When the nurse came into the room to check on her patient, Taker glanced up at her and asked if Kaliegh had made any improvement since he had left.
The nurse looked up at the big man, her eyes filled with care and sympathy. She knew the news would hurt, but she also knew Taker would appreciate her honesty. "No, unfortunately there hasn't been any improvement. Twice now her heart has stopped. She's fighting, but I don't know how much more her body can take. The second time it took almost an hour to bring her back." The nurse answered, watching as Taker ran his fingers through his hair, his emotions were plainly visible on his face. "She knows you're here though. I've seen patients pull through because of the love of another. It's you she's fighting to stay alive for." The nurse finished up with what she had to do and then left.
"Yeah, it's me alright..." Taker said softly as the nurse walked out the door and he recalled the words that Blake had said to him. That he was the one that was supposed to have gotten shot. How he wished it had been him.
A few hours later, Taker had gone downstairs to get something to drink and some fresh air when he saw Judy and Kane approaching the hospital entrance. Although he knew they needed their time alone, Taker couldn't help but to be relieved to see them. Both Judy and Kane looked alot more relaxed, but Taker still detected tension, especially with Judy.
"How is she, Taker?" Judy asked once she and Kane within talking distance from Taker
Taker debated whether he should tell Judy what the nurse had told him earlier about Kaliegh and the complications that had arisen. In the end, he decided against it. "The same...nothing has changed." If it weren't for the sunglasses that Taker had on, Judy would have seen the look in his eyes that said he wasn't being completely honest with her.
"Taker, you look like you could use some sleep. Why don't you go and grab a few hours. Judy and I will stay here." Kane said as he put a hand on the other man's shoulder, letting him know that they were there for him should he need them.
"Maybe you're right." Taker said hesitantly, not really sure if he should leave.
"You won't be doing her any good if you're all worn out, Taker. Besides, we have your number and will call you should anything change." Kane replied, trying to reason with him. "Don't worry, she'll be fine." Kane added after a few moments, trying to not only reassure Taker, but also himself and Judy as well.
With great reluctance, Taker left and went back to Kaliegh's house. Once there, he tried to sleep, realizing that he was indeed very tired, but his thoughts were consumed by the events that had taken place over the last few days. Every time he closed his eyes, he recalled the passion that he and Kaliegh had shared, knowing that could very well have been the one and only time that he had a chance to love her. Finally he gave up on sleep, and just as he was going into the bathroom to shower, his phone rang. Without knowing, he knew that it was Kane. Taker held the phone in a death grip as he answered it, automatically fearing the worst.
"Taker, Kaliegh is starting to come around a bit. We thought you might want to be here if she should wake up."
"I'm on my way." Taker said, hanging up the phone before either of them could say anything else. He quickly put on a shirt and pulled his long hair back into a braid, and then was out the door. Ten minutes later, Taker arrived at the hospital, and in another three minutes, he was in Kaliegh's room.
"She came around for about ten seconds and asked for you." Judy said to Taker as he walked through the door. Kane saw the look of distress on Taker's face knowing that Kaliegh had woke up asking for him and he wasn't there.
"She could wake up again anytime though, Taker." Kane said softly, knowing how bad he would feel if he were in Taker's shoes. "Since you're here, we're going to go have some lunch. We won't be gone long."
"Thanks for being here." Taker said, his expression was serious. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate you two being here."
"Taker, we know you and Kaliegh would do the same for Kane and I. Anytime you need either one of us, please don't hesitate to ask." Judy said as she and Kane left the room.
When they were gone, Taker went over to Kaliegh. Taking her hand in his, he was surprised by how cold she was, when just yesterday she had been so warm....She had been more than warm....She had been downright hot in their lovemaking. Taker's heart broke to pieces at the thought of what this woman had gone through, and was still going through thanks to Blake. As he looked down at her, Taker was surprised to see that Kaliegh's eyes were open and she was gazing back up at him. Taker gently touched her cheek and glanced up at the heart monitor and watched as each beat became a bit faster and stronger. Then suddenly without warning, the rhythm became very erratic, dropping dangerously low and then flat lining.
A nurse out in the hallway heard the alarm sounding on the monitor and alerted the medical team. Within seconds the room was filled with doctors and nurses. While the others worked on Kaliegh, the nurse that Taker had talked to earlier came in, taking him out of there and down to the waiting room. Taker fell into one of the chairs, his head in his hands as he silently begged God not to take her. He knew it was selfish, but Taker couldn't help it. He hadn't had nearly enough time with her.
A short time later, Taker felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Kane looking down at him with concerned eyes. Judy clung to Kane....He was the only thing holding her up it seemed. "Taker, what is it? What happened?" Kane asked. Even though he did not want to hear it, he had to ask.
"Kaliegh....her heart...it stopped again." Taker finally answered, his voice was choked with emotion.
A moan escaped Judy's lips as her whole body went limp and she collapsed against Kane. Kane held her tight while Taker continued to speak.
"They've been in there with her for a long time now. It happened so suddenly. She had awoke again and it seemed like she was getting stronger. But then...." Taker was unable to continue. He let out a ragged breath and lowered his head back into his hands. Then after a few moments, he looked up at Kane and said, "You better take Judy out of here. We don't need her giving out on us too."
"Damn that man who did this too us!" Judy furiously spat the words. Both Kane and Taker were startled by her sudden outburst. "As long as I live, I will never forgive that bastard for what he is putting us through. And I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here until I know that Kaliegh is going to be alright." Judy had a wild look in her eyes that Kane didn't much care for, but thought better of it if nothing was said.
Judy and Kane sat down while Taker paced the floor until finally the doctor in charge of Kaliegh's care appeared.
"We were able to bring Kaliegh back again, but it wasn't without consequence. She has started bleeding internally again and needs to go up to surgery right away. I'm going to be totally honest with you all though. IF she makes it through the surgery, I don't expect that she'll make it through the night. Quite frankly, her condition is so bad, it will take a miracle to save her." The doctor said and then left as quickly as he had arrived.
Judy, Kane and Taker sat in silence and waited....
**************
Kaliegh passed away in her sleep, late that afternoon. Taker was alone with her and had been for about the last hour. Shortly after lunch, she had awakened for a short while, and they had talked quietly, of their feelings for each other, among other things.
"Promise me one thing! Promise me you will go on to Chicago for that show tomorrow. You come back afterwards, but I want you to go." She whispered with some difficulty.
"Babe, I can't do that!" The very idea upset him enormously.
"Promise me that you'll go on. This is your career. Promise me you'll go! Please!" Her eyes held his, as she implored him to go. Feeling beaten, Taker dropped his head and finally promised in a tone filled with resignation. He didn't like this.
"Ok! I promise. But only to ease your mind. I'll fly right back after my match. I'll even charter a plane, that way I can leave late and fly back immediately after the match." His eyes searched her face, worried about her. He had the feeling they were saying their good-byes.
They talked for a little while, then she drifted back to sleep. Then she just slipped away. Kane and Judy came back to the hospital right after it happened.
Taker was holding her close, rocking back and forth as the tears fell. The harsh bright light made it all the worse. Judy stood in the doorway, unable to go any further. Tears fell unnoticed. Kane had stepped forward, then stopped. He turned back, leaving his friend to his grief.
He took Judy to the waiting room, offering as much comfort as he could. She cried as though her heart was breaking. Tears filled his hazel eyes at the sound of her sobs.
"She's not hurting now." He whispered softly, rocking her back and forth, trying to ease her pain.
Taker stayed until he HAD to leave, until they all but asked him to leave so they could care for her.
-------------
They went back to Kaliegh's house, not knowing where else to go. Judy went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. The men sat down, not saying anything. Kane finally got up and went into the kitchen to Judy. He pulled her to him, and held her tight, needing to feel her warmth.
"You ok?" He asked softly,kissing the top of her head.
"I feel like I lost a member of my family. She was like my sister. I'm going to miss her terribly!" She said, choking up again as the tears fell. She took comfort from the big man's body, from his warm embrace
Taker entered the kitchen, feeling lost. "Sorry, didn't mean to intrude." He turned to leave, but Judy stopped him.
They held each other, giving each other what comfort they could in their grief. Judy felt his pain, felt his loss! She had loved Kaliegh like a sister, and knew this man had come to love her, as well. Any one that met her came to love her.
Letting go of her, Taker asked if Kaliegh had any family.
"Her mother lives about 200 miles south of here, I think." She said, meeting his green eyes. "I'll call her later! She needs to know what Blake has done! She didn't care for the bastard any more than I did." Fire entered Judy's blue eyes, drying her tears instantly.
Kane poured them all some coffee and brought it over to the table. They sat down at the table to drink it, then Taker asked about Kaliegh. Judy leaned back in the chair, lighting a cigarette, before telling her story.
"I met Kaliegh through a message board, a couple of years ago." Judy laughed lightly at the memory. "I was a COMPLETE techno moron, when it came to computers. At first, I never could quite get the addys right! She was always correcting me about them. Then this group, I think there were maybe 17 or 18 originally, decided to form a private e-mail list, which we called the "Brides". " She met his eyes levally, a small smile touched her lips. "Anyway, Kaliegh and I became friends. She helped me start my web pages, and I needed A LOT of help! We attended severalshows when we could get away from work. Actually, we met face to face at the hotel in St. Louis, for Survivor Series last year. We've been fast friends ever since. Actually, more like sisters." She said.
The two men exchanged amused grins. "So you two were at Survivor Series?" Taker asked, surprised.
"Sure was!" She said, a mischievous grin on her lips, her eyes twinkling merrily! "We even had signs!" She grinned wickedly at both men. "We stayed right down the street from where y'all stayed. We saw Ken Shamrock that afternoon going after lunch, so we found out that way where y'all were staying."
All three got a laugh at that. Each of them had their own memories from that night.
"Then, we went to that autograph session to buy tickets for the King of the Ring. That's when we met you guys!" She said, looking from Taker to Kane. The look she gave THAT one, set his pulse to racing.
"I'm glad you two were close." Taker said softly, draining the last of his coffee. Getting up, he re-filled his cup, then carried the pot over to the table and re-filled their cups as well, then returned the pot to it's stand. "Tell me about her. Tell me about Kaliegh." Taker said, as he sat back down.
Judy lit another cigarette then went on with her story. "The only family she has is her mother. That lady is in bad health at that. She disapproved of Blake. Kaliegh never told her mother that she was an exotic dancer. She told her that she worked in a restaurant and Blake was the manager. I first suspected he was abusing her, when she was hospitalized just before Survivor Series. She had three broken ribs that she claimed was the result of a fall. I didn't believe her, but didn't press the matter. I told her if she wanted to talk about it, I was there for her! She finally admitted the truth our last night in St. Louis. We talked and cried, and laughed till nearly midnight." Judy looked down at the table, remembering that night, fondly. "I made her promise to break it off with Blake. She deserved better than that pig. He was an abusive son of a bitch. He treated her like chattel, like his own personal property. He was jealous of you!" Judy met Taker's eyes. "She was one of your greatest fans! She loved wrestling! She LOST herself in wrestling! We would talk about it for hours online. And he couldn't stand it! Couldn't stand the fact he couldn't stop her from watching it, from going to the shows, from talking to me and others about it!" She took a deep, steadying breath before continuing.
"He was verbally abusive, as well as physically abusive. He called her all manner of vile names." The fire was back in her eyes at the memory of the night she called Kaliegh, and Kaliegh had been crying. "He beat the self-esteem out of her, with his fists and with his insults. It annoyed him to no end, that she would come to one of your shows. She sported bruises for days after coming home. She loved you, you know! I think she always did! That night you took her riding, meant more to her than any thing. That's all she talked about for weeks! All the rest of our group heard about it, but I don't think they actually believed it. But it made her so happy! Then, when we came to that last show, she was positively ecstatic when you showed up at our room! You were everything to her!" Judy finally stopped talking, having told them everything she knew.
Taker's emotions were clearly visible on his face. He was hurting over the loss of someone he cared about. They sat and talked a while longer, then Judy excused herself and went to call Kaliegh's mother. She stayed on the phone for a good thirty minutes, before finally hanging up. Slowly, she walked back down the hallway, re-joining the men.
"Her mother wants Kaliegh brought home." Judy told them, wiping her eyes as she sat back down.
"When does she want to have the funeral?" Taker asked huskily.
"She wants to have it on Wednesday." She said, meeting his gaze.
Nodding his head, he told them of his promise to Kaliegh. "She insisted that I go on to Chicago, but I don't want to." Sadness crept back into his voice.
"I can take care of things on this end, but I agree with her about this. You and Kane need to go to Chicago for the show. Then come back here. I'll be waiting. I won't leave to go to her mother's until Tuesday." She said looking at both men.
"I can't fight you, too. But Kane and I will fly down in a chartered plane. That way, we can go down tomorrow, then fly back right after our matches." He said, looking at Kane, waiting for his reply.
"Sounds good to me." Kane didn't want to leave any more than Taker did.
"GOOD! You need to make the necessary arrangements then." Judy said, as she got up and set about fixing them a sandwich, while Taker called the airport to arrange for the chartered plane. Kaliegh's pot roast would be eaten after all.