Chapter 261

The nurse walked in to find the three of them once again sharing the bed. This time, Richie was lying on his back, Tori curled into his side, her hand gently rubbing the baby’s back where he was asleep on his father’s chest.

“I’m sorry Richie, we could’ve set a cot up in here for you.”

He smiled. “That’s okay. It’s not like we’re sleeping much anyway. Well, except for him.”

“How long before I can go home?” Tori inquired. She didn’t mind sharing her bed, but it was a little cramped.

“I’ll check with the doctor, but I think probably tomorrow, as long as your blood pressure stays down.” She looked at the baby. “Ok, I have to ask. What’s with the bandana?”

Tori laughed. “That’s his uncle’s warped sense of humour. My fault really. I should have thought about it before I named him Stephen. David calls him Little Stephen…like the guitarist from Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band. That Little Steven wears a bandana all the time, so David had to get one for our little Stephen.”

“Ah, I see.” She studied it for a moment. “It’s actually kind of cute.”

“Can I have a shower?” The sink baths she had been making do with just weren’t cutting it. She was surprised Richie could stand being that close to her.

“Yes, I think that’ll be okay. If you want to come with me, I’ll show you where everything is.”

“Thanks.” Tori rose from the bed. “Daddy, you’re in charge.”

“No problem. I’ll call Carol and ask her to bring you some clothes.”

Tori snickered. “Yeah, I guess I can’t exactly leave the hospital in that evening dress I came in wearing. Thanks.”

When she returned, he was changing Stevie’s diaper and putting a clean sleeper on him. “There you go Peanut. All clean and fresh.”

“So is Mommy.” She bent over to kiss the baby.

Richie leaned closer and nuzzled her neck. “Mmmm. Yes, she is.”

She smiled, stroked his cheek and kissed him lightly. He grinned and returned the gesture. “I love you angel.”

She hesitated, but couldn’t deny it. “I love you too.”


Just like the day before, Ava and Joan were their first visitors. Ava went straight to her brother and kissed his cheek. “Hi Peanut. Hi Tori, hi Daddy.”

“What, so now I’m down to third place?” Richie pretended to pout.

“Don’t feel bad Rich, Jon’s down below Copper in the hierarchy of his household.” Tori chuckled as she hugged Ava. “Morning Bean. Did you sleep well?”

Ava nodded. “Yes, then Nana and I made pancakes for breakfast!” She gave her father an extra tight squeeze to make up for greeting him last.

Tori’s mouth watered at the thought. Hospital food may have all the right nutrients and dietary requirements, but it sure didn’t have much in the way of flavour. She could hardly wait for outside food. She was still thinking about it when she glanced at her watch and realized it was almost noon. “Rich, why don’t you take your mother and Ava out for lunch?”

“But…”

“And could you bring me back a Big Mac please?”

“Oooh can we Daddy? Please?” Ava begged.

Richie looked unsure. “I don’t like leaving you alone.”

Tori snorted. “Alone? Richie, the nurses’ station is right down the hall, and you see this button? All I have to do is push it, and I’ll get all the help I need. Besides, Carol will probably be here soon.”

Their eyes met, a silent message passing between them. He nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Wait! I have to go to the bathroom first.” Ava jumped off her chair and disappeared into the tiny restroom.

Tori caught Richie’s hand. “Rich, pay lots of attention to her. Make sure she knows that you still love her and she hasn’t been replaced by the baby in your heart.”

He frowned. “What are you talking about? Of course she hasn’t been replaced.”

“You’ve spent every waking minute here with him since he was born. I understand why and I appreciate it, but she’s only eleven. I just don’t want her to feel that you love him more than her.”

Richie glanced at his mother who smiled warmly at Tori and nodded. “She’s right. You’ve hardly let anyone else hold Stevie and she’s seen that. We all understand, but as Tori said, she’s young. Just spend a little time with her. Reassure her of her place in your life.”

He glanced from one to the other, then nodded. “I bow to your greater wisdom on such matters.”

Tori swatted him with her pillow. “Smartass.”

“Tori, I don’t think they’d like it if you had a pillow fight in the hospital.” Ava commented as she rejoined them.

“Maybe not, but it would be more fun that just sitting here all day.” Tori sighed.

Joan smiled. “Enjoy it. Once you get home, you’ll wish for time to just sit and relax.”

“Why don’t you try and sleep angel? I know you didn’t get much last night.” Richie leaned over and kissed her.

“Yeah, maybe I will. Go. Have fun. I’ll see you in a little while.”

It wasn’t long after they left that Carol appeared. “Hi.” She glanced around. “Where’s Richie?”

“He took Joan and Ava out for lunch. Where’s John?”

“He had a couple of errands to run. He’ll be here a little later. I brought you some clothes.”

“Great. Thanks.” Tori changed, then sat back down on the bed.

Carol watched her for several minutes. “Tori what’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, Tori asked some questions of her own. “How did you get past John’s infidelity? How did you learn to trust him again? How were you able to keep your marriage together?”

“Is that what you want? To give your marriage a chance?” She’d sensed that this was the way Tori was leaning.

“Do you think I shouldn’t?”

“I can’t make that decision for you. Only you can decide what’s best for you and Stevie.”

Tori’s eyes filled. “I love him Carol. Despite everything that’s happened, despite all the pain, I love him. For Stevie’s sake….and my own….I have to try. But I’m scared. Scared that I won’t be able to forgive him, that everytime he leaves the house without me, I’ll constantly be wondering where he is, what he’s doing and who he’s with. And that’s no way to live.”

“You’re right. It’s not. But that’s what you’ll be dealing with at first.” Carol paused. “Tori, if want your marriage to survive this, it can be done. But I won’t kid you. It’s not easy, especially in the beginning. It takes hard work and a leap of faith. Communication is the key. There can be no secrets. You have to talk about everything. When he walks out the door, you have to remind yourself that he loves you very much, and you love him, and that regardless of what he’s doing out there, he’s coming home to you. You can’t think about what he’s doing, although you will. And when you do, you have to make a conscious effort to push those thoughts aside. Find something to distract yourself with.” She smiled at the baby. “That shouldn’t be too hard to do.”

Tori smiled too. “No, I don’t imagine it will be. So, you think I can do this?”

Carol nodded. “Yes, I do. It just takes time, patience, love and a lot of hard work – on both your parts. Actually, you might have an easier time of it than I did. Richie didn’t have a full fledged affair. Although, you’re going to have to deal with seeing Heather on a regular basis. I didn’t have that.” She thought for a moment. “My advice is to take it slow. Kind of like you’re dating again.” She grinned. “I was going to say to wait awhile on the physical side of things, because sometimes that can just confuse things, but I guess that already taken care of.”

Tori chuckled. “Yeah. For a few weeks anyway.”

Carol took Tori’s hands in hers. “I wish you the best Tori. We all just want you to be happy. Just don’t expect this to fix overnight, and don’t forget that you have to do your share of the work. You both have to really want this marriage to work. But I have faith that you can do it. Put that Bongiovi stubbornness to good use. If you have any questions, any time, I’m here.”

“Thanks.” Tori drew in a deep breath, and slowly let it out.

A commotion could be heard in the hallway. They waited to see who would come through the door first.

“Hi honey. How are you and my grandson?” John Sr. bent to kiss her.

“Hi John. We’re doing well.” She was going to add ‘see for yourself’, but John was already lifting the baby out of his bassinette. Tori looked at Carol and they both rolled their eyes.

“Grandma B, Grandpa B, hi!” Ava came bouncing through the door, a bag in her hand which she handed to Tori. “Here’s your burger Tori.”

“Bean, you’re a life saver! Thank you.” Opening the wrapper she inhaled deeply, took a huge bite and sighed in satisfaction.

Richie chuckled and set a drink container down on the table beside her. “Slow down angel. Enjoy your food.”

A suck on the straw revealed that the cup contained a chocolate milkshake. Her brows rose. “Mmmmmm.” She swallowed. “That tastes like heaven. Thanks.You’re pretty useful, I think I’ll keep you around.”

The room went silent as Richie froze and searched her face. “Yeah?”

The other adults held their breath as they waited for her answer. Tori stared at him for a long moment, glanced at Stevie, then Carol, and nodded. “Yeah.”

He grinned, leaned over and kissed her. “Thank you angel. I’ll make sure you never regret it.”

Ava, sensing the emotion in the air glanced between her father and Tori and her Nana who was wiping her eyes, and the senior Bongiovi’s who were exchanging an understanding look. “What’s going on?”

“Tori’s coming home.” Richie replied.

“Really?” Ava climbed up on the bed beside Tori. “You’re really coming home? You promise?”

Tori nodded. “Yes Bean. I’m really coming home. I promise.”