Crossroads of Life

~Two Weeks Later~
With difficulty, I was able to empty my stomach into the pale with Brian’s help.

“Damn it,” I muttered as my stomach rolled again.

“I think we need to get you to the doctor. This might be a sign of a complication or something.” Matt said, standing behind Brian with concern in his eyes.

“I hope not,” I muttered.

“I can delay my return, tell Vince something came up.” he said.

“No, I’ll be fine, you have to go back and tell everyone that I’m gonna live,” I said.

“My flight’s in a couple hours, so I have time.” Matt said. “We probably have time to get a doctor here to see what’s going on before I go back. If I leave now, I’ll be a wreck wondering what’s going on.”

“I can probably get Roberts here.” Brian said. He reached for the phone on the bedside table and dialed the doctor’s number. He talked with him for a few minutes before hanging up. “He’s on his way.”

After waiting fifteen minutes, there was a knock on the door.

“What seems to be the problem?” the doctor asked.

“She’s getting sick, vomiting a lot.” Brian answered. “She can’t keep anything down, and it’s making her even more sick.”

“We’re thinking it might be a complication or set back.” Matt said.

“No, I’ve never heard of anything like that after this surgery, though it is possible,” Roberts muttered. He lifted my shirt and started pressing on my stomach. His hands froze when he reached a spot below my naval.

“This may be a little cold,” He said, putting his stethoscope into his ears. He put the round cold piece on my stomach and listened for a few minutes.

“Oh dear, this isn’t very good,” he muttered. He looked up at me with a question in his eyes.

“When was your last menstrual period?” he asked. I thought back, and realized that with the neck injury and everything, I forgot that I didn’t get my period for the month.

“I guess about two months,” I answered. He nodded his head and sighed.

“Ms. Haner, I’m sorry to have to tell you this right now, but it appears there is a possibility you are with child.”

“This century English please.” Brian said, frustrated.

“It appears that your sister is pregnant.” Roberts finished.

“P-pregnant? That’s not possible, you have to…” Brian’s voice trailed as he looked between Matt and me. “Did you two..?” I looked up at Matt, who was looking Brian dead in the eyes. Brian just huffed his breath out and stormed out of the room.

“Damn,” I muttered, tears filling my eyes.

“What’s this mean for her with the surgery?” Matt asked the doctor.

“Since we didn’t know of her condition, we weren’t prepared to have to take precautions. The medicine we used could have had a negative affect on the fetus.”

“Looks, like I’m out for longer than 5 months,” I muttered.

“Ms. Haner, I’m going to recommend you to a specialist.” Roberts said. He gave me the contact information and then left.

“Shit,” Matt muttered, running his hands over his face.

“We were protected that night,” I realized suddenly. “You didn’t wear anything, I wasn’t on anything, you didn’t pull out.”

“I know,” he said. “Damn, a baby. What the hell are we going to do? We can’t have a baby together. We live clear across the country from each other and you’re not going to be moving anytime soon.”

“I know,” I muttered, tears falling down my cheeks. “I’m not ready to be a mother.”

“Like I’m ready to be a father?” Matt asked, standing up and pacing the room. “Hell our careers just started taking off.”

“And I just lost mine completely.” I said. “What a way to be remembered, twenty four years old winning the Women’s title, then leaving due to a neck injury and not returning because of a baby.”

“Well figure this out,” Matt said, grabbing my hand. “We will, I promise.”

“Yeah, figure it out somewhere else,” Brian said, walking into the room. He grabbed my suitcase and threw things into it.

“What the hell Brian?” Matt asked, standing up to face him.

“You told me you were being careful Madison!” Brian yelled. “You told me straight up that you were being careful.”

“I meant I was being careful on who I fell in love with, I didn’t say anything about sex!” I replied.

“This is my damn house and I won’t have that going on,” he fumed.

“Brian, settle the hell down.” Matt said. “This happened in a hotel room. The one and only time we’ve done anything.”

“Yeah right,” Brian muttered, though I saw his anger subside slightly. Finally he just broke down all together. “What the hell is going to happen?” he asked. “You fucking laid up in bed until who the fuck knows when. You’re pregnant and your recovering from surgery on an injury. What the hell are you going to do?”

“I’m going to be here Brian,” Matt assured my brother. “I’m not going to leave her side. I’m calling Vince and telling him something came up and I need to stay here for a few more weeks.”

“Matt,” I started, but he cut me off by walking out of the room. “Why does everyone do that?” I asked, throwing my hands into the air.

“Because we know you won’t shut up unless we leave the room.” Brian muttered.

“I heard that,” I replied back. “Brian, you know I’ll never admit something like this to you, but I’m terrified right now.”

“I know you are,” Brian replied, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. “It’ll be okay. I gave up to much of my time with you, I’m not going to give up anymore. I’ll be here for you, no matter what it is.”

“I guess I have to tell Mom and Dad.” I said. “Great, I meet my biological father’s family and two week later I make them grandparents and an aunt and uncle. Some family member I am huh?” Matt walked back into the room just then, his phone pressed to his ear.

“Yeah, she’s right here,” he said. He covered the mouth piece with his hand and mouthed the word Vince.

“Hello?” I said, my voice shaky.

“Madison, according to Matt you have some news to tell me?” Vince asked. I looked at Matt, asking if he told, he said no.

“Okay, so the injury would of originally put me out of commission of five months,” I started.

“I know that,” he cut me off. “What do you mean ‘originally’ though?”

“Uh, you see sir, I’ve been sick and we thought it was a complication, but it turned out to be something completely different, and something that will make me unable to return no matter when I was told I was ready.”

“What would that be?”

“I’m pregnant,” I said quickly.

“Pregnant, well, that does stir things up.” Vince replied. “Since you can no longer do anything wrestling wise, you know I’m going to have to release you of your contract.”

“I know,” I said, my voice cracking slightly.

“Are you okay?” Vince asked, rather stupidly.

“Hell no I’m not okay.” I replied. “My career is put on hold by fruckin Hardy, then it’s completely lost because of a baby I’m not ready for. I’ve wanted nothing more than to be in this damn company since I was 4 years old, and I finally get my name out there, and it’s over.”

“Not completely,” Vince said. “You can come back after the baby is born and after your doctor gives you the clear to come back.”

“You don’t get it,” I muttered. Brian and Matt glanced between each other as the tears finally fell. “I’m having the baby, but I’m not coming back. I going to stay home and raise my child. My career is completely over Vince.”

“You’re wrestling career maybe, but not your career with the company.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, wiping at my wet cheeks.

“I’m offering you another job in a new position. It’ll allow you to stay at home with your kid, and you can stay with the company. I want you to be a script writer. All you have to do is write out your part of the script, have video conferences with the others about what you’re to do, and whatever you get you can email to the head of the creative team.”

“Can I think about it for a few days?” I asked.

“Well, you can’t work until your neck is healed, so I’ll ask again around that time. You have until then to make up your mind.”

“Thank you,” I said. We hung up the phone and I handed it back to Matt, who slid it into his back pocket.

“What did he say?” Brian asked.

“He asked if I would consider a job on the creative team,” I replied. “I would be able to stay home, and I’ll still be in the company.”

“That’s good, are you going to take it?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered. I didn’t add that I didn’t know because I didn’t know where home was going to be right about now. The tears started falling again as I realized what was going on. I was having a baby with Matt, but I lived in California while he was in Missouri. Not only that, the baby’s biological grandfather, my father, was in Texas. We were all hundreds of miles from each other, meaning at least two houses would have to go months without seeing the baby.

“We’re going to let you rest sis,” Brian said, rubbing his thumb over my cheeks to wipe some of the tears away. I nodded slightly, enough to make it visible, but not enough to be strain my neck. They left the room, and I went back to my thoughts. I didn’t want to deprive anyone of the baby, but I knew it would end up happening.

~POV: Brian~
“I’m sorry I went off,” I muttered as I sat with Matt in the living room. “I just didn’t want to think about my sister getting pregnant. McKenna is okay because she’s older, she has a stable life. Madison, she doesn’t even know where to call home.”

“That’s when the problem with her was when we left the room.” Matt replied. “She’s freaking out because she doesn’t want people to go without seeing the kid, but she can’t keep going back and forward to Missouri, California and Texas.”

“The only reason Missouri is involved is because that’s where you live.” I pointed out.

“Not only me, my parents as well, you know, the baby’s paternal grandparents.” I groaned as I ran my hands over my face.

“Okay, fine, I’ll admit,” I said, holding my hands up. “I’m about this close to beating your damn ass right now for knocking my sister up.”

“Why the hell do you care?” Matt asked, standing up to face me. “You tortured that woman in there her entire life! You resented her because your father and step-mother adopted her. That’s all that was about.”

“Yeah, maybe, but I’m trying to make up for my mistakes. This is one mistake you can’t take back. There’s a child involved now.” Matt laughed and ran his hand over his face, nodding at the same time.

“Well, I’m glad to see that you think of your niece or nephew as a mistake.” he said.

“Niece or nephew?” a voice said. I jumped up and turned to see it was Dad, and he looked pissed and confused. “What the hell is this I hear about a niece or nephew being a mistake?”

“Oh shit,” I muttered. “Way to fucking go!”

“No, don’t fucking talk to him, who’s pregnant, and who the hell are you?” he asking Matt.

“That’s Matt, he’s Maddy’s boyfriend.” I answered. “And I don’t think I should be the one to say.”

“Is it Madison?” Dad asked, crossing his arms.

“Yes, Dad, it’s me.” Maddy’s voice said behind us. She was walking into the room, using the wall to keep herself steady. “I’m sorry Dad, but I am pregnant.” Dad turned to look at Matt, who didn’t back down one bit.

“I’m the father,” he openly admitted. Dad looked between Madison and Matt and back again.

“Have fun in Missouri,” he said simply. “You’re no longer welcome back here in our house Madison.”

“Daddy,” Maddy said, but she suddenly gagged and threw up on the floor.

“Fuck,” she muttered, her hand going to her mouth. I noticed her gagging again and quickly to the kitchen and grabbed the trash can, rushing it to her before she let her stomach loose again. Since she couldn’t bend at the neck, she had to bend her waist.

“Dammit,” Dad muttered, walking toward Madison. She was taking a break, but I knew she didn’t get everything out. “Come on,” he said, picking her up gently to avoid her neck and stomach. He laid her on the couch to where she was on her side. He took the trash can and placed it by her head, so she was able to empty her stomach into it better.

“Damn Madison, I thought you were being careful,” Dad muttered.

“It was one time,” she muttered back, her hand on her stomach.

“That’s all it takes silly,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Brian, the baby isn’t a mistake,” Dad said, turning to look at me. “That’s what you call an accident.”

“Wait, you called my child a mistake?” Maddy asked, turning to look at me.

“No, they took what I said out of context,” I said, getting aggravated. “Actually Dad showed up at the wrong time and Matt took what I said the wrong way. We were arguing about how I treated you, and I said I’m trying to take those mistakes back, and then I told Matt that this was one mistake that couldn’t be taken back because there was a child involved.”

“I don’t regret my choices,” Matt said.

“Will you two stop it?” Dad snapped. I looked down to see Madison’s eyes shut. Her eyes were crinkled as if she was wincing from a headache. “You’re both driving her crazy so until you can start getting along, I’m taking Madison home with me.”

“No Dad, I’ve been looking after her…”I started.

“A hell of a job you’re doing.” Dad muttered. “She’s stressed, I can see it in her eyes, and you two bantering isn’t helping her any. You know if she get too stressed, she could possibly miscarry that baby?” Neither Matt nor I replied, because it was obvious neither of us thought of what we were doing to Madison.

“She’s coming home with me, end of discussion.” Dad said. He went to pack her things, so I went to get the stuff she needed. After explaining her medications and stuff like that, Matt helped Maddy to the car. We both watched as they drove out of sight.

“Look,” I said, turning to Matt. “You’re my sister’s boyfriend, the father of her kid, I don’t want us to turn into Maddy and Michelle.”

“Hm, no problem, I won’t try to poison you.” he muttered.

“Their problems started long before that. I know someone did something, I just don’t know what. I don’t want that with us. It’s like Dad said, all this fighting we’re doing is putting unnecessary stress on her, and I don’t want to keep that up.”

“I know.” Matt muttered. “Believe it or not Brian, I fell in love with your sister the first day I met her. When she was this seventeen year old girl following her dreams. She was the one teenager I ever met who had a head on her shoulders. She wanted to hide the fact she graduated two years early, but it didn’t bother me.”

“Really? It didn’t bother you a seventeen year old girl was at the same level as you?”

“Not at all, but Brian, what you have to realize is that, she was seventeen when I met her, but that was seven years ago. She’s 24 now, she’s an adult. She’ll make her own choices, and she’ll learn from her mistakes and accidents, like she’ll learn from this.”

“I missed too much of my sister’s life.” I muttered, rubbing my temples with the tips of my fingers. “I guess I just never thought of her having a baby because I wanted her to stay young.”

“A lot of people are like that. Hell if I had a little sister or brother, I’d want the same thing.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I said. “Do you have any siblings?”

“Nope, only child.” Matt replied. “That’s why I don’t know how to deal with siblings, I’ve never had to deal with them.”

“Well, we’re not that hard to figure out.”

“Get you talking music and I’ll probably get a four hour conversation going won’t I?” Matt asked, smirking.

“Most likely, probably longer,” I replied with a laugh.