CHAPTER SEVEN

CAYLA

When Cayla got out of the shower, a sense of dread seized her. Something was wrong. She dried herself off quickly and pulled on her bathrobe before opening the bathroom door. She spotted Saraya sitting in the farthest corner, with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

"Saraya? What is it? What happened?" She asked in alarm.

Saraya didn't answer her. She stared at the door to the hotel room instead, seemingly unaware that Cayla was there at all. Cayla followed her gaze and saw her cell phone. She picked it up and saw the damage her wife had done.

"Honey, who called you?" Cayla asked.

Saraya still didn't respond. Cayla knelt on the floor beside her and pulled her into her arms. Only then did Saraya start to cry. She still didn't speak, but her tears fell onto Cayla's robe as she held her and her sobs made her entire body shake.

After what seemed like hours, Saraya simply whispered, "She's gone..."

"Who is?" Cayla asked, holding her tighter.

"Mum... She's... She's gone, Cay... Just bloody dead..." Saraya's tone was numb, her shock still clear.

Cayla's heart broke for her. She'd lost both of her parents before Trixie was even born, but her father had been gone from her life years before that. The loss of a mother, however, was one Cayla understood well. "I'm so sorry, honey," Cayla said. She felt tears in her own eyes. She'd loved her mother-in-law, a woman who was full of life and who had embraced Cayla for exactly who she was with no issue. "What happened?"

"Her heart... Dad said she'd been having trouble, but she didn't tell me... Why didn't she tell me? I'm her bloody daughter! I had a right to know! To... to prepare. To say goodbye..."

"There's no way to prepare for this, and knowing your mom, she didn't want to worry you. That wasn't her style."

"It's not bloody fair!" Saraya began sobbing again. "I'm aware I sound like a toddler, but-"

"You're entitled. I know she meant everything to you, Saraya. It's okay to freak out."

Saraya buried her face in Cayla's shoulder again. Cayla held her for a bit before Saraya said, "We have to tell Trixie..."

Cayla nodded. "I'll tell her to come here."

Saraya stood on shaky feet and crawled back into the bed. Cayla texted Trixie, Something happened. Need you to meet us at our room right away. Then she climbed into bed next to her wife and held her.

A short time later, Trixie used the spare key card to let herself in. She spotted her mothers and immediately said, "What's wrong?"

Cayla sat up and patted the bed next to her. Trixie nervously sat down. "What happened, Mom?" Trixie asked.

"Baby, your mum got some bad news today," Cayla began. She wasn't sure how to tell Trixie this. Her daughter was a happy kid. She'd had very little tragedy in her life. She'd been to a few funerals for wrestlers over the years, but she had never lost a family member before.

"What is it, Mom?" Trixie asked.

"We didn't know, but your grandmother has been sick..."

Trixie looked at her with the lost eyes of a child. She knew where this was going, but she was clearly desperate for Cayla to say anything but what she'd just figured out. It broke Cayla's heart to add, "She passed away, Baby. She's gone."

"She... She just texted me last night!" Trixie said. She started to cry. Cayla hated seeing her cry because it was so rare for Trixie to break like that. She wanted to hug her, but Saraya beat her to it. She rolled over and pulled Trixie down, holding her in her arms as they cried together. Cayla laid down on Trixie's other side and joined the tearful embrace.

They stayed like that for a while before Cayla went into List Making Mode. She knew they needed to do certain things to prepare for the days ahead. She would cancel all of Saraya's scheduled appearances and would take time off from work. She went online to search for tickets to London. A hotel wasn't an issue because she knew Saraya's father would insist they stay with him.

"Should I call Paul for you and tell him you need the time?" Cayla asked Trixie.

"No," Trixie said. "I'm an adult. I can call out of work myself."

"Alright. I love you, Baby."

"I love you, too, Mom... And Mum..." Trixie squeezed Saraya before finally letting her go. "I'm going to see if I can catch him before he and Stephanie leave the hotel. I'd rather do this in person."

"Good luck. I'll text you the flight information."

Trixie nodded. Cayla watched her walk away. Saraya was exhausted from crying and had passed out, so she set to work on completing her list. For the first time in their relationship, Saraya was truly the broken one. Cayla was more than willing to pick up the pieces. She prayed she would be able to do as good a job as Saraya always had with her.

TRIXIE

She had moved from shock to grief, but part of it still didn't seem real. Trixie found Paul sitting by the pool with several other people. It was everyone's day off and they were trying to relax. She felt bad bothering him, but knew she had no choice.

"Paul... Can I talk to you?" She asked.

He smiled at her. "What's up, Trixie?" He asked.

"Something happened... We had a death in the family and I need some time off to go to London... I know I just started but-" She was rambling and talking too quickly, but she couldn't stop.

"Sweetheart, relax. Of course you can have time! Family comes first. Who passed away?"

"My grandmother."

"Not Sweet Saraya! That's horrible! How's your mom?"

She knew which parent he meant. "Broken... But Mum is tough. She will get through it."

He nodded. "Send my deepest condolences, and take as much time as you need."

Trixie thanked him. She got to the other side of the pool before she heard talking nearby. "...special treatment," the voice said.

"Shut your damn mouth, Asshole!" Molly retorted.

"I mean, it's not even her real grandma," the first voice added.

An unfamiliar rage filled Trixie as she spun around to face the guy talking. It was Danny. Molly looked like she was going to attack him. Gabe, Lucas, Brandon, and Ginny were all watching and waiting to see what happened next.

Trixie marched up to him and before anyone saw it coming, she threw the hardest punch of her life. It connected solidly with Danny's cheek.

"Do not ever say that she wasn't my grandmother again, you vile, insensitive little jerk!" Trixie shouted.

Molly and Gabe were both laughing hysterically. "Nice right hook," Ginny said.

Danny nearly fell into the water as he tried to recover from his shock. Trixie sort of wished that he had. He rubbed his jaw and cheek as he looked at her and stuttered out, "I-I'm sorry. That was a whole new level of douchebag, even for me."

Trixie hadn't expected an apology, but it didn't matter. She needed to get away from everyone. She took off running and refused to look back. She didn't stop until she got to a park. She leaned against a tree, slid down until she was sitting on the grass, and she began to cry again.

"Trixie?" A voice asked. It was Brandon, and he wasn't alone. Gabe and Lucas were with him. He knelt beside her. "I'm really sorry about your grandma. Are you okay?"

"Not even a little," Trixie admitted.

"Trixie isn't smiling," Gabe said. "We need to fix that."

"Agreed," Lucas said. He extended his hand to her. She took it and let him pull her up onto her feet.

"It really sucks losing family," Lucas said. "We're here if you need to talk."

"Not everyone is like Danny," Gabe added. "I'd offer to beat him up for you, but getting punched in front of everyone by a girl probably did more damage to him than I could ever do."

"Thanks, guys," Trixie said.

"I want to show you something," Brandon said. He took her hand and led her toward another spot in the park. There were flowers of every kind scattered through the area. Children laughed, dogs chased frisbees, and couples held hands. It was beautiful. It was alive.

"It's so peaceful here," Trixie said. "So happy."

"That's why we're here. So you can find your happy, even if it's only for a little while."

Trixie leaned against him. "Thank you. I needed this. I needed to remember the joy."

"I figured."

They stayed there for a while until Trixie felt much better. Only then did the boys walk her back to the hotel. She wished she could bring them with her. This was going to be a hard week.