Page 39 of Born To Be My Baby

"You got it."

Tony followed Livia from the kitchen carrying a salad. Livia set the lasagna in the middle of the table and Sean began filling glasses with water.

Livia brought out the garlic bread, and they all sat to eat.

Livia looked at him and shrugged. He chuckled. "Go ahead, Liv. This is your meal."

She smiled. "Okay, I didn't want to overstep."

She cut the lasagna up and dished out a piece to everyone. It smelled fantastic, and Gloria had to admit she was hungry.

The broth they had given her in the hospital was for precautionary sake, so she didn't vomit.

But she had to admit even though this smelled good, just taking a couple bites was all she was willing to risk. Livia looked at her, "Is everything okay, Gloria?" Gloria nodded and smiled, "It's fine. I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was. And it tastes fantastic. You're a wonderful cook. I haven't had food in a day and I'm a little worried about what my stomach might do with this food, so I'm taking it slow."

Livia nodded, "Understandable."

Sean shoveled another bite into his mouth and mumbled, "I'm not taking it slow. I'm starving." Gloria smiled. She asked Livia, "Would you be willing to tell me the story of how you and Tony met?" Livia recounted their meeting, how her car had broken down, and she'd had to run to be on time for her audition with the band. They had a nice conversation. They laughed a lot. Livia was wonderful company, very engaging and treated her nicer than Gloria may have treated her had the circumstances been reversed, after seeing all the comments and innuendo, and knowing that she had Sean's daughter and didn't tell him. She was grateful for that, though that didn't mean there wouldn't be fallout, eventually. After they'd finished eating, Livia stood up to clear dishes and Gloria stood to help her.

Livia shook her head, "Nope, nope. You need to rest. Go sit down. I've got this, truly. And Tony can help me and then we'll be on our way." Tony looked up at her, his brows furrowed a little bit. Then he shrugged and said, "Okay." They began clearing the table. Sean helped Gloria to the living room. They sat on the sofa side by side. She let out a deep breath.

“It really does feel good to just be able to relax for a moment.”

Sean nodded, "Yep. After Tony and Livia go home, I'm going to jump in the shower. We can lay down and take a nap. Then we'll get up and go see Mina. I'm going to have to use her car, though. I hope she doesn't mind. It's all I have here."

Gloria chuckled, "Nah, she won't mind. And if we need to, we can go to Tampa and get my car. We'll see how it goes."

Tony and Livia left, and he walked Gloria back to the bedroom. He pulled her suitcase off the bed and set it back in the corner where it was. He pulled the covers back and patted the bed. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I'm going to jump in the shower."

She climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over her. Instantly the soft sheets and the aroma wrapped around her, so much different than the hospital sheets. The pillow felt good under her head, and she managed to move slightly to get herself comfortable. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

She felt the bed dip behind her and opened her eyes before she realized it was Sean climbing in next to her. He reached over and nuzzled her body, snuggled his body next to hers. He laid his left arm over her waist; his right arm was above her on the pillow. He laid his head on that, and she fell instantly back to sleep. Comfortable, warm, and Sean was here.

30

The drive to the hospital made Sean a nervous wreck. It was the first time he'd been behind the wheel since their accident. Every time a car came close, he stiffened up and immediately regretted it as his sore muscles screamed. And it wasn't his vehicle. Plus, he still felt responsible for the accident, and he knew Gloria was nervous, too.

"On the way home, I'll take a different route, maybe one less busy. We'll figure out a way to get around where we need to go without having to take this narrow road."

She turned to him, a small smile on her face. "We have to get used to living life again, Sean. It's sweet that you're concerned about me, but please don't be. And I understand that you probably have some aftereffects, PTSD, or whatever. But let's do our best to just go back to being normal."

He lightly shrugged. "Alright, well, whatever normal is, I guess we can try that. It does make me nervous though, being on this road."

She nodded. "It makes me nervous, too. But I want to see Mina, and I'm hoping she's better having had the rest this afternoon."

They arrived at the hospital, went up in the bank of elevators. They quietly entered Mina's room and his heart felt like it grew. Mina had her eyes open. She was reclining slightly in bed. And when she saw them walk in, her smile was unforgettable.

Gloria rushed, as much as she could, to Mina's bedside, and took her hand. "Oh, honey, I'm so happy to see you up. Your eyes are open."

She hugged Mina, and Mina wrapped her arms slowly around her mom. Sean swallowed as he approached the bed. He leaned down and hugged Mina. "I'm so glad you're good, baby girl. I'm so glad to see you awake. You had us worried."

He stepped back and looked over at Gloria, who beamed at their daughter. Mina's color was coming back, and she was looking healthier.

She said, "They're going to take the IV out in a few minutes and then I have to go through a neurological exam to make sure everything is as it should be in this head of mine."

He grinned. "Well, do what they say, and what they need you to do, so you can get out sooner rather than later."

"I will, Dad." His grin turned into a smile when she called him dad again.

---