Chapter Nine

Reunions

"We're gonna have a baby?" Tori responded. Her eyes filled with tears of joy.

Jade nodded. "Yes. I found out the day you got hurt." she said. "I was gonna surprise you. But then..."

Tori leaned over awkwardly and pulled her fiancee into an embrace. "You did surprise me! I couldn't have had better news after what's happened."

"Been hard to keep it a secret all week."

"So no one else knows?"

Jade shook her head. "I wanted you to be the first to know."

Tori smiled again and gazed into Jade's eyes. "Well...I would hope so..."

Jade felt refreshed and invigorated by the time she returned to the hospital. She'd finished calling everyone about Tori. It was agreed they would all come by the hospital tomorrow. Beck's shooting schedule would not allow him time to see her today, and they all wanted to come down together. It was late in the afternoon, when Tori received her first visitors.

"Hi, sweetie!" Holly Vega swept into the room. She was carrying a floral basket sent from Tori's Aunt Sonja. .

Tori's face creased into a smile upon seeing her parents. She was wearing her spare glasses. Jade brought them back with her, along with other essentials.

"Mom!"

Holly embraced her emphatically, being careful not too cause further injury to Tori's broken ribs. "It's so good too see you awake!" She kissed Tori's forehead and then greeted Jade with a warm embrace. Jade placed the flowers on the window ledge with others.

"Hi, honey."

"Hi, Daddy!" Tori hadn't called him that since she was nine. He hugged her and kissed her cheek. She looked at her parents. "I'm sorry."

"For what, baby?" David asked.

"For putting you both through all this." she muttered. "You were supposed to stop worrying about me when I turned eighteen."

Holly sat beside her and laid her hand on Tori's. "Honey...don't. We're parents. You may be an adult, but parents will always worry about their kids until they day they die." she stated. Comes with the job."

"How are you holding up, Jade?" David asked.

"I'm good." Jade was sitting beside Tori on the bed, her arm around Tori's shoulders. Their fingers were laced together.

"Dad...Jade said you caught the guys?"

David nodded. "Yes. They're both facing major jail time. Multiple charges."

"Do—do the families of the other victim know?" Tori inquired.

David nodded sadly. "Yes...I hate that part of the job."

"Babe...don't concern yourself with that," Jade advised. "You need to focus on getting healed so we can have that wedding you promised me."

David and Holly smiled and traded glances.

"I'm so stupid," Tori grumbled.

"Tori-" Jade commented, squeezing her hand tight. "Don't."

"No...it's my fault I'm here, Jade," Tori muttered. "I heard the sirens. I should have been paying more attention."

David laid a hand on her shoulder. "Tori, this wasn't your fault. You had the right of way. Our traffic cameras all show that," he consoled. "The car ran the light – and they were speeding. There was nothing you could do."

"Tori!"

Tori smiled when her sisters swept into the room. Mark, Kayley and Heather were with them. Trina started crying as soon as she entered the room.

The Vega sisters shared a tight, tearful embrace. None of them wanted to let go.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again, Tori!" Shelby warned. "Or I swear, I will fucking drag you into the ring and beat your ass!"

Tori laughed, despite the discomfort from her staples. "Ow," she winced.

"Hi Auntie Tori!" Kayley squealed. Her dad lifted her onto the bed. "I've missed you!"

Tori hugged her as tightly as she could without it hurting her. "I've missed you too, baby!"

Mark leaned over and kissed his sister-in-law's forehead. "Welcome back."

"Thanks." She squeezed his hand. He was a good man.

"So...do they think everything is going to heal OK?"Heather asked.

"It should," Tori replied. "Dr. Jordan said the breaks were pretty clean. But I'm probably going to need some physical therapy. And...I'm going to have a slight limp."

"Why?" Kayley asked innocently.

"Well, sweetie, a little piece of my bone was too badly damaged for the doctors to fix," Tori explained. "So...they just took it out."

"Does that mean you can't perform anymore?" Shelby asked.

Trina laid her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Shel...it's gonna take a lot more than a missing bone fragment to keep our sister down!"

Shelby nodded. "Yeah...guess that was kind of a dumb question."

"I may have to compensate a little, but Trina's right."

"How long do you figure to be laid up?" Mark queried.

"4-6 weeks, but these new plastic cortex casts should help my bones heal faster than a plaster cast." Tori held up her broken arm. "And...I can wash with these casts on, once I'm up and around. Left leg's gonna take a little longer, though. 4-6 months, counting physical therapy."

Trina laid her hand on top of Tori's. "I saw you."

"What do you mean?" Tori took a sip of water.

"In the street. You forgot your keys at the restaurant. I was coming to give them to you." Trina's eyes met hers. She started crying."I saw you after the car hit you. I knew it was you when I saw your bag! Oh God Tori! I thought you were dead!"

Tori swept her into an embrace and joined her in a soft cry. Shelby engulfed both of them in her arms, the three Vega sisters sharing a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Trina!" Tori commented, offering comfort. "I can't imagine what that was like for you!"

"It was the worst feeling I'd ever had!"

"I'm gonna be OK, Treen!"

They stayed for about a half an hour, knowing Tori still needed her rest. But before they left, Darcy came by with Alice, whose shift was over. They weren't going to stay long.

"Great to see you awake, Tori!" Darcy said, embracing her friend. Darcy had medium length auburn hair that fell in wisps around her square face, highlighted by hazel eyes. Like Tori, she wore glasses.

"Yeah...thanks, Darc."

When they left, Tori and Jade wanted to share their wonderful news with her family.

"We need to tell you guys something," she spoke up. She laid her hand on top of Jade's.

"What is it, honey?"" Holly asked.

Tori nudged Jade. "Go ahead, babe. Tell them."

"Tell us what?" Shelby wanted to know.

Jade looked at her future in laws. "I'm pregnant..."