Chapter 238

Two weeks later, Tori was leaving the office to get a snack when she heard Richie’s voice coming from the studio. Pausing in the doorway, she saw him hang up the phone and rake a hand through his hair while he paced. “Something wrong honey?”

He spun around at the sound of her voice and looked at her blankly for a moment. “You mean the phone call? No. It was from Stand Up For a Cure. They’ve got an idea for a fundraiser and they want my opinion. They’ll be sending you the details.” He hesitated, then stepped towards her. “The problem is this damn song! It’s not flowing and it’s pissing me off. I’m going to go for a drive and try and clear my head.” One hand rested on Peanut as he bent and kissed her. “I’ll be back before dinner.”

Tori frowned as she watched him walk down the hallway. She wondered if this was normal for him during the writing process or if he was just having a block. I wish I knew how to help him. Or whether I should even try, or just leave him alone. She sighed and headed for the kitchen.

A few days later the building frustration came to a head. Tori had been down in Van Nuys meeting with Jennifer and checking the new stock and came home to find Richie gone. She double checked his schedule to make sure she hadn’t forgotten something, but it was clear. Next she checked with Rosa, and the office, but he hadn’t left a note.

She was sitting on the couch in the living room a few hours later, nibbling on a chunk of maple sugar and trying to imagine what Peanut was doing based on the flutters she was feeling, when Richie returned.

“Hi honey.”

“Hi angel.” He sounded tired.

“What have you been up to today?”

“I went out for a drive. Is that okay or do I need to check with you first? Before that I had a shit. Anything else you want to know?” It was almost a snarl.

Her eyebrows snapped together and her eyes narrowed to icy slits as she rose to her feet. “So now I’m not allowed to ask a simple question? Gee sweetheart, I’m sorry that I tried to show some interest in your life! Forget it! I’ll leave you alone.” She walked stiffly towards the door.

He grimaced and reached out a hand to stop her. “Honey….”

She shook him off. “Don’t.”

It was his turn to watch her walk away. Sinking onto the couch, he covered his face with his hands. “FUCK!”

Dinner was a tense, silent half hour. Richie pushed the food around on his plate. Tori ate because she had to for Peanut’s sake, but it tasted like sawdust. As soon as she was finished, she carried her dishes to the sink and left the kitchen. Rosa turned to say something to him, but saw his shoulders slump and decided to keep silent. Her brows rose when he handed her his still half full plate. It wasn’t like Richie to leave food.

“Sorry.” He murmured and followed his wife.

He found her in the living room in front of the T.V. When he sat down close beside her she started to get up. “Please don’t.” He paused until she settled back down. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. You didn’t do anything to deserve it.”

She nodded curtly, then sighed. She really didn’t want to fight with him. “Does this happen often when you’re working on a new album?”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t know why I’m having such a problem with this one.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, but I appreciate the thought.”

“What about Jon? Have you talked to him about it? Maybe he can help. I thought you usually wrote together anyway.”

“A lot of the time, but not always. If I can’t work it out, I’ll let him have a go at it, but right now it’s pissing me off so much I’m determined to do it myself.”

The Bongiovi in her knew exactly what he meant. She nodded. He reached out to squeeze her hand. “I really am sorry.”

She searched his eyes for a long moment, then nodded again. “I know.”



A couple days later, Tori let Gail talk her into a spa and shopping day. What she didn’t know was that it was at Richie’s instigation. He wanted Tori out of the house for the day, and enlisted Gail’s help.

“Wow! When I heard people talk about how much it costs to have a child, I always thought that they meant raising them. Nobody ever mentioned the size of the wardrobe you need! Every couple months I’m buying new clothes just to have something that fits!” Tori grumbled as she tried on a dress for Shirley’s opening.

Gail laughed. “Well, you could always just wear sweats.”

“You’re joking, but if I lived anywhere else and wasn’t married to a public figure, that’s exactly what I would be wearing.” Opening the door to the dressing room, she twirled in front of the mirror. “What do you think? Will this work for an off Broadway opening?”

The ruby red dress was off the shoulder with a plunging neckline that showed more than a hint of cleavage. It was fitted to just under her bust, then floated in a loose sheath to just above her knee. Gail whistled and glanced around the room at a couple of men who were shopping with their wives. “I think it looks great.” She leaned closer. “And so do those men over there.”

Tori rolled her eyes at her friend, but couldn’t resist glancing in the direction Gail had indicated, her ego gratified to see the men’s appreciative gazes. “But will it still fit in three weeks?”

That was the salesgirl’s cue. “You’ve still got plenty of room and the material stretches. It should do you for at least the next six to eight weeks, if not all the way through.”

“You’re sure I don’t look too…I don’t know.”

“Pregant?” Gail supplied. “Sorry Tori, there’s not much we can do about that.”

Tori slanted her a look. “You know what I meant.”

“Yes, I do, and stop fussing. You look beautifully pregnant.”

Reasurred, Tori bought the dress. While she was paying, Gail was browsing. “Do you need any nightgowns?”

Tori snorted. “Have you forgotten who I’m married to?”

“Oh, right. Stupid question.”

Gail was glad when it was finally time for their spa appointment. After the first couple, she’d had to scout their path to avoid baby stores. Richie had given her strict instructions not to let Tori buy anything for the baby’s room, and that was easier said than done. Tori was in the mood to shop and Gail could only stop her by suggesting that she look around a little more before buying anything.

Tori was surprised at the spa – and impressed. One of their specialties was massages for pregnant women. The table had a scooped out indentation perfect for growing bellies. Peanut liked it too. She could feel him or her fluttering excitedly. By the time they left, she felt totally relaxed and wonderfully pampered.


Entering the house after Gail dropped her off, she set the shopping bags down in the foyer, and laid her keys and purse on the table. A noise had her looking up the stairs. “Richie?”

“Ow! Fuck! I’m up here angel.”

She climbed the stairs, then followed the noises until she reached the room they’d set aside for the nursery. There she stopped dead. Hanging on the door was a beautiful hand painted name plate that simply said ‘Peanut’. More cursing had her peeking around the door frame. Her eyes widened at what she saw. Along one wall was a chest of drawers. In front of the window was a fully stocked change table. The wallpaper border, pictures and the pattern on the material on the table was all the characters from Winnie the Pooh. Turning her head she saw where the grunting and swearing was coming from. The oak crib gleamed in the light. The bumper pads and mobile continued the Pooh theme.

Richie slid out from underneath. “There. Done. Finally!” He set aside the wrench and screwdriver in his hand. “Well?”

“Oh, Richie.” She couldn’t get anything else past the lump in her throat. Her hand reached out to stroke the wood of the crib, the lace of the bumperpads and nudge the mobile into motion. She slowly moved around the room, trailing her fingers over little things here and there. The chest of drawers and the change table were adorned with stuffed animals – the Pooh characters as well as a couple teddy bears….and a two foot high Mr. Peanut. A smile curving her lips, she picked up Tigger and hugged him as she finished her circuit of the room and sat in the rocking chair set between the crib and the change table. She sat and rocked, glancing constantly around the room, not speaking for several minutes.

Finally, Richie couldn’t take it anymore. “Angel? Say something.” She turned to where he was still sitting on the floor and he could see the tears streaming down her face and the soft look in her eyes. Smiling gently, he rose on his knees to reach for some tissues from the change table and handed them to her. “I take it that means you like it?”

All she could do was nod and hold her arms out to him. When he moved closer she hugged him tightly. “I love you.”

His hands stroked her back. “I love you too angel.”


“So how are you feeling?” Karin asked.

“I’m feeling pretty good, but Richie’s driving me nuts! I will be so glad when this album’s finished. I thought I was the one who was supposed to have the mood swings!”

“What’s the problem?”

“He’s having trouble with a song and he’s not dealing with that well. One minute he’s snapping my head off, and the next he’s doing something wonderful like giving me an incredibly romantic Valentine’s Day or decorating the baby’s room.”

“You mean he had someone decorate the baby’s room.”

“No, he did it himself.”

“Really?” Karin was surprised.

“Yeah. He’s even got the cuts and bruises from his fight with the crib to prove it. Karin, you should see it. It’s beautiful.”

“Wow. Well, hopefully he’ll get this song worked out soon, and get back on an even keel.”

“I hope so. I want my Richie back.” Tori sighed and changed the subject. “How’s Shirley holding up?”

“Speaking of people riding an emotional roller coaster! He’s proud and excited one minute and stressed out and convinced the audience is going to hate it the next. And to top it off he got a bout of food poisoning last week and missed a day of rehearsal.”

“Ouch! Is he feeling better?”

“From the food poisoning yes, but he won’t feel better about the play until it opens and he sees how great it is. Please tell me that you’re still coming to the opening. I don’t think I can get him through this on my own…..plus it’ll be my first red carpet event with him, and I’m nervous.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine and we’ll be there to help. I’ll be the one in the red dress with the big belly. That ought to take the vultures’ attention off you at least a little.” Tori assured her.

“Red huh? Bet Richie loves that.”

“Actually, with his colour blindness, I don’t even know if he can see red, at least not like we do. I figure that’s why he likes purple so much.”

“Hmmm. I never thought about that. So Peanut’s growing?”

“Mmmmm. And moving too – at least I can feel it. Richie can’t yet.”

“I bet that’s sitting real well with him.” Karin chuckled.

“You’re right. He’s taken to making me sit at the end of the couch every evening so that he can lay down with his head in my lap and read to my stomach.”

“What’s he reading?”

“Well, we’ve had some Dr. Seuss, some Mother Goose, and last night he started The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.”

Karin was silent for a minute. “You know that’s incredibly sweet, right?”

Tori blinked away tears. “You don’t know the half of it. He does the voices. Between hormones and laughter, I usually go through a dozen or so tissues every night. I think he’s hoping to get a kick in the head one of these nights.”

“That actually would make me laugh.”

“Me too. I can almost picture the expression on his face.”

“Maybe Peanut will be kicking all of us by the time you come to New York. Oh, there goes my cell. It’s David. I’d better go talk him off the ledge.”

Tori smiled. “Tell him I said to relax, Toxie’s going to be terrific.”

“I’ll tell him, but he won’t believe you either. God, I’ll be glad when the opening’s over. See you then Tori.”

“Bye Karin.”