Chapter 26
Stepping out of the shower, Richie wrapped a towel around his waist and headed into his room. He was staying in Dominique’s room….well, that’s where his stuff was. He wasn’t about to stay there until she was better. He quickly dressed and on his way out, grabbed ‘Star’, the stuffed dog he’d given her for Valentine’s Day, off the bed.
Maria was in the kitchen when he got there and she greeted him happily. She, along with the rest of the staff, had fallen in love with him. “Good Morning, Richie! You’re in a very good mood.”
“Good morning, Maria! I am….Dominique woke up this morning! Is Mr. Corinthos up?”
“I just took him some coffee in his office. Would you like something to eat?”
“Would LOVE some of your wonderful cooking but it has to be quick. I really want to get back to Dominique as fast as possible. She’s asleep right now but I’m worried she might wake before I get back.”
“Not a problem, sweetie. You have been so good for her. I hope you are around for a while.”
“As long as she’ll have me! I’ll be right back. I want to speak to Mr. Corinthos before I leave,” said Richie as he gave the lady a kiss on the cheek and a gentle swat on the backside before he escaped the kitchen.
The older lady giggled, shook her head, and went about fixing breakfast for Richie.
Richie made his way to Sonny’s office and knocked. Hearing Sonny’s reply, he pushed the door open and went in.
“Richie? What are you doing here? Is Nikki okay?” inquired Sonny anxiously knowing that the young man wouldn’t have left his daughter’s side unless there was a really good reason.
“She’s fine….she woke up this morning and Noah examined her. He’s going to run a MRI and CAT scan later in the morning. She’s sleeping now so I took advantage and came here to get a shower.”
Sonny breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed into his chair. “Thank god! I thought….”
“You thought she wouldn’t come out of the coma?”
“It would have been my fault. I never would have put her in harm’s way…I thought we had Santadio wrapped up.”
“Why didn’t you at least warn her?”
“I didn’t want to upset her.”
“Are you planning to visit her?”
Sonny shook his head ‘no’. “She’s better off without me in her life. She’s got you and you can take care of her better than I can.”
“Sonny, as pissed as I am at you for using her as bait, I know you were doing what you thought best to protect her. She knows that too and if you don’t visit her, she’s going to be more hurt. She loves you a great deal and she knew the whole time Santadio had her that you would move heaven and hell to rescue her….somehow, some way. You are her hero! Please, I don’t think I can fix her disappointment if you don’t visit her.”
“You seem to know her fairly well.”
“Every spare second we’ve had together, we’ve talked….shared things, getting to know each other. I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know her even better. She’s everything to me.”
Sonny nodded to acknowledge Richie. “Seems plans have changed for her to go to California. What about you?”
“I’ll change my plans too.”
“And today?”
“As soon as I eat, I’m headed back to the hospital to help Noah keep her calm while he does the tests. Jon and the other guys are here and can tell you when we need to leave.”
“That’s fine. Here’s the number for my pilot. Just contact him directly. I’m going to stay here on the island for a while and won’t be needing my jet,” said Sonny as he handed Richie a card.
“I want to thank you for all you’ve done to make it possible for me to be with Dominique. I’d like to ask your permission to make her my wife.” Seeing Sonny getting ready to ask a question, he continued, “I’m not planning to ask her right away. She’s got a long road to be completely healed but I’m going to be beside her every step of the way. I love her completely.”
“You have my blessings, Richie. You’ve been her hero…more than I could hope to be….and I’ve extremely grateful for what you’ve done for her,” said Sonny as he moved to Richie. He extended his free hand to shake Richie’s. “Whatever you or your friends need while you’re here, just ask. It’s yours.”
“Thanks, Sonny!”
“Go on and get yourself some breakfast. I know you want to get back to her.”
“Will you be coming by?”
“Later…when she’s had time to rest.”
“She’ll be glad to see you. Why don’t you join us for breakfast?” suggested Richie hearing the other guys.
“Sounds like a nice distraction. Maybe I can entice you to use my studio to do your recording.”
“Don’t think it’s going to take a lot of enticing. I love it here and I know once the guys have a chance to look around, they will too.”
The two men made their way out to the dining area where Alec, David, Jon, and Tico were already gathered. They were glad to see Richie and over breakfast, he filled everyone in on what was going on with Dominique. They also talked about the upcoming break and they all agreed to return to the island so Richie could be with Dominique.
