Chapter 16-
Ok. I forgot to put this into the text in
previous chapters, but Christine was in a car accident two years prior to the
time that Dave and Dom visit her. I
know that two years seems like a long time for a coma, but I couldn't think of
anything else at the time. (It was
late, what do you expect of me? LoL) I
hope that you like this part. It seems
lame, I know, but what can I say? I've
been listening to Blink-182 constantly, and so I used the woman from the cover
of Enema of the State. I think that's
about it… ♫♥
Kerry was livid with Dave running
off to California with Dom, and leaving her with the twins. Great. He goes on vacation, and leaves me here with the twins. She looks over to Luka, who is helping her
babysit. And Luka. She finished, looking over to her cute
co-worker. Luka was fully engrossed in
taking care of the twins. He didn't
mind changing diapers, unlike Dave, who scared the kids when he bought a
gas-mask in protest. "How can you stand
that?" She asked Luka. "Oh. Jasna was much worse than this. Marco too. But then again, they
ate Croatian baby food, which is different from the stuff here. Not much, but the stuff we gave them made
their fecal matter smell worse. You get
used to it." Luka said. Kerry shook her head. "I saw you cringe a little Kovac." She muttered. Luka ignored her comment and picked up Jada to stop her
crying. Kerry was rocking Toby back and
forth. Toby hadn't been exposed to much
in his short life, but he knew that he loved telephones. Especially when they rang. Which is exactly what happened precisely
then. RRRRRRRIIIIING! Toby squealed in delight when he heard
it. Kerry smiled and set him beside a
frantic Luka. Jada did not like
telephones. She was terrified of them,
and when the phone rang she screamed and cried because of it. Luka cradled her into his arms and sang a
lullaby in his language.
Kerry answered the phone. "Hello?" She asked. "Hey, Kerr-bear. It's me." Dave said. "Enjoying your
vacation in California?" She
asked. "It's not a vacation." He paused. "I had to bring Dom, so it doesn't count as a vacation." He finished. "How are things with Dom? Is he okay?" She asked. "Yes and No. Christine woke up when he was talking to her, but they whisked
him away. They won't tell us how she is
yet. But I have the funniest
story…" Dave said. Jada wailed. "Dave, I'm sorry, but the twins are fine with Luka and me, but
Jada is screaming like hell, so I have to feed her." Kerry said.
"I love You." She said, and then hung up the phone. "But what about…click my
story?" Dave finished, hanging up and
heading back to Chrissie's family. He
sat himself in the uncomfortable waiting chairs and made a mental note to ask
Romano for different waiting chairs. He
shifted to a better position and put a hand on Dom's forearm. "Are you okay?" He asked gently. Dom
looked up at him. "Of course I'm okay! The love of my life just woke up from a
two-year coma! I'm friggin'
great!" He said, truly ecstatic. "Except…" Dom began, looking in the direction of Chrissie's grandmother. "For her. Anna freaks me out." Dom said,
looking at Anna, who was looking at him with slight disgust. "Well, eventually you'll get to see her
again. You have two years of your life
to fill her in on." Dave said. "Yeah, if she wants to talk to me ever
again." Dom said dejectedly. "Oh don't be stupid! She loved you when she was in the accident,
so she should love you now!" Dave
said. "Yeah. Sure." Dom said. This pissed Dave off. "Dumbass." Dave growled in frustration. Dom
just glared at the floor. They sat like
this in silence for the next hour or so, until a skinny doctor came out and
talked to them. "Well, she keeps saying
something about a guy named Dommy. She
wants to talk to him, but we don't even know who he is." She said. Dom didn't hear this, but Dave did. "Go over there." Dave told
him. "Why?" "Just go over there, idiot!" Dave said, shoving his twin out of his chair. "Ma'am." He said to Anne
who was now walking toward Melanie, Dom and the Doctor. "Miss Carlini wants to see you, but we need
proof that you are 'Dommy'." The doctor
said. Bitch. Dom thought to himself as he pulled out his
Illinois Driver's license. "Dominic
Malucci. Okay, follow me." She said. Dom obeyed and was led back into Christine's room. He began to cry as her face broke into a
grin as wide as the heavens above. "Oh
God, Chrissie!" He sobbed as he knelt
beside her bed. She was startled, but
allowed tears to fall herself. "Don't
cry, Dommy. I'm okay now." She said, looking at her. "Yes, but…Oh, God I am so stupid." He cursed himself. "Why?" She asked. "Do you…know how long you've been out?" He asked. She shook her head. "A few
months?" She asked. "Two years." He told her, and watched the look of surprise explode in her eyes. "TWO YEARS!" She shouted. "Shhhhh! They'll part us
again. Anyway, I have been in Chicago
for two years, trying to forget about you." A look of hurt came about her. "Not you, just the fact that you weren't…weren't okay." He said. "What does that mean?" She
asked. "It means I love you. I never wanted to see you hooked to these
machines, with the tubes and blinking lights until you were in your nineties,
or older. You didn't deserve to be like
that when you were 25." He said, voice
trailing off. Christine looked at him,
slouching in the chair, avoiding eye-contact, lost in his misery. "What did you say?" She asked, softly trailing her hand over
his. "About the tubes? Well, I didn't want to see you-" "No, silly, about loving me. You really do?" She asked. He
nodded. "Of course I do. I love you and will always love you. You are the first girl that has ever put up
with me. You didn't make me get a
'normal' job, try to get me to cut my hair, or petty things like that." Dom said. Christine looked at the man before her. He could be deep when he needed to be. "I love you, too." She
whispered. "But, you have to remind me
of one thing." She told him. "Anything." He said. "What's it like to kiss
you?" She smiled devilishly.
Meanwhile, Luka and Kerry had calmed
the babies down, and had put them down for a nap. They were sitting together on a couch watching some daytime talk
show. "Sheesh. I knew that babies were a pain, but yours…
Whooo." Luka said. "Oh, don't act like Jasna and Marco never
were like this!" Kerry said. "They were, but Kerry you have to
understand. Jasna and Marco were a few
years apart. At least I had time to
prepare for nuclear disaster!" He
said. Kerry chuckled. "Yeah. Dave's going to get his ass kicked when he gets home." She smiled a little. "What for?" Luka asked. "For leaving without
telling me. But telling you
instead." She said angrily. "There were things he had to take care
of. This is something Dom needed, and
so Dave took him to see the girl." Luka
said. "I know, but still. He told you, his friend, before telling me,
his wife." Luka smiled at her. "Mmmm. Danjiela was the same way. Always worried about me, and angry when I didn't tell her where I was. Especially during the crucial wartime." Luka said, going off into his memory. One of the twins' cries brought him out of
it. "Here we go again!" Kerry said, heading for her baby.
"Ahem." Someone said from behind Dominic. He gently parted his lips from Christine's
and turned around. "Oh, yeah. Right." He said to the doctor. "I'll be
back later, sweetheart." He said,
kissing her forehead and heading out the door. Dave was waiting somewhat impatiently. The receptionist at the front desk was flirting with him. (Just to let you know, she looks like the blonde woman in
Blink-182's 'What's my age, again?' video, and on the Enema of the State CD,
for those who don't watch MTV;-) Normally, Dave would've jumped at the chance of dating this
blonde babe, and he may even have moved out here to date her, but he was
married to someone he already loved, so he sat and tried to make his head win
the war, if you know what I mean :-). Dom came out with a smile transfixed on his face. Dave stood up and thanked that he was
wearing jeans, for it couldn't show too much. But it did, and as Dave hugged Dominic, she gave them a disgusted
look. Neither knew why, so they gave
her a note to give to Melanie telling them they would be back.
"OH MAN! That homophobic old woman is Chrissie's
Grandmother!" Dom yelled when he got
into the rent-a-bomb that they had gotten. "Yeah I know. Sucks to be you." Dave giggled slightly. "Where are we going, anyway?" He asked, pulling out of the hospital
parking lot and into the streets of S.F. "Uh, I don't know. To the
nearest mall, I guess." Dom said. It didn't take them long, before they saw
the pile of teenage flesh hanging out at the mall for no reason. "Hey, nice rug." One kid, with a pink Mohawk said. "Fuck off." Dave said. The kid stood up. "What did you say to me?" He asked. "I said…" Dave began softly. "FUCK OFF!" He yelled
into the kid's face. The kid took a
swing, but Dave ducked and the kid hit his buddy who was behind Dave. The girls they were sitting with were
laughing uncontrollably as the two kids began to fight. The mall security threw them out and the
twins walked into the mall as if nothing had happened. "Hey, Leave me alone, dude. I got something I need to take care
of." Dom told him. Dave was about to question but stopped in
his tracks. "Hey-y-y-y-y! Cartoons!" He exclaimed, running into an Electronics shop. Dom shook his head, but continued on to his
destination. "Hi, Son! Welcome to Stan's New and Previously Owned Jewelry! Can I interest you in some diamond Skull
earrings?" The annoying salesperson
asked. "No, Actually, you can help me
with something else, uhhh…" He checked
the nametag, "Stan." (Think Stan from the Monkey Island
series. Those who've played know what I
am talking about. :-). "Sure, kid! What can I do for ya?" He asked,
eager to make a sale. "What have you
got in engagement rings?"