*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much*
DEAN's POINT OF VIEW:
"What are you doing?" I ask as I walk into mine and Ana's bedroom to see my beautiful wife sitting up in our bed with the laptop out on her lap and she seems focused on the screen. I walk over to her and kiss her cheek softly.
"Just typing up some storyline stuff," she says looking up at me with her dark brown eyes through her glasses. "I had to get some work done."
"Isn't the point of you being on bed rest to take it easy so you don't get yourself stressed out? The doctor told you that you needed to cut back on work didn't he?"
"I'm just typing up storyline stuff," she says, "and besides come a couple months from now when I am on maternity leave I won't be able to work. I want to work while I can."
"But it's too much for you," I say. Last week we went to do some wedding stuff like picking out China and other wedding planning stuff and Ana was having pain. She spent the entire day ignoring it until she couldn't bare it anymore. We went to the hospital and it was determined she was starting pre-term labor at only 25 weeks even though the baby had a good chance of survival they managed to stop the labor and put her on bed rest for the next few weeks. The doctor told her to take it easy and to avoid stress but Ana is Ana and she's going to do what she wants to do. I hate that she's so stubborn sometimes.
"I'm fine, I promise. If it gets to be too much I'll stop for the day but I'm doing all right and Oliver is doing very well. He's moving up a storm at the moment. We're good you don't have to worry about me. It's just storyline stuff that I'm typing up to send to Stephanie."
"If you say so but I wish you would listen to the doctor. Why do you have to be so stubborn, my wife?"
"I'm not stubborn," she says. "I just don't like to be bored. We could discuss wedding things again if you want to take me away from work?"
"I'm all right," I say, "besides I just dropped Natalia off at school, I let Milo out and I'm getting ready to meet up with Roman for the afternoon so we can go look for something to wear to the wedding."
"Remember the new wedding colors are a light yellow and a white."
"When did that happen?" I ask.
"When I saw how beautiful the color yellow was and thought how appropriate for a summer wedding."
"All right," I say, "I'm not going to argue about it whatever you want I'm fine with," I say.
"I know," she says with a smile. "What's Roman doing in town for?"
"WWE was up in Boston last night for Smackdown. We decided to hang out today. I miss my best friend."
"I bet you do. I'm sure he misses you too," she says, "well, have fun."
"Thanks and remember if you feel like you're getting stressed out over all that stuff to take a break. It's okay to take a break you don't have to be such a workaholic."
"Look who's talking," she says, "you are a workaholic yourself."
"I've cut back," I say with a smile. "You should do the same but then again I don't have a doctor telling me to cut back but you do and you should really listen to him."
"I'm fine," she says. "In fact, I'm going to close this up for now and look at some more wedding things. Remember we have maternity pictures coming up and engagement pictures coming up."
"I won't forget," I say. "just take it easy okay, Beautiful?"
"Okay, Baby," she says with a smile. "I love you," she says after I kiss her lips softly.
"I love you too," I say with a smile before I kiss her once more before I head out to meet up with Roman. I'm looking forward to spending the afternoon with my brother I haven't seen him since Summerslam. I have been stuck in a house with two females whose hormones are raging and there's just too much estrogen. I need some good male bonding with my best friend, drinking a couple beers and just hanging out. I am actually anxious for Oliver to join the house because I will no longer be outnumbered.
I meet Roman at his hotel before we head over to get fitted for our tuxedoes for my wedding. I'm sure it's a little early but once we hit December everything is going to go so fast so I want to get this one thing out of the way with him. I settle on getting a black tuxedo with a light yellow vest to wear over a white button down shirt and I decide on a yellow tie while Roman just gets a pair of black slacks, white button down shirt with a yellow vest and a yellow tie matching mine. I still have a couple other guys to go get tuxes with but that can wait. My best man and I are set so we can focus on other wedding things. After we're done getting fitted for a tuxedo we head to a bar and grille to have some lunch together.
"So how is the neck?" asks Roman as I open my beer as we're sitting eating our food.
"It's getting there. It still hurts from time to time but it's healing up. I started PT this week."
"Oh yeah? How is that going?"
"The first session was good. We didn't really do too much but I'll get there. He gave me some exercises to work on. I go again tomorrow."
"How many times a week do they have you doing PT?"
"Two times a week for now, it will increase as my neck strengthens though."
"That's not too bad. How long are you expected to be out?" he asks taking a sip of his beer.
"The doctor is saying 6 months which has me coming back late February early March," I say. "So I should be back in time for Wrestlemania. It sucks I am not going to be in the title picture for Mania but I'm going to be happy to just have a spot you know?"
"I hear you. I'm sure after being off the TV for 6 months you're going to be dying to get back in the ring just don't rush it. You should never rush a neck injury."
"I won't," I say. "I'm going to go back when the doctor clears me. I'm just glad all of this wasn't career threatening. I don't know what I would do without wrestling. I have been thinking about opening a gym though."
"You want to open a gym?" he asks.
"Yeah, you know a training gym here in Connecticut. I want to train people to be wrestlers. Getting injured really made me think. If my career would have ended that night I wouldn't have had anything to fall back on. I have my GED and whatever but I never really went to college and a high school diploma or GED doesn't exactly get you far in this life you know what I mean? Sometimes I wish I had gone to college but I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life so I dedicated my entire life to training and working in the industry wherever I could get work plus I had a kid to support and a girlfriend that I supported. I had to make money. There was no time for college."
"I understand that. Do you think you can do this?"
"I think I can. I have the resources to do it. I have the money to open up a place. I want to do this really bad. That way if something were to ever happen to my neck or anything again I have something to fall back on you know?"
"I hear you. I think that's a good idea."
"Thanks, I was wondering if you would like to run a gym with me. You know be a part of it, be my partner?"
"Sure," he says, "I wouldn't mind doing that. I mean my family has wrestling schools in Pennsylvania and Florida. I wouldn't mind being a partner with you in your wrestling school."
"Would you be able to be up in Connecticut though?"
"I could make a few visits," he says.
"All right we can look into buildings and stuff like that. This is something I want to do. I really want to be able to do something besides be out in the ring you know? Wrestling isn't lasting forever and with me going part time I will have some time to focus and dedicate to it."
"Yeah," he says as I take a sip of my beer. "I didn't know you were drinking again."
"Just a couple drinks here and there, I'm controlling it."
"As long as you're controlling it," he says, "nothing wrong with having an ice-cold beer every once in a while."
"I hear you, Man," I say as I take another swig of beer.
"So how is life with Ana going? Is everything getting better for you two?"
"For the most part, everything is getting a lot better. I think since we moved to Connecticut and she got away from her old boss things started to fall back into place and we have gotten a lot closer the last few months. I'm happy about that. I almost thought I was going to lose her."
"You two have been together forever, you aren't going to lose each other."
"You never know," I say. "Anything is possible."
"That's true but I don't think there could ever be a day where there is no Dean and Ana. Are you ready for this wedding?"
"I don't know. We're working on it. It's getting crazy. I knew Ana had the potential to be a bridezilla but I never imagined how bad it could be until now. She just changed the wedding colors to light yellow and white which I am okay with I wasn't big on the aqua she had picked out. I'm glad it's not pink. She knows what she wants and that's what she's going to get," I say. "Her wish is my command it's all about her. It's her day she had the wedding I wanted so I'll give her the wedding she wants. I'm just ready to see her walk down that aisle and to make it official to everyone in our lives that we are married and we're going to be together forever."
"Have you started to write your vows yet?"
"Haven't even started, do you think she will know if I just say what comes to mind that day instead of reading it off a piece of paper? I feel like it will mean more if I speak from the heart rather than write down my emotions. I'm in the moment kind of guy. I want to express how much I love her and how much promise I hold for her and me from my heart that day when I see her beautiful dark brown eyes looking back at me."
"You are good at coming up with your own stuff," he says, "it's like writing a promo I would think. You just need to write down how you feel about Ana and what you're promising her. It's not that hard."
"I don't write my promos. I just go out there and say what comes to mind in the moment," I say. "I told you, I'm the in the moment type of guy."
"Okay so then tell her how you feel that day, speak from the heart. Let her know how much you love her, how much she means to you and promise her forever. You'll do fine."
"I hope so," I say, "speaking in front of a wrestling crowd about beating someone's face in is a lot different than speaking in front of our friends and family declaring my love for her. I'm not one of those guys that appear to be sensitive but doing all this will show how soft I am."
"Get over it, Ambrose that's your wife and you love her. Who cares if it gets a little emotional I guarantee that the words you say to her that day will stay in her mind for the rest of her life. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, what matters is what you think and what she thinks. People expect sentimental moments at weddings it's no big deal. How much do you love her?"
"There are no words to describe how much I love her, I just know I love her endlessly and it's the forever type of love," I say.
"And that's a good start," he says giving me a smile before we take a swig of our beers. "Getting ready for the baby?"
"Yes," I say, "it won't be long before he's here. He gave Ana and me a scare last week. She started pre-term labor but they were able to stop it. He could have survived but they were able to stop it. She's on bed rest but the woman is stubborn. She won't give up on the work."
"Well, that's your wife," he says with a smile.
"I know," I say with a smile. "She makes my life I'll tell you that it's never a dull moment with her. It's crazy that you can love someone for so long and yet still fall in love with them more each day. I'm excited for our future together as a family."
"Are you two having more kids after the baby gets here?"
"I think we're having one or two more kids but that all depends on how Ana feels after Oliver is born."
"I see, I don't think I'm having anymore. I love kids but I think I am a one and done type of guy. You know what I mean? With this whole business life is crazy. I always feel like I am not giving my daughter the attention she deserves but I am making a living for her. I like to spoil her so I think she's just going to be it unless a surprise comes along."
"I love kids. I always wanted to have a big family. I was an only child growing up thank God for that but still I want a big family I am good with 4 kids but it's what Ana wants. She's good with two and if that's all she wants then that's all we're going to have but there is such a big age difference between them."
"Yeah," he says, "but you have a built in babysitter."
"I know," I say with a smile. "I can't wait for that if she even likes the kid. She's not too keen on the idea of being a big sister. One day she loves him and the next day she doesn't it's so confusing. She's confusing," I say. "She's at that age lately where everything offends her. She's so sensitive. Ana warned me it was coming but she's been talking about the P word."
"Periods?" he asks.
"Puberty," I say, "I am not ready for this. Natalia will always be my baby girl. I can't imagine her dating or becoming a woman. She's in her last year of elementary school this year and then she's in middle school a whole new chapter of her life. It's like the last 11 years have just flown by and here we are."
"Time does go fast. I'm glad I still have a few more years left until we get there with my little girl. I know I will not be ready for all that. I just wish we could keep them little forever. If they ever end up with guys like we were as teenagers we're in trouble."
"I have my shotgun ready," I say. "No little boy is going to break my daughter's heart or hurt her. I will put the fear of God into some little boy he will be afraid to screw up."
"I don't doubt that at all," he says. "Because I am going to be the same way, the good thing about our daughters is that they are the daughters of two big wrestlers. No little boy is going to want to mess with them. One look at us and they are going to piss their pants."
"That's my plan," I say with a smile. "But I was going more for shitting themselves. These little testosterone filled boys will NOT impregnate my daughter before she is 18 years old and they will not disrespect her in any way I will make them cry." Roman lets out a laugh. "It's true."
"I know it is," he says. "Oh the joy of having a daughter."
"I know I'm just so glad we're having a boy this time because honestly I don't think I could handle two daughters. Natalia is a handful within herself. She was a wild child like myself now and it's only going to get worse before it gets better. I'm ready for the fights and the attitude. I do see her and Ana going at it a lot and I mean a lot. Ana is so high strung and I'm laid back. I let whatever Natalia says or does roll off my back while Ana is ready to go on the defense but I don't like Natalia disrespecting Ana."
"I hear you," he says, "so are you having a bachelor party?"
"I want to," I say. "I mean it's my last fling before the ring so why not? I told Ana she could have a bachelorette party. Her best friend wants to take her out to Vegas in a few months for her bachelorette party. I'm kind of jealous."
"Want to go to Vegas for your bachelor party?" he asks.
"Hell yeah!" I say. "That would be fucking sweet, you know hitting up the clubs and the casinos. I live for Vegas. If I could have we would have moved to Vegas over Connecticut. I always wanted to live there. Not on the strip though but close enough that I could go let loose one weekend."
"All right," he says, "we'll book a trip to Vegas."
"That's what I'm talking about. And have I told you what I want to do for our honeymoon?"
"I know you mentioned it before but what are you doing again?"
"I want to take her on a month long honeymoon to Europe. I want to take her to Italy, Greece, France and England. I want to take her to see the world. She has always wanted to go to Europe and that's something that we haven't done yet. I really want to take her to Europe for a month."
"Sounds like a great honeymoon, I'm sure she's going to love it."
"Me too," I say. "I really want to do something special for us and get a lot of time alone."
"I hear you," he says. "Baby making time."
"I wouldn't go that far," I say. "We like to put some distance between our babies to say the least."
"I know," he says, "I'm just messing with you."
"I know, Man," he says as we continue to talk and enjoy our lunch together. I really needed this day. I always look forward to spending time with my best friend and I miss traveling with him. We've been through a lot together and I know he has my back all the time. I appreciate his loyalty. It means a lot to me. He's like family to me, he IS family. I wouldn't trade or give up our friendship for the world.
*A/N: What did you think of Ana starting pre-term labor? Are you glad they stopped it? Are you surprised that she's being stubborn about work? Do you blame Dean for wanting to get an afternoon out of the house? What do you think of him and Roman opening up a gym together? Do you think they can make it work? What do you think of Roman and Dean talking about the boys planning to date their daughters? Do you believe Dean will put the fear of God into some boy? What do you think of Dean having a bachelor party in Vegas? Please review and thank-you for reading.