He wasn’t entirely fond of the idea, but it was a compromise that Jericho was more than willing to make. Hell, he’d known a long time ago that he couldn’t say no to Kat Prince. When she’d asked this of him, he’d had no choice but to agree.
It surprised him how much being away from Kat and the baby made his heart constrict with worry. They were literally a few dozen feet down the hallway, yet it still felt like they were on the other side of the country. The memory of the aching longing that he’d felt every time he had to put Kat back on a plane to California settled in his chest so strongly that it felt like he couldn’t breathe.
Jericho stopped outside the door to Kat’s room. He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t like this one little bit. “Go on,” he grumbled, jerking his head toward the door. As Jack Perry shuffled past him, he couldn’t help but murmur, “Stubborn ass woman.”
***
Déjà vu hit Jack hard as he closed the door behind him. The flood of memories almost took his breath, only this time it was Kat in the hospital bed. She had been his best friend for years. Without her, he wouldn’t have been able to weather the pain of losing his father. He’d loved her fiercely and wanted nothing more from his life but to wrestle and marry her. But that last one had fallen apart not too long after they laid his dad to rest.
God knew that he still loved her in many ways. He’d been protective of her since the day they’d met. He remembered moments between them that were best put away and forgotten. But he would never doubt the fact that he loved Kat Prince.
“Are you going to be an asshole?” Kat asked out of nowhere, steel in her voice.
Jack couldn’t help but crack a small smile. “I’ll try my best.”
There was silence for a moment before an answering grin crossed Kat’s face. “Come here.” She held one hand out to him. With the other, she cradled a bundle of blankets against her chest.
His knees felt like water as he crossed the room to stand by the bed. Kat took his hand and tugged him closer, tilting the bundle closer to him. Jack looked at the little girl that he’d been the first to hold. She was awake, her wide blue eyes watching him with a knowing look. Her dark hair looked just like Kat’s. She had round little cheeks and chubby little fists that waved toward him every now and then.
Jack was wholly unprepared for the rush of feeling that crashed over him.
“Thank you, Jack Jack,” she said softly as she squeezed his hand. “Without you…”
He sank down on the side of the bed and ran his free hand over his hair nervously. “Is she okay? Are you okay?”
Kat turned her attention toward the baby and smiled. “She’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Something like a heavy weight dropped off him. He hadn’t realized how much fear he’d harbored for the safety of both of them. “What about you?”
“Sore as fuck. Mildly traumatized,” she laughed. “But I’m okay. Because you were there and did everything right.”
He sat there in silence for a moment, looking between the two of them. The same sense of protectiveness that he’d always felt for Kat poured into him as the baby watched him with those wide blue eyes.
“Here,” she said, pulling her hand away and holding the baby toward him. “Hold her.”
Jack’s heart thundered in his chest as he took the baby from her. He held her carefully as he bounced her gently. She looked up at him, waving her fist in the air. Without hesitation, he leaned down and kissed those chubby fingers.
Kat looked at him with her dark eyes. Eyes that reflected a strange mixture of hope, worry, and confusion. All of it overlaid with a cautious fear. Jack couldn’t blame her. The words he’d said to her, the way he’d acted for the last two years… he was ashamed of the way he’d behaved. He’d been so caught up in his own feelings that he hadn’t stopped to think of how she felt.
“Kat… I—” Jack stopped and took a deep breath. His guts churned as if he were going to be sick. The baby wrapped her hand around his fingers as if to give him support. “I don’t know why you want me here. After everything…”
She closed her eyes for a moment. He could see the memories of everything running across her face. That day in her apartment ran through his mind. He’d been drunk, but it didn’t excuse what he’d said. The rage that had rushed through him at the news she was with Chris Jericho had overwhelmed everything else. Even his love for Kat.
Because that’s what it had been. He loved her. He was still as in love with her now as he had been that day in the hospital when his father passed. When he’d realized that she was happy but not happy with him, it had nearly broken his heart. But he’d promised himself that he would be her friend. That he would do everything that his father had asked of him. To help Kat be happy.
The thought struck Jack hard in the chest. He felt like he was choking.
Luke would have been so ashamed of him.
“I’m sorry, Kat,” he said at last, his voice coming out in a gravely rush. “I’m so sorry. For all of it. I still…”
Kat gave him a faint smile. “I know. So do I. But—”
“He’s better for you. You love him more.”
“Differently,” she whispered. “You’re my best friend, Jack Perry. And you always will be. Chris can’t change that, and I really want my best friend back.”
Adjusting the baby in his arms, he reached out to take her hand. He squeezed her fingers tightly. “The day Dad died, when I went into his room after you, he asked me to do one thing for him when it came to you. He asked me to help you be happy. The last two years… I’m let him down so much. Because I’ve been so fucking selfish.”
Kat turned her hand over and threaded her fingers with his. “I want my friend back. I need him back.
Jack squeezed his eyes shut, tears brushing past his lashes and slipping down his cheeks into his beard. “Can you forgive me, Kat? For everything I said and did. For letting you down.”
She took a deep breath and set her eyes on him. Her face changed as if she were having an argument within herself. For a moment, he thought he could hear her heart beating.
“Will you be her godfather, Jack?”
“What?” He felt absolutely stupid. “What? Jericho…”
“Don’t argue,” Kat said firmly. “Otherwise, we have a big problem.”
His brown eyes met hers. “Why?”
“We’re going to have to change her name.”
***
It was so hard to hold back the laughter at the look on Jack’s face. It was like he’d been slapped. The expression on his face was the same as he’d had that day in my apartment, but this time it was kinder. Gentler in his surprise.
My heart felt heavy and light all at once. Hearing Jack apologize for everything he’d done was enough to make me feel like hundreds of pounds had fallen away from my shoulders. I couldn’t necessarily forget the hurt he’d caused, but I could try to move forward until they became a faded, fuzzy memory.
“What?”
I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Her name, dumbass. If you don’t say yes, we have to change her name. And that’s going to be really annoying.”
Jack’s eyes glittered. I realized he was about to cry.
“We named her Louise.” I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “Louise Jacklyn Antonia. For you and Tony. For Luke.”
***
Jericho walked away from Kat’s hospital room, one hand on his hip and the other pushing his hair back from his face. He was tired. There was a fatigue settled into his bones, and he couldn’t explain why. Old worries came rushing back to the surface. Could he be a good father? Was he too old to be a father? Would he be able to be there for their daughter? For Kat?
And he hated the fact that he worried that Kat would change. Not physically—it didn’t matter to him. But what if she didn’t want him in the same way anymore? What if she didn’t want to go back into the Playroom? Jericho loved Kat Prince for every single thing about her—her intelligence, her tenacity, her focus, her laughter, her beauty—and the idea that he couldn’t love her this way anymore made him feel sick.
“Chris!”
He looked up at the sound of his name. The Inner Circle sat around in a circle in the waiting room. Santana had called for him, waving him over toward the boys. As he walked over, Jericho looked around. Members of the AEW staff and roster had filled up the small lobby. Tony Khan sat in the corner on the phone.
“How’s mamí doing?” Ortiz asked as Chris sank down into a chair facing them.
Chris couldn’t help but smile. “Sore, but good. They’re both amazing.”
“Then why the long face, boss?” Jake asked quietly. It was something that very few people ever knew about the big man. He was smarter than he looked and more observant than most knew.
“Worrying about fatherhood. About how things are going to change.”
Santana leaned forward to look at him. “Yeah, things are going to change. You’ve got this new being to look after. Kat’s gonna be a little different for a while. Let her adjust to being a mother.” He cracked a smile. “And you might be old as hell, but you’re going to be a good father, Chris.”
He laughed despite himself. “That’s not the only thing I’m worried about.”
He looked down at his hands. At his fingers. He took a breath.
A/N: If you've never heard it, the song mentioned in this chapter is I Remember You by Skid Row.
Chapter 59
Jericho sat in the armchair beside Kat watching her sleeping. He was grateful that she had finally been able to get some rest after the undeniable trauma of giving birth in the back hallway of a sports arena with two dozen people looking on. She’d passed out in the ambulance on the way to the hospital when the pain and the afterbirth had finally taken the last of her strength with it. He’d watched in a torn sort of terror, not sure who needed him more. He hadn’t been able to take a breath until the doctors had assured him that both Kat and their daughter were fine and healthy.
Our daughter, he thought as he looked down at the warm and surprisingly heavy bundle in his arms. Dressed in a onesie, she snuggled against his chest within the blankets. She suckled gently on a pacifier as she slept, her little fist tucked up against her cheek. Her eyes were the same faded blue as his own though her wispy hair was closer to Kat’s. He couldn’t get past the soft curve of her cheeks and the rings around her wrists and ankles. The little bitty nose that scrunched when she wailed her displeasure.
He’d never imagined that he would be here, a newborn in his arms and the woman he loved asleep close by. It was almost more than he could fathom. She rustled, a faint whine as she settled back against his chest. Jericho sighed and cuddled her closer.
Several hours had passed since Kat had suddenly given birth in the back hallway of Daily’s Place, half the roster watching, Tony Khan holding her up and Jack Perry catching the baby. The ambulance had shown up just after their daughter made her first appearance, whisking the three of them to the emergency room. Jericho was given charge of the baby while the paramedics took care of Kat, ensuring everything was as it should be.
An examination, a few stitches, and some pain medication later, Kat was settled in a room in an exhausted sleep with their daughter in a hospital bassinet at the bedside. Jericho could finally breathe, even though the reality of being a father had begun settling in his chest.
***
It felt like it took forever to wake up. There was an ache between my legs that spiked whenever I moved my hips. Someone had put what felt like a diaper on me. Cramps coursed across my lower stomach. I was so exhausted.
Eyes closed, I just let myself settle against the pillow beneath my head. I took a few breaths, trying my best to ease the pain. I must have been given some kind of painkiller as there was a dull edge to it. For that, I was definitely grateful.
“Woke up to the sound of pouring rain.” Chris’ voice came over me slowly. It was soft and low, a melodic timbre to it. A few seconds passed before I realized he was singing. Heavy metal power ballad turned into lullaby.
The wind would whisper and I’d think of you
And all the tears you cried, that called my name
And when you needed me I came through
I paint a picture of days gone by,
When love went blind and you would make me see…
My throat tightened. Tears stung my eyes as I squeezed them shut tightly. I just wanted to stay in this moment. It didn’t matter that I was in pain or uncomfortable or in a diaper. There was something so fundamental about listening to the man I loved singing softly to our newborn child. It made my heart ache in the most beautiful way.
“I know you’re awake,” Chris said with a happy indulgence. His voice sounded different somehow. It sent waves of warmth through me as I opened my eyes. There he was, sitting in the armchair beside my bed with our daughter swaddled in a blanket while she held his finger in her fist. “How do you feel?”
I shifted, letting out a faint grunt of discomfort and pain as I pushed myself into a sitting position. It was more than just my hips and between my legs now. My chest had begun aching, my breasts feeling heavy and sore. “Tired. Aching.” I held out my arms. “Give her here.”
He frowned and cuddled her a little tighter. “You rest. I’ve got her.”
I reached upward to unbutton the shoulder of my hospital gown. “Please. It hurts.”
The realization spread over his face as he stood up to cross the space between us. I tucked my gown out of the way and took her from his arms, settling her against my chest. I took the pacifier from her mouth and handed it to Chris. Her bright blue eyes opened as she started to wail.
“Shh, shh,” I hummed softly as I held her against my breast. She nuzzled against my flesh before finding and latching on to my nipple. I let out a sigh of relief as she began suckling, feeling as if the pressure began to ease.
***
Jericho watched in a sort of awe as Kat cradled their daughter against her breast. Of course, he’d been hyper aware of the way her breasts had changed throughout her pregnancy, growing fuller, heavier, more sensitive. He couldn’t count how many nights he’d been in bed beside her gently caressing and tasting her flesh. There weren’t words enough to explain how his desire for her had changed over the last nine months. But this was different. This was something breathtaking and beautiful in the most ancient and astounding way.
He drew the chair closer to the side of the bed. His fingers settled against her face, stroking his thumb over her cheekbone. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered with reverence. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her, momentarily unable to see anything else but Kat Prince.
She leaned into his touch, her eyes momentarily falling shut. Their daughter snuggled against her breast and suckled heartily. Jericho felt his heart swell and burst in his chest. His pulse spiked, adrenaline and pride and an absolute ferocity of protectiveness ran through him.
His fingers trembled slightly as he brushed the soft curve of the baby’s cheek. “She needs a name,” he said softly, gesturing to the end of the bassinet where a sticker reading Baby Girl Jericho was taped to the end.
“I have a few ideas,” Kat whispered with a faint grin. Suddenly, she gave a faint laugh. “Were you singing Skid Row as a lullaby?”
***
There were too many people in the waiting room. Jack felt his head spinning. He’d lost track of time since the ambulance raced away from Daily’s Place with Kat. Someone told him he’d wrestled a match and won, but he didn’t remember a second of it. He couldn’t get the moment when he’d caught that baby in his arms out of his mind. It was almost too much for him to fathom. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. It felt like he was going to pass out.
For a moment, his memory flashed back to the last days in the hospital before his father died. He remembered standing outside his father’s room, back against the wall and tears pouring down his face, as Kat said her goodbyes inside.
He was trying so hard to be strong for his mother and his sister. For his father. If it hadn’t been for Kat, he would have broken long before then. She had been his strength throughout the whole ordeal.
He sucked in a breath and turned toward the sound of the door opening to his left. Kat slipped out into the hallway wiping tears from her cheeks. He reached for her, hooking his arm behind her neck and drawing her quickly against his chest. Her fingers wrapped into fists in his shirt as she sobbed against his shoulder. Whatever his father had said to her had hit hard. He could only imagine that he’d called her Katarina and made her smile.
“He wants you,” she murmured as she turned to press her cheek against his chest. “It won’t be long, Jack.”
“I know,” he replied as a heavy weight settled in his gut. “Go wait with mom and So. They need you right now, too.”
She’d hugged him tight before rising up on her toes to press a soft kiss against his lips. She held onto him tightly for a moment, as if she wanted to give him every ounce of her strength. “I love you, Jack Jack.”
He watched her walk away before running his hand through his hair, shoving it back off his face and drawing in a deep breath. When he pushed the door open, his heart dropped into his toes. The many lying in the hospital bed wasn’t the father he’d known. The Luke Perry he’d known had been full of fire and life and laughter. There was barely any of that left in his eyes then.
“Hey, Dad,” he said as he crossed to his father’s bedside. He perched on the edge of the mattress and took his hand. “Kat said you wanted to see me.”
Luke swallowed hard, dragging in ragged breaths. His face was earnest. Like there was something important that he wanted to say. “Jack.” Luke’s voice was broken and low. “Take care… o-o-of Mom and Sophie. Ka-Kata-ri-rina. Please.”
“Of course,” he replied, nauseous at the sight of his father struggling to speak. “I always will. You know that. I… I’m going to ask Kat to marry me, Dad.”
Something sad settled in Luke’s eyes. He squeezed his son’s hand with as much strength as he had. “Help… h-elp her be ha-happy.” The way he said it made the words sound less like a blessing and more like a resignation.
“Perry!”
The sound of his name snapped him out of his memory. For a minute, he didn’t know where he was. Once he recognized that he was in a hospital, tears rushed down his face. Past and present slammed into one another as he tried to convince himself that he wasn’t waiting for news that his father was gone. He was waiting for news that Kat and her baby were okay.
He looked up and saw Chris Jericho standing a few feet away. The older man looked tired even while his eyes were lit up with something like euphoria. Jericho hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans and shrugged.
Warning: Description of childbirth to follow. It's a little graphic, but not much.
Chapter 58
It was a sensation that nearly knocked me to my knees. The only way to describe it was a pulling pressure that came in waves like the worst period cramps I’d ever had. I let out a moan of discomfort that reverberated in my bones. For a moment I thought I was going to pass out.
There was a flurry of attention and movement as a crowd of people settled around me. Faces blurred together. I heard Tony’s voice calling for medical. I felt hands on my wrist, something cold against my chest.
“Ms. Prince,” came a voice. Distant. Calm. Clinical. “Are you injured? Are you experiencing contractions? How far apart are they?”
I couldn’t catch a breath long enough to reply. Yes, oh God, yes I was having contractions. How far apart? They weren’t.
“Focus, Kat,” Jack’s voice came from nowhere. “C’mon, Kit Kat. Focus.”
Fingers threaded through mine, squeezing gently. Someone lifted my shirt. I snapped back to reality as a stethoscope pressed against my belly. I caught a glimpse of Santana running toward the tunnel. Tay pushed people back down the hallway. Jack held my hand in both of his. I could feel his mass of curls against my cheek.
An ache ran through me that had nothing to do with the pain lancing through my body. It had been so long since Jack had been kind to me. Truly kind. But just then it was as if nothing had changed. As if that day in my apartment in California had never been. No fighting about me being with Chris. No venom and hurtful words. Just my best friend, the person I’d relied on for so long. The scent of Jack’s shampoo slammed into me, and I couldn’t help but remember sitting in the hospital that final day with him while we waited for the inevitable. Jack and I clinging to one another as we cried quietly, my face buried in his hair.
“Look at me,” he said firmly. He squeezed my hand hard, snapping me out of the memory. “Look at me, Kat.”
I blinked as his face came into view. Pain shot through my back and around my belly. I ached. I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom. I felt like I was going to vomit. That sensation inside me shifted lower and settled on my pelvis. It was strange. It was frightening. It hurt.
“EMS is five minutes out.”
“Why the fuck aren’t they here?” It was Jack screaming, his voice cracking with rage. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
The pain crested and slammed into me with enough force to shove the breath out of my lungs. I couldn’t hold back the scream as my body tensed, bearing down of its own accord.
EMS or not, the baby was coming now.
***
The crowd of people in the hallway scared the shit out of Jericho as he ran full tilt behind Santana. He heard Kat scream, and he started shoving people out of the way. He didn’t care who it was or where they ended up, only that they were between him and her.
“Fucking move!” he shouted as he passed by Christopher Daniels. The other man slammed into the wall shoulder first, cursing under his breath as he watched Jericho race past.
The backstage medical team was there. Tay held people back at the other end of the hallway. He barely recognized the rest of the Inner Circle standing there watching. Kat was on top of a road crate, leaning back against an absolutely terrified looking Tony Khan.
Jericho wanted to roar at them all to get out of the way. To stop staring. To do something. He wanted them to disappear. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. This wasn’t right.
“C’mon, Kit Kat,” Jack Perry said from her side. She had his hand in a white-knuckle grip. “Just breathe. Five minutes.”
“I don’t have five minutes,” she growled back. “This baby is coming now!”
Jericho barreled through the medical team to her side. Something inside him realized that it was a waste of precious time to try to get rid of Jack Perry. Instead, he took up the place opposite him. Kat’s face was flushed, sweat already beading on her hairline. She had nearly folded herself in half, teeth clenched, fear in her eyes. Oh fuck, he thought, this kid is going to be born in a hallway.
“Where’s Chris?” she whined as she gasped for air. It seemed like a momentary reprieve from the pain.
He finally reached her side and took her hand in his. “I’m right here, Kat.”
His heart thumped against his ribs as he looked over her toward Jack Perry. “What happened?” His worry for Kat far outweighed his hatred for the younger man.
“I just walked up, and she was leaning against the wall,” he said in a shaking voice. It suddenly dawned on Jericho how much fear clouded Jack’s eyes. “I ran to TK so they could get you. Then I came back here.”
“Where’s the ambulance?” They almost always had one on standby backstage.
Jack scowled. “On the way.”
Before Jericho could say anything, Kat let out a wail of anguish through her clenched teeth.
“Get ‘em off!” she ordered. It took him a moment to realize she meant her pants. He looked around, acutely aware of the crowd of people watching.
He glanced between Tony and Jack. “Help me get her to the trainer’s room.”
Kat thrashed in pain. “Get them off!” The words came out as a roar as she doubled over.
As uncomfortable as it was, he complied. Between them, he and Jack were able to shield her from most of the prying eyes. Her wet underwear and pants were dropped to the floor. Jericho tried to figure out a way to hide her further but didn’t want to leave her long enough to find something. In a smooth motion that barely jostled Kat, Tony slipped off his jacket and draped it over her the best he could.
“Towels. Sheets. Gear. I don’t care,” Tay shouted at Ortiz and Sammy, pointing over their shoulders toward the locker rooms. They stared at her in surprise. “Go! And fucking hurry!”
Kat squeezed his hand so tightly that he lost feeling in his fingers. She gasped for breath and doubled over, drawing her knees up involuntarily. He looked beneath the jacket draped over her legs.
“Jesus Christ,” he rasped. “I can see… Kat, she’s coming!”
***
“Help me,” I moaned. I felt it, felt something happening that I knew I couldn’t stop. “Somebody help…”
The worst pain I’d ever felt tore through me. It felt like my body would split in half. I couldn’t stop the scream that ripped from my throat as the pain and pressure peaked.
“Catch…” I gasped, unable to control my body. “Catch her.”
One of them disentangled their hand from mine. I didn’t know what to do but grip the side of the road case so hard that I thought I was going to break my fingers.
And then, suddenly, the pain and pressure were gone. I gasped and choked for air as I slumped backward. I thumped against something warm. Someone. I tilted my head, blinking through sweat-blurred eyes to see Tony Khan sitting between me and the wall.
“Hey boss,” I slurred with a faint smile. The relief of the pain seemed to make me drunk.
“Kat,” Chris said, his awe-filled voice filtering into my brain. I felt his fingers brushing my hair back from my face. His forehead settled against my temple. “You’re amazing, Katarina Prince. Amazing. Look, sweetheart. Look.”
I heard sirens in the distance. Blinking sweat from my eyes, I finally took stock of everything around me. People were still hovering at either end of the hallway. Sammy looked green as he held an armful of towels. Santana, Ortiz, and Tay worked to push everyone out of the way, shouting that they needed to make room for the EMS.
My attention wavered for a fraction of a second. The sound of crying drew my attention. Jack stood between my knees with a blood-tinged towel wrapped around a bundle in his arms. A little fist waved in the air. Something caught in my chest.
After all this time, our daughter was here. There was a new strange sensation of something still inside me—her umbilical cord probably—but I couldn’t make myself think of anything else. Even when a feeling of pressure started low in my stomach again.
I held out my arms, not willing to delay holding my daughter any longer. Jericho reached up, his deft fingers undoing the buttons at the top of my AEW polo. He held the fabric open as Jack helped settle her against my chest. She was warm and slippery.
She was perfect.
The last thing I heard before exhaustion started to turn my senses funny was the sound of squeaking wheels and unfamiliar voices. And the echo of Jack Perry shouting.
A/N: I'm probably going to get hate for continuing this story. But this is just a story about a fictionalized version of a person. So if it bothers you, don't read.
Chapter 56
Just as Kat had predicted, Jericho refused to shut the door behind him as they all filed out of the Inner Circle locker room. That anxiety from the early days of their relationship started to press in against his ribs the moment Kat was out of sight. He wanted to stand where he could see them both, where he could keep his eyes on her and make sure that Jack Perry didn’t get within three feet of her. The sense of protectiveness was so overwhelming it nearly choked him. For a moment, he had to struggle to keep himself from bursting back into the room.
All he could do was listen for the sound of her voice. That would have to be enough to keep him calm until he could gather her up in his arms again.
***
I pulled myself upright, huffing and puffing as the weight of the little life within me shifted. “No, don’t offer to help, I’m good,” I snapped, an edge to my voice as I got myself up to sit. “It’s not like I’m fucking pregnant or anything.”
Jack opened his mouth like he wanted to say something. His face flattened at the word pregnant. A sneer tipped the corner of his lips upward. I braced myself for the anger and the venom. For the proverbial slap in the face that I knew was coming. He stood with his back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Part of me wanted to get up and smack him. At least then he’d be looking at me.
“I’m not going to keep doing this, Jack,” I said. My head throbbed and I honestly just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep. I was starting to rethink coming back while I was pregnant. “So we need to have this conversation. We need to get this over with. I can’t deal with all of this stress and feeling like I have to look around corners to see if you’re there or walk around with an Inner Circle bodyguard.”
“You chose to do that,” he spat. The hard edge to his voice cut through me. “You’re the one who started up with him. Jesus Christ, Kat, he’s old enough to be your dad. People are going to think he’s the kid’s grandfather.”
The muscles in my jaw ached as I clenched my teeth. I took a deep breath and rested my hand on my belly. Jack railed against Jericho. About how I’d done something so horrible that it was unforgiveable. How I’d left California without a word to anyone. How I’d thrown years of friendship away.
“Oh, hell no,” I jumped in. “You don’t get to talk about throwing away a friendship. The only thing I did was fall in love with someone you didn’t like. You’re the one who decided that I wasn’t worth your time anymore. So I’m not the one who threw anything away. You did that. Yeah, I should have told your mom and Sophie that I was moving—”
Jack took a step toward me, jabbing his finger against his chest. “My mom? Sophie? You should have told me!”
I looked toward the door, knowing Jericho was just on the other side of the wall listening. Truth was, I expected him to come barreling in the moment he heard Jack’s raised voice. Part of me wanted him to. But I was equally glad that he hadn’t. That he was letting me handle this myself.
“Why would I have told you? You made it clear that you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. You called me a rat and a whore. You’re the reason I have this.” I pointed to the scar across my cheek, fighting to keep my voice even. I wasn’t going to get into a shouting match with Jack. Least of all because I knew I shouldn’t get myself over excited.
“That was an accident, and you know it,” he shot back. “You were in the way.”
I felt my spine straighten. I remembered every single second of that day. From showing up to Daily’s Place to being interrogated by Santana to the ambush by Luchasaurus. To the fight that broke out, the mirror shattering, ricocheting from the wall to slash my cheek. Getting stitches in the medical room. Crying in the night as Jack’s angry words ran circles in my head.
“You know what,” I said quietly. There was a sense of rage boiling through my veins that was almost possible to control. “I can see that your head is still so far up your own ass that you haven’t seen daylight in months. This is useless. But I can’t say that I didn’t try.”
My heart sank down toward my stomach at the knowledge that Jack and I wouldn’t ever be friends like we used to be. There wouldn’t be any fixing what was broken. No matter how hard I tried or how much I wanted it.
“You can go, Jack.” My breath caught.
I blinked hard, trying to hold back the tears that I knew would come soon. It didn’t matter to me if Jack saw that I was hurt by this, but I refused to let him see me cry. He wouldn’t see that.
“That’s it?” Jack said with a shadow of something underneath his words. “You’re choosing that fucking prick over me?”
I almost didn’t answer. “No. Even if it had been, you made the choice for me.”
***
It took every ounce of self-control that Jericho had to stop himself from busting into the room and throwing Jack Perry straight out on his ass. He could see Kat in his mind’s eye, and he didn’t have to imagine the hurt on her face. He knew how much Jack meant to her, even if he himself didn’t understand it. More than anything, he just wanted Kat to be happy. If that meant having Jack Perry around, he would deal with it as long as the little punk could treat her with some respect.
Jericho just hated that fact that, because of him, that wasn’t likely to happen.
Before he could take another breath, Jack stalked into the hallway. He made it two steps before he turned back toward Jericho with a sneer on his face. “This is your fault. You fucking took her from me.”
Jericho stayed quiet. He did nothing more than stare him down as he had his little temper tantrum. If he’d had his suspicions before, he was certain of them now. Jack Perry was completely in love with Kat. Everything about the way he acted radiated it. There was no hiding it anymore. It was a wonder that Kat didn’t see it.
Or maybe she did.
Just maybe she did.
After a tense moment, Jack swore and turned on his heel. Jericho didn’t even let him get out of sight before he slid through the doorway. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Santana, Ortiz, and Jake take up positions as if they were bodyguards. Sammy had disappeared.
Kat was sitting up on the sofa, one hand on the curve of her belly and the other over her eyes. She didn’t look up when he sat down beside her, but she did lean against his shoulder. Jericho wrapped his arms around her and sighed.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry, Kat.”
She took a deep breath and pressed her face against the curve of his neck. She wiped her eyes and let her free hand settle on his knee. Jericho laced his fingers with hers and pressed a kiss against the top of her head.
“Whatever happens, I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know,” Kat whispered back. “I know.”
She drew his hand over to her belly so that he could feel the gentle motions of the baby. He smiled, a tinge of sadness in it. He couldn’t stop himself. “He’s in love with you, Kat. You know that, don’t you?
***
I closed my eyes against the tears that threatened to spill out. It was the one thing I didn’t want to think about, not now. Not when I’d watched the best friend I’d ever have just walk away. Probably for good this time. There was no question in my mind that Jack Perry hated me with everything he had now. Nothing was going to fix this. And everything… everything was going to be different from this moment on.
“Please,” I plead softly. The fresh ache of losing Jack had settled deep behind my ribs. I couldn’t let him see it. I just couldn’t. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
Jericho’s chest expanded with his breath. He circled his arms more tightly around me, practically drawing me into his lap. His entire body was filled with tension. I could feel it bleeding into me, twisting my stomach into knots until I felt like I was going to be sick.
I sensed him open his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he just smoothed my hair back from my face and rubbed my back gently. I tried to breathe. To settle myself into something that resembled calm. My head started to swim, and I was sure for a moment that I was going to pass out. If I hadn’t already been sitting down, I might have.
“I know it’s hard, sweetheart,” he said gently. I tried to focus on the gentle pressure of his hand on the center of my back. “Give it time. Let’s go home.”
The thought of home made my chest ache in a whole new way. I wanted our bed, our living room, the view of the water from the deck. I wanted the room that he’d been painstakingly turning into a nursery. I wanted that sense of feeling safe. Of being safe.
But then I looked up and saw the Inner Circle hovering just outside the door. I didn’t see Sammy, but the other three were there. They were watching with concern painted over their features. It was an odd thing to see on Jake.
“No,” I whispered back. I sat up straight and wiped my eyes. I drew in a deep breath. “If I run away now… if I run away again… he’s won. He’s pushed me out once, I’m not going to let him do it again.”
Santana grinned, crossing his arms over his chest as he laughed. “There’s my girl.”
It felt like the hallway stretched out in front of them as if it would never end. Jericho trailed behind Jack with his heart caught high in his throat and his head spinning. Somehow, Santana had gotten to the front and had raced down the cinderblock corridor. The sound of the door banging against the wall echoed like a gunshot. Jericho could feel the weight of his terror pressing against his ribs. Dark spots blinked in front of his eyes as he tried to focus on Kat’s head lolling against Jack Perry’s bicep.
“Move it,” Jack snapped as he practically shoved his way past Santana to get into the Inner Circle locker room. He raced across the room, dodging suitcases and chairs to get to the low sofa against the wall. Kat whimpered as he lowered her down, propping her head on the arm.
Santana stepped out of the way to let Jericho in. The rest of the Inner Circle followed right behind, crowding into the small room. They moved out of the way to let him get to the sofa. His heart pounded in his ears as he studied the pale hue of Kat’s face. At least she was breathing. He could see her chest rise and fall slowly.
“Sammy, get me a wet towel from the bathroom,” Jericho said as he sat on the edge of the sofa next to her hip. “Jake, go get Doc Sampson.”
They barely hesitated before heading off on their individual errands. Water ran in the sink in the bathroom. Jake’s heavy footsteps echoed until they were inaudible.
***
Jack found himself hovering at the end of the sofa, chewing on the edge of his thumb. Kat’s head rolled side to side as she let out faint whimpers of discomfort. Her brow furrowed as her eyelids fluttered. He watched, his skin crawling, as Jericho rested his palm on the curve of her stomach.
Kat moved sluggishly until her fingers settled over Jericho’s. She drew in a deep, shaky breath that started a rush of color into her cheeks. “Chris?”
“I’m right here,” Jericho said softly. He reached out as Sammy handed him a damp paper towel, then settled it gently on Kat’s forehead. Jack clenched his fists. “Do you want the lights off?”
She sighed and put her free hand over the towel. “What happened?”
Jack felt someone staring holes through his chest. When he looked up, he saw Sanatana glaring at him as if he wanted to shove him straight through the wall. The rage that simmered below the surface of Jack’s skin made him almost hope that Santana made a move. A fight would make him feel better.
“The boys were being idiots,” Jericho replied. His thumb stroked gently over Kat’s belly. “Santana and Jack were picking a fight with each other, and you got in the middle of it. Worked yourself up yelling at the two of them and got dizzy.”
For half a second, Jack felt his eyes go wide. He was surprised that Jericho hadn’t just thrown him under the bus over the whole thing.
“If Jack hadn’t caught you, you’d have bashed your head on the floor.”
What the fuck is he playing at? Jack thought caustically.
***
“Is everyone okay?” I asked quietly. My mouth was dry, and it was hard to speak.
Jericho’s faint laughter rolled over me like the warmth of a blanket. He stroked his palm in soft circles along my stomach. “You’re impossible, Kat,” he said, voice tinged with equal parts worry and happy exasperation. “Yes, everyone’s fine. Nothing happened. You put both of them in their place before anything happened.”
“Good,” I grunted. “You’re all a bunch of children with your heads up your asses most of the time anyway.”
He laughed again, louder and more full-bodied this time. “Whatever you say, Katarina.”
I cracked open one eye and glared at him beneath my lashes. “Don’t start with me, Christopher.”
Jericho leaned forward and kissed me softly. His nose nuzzled against mine. “You scared the absolute shit out of me.” My fingers wrapped around his as they settled against my belly. “I couldn’t get to you fast enough.”
I reached up with the other hand and settled my palm against his cheek. The rough stubble scratched pleasantly against my skin. He was warm and close, the scent of Irish Spring filling the space between us. “I’m so sorry.”
He kissed me again, lingering half a second longer than before. “I shouldn’t have let you talk me into coming back. You should be at home resting. We should be at home.” His lashes brushed against my cheek, followed by the heartbreaking sensation of teardrops. “I promised you that I would take care of you.”
“You have,” I whispered back. “You do, Chris. It’s not your fault I’m more stubborn than a backwoods Tennessee mule.”
***
It felt like someone had just punched Jack as hard as they could in the middle of his chest. He couldn’t breathe. His heart seemed to have stopped dead behind his ribs as his father’s voice echoed through his head. It was as if Luke Perry was standing right in front of him just like he’d used to, arms crossed over his chest and staring at him with a light in his eyes that was equal parts frustration and amusement.
Jack was immediately flung backward in time. Without even trying, he conjured up an image of the Perry farm awash in bright summer sunshine. His father walking along the fence line in faded jeans and a pair of worn boots, baseball cap pulled low over his eyes as he watched horses meander through the clover fields. Kat sitting on the fence and swinging her bare feet playfully. Nighttime washing over everything as he tried to mediate a screaming match between Jack and Kat over some minor thing.
“I swear to God,” Jack could hear his father say, “the two of you are ridiculous. Stupid. Idiotic. More stubborn than a backwoods Tennessee mule. And I’ve seen a good few of those that were easier to deal with!”
The memory was so clear, so strong, so real that Jack felt dizzy. He stumbled back, his shoulders slamming against the wall. He gasped as he tried to drag air into his lungs. The sound echoed.
Caught Kat’s attention.
***
My head started to swim as I tried to sit up. It took a moment for my vision to clear enough to see Jack practically collapsed against the wall at the end of the sofa. His face was pale, dark eyes standing out.
“Jack,” I whispered, my voice cracking. Fear lanced up my spine, dragging with it a worry that he wouldn’t answer. That he wouldn’t speak to me. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Jack?”
He didn’t answer. It was as if he was lost in his own world somewhere. His dark eyes were unfocused, staring off into space. There was something about his face that made my heart fall into my stomach. In that moment, he wasn’t the angry Jack who’d yelled at me and called me a whore on the delivery bay. He looked… sad. Lonely. Vulnerable.
He looked like the Jack who had once been my best friend.
I glanced back at Jericho who was still sitting on the sofa next to my hip. There was a shadow of worry behind his blue eyes when he looked at me. His hand rubbed slow circles on my stomach, thumb brushing back and forth. His palm settled low on my belly, feeling for the push and stretch of our baby moving. It was something he’d taken to doing not long after the first kick. He did it absently, as if it was a talisman. A way to calm himself. To remind himself that we were real, that we were here. He took several slow breaths as he watched me. I felt his eyes searching my face.
I looked at the set of his jaw and knew exactly what he was thinking. The last thing he wanted to do was leave me anywhere alone with Jack Perry.
My hand settled over his, threading our fingers together. His warmth spread through me as I met his gaze. For just a moment everyone and everything in the room faded away. It was just the two of us. The three of us. My belly stretched and jumped as the little life inside me pressed against it. Jericho closed his eyes and leaned forward. His cheek settled on my chest, lips settled over my heart.
“I can’t do this, Kat,” he whispered against my collarbone. “I can’t.”
My free hand settled against the back of his head. The dark blond locks twirled around my fingers. The scent of his shampoo filled the space between us, mixing in with the calming aroma of Irish Spring. “Chris, it’s okay,” I replied soothingly. “Look at me. Look at me, please.”
Jericho hesitated. Then, instead of looking up, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against him. His hands slipped beneath my back, drawing me up against his chest and tucking his face against the curve of my neck. My breath caught in my chest as I felt the first tear against my skin.
“Oh, Chris…” Tears of my own burned up the back of my throat. I gathered him close and pressed a gentle kiss against his forehead. “Talk to me.”
He was quiet, the tears still settling on my skin. I could feel my heart breaking deep inside my chest. It took a moment for me to realize he was whispering something. It was barely audible, a brush of breath against my neck.
“Don’t ask me to do this,” he prayed. “I can’t leave you here without me. Not like this. Not right now. Not with him.”
“Hey, you absolutely ricockulous man,” I said, surprised by the faint smile that spread over my lips. “You stupid, idiotic, moronic, wonderful, amazing man.”
Jericho finally looked up at me, brows furrowed together. His eyes were glassy and red, and his mouth was curled in a confused frown. He stared at me as if he couldn’t understand why I was on the verge of laughter.
“You aren’t going off on a tour of Siberia with only a smoke signal to contact me,” I replied, doing my best to keep the incredulous laughter from spilling out. “For Christ’s sake, you’ll be in the hallway. And I know you’ll be listening to every word.”
“Katarina,” he said with a dark tone carrying beneath his voice.
I tried so hard not to laugh. I forced my mouth into a serious frown. “Christopher.”
For a moment Jericho and I stared at one another. I waited. He closed his eyes, scrubbed his fingers over his forehead and sighed.
“The door stays open.” I watched him glare at Jack, knowing those words weren’t for me.
Jericho took a deep breath as he looked across the parking lot at the rest of the Inner Circle. Hager had a faint grin on his face. Ortiz laughed at the sight of Kat standing there. He could just imagine that the others were in the hallway just behind those two waiting on them. Seeing them at the door eased some of the deep anxiety in his chest. It meant that Kat wasn’t alone. That there were others who loved Kat and were willing to protect her from the mess and drama that was going to happen as soon as word spread that Kat was back.
She reached out and laced her fingers with his. The rush of protectiveness that flooded him took his breath for a moment. It had been bad before with everything that Jack Perry had put her through. But now that she was pregnant, it was so much stronger. It was almost more than he could manage.
“I’m right here, Kat. Always,” he said quietly. He squeezed her fingers. “And if you want out… if you want to leave… all you have to do is say. The second you want to go home, we’re gone.”
Kat leaned against his shoulder. “I know.”
Before either of them could say another word, Ortiz shouted across the parking lot. “Stop being gross and get your ass over here, mamí.”
Jericho couldn’t help but laugh. “Go on.”
***
I couldn’t deny that it felt good to be around the boys again. Coming back to Daily’s Place felt more like coming home than I expected. It didn’t matter that I had been gone for months. It didn’t matter that the last time I’d been in the building it had been horrible and I’d spent more than a few days crying over it.
My heart skipped a beat as I took that first step toward the doors. I could still feel anxiety running just beneath my skin, but seeing Ortiz and Jake helped me push it down a little. Jericho was with me. Ortiz and Jake were there. And I knew that Santana and Sammy were there, too. I had Tony and Matt and Nick.
Jericho leaned over to kiss the side of my head before swinging my hand forward and disentangling our fingers. “Go on,” he said with a chuckle. “Before they come running over here yelling like morons.”
I smiled back at him before doing my best not to waddle across the parking lot. Ortiz laughed and shouted across the space between us. “Looking good, mamí,” he called. “But you movin’ kinda slow. Something wrong?”
“Shut up,” I called back, trying not to huff at the exertion. It wasn’t that I had gained a lot of weight—I had gained some—but it had been a long time since I’d moved around like this. “If you had any sympathy you’d carry me around in a litter all day.”
“I’ll handle that,” Hager said quietly. His smile got a bit bigger, but only by a fraction. Anyone who didn’t know him would think he was grimacing.
I grinned back as I came up the ramp, clutching the railing. “You don’t have to do that, Jake.” He took two steps closer and tugged me into a hug.
The moment Hager let me go, Ortiz took his turn. He hugged me so tightly that I didn’t think I’d be able to breathe for a week. I felt him drop a kiss on the top of my head before he pulled away. It didn’t get past me that he took a few extra seconds to look me up and down. Almost as if he were checking to make sure I was all in one piece.
“Come on,” Ortiz ordered as he threw his arm around my shoulders. “There’s work for you to do, little girl.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t know how much use I’ll be. It’s not like I can lug around gear and bottled water.”
He shoved Hager out of the way with his free hand and maneuvered me through the door. Just as I’d expected, Sammy and Santana were waiting right inside in the hallway. The moment I stepped inside, I was yanked straight out of Ortiz’s grasp. Santana took my face in his hands and looked me over.
“It’s so fucking good to see you, mamí,” he said vehemently. His brown eyes were bright and glassy, almost as if he were going to cry. He dropped ferocious, almost violent kisses on my cheeks.
I opened my mouth to take a breath, but found myself sinking into tears. They came on suddenly, cascading down my cheeks and dripping off my chin. I sniffed and tried to suck in a breath. Santana pulled me in against his chest. One hand held the back of my head while the other settled against the middle of my back. He pressed a brotherly kiss to the side of my head.
My fingers wrapped into his shirt. The air felt hot and close. Even with my eyes closed, I knew the boys had gathered around me. In a way, I felt braver than I had in months.
***
Jericho stood in the doorway as his boys formed a protective ring around Kat. He watched Santana gather her up in a tight hold that almost lifted her off the floor. Hager—who barely ever cracked a smile—was looking at Kat as if he would burn down the world for her. There were times when it was still unbelievable how things had fallen into place with Kat. One day she had been the girl Tony had assigned as their assistant. She’d been there every week, making sure that the five of them never wanted for anything to do their jobs. And then one day he'd looked at her and seen… a young woman who was vibrant and funny and beautiful and who didn’t take any of their shit. She gave as good as she got, and they loved her completely for it.
Kat Prince had changed his life in more ways than one, and he’d determined that the only thing he wanted in life was to be with her and to make her happy. And he was lucky enough that he had the Inner Circle to help protect her.
Maybe her being back at Daily’s Place wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“What’s going on down here?” came a voice from the other end of the hallway. His head jerked up, a spike of fear rushing through him. For a split second he was sure he’d heard Jack Perry’s voice.
The fear gripping his chest relaxed when he realized it was just Tony. He was all smiles and tousled hair as he jogged toward them. Jericho smiled at his boss, glad that there was another line of defense for Kat.
The Inner Circle parted just as Tony got close. Kat stood in the middle of the circle. She was wiping her tears on Santana’s tee.
“Holy shit, it’s good to have you back,” Tony exclaimed excitedly. He tugged Kat into a hug that looked bone-crushing. “It isn’t right around here without you.”
***
It was home. That was the only way to explain it. It was such a strange feeling, but for just a moment I wasn’t afraid of running into Jack.
“Hi, TK,” I said quietly. He grinned.
“Hi, Kat,” he replied. “We’ve missed you.”
My heart swelled with a momentary pride. The truth was that I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life. I’d drifted back and forth trying to find who I was and what kind of job was meant for me. Being part of AEW was an accident in a way, a job to make ends meet until I could find something else. Something better. The whole thing had been Jack’s idea in the first place. It was a way for us to stay together while I figured out my life. I hadn’t planned on staying for so long. But being a part of AEW had been more than I could have imagined. I might have started out lugging gear and being a ring jockey. I might have been nothing more than a glorified intern, but it was like a family.
“I’ve missed you guys too.”
Tony took me by the hand and tugged me down the hallway toward the locker rooms. The moment we turned the corner, I felt his fingers tighten on mine. I glanced sideways to see him watching me with a furrow in his brow. Like he wasn’t sure how I was going to take being back.
“I’m okay,” I assured him. “I’m okay.”
***
Jericho trailed along behind Tony and Kat. Santana fell in beside him. The younger man clapped him on the shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said confidently. “Nobody around here knows about mamí being knocked up except for us, TK, and the Bucks. We’ve kept it quiet, just like you told us to.”
“Thanks, Santana,” Jericho replied gratefully. He kept his eyes on Kat just a few paces ahead of them. “Is it insane that I want to keep her in a bubble?”
Santana laughed. “Nah. I pretty much wanted to the same with my girl. Hell, I wanted to do it with my little princessa too. It doesn’t get any easier.”
“Great,” he replied sardonically. “Just what I need.”
He watched as Kat settled a hand at the base of her spine as she walked beside Tony. Jericho couldn’t help himself. His first instinct was to rush to her, turn her around and go right back home to Tampa. She hadn’t done this much in months, and he was terribly afraid that she was going to be sick or hurt. He worried about the stress being back would put on her and the baby.
“—know what it is yet?”
The sound of Kat’s laugh drew him back from his thoughts. She was leaned in with her head just an inch or so from Tony’s shoulder. Her dark hair was twisted into a low bun at the back of her head and it bobbed as she tilted her face upward.
“Yes,” she replied back in a soft tone. Tony leaned down, his ear just at her mouth. The younger man’s curly hair bounced as he leaned back, a bright smile on his face and dark eyes wide in excitement.
A spike of jealousy rushed into Jericho’s veins at the sight. There were times that the age difference between he and Kat slapped him in the face. For what seemed like the first time, he realized that Tony was far closer to Kat’s age than he was. The two of them got along well. They looked like a pair with their hair almost the same shade of almost black. She had her hand tucked around the younger man’s bicep.
For a moment, he watched as all of Kat’s attention was hyper-focused on Tony. She wore a smile that made everything about her light up. It sucked all the air out of his lungs as cascade of images coalesced in his mind. Kat with Jack Perry. Kat with Tony. With any one of the younger guys on the roster. But then she turned back toward him with a smile bright on her face, and the all was right in the world.
Until the unkempt fluffy hair of Jack Perry appeared around the corner ahead.
Jericho sat at the table on the patio with his face tilted up toward the late morning sky. His eyes were closed behind mirrored Aviator sunglasses as he let the sun warm him. It was quiet except for the sound of water lapping against the sides of the pool nearby. In the distance, he could hear the buzz and hum of boats on the water. He took a deep breath of the Florida air and thought about the call he’d gotten that morning.
He’d barely gotten up when his phone went off. Jericho had snatched it up and practically raced down the hallway into his office to avoid waking up Kat. She’d had a hard time falling asleep the night before after a long day of nausea and vertigo. He wasn’t about to drag her out of the first sound sleep she’d had in days.
The moment he shut the door behind him, he saw that it was Tony Khan on the other end. “Hey, good morning, Tony,” he said with a worried expression. “What’s going on?”
Tony’s voice filtered down the line with the same energy that he always had. “Morning, Chris,” he replied, “I just wanted to check in and see how Kat’s doing.”
“At eight in the morning?” Jericho didn’t mean to sound incredulous, but he couldn’t stop himself. “What’s really going on?”
“We’re going back on the road,” Tony replied without preamble. “We’re leaving Daily’s at the end of the month. I need Kat. I need her back.”
Jericho tossed the phone on the desk and sank down into his chair. “It’s not that easy, and you know it. Let alone the fact that she’s pregnant and she spent the last day puking her guts up. But I’m not bringing her back there pregnant while Jack Perry is still around. There’s no negotiation on that, Tony.”
“What do you want me to do, Chris? Fire him?” Tony’s voice carried over the line with mild annoyance. “Jack didn’t do anything worth firing. He’s been reprimanded—Kenny, the Bucks, and I have had multiple conversations with him about what he did. He knows that anything else will get him in serious trouble.”
“Serious trouble?” Jericho couldn’t help but scoff. “That’s not good enough. I won’t bring her back there with him around. If you want Kat back, you’re going to have to make some tough choices. Even then, you’re not getting her back now.”
The line went quiet and for a moment Jericho was afraid that he’d pushed too far. He didn’t feel guilty about trying to protect Kat. As her pregnancy had worn on, she’d fallen victim to worrying morning sickness that lasted well into the day which had sometimes lead to dizziness and lethargy. Jericho had taken her to the doctor—and once to the emergency room—in the last few months because of it. She was under enough stress as it was. He wasn’t about to introduce Jack Perry into the mix, let alone all of the other responsibilities that would come with being back on the road with AEW.
“Jack aside,” Tony began. He stopped and started again. “Honestly, Chris. How is she?”
Jericho let out a breath and leaned back in his chair, scrubbing his hands roughly over his face. “Not well,” he sighed. He relayed everything that had happened just in the last few weeks. “I’m ready for this whole thing to be over. I feel guilty just leaving the house to walk down to the dock.”
***
I sat cross-legged on the bathroom floor, my head against the cabinet with my eyes closed. The lingering scent of vomit turned my stomach. I tried to breathe through my mouth to avoid the smell. I was exhausted. It felt like my whole body had been stretched out and snapped back together. My hand rubbed slow circles on my stomach in an attempt to calm the flip-flopping going on in my womb.
“Shh,” I whispered through clenched teeth. I knew that I needed to get up and take the medicine the doctor had suggested for the morning sickness. But just then, my head was spinning so bad that I couldn’t bring myself to try to stand. “Shh, baby. Please.”
I looked up as the door opened. Jericho stood there with a glass of what I assumed was ginger ale and a couple of the tablets in his other hand. He sank down on the floor beside me, trying to hide the groan as his knees and back stretched.
“Here, sweetheart,” he said softly as he held out the tablets. The good thing was that they were the ones that dissolved. The last time I’d tried to swallow real pills I felt like I was choking for hours afterward. “Have these and drink something. Then we’ll go downstairs and have some breakfast.”
I shook my head as gently as I could. “I can’t eat,” I ground out before slipping the tablets beneath my tongue.
Jericho brushed his fingers against my cheek before tucking my hair back behind my ear. “You’ll try. Something plain like the doctor said. We can try some toast or a mashed banana.”
I closed my eyes, unsure if I could even think about food just then. The tablets felt grainy beneath my tongue and I sipped carefully from the ginger ale. I sat for a while waiting for the anti-nausea medication to kick in. It took a while for it to work sometimes, but the good thing was that it typically gave me some relief for a while.
“A bath might help, too,” he suggested quietly. “Let me get you settled then I’ll go down to make you something to eat.”
I sipped at the last bit of the ginger ale and took a set of deep breaths. “Okay,” I said at last. The anti-nausea medication seemed to be kicking in. Jericho nodded and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. “I love you.”
I felt his lips curl up into a smile against my skin. “I love you too, kitten,” he murmured before getting to his feet. He reached down and helped me to stand, holding onto me tightly as he allowed my body to settle. My head spun as the room tilted around me. “I love you more than anything.”
***
Jericho ran his hand gently over Kat’s hair, tucking it behind her ear as she slept with her head in his lap. She let out a soft sigh and settled a hand against her stomach. He’d noticed the move more often lately in moments when she didn’t think he was watching. He stroked his thumb against her cheek and felt his heart squeeze hard in his chest. It didn’t surprise him that he was overcome with an almost possessive sensation when he looked at her, but the strength of it was enough to take his breath.
She yawned and snuggled a little closer. “Who was on the phone this morning?” she mumbled tiredly.
“Tony,” he replied with resignation in his voice. “The show’s leaving Daily’s Place at the end of the month.”
Kat sat up slowly before scooting to his side and settling her head on his shoulder. “That’s a good thing. Right? More of the fans can come see the show then.”
Jericho nodded and slipped his arm around her. “Yeah.”
She tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. He turned to meet her gaze and saw the clear expectation in it. Kat didn’t have to say anything for him to know exactly what she was thinking. He sighed.
“He wants you to come back.”
Kat closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He watched the color drain from her face and then rush back in to flush her cheeks.
“No,” Jericho said firmly, surprised by the force of his own voice. “Absolutely not.”
“It might be—”
“No.”
“Chris,” Kat said softly as she reached for his hand. She threaded their fingers together and squeezed as hard as she could. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. I don’t think I can hide from it all forever.”
He drew her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I can protect you from it forever. I don’t want you going back there with Perry around. God knows how he’d react if he saw you again. And saw you like this.”
She looked as if she would be ill. “I can’t honestly believe that he doesn’t already know, Chris. Do you really think this whole thing is a secret around there?”
“The boys have kept it quiet.”
Kat surprised him by rolling her eyes. “I’m sure you threatened them to keep them quiet.”
Jericho couldn’t help but laugh. “I might have. But they would have kept it to themselves anyway.”
“It’s time to go back.”
***
Anxiety and terror spilled through me as I looked through the windshield toward the back of the building. TIAA Bank Field set over behind the little amphitheater that housed Daily’s Place. I took a deep breath as Jericho took my hand in his. The closer we got to Jacksonville, the more I worried and felt the panic start to rise up in my guts.
“You don’t have to do this,” Jericho said softly. “I’m not on the card tonight, Kat. We can turn around and go straight home.”
Before I could turn to look at him, the door at the back of the building opened. It wasn’t hard to identify the big frame of Jake Hager and the wild hair of Ortiz waiting in the open space. I didn’t have any doubt that Santana and Sammy were waiting inside.
Jericho sat in a horribly uncomfortable plastic chair beside the exam table. He watched as Kat dangled her feet from her perch on the end. He couldn’t count how many times he’d bobbed in the pool in front of her as she swirled her swollen and aching feet in the warm water. Nor could he count the hours he’d spent with them in his lap, fingers slowly working along the arches until she sighed in relief.
He watched her face, searching for hints of tiredness or pain. She hadn’t gotten dizzy again since they’d come back from Jacksonville. For that he was grateful. Her eyes seemed large in her pale face, their green glassy and dull. He couldn’t help but worry every time he watched her hover for a moment when she stood up. Waiting to see if she was going to slump over, if her legs were going to give out beneath her.
“I can feel you staring,” Kat said with a faint smile. Her eyes were focused on the pamphlet the nurse had given her. Jericho could see the crease between her brows as she read.
The quiet snorting laughter that slipped out of him was surprising. He’d been so wrapped up in his worry for the last week that happiness and joy seemed a little out of reach. “You act like that’s something new.”
Kat glanced up at him, and he felt his heart stutter in his chest. “That look is new. I’m not going to fall apart, Chris.”
He stood and dragged the chair close to her side. Her fingers trembled when he took her hand. Kat was one of the strongest people he’d ever met, and he marveled at how she so easily managed their lives. His life. Even now—when she should have been focused on herself—she couldn’t stop herself from managing him. And she did it with ease.
“I know that, sweetheart,” Jericho whispered as he set his lips against her knuckles. He leaned forward to rest his chin on her knee. “I can’t help but worry about you. About both of you.”
She tucked the pamphlet beneath her thigh. “I know,” she said softly as she settled her palm against his cheek. Her thumb stroked his cheekbone. “I know I give you a hard time about it. You can’t help it. Old men have little else to do but worry.”
***
I bit the inside of my lip, trying to keep a straight face. Ever since I’d had that barely there dizzy spell at the hotel Jericho had been so serious. He hovered and watched me like a hawk every time I moved. From the moment we’d walked into the doctor’s office, I could see the terror in his eyes. I needed to hear him laugh. Just for a little while.
He cocked his head up, his blue eyes going wide. “Did you… Did you just…? After almost a year…!” I watched his face go red, purple, and then pale as he tried to make sense of what he’d just heard me say. “Are you completely serious?”
My jaw twitched. It was harder than I imagined it would be to keep from laughing at his expression of complete and utter wonderment. Unable to hide my grin any longer, I patted his cheek. “Of course I’m not!” I rolled my eyes. “But I’m sick of you moping!”
Jericho sat back, looking up at me as if he couldn’t believe it. “What else do you expect me to do, Katarina?” he said with distress. “Something could be wrong! With one or both of you! Am I not supposed to worry?”
“I didn’t say that. But there’s worrying and there’s getting consumed by fear. Two different things,” I replied. “I appreciate your concern. But I don’t want you to drown in it. You’re no good to us—to anyone—if you’re doing nothing but worrying all the time.”
Before he could say another word, there was a knock on the door. A second later it swung inward and a woman who looked to be in her early forties slipped inside carrying an iPad. She crossed the space between us and held out her hand with a smile.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Natalie Gordon,” she said as I took her hand. “You must be Katarina Prince.”
“Hello,” I returned with an answering smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” She turned toward Jericho and reached to shake his hand as well. “And you are…?”
He smiled, turning on the Jeri-charm. “Chris Jericho. The father.”
Dr. Gordon nodded. “It’s good to have the family’s support, particularly for a single mother.”
My heart skipped a nervous beat. I’d dreaded moments like this since our relationship had gone public—or as public as it was in our world. While Jericho was still in fantastic shape and didn’t look his actual age, it was clear that he was significantly older than me. We’d gone for so long without having that mistake made. Now it had finally happened.
“No,” Jericho replied with a tight set to his mouth. “The baby’s father.”
I honestly felt sorry for the woman as complete embarrassment spread over her face. She took a breath and schooled her features. “I’m sorry,” Dr. Gordon said soothingly, “please forgive the assumption. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“It’s an honest mistake,” I said calmly. “Don’t worry about it at all.”
“Absolutely. Don’t bother about it,” Jericho added. He turned the Jeri-charm right back on, his smile dazzlingly bright. “According to her I’m an old man anyway.”
My head lolled backward as my eyes rolled so far that I was certain they’d get stuck staring at the back of my skull. “Shut up. You’ve caused enough trouble for one lifetime.” I glared at him from the corner of my eye. “You’re not helping, Christopher.”
“Forgive me, Katarina,” he teased back, flicking me on the knee. His mood had shifted so quickly that it was staggering.
Dr. Gordon watched our back and forth for a moment before turning her attention directly to me. “What’s brought you in today, Kat?”
I pointed at Jericho and made a face. “Him. I had a brief dizzy spell about a week ago and he’s been panicked ever since. It was either come in for a checkup or deal with him hovering over me for the rest of this.” I circled my finger around my stomach.
“She doesn’t know when to quit,” Jericho interrupted, “and she sure as hell won’t listen to me.”
“I haven’t worked for almost four months! Since before we knew I was pregnant! What more do you expect from me?” The words came out more forceful than I intended. Angry.
He turned fully toward me, ignoring Dr. Gordon entirely. “I wish you’d trust me!”
My anger turned to frustration. “I do, Chris. You know that I do. But I need you to trust me! I know my own body!”
Before he could say another word, the doctor held up her hands between us. “Calm down. Relax. One thing at a time.” She turned her focus on me and took some very deliberate, clear, and deep breaths. “Let’s start with the dizziness. When did you notice that starting?”
I rolled my eyes. “It happened once. Last Wednesday. For just a few minutes. And all it did was make me lightheaded for a few seconds. I’ve been absolutely fine ever since.”
She nodded and stood up. A moment later, she had a blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter on me. I watched her pull a stethoscope from her pocket and hook it into her ears. “Take a few deep breaths for me, Kat.”
My gaze fell onto Jericho as I focused on taking slow and steady breaths. His blue eyes were fixed on the doctor, watching everything that she did as if he would have to repeat it move for move. He crossed his legs and tapped his fingertips against his shin in nervousness. For the first time since we’d walked into the office, I actually paid attention to the way his entire body was wrapped up in tension.
“Hey,” I whispered, snapping my fingers to get his attention. When his eyes met mine, I offered him a faint smile. “I love you.”
He paused his tapping and returned my smile with one of his own. “I love you too, sweetheart.” I watched him relax just a little. His shoulders settled. The frown on his face faded.
***
Jericho felt his worry start to slip away just a little. Once the doctor assured him—multiple times—that Kat and the baby were both perfectly fine, he felt as if his heart had started beating properly again. He found himself thinking that maybe he had overreacted. That maybe he’d actually made the whole thing worse by stressing Kat out even more.
He reached for her hand as they walked through the lobby of the doctor’s office. She looked over at him and the corner of her mouth tipped upward. Her fingers laced with his.
“You’re absolutely stupid, you know that don’t you?” she teased.
He laughed and had the sense to look chastised. “Is it surprising if I say you aren’t the first person to tell me that?”
Kat’s smile got bigger and she laughed in return. Her entire face lit up and Jericho felt his chest tighten with joy. It was like he was seeing that smile for the first time, even though he’d lived every day for months—in truth, for years—with it.
“I’m pretty sure that I’ve got the record for number of times,” Kat replied as they circled around to the passenger side of the Range Rover. She leaned back against the side of the car and tugged him close. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders. “Because I think I’ve told you that at least once a day for the last six months.”
“That you have,” Jericho replied with a charismatic grin that would have wooed a thousand crowds. “And I’ll listen to it all day, every day for the rest of my life.”
“Good. Because I plan on making sure that you don’t forget it.”
