Chapter 48-Choices

Vince's POV

I stirred awake the next morning to an empty room. Worried, I yelled for the girls. No answer. I yelled for Jesse. Still quiet. I ran out to the hallway to find Jesse standing with Diana at the counter.

"V you alright man?" Jesse asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah I'm alright. Where's Sasha?" I asked, glad to see that Diana was okay. She was standing at the counter, playing the hospital clothes on it.

"Last time we seen her she went to see Maria last night." Diana answered, walking over to us.

I nodded and headed for Maria's room. Looking in, I saw Maria, but no Sasha. There was only one place she could be. I took the elevator up to Letty's room. Nearing it, I saw the sibilngs lying in bed, laughing. I pushed the door open and walked in.

"So you pissed your pants in class 'cus the teacher wouldn't let you go?" Letty asked Tony, Sasha cracking up.

"Hell yeah. It wasn't my fault." He defended himself, laughing along with his sisters.

"Hey Vince." Sasha said, the first to notice my presence in the room. The other two chimed in. "Hey V" "Sup man?"

"Hey guys. I was just checking up on Sasha. Letty how you feelin'?" I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets.

"Tired. Didn't get much sleep 'cus apparently Tony snores and didn't tell me. It sounded like a bad car wreck." She replied, nudging him in his side with her elbow. I laughed as Tony rubbed his side.

"Shuttup." He yelled, only making them laugh harder.

"Good. Sasha how are you hon?" I asked, trying to calm down from laughing.

"My head hurts but I'm okay." She replied, rubbing her head.

"K well I'ma go to the house and take a shower. I'll be back down here later for you guys." I said to Sasha and Tony.

"Ooh me too?" Letty asked, her face lighting up.

"Not yet Letty." I said, smiling. She pushed her lower lip out as she pouted.

"Fine!" She yelled, sounding like a 6 year old who couldn't get her way. I smiled and waved goodbye to the sibilings.

Sasha's POV

"Look you guys, we gotta talk. Let's get serious for a second." I said. If there was a decision to be made, I couldn't be the only one to decide.

"What's goin' on Sash?" Tony asked, his serious face present.

"It's mom. The doctors said she doesn't have much time. She's on life support right now but it's not doing her any good. We have a decision to make." I explained, breathing slowly. I wasn't prepared for their reactions. They didn't speak, so I took it as means to continue. "Well we either take her off the life support and hope she fights it out, or the doctors can continue giving her the medication and hope that she fights it out."

"What would be best?" Tony asked.

"I dunno. Probably taking her off the life support. You guys have to understand, mom's old. She's suffering in there. You can't try to cheat death at her age. I think we should take her off." I said, for once, not crying. I think I cried myself out of tears last night. I looked from Tony to Letty, who hadn't spoke a word. Although her face showed no emotion, a single tear fell from her left eye. I quickly wiped it away. "No Letty. None of that."

"I just met her Sasha. I can't lose her already. What about her grandchild?" Letty said, her angry rising.

"I know Let. I told her about it last night. I'm sorry girl. There's not much else we can do. If we leave her on the life support, she's just going to be weak. She won't be able to do anything. She'll be a vegetable Let. I don't want her to suffer anymore. You said it yourself last night. She deserves to be in Heaven." I responded. I understood where Letty was coming from, but she had to understand the situation at hand.

She nodded and sniffled. "I know. I'm just tired of losing everyone in my life." She replied, looking down at the covers. She had a scowl on her face, but I knew she wasn't angry anymore.

"I know. But look on the bright side, you have us, you have Dominic and the Team, and soon you're gonna have a kid. You have all the family you need." I reassured her, smiling big. I was happy I had my family, but I wish my mom didn't have to be sick. Letty smiled and pulled both of us into a hug.

"I love you two." She said, squeezing the hell out of us.

"We love you too Let, but you're killin' us." Tony replied, trying to wiggle free. She said sorry and let go, smiling. "Um Sasha, where's the puppies?" Tony asked.

I jumped up as I completely forgot about the dogs. I limped over to the phone on the other side of the bed.

"What puppies?" Letty asked, completely oblivious to the present's Jesse got for me and Di.

"Jesse got Diana and Sasha Pitbull pups." Tony informed her.

xxx

"Dom?" I asked as the ringing stopped.

" 'Get the hell away from me, mut' Hello?" I heard him say after yelling at the dogs, I suppose.

"Where are the dogs?" I asked, my heart pounding. I hadn't seen them after Mia took us to the hospital.

"Right here annoying the hell outta me. 'Move mut!' " He replied. I smiled. I guess they are gonna be good for something.

"K that's all I wanted. 'Dom leave the dogs alone' " I heard a voice in the background. "Is that Mia?" I asked.

"Yeah it's her. Hold on she wants to talk...hello?" Her high-pitched voice was too much in the morning.

"Hey Mi. How's the pups?" I asked.

"Oh they're good. 'Mia get them outta here! They're drivin' me nuts!' They're running circles around Dom in the kitchen. It's the cutest thing." She said with a laugh. I laughed back. "How are you girls doin'? Oh nevermind, Diana's here with Jesse." She said.

"I'm okay. Tell Dom to stop whinin'." I said, knowing it'd heat him up.

" 'Dom Sasha said to shut up whinin'. Told him." Mia said in a child's voice.

I laughed. "Okay Mia I'm gonna go. Tell Vince to come pick us up in thirty. Bye." I hung up the phone after she said goodbye.

xxx

"Dom actually let you have animals in the house?" Letty said, surprised.

"Yeah. It took some begging but he did." I replied, stretching my arms. I quickly put the down as my side started to ache.

"What do they look like?" Letty asked.

"Diana's is all black with a white patch on it's eye. Her name is Cupcake" Letty gave a skeptical look. "I know. But mines is all black with white under it's belly. He's Bam-Bam. He's the clumsy one." I explained, smiling.

"Cool. Tony you gotta sneak 'em in here to see me one day." Letty suggest, a mischevious look on her face.

"Why me?" Tony asked, pointing to himself.

"'Cus you're the boy and you do bad things." Letty said, pulling the 'girl's are better then boys' card. Tony rolled his eyes and slipped his shoes back on.

xxx

Dom's POV

I was sitting at the kitchen table having my morning coffee. I was feeling good about today until those freakin' dogs started barking. Mia was at the stove cooking omelets for the boys and Diana. She laughed as the dogs raced around my feet under the table.

"Jesse!" I yelled over my shoulder. He jogged in from the backyard.

"What Dom?" He asked, kissing Mia on the cheek. Him and Mia were the only people I knew who could be perky in the mornings.

"Let them out with you." I said, nodding to the dogs, who were now running around the WHOLE table. Jesse laughed and patted his legs, the dogs chasing after him out the door.

"Dom take it easy. They'll grow on you." Mia said, pouring me anothe cup of coffee. I grunted and picked up the cup. I stood and looked out the window to the backyard. Diana and Jesse were running in different directions, the pups chasing after them. I admit, they were cute. I walked back over and sat down. "So Dom what are the house arrangements gonna be when the kid comes?" Mia asked out of the blue.

I furrowed my eyebrows, thinking hard. I didn't realize how many people lived in the house and the lack of room we had.

"Um I don't know Mi. Maybe we can convince Sasha to move in with Vince. Tony can have the downstairs. Jesse and Di can stay..." I began, rambling out moving arrangements.

"Dom I'll move out." Mia said, sipping her Snapple.

"No." I answered almost instantly.

"Yes, Dom. Me and Brian will move back into his house. It's only a few blocks from the store." Mia replied.

"No." I repeated myself. "You're not moving out. You're staying. End of story." I said. I knew it was unfair to make Mia stay. But I loved my little sister. She had been here for me all my life.

"Dom you have to let go of me. Look, I'll be here everyday to cook for you guys. I'll still run the store. You need the room Dominic." She explained, taking a seat across from me at the table.

"It's not just that Mia. I promised Dad I'd always take care of you. I'm not breaking that promise." I said, not giving her thought a chance.

"You still can take care of me. I'll just be living somewhere else. What if me and Brian want kids? We can't all live here." She replied, tossing her empty Snapple bottle in the trash.

"Not gonna happen." I said, running my hands down my face. She was frustrating me.

"What ... me moving or having kids with Brian?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"BOTH!" I yelled out of frustration. Good thing Mia wasn't used to my yelling. She only rolled her eyes and got up from the table.

"So fuckin' immature..." She said, walking into the living room.

"Mia the stove is still on." I said over my shoulder, her walking back into the room.

"...If I want kids, I'll have kids. Who the hell does he think he is?" She mumbled under her breath as she turned the knob to 'OFF'. She continued to mumble as she left the kitchen. I shook my head and gulped down the rest of my coffee.

xxx

The back door opened, this time Leon came in.

"Hey stranger." I said as he made his way to the fridge. He pulled out a Corona and came over to the table.

"Whatever. How are the girls?" He replied, leaning against the fridge.

"Good. Where you been Leon? What, you too good to come visit your family now?" I asked, my blood boiling. Ever since he met Bianca, he spent more time with her then he did with his own brother. His attitude was snobby and sense of humor was stale.

"Lay off Dominic. I've been busy with Bianca. This isn't my family, Bianca is!" He yelled.

"What, Jesse isn't your family?" I asked, rising from my chair.

"THE KID NEEDS TO GROW UP! YOU TREAT HIM AS IF HE'S 5!" Leon yelled, pointing to me.

"AT LEAST I DON'T TREAT HIM LIKE SHIT! You're his fuckin' brother for Christ sakes and you act like you don't even know him." I growled back, stepping towards him.

"Fuck you Dominic. You don't know shit!" He yelled, slamming his bottle on the floor, it shattering to pieces.

"I know all I fuckin' need to Leon! Where were you on the kid's birthday? When he got his GED a few months back, where the fuck were you Leon?" I asked, pushing him up against the refrigerator. He pushed me away.

"Livin' my own fuckin' life Dom!" He yelled again. By now, Mia and Vince, who I suspected arrived just before Leon did, were standing by the kitchen door.

"You selfish bastard. Get the fuck outta my house. Stay away from the kid, that's what your good at right?" I replied. I knew that hit close to home because Leon launched at me, hitting me in my face. I slammed him against the counter, punching him in the side.

"Guys enough!" Mia yelled from the door. I punched Leon hard in the jaw, blood splattering all over his shirt. He returned the punch and kneed me in the groin. I groaned as I fell to one knee. I rose up and blasted Le hard in the stomach.

"Get the fuck outta here Leon!" Vince said, lifting Leon from the floor and pulling him out the door.

"What the fuck was that Dominic?" Mia asked, helping me to a chair.

"Leon's messing up. He needs to choose what he wants." I said, calming down a bit. Mia handed me an icepack and retreated back to the living room.

Vince returned to the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.

"Don't ask." I said before he could speak.

"Whatever. What's Mia's problem?" He asked, walking over to the stove, placing an omelet on a plate.

"Everything. She wants to move out and have kids with Brian. She said there won't be room in the house after Letty has the kid." I replied, sighing exhaustedly.

"Mmhm. I think that's a good idea." Vince said between bites. My head shot up. For Vince to agree with Mia on moving out was extreme. But on having kids with the buster? Something's wrong with Vince.

"You're kiddin' me right?" I asked, praying he'd say yes.

"Naw brotha I mean she's right. Enough people live here as it is. Let her move out. She deserves her own life." Vince replied, chugging down the water in his hand.

"Vince are you okay? You may still be tired. You do realise you're talking about Mia and Brian having kids right?" I asked. This was unusual. Even though he was with Sasha, I knew he was still infatuated with Mia.

"Yeah. I still hate him, but he's good enough. He makes her happy." Vince said sincerely. He stood and placed his plate in the sink. He tossed the empty water bottle in the trash. "I learned that life's too short to keep someone from happiness. But if he hurts her, his has is mine." The Vince I knew was finally into action. "I'm going to get Sasha and Tony, wanna go?" He asked, beginning to clean up the broken glass from the floor. I nodded and tossed the icepack in the trash.

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There's 48. I've been writing all day. I'm proud of myself for getting this many up in a weekend. I'll start 49 soon but I'm not positive if I'll have it up today. But look out for it. Please read&review :)

--Kita