June 14, 2013

I enter arena in a fog. I know what I need to do but the fear of doing it is almost paralyzing.

"JJ," Celeste calls rushing up to me, Colby trailing behind. "Well," she whispers.

I nod sharply, my eyes downcast.

"You ok?"

I nod again, not trusting my voice at the moment.

"What's up, JJ," Colby asks.

"Nothing," I smile tightly.

"That's a lie."

"Do you know where Jon is," I asks changing the subject.

"He had a meeting with Creative. He should be out soon."

"If you see him before I do will you ask him to find me."

"Sure," he draws out the word looking between me and his girlfriend. "I feel I'm out of the loop about something."

"For the moment. I'll let you in soon," I sigh leaning into the big man. His arms wrap around my shoulders. "Which way to the locker rooms?"

He points in the direction they were coming from. "We're heading to catering. You joining us?"

"I got to find Randy."

Pulling out my phone, I take off in the direction I was pointed in. Hey Bub. I'm back. We need to talk. Meet me outside the locker room.

At catering. the reply comes back almost immediately. Meet me here? Everything ok?

Be there soon. Talk then.

Switching to a new message I contemplate what to say to Jon. I settle on We need to talk. I stare at those four little words, my finger hovering over the send button as I switch directions to head to back the opposite way. Suddenly I'm pulled backwards by the hair.

"Janet," Stephen smirks down at me pulling my phone from my hands and tossing it over his shoulder, "looking for anyone in particular?"

"Anyone but you."

"Don't be stupid, Jan. You know how my temper can be," his hand comes up to wrap around my throat before shoving me into the wall. "Let's not make it flare up because you can't be civil."

"I don't have time for you right now," I growl, ripping his hand from me before trying to side step the big man.

"Then make some," he snaps barring my path. "I've tried to be patient with you but I'm getting tired of waiting for you to come around. When are you going to come back to me?"

"How's the day after never," I snarl, shoving at his shoulders to make any kind of space I can escape through. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you this. I am done with you… completely and utterly done. I'm not coming around anytime. Give up."

"You are mine," he snarls, his hand returns to my throat. "I think I've been very reasonable allowing you to fuck that reject these past month. Now that you've got that out of your system it is time to settle down."

"No."

His hand tightens crushing my windpipe. "I don't think I heard you right," he states very slowly. "What was that?"

"No," I croak, blinking away the spots floating in front of my eyes.

"Would you like to try that again," his hand tightening again.

"Please Stephen, stop," I gasp. "Stop. I'm pregnant. Please stop."

His hand loosens immediately and I suck deep breaths in. "Pregnant?"

"Yes," I pant. I look up to find him smiling.

"I'm going to be a dad," his grin widens.

"No. Why would you? No."

"Hey Babe." I turn towards the sound of Jon's voice, relaxing slightly. "Everything ok," he asks.

"No," Stephen mutters looking between me and Jon. "No. Not him. No. It can't be. NO," he screams charging Jon. Stephen's shoulder connects with Jon's midsection with a thud.

"Stop it," I scream moving to pull the two big men apart. "Stop it both of you."

"She was suppose to be mine," Stephen snarls his elbow connecting with Jon's windpipe. I step forward just as he draws back for another hit and take an elbow to the sternum. All the air leaves my lungs as I stumble backwards, the hallway shifting around me.

"Jaybird," Randy calls from somewhere as I try to suck in air. Suddenly blackness swallows me.

XXX

"Come on baby girl. Wake up. Wake up. Please wake up," Randy murmurs against my ear.

"Randy," I croak.

"Oh, thank God."

"What happened?"

"You passed out. Doc. She's talking."

"Ms. Orton," a second voice states, "can you open your eyes for me?"

I do as I'm instructed to find myself laid on a table in a curtained off area before a light is shined in one eye and then the other. "Do you know where you are?"

"I'm guessing the trainer's area of the arena."

"You are correct," he smiles. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Last I remember I was taking an elbow to the sternum. Then blackness."

"Any pain?"

"Dull pain in the chest. I'm assuming that is from the elbow. I'll live."

"I'd like to send you to the hospital for a MRI. You could have a bruised or cracked sternum."

"No. I'll be fine."

"JJ, don't argue about this. If he thinks you need to go then go," Randy states calmly.

"I can't."

"And why is that," the doc asks as I sit up.

"Because I'm eight weeks pregnant," I snap.

"What," Randy gasps.

"Can we get a minute, please," I ask the doc.

"Sure."

"How did this happen?"

"Heaven help Alanna if you don't know where babies come from," I smirk.

"Jon's?"

"Yes."

"So what is the deal with Stephen?"

"He seems to think it was his."

"You were sleeping with him," he reminds me gently.

"The last time was Wrestlemania. If it was his I would be twelve weeks."

"What are you going to do?"

"I haven't even told Jon yet. How about you ask that tomorrow?"

"What do you want-" He is interrupted by the sudden appearance of an angry Jon. "Should I go?"

"No," Jon snaps. "I won't be long. Stephen informed me of your news. Congratulation," he growls, tossing my phone at me. "You could have told me yourself, you know."

"Tell you what?"

"That you were back to screwing the Irishman."

"What are you even talking about. I haven't been with Stephen."

"Whatever," he growls heading for the door.

"Jon, please stay. We need to talk."

"Why is that?"

"Maybe because Stephen lied."

"So you're not pregnant," he asks from the doorway, his back to me.

"That part is true but it's not his, it's yours."

"Prove it," he growls leaving.

"Jaybird," Randy sighs.

"Don't," I choke around the lump in my throat. "Just don't."

"I think you should work from home for a while."

"Ok," I nod.

"Start tonight. Go back to the hotel."

"I have to find Celeste and Colby."

"I'll tell them. Just go," he sighs kissing the top of my head.

"I don't know if I want to be alone right now, Bub."

"I know. I'll be there as soon as I can get free, Jaybird."

XXX

"Janet," Stephen calls as I exit the trainer's room.

"Leave me alone. You've done enough already."

"It could be mine," he snarls.

"No it can't," I snap turning towards him taking in his bloody nose, lip, and various bruises with satisfaction. "The last time we slept together was Wrestlemaia and do you remember why that was?"

"We were both extra busy with work."

"What else? Think the week directly following Wrestlemania."

"Randy had extra appearances and-"

"And I was on my period," I supply when he stops mid-sentence. "We didn't sleep together after that. It…is…not…yours. "

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do and so do you. I don't know what I did to make you want to do what you have done to me but I think you have proven your point."

"I love you, Janet."

"You love me so much you were dating girls on the side?"

"It was a mistake."

"We were the mistake, Ste. Goodbye."

"Janet, don't say that."

"You know I've asked you I don't know how many times to call me JJ or even Jay but you can't even do that for me so why should I listen to anything you have to say. This is the last time I am ever going to say this: We are done. Stay away from me."

XXX

I wipe at my eyes furiously as the hotel room opens behind me. "Hey, Randy," I sigh. "I got the first flight home tomorrow. I'll need to be at the airport by five."

"Jaybird," Randy sighs, his arms wrap around my shoulders tightly pulling me to his chest, "just stop. I don't care about getting you to the airport or flights right now. How are you doing?"

"I'm numb."

"Ok. I can deal with numb."

"I don't know how I let this happen."

"You can't control other people's emotions. He'll come around eventually."

"I believe you said the same thing about Dad."

"It takes longer when the people are exactly the same amount of stubborn," he chuckles resting his chin on the top of my head.

"How on earth do we get along then," I smirk, resting my hands on his arms.

"I am slightly less stubborn than you."

"That's not what you said fifteen years ago," I smile at the memory and I feel the chuckle vibrate through his chest. "I had just showed up at your front door and caused so much friction. Your mom was still in denial, Dad was trying to placate her and ignoring me. You came barging in the room they had hid me away in and demanded to know why I came to ruin your life."

"You were trying to hide the fact that you were crying," he supplies, "as you told me to just leave you alone like the rest of my family."

"Not that you listened. Why hadn't I just gone off with some of my mother's family, is what you screamed back at me."

"And you proceeded to punch me in the face," he chuckles.

"I immediately regretted that. You threw me against the wall and popped most of the stitches in my leg."

"You proceeded to start sobbing," he sighs. "You said to just kill you. You were tired of fighting."

"You told me that you wouldn't even attempt to try to kill me because from what you had seen I was too damn stubborn to die. It was an Orton trait. You grabbed a towel from the bathroom, wrapped my leg, and took me to get the stitches redone. Who knew me giving up was the way to your heart?"

"It just made me realize just how long you had been fighting for. It was the first time you let your guard down. You came into the house so closed off and so ready to fight, it never occurred to me that you had been battling your own war. I couldn't let any sister of mine battle alone."

"You never doubted that fact did you?"

"Hmmm?"

"I showed up claiming to be Bob's daughter and you were the only one who believed me immediately," I mumble tracing the designs on his arms. "Even Dad originally denied me. I had to produce my damn birth certificate that he had signed before he admitted it."

"One look at you and you can see it. I saw Dad in you. Hell, I saw me in you. It was never a doubt of mine. I was pissed off you shattered my little world at the time not about who you were. Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room," he asks.

"I was so careful and I fucked up. He hates me now. What's more is there to say?"

"You have options."

"There is only one option for me. I knew that as soon as I got the news. I was raised by a single mother, I know what I have in store for myself if Jon decides he's not going to step up."

"Okay," he sighs, kissing the top of my head. "Tell me what you need?"

"Right now all I want is to crawl into bed and sleep. I'm so exhausted right now."

"Get use to it. You're going to have about seven to eight more months of that," he smiles stepping away from me.

"I remember Sam," I smirk, making my way to the bed. "Will you stay with me for a little bit?"

"Sure, Jaybird," he grins, stretching his long legs out as he sits beside me on the bed. I settle onto my side facing the wall and he strokes my hair back. "Sleep well Little Bird."

"Will do Big Bird," I grin.