*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much*
I arrive at the restaurant that I am having lunch with Mark at. I almost feel like a kid in school that is called to the principal office. I am not even this intimidated when it comes to Hunter and Stephanie. Mark scares the crap out of me to be honest. I eloped with his daughter and that was after I dated her behind his back. He wasn't happy about either situation. If there is one thing anyone needs to know about Mark it is that other than the wrestling business is that he loves his kids. They are his pride and joy but sometimes I feel like he may love Willow a little more than the others. They are the closest and their bond is unbreakable. Hurting Willow is not something wise to do; Mark seems like the type of father that would have the shotgun ready if anyone hurt his little girl or any of his little girls to be truthful. I like that in him and at the end of the day Mark and I both want the same thing. We both want Willow to be happy. I take a deep breath as I see him sitting at a private table in the restaurant. I make my way over to the table after being stopped for a couple autographs and a couple pictures. "Hey, Mark," I say to him as I reach the table.
"Joe," he says sternly before he stands up to shake my hand. The handshake is anything but friendly. "How are you?"
"I'm good," I say before we take a seat. "How are you?"
"I'm okay," he answers. "Thank-you for having lunch with me," he says. "How is Willow?"
"She's good. She went to the hospital to visit Koa for the afternoon. I'm going to join her after lunch."
"Good," he says as the waiter comes to take our drink orders. "So what's going on with you and Willow?" he jumps right into it after the waiter walks away.
"Like most couples we have our moments but right now we are just trying to be a team together. We can't let the forces of life try to tear us apart. We need to stick together and be strong," I answer. "Right now we are doing all right."
"I'm glad to hear that. This first year of marriage is tough," he says. "It's tough for anyone whether they have been together 5 years before they got married or not. In your case you two have gone through a lot in a year. You've done more than most people do in 5 years. You started dating, you have a baby and you got married. It's stressful I'm sure."
"Yeah it's definitely different than what I expected. I didn't expect marriage to be so rough."
"Not many people do. I'm on my third marriage," he says with a straight face. "I know all about how rough marriage can be and I also know the strain that your job can have on the marriage. Willow's mom and I were great together. We were in love until I got my job with WWE that's when everything started to change. She got fed up being left behind and she lashed out to hurt me to get back at me for hurting her. She took my kids and moved to Tennessee she wasn't going to let them see me. She tried to turn them against me because she was upset with me because I couldn't be there. It was stressful. It was rough. I fought to get visitation with my kids and for a while Gun didn't want to have anything to do with me because of the lies his mother was feeding him. Willow on the other hand wanted away from her mother. She was always a daddy's girl. I could have lost my kids because of this business. I lost their mother. I married again and lost her to this business too but it was her fault as to why our marriage crumbled she couldn't stay faithful. All I wanted to do was love her. I still do in a way. Hell, I even got a tattoo of her name on my throat. Life will try to tear you apart, Joe. It's what happens but standing together and being strong together will stand up against all the forces that try to tear you apart. I think you're a good man for Willow. I said that from the beginning. You make her happy, I have never seen her as happy with anyone as she is with you. She loves you. I know you love her but your decisions lately are making me nervous. I know marriage is tough but to violate the wellness policy, Joe? Can you explain that to me?"
"I made a mistake. I'm not going to make excuses. I shouldn't have taken the Adderall but I was being pulled in all directions. I had media events, house shows, live shows and I was exhausted but I needed to be there for Willow also. We had things to do for the baby and we had things we needed to do together. I am one person and I thought taking the Adderall would give me the energy to do it all and it did but it wasn't worth losing 30 days of my job," I say. "I'm sorry that I used Adderall."
"Is there an addiction we should be worried about?"
"No Sir," I answer. "I'm not addicted to anything."
"Were you under the influence the night of the accident?" he asks.
"No, Sir, I wasn't. The accident was a result of the wet roads and poor visibility from the rain. I was fully coherent."
"Why didn't you visit Willow after the accident? You didn't come to see her at all."
"I couldn't," I answer truthfully as our drinks are brought to us. "I blame myself for that accident. I couldn't see her like that. I would have hated myself for putting her there. I don't want to see her like that."
"She needed you, Joe," he says. "You should have been there."
"I know but I couldn't," I say. "It broke my heart seeing her unconscious as they delivered our son. She should have been awake for that. She will never remember the birth of our son because of me. I should have listened to her. I thought I could make it home," I say with tears in my eyes. "I thought we could make it."
"You're really beating yourself up over this huh?" he asks.
"Every fucking day," I say trying not to cry in the restaurant. "It is my fault that it happened and it is my fault my son is fighting for his life in some incubator. If he wouldn't have been okay I would never forgive myself. If anything happens to him I will never forgive myself. I should have listened to her and because I didn't I will have to live the rest of my life thinking of everything I caused by not listening to her."
"You can't keep beating yourself up, Joe. It was a mistake. You couldn't control what was going to happen. You thought you could make it home but you couldn't. Willow is alive and Koa is alive. You're alive," he says, "stop beating yourself up over it."
"I can't," I say honestly. "Every time I see Koa I blame myself. He already had a lot going on. I just added to it."
"Koa is a beautiful baby. He's strong and he is a fighter. Enjoy him because before you know it you'll be taking him home and he'll keep growing."
"I don't want it to go so fast," I say with a soft smile. "I just want to be able to hold my son soon though. I just want to kiss him and snuggle with him."
"You will soon enough," he says.
"I just want to be a good role model for him. I want him to see me doing the right thing just like I want Alani to see me doing the right thing. I want to be the best father I can be to them. I do this for them so they can have the world at their feet. I just hope that I can be a good father to Koa. I don't' want to let him down."
"You won't let him down," he says with a smile. "I promise. How is Willow handling being a mom? I know she's always been iffy on being a parent."
"Seeing her with him," I begin to say as our food arrives. "Seeing her with him is magical. I can see the love in her eyes when she looks at him and the love in her voice when she sings to him and talks to him. I think she's going to be a great mom well she already is but she's going to spoil him."
"No such thing in spoiling a baby," he says with a smile. "I know you're both happy but remember that whole life is hard thing we were talking about? Throwing in a newborn is going to make it tougher. Are you going to take time off when he comes home?"
"I'm planning on taking time off from September until January that way I can spend time with him and help Willow out. I hope she goes back to the ring but it is up to Koa and how she feels about that."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Joe. I would worry about enjoying the time with Koa, Alani and Willow. If Willow chooses to go back she will go back and if she chooses not to go back that's her choice but I want you two to stay strong together just like you have been doing. It's going to be tough but I know that you two can get through it. Did they say when Koa would be coming home?"
"Probably around the time I go back from my suspension. I was set to lose at Summerslam anyway and take some time off. I feel weird being gone 30 days and then turning around to be out for a few months. You know the fans already hate me."
"They are rough on you but that is a good thing. Any type of reaction is good. You should worry if they didn't do anything at all."
"That's true. I hope one day Koa can be in the WWE. I mean we want to raise him believing he can be anything or do anything he wants to do. We don't want to set any limits for him. We want him to shatter glass ceilings despite his disability."
"That's a good attitude to have," he says. "God chose the best parents for that little boy. He couldn't have chosen any better. I'm ready to spoil my first grandchild and first grandson. I haven't had a boy since 1990 and even then my time with him was limited. It feels good to finally have a boy in the family again."
"I feel the same way. I have Alani so having a son is something new to me. I don't know if I am ready for the sleepless nights though."
"I haven't slept since Kai was born," he laughs. "The struggle."
"Alani wasn't a good sleeper when she was little either. I think I was up every night for like 4 years before she finally slept through the night. I hope that Koa takes after Willow and sleeps or loves his sleep."
"Willow was an easy baby but it was when she became a toddler that she became a terror. She kept me on my toes that's for sure." I smile as I picture Willow as a fiery red headed child. I'm sure her temper was just as fiery back then as it is now. I can see this little freckled face red headed little girl running around, climbing things and playing out with the boys. My wife is not the average female. She's feisty, wild and fierce. I don't think I could have handled a little girl in the little form of Willow. I would have grey hair by the time I turned 35. But the thing I love most about her is she's just amazing all around, intelligent, independent and beautiful inside and out. Even if she has a temper that can go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds I still love her. "You'll have your hands full that's for sure," he says as my cell phone starts to ring.
"I didn't doubt it," I say as I look at the screen of my phone to see that it's Willow. "It's Willow. I'm sorry I have to take this." I swipe the screen and put the phone up to my hair. "Hey, Baby, what's up?" I ask.
"Joe," she says as I hear the cry in her voice.
"Willow," I say.
"It's Koa," she says and I can hear the tightness of her throat holding back a sob. Willow doesn't cry a lot but when she does I know what it sounds like.
"What's wrong, Willow?" I ask.
"I need you to come to the hospital," she says. "Koa took a turn for the worst. The doctor needs you here. I need you here. Koa needs you here. It's best that you're here," she says before a painful sob escapes on the other line.
"Okay," I say. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I love you."
"I love you too," she says through her painful cry.
I hang up the phone and look at Mark. He doesn't have to ask before I say, "we need to go to the hospital," I say as I stand up. I put the money down on the table. "Something is going on with Koa."
"What's going on with him?" he asks as he is by my side as we are leaving the restaurant.
"I don't know," I say. "Willow told me he took a turn for the worst. I thought he was getting stronger and getting better."
"I'm sure he will be all right," he says as we reach our trucks. "I'm coming with you. I want to be there for you and Willow."
"Thanks, Mark," I say. "I appreciate it." I get in my truck and start the engine. I pull out of the restaurant parking lot and make my way to the hospital hoping that everything is going to be okay. I will never forgive myself is something happens to Koa.
*A/N: What did you think of Joe's lunch with Mark? Did it go better than you thought it would? What did you think of the advice Mark gave to him about marriage? Do you think he and Willow can stand together as a team? What do you think about what's going on with Koa? What do you think is wrong with him? Are you glad Mark offered to be there? Please review and thank-you for reading.