Chapter Three

Over the next three months I wound up in the hospital twice. Why? My mother. She wouldn't just let things go. She tried to get full custody of me. Dad had his lawyers and his friends and even the McMahons who testified that I had been on the road with Dad since I was 8 because my mother abandoned us when I got sick. They testified to the fact that Dad and I were extremely close, he took very good care of me, and no matter what city or country we were in, my cardiology needs were covered.

Still, most courts would prefer to keep someone like me in a stable environment, which short of Dad quitting the WWE, he couldn't give me. It looked like Mom was going to get custody. At least until I wound up in the hospital the second time. The trial was hard on Dad and that made it even harder on me. Every night, I was waking up screaming in pain. Finally, one morning, not only was I having severe pain in my chest, I couldn't breathe. When Dad came to wake me for court, my lips were blue because my heart wasn't circulating enough blood.

Dad rushed me to the hospital. Doctor Tristan was there when we got there. I was rushed into surgery. Apparently, while I was in surgery Dad's lawyer told the judge that I was in surgery and Dad couldn't be in court. When I woke up in the cardiac ICU, Dad was at my side. I had wires hooked up to me everywhere, keeping track of everything going on in my body.

The trial was put on hold until I was moved out of the cardiac ICU. When I was able to be moved to the regular cardiac wing, Paul and other wrestlers took turns staying with me while Dad went to court to fight for me. Still, every day that he was gone, I was worried that he would come to the hospital and say she won. One day, it was Doctor Tristan who came in with good news for me.

"How are you feeling today, Denise?" he asked.

"I'm worried about my dad. It makes my chest tight," I told him.

"What if I told you that you had nothing to worry about?"

"How? The judge seemed like he wants to keep me with my mom because it means I'll be in one place. I hate her."

"I was in court today. I had to testify in the matter."

"What happened?"

"The trial is over. The decision is made."

"Are you gonna keep messing with me knowing you can make my heart stop, Doc?"

"Alright, alright, take a deep breath and calm down. Your father will be here later and would have preferred to tell you himself, but given how much this affects your heart, I'll tell you," he started. "When I was called on to testify, I told the truth. I stated that given your mother's choice to leave you and your father rather than learn to cope with your illness from the start I don't think now that it has progressed she will be easily able to cope with a child with a failing heart. Furthermore, I pointed out that if she truly cared about you, she would not be risking your life by putting you through this custody battle because both times you were hospitalized during the proceedings were as a direct result of the unnecessary stress the idea of being ripped away from your father was putting on your already weak heart. The judge sided with me. Your father has full custody. Whether or not you have to see her again is completely up to him."

I was so happy I wanted to jump up and down. I started squealing in excitement.

"Relax. I don't want to have to sedate you to keep you from overdoing it."

"Thank you, Doctor Tristan! This means so much to me!"

At that moment, Dad walked in.

"I guess you told her the good news?"

"I'm sorry, Michael, but she was stressing herself out and that isn't good for her heart," Dr. Tristan explained.

"I understand. Thank you for helping us," Dad said, coming to hug me.

"I just told the truth. You have followed all of my instructions to the letter. Whenever she's had a problem, you've had the nearest hospital contact me so we could coordinate on the best treatment for her, she's taken her meds, and you've found ways of getting her in to see me every three months. You've been the one to take care of her through all the ups and downs with her heart. Her mother ran. I don't think she would have handled taking care of her well," Dr. Tristan said.

"Well, thanks anyway. Now Denise doesn't have to worry about this ever again."

"Not a problem," Dr. Tristan said looking over my chart. "If she can stay stable for the next few days, I'll release her, but I have to let you know, the toll of this trial isn't just going to go away."

"What do you mean, Doc?" I asked.

"Denise, I'm sorry, but the damage to your heart is getting worse. Your heart will be weaker than it already was."

"So I'll be on more meds and restrictions?"

Doctor Tristan looked from me to my dad. I didn't like the look on either of their faces.

"The surgery we did was a temporary fix for you. It won't last forever. I'm sorry. We need to get you a new heart. Sooner rather than later."

"How long, Doctor Tristan?" Dad asked.

"Less than a year, Michael. Her heart won't hold on much longer than that."

I looked at my dad. The day had been so good, but in the end, my mother had ruined everything anyway. Doctor Tristan squeezed my hand and Dad's shoulder, apologized again and left the room. Dad tried not to cry, but when he thought I was asleep, I heard him crying at my bedside.