Chapter 4

Angela was finally beginning to come around. She slowly opened her eyes and licked her parched lips. She was drowsy and warm but sensed that something important had occurred while she was asleep so she forced her eyelids to remain open and looked around the hospital room in confusion. "Where …?" she began to ask.

"Hey, you're awake. Halleluiah, thank you God!" Tony proclaimed loudly while grasping his wife's hand in his. He'd been waiting for her to wake up for hours now and was getting quite worried despite the doctors' reassurances that Angela would be alright.

Angela looked up into her husband's loving eyes and felt her worry melt away for a moment. Then she glanced down at her flatter belly and became frightened. "Where's the baby? Tony?" She put her hand to her soft abdomen in shock, frantically searching for the baby.

"Shhhh, calm down. It's okay Angela. The baby is fine—they ran tests on her and she's alright. You had an emergency C-section because of an aprup . . .abrup . . . something", he told her. Samantha saved your life! If I hadn't called the ambulance when she told me to, you would have bled to death.

Memories of floating above her own body and of seeing her father in a tunnel of light suddenly returned to Angela in full force. She wanted to tell Tony about her incredible experience but first she wanted to see her baby.

"Where's the baby? I want to see her."

"Hold on, Angela. No, don't sit up yet. Let me get the doctor first, okay?" Tony gently nudged her back into a lying down position when she tried to get up. "I'll be right back . . . please don't move Angela. Just gettin' the doc, alright? I'll be back in a minute", he reassured her once again. As Tony exited her room, he noticed Samantha and Jonathan coming down the corridor toward him. They both looked scared and worried, hands fused together for strength. At least he hoped that was the reason; Tony really wasn't in the mood for a repeat of last year's 'forbidden romance' between those two. They'd caused him enough sleepless nights as it was.

"Is she awake yet?" Samantha asked him softly. She was afraid of the answer and almost cringed as she waited for her father to speak. Suddenly self-conscious, she slid her hand out of Jon's and wiped her sweaty palm on her pyjama pants.

"She's awake and she wants to see the baby. I'm gettin' the doctor-you two stay with her! I also have to get Mona—she's in the maternity lounge with Rose." Tony left the kids and went in search of the doctor. Samantha quietly opened the door to Angela's room and entered without making any sound. Jonathan was at her heels, less worried about not making noise. He simply wanted to make sure that his mom was alive and well and to see her with his own eyes.

"Mom!" he cried out to her. Angela raised her head and smiled when she saw her son and Sam entering the room.

"Hey you guys. Any news on the baby?"

"I . . . we don't know. We came straight to you, Mom. Are you alright?" Jonathan came right up to his mother and squeezed her hand-it was so cold to the touch and she was ever so pale.

"I'm fine Sweetheart. And I believe that I owe a lot of that to you, Sam. Your dad told me that you saved my life. Thank you Honey." Angela sat up slightly to look at the dishevelled girl. She flinched at the sight of her own blood staining Sam's pyjamas, remembering her horrible hemorrhage. Jon turned around to look at Sam and gave her a grateful smile that made her heart skip. "Thanks Sam", he whispered to her. She blushed and turned away to look at Angela.

"Oh, Angela, I'm so glad you're going to be okay. I didn't save your life—the paramedics and doctors did. I just told Dad to call an ambulance and tried to stop the bleeding but I couldn't." Sam had to hold her tears in check again. She was rather emotional and completely exhausted. As if a transatlantic flight wasn't enough, no sleep for over 24 hours combined with Angela's medical emergency and near death were simply overwhelming. Then to run into Jon unexpectedly had simply added to the intensity of distressing events. She felt as though she was running toward a cliff and there was no barrier. If she ran too fast, she'd simply overshoot and fall in. She needed to steady her nerves.

"Sam, if it wasn't for you, I'd have been dead before the paramedics or doctors could have gotten to me. Again, thank you Sweetheart." Angela sat up against Tony's orders and grasped Sam's hand with her free one. She was so grateful for her grown children; one by blood and one by love. And now she was anxious to meet her baby.

"Mrs. Micelli, how are you feeling?" Dr. Goldstein entered Angela's hospital room to check on his patient, Tony in tow. The balding, aging physician had a no-nonsense bedside manner. He was quick, efficient and had saved both Angela's and the baby's lives in the OR. He brusquely cleared the children away from the bed with an impatient sweep of his arm and tended to Angela, checking her vitals.

"I'm feeling better, thank you. How's my baby? Is she okay?" Angela was entirely focused on the health of her newborn.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to check you out first", the doctor responded dispassionately.

"Wait . . . please, is she okay?" Angela turned away from the doctor when he tried to take her pulse. "Please, I just want to see my baby!"

"Your baby is fine. She's in the NICU under observation. You can see her after I've cleared you Mrs. Micelli." Dr. Goldstein was becoming impatient with his patient.

"NICU?" Angela croaked.

"Uh Doc?" Tony interrupted. "You're not gonna get anywhere until you let my wife see our baby." Tony knew that Angela would always put the children's needs ahead of her own. There was no way she'd let the doctor examine her while the fate of her baby remained unknown to her.

Sighing in exasperation, the doctor nodded while quickly taking Angela's pulse and blood pressure. "Yes, yes, I'm going to let you see your baby but first I want to make sure you don't faint on the way. Do you understand?" Dr. Goldstein paused while he looked at her stats. "You're good to go-in a wheelchair. No standing please. I'll give you a more complete examination later; remember you have stitches from the C-section." The doctor shook his head, sighed loudly and made his displeasure known to the entire room.

Samantha quickly went in search of a wheelchair, easily locating one at the nurse's station. She wheeled it into Angela's room and parked it beside the hospital bed. "Carefully, careful . . . Dad, lift her into the chair . . . are you okay Angela?"

Angela let out a small gasp of pain but reassured Samantha and the others. "I'm fine. Now, to my baby please." Tony took control of the wheelchair and carefully maneuvered it out of the room and down the hallway to the NICU. They located Mona in the mother's lounge and beckoned to her as they made their way to see the newest member of the Micelli family.

Rose was asleep in her stroller and oblivious to the goings-on around her. Side by side, stroller and wheelchair made their way across the maternity ward. Angela was anxious—having a near death experience and a new baby on the same day topped pretty much anything else she'd ever been through. She only wanted her baby to be okay.

"Here we are", Tony announced as he brought the chair right up to the NICU window. He waved to the neonatal nurse inside and motioned to her. She smiled at him in recognition and wheeled the incubator towards the window. Baby Girl Micelli was swaddled in a pink blanket and looked perfectly healthy—her tubes and monitors had been removed. The nurse opened the door and carried the baby to her parents.

"Congratulations Mrs. Micelli", she said with a big smile. "We're transferring your baby to the regular nursery. She's perfectly healthy. Seven pounds, three ounces." The nurse held the baby out to her mother and gently placed her in Angela's arms. Angela peered down at her newest little girl. She didn't look anything like Rose at all. This baby had dark hair, a full mouth and a wider face. She looked quite a bit like Tony.

"Tony, she's so beautiful. She looks like her daddy", Angela sniffled, her brain suddenly awash in oxytocin—the bonding hormone. "Hi there—we had a bumpy ride but I'm so glad you're okay. I love you little one", Angela whispered to her baby.

Samantha, Jonathan and Mona all crowded in to have a better look at the newest addition to their family. "Aw, she's really cute", Sam cooed. While not yet interested in having children of her own, babies did have a certain ability to tug on her heartstrings. Mona carefully lifted her new grandchild out of her daughter's arms.

"She does look like Tony but she has something of Jonathan too", she observed.

"Really? Because I thought she looked like Samantha", Tony stated.

"Well if Samantha and Jonathan were to have a baby together one day, I suppose it would look a lot like this one", Mona blurted out without thinking. Jonathan looked at Sam with a wide grin on his face. "You hear that Sam?" he chuckled.

"Mona!" Tony growled.

"Mona!" Sam simultaneously chided her. "You can't say stuff like that—we broke up, remember?" Sam was embarrassed and felt guilty about Kevin. She would eventually have to tell Jon about her new boyfriend. But for now, avoiding his lovelorn gaze would have to suffice. She needed to convince him that it was over. Heck, she needed to convince herself-his smile and golden gaze still held her captive and she couldn't help but flush every time he looked at her affectionately. Her summer stay in Connecticut wasn't going to be easy at all.

"One day Sam . . . after the four year wait . . . maybe?" Jon sounded so hopeful. He wasn't disguising his feelings one bit. Sam bit her lip and looked away from his questioning scrutiny. Her heart hammered in her chest and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

"No, no, no, don't you two even talk about this stuff right now", Tony grumbled. He didn't want anything to steal away his joy about the new baby. He looked over at Angela and quickly changed the subject. "We need a name for her Angela. Any ideas?"

"Oh, uh . . . I was thinking Simon", she said sheepishly.

"I dunno Angela. A girl named Simon?" Tony shook his head vehemently.

"No silly. I know you were hoping for a boy. I hope you're not disappointed", she looked up at him slightly apprehensive.

"Disappointed? Disappointed? No! Of course not, Sweetheart. You almost died. I'm just so happy to have a baby with you and that you're here to raise her with me. I could never be disappointed. Angela, she's perfect. Ay-oh . . . I love you." Tony reminded her while kneeling down to her level. His looked at her tenderly and lightly grazed her lips with his own. "And in lookin' at her, I fall in love with you over and over again. All girls... can't say I'm complainin'. And it all started with you." He eyed Samantha with pride.

"Mom would have been proud of you Dad", Sam mused.

"So not Simon. Any other ideas?" Angela indicated to her mother that she wanted her baby back in her own arms. Mona handed her back the baby and watched as her daughter became all misty-eyed over the mewling newborn.

Angela deliberated aloud. "A name . . . a name . . . I simply don't have one. I'm so relieved that she and I survived the delivery. That was quite a victory in itself. I'm too tired to think right now."

"That's it!" Tony exclaimed suddenly inspired.

"What's it?" Angela gave him a blank stare.

"Victory. You and the baby emerged from near death victoriously. That's her name." Tony smiled, happy with his decision.

"Tony, I am not naming a baby Victory", Angela stated. "It's not even a real name."

"Not Victory, Angela . . . Victoria. How about we name her Victoria?"

"I like that", Mona said, nodding enthusiastically. "Such a pretty name."

Angela looked at up Tony, suddenly thoughtful. "Tony, us having this baby was a victory in so many more ways than surviving a delivery. You and me . . . I didn't always know that we'd be together—I mean, for years I hoped and I loved you but it didn't always seem that we'd make it. That we're here today with a mini-me and a half-pint you . . . it is a victory. Love won out, Tony. Our love was stronger than all the storms we weathered together. Yes, her name is Victoria. Victoria Marie in honor of your mother Samantha . . . because I want some of her to live on in your baby sister. Without Marie, I wouldn't have either of you. I'm so very thankful."

More to come!