Mike gets a week. A week to spend playing with the kids, to reunite with AJ, to reorient himself to his house, to life in California, all of that. A week to sleep in his own bed, breathing peacefully, holding his wife close to him. And, sometimes, with one or both of the kids tucked between them because they're little and they'd missed Mike too, and he enjoys having them close.
Then the phone rings and AJ stares at him sleepily and he curses softly, leaning in to lightly kiss her before scrambling for it. "Hello?" His eyes slip closed once more, and registers the voice rambling on rapidly at the other end. "You want me to fly out to New York and tape things for The Today Show and Late Night with Stephen Colbert, while doing other media for Survivor Series," he recites, still trying to wake up and unsure if he has his head wrapped around the rushed speech.
He can feel AJ's stare on his face, can feel the way she touches him, a nervous little tapping of her fingers against his ribs. He can sense what she's thinking, the way her forehead is creasing when she squints at him, but it doesn't really... it can't change his answer. "Yeah, of course," he says easily, eyes cast on the lights gleaming over the ceiling as the sun rises. "Email me my flight info, I'll be there."
He hangs up and turns to find AJ staring at him incredulously. "Mike, you're not even on Survivor Series. Why should you pick up the slack in promoting it? Let any of the others who are actually competing on it do that. You haven't been on the show in weeks!"
He understands her POV, even feels a little bit frustrated too. He'd been sleeping so nicely, and he hadn't missed the early morning media calls that Dancing with the Stars had precluded him from for all of those weeks. But, unfortunately, he'd gotten voted off and sent back to his usual life, and this, right here, was that. Scooting over, he cradles her face in his hands and kisses her. "I know, ok? It doesn't make a lot of sense, but AJ, look at it this way. The company is changing. They don't want to hold on to older people who aren't worth anything. If I continue to make myself invaluable to them, agreeing to things like... leaving to New York at a moment's notice before the sun's even fully risen, then that makes them rethink firing me. And trust me, I know we'll be fine financially, we both have enough side projects that not getting my WWE paycheck wouldn't immediately destroy us. But I've fought too long and too hard to be where I'm at right now, and I'm not about to just give it up without a fight." He kisses her again. "I'm sorry."
She still looks frustrated, but lets him go, watching with a pout as he runs around, getting dressed, throwing a couple of last minute thing in the travel bag that he always has packed and ready to go. Rushing back to the bed, he wraps his arms around her, holding her close. "I love you," she mumbles against his shoulder and he chuckles softly.
"I love you too," he responds, laying her back down. "I'll call as soon as I land."
She nods, ghosting her hands over his jaw, up his cheeks. "You take care of yourself, Mike."
"I will," he promises, ducking in for one more, quick kiss, before he grabs his bag and leaves. She lays back and listens as he makes brief stops in the kids' bedrooms, his voice audible in the baby monitor in George's room as he kisses their son and lightly rests his hand on the little boy's chest. "You be good for your mommy and big sister while I'm gone, ok? I love you, George."
She shakes her head, overwhelmed by annoyance with the company and adoration for this man, wondering if Sara Louisa had woke up to her daddy coming to kiss her goodbye. This thought spurs her on and she kicks the sheets away from her legs, getting up and padding down the hall. She peeks in on George first, finding him still fast asleep. Like Mike, he's able to sleep through pretty much anything. Next, she pushes the door open on Sara's room and, sure enough, finds the little girl sitting up, blinking sleepily, her eyes wet and face flushed at the sudden wake up and subsequent exit of her father. Their eyes meet and AJ smiles sympathetically at her baby. "How do pancakes sound, huh?" she asks, trying to ease the sting of this morning.
"With chocolate chips," she says quietly, hugging herself.
AJ pushes her way into the room and pulls the little girl into her arms, rocking her very subtly. "Yeah, with chocolate chips," she agrees easily, kissing the top of her head.
It's the very least she can do.