[O Malley]

The Five Stages of Grief: Part Two
Grief Counseling

Blaze of Glory is known as one of the biggest events of the year for SCW. Next to High Stakes, of course. It was for that reason that O’Malley just couldn’t see himself failing at winning the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event against Jack Washington. He felt good. The best he had felt in a while, actually. As far as confidence goes anyway. While the personal heartaches his family had experienced in the months before Blaze of Glory were still lingering, he was doing his best to not let it affect his in ring performance. And he was doing a good job, but he still lost. He still failed to become the new World Heavyweight Champion, but it was through no fault of his own.

Jack Washington had cheated. He had done what he needed to do to ensure he remained champion. With referee Jasmine St. John down after O’Malley being accidentally shoved back against her, or perhaps purposely depending on how you look at it, Jack had delivered a low blow when O’Malley was checking on her. And to add insult to injury, Jack used both his legs on the ropes to prevent O’Malley from kicking out and voila...Jack retained.

That was weeks ago and while O’Malley could have done more to get another shot at Jack, knowing damn well he deserved it after that shady victory, he knew better than to continue on his quest. Not only that, but as the winner of the Blast From The Past tournament for a second year in a row, Mark Cross was once again headed towards the World Heavyweight Championship match. Yet another fact that didn’t sit well with O’Malley.

So what was the Irishman to do next? He had no clear path going forward, but not only that...his motivation was slipping. But perhaps it had less to do with his continued losses in the ring, and more to do with the lingering effects from losing his unborn daughter. After all, it is hard for any person to get over grief in such a short amount of time. And O’Malley, it seems, is no different.

Having not been booked since Blaze of Glory, much of O’Malley’s downtime hasn’t been spent by keeping up on his training at the GO Gym. He should be, but unfortunately, he’s been finding any reason to cancel his training sessions and even going as far as to completely ignore Gabriel’s phone calls. That has left Darcy as the go between as she works to get O’Malley out of this slump he has been in. And at this moment in time, she simply can’t be quiet any longer.

He’s currently in what would have been their daughter’s nursery. It wasn’t quite finished but O’Malley had already purchased a rather comfortable rocking chair with an ottomon to prop their legs up on. He’s been spending quite a bit of time in here, losing himself in thoughts of what would have been, and more often than not, he has fallen asleep in that rocking chair. As is the current situation. Darcy stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame and she folds her arms. As much as the sight of him sleeping there broke her heart, she had to do something. So she walks up in front of him, trying to wake him up.

Darcy: O’Malley…

He stirs slightly, but not enough that he completely wakes up. She kicks at his leg, trying a bit further to wake him.

Darcy: O’Malley...wake up, honey.

He grunts and she lets out a sigh. She leans in and then snaps her fingers in front of his face, and that is enough to finally startle him awake. He nearly falls out of the chair and looks around, confused.

O'Malley: Huh? What’s wrong?!

Darcy: You. You have to stop doing this to yourself.

He rubs the sleep out of his eyes and then stares at her, still confused.

O'Malley: Doin’ what, Darc? Sleepin’?

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

Darcy: No, of course that isn’t what I meant. If you want to sleep, fine, but you need to stop falling asleep in this room. You’re torturing yourself. Not only am I worried about you, but so is Owen.

O'Malley: Owen is worried about me? Why? And where is he?

Darcy lets out another sigh.

Darcy: You’d be surprised at how receptive Owen is, honey. He knows you’re still upset over losing the baby, and he just wants to see you happy again. And he’s with Alistair.

O'Malley: Alistair?! You let Alistair take him?

Darcy chuckles and nods.

Darcy: Why wouldn’t I? He’s been left alone with him before, and Alistair said he wanted to buy him a special gift but needed to take him with. I didn’t think there would be a problem.

O’Malley stands up from the rocking chair and stretches. He had been sleeping in a slightly awkward position, but felt better after cracking his neck and stretching out a bit.

O'Malley: I guess we’ll find out once they get back. Alistair didn’t say what the special gift was?

Darcy shakes her head and shrugs.

O'Malley: This should be interesting.

Darcy: You’re avoiding what our conversation was originally about, O’Malley. Stop avoiding it. You need to stop sleeping in this room.

O'Malley: Darc, I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me fallin’ asleep in here.

She lets out a frustrated sigh and just stares at him.

Darcy: Of course you don’t see a problem with it, but what reason is there to sleep in here? If it’s a matter of that chair being comfortable, just move it to the front room. You need to distract yourself and stop dwelling on what we lost. I’m doing the best that I can, but seeing you like this isn’t making it any easier on me, you know.

O'Malley: Well, gee, Darc. I’m sorry if yer not broken up about losin’ our daughter! I’m sorry that we can’t all get over death as quickly as ye can!

He snaps at her and she’s taken slightly back by how much his words sting. She frowns at him, but she holds back tears and as soon as he spoke the words, he instantly regretted them.

O'Malley: I...I’m sorry, love. That didn’t come across very well…

Darcy: How else would that have come across? You think that just because I’m not laying in bed all day crying over losing our daughter that I’m over it? Because I’m not. You’re forgetting that this is the second child of ours that I lost, so I think the feelings I’m going through on a daily basis are just a little more difficult than you might think.

He goes quiet. He hadn’t forgotten that Darcy had miscarried once before, while they weren’t together, but hadn’t truly thought of how this was all affecting her. He was just amazed at how she was keeping it all together.

O'Malley: I dunno why I’m havin’ such a hard time with this, love. I really don’t. And I dunno how the hell yer keepin’ yerself together like ye have been. If anyone should be a complete wreck, it’s ye.

Darcy: I’ve already told you how. It’s Owen. He may not be my biological child, but that little boy keeps me going. He is the one good thing that ever came out of you falling in love with Misty in the first place. I will never deny that.

O’Malley can’t help but smile as Darcy speaks those last words. She had hated Misty for so long, even after she had died, but the personal growth his wife had experienced over the last year was simply remarkable. And he loved her more for it.

O'Malley: I’m tryin’ so hard, Darc. I really am. I was thrilled when the judge finally granted us custody of Owen, and thinkin’ about us havin’ a baby just a few months later. It’s the happiest I’ve been in a long time.

Darcy: I know. And I feel the same. But life throws us curveballs. You know that. And if you’re struggling that bad, honey, the only other thing I can suggest is--

”DADDY!”

Before Darcy can even finish her sentence, the sound of Owen’s excited shouting is heard along with the front door bursting open. O’Malley and Darcy share a laugh, and O’Malley holds up a single finger, advising her to hold that thought. He walks past her and just as he steps out of the would-be nursery, Owen nearly crashes into him. But as O’Malley looks down at his son, his jaw nearly hits the floor upon noticing what Owen is now wearing. Alistair walks up behind him a few moments later with a proud smile on his face.

O'Malley: Alistair...ye can’t be serious? That is the special gift Darcy told me ye wanted to get fer Owen?!

The special gift, as is now very visible, is a child-sized version of the fancy tailored suit that Alistair is wearing. It of course has not been tailored to fit Owen perfectly, but Alistair just nods . Darcy takes one look at Owen and smiles.

Darcy: Well don’t you look handsome, Owen! But...what is the occasion?

Owen: Uncle Alistair says a gentleman doesn’t need a reason to wear a nice suit!

Darcy giggles, but O’Malley is not as receptive to the idea of Alistair’s gift. While he agrees his son looks like a handsome little boy in such a fine suit, it struck him as...odd.

O'Malley: Are ye tryna turn me son into ye, Alistair? What does he need a suit like that fer?!

Alistair: Oh relax, Shane. It’s perfectly fine. Everyone is under this impression that suits are only to be worn on special occasions, but I very much disagree with that idea. I didn’t think you’d be upset over me buying the boy a suit.

Owen: You’re not mad are you, Daddy?! I think it’s really cool! And I look just like Uncle Alistair!

That is exactly what O’Malley was afraid of. While he and Alistair had been growing closer and mending their relationship in recent months, Alistair’s personality and in particular his promiscuous lifestyle was not something he wanted his son exposed to. And though a suit was hardly reason to believe that is where it was headed, O’Malley knew better than to led his guard down.

O'Malley: Owen, boy-o, why don’t ye go change out of that suit fer right now. Ye don’t want to get it dirty right off the bat, okay?

Owen: But I want to keep it on! I like it!

O'Malley: I know ye do, kiddo, but...just do as I tell ye, okay?

Owen frowns and he glances at Darcy. She just nods slowly and then Owen rushes off and disappears into his room to get changed. Alistair hands a bag containing Owen’s previous outfit over to Darcy and then folds his arms.

Alistair: You can’t really be that upset over this? It’s just a suit, Shane.

O'Malley: Just a suit? Just a suit?! Alistair--

Darcy: Honey, relax. Please. He’s right. It’s just a suit. And Owen did look rather handsome. Might be a good outfit for some pictures…

O’Malley laughs and shakes his head. Darcy was missing the point and what clearly was bothering O’Malley about the entire situation.

O'Malley: It may be just a suit right now, Darc, but it’ll turn into more than that. He’s only five years old, and I ain’t gonna have him exposed to the sort of shite ye do on a daily basis, Alistair. I’d like to set a better example on him, if ye know what I mean.

Alistair: That is what this is about? You think that because I have an…active lifestyle that I’d think it appropriate to expose a five and a half year old to that? I may not be perfect, Shane, but I have a little bit more respect than to do something like that. I’m sorry if you feel that a suit is an inappropriate gift, but you’ve got some issues to work out if you think there is anything more to it than that. But I will be going now. Darcy, thank you for allowing me to take Owen with me today.

Darcy: Of course. You’re his uncle after all.

Alistair just smiles. Without even looking at O’Malley again, or speaking another word to him, he turns and leaves. O’Malley is still annoyed, but Darcy stares at him, almost at a loss for words.

Darcy: That was uncalled for, O’Malley, and you know it.

O'Malley: I think I know me brother better than ye do, Darc. While he might not intentionally expose--

Darcy: Just...stop. Don’t say another word, because I’m going to finish what I was going to suggest before they walked in. Your mood swings lately are really starting to make me dizzy, and I think it’s time you talk to someone. Someone who isn’t me, or Gabriel. Or Alistair.

O’Malley raises an eyebrow.

O'Malley: What? Are ye talkin’ like...a shrink? I don’t need--

Darcy: Grief counseling, O’Malley. I’m talking about grief counseling, because from where I’m standing? You need it. As much as I’ve tried, I just can’t help you.

O’Malley’s jaw drops and he just blinks. He’s left at a loss for words and Darcy leaves him with nothing more to say. She shakes her head, lets out a sigh, and heads off towards Owen’s bedroom to see if he needs anything. O’Malley scratches his head and he turns around, looking back into the would-be nursery. His anger at Alistair quickly disappears as he is reminded of the loss of his daughter and he takes in a deep breath.

O'Malley: Grief counseling…


O’Malley couldn’t stop thinking about what Darcy had said. Well, what she had suggested. He never really considered the thought that he might need additional help in getting past his most recent heartbreaking loss, but after a couple of days, he thought maybe she had a point. Still, it wasn’t easy to finally give in and schedule the appointment for his first session. And he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect either. He had hoped to deal with his grief in his own way, but clearly that was not working.

Today is his first appointment, and until it was done, he was waiting to tell Darcy he made the decision to see a grief counselor. He wanted to be sure he would continue going before mentioning anything, but it wasn’t out of shame. It was because he didn’t want her to make a big deal over something that wouldn’t continue past the first session.

He’s currently seated in the waiting area of the counseling office. It’s considerably empty with most patients still opting for video sessions as the pandemic is still on-going. But this office was one of few who had returned to office visits for those who would prefer an in person session, but they of course were adhering to social distancing guidelines as well as mask requirements.

O’Malley had done his research before scheduling the appointment. He knew that if he was going to go through with this, he couldn’t just choose any random counselor to help him cope with his grief. He needed someone experienced and highly rated, so he had to look around. And his search eventually led him to Clara Holmes. From her professional profile online, Clara was in her mid-fifties with over twenty years of experience. She offered various areas of counseling services, but her main focus was of course, grief counseling. O’Malley had read many reviews and found absolutely nothing to deter him from choosing her, so he made the call.

His right leg bounces up and down as he sits in the chair in the waiting area. Clara appears at the reception desk from the back as she organizes some paperwork and talks quietly to the receptionist. After a few minutes, she glances over to O’Malley and just quietly signals him to the door leading to the back counseling rooms. She opens the door for him, offering him a friendly greeting.

Clara: Mr. O’Malley. So nice to meet you. My office is just down this hall.

O'Malley: Nice to meet ye as well Ms. Holmes. Ye’ll have to forgive me in advance. I’m pretty nervous right now.

Clara leads him just a little ways down the hall before inviting him into her office. It’s a spacious and “homey” office, with a sofa placed against the wall with a window just behind it. Her chair, a rather comfortable looking la-z-boy is closer to the door, offering plenty of space for the social distancing aspect. O’Malley heads over to the sofa and takes a seat, while Clara takes her own.

Clara: You can call me Clara. And I see your first name is...Shane?

O'Malley: It is, but I don’t go by me first name. I’ve always been called just by me last name O’Malley.

Clara: Interesting, but noted. So before we get started, I just want to take a moment try and ease your nervousness a bit. I know counseling can be a daunting idea, but the fact that you scheduled this appointment is a great sign. I see patients for varying issues, and there is absolutely no judgement.

O’Malley nods slowly and takes in a deep breath. To his surprise, his nerves do calm slightly but he’s not sure how to respond to Clara. No need apparently as she takes his silence as an opportunity to get started. She has her notepad and a pen in her hand to jot down any notes during their session.

Clara: Okay. So, O’Malley, I know this might sound cliche, but there’s really no other way to start this off other than me asking you to tell me a little bit about yourself. And what led to you scheduling this appointment?

He takes in another deep breath having fully expected one or both of those questions, but he was not sure of what to fully expect from this session.

O'Malley: Well, I’m a professional wrestler with a company based here in Las Vegas. I was born and raised in Ireland but moved to the states before I married me first wife, Misty. We had a son, Owen, who is five and half now, but I’m married to me wife, Darcy currently.

Clara: What happened with your first wife?

He figured that question would be brought up, and while his grief over losing his daughter was what brought him here, he had a feeling Clara would also dive into his grief over losing Misty.

O'Malley: She was killed in a car accident three years ago. After she died I went back to Ireland which is how me and Darcy ended up gettin’ married. But it ain’t grief over losin’ Misty that brought me here. I scheduled this appointment because I’ve been havin’ a hard time recently over Darcy and I losin’ our unborn daughter. She was twenty weeks pregnant and when we went in fer the ultrasound and to find out the gender, they couldn’t find a heartbeat.

Clara: I’m very sorry to hear about both of those losses, O’Malley. Grief is definitely something that can take time to heal from, but I assure you I will do my absolute best to help you through this.

O'Malley: I’m gonna be honest with ye here. I never thought of the idea of grief counseling or any type of counseling to be honest. I’ve always wanted to get through any challenges meself, but after Darcy suggested it, it got me thinkin’. She’s been an absolute rockstar dealin’ with losin’ our daughter, but me? I’m all over the place.

Clara nods and as O’Malley speaks, she jots down various notes on her notepad, using it all as reference for future appointments and to dig deeper into his treatment. After just a few minutes, it’s clear that there is a lot more to dive into, but there’s only so much to get to in a single hour.

Clara: You said your first wife passed away three years ago?

O'Malley: That’s right.

Clara: How did you handle your grief then?

And there it was. The question he had hoped to avoid all together. As soon as she asked that question, O’Malley immediately expected her to use the events that led to his marriage to Darcy as a reason to say he had never gotten over Misty at all. Which was not at all the case.

O'Malley: It...it was tough, but Darcy helped me through it. I left Owen in the care of his grandparents fer a while and went home to Ireland. I struggled fer a bit, but Darcy saved me life, and I was able to get over me grief then. This time? With losin’ our daughter, it just seems...different fer some reason.

Clara: I know you say that the loss of your daughter is what brought you here, O’Malley, but I’d like to hear more about Misty’s death and how it affected you afterwards. I get the sense that there is more that needs to be addressed, but I can’t force you to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about. I just feel that it will help me have a better understanding of you, as well as guide me through your treatment.

He nods. She was right, he didn’t really want to talk about Misty because he had moved on from her death a long time ago. He had accepted that she was gone and not coming back, and he was happy with Darcy. Nothing would change that. But, could Clara provide some clarity to something he perhaps didn’t see before? This could very well be a lengthy process, he thought.

O'Malley: It could take a lot longer than an hour to get through that situation. And as I said, I’ve moved on with me life. I’m tryna grieve the daughter I’ll now never have, so what good will talkin’ about Misty do?

Clara: You’d be surprised. But you already said that you struggled after Misty died, which led to you ending up with Darcy because she saved you. Saved you how? And this all ultimately leads to you losing your daughter. Different points in life, yes, but it could be connected. And I’m not saying we have to get through all of it in today’s session. As I said, this can take time.

O'Malley: I just don’t want this to turn into focusin’ on Misty when it’s losin’ me daughter that brought me here…

Clara nods and stops writing on her notepad for a moment.

Clara: I completely understand, and I promise you that won’t happen. I just need to connect all the dots. I want to help you through this.

O’Malley draws in a deep breath and lets out a sigh, nodding slowly. Before he knows it, and with little further hesitation, he begins to tell Clara about his experiences after returning to Ireland following Misty’s death. She just listened as he talked for what seemed like forever. And while he used to feel judged over speaking about what happened, he felt safe as he spoke to Clara. Grief counseling, he thought, was something he definitely would continue past today. No matter how long it would take…


It’s been six months since I lost the Roulette championship to the same fella whose title reign I ended...Kedron Williams. Six whole months since I’ve been without a championship, and while that might not exactly be a big deal, I ain’t exactly where I wanted to be at this point in time, either. And I think I’ve realized that I might have made a mistake with me decision I made after losin’ the roulette championship. It should have been obvious a while ago, but I guess me ambitions were a bit higher than I deserved.

Lookin’ back on everything that has happened since I was roulette champ, it’s become quite clear that instead of goin’ after the World Heavyweight Championship, I should have done what others had encouraged me to do and just...built meself up slowly. How? By movin’ up just a single notch and goin’ after the Internet Championship. But instead, I let me personal feelings get in the way of achieving what I could have achieved a while ago. Because not only did I have beef with Jack Washington, who was champ at the time, but I was also itchin’ to get me one-on-one shot at Kris Ryans. I was so distracted by wantin’ to beat the both of them, I held meself back, but also I might have directly caused the current situation in the Internet Championship title scene. Key words bein’ ‘might have.’

Ye see, J2H is also partly to blame fer this little fiasco, too. He had to go and just hand the title over to Caleb Storms knowin’ damn well that worthless loser didn’t deserve it. And he went and proved it like we all knew he would! On his first “defense” he lost the title and so began the proverbial game of hot potato with the Internet Championship between the two same fellas! I wouldn’t call Agostino’s win over Caleb lucky, because anyone and everyone can beat Caleb, but apparently he wasn’t good enough to really hang on to the title fer long as they’ve handed the title back and forth a few times since then. And Agostino is the fella currently holdin’ the title.

But what would have happened had I said hey I’ll take a chance and go after the Internet Championship? True, I woulda been the one more than likely endin’ Caleb’s first “reign” right off the bat, but would Agostino have ended up winnin’ the title at all? Both men are now two-time Internet Champions, and I gotta say...the buck stops now. It’s time to make right a stupid decision I made, and bring some decency back to the Internet Championship, because right now? It’s become nothin’ more than a joke.

Not only do I get a chance to right the wrong of not goin’ after the Internet Championship, but I can also right the wrong of losin’ to Agostino at the last Climax Control of the year. Not exactly a good way to prove I deserved to go after the World Heavyweight Championship when I let a fella like Agostino beat me. Then again- and this isn’t much of an excuse- I was havin’ a major off week that week and it got the best of me. Agostino beat me, and I’m ownin’ up to it.

But it ain’t gonna happen again. And it’s oh so much sweeter knowin’ that me second chance against him, that Internet Championship is on the line, because as much as I didn’t see meself gettin’ this opportunity, I sure as shite ain’t gonna waste it. I know I’ve got a lot of people out there doubtin’ me because I failed to win the World Heavyweight Championship, and believe me when I say this isn’t about provin’ anything to them. It’s about provin’ everything to meself, because with each failure for the top title, it was another blow to me confidence and it’s time to turn that shite around.

A lot of people might say that I’m the underdog headin’ into this match, that because Agostino is a two-time anc current champ, he’s got the advantage. I hope many people don’t think that because if there is one thing that is clear it’s that anyone can win a title, but a true champion can make somethin’ of their reign. A true champion can hold on to that title fer as long as it takes and clearly...Agostino can’t. He might have been a decent motorcycle racer, but clearly he’s got a lot to learn when it comes to wrestling, and as a graduate of the GO Gym, I’ll give him more than a lesson or two.

And then after that? It’s movin’ on to face another fella I’m lookin’ forward to steppin’ in the ring against…Mac Bane. Because it’s already been announced that he’s the lucky fella to get the title shot at Into The Void X. Now, credit where it’s due, Mac Bane is one tough fella. I have no doubt he’ll hold SCW championship gold again very soon, but after I beat Agostino? He ain’t gonna beat me to hold his second championship. If it were anyone but me facing Agostino this week, I have no doubt in me mind that Mac just might have won that title at Into The Void X, but it just ain’t in the stars fer him. But, I guess I shouldn’t focus too much on Mac should I? That’s putin’ the cart before the horse.

But what else can I really say about Agostino? I’ve tried goin’ back and watchin’ some of his previous matches and promos, but it all literally bores me to sleep! Sure he’s got some skill in the ring, but on the mic? In his promos? Good grief, it’s like I need a translater tryin’ to understand what the feck he’s sayin’! I know I ain’t American either, and I don’t exactly speak perfect English, but Christ, this fella talks worse than me five and half year old son!

How the hell am I supposed to take an opponent seriously when I’m goin’ up against a fella like this? I mean, he clearly enjoys a good game of hot potato, and he talks like a kiddo, too, so what does that say? Am I gonna get in trouble fer beatin’ the shite out of him? Is that some sort of abuse? I can’t quite figure it out, but either way, SCW won’t have to worry about him representin’ their company as a champion after Sunday.

Ye know, fer as much as people hate me and are probably wonderin’ why I’m gettin’ this shot against Agostino, maybe they need to stop and think I’ve been given this opportunity because the bosses know they need a steady champ. They see somethin’ in me that clearly other people don’t, and I ain’t gonna let them down. I’ll be a damn good Internet champ and when the day comes later on down the road, I’ll be a damn good World Heavyweight Champ. And guys like Agostino Romano will still be at the bottom of the ladder always failin’ the improve and never becomin’ a champion worth talkin’ about or worth respecting. Don’t believe me? Just watch and find out.

The time fer talkin’ is done, though. It’s time fer me to walk into Climax Control with nothin’, and walk out with the Internet Championship, because any other outcome just isn’t acceptable. Losin’ to Agostino Romano a second time, and with the Internet Championship up fer grabs isn’t acceptable.

I’m feckin’ sick of losing.

Winning is the only option.