The Value of Family
Chapter I
For the last four hours Matt Hardy had been laying there just as he was now...
The back of his head buried deep in his pillow, his body stretched lazily across his bed, in his hand clutched a small pile of photographs.
One was of he and Krissy. Kalli had taken it at her birthday party the previous year. The party had been a bad taste night, and he had turned up dressed as Hulk Hogan while Krissy came as Sable, fake boobs and blonde wig to boot. It had been one of the funniest nights of his entire life, and the photo, though a shocker in every sense of the word, was one of his favourites because on that night, he and Krissy had been happy. Totally and utterly.
There had been none of the constant angst that seemed to surround them now, and due to promotional commitments, Adam Copeland had been unable to make it...
It had been just them, purely a couple, in love and overjoyed, and it had been perfect.
He missed that.
More than anything else in this world, he missed that.
The Hardy Boy sighed. When had everything gotten so complicated?
If he could just understand what it was that had drawn him away from Krissy...
He sighed again.
Kalli had drawn him away from Krissy.
But how? That was the part he didn’t understand, no matter how much he ummed and arghed about it. Though he scrutinized things about their relationship he had never even pondered before now, nothing made sense to him.
Was it just the attraction of something so forbidden?
Or was it...
He shook his head, lifting one of the photos above his head to stare up at it. It was only eight months old, taken just a few weeks prior to Kalli’s break up with Jeff. Vince had teased at the idea of perhaps letting Kalli into the storylines, but as a fourth member of Team Xtreme as opposed to a singles competitor in the Women’s Division. Kalli had been furious about the suggestion, but he had used her contract with the WWF to force her into a promotional photo shoot and some in ring work with he, Jeff and Amy.
The chemistry had been there, certainly, and Kalli could mimic every move they had nearly to perfection, but her heart was not in Team Xtreme.
Kalli McMahon would never be able to work with Jeff Hardy.
Not without having heart failure at ringside and being reduced to a babbling mess.
He cast his eyes over the picture, smiling at the cute, angry little glare on Kalli’s face, her hands shaped as guns. He chuckled softly, she always referred to making the guns as ‘having Hardy hands.’
His chuckle died away.
In the past, he and Kalli had worked the odd dark match together, and they worked together in the ring every week, training, trying new moves, practising come old ones.
Apart from the first year or so that he had known her, Kalli rarely worked with Jeff... It was too hard for her.
Why was it that she worried so about Jeff in the ring, but her concern for Matt seemed far less painful?
Matt sighed, whispering softly, “Because she loves him. More than anything else,” he closed his eyes. “She loves him.”
That knowledge didn’t point him any nearer an answer to this entire mess.
What had drawn Matt and Kalli together?
What had drawn them together when since he walked out of his and Krissy’s hotel room on Tuesday morning, all he wanted to do was go back to her. No matter what he felt for Kalli, he was still drawn back to Krissy. He wanted to love her, protect...
Protect her from the horrors of her past, and ensure there was never a repeat in the future.
How anyone could ever hurt Krissy Copeland was beyond him.
She was beautiful. Inside and Out. She had the gentlest smile; the most loving eyes...
The phone rang beside the bed and his opened his eyes, groaning, not in the mood to take phone calls but knowing avoiding the outside world would do him little good. He leant over, grabbing the phone and pressing it to his ear, “Hello?”
“Hi, my name is Dr. James Rowe. I’m looking for Krissy McMahon, please.”
Matt ‘s face set curiously. What was a Doctor doing calling for Krissy?
“I’m sorry, she’s not here...” He replied.
“Oh.” The Doctor was silent for a moment and the sound of rustling papers could be made out. “What about a Matt Hardy? He’s listed here as a contact.”
The elder Hardy nodded, “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Matt, hi.” The Doctor’s voice was warm but serious. “The reason I’m calling is that I wanted to check up on Krissy... See how she was doing.”
Not really sure how she was, Matt answered as honestly as he could, “I think she’s okay under the circumstances...” His voice trailed away and he asked, “You cleared her to leave, you should know.”
“Well, actually...” The Dr. Rowe interjected, “Krissy checked herself out on Tuesday morning before we could run all the tests we needed to. She certainly wasn’t cleared to leave.”
Matt paled, “She wasn’t?”
“Not at all.” Sensing something in Matt’s voice, he asked, “Have you seen her since Tuesday morning?”
Fear creeping into his voice, Matt shook his head even though the Doctor couldn’t see him, “I haven’t.”
“Then may I suggest that you get in touch with her and get her to a hospital. It may be nothing more than a precautionary measure at this point, but she should at least run through some preliminary tests. She had quite a bad concussion, and she should have an ultrasound so that we may check for any further damage to her cervix after her miscarriage.”
The Hardy was paling all the more, “I’ll see to it she goes to a hospital.”
“Thankyou, Matt.” The Doctor added before hanging up, “Be sure to call me and let me know how you get on.”
Matt hung up the phone, white as a ghost he was sure. He picked up the receiver again, quickly dialling the number of the McMahon residence in Connecticut.
It was Linda who answered the phone, “Hello?”
“Linda? Hi! It’s Matt.”
He could hear the smile in Linda’s voice as she exclaimed warmly, “Hi Matt, how are you?”
“I’m good, thanks.” He rushed on, “Listen, is Krissy there?”
“No, she’s still at Titan...” She paused, “Matt, is something wrong?”
He shook his head, again forgetting the person on the other end of the phone could not see the action. “No, no. Everything’s fine. I’ll call her there. Thanks, Linda.” He hung up, casting his eyes over the clock. It was 7pm...
Krissy McMahon was never known for working business hours and business hours only.
He picked up the phone again, calling WWFE.
“World Wrestling Federation, how may I help you?”
“I’d like to be put through to extension number 362 please.” He told the receptionist.
There was a brief pause and then the receptionist told him, “I’m sorry, no calls are being taken to that line today.”
“What do you mean no calls are being taken?”
The receptionist sounded apologetic, “Miss McMahon has requested that she not be disturbed.”
“But it’s important...” Matt’s voice trailed away.
It didn’t matter.
Krissy would either just hang up on him, or if she did speak to him...
She would just brush him off.
There was only one way he was going to get her to go to a hospital now.
And that was to drag her ass there himself.
“Never mind.” He said in to the phone, “Thankyou.” And then hung up, dumping the photo’s onto the bed and swiftly moving around the bed to pack his things.
~*~
Chapter II
“Jeff...”
Matt Hardy froze in the doorway, his bag still slung over his shoulder. His face was locked on his brothers and he knew instantly that this wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Going somewhere, Matt?” Jeff’s voice was tight.
He was furious.
And Matt had expected as much.
But he didn’t have time for his brother right now.
Jeff on the other hand...
Jeff had had the entire day. Since Kalli had left that morning he had sat out in that garage, working on his bikes, growing more and more angry as the day wore on.
Matt had come between them.
And Jeff Hardy would not rest until he had said his piece.
“As a matter of fact, I am.” The elder Hardy stepped around his brother, moving down the front path to the drive.
Jeff followed along closely behind, “And where are you off to, Matt? Gonna try patch things up with Krissy so you can break her heart again, or have you decided you have someone else’s fish to fry?”
Matt sighed, stopping at the car, pulling open the door and tossing his bag onto the backseat. “I’m going to see Krissy.”
“My ass you are,” Jeff grabbed his brother’s arm as he went to climb into the car, yanking him to a halt and whirling him away. “I’m not letting you near her again.” He stepped forward, getting right in his brother’s face, “And don’t think I’m about to let you anywhere near Kalli either.”
“Jeff...” Matt stepped back slightly, desperate to avoid confrontation.
“Do you love her, Matt?”
Again the elder Hardy sighed, shaking his head, “Jeff...”
Without thinking, Jeff shoved his brother, slamming him against the car, “Come on, Matt. Don’t you think I have some right to know? Huh? Does she mean *anything* to you, or did you just willingly let her ruin her life, ruin our lives for some cheap, nasty fantasy you have?”
Infuriated, desperate to get to Krissy and weary already of anything that might get in his way, Matt shoved his brother back, “I care about her and you know I do!”
“But do you love her?” Jeff shoved back again, taking a hold of the front of Matt’s shirt, hurt, angry tears filling his eyes, “Because I want to know that she didn’t just throw everything we have away for someone who doesn’t love her!”
Again, Matt pushed forward, nearly taking Jeff off his feet, “Jesus, Jeff! Will you calm down and let me explain?”
“Explain it to me, Matt. Tell me again how you’re not interested in Kalli, how she’s just you’re best friend, so you sneak up from behind and stab me in my trusting back again!” Again Jeff surged forward, his hold on Matt not loosening. “Tell me so you can steal her again.”
His older brother growled. He had a plane to catch and this wasn’t going to get him on it. “It takes two to tango, Jeff!” He snapped, “Kalli was just as willing as I was on Monday night...”
It wasn’t the worst thing that had run through Jeff’s head since that morning. In fact, compared to what he had thought himself over the course of the day, Matt’s words were nothing. But they hurt him none the less, surging his rage through him until his body screamed for release. He shoved Matt again, finally letting one hand fall loose of his shirt to clench it into a angry fist...
That he buried right in the middle of his brother’s face.
“Jesus! Stop it! Both of you stop it!” Jeff moved in as his brother fell to go for another shot but his father was on him, having seen the beginning of the scuffle from inside the house. “Jeff!” Gilbert yelled, “I said stop it!!!” He dragged his son back, holding his arms around his waist and holding onto him.
“It’s all your fault, Matt! Why couldn’t you leave her alone? Why couldn’t you? We were happy...”
Pressing a hand against his bloodied nose, climbing to his feet, Matt retorted, “If she was so fucking happy what the HELL was she doing with me?”
And thought he wanted to have some witty response, some perfect, clever little answer to that question...
Jeff Hardy had nothing.
He didn’t know why Kalli had done what she had.
He just wanted to take it back.
“If you had made Kalli happy, Jeff, if you’d *kept* her happy...” Matt started.
But Gilbert finished for him, “That’s ENOUGH!!!” He yanked Jeff back a little further before tossing him to one side with what little strength he felt he had, torn between two of his boys, sending Jeff staggering back behind him. “I don’t know what the hell you two think you are doing, but this is *NOT* on! I am not going to let the two of you fight!”
Jeff muttered bitterly, longing to disgrace his elder brother in front of his father, “Maybe Matt should have thought of that before he slept with Kalli.”
But if he had expected his father to be surprised by this revelation, Gilbert’s pained expression remained unchanged.
Ashamed that his father now seemingly knew of his infidelity, Matt stammered, “Kalli was just as willing...”
“Shut it, both of you!” Their father groaned, “God dammit. You boys and those damn McMahon girls.” He looked between them. “It might surprise you to know this, but I already know what happened on Monday night.”
Both boys jaws dropped.
“What?” Matt gasped.
“How?” Jeff asked.
Gilbert shook his head, sighing as he straightened the dirty, beat up old cap on his head. “Kalli turned up here this morning. Warned me I might need to keep an eye on my boys for her because she was going away. When I asked her why,” Gilbert’s eyes filled with his compassion for the confused girl, “she told me she had just destroyed not one, but two families. The first, she said, was yours and Krissy’s, Matt, the second was ours.” He looked at Matt, “When she told me, all she could do was cry...”
“Dad...” Matt started, suddenly just as desperate to explain himself to his father as he was to see Krissy. “It wasn’t...”
Gilbert shook his head, “I don’t care.” He told him flatly, “The way I see it, this goes one of two ways.” He looked between both his sons now, “Either you and Kalli get it together, Matt, or you both step back, think long and hard and realize the people you were with truly *are* the people you’re meant to be with.” He sighed again, turning to make his way off, his point made...
But he paused after only a few steps, turning to throw serious glares at both sons.
“And if I ever catch the two of you fighting again, I’ll whip both your asses.”
He disappeared, and for a long time, both Hardy's stood in silence.
Until eventually Matt murmured, “I’m sorry, Jeff.”
“Yeah,” Jeff replied coolly, “I just bet you are.” He moved forward, his legs shaking but somehow carrying him none the less, “I’ll bet you’re real sorry you got caught.” His shoulder bashed into his older brothers before he stormed away.
Matt looked after him a few moments.
He was sorry.
He was.
And if he could tell Jeff right then and there it had all been a mistake, that Kalli meant nothing to him, anything to appease him in some way, he would have.
But the eldest Hardy Boy truly didn’t know what to make of he and Kalli anymore.
All he knew now was that Krissy had run from that hospital, that she hadn‘t been cleared by the Doctor...
That she might not be safe.
Ultimately, she was hurting herself.
And if he could stop that...
Then you could be damn sure he would.
He climbed into the car, starting it up and pulling out the drive. He drove past his brother and then out of town, more determined than ever that if nothing else he would do the one thing he swore to himself he would do.
He would love, honour and protect Krissy McMahon.
Even if it killed him.
~ The End ~