Post by The Ace on Dec 7, 2021 21:20:21 GMT
A lot had happened in the last three years that had completely reshaped Jake Conway’s life priorities. Most recent was the birth of his son of course, but even before that he had experienced loss. Two significant deaths, first of his mentor and the man he owed a significant part of his professional success to, Michael “Spike” Kane, and then of his father-in-law, Robert Jones.
Both stubborn in their own way, both ultimately brought down by cancer, even if in the case of Spike, most of the world thought differently. It was a common disease, one that was only ever a short distance away from touching anybody’s life, most recently his aunt, but before that his grandmother, who died when he was barely out of his teens.
He remembered that particular death as the first that had ever truly hit him, socked him right in the gut. Even with the doctor’s prognosis having forewarned them of the leukaemia, he had felt so unprepared for the spectre of death to darken his doorstep.
He shouldn’t be dwelling on how often death had altered the course of his life, not here, not now, yet in the eternity that seemed to pass between the initial birth of his first son and hearing his cries for the first time, his mind flashed with memories of how inconsolable Spike had been after the deaths of his sons, Zell and Xander. How violently he had insisted that Jake would never understand, because he’d never lost a child.
And no, the twins he lost through Alena Knight’s miscarriage over a year before he met Kathy apparently didn’t count because he had never even had a chance to hold them so he couldn’t possibly know what it was like to lose a real son.
Jake remembered feeling a distinct and very potent flash of anger at that remark - if there was anything Spike Kane was even better at than wrestling - it was finding a person’s big red button and violently jabbing it until it broke. Indeed, it was only knowing Spike as intimately as he did that had stopped Jake from reacting the way he knew Spike wanted him to. He wanted to be hit, so he had an excuse to hit back. It was a twisted and depressing way to confront his pain, but it was also the only way he knew, learned as it was through an abusive father who didn’t love him.
Jake could have pitied him for that, ridiculed him and joined him in the mudslinging, but Jake knew better. Jake had been taught better by his own father Thomas. So Jake grit his teeth, held his tongue and let Spike spit all the grief-laden venom he had at him that day, a few days after Xander’s death.
Jake took every barb in his stride then, he could not judge a man racked with grief so harshly, and it was that compassion and understanding, concepts that were so foreign and strange to Spike that ultimately broke him to confess the one thing to Jake that he said he’d never told anybody before:
Spike didn’t hate Warren…he just didn’t know how to love him…
Every time Michael Patrick Kane had been blessed with the knowledge of a son, some fickle force of fate had always intervened to snatch him away, usually death, in whatever form it took, it’s latest had been Eternity, if Spike believed in anything, it was that he didn’t deserve a son, and he feared any effort to embrace him as he had Zell and Xander would have resulted in a premature end for Warren as well. Fate had yet to steal a daughter from him, so loving them always somehow had felt much easier to Spike, or so he had said.
Spike didn’t want that for Warren, he wanted him to live his best life, and for Spike anybody’s best life was ultimately a life without him in it to mess things up as he always inevitably did.
Sat in the maternity ward, with his wife, kids and mother-in-law Sylvia, Jake tried to distract himself from becoming lost in dark thoughts of losing his son before he even got a chance to hold him, so a quick scroll through Warren’s Twitter on his phone made him smile.
He Said Yes…
Live your best life, son. It’s what your father would have wanted…
Jake could have composed that thought into a reply, but thought better of it. Any mention of Spike would likely only upset Warren further, and he couldn’t, not on such a special moment, not on such a special occasion. Warren’s best life truly was a life without his father, and now with this engagement, it was just beginning.
Some memories really were best left undisturbed.
Jake had a new life of his own to take care of, outside the business.
He pocketed his phone again with a deep sigh. Even though before now, he had only been present for the birth of one of his children, it felt like the doctors and nurses were taking a lot longer to bring his son out to them after their standard tests.
Maybe it was all in his head.
First son nerves, he had to admit he didn’t know quite what to expect, and as much as that terrified him, it also carried a uniquely palpable sense of excitement and adventure. He couldn’t wait to meet his little miracle.
“What’s taking so long?” Domino asked with all the impatience expected from a restless ten year old.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s fine,” Solitaire said, hugging her little sister.
“Good things come to those who wait, you know that, Min,” Jake said in a fatherly tone he’d long since perfected.
“Jacob Robert Conway? What do you think, darling?” Kathy asked, reaching for his hand.
“It has a nice ring to it,” Sylvia smiled. “Your father would have been very flattered, Kathy.”
“I think it’s only fair that I honour the lives of the two most important men in my life with our son,” Kathy beamed.
“I like it, and I appreciate the sentiment, I do,” Jake said softly.
“But?” Kathy asked, she knew her husband well enough to sense his hesitation in his tone.
“I don’t know, it just feels ordinary. I want it to be something memorable, unique and rare. Like Soli and Min are, you know?”
“Ah, so something more on par with ‘The Ace’ brand,” Kathy teased. “I suppose you’re right, compared to our daughter’s names, Jacob does sound rather…plain.”
“Plus ‘Jacob’ always sounds like I’m in trouble, my Mom only calls me that when I am.”
The nurse finally arrived with a newborn tucked in a baby blue blanket cradled in her arms. Everybody smiled and Jake in particular breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“Here we are, he’s a gorgeous little superstar. Spitting image of his handsome dad,” the nurse remarked, smiling as she slowly passed the chubby pink bundle into the waiting arms of Kathy.
Everybody gathered around, smiling down at the curious little boy who kept his eyes fixed on Kathy.
“Oh my gosh, he really does!” Kathy exclaimed.
“So cute,” Domino said.
“Super cute,” Solitaire confirmed.
“Well, he certainly has your eyes, Jake,” Sylvia smiled.
“Hello, my little man, I’m your Dada,” Jake said, offering him a finger.
The newborn grabbed it with his little hand before locking eyes with Jake for the first time and in that reflection, Jake felt his heart flutter and a rush of warmth as he fell instantly in love with the little boy, his baby boy. The grin never left Jake’s face.
“So does he have a name yet?” The nurse asked politely.
“Not yet, care to offer us any suggestions, by chance?” Jake asked.
“Wait, that’s it.” Kathy smiled, before the nurse could reply.
“What?” Jake asked.
“Chance,” Kathy replied.
“Chance Jacob Robert Conway,” Sylvia said as if throwing it out in full just to see how it sounded.
“CJ for short?” Solitaire offered.
“Love it,” Domino grinned.
“Well, that’s settled then,” Jake nodded. “Welcome to the world CJ.”
“CJ,” everyone cheered, smiles all around.
It really was a wonderful life away from the business, Jake reflected, and for his son, the best life was still to come. Even in death, the last regrets of Spike Kane taught Jake Conway so much of what was truly worth living for, fighting for.
And it wasn’t anything tangible that could ever be captured inside a wrestling ring.
Michael Patrick Kane had died and left behind a deeply resentful son and daughter chasing that particular misconception to it’s only tragic but inevitable conclusion.
Jake Conway was nothing like Spike Kane, and he never would be.
Jake wouldn’t make Spike’s mistakes, because he was a better man.
Somewhere deep inside, Jake knew that was the real reason Spike resented him as deeply and for as long as he had, even if the stubborn bastard could never be a real man and admit it.
For better or worse, Jake vowed as he looked into his wife’s eyes and smiled, he would always be the better man for his family, and he knew exactly what that meant. It meant sacrificing everything his bitter stubborn mentor-turned-rival never could.
Both stubborn in their own way, both ultimately brought down by cancer, even if in the case of Spike, most of the world thought differently. It was a common disease, one that was only ever a short distance away from touching anybody’s life, most recently his aunt, but before that his grandmother, who died when he was barely out of his teens.
He remembered that particular death as the first that had ever truly hit him, socked him right in the gut. Even with the doctor’s prognosis having forewarned them of the leukaemia, he had felt so unprepared for the spectre of death to darken his doorstep.
He shouldn’t be dwelling on how often death had altered the course of his life, not here, not now, yet in the eternity that seemed to pass between the initial birth of his first son and hearing his cries for the first time, his mind flashed with memories of how inconsolable Spike had been after the deaths of his sons, Zell and Xander. How violently he had insisted that Jake would never understand, because he’d never lost a child.
And no, the twins he lost through Alena Knight’s miscarriage over a year before he met Kathy apparently didn’t count because he had never even had a chance to hold them so he couldn’t possibly know what it was like to lose a real son.
Jake remembered feeling a distinct and very potent flash of anger at that remark - if there was anything Spike Kane was even better at than wrestling - it was finding a person’s big red button and violently jabbing it until it broke. Indeed, it was only knowing Spike as intimately as he did that had stopped Jake from reacting the way he knew Spike wanted him to. He wanted to be hit, so he had an excuse to hit back. It was a twisted and depressing way to confront his pain, but it was also the only way he knew, learned as it was through an abusive father who didn’t love him.
Jake could have pitied him for that, ridiculed him and joined him in the mudslinging, but Jake knew better. Jake had been taught better by his own father Thomas. So Jake grit his teeth, held his tongue and let Spike spit all the grief-laden venom he had at him that day, a few days after Xander’s death.
Jake took every barb in his stride then, he could not judge a man racked with grief so harshly, and it was that compassion and understanding, concepts that were so foreign and strange to Spike that ultimately broke him to confess the one thing to Jake that he said he’d never told anybody before:
Spike didn’t hate Warren…he just didn’t know how to love him…
Every time Michael Patrick Kane had been blessed with the knowledge of a son, some fickle force of fate had always intervened to snatch him away, usually death, in whatever form it took, it’s latest had been Eternity, if Spike believed in anything, it was that he didn’t deserve a son, and he feared any effort to embrace him as he had Zell and Xander would have resulted in a premature end for Warren as well. Fate had yet to steal a daughter from him, so loving them always somehow had felt much easier to Spike, or so he had said.
Spike didn’t want that for Warren, he wanted him to live his best life, and for Spike anybody’s best life was ultimately a life without him in it to mess things up as he always inevitably did.
Sat in the maternity ward, with his wife, kids and mother-in-law Sylvia, Jake tried to distract himself from becoming lost in dark thoughts of losing his son before he even got a chance to hold him, so a quick scroll through Warren’s Twitter on his phone made him smile.
He Said Yes…
Live your best life, son. It’s what your father would have wanted…
Jake could have composed that thought into a reply, but thought better of it. Any mention of Spike would likely only upset Warren further, and he couldn’t, not on such a special moment, not on such a special occasion. Warren’s best life truly was a life without his father, and now with this engagement, it was just beginning.
Some memories really were best left undisturbed.
Jake had a new life of his own to take care of, outside the business.
He pocketed his phone again with a deep sigh. Even though before now, he had only been present for the birth of one of his children, it felt like the doctors and nurses were taking a lot longer to bring his son out to them after their standard tests.
Maybe it was all in his head.
First son nerves, he had to admit he didn’t know quite what to expect, and as much as that terrified him, it also carried a uniquely palpable sense of excitement and adventure. He couldn’t wait to meet his little miracle.
“What’s taking so long?” Domino asked with all the impatience expected from a restless ten year old.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s fine,” Solitaire said, hugging her little sister.
“Good things come to those who wait, you know that, Min,” Jake said in a fatherly tone he’d long since perfected.
“Jacob Robert Conway? What do you think, darling?” Kathy asked, reaching for his hand.
“It has a nice ring to it,” Sylvia smiled. “Your father would have been very flattered, Kathy.”
“I think it’s only fair that I honour the lives of the two most important men in my life with our son,” Kathy beamed.
“I like it, and I appreciate the sentiment, I do,” Jake said softly.
“But?” Kathy asked, she knew her husband well enough to sense his hesitation in his tone.
“I don’t know, it just feels ordinary. I want it to be something memorable, unique and rare. Like Soli and Min are, you know?”
“Ah, so something more on par with ‘The Ace’ brand,” Kathy teased. “I suppose you’re right, compared to our daughter’s names, Jacob does sound rather…plain.”
“Plus ‘Jacob’ always sounds like I’m in trouble, my Mom only calls me that when I am.”
The nurse finally arrived with a newborn tucked in a baby blue blanket cradled in her arms. Everybody smiled and Jake in particular breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“Here we are, he’s a gorgeous little superstar. Spitting image of his handsome dad,” the nurse remarked, smiling as she slowly passed the chubby pink bundle into the waiting arms of Kathy.
Everybody gathered around, smiling down at the curious little boy who kept his eyes fixed on Kathy.
“Oh my gosh, he really does!” Kathy exclaimed.
“So cute,” Domino said.
“Super cute,” Solitaire confirmed.
“Well, he certainly has your eyes, Jake,” Sylvia smiled.
“Hello, my little man, I’m your Dada,” Jake said, offering him a finger.
The newborn grabbed it with his little hand before locking eyes with Jake for the first time and in that reflection, Jake felt his heart flutter and a rush of warmth as he fell instantly in love with the little boy, his baby boy. The grin never left Jake’s face.
“So does he have a name yet?” The nurse asked politely.
“Not yet, care to offer us any suggestions, by chance?” Jake asked.
“Wait, that’s it.” Kathy smiled, before the nurse could reply.
“What?” Jake asked.
“Chance,” Kathy replied.
“Chance Jacob Robert Conway,” Sylvia said as if throwing it out in full just to see how it sounded.
“CJ for short?” Solitaire offered.
“Love it,” Domino grinned.
“Well, that’s settled then,” Jake nodded. “Welcome to the world CJ.”
“CJ,” everyone cheered, smiles all around.
It really was a wonderful life away from the business, Jake reflected, and for his son, the best life was still to come. Even in death, the last regrets of Spike Kane taught Jake Conway so much of what was truly worth living for, fighting for.
And it wasn’t anything tangible that could ever be captured inside a wrestling ring.
Michael Patrick Kane had died and left behind a deeply resentful son and daughter chasing that particular misconception to it’s only tragic but inevitable conclusion.
Jake Conway was nothing like Spike Kane, and he never would be.
Jake wouldn’t make Spike’s mistakes, because he was a better man.
Somewhere deep inside, Jake knew that was the real reason Spike resented him as deeply and for as long as he had, even if the stubborn bastard could never be a real man and admit it.
For better or worse, Jake vowed as he looked into his wife’s eyes and smiled, he would always be the better man for his family, and he knew exactly what that meant. It meant sacrificing everything his bitter stubborn mentor-turned-rival never could.