes.

"Are you hungry," she asked sweetly. Kofi smiled softly as he stroked the ends of her hair with his thumb.

"We can order room service," Kofi told her. Sonelle inched herself off the bed.

"No," he spoke, "let me call." Sonelle nodded once and smiled before climbing back onto the bed. As she lay herself back down on her pillow, she watched as Kofi exited the bedroom and made his way into the living room. Suddenly, there came a muffled sound almost like the lyrics to her ring tone being sung. As she inched her way over to the end of the bed, she looked under each pillow. It wasn't there.

Following the source of sound, she stumbled into the bathroom where the sound seemed to have increased. Recognizing it was coming from her purse on the floor, she quickly stooped down and rummaged through it. Finally, having acquired it, she answered it immediately. "Hello," she spoke in an interrogative fashion rather than a declarative one. From the other end of the phone call, she could hear the panic in the person's voice.

"S-Sonelle," she said. Sonelle had recognized this voice immediately.

"Khaila, what's wrong," Sonelle asked concernedly.

"I need to talk to you guys … in person," she stated with the panic in her voice increasing. Sonelle nodded to herself as if she were talking to Khaila face-to-face.

"Okay, well … let's meet up here at my suite," Sonelle offered.

"Okay; I … I'll see you," Khaila spoke her voice cracking at the last word. In an instant, she'd hung up prohibiting Sonelle from asking any further questions. Sonelle sunk to the bathroom floor staring at the tiled walls in utter dismay. Why'd Khaila sounded like that? Had Punk done something to her? The questions confounded her. She had been sure that whatever it was - it was serious. Khaila had never been one to over-exaggerate, and at this realization, Sonelle had worried more.

Brittany had awoken to the smell of pancakes being cooked on a stove. Looking over at the side of the bed where Justin was supposed to be, she'd discovered only his shirt and jacket there … no Justin. Her brow furrowed as she reluctantly rolled herself out of bed. "Justin," she called as she trudged her way out of the bedroom.

"In here," a voice called back from the kitchen. Making her way into the kitchen, she smiled at Justin, who had been wearing nothing but his jeans that he'd worn last night, placing pancakes on plates for both himself and Brittany. She giggled a bit at the way the pancakes had been misshaped.

"Nice," she commented as she looked over at it. Justin chuckled a bit and kissed her cheek before sitting down with her at the kitchen counter. Both had taken the first few bites out of their pancakes before speaking once more. "It's delicious, Just," Brittany complimented once more before taking a sip of her juice. Justin gave a small smile before muttering a thanks.

"Hey, so you know how I'll be wrestling tonight," he asked as his accent played on his speech. Brittany smiled and nodded thinking of how much sweeter his accent had made his sentence sound. "Well, how would you like to come with me," he asked once more. Brittany's smiled widened as she nodded vigorously.

"I'd love to," she told him before continuing her meal. Justin smiled.

"I should be getting the tickets this afternoon," he told her. "I'll just bring them back here afterwards." Brittany nodded as she finished her piece of pancake and pushed the dish to the side. In a moment or two, Justin had finished his as well. Giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek, he turned to face her. "Would you like to see a movie with me, afterwards," he asked once more. Brittany smiled.

"Won't you be tired," she asked in return as she had begun to clear away all the plates and dishes. Justin scoffed.

"I don't get tired," he said confidently. Brittany laughed.

"Oh really," she asked disbelievingly. Justin smiled and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"No," he said with a smile. Brittany, in turn, smiled back. Just as she had about to give her answer, a ringing noise resonated throughout the suite. Looking back over Justin's shoulder, she heard it distinctly coming from the bedroom. Excusing herself for a moment, she rushed in and quickly scooped up her phone which had been laying on the bedside table nearest her side of the bed.

Picking it up, she spoke clearly into the receiver, "Hello?"

"Brit, something's wrong with Khaila," said a voice that Brittany had recognized as Sonelle's. A worried look had been plastered on Brittany's face now as she had sunk to the bedroom floor sitting cross-legged.

"What's wrong with her," she asked quietly as worry had begun to take over.

"I don't know, but she sounded panicky and you know Khaila. She's not one to over-exaggerate things," Sonelle spoke. "She said she needed to talk to us - all of us, so I told her to meet us here in my suite."

"Okay," Brittany said her voice still possessing the quietness. "Well, what time do you want us to come over," she asked.

"About 3:00" Sonelle asked. Brittany looked at the clock which read 9:30. She nodded to herself making a mental note.

"I'll be there," Brittany told her. The two girls bed goodbye to one another and hung up the phone. Easing her way back to her feet, Brittany walked outside a look of worry still pasted o her face as she continued to stare down at her phone. Justin had apparently picked up on this as he placed his hands on either sides of her arms. "I can't go with you tonight, Justin," Brittany told him in her quiet, worried voice.

"Why - What's wrong, darling," he asked her - he, himself, had grown a worried look on his face from Brittany's behaviour. Brittany sighed.

"Nothing," she told him. "Don't worry about anything. It's just friend stuff; I have to go over at Sonelle's at 3:00." Justin nodded still confused. Brittany planted a sweet kiss on his cheek and urged him not to think of it any longer. As they seated themselves on the couch, watching movies that played on Starz, Brittany's mind had been working overtime. She was worried about Khaila and what may have happened to her. Looking up at the clock every now and then, she waited for 3:00pm to hit so as to maybe put her worry to rest.

As the day progressed, Amelia and Cody had not moved from the bed. They'd lain there in their laziness merely enjoying each other's company and watching old movies that he'd had on DVD. With her head on Cody's chest, Amelia had seemed to forget all about her dream. All her thoughts, at the moment, were about Cody and their relationship. With her eyes closing as she had been beginning to be lulled to sleep by his breath intake, a sudden buzz had been heard from on top of Cody's bedside table. Amelia jumped a bit at the noise.

Cody looked over with ease and picked up her phone. Handing it to her, she picked it up. "Hello," she asked now pulling herself to a sitting position. She felt Cody shift his way off the bed and into the bathroom.

"Amelia, it's Brittany. You need to get over here - something's wrong with Khaila," Brittany stated her voice quieter than usual. Amelia's face had grown with confusion.

"Wrong? What's wrong with her," she asked with her legs now crisscrossing themselves on the bed.

"I don't know. Sonelle just told me that she wanted to speak to us and that it sounded urgent. We're going to be in Sonelle's," Brittany relayed. Amelia sensing the worry in her voice had known something had gone down. Amelia nodded to herself in reassurance.

"Okay, don't worry. I'll be there," she relayed. Brittany and Amelia then said goodbye and hung up the phone. With tears in her eyes, Amelia had begun to worry. From behind, she sensed a confused Cody looking at her out of the doorway.

"What's wrong, love," Cody asked in a whisper as he crawled onto the bed. Amelia's tears had seemed to slip onto her cheeks.

"I don't know," she told him truthfully. "Something's wrong with Khaila." Cody's brow furrowed as he shot a confused look at her. "Please, I need to go to our hotel," she told Cody. Using his thumbs to clear away her tears from her cheeks, Cody nodded once.

"I'll drive you; don't worry," he whispered as he embraced her tightly. Amelia half-smiled at the fact he'd cared, but the worried thought still pervaded her mind. In a few moments, Cody and Amelia had driven up to the hotel. Amelia quickly stumbled her way out of the vehicle and up to Sonelle's suite. She quickly knocked on the room door. The door opened slowly. Amelia glanced up at Brittany who'd opened the door then walked in only to see Khaila and Sonelle seated on the couch. Khaila's face was now tear-stained and Sonelle's eyes had begun to water.

"What's happened," Amelia asked worriedly as she sat on her ankles in front of Sonelle and Khaila. Khaila's body had begun to shake a bit as her tears poured out onto her face. Sonelle who had been hugging her, hugged tighter. "What-What's wrong," Amelia asked once more. Everyone seemed to have remained quiet. After a few moments of silence, Amelia had raised her voice - she was worried, "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

"Nant," she heard Khaila muffle out.

"What," Amelia asked unable to make out what Khaila had said.

"I'm pregnant," Khaila whispered in a sob as Sonelle hugged her tighter.