Chapter 29
29
G loria stepped from the bathroom, feeling clean. It felt like it had been weeks since she'd felt clean, when it had only been a day. She'd lived ten years of time in that day though. That alone was enough to give her a headache.
She opened the bag with her bloodied clothing in it, and tucked the undergarments she'd had on in it, as well as the sweatsuit Sean bought her. She put her blow dryer and makeup bag in her suitcase and zipped it all up. She felt so much better after that shower, and the soreness seemed to have lessened.
As she padded down the hallway in her stockinged feet, she could hear Sean, Tony, and Livia in the living room, and they were singing. She stopped and listened. Sean told Livia, "When you sing life just got good , go up a key."
"Okay." Livia sang it again and went up a key and Sean laughed. "That's it. That's it."
They quieted, and she decided not to spy any further. She entered the living room and Livia smiled. "Do you feel better?"
"Oh, so much better. Showers are the best form of therapy."
Livia giggled, and Sean stopped writing on a piece of paper, and stood. "You look gorgeous."
She felt her cheeks heat. "Thank you."
She swallowed. "You all sing well together."
He nodded. "Livia is one of our backup singers. That's how she and Tony met."
She looked toward Livia and smiled. "I'd love to hear all about that."
"Okay. How about over food?"
Livia moved into the kitchen and pulled the lasagna from the oven. Sean took Gloria's hand and led her to the dining room table. "How about you sit here next to me. What can I get you to drink?"
"We're going back to the hospital tonight to see Mina, aren't we?"
"Yes. I thought we'd go after a shower and maybe a short nap."
"Perfect. Then water is good for me."
"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.