Chapter 64 – Home is Where the Heart is

He answered immediately. "Before you say anything, my love, please hear me out."

Kimber, who had been ready to grill him with at least a dozen questions, and give him what-for, to say the least, was stopped cold by his voice. Her anger could not deafen her to the fear that came out of the man she loved. It wasn't the oh, I fucked up and now I'm afraid you'll leave me she'd picked up, but rather that Seth was straight up terrified of something even greater than that. She had no idea what to say, because all she'd had in her head before she'd heard his panicked voice was gone now.

"Are...are you there?"

She had to say something. "Yes. Just don't lie to me. Whatever you say, don't let it be a lie."

"Kimber, I've never lied to you before, and I'm not going to start today. I'm packing up some of our things and we're coming to you. I...I just need us to be together right now, to know that we're all safe and..." Seth sniffled and his voice began to crack. "I'm so scared!"

"Are we in danger?" Kimber asked, and nearly spilled her coffee.

"I... I don't know! They haven't found her yet. I need to get out of here... Where's Johnny's ugly toy? Fuck!" Seth was in a a complete panic, and Kimber wasn't sure whether he was talking to her or to himself. "There it is..." Then, a grunt and short hiss of pain.

"Who haven't they found yet?"

"That psychotic whale in that stupid fucking picture! I was trying to send it to the medical center, but I fucked up. I had Johnny in one arm, I was shaking all over, and when it popped up in the feed, I knew I'd just made things hundreds of times worse than they already were. I deleted it within six seconds, but it wasn't fast enough."

"To the medical center?"

"Yeah, that's where she said she was from. After she... I had to know if she really worked there. They asked me to forward the pic, and so I tried, but I fucked up. I fucked up just opening the door to her. I'm so fucking stupid-"

"Seth, darling, please calm down and tell me what the hell is going on," Kimber almost begged.

"I need to get out of here. She might come back, and I have no idea what she's capable of. The police said they'll keep a unit in front of the condo for the next few days, or until they locate her, but what if they don't find her in the next few days? She could be on her way to you, and I don't know what she's going to do... Ouch! Fuck!" Seth hissed in pain again.

"Are you hurt?" Kimber asked.

"Not any more than usual, just my fucking knee. Can I call you back once we get on the road? I want to talk to the officers to see if one of them will stay with Johnny while I load the car."

In the course of several phone calls, he told her everything. The woman in the picture was named Jessica Key, and showed up at the front door promptly at two. She was dressed in scrubs and had a rolling suitcase and a folder and said she was a physical therapy assistant from the hospital. Her ID badge, which was clipped to her scrub top, backed that up. She told him that his doctor had decided that some of his therapy sessions could be done at home, because it would be easier for him, having a baby to care for. He believed her. She had physical therapy aids in her suitcase, and did legit physical therapy on him for nearly an hour while Johnny napped, and he didn't think anything was weird about it. He talked to her about CrossFit and his family. She asked him what days and times worked best for him to do his therapy, and wrote out a schedule. All very official. Then she asked if she could use the bathroom to change her clothes. He was her last appointment of the day, and she was meeting friends to watch the football game. Of course, he didn't see any harm in it, and showed her where it was, and went to make a bottle for Johnny, who had woken up, and was babbling and giggling over the baby monitor. He heard his phone whistle, but ignored it, and went to change the baby's diaper. While he was busy with Johnny, the woman came in, dressed in revealing clothing. She groped him, gave him a peck on the cheek, and told him to check his phone. Then she just walked out, leaving him feeling sick and shocked. He said he'd stood there, holding Johnny to his chest until the baby started to get fussy. And, that's where he'd left off with the most recent call. Johnny was hungry, and he had to find some place to stop and piss next to the car.

Kimber remembered that feeling of unwanted, forced sexual contact. Hers had gone much, much farther than what her husband had experienced, and she would never forget that spring night nearly three years ago, when she'd stood under a locker room shower in her ring gear, thinking she would never be clean again. The shame she'd felt. The panic upon discovering she'd also been robbed of everything she needed to get to the next show.

And then she'd met Seth. He became her provider, her protector, her friend and confidant, the reason for her huge push, her lover, the father of her child, her life partner. He loved her, he would never hurt her, and she couldn't believe she had been ready to leave him not two hours before. She decided it was time to release her statement on social media. She typed: Once you post something, it can never truly be deleted, but things are not always what you think. There are a lot of rumors going around, but the truth is Seth and I are still very much together and our love is stronger than ever. She posted it with a few suitable emojis and hashtags, along with two pictures. The iconic pic of them celebrating her RAW debut, and the most recent pic of them along with Johnny, taken on the patio of the condo by one of the film crew, just before she'd gone back on the road. Her phone immediately began blowing up with notifications again, and she wanted to ignore them, but a nagging gut feeling made her check.

Seth had replied. They say home is where the heart is, and we are on our way home. He included a heart emoji, and a pic of himself outside his car, holding his son. Johnny was smiling, and grabbing for Seth's phone, but the appearance of her husband made her want to cry. His smile was very forced, his glassy eyes and pink face made it clear he'd been crying, and she could see fear there, too.

Although she'd planned on staying with Kira and Dolph, and just leaving for the arena earlier than she would have had she stayed in a hotel near the arena, Seth wouldn't have to drive as far, and she could spend more time with her family before RAW if she got a hotel room. So, while waiting for him to call her back, she reserved a suite at the hotel most, if not all, of her fellow wrestlers were also staying at, as he might want his friends close by, too.

Her phone began to ring, but it wasn't Seth, it was Renee. She answered, and put Renee on speaker as she gathered her things in the guest room. "Hey, girl."

"Hey, doll," Renee replied. "I... I, well... I saw all the stuff on Twitter, and I just wanted to see if you needed to talk."

"A crazy woman touched my man," Kimber blurted, before she could think of anything else. "Now he's scared, and I'm scared-" Her voice broke, but she cleared her throat, sniffled, and cleared her throat again, because she needed to tell someone what she was burdened with, and who better than her sister in motherhood, her lover. "That woman in the picture. She has a history of stalking, harassing, and threatening pro athletes. She came to the door dressed in scrubs, with a rolling suitcase, and she had a badge from the hospital. She told Seth that the doctor had decided he could do some of his therapy sessions at home, since it was hard for him to get around on crutches with Johnny." Saying her son's name calmed her. She would be holding him within hours. "She did do legit PT with him, was very professional. I guess she had worked at the hospital as a PT, but was suspended pending some investigation Friday afternoon."

"Oh my god..."

Kimber knew it was all Renee could think of to say, so she continued. "She asked if she could change clothes in the bathroom, and that's when she took the slutty selfie. He didn't get it right away, because he was busy with Johnny, but she came in and grabbed his dick and kissed his face while he was changing the baby's diaper! She told him to check his phone, and left." Her anger rose to the surface.

Just as quickly, Renee diffused it. "Oh my god, who the fuck does that? Pawing a man who's wrist-deep in babyshit... Shaking my head over here." She chuckled a little. "I'm sorry for laughing, but it's just so...gross. And wrong."

"She's crazy. The police couldn't find her, so Seth decided to leave Birmingham as fast as his gimp knee would carry him. He's scared not only for himself and Johnny, but for me, too. He looked her up on the court records website and she's got a dozen cases in Alabama alone for carrying concealed weapons, harassment, stalking, phone threats, battery. I don't know how she managed to get a job at the hospital."

"She should be in a hospital."

"Mhmm," Kimber agreed.

"You're okay?"

"I am now, after dumping all this on you, but I'll feel a lot better in a few more hours, when I'm in Orlando with my family."

Kimber arrived at the hotel two hours before her family was due. She announced her arrival by posting a pic of herself on her balcony. Hello, Orlando. Almost immediately, she began getting texts from others who'd already arrived. Both Bayley and Ruby invited her down to the hot tub. Kimber repiled: Gross, lol. Every since she'd read an article in a magazine as a teenager, which said it was possible to get herpes from a hot tub, she had only dipped her feet in. But, she wanted her friends around her, so she put on a bikini and her black silk robe and headed outside.

She had only told her family (including Dolph) and her best friend about what had happened to her husband in Birmingham, and she'd sworn them all to secrecy. So, because no one else knew what was going on, she walked on to a patio of sympathetic, worried, and even embarrassed faces. Only Dean, who Seth had also told, smiled. No one knew what to say to her. So, she put on her brightest, goofiest smile and asked: "Come on, guys... Who died?"

A few uneasy chuckles, and Liv looked like she was about to cry. Kimber knew she needed to say something more. Cut an off the cuff promo.

"I know I've not said much since Seth posted that picture. I really don't know what to say other than it's not what you think, and he's not cheating on me. He'll be here in like two hours, and he's bringing Johnny, so believe me when I tell you that everything is okay, and quit staring at me with weepy Disney eyes. Let's have a little fun before we have to report for duty."

"Is Seth's injury just a storyline, then?" Sarah asked, as Kimber settled next to her on the edge of the hot tub. "I thought it was legit."

"It is legit. He's torn his MCL."

"Then why would... Are they bringing back The Rollins Report?" Ruby asked.

Kimber laughed. "I don't know, maybe. But, as far as I know, no plans to have him on TV. He just decided to join me on the road with Johnny, so we can spend time together."

"Awww... That's so sweet. He misses you," Liv said.

Kimber nodded. "I miss him, too." Her eyes filled with tears, faster than she could blink them away, but at least she had sunglasses on. "And I'm really excited to see my son. I feel like I've already missed out on so many of his milestones..." She could no longer control herself. She bit down on her quivering lower lip and sniffled.

Liv and Sarah got out of the hot tub and each put an arm around her, and Ruby went to grab her something to drink. Bayley came over and hugged the group. "Come on, let's go over-"

Kimber's phone beeped a notification, and she grabbed it, and broke into a silly smile through the tears. "My family's here!" She jumped up from the edge of the hot tub and took off running barefoot back into the hotel.

Dean, in blue swimming trunks and flip-flops, caught up to her at the side entrance. He handed her her Adidas flip-flops.

"Thank you." She shuffled her feet into them, and paced impatiently. "The anticipation is killing me." She looked out the glass door, then resumed pacing.

"Me, too," Dean said.

Kimber looked out the glass at the packed parking lot and bounced up and down as if she needed to pee. "Where are they..." She mumbled, and wiped her wet cheeks quickly with her robe. "I can't stand it..." She pushed open the door and ran outside, looking frantically over the lot through her prescription sunglasses, seeing men, women, children, and finally, the two most important men in her life. Her limping husband with their son in one arm.

Relief washed over her, and she ran to them, screaming and crying, and wrapped her arms around both of them. Seth held her tight with his free arm, and she could feel him shaking, even more once Dean was there to embrace everyone, and he began to sob softly. Kimber realized the pain he was in from hours of driving with an injured knee had to be considerable.

"You're safe now," Dean said, huskily, and he let them go, and turned away before wiping his eyes. Kimber took her son and gave him a big cuddle.

"Mamma missed you so much!"

"Mmm...ma!" Johnny commented, with much gusto. "Mmmma!"

Kimber's heart swelled with happiness. "Yes, that's right! Mamma!" She smiled up at Seth and Dean. "Did you guys hear that?"

Seth smiled through his tears and hugged her again. "I'm... I'm so relieved. So fucking relieved."

"Where are your crutches?" Dean asked.

"I left them in Birmingham. I knew it would be impossible to carry Johnny, and I didn't want to draw any attention to us on the road."

Dean situated himself under Seth's right arm and looked around, because a few people had stopped to stare and gawk and one guy was openly recording them on his phone. Kimber didn't look at them, but instead smiled down at her son.

"The bags are all still in the car," Seth told him.

"I'll come back down for them. Let's get you upstairs and off that knee," Dean urged, and began helping him across the lot.

"Shouldn't you be at the arena already?"

"We have a hall pass," Kimber tried a light joke, but only Dean smiled, lightly.

Upstairs in the suite, Dean helped Seth to the bathroom, and then to bed. Kimber gave them their time alone, walking Johnny around the room and showing him the view outside the big window, International Boulevard. When Dean left to get the bags from the car, she placed her son in the pack and play she'd ordered from the front desk, who'd included a soft, plush sheep, and went to her husband. She climbed on to the bed beside him and held him tight.

"This isn't a dream, is it?" He asked, and held her even tighter. "Tell me I'm in Orlando for real, with you..."

Kimber shifted up on to one elbow to look into his tired, glassy, red eyes, and caress his face. "You're in Orlando, darling, with your loving family and caring friends."

"And thank god for that..." Seth sighed. "I never thought I'd get here. The whole time I was so scared to stop, and I checked the rear view mirror hundreds of times the first couple hours I was on the road. I almost ran the car out of gas before I stopped to fill up. Once I got to a pump, it took me awhile to get out of the car, even though there was nobody else around. I couldn't decide whether Johnny would be safer locked in the car while I got the gas, or if I should hold him."

"Turn over, darling. I want to spoon."

He obeyed, and she stroked his hair, and rubbed the back of his neck and his shoulders. "You're safe now."

"They haven't found her yet."

"They will." She pressed her lips to the tattoo between his shoulder blades, the very first place on him she'd ever kissed, and decided to try changing the subject to something happier. "I can't believe Johnny called me Mamma for the first time, right upon seeing me."

"He's so smart. He started saying it on the way here, because I said it a lot, you know how I talk to him all the time, and tell him what we're doing, and because it was just the two of us, I talked to him a lot in the car." Seth chuckled a little. "I said some version of 'We're going to go see Mamma' a lot. When I was finally forced to stop on an off ramp to take a piss, into the fuckin' wind, no less, Johnny started getting a little fussy, so I decided to feed him and change him right there, if any cops showed up, my excuse was I was tending to my son. I threw the diaper out in the woods on the side of the ramp, I felt bad about that, but I didn't want to ride with a diaper full of shit. I took him out with me while I threw it out, and said 'Let's take a picture for Mamma', and of course I showed him a picture of you and said 'Mamma', and he clearly recognized you, and grabbed for my phone. When we were back in the car, I told him again we were on our way to Mamma, he said it back. I was hoping he'd say it for you."

Kimber snugged him. "I'm so, so happy you guys are here." She kissed his back again, and felt him finally relax fully in her arms. But just as he did, a knock at the door made him bolt upright in bed.

"Relax, darling. It's probably Dean." She got up and went to the door to check through the peephole. "Yup." She unlocked the door and admitted him. He was almost buried under luggage, and she quickly began taking the bags off his arms.

Seth had clearly been in a huge hurry to leave the condo; he'd grabbed and stuffed luggage at random. As Kimber set about organizing, Dean sat down on the bed beside his brother and lover. "How's the knee?"

"It hurts like hell."

"Want some ibuprofen?"

"Won't make a difference anymore. I could really use a good meal. I haven't eaten anything but junk since I left."

"I noticed," Dean said, and chuckled a little.

"Yeah, I know my car is a mess."

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it." Dean bent over and kissed his lover tenderly. "There's an Italian beef sandwich place nearby. Do you want that, or something else?"

"I'll take one of those, a big one, or two if they only have one size. Extra juice."

"Do you want fries with that?"

Again, Seth laughed a little, and his voice was less deadpan and defeated when he replied: "Of course I want fries. Cheese fries, if they have them."

"Kimberoo, want a sandwich?"

"No thanks. But you'd better hurry up, we've got that video conference in less than an hour."

Dean leaned down to kiss Seth again. "Be back in two shakes."

"How about with two shakes?" Seth asked. "Raspberry."

"I'll see what I can do."

Dean left, and Seth smiled softly as he watched his wife organize the bags. Kimber could sense him watching, and put down the t-shirt she'd been folding and joined him on the bed again. He pulled her close and they kissed.

"I think everything is going to be okay now," he said.

"It is," she assured him, and stroked his hair.

"I need to take a shower before the meeting."

Kimber realized she was still in her bikini and robe, and despite having sprayed herself with body spray, could smell herself, dried stress sweat. "Me too. Let's go. Do you mind using girl stuff? I haven't found your shampoo and whatnot yet." She helped her husband up and to the bathroom.

"I probably forgot to pack them. Along with my toothbrush."

"I'll hit a store after RAW," Kimber said, and stripped out of her scant clothing before leaning into the shower to turn it on and adjust the temperature.

"We'll hit a store," he corrected.

"You're coming?"

Seth gave her an evil grin and stepped into the shower. "Not yet."

Kimber laughed and slapped his ass. "Brat. Thought you were off TV."

"I was until just before I got here. Hunter called me and we talked a lot. Since I plan to stay on the road with you, I'm going to do my PT with the trainers, and there's really no reason to keep me off TV just because I can't compete." Seth winced in pain, and grabbed one of the handicapped bars as he shifted most of his weight to his left leg.

Kimber, who'd anticipated a quickie in the shower after her husband's quip on the way in, and seeing how hard he was for her, looked down, past his swollen dick, and settled on his very swollen knee and realized the shower scene couldn't happen. "You really should take tonight off, darling. I don't think you should be walking on that."

"Oh, I'm not going to be on the show tonight. I need to see the trainers and get a pair of crutches. I have a brace, but as big as my knee is, I don't want to put it on. I really hope I haven't done any more damage to it by not staying off it. It really fucking hurts."

"Darling, I know-"

He looked at her with red, watery eyes and conditioner in his hair. "No, I mean it really fucking hurts." His voice cracked, and he turned away into the shower, to rinse away the product and his tears.

Kimber helped her husband out of the shower and back to bed. Wrapped in a towel, she got the bandage from her own gym bag and wrapped his knee. Then, she fished through the luggage for a suitable outfit for him to wear for the meeting and to the arena to see the trainers and managed to find some gym shorts and an old t-shirt. No underwear or socks. At least he'd packed everything Johnny owned, and she got a little teary imagining the panic he'd been going through as he limped around the condo, grabbing what he could.

A knock at the door interrupted her process of getting dressed, and she looked through the peephole at Dean, with a drink tray and a brown paper bag. Since Dean had already seen her naked, she didn't think twice about him seeing her in her underwear, and opened the door to admit him. He shoved the food at her. "Take this, I'm about to piss my fucking pants!" She laughed and managed not to drop Seth's late lunch/early dinner, walked past the bathroom Dean was using with the door wide open, and to the master suite, where she presented the feast.

Seth smiled and pushed himself up in bed. "Finally, real food!" He picked up one of the shakes right away, and closed his eyes as he started to drink it. "Fuck, that's good." He set it down on the night table and started unpacking the bag. "Extra sauce, yes!" He quickly began devouring a sandwich and cheese fries.

Kimber realized she was hungry and her stomach groaned upon seeing and smelling the food and wished she'd taken Dean up on his offer for a sandwich. In the stress of this ridiculous day, she'd completely forgotten about eating, too. Dean came in while she was still staring longingly at the food. "Sorry about the way I shoved that at you, Kimberoo."

"It's all good. Did you make it?"

Dean laughed a little. "Fuck. Barely. I realized I needed to piss like the second I stepped out of the hotel and there was no customer bathroom at the restaurant."

"I wish I'd asked for a sandwich," she admitted.

"I bought you one." He handed her a warm, tinfoil-wrapped bundle. "I knew you'd change your mind."

Kimber sat down on the bed and unwrapped it. "Thank you. You know me well." She took a bite, it was delicious and dripping sauce back into the tinfoil.

He shrugged a little, picked up a sandwich for himself, and sat down beside her. "I learned a lot about you and Bayley when we were all traveling together. I know I was a pain in the ass, but I was perceptive, too."

"And what did you learn?"

"That you often change your mind about food, and that Bayley... Bayley's a bitch when she doesn't get the dick," Dean said, and gave her an apologetic look. "I know that's your girl and all, but-"

Kimber chuckled. "I totally agree with you. But you should understand, as I do, from when I was away, where she's coming from. It's really tough to be on the road without your partner."

Dean smiled fondly at Seth, who was still shoveling in the food with great gusto. "I wasn't really alone, but yeah, I know what you mean."