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As Chris Benoit poured his heart out to her, Stephanie felt a wave of sympathy wash over her, not only for the redheaded diva who was in fact his half-sister, but also for the man himself.  This man - who was usually so tough and rough around the edges - actually seemed on the verge of tears as he told her his story.

Her heart went out to him.  Reaching out and placing a gentle hand on his arm, Stephanie spoke.

"Oh, Chris...I am so sorry for snapping at you before.  But it's so great that you and Amy found each other...I-"

The brunette was interrupted by the sudden ringing of her cell phone.  She snatched up the Star Tac from her desk, giving Chris an apologetic look and raising one forefinger to him before flipping it open and answering.

"Hello?"

Benoit kept his eyes on Stephanie while she listened to the person on the other end, the changes in her facial expression not lost on him.

"Oh, God...okay, give me the address..."  Stephanie grabbed a pen and scribbled on a piece of paper on her desk.  After a beat, she said, "All right - I'll be right over.  Just sit tight and wait for me!"  She pressed the button to disconnect the call and looked up to meet Chris' questioning eyes.  Her face was ashen as she began to speak.

"That was Amy...she wants me to go meet her right away..."  The brunette rushed around her desk to gather up her bag, shoving her cell phone into it.

"Where?  Where is she?"

Stephanie paused in her task of putting on her coat and stared him straight in the eye, her expression serious.

"At an all-night clinic.  Chris, she went there to get an abortion..."

*

Amy sat in the clinic's waiting room, surrounded by several other people, most of whom were young women who, like her, were alone.  Some were accompanied by others, including men she guessed were their boyfriends or husbands.

The most disheartening thing to her was that a girl, who couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen, was one of the patients waiting.  She too was alone - and she looked even more terrified than Amy felt, if such a thing were possible.

Looking away from the teenager and biting her lip, the redhead mentally berated herself.

"You're a coward, Amy Christine Dumas...nothing more than a gutless, witless, spineless coward!"

She ran both hands through her long hair, and it took all of her willpower not to tear at it. She disliked cowardice as a rule, but she totally despised it in herself.  She was also a terrible, horrible person - she was aborting the baby, and his or her father didn't even know about it.  God, what the hell was wrong with her?

"There you are!" a female voice suddenly cried, disrupting Amy's thoughts, and she looked up to meet the concerned eyes of Stephanie McMahon, her jacket fluttering as she rushed toward her.  The brunette stooped over to hug her, and the redhead returned the embrace.  Little more than an hour ago, she never would have guessed she would be hugging this woman, but after all her revelations to the brunette, she felt as though she were a good friend - a trusted confidante.

And then, she suddenly noticed him - the man standing behind Stephanie - and her eyes widened in shock before narrowing suspiciously.

"Chris...what...what are you doing here?"

Her brother took a step forward.  "Amy, why didn't you tell me?"  He reached one hand out to her, but the redhead shrank away from his touch.

"I don't believe this!" she cried, her annoyed gaze fixed on Stephanie.  "You told him?"

"What?"  The brunette winced with the hurt she felt as the other woman accused her of betrayal.  "No, Amy...I said nothing to no one...he heard us talking from out in the hallway..."

Amy's gaze shifted from the woman to Benoit as if to confirm Stephanie's statement.

Chris nodded.  "It's true, Amy...I was on my way to Stephanie's office but I stopped just outside the door when I heard your voice..."

The redhead's hazel eyes widened.  "So you were eavesdropping?"

Before the man could reply, Stephanie took hold of Amy's arm and sat down in the vacant chair beside the one she'd been in, directing the other woman to sit.

"None of that matters, now, Amy," she said in a soft voice.  "But your brother is here now, and-"

"You know?"  Amy turned to face Chris briefly before again facing the brunette, who nodded.

"Yes...Chris told me - after he came into my office and started yelling at me," the yong woman said, giving Benoit a look as she spoke.

"Hey, I apologized...What more do you want, woman?"

Stephanie ignored him for the moment.  "You still haven't told Adam, have you?"

The other diva's face reddened as she tried to duck her head.  It didn't even shock her that the brunette had spoken his name in her brother's presence.  Besides, it suddenly occurred to her that Chris probably already knew Adam was the father of her unborn child anyway.  After all, he knew pretty much everything else.  Without raising her eyes, Amy shook her head.

"Oh, Amy..."  Stephanie's voice was laden with sadness.  "...you have to tell him!"

"I know...I know, Stephanie."  She bowed her head again as Chris reached over and grasped her hand.

"Do you really want to go through with this?  I know it's your body and your choice, but..."  Benoit paused as Amy met his eyes sadly.  "...do you really want to get rid of the baby - and when the father doesn't even know about it?  Besides, I would love to see my little niece or nephew..."

Amy's eyes welled full of tears as she absorbed all of his words.  She felt as though she might burst at any moment.  Finally, she replied.

"No..."

Both Chris and Stephanie seemed to sigh audibly at her answer when a woman suddenly appeared in view of the waiting room, a clipboard in hand.

"Miss Dumas?"

The redhead looked up sharply as she heard her name.  The woman approached her slowly and gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"The doctor is ready for you."

Amy glanced from her to Stephanie and then Benoit.  Then, shifting her gaze back to the woman, she slowly stood up.

"I've changed my mind.  I'm not getting rid of my baby..."