Lost Daughter

Chapter 23

Vic's p.o.v

I parked in the hospital parking lot and walked into the hospital. Erin texted me the room number on the drive here. She wouldn't tell me what happened, which made me worry even more.

"What happened to Tony?" Victoria asked me.

"I don't know, baby girl," I replied.

We found Tony's room and walked in. Tony lied there on the bed with his glasses on. Mike, Jaime and Erin sat around him. "Hey, guys," Tony said, his voice a bit raspy.

"Dude, what happened?" I asked.

"Motorcycle accident," Mike and Tony said at the same time.

Victoria walked over and stood by his head, playing with his hair. "Are you hurt?" She asked him. Tony nodded and smiled, holding her hand. "A little, but I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"How bad are the injuries?"

"Three broken ribs, a torn shoulder, a collapsed lung and a broken sternum," Erin listed. "He got surgery, so he should be fine. But he still has to stay home and rest."

"Which means he can't come to Warped with us," Jaime added. "Who's going to replace Tone-Bone?"

"We'll talk about it later. We should be fortunate that Tony's okay," I said.

Victoria sat on Tony's bed and rested her head on his head, letting Tony play with her black hair ribbon. "You look pretty, baby turtle. Did you just come from your therapist appointment?" Tony asked her. She nodded. "How was it?"

"It was okay. I'm tired though," she yawned. "I want to take a nap. Daddy, can I take a nap?"

"When we get home-Victoria Elizabeth, get off of Tony's bed! You could hurt him." I scolded her.

Victoria ignored me and crawled onto Tony's bed and curled up into a ball next to Tony, her head in his shoulder. "Just leave her. She's not going anywhere," Danielle said, rubbing her back. "Besides, she looks adorable when she's sleeping."

"How come I don't get cuddles from munchkin? I'm her favorite," Mike complained.

"Because you're not a storm trooper," Erin told him, snapping a picture of the two. She was probably posting it on Instagram. "It's obvious that she loves Star Wars better than Harry Potter."

Mike gasped and feigned a heartbroken look. A soft snoring filled the room and I looked at Victoria, who was sucking her thumb. "Wait. If Victoria isn't coming with us, where is going to stay?" Jaime asked. I stopped and brushed Victoria's hair off her face. Victoria's accommodations never really came to mind until now. Where was she going to stay? Mama and papa would probably take her in, since it's been so long since they've seen their granddaughter, but at the same time, I don't want to dump all this responsibility on them on such short notice. Danielle maybe? Victoria and her seem to be getting pretty close, but with watching over a child and modeling, that sounds quite hectic.

"I'll take care of her."

I looked at Tony and smiled. "Are you sure, Tone? I'd feel bad having you take care of Victoria when you should be recovering," I said. Tony just shrugged and played with Victoria's hair. "I don't mind. I'm just going to stay at home anyways. Besides, it'll be nice having someone in the house other than Erin," Tony said. "What? Don't think I can take care of baby turtle?"

"No, I trust you. I just didn't know if you were up for it," I said.

"If I can handle Mike, I can handle a little girl."

"Hey!" Mike shouted. "Giraffes have feelings too, you know."

"I wasn't aware."

~Time Lapse~

We eventually had to leave Tony to recuperate back at the hospital, so Danielle and I went back to my house, eating pizza and watching Coraline. Danielle came down the stairs and sat next to me, her head on her shoulder. "Just checked on Victoria. She's still sleeping," she told me. I draped my arms over her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "I've been thinking-"

"That's dangerous," I joked. 

Danielle rolled her eyes and looked at me. "I think we should get Victoria a dog," she blurted. I paused the movie then turned to her. "Studies show that when veterans, or kids in Victoria's case, suffer from PTSD, having a canine companions can help you gain trust and teach yourself how to love again. While you're at tour, Victoria will probably lock herself in her bedroom, not refusing to participate in anything social activity. Not to mention she doesn't has any friends. I don't think Victoria has ever mentioned having one friend back in Manhattan. She's always been alone growing up. And you better not say 'they're too expensive, babe. They cost more than my house.'"

"I don't know..."

"Come on, babe. Please?" Danielle pleaded.

I looked at Danielle and sighed. "I think about it," I said, kissing her cheek. I got up and handed her a remote. "I'm gonna go check on Victoria. Watch the movie without me." I winked at her and walked over to the stairs, thinking about Danielle's idea. Victoria did tell me her favorite breed, but I don't think there's any breeders here in San Diego. "Mija?" 

"Come in," Victoria answered back.

I opened the door and smiled at my daughter, who was sitting in her carriage bed with her phone in hand. Rather than sporting out her usual Disney onesies, Victoria was now sporting a monkey onesie with her pigtails draped over her shoulder. "Who know that Tarzan had a thing for monkeys. You totally look like his daughter," I joked. 

"You should know. You banged a monkey and here I am," she said.

I smiled and walked over to her, sitting on her bed. I tugged down the hood she had on and glanced over her shoulder. "Who're talking to?" I asked. Victoria twisted her body and tried blocking my view, but I grabbed her phone and scrolled through her texts, a smirk on her face. "Micaela, huh? Just got this girl's number and now you're trying to slide into her DMs?"

"Daddy, give it back!" She giggled, her face red.

"So, did she ask you out on a date, or are you guys still on that acquaintance zone?" Victoria rolled her eyes and hugged her stuffed monkey, a smile growing. "She asked me if we could go on a date this Saturday," she admitted. "I told her I'd have to run it by the big guy before I gave her a reply."

I handed her back her phone and draped an arm over her. "All I have to say it be back no later than ten thirty and you try to to go down past the waist." Again, Victoria rolled her eyes and I got smacked for the third time that day. "What? I don't know if you're lesbian or bisexual, or if you're experimenting your sexuality."

"We're not having this discussion right now!" Victoria said to me.

I chuckled and stood up, tucking Victoria under the sheets and kissed some forehead. "Get some sleep, mija. I'll see you tomorrow morning. I love you."

"I love you too."

I closed her lights and walked out, shutting the door quietly. I tiptoed down the stairs and sat back on the couch next to Danielle. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course."

We looked at each other and kissed briefly and continued watching Coraline.