single dad: v.h

chapter thirty-eight

"Good morning Vinnie. How do you feel today?" The rehabilitation nurse asked.

"I feel good." Vinnie said. It had been 3 weeks since he had surgery.

"That's great to hear. I have some good news for you. Since you've improved greatly, you'll be getting discharged today." She smiled.

"Thank God." Vinnie chuckled a bit.

"Your dad is here to bring you home. He's going to come up here. Would you like him to help you pack your things and get dressed or would you like me to help you?" The nurse asked.

"I'd like my dad to help me." Vinnie answered. He'd decided that enough of the hospital staff had already seen his dick for his liking.

"Sounds good. He'll be here any second now. It was great working with you Vinnie!" The nurse said, walking out of the room.

Vinnie waited a few minutes for his dad to show up. After about a 5 minutes Nate walked in the room, holding a bag of clothes for Vinnie.

"I hear that I'm helping you get dressed?" Nate asked.

"Yeah, if you're okay with that." Vinnie said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah I'm cool with that." Nate answered.

——

Vinnie's leg bounced rapidly the whole way home. He was nervous to see his kids but especially Bear. He hoped their relationship would stay the same but he was prepared for it to be strained.

"Is she gonna be scared of me?" Vinnie asked as they pulled in the driveway.

"As much as I'd love to tell you no, I think she's probably going to be. She's been excited for you to come home but she's also been telling Reggie about how she's scared to see you. Just try to be as understanding as possible." Nate said, patting his back.

Vinnie hesitantly got out of the car. Before he could even take a step towards the door, Maria and Kaiser were running outside to see him. Kaiser was far more excited than Maria though.

"Dada! Dada! Hug me!" Kaiser yelled, squealing when Vinnie lifted him off of the ground and kissed all over his face.

"I missed you so much!" Vinnie said, pulling away and smiling big.

"Missed my dada!" Kaiser agreed, laying his head on Vinnie's shoulder.

He gave his mom a hug too, lingering in it for a minute.

"I'm so glad that this day was able to happen." Maria said.

"Me too mom." Vinnie said, squeezing her tight before he finally pulled away.

They all walked inside, Vinnie taking it slow as he carried Kaiser in his arms. Once they reached the living room, Vinnie sat down on the couch as he tried to regain his strength.

"Dada okay?" Kaiser asked.

"Yeah, dada's okay." Vinnie smiled.

Vinnie looked around the living room to see Bear next to him on the couch, peeking at him over her knees. She looked scared yet relieved.

"Hi babygirl." Vinnie said softly.

She only stared back at him without saying a word.

"I understand if your scared of me right now. I'll wait until you're ready to talk to me okay?" Vinnie said.

"Do you want a hug from daddy or do you want to wait until you're comfortable?" Maria asked the young girl only to receive a quiet "I wanna wait" as an answer.

"That's okay, daddy understands." Nate said, picking his granddaughter up from the couch.

"Wanna see Uncle Reggie." Bear said softly.

"Alright baby." Nate nodded, carrying her up the stairs to Reggie's room.

Vinnie made a heart with his fingers and Bear reluctantly made one back. He gave her a small smile before she was out of sight.

"Give her some time and I think she'll be okay." Maria said.

"She can take all the time she needs. I don't want to make it worse." Vinnie nodded, turning his attention to his son who was now passing him toy cars to play with.