“I’ll settle for just the chick.”
“You’re hopeless.”
Patrick spied a stack of pamphlets Brett put on a table. “What’s all of those?”
“Looking over some places to start a college fund.”
“I thought you were down on the whole college thing. You’re always going on about how you made it without ‘getting a fancy degree.’ What changed your mind?”
“It isn’t for me, dumb ass. I told Karen I wanted to start setting up a fund for the baby.”
“A little soon to plan a college education, isn’t it? The kid isn’t even born.”
“These days, it’s never too early. Some of the better schools are expensive as hell.”
“Karen must be carrying a baby genius.”
“Kid might have Mommy’s brains. One never knows.”
“Lord help him if he has your looks.”
Brett laughed and threw a pair of wadded socks from one of his suitcases at Patrick. “Shut up!”
“Quit throwing me your funky socks. Damn, when’s the last time you visited a Laundromat? Most of those clothes look like they could stand alone.”
“No worse than I’ve seen some of your shit.”
The pair then heard a yowling sound outside. “What the hell…?” Brett asked.
Patrick scoffed. “Some damn cat hanging around while you were gone. It’s back. I’ve called Animal Control how many times to come get the beast, but apparently no one’s shown up yet.”
“Dude, it’s probably someone’s pet.”
“I don’t think so. The thing’s been around the building howling almost every night since I was here, and it looks neglected.”
“Let me go look.”
“Are you nuts? Cat might have rabies, man. Be careful.”
“I doubt it’s rabid.”
Brett went outside, heading in the direction of where he heard the yowling, before spotting an emaciated gray and black striped cat. “Well, hi there, furball.”
The cat was poised as if about to run. “It’s okay, buddy.” Brett scratched its ears. “Are you hungry? I might have some tuna or something for you.”
The animal began to purr and rubbed against his leg. “Hey, you’re a friendly one. I think some asshole didn’t want you any more and dumped you off here instead of going to a shelter. That’s okay, pal; you’re better off with me anyway.”
Brett returned inside, cat in his arms. “Jesus!” Patrick cried. “Get that freak out of here!”
“Chill out, he’s just hungry.”
“Just what you need, a fucking cat. You do enough shedding on your own.”
“Very funny. This guy needs a home, and I could use a furry friend.”
“I think you’re going senile. First your woman’s having a baby, and now you’re taking in stray cats. Who’s going to take care of this thing while you’re away?”
“There’s the old lady next door who loves animals. She might look after him. Now I need to go to the store and get some cat stuff.”
“You know cats suffocate babies, right?”
“Pat, that’s what my mother calls an old wives’ tale. There’s never been an actual case where a kid died after being suffocated by a cat.” Brett set bowls of tuna and water on the floor. “Look at the poor guy. How could anyone resist something so cute?”
“Better pray he’s neutered, or you won’t be the only one in this place who’s going to be a dad.”
CHAPTER 52
Months passed, and Karen progressed well in her pregnancy, better than she’d expected. She and Brett didn’t contact each other often with his busy schedule, but despite her own schedule, Karen kept up with his accomplishments the best she could, proud of every moment.
Karen lay back on the exam table, and Dr. Sheppard exposed her belly. He squeezed some jelly onto it, placed a transducer over the gel, and turned his attention to the screen.
"There’s your baby," he said, smiling.
“Grew fast, didn’t it?” Karen asked, amazed what she saw on the monitor.
Dr. Sheppard nodded. “About right for your June due date. Want to know the sex?”
“Not really. I rather like the element of surprise.” A slight smile crossed her face as she thought of Brett. “Might keep Daddy guessing too.”
“How is he taking all of this?”
“I think Brett’s more worried about the baby than I am, and I’m the one carrying it for nine months.”
The doctor nodded and printed out a copy of Karen’s sonogram. "Baby’s first picture," he said, handing it to her. “Something to send to Dad if you’d like.”
"I’m sure Brett will love this, that is, if he can figure out what part is the baby. Thank you.”
"We‘re finished," Dr. Sheppard said, handing Karen a warm cloth to clean the remaining gel from her stomach. "You may get dressed and then go into my office to discuss any further questions.”
*****
“I almost forgot what Venice Beach was like,” Brett said as he and Patrick walked together, stopping on occasion to check out the sights. “Hey, any chance you shooting another one of your nutty Internet show videos?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Kind of hard to miss the camera guy two feet behind us, dude. When you going back to actual wrestling?”
Patrick scoffed. “Got burned out on that shit, so I’m taking a break. I’m having too much fun doing the vids.”
“You sound like a stoner in most of them.”
“This coming from the guy who has pot smoking down to an art.”
“I also have a written medical order for it, not to mention I cut back on smoking. I have a kid on the way, remember? Want to be a good role model.”
“Last I checked, it was Karen who was pregnant,” Patrick said with a goofy grin.
“Ha, ha, ha, smart shit. You know what I mean.”
“Course I do. I was just messing with you. Hey, I almost forgot to say I’m doing the Squared Circle Express Duel in the Desert on Labor Day weekend.”
“About time you put your fat ass back to work.”
“I am working. There’s royalties from the DVD you and I shot awhile back, and of course, my Internet show’s really taking off. Fans are digging it. I’ve done conventions and stuff too. Not exactly starving.”
“I know. I’ve seen your new palace. Nice spread, by the way. Who’s your sugar mama?”
“Now who’s being a smart ass? Speaking of which, you consider a bigger place? Going to need one with a kid coming.”
Brett nodded. “Question is, which state will we live?”
Patrick gave him an incredulous look. “You haven’t discussed that with her? Uh, dude, bun’s going to pop out of the oven in a few months. Better get in gear.”
“I know. I’m just concerned that Karen won’t want to leave Pittsburgh, and you know I’m not a big fan of winter, which is why I came down to L.A. and then went to Orlando. What am I going to do?”
“Try talking to her. Karen isn’t psychic, man. Hell, she may even surprise you.”
“Yeah. I have TV tapings and a couple house shows next week for Orlando Wrestling, but I can give her a call after that.”
“That’s the spirit. Now let’s give the cameraman back there something worth shooting for my show’s next installment.”
CHAPTER 53
Upon hearing the buzz about Patrick’s videos, Karen became curious. Now working from home following Dr. Sheppard’s rest orders during the final months of pregnancy, she often surfed online after sending Sullivan completed news assignments.
“Is Pat high or just plain nuts?” Karen asked while viewing his latest episode, the one filmed in Venice Beach with Brett. “Of course, by now, nothing he does should surprise me.”
The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. Figuring the office was calling, Karen picked up the receiver without checking the Caller ID.
“Hey, Mama!”
“Brett? What a pleasant surprise. I thought you did h
ouse shows this week.”
“Not scheduled. Can’t a guy check in with his favorite girl?”
“Been a long time, but I’d never say no to you.”
“There’s something I wanted to discuss with you anyway.”
“Something wrong?”
“No, at least I hope not. See, when I was in L.A. visiting Pat, he made a suggestion that got me thinking.”
“About what?”
“Where we’re going to live after the baby’s born.”
“Wait…are you suggesting we live together?”
“Isn’t that what expecting couples madly in love should do?”
What a shock! To think I’d planned to raise the baby alone without asking him for a thing. “Nowadays, most parents live apart.”
“Yeah, I grew up in a household run by a single mom. No way in hell will my kid go through the same shit I did. I’ll be in my little boy’s or girl’s life as much as I can.”
“With all the traveling you do, I’m shocked you even made the suggestion.”
“Well, I’m not a big fan of cold weather since I grew up in Washington, and you might have some hesitation about leaving Pittsburgh, so I thought we could work on a compromise.”
“I don’t know, after this past winter, moving away from here may not be a bad idea. By March, I’m often tired of snow and cold.”
“You wouldn’t be homesick?”
“I might, but probably get over it after a while.”
“So where will we go, Florida or California?”
“Hawaii,” Karen replied in a teasing manner.
“Too expensive to live.”
“You’re right. Besides, you might run off with one of those pretty hula girls anyway.”
“Ha! Two chances of me doing such, and that’s slim and none.”
“California’s nice, but in my opinion, more suitable for guys like Pat. He’s more the Hollywood type than I am. I find the Floridians are more laid back, especially the Orlando crowd. You’ll dig living there, and the studio where we tape the show every couple of weeks is just a mile from where I live right now.”
“Isn’t your place just one bedroom?”
“I’m up for a bigger unit. First on the waiting list, in fact, in case you wanted to come to Orlando. Manager loves me. Oh, I almost forgot. I have a new roommate. Get online and turn on your webcam. I’d like you to meet him.”
She walked over to turn on the computer and her cam. “Brett! Why are you discussing us living together when you already have a roommate?”
“Don’t worry; he doesn’t take up much space or even eat much, though anything with tuna’s his favorite food, and tends to keep night hours.”
“Great, like the baby isn’t going to keep me awake the first few months as it is.”
“Oh, come on, you’ll love this guy.” Brett disappeared from the camera’s view a moment and then returned, holding up a cat. “Jack, say hello to Karen.”
She began to laugh. “Your ‘roommate’ is a cat?”
“Yeah. Old lady next door feeds Jack and cleans his shit box when I travel.”
“I should’ve guessed the moment you mentioned he liked anything with tuna. Where did you adopt him?”
“I heard something crying outside one day and went to check it out. Found a cat howling his head off. Jack was skinny and kind of scared at first, but as you saw, he’s fattened up some. Now he walks all over the place like he’s king.”
“He’s beautiful. I just hope he doesn’t get jealous of the baby.”
“Nah, I have plenty of love for everyone. Don’t get pissed, but I had Jack’s front claws taken out while he was getting neutered, just in case.”
“Brett!”
“What?”
“Do you have any idea what goes into declawing cats? It’s almost like cutting off our first knuckles. Just imagine the pain that poor animal went through.”
“I don’t want Jack scratching the kid. I’m keeping him in the house anyway. Too many fucking freaks around wanting to hurt animals, like the psycho over in England who dumped a cat in a garbage bin. Crazy bitch.”
“Well…since you had him declawed with good intentions, I guess I can excuse your decision. At least you were smart to have him fixed in the meantime.”
“Yeah, one daddy in this household is plenty, thank you. So does this mean you’d come to Orlando?”
“Yes, but not until after I have the baby. I have all my prenatal care here, and it wouldn’t make any sense for me to make any changes this close to my due date.”
“No problem. We have plenty of time to get set up. I should have the new place in a couple months.”
They hung up a short time later, Brett relieved that the conversation turned out better than he’d expected. She was going to come to him. Soon, they would become an actual family…
Jack rubbed around Brett’s legs, yowling. “Figures,” he said, looking down into the cat’s questioning green eyes. “I’m having what may be the best day of my life, and all you can think about is your gut. Okay, let’s go get your precious Meow Mix, buddy.”
CHAPTER 54
As Brett’s fan base within Orlando Wrestling grew, he had to make several decisions about his independent commitments. Though he still made occasional appearances with Squared Circle Express, he asked to be permanently removed from their roster.
Severing ties–for the most part–with SCE wasn’t difficult, but Dragonfly was another matter. Brett and Graham Sobek had a long history that spanned from Brett’s early wrestling roots, and he was apprehensive about approaching Sobek on the subject of being let out of his contract.
Sobek understood, much as he hated letting one of his longtime favorite talents go. “Tell you what,” he said. “Let’s work out one final match for the next pay-per-view to make your exit, so fans aren’t left hanging.”
Brett nodded. “Name it. You always come up with good ideas.”
“You and Joey Exler in a ‘Loser Leaves Dragonfly’ match. Plus I’ll send you off with a hefty bonus for your loyalty. Work for you?”
“Work for me? Bring it on!”
“By the way, you think Sanchez-Garcia could get off his ass and take a day off from being an aspiring Internet video star for a match?”
“I could check with him. Why?”
“I was thinking a tag match with you two against Exler and Sonic Boom.”
“I’m all ears. This is sounding better by the minute.”
“Well, this is what I have in mind…”
*****
“Sobek wants me to do what?” Patrick asked.
“Are you fucking deaf? It’s going to be my last match with Dragonfly, and he wants you to be part of it.”
“What, so I’m now the second lead? Nice of Graham to think so well of me.”
“Is getting a bonus and having our names printed among a couple others on the promotional posters so terrible?”
“Wait, back up! What?”
“Glad I got your attention that time.”
“Okay, so who are we supposed to face?”
“Joey Exler and Sonic Boom.”
“Jesus, why didn’t you say so in the beginning? I’ve been wanting to kick Sonic’s scrawny ass forever.”
“News flash, bro; Boom’s bulked up in the last year or so.”
“I can still take him on.”
“Guess I can tell Graham you’re in?”
“Damn right. I always liked a good challenge.”
“Cool. See you next week. Bring your muscles and your best game face, man.”
*****
Once word leaked that Patrick Sanchez-Garcia and Brett Kerrigan were teaming against Joey Exler and Sonic Boom at Dragonfly’s pay-per-view, ticket sales rose. The two front rows of seats sold out within two days, and the remaining tickets also sold quickly.
“Let’s make my last night with Dragonfly a good one,” Brett said as he and Patrick prepared in the locker room.
“Wouldn’t think of any o
ther way. I‘m ready to rumble!”
“Whoa, holmes, it’s Dragonfly; we’re not going for international tag titles or anything. Save your energy for the important moments.”
“I know, but hell, it’s not like we work together very often these days.”
Brett grinned. “Whose fault is that?”
“Yours. Fucking workaholic who signed with Orlando Wrestling,” Patrick replied, laughing.
“You’d be with them too if you hadn’t blown off a tag match the last minute and trashed every big wrestling promotion in your vids. Seriously, dude, you need to tone stuff down a bit. Haven’t you burned enough bridges?”
“Kind of cutting down on wrestling anyway. Besides, you spoke on certain things.”
“Right, but I’m not the one who’s on YouTube twice a week.” He patted Patrick’s shoulder. “Ready to tear it up for our devoted fans?”
“After you, my man,” Patrick said, following Brett out of the locker room.
*****
Before the event settled into a traditional tag match. Brett and Patrick worked over Exler. Sonic Boom made the hot tag and cleaned house with drop kicks, and then hit a space flying tiger drop to the outside on the pair. Exler executed a springboard 450 splash.
Patrick rose and superkicked Sonic into Brett, who slammed him down. Exler jumped in and it settled down to Patrick and Sonic, before Patrick nailed a tornado DDT. Exler nailed a standing splash and ran Brett over the top to the floor.
Patrick went up for a 450 splash, but Sonic pulled him back down. Sonic attempted a 630 splash but Patrick pulled up his knees. Brett began slapping Exler, who clotheslined him. Brett kicked Exler and nailed a perfect Slice of Kerrigan before he locked in a camel clutch.
Exler escaped and rolled up Brett for a two count. Exler locked in his choke on Brett Patrick attempted to help Brett out of his predicament, but not before Sonic hit a springboard dropkick. Brett had no choice but to tap out, giving Sonic Boom and Joey Exler the win.
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