continued
"I'm sorry. We did everything we could," a doctor sadly stated. The burdened mother dropped her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. Tori and André rushed pasted the gut wrenching sight, following the sound of their sons pain.
The young mom burst into the small room to see her oldest asleep in the hospital bed and his inconsolable brother on their grandmother's lap. On sight, Jaxon pulled for Tori, rubbing his sleepy eyes in the process. "Has anyone seen him yet?" Tori asked, sitting next to Joey on the bed, stroking Jaxon's back.
"Nope," Micheal replied, as he slowly rocked Ella's car seat, knowing that would keep her asleep through her brother's tears. A sigh left Tori's lips. She did her best not cry in front of her kids, but the sight of Jaxon's knot on his forehead cracked her heart. It was bruised and had a large scratch slicing down the center. It was obvious where the corner hit first.
"It's okay, Jax. Mommy is right here. You gotta calm down, buddy." Tori whispered. A few moments later, the curtain rushed back to reveal a face that was unexpected and uninvited. "Mom? What are you doing here?" Tori growled, holding onto her son tighter.
"André," Laura muttered. The basketball player shrugged, moving behind the diagonal hospital bed to stand beside his mother.
"I texted her. She deserved to be here and you two need to make up. This is stupid and Noah doesn't deserve this. She's his mother and you're his sister." André confessed. Tori wiped her tears, holding onto Jaxon for her comfort now as well.
"She was my mother, too! But we all seem to forget that! I needed her! I had a baby unexpectedly and she left! You left me!" Tori yelled. The Murillo's decided it was best to leave the Kelly women to talk this one out alone. "Why? What did I do?" Tori cried. Laura took Micheals seat and scooted it to the bed.
"You became independent. You didn't need me anymore. You had everything figured out," Laura started. "The divorce killed me, but I didn't get a chance to grieve my loss. But once you started to show signs of independence, I knew I could leave Noah in the hands of someone who could care for him better than me. So I did. And I realize now that I should've talked to you first, but Tori..." Laura trailed off, forming her own tears. "I had to get out of there. Everything reminded me of the hell we went through and I couldn't fully parent during the hell I was dealing with."
Tori could hear the pleas for forgiveness in her mothers throat while her son was screaming against her heartbeat. She didn't want to stay mad at her mother. She wanted to move on. And while it would take some time, her kids deserved at least one Kelly grandparent if the other wasn't going to step up.
"Next time, just talk to me," was all she could get out before being attacked by her mother in a pleasant hug. Tori took a deep breath of her mothers scent in. Remembering the good times were easier that way.
"Okay, now that that's out the way, keep him awake until the doctor gets in. In case of a concussion, we want to be proactive. And he's going to hate it, but we don't have a choice. Going to sleep is too dangerous in this situation, especially because he's two and can't articulate how he feels with words," Nurse Laura said.
The rest of the family came back in and did everything they could to keep the baby boy awake in hopes that seeing a doctor would solve their issues before midnight.
10:45 PM
Hooked up to an IV, Jaxon was admitted into the hospital for observation after examination by the ER doctor. The professional was set on letting them go home, until Jaxon threw up after being in the waiting room lights for thirty seconds. The severity of his is sensitivity to light was dead give away that he needed to be admitted for at least 12 hours.
So, there sat André and Tori by Jaxon's crib, on the couch. It was weird seeing him without Joey. This was the first time the boys would go a night without each other since they were born. "You know," Tori tiredly chuckled, rubbing her sons hand.
"Hmm?" André mumbled, dropping his phone on the couch next to him.
"I always thought the first time the boys were separated would be like a sleepover or something. I imagined them being in different groups and wanting to be away by choice. Not because a table fell on one of them and forced them into hospitalization." Tori said. André couldn't have agreed more. Seeing his son, the son that was always into something or moving around, lying still in a hospital crib was crazy. Jaxon was the mover from the time Tori could feel the boys in her uterus, even in his sleep, so seeing him this still actually hurt.
He was never a crier. If he ever got hurt he would try to break or hurt whatever or whoever it was. Which is why Tori knew his cry so specifically. She'd only heard him cry as a toddler once before when André realized the timeout chair didn't work for Jaxon and had to spank him for the first time. It shocked Jaxon, because it was new. It shocked Tori, because she'd never seen André us force with the kids. They'd never talked about discipline and figured what worked for her would work for the boys. But after that spanking took place and it actually got Jaxon to straighten up, Tori's fears that she was raising a Noah were confirmed. And when raising a Noah, the hospital trips were frequent.
11:14 PM
Tori slept peacefully on the bed beside the couch as André stood in front of their sons crib watching him sleep. Seeing the two-year-olds chest move up and down gave André a flood of relief every time. He couldn't imagine losing a child, especially to such a stupid accident, something so preventable.
With everything that happened the past few days, with Jasmine being taken for good and Jaxon's concussion, André was sure that possibly capping the kid count at three was a good thing. He and Tori hadn't really discussed not having more kids, but he felt like he could speak for both of them when saying that having more kids was off the table. At least for some years.
9:45 AM
Tori started to sign the discharge papers, while André brought the truck to the side of the hospital they were on. "You ready to go home with Joey and Ella?" Tori sweetly asked.
"Elle," he repeated with a smile. The tired mother was glad her son still had his memories after hearing horror stories of memory loss from his injury.
"You ready to eat eat?" The singer asked, finishing up the papers and gathering his backpack.
"I eat eat!" He excitedly screamed. Tori couldn't deny that having two foodies for parents aided in Jaxon's favor.
"Okay, lets go." Tori said, setting Jaxon on the floor, getting off the couch and heading out of the dreaded hospital.
—
Fresh air flooded their lungs, as Tori and Jax walked out of the hospital to see André's truck parked right in front of them. "Daddy!" Jaxon screamed, running to his father, who was leaned against the metal beast.
"Jaxon! N—" Tori tried, ultimately failing. Jaxon quickly slipped from her grip and sprinted towards his father. "So much for resting," she sighed. The next few weeks would be a challenge to get their wild child to sit still. Only one word came to her mind, watching Jaxon excited get in his seat. Melatonin.
"What are we eating mama?" André asked, getting in the car with his wife. Tori shrugged and leaned back in her seat.
"Something quick. I need to get to Ella. I'm in serious pain," Tori whined, pushing André towards Temecula, putting a slight rush on it with every groan from his woman's lips.
12:15 PM
Tori laid on the couch eating her salad and nursing Ella, while Jaxon slept on the loveseat and Joey watched tv on his tablet. "Babe! Can you get me a diaper and wipes for Ella when you come from the room?" Tori yelled, knowing the pack and play aka her living room changing station was out.
It took a couple minutes, but André finally emerged from their bedroom with requested items, shirtless. Tori wasn't sure if it was her hormones or what, but André was looking much finer than usual. Tori removed the full baby from her body and sat up to fix her shirt. André leaned over the couch, and pecked her cheek, smelling of an outdoorsy man.
"New cologne?" Tori asked handing the baby off to her father to be changed before her nap.
"Yup. Michelle picked it. She said you'd like it," André replied. Tori smirked, making a mental note to thank Michelle, before getting up.
"Baby, all the kids are sleeping or occupied," she smirked, as André laid their baby in her swing.
"And?" André asked, knowing what Tori was saying but wanting her to actually say it.
"You know," she lead, lightly stroking his bicep. "We haven't done anything in a while," she innocently smiled.
"What do you mean? We just ate together," he said playing hard to get. Tori was tired off the back and fourth, forcing her off the couch.
"Fine. Well I'll be in our room...without this," she smirked, slowly taking off her t-shirt to reveal a bralette, "in case you feel like you want to spend more time together." And just like that André was as whipped as the day they met.
3:15 PM
Tori, Laura, and Noah sat at the old Kelly dinner table. "Are you sure this is the move you wanna make?" Tori asked. Laura nodded, pushing some of her hair behind her ears.
"I think it's only fitting right? Since your moving or talking about moving to LA. I don't want to be so far away from my grand babies," Laura replied. Noah scoffed at his mother and sister in disbelief.
"You're moving to LA? When were you gonna tell me? When the moving trucks arrived? And you're moving too? What about me? My life isn't over! I just started soccer! I want to graduate with my friends!" Noah angrily expressed.
"It's not fair, we know, but don't you want a fresh start after everything?" Laura asked. The look of disgust Noah mustered was sinful.
"Fresh start? You've had enough of that! And I'm fine! Tori took care of me. Is taking care of me! Dad ran off with his bimbo who dropped him just as fast as we did. And you self medicate with your besties, Jack and Daniel. My life has had enough of a fresh start, having to move in with my sister. You guys are so... so damn selfish!" Noah screamed, tears rushing down his cheeks.
"Noah," Laura tried. Tori shook her head, and scooted closer to her brother.
"Look, dude. I get it. A move an hour away is a bit much in your junior year. We aren't trying to put you through that. André and I thought about you just as much as the kids when we planned this. We aren't moving until you graduate. That way you can go to UCLA, like you planned and have a room at our place. No one is forgetting about you. And mom isn't leaving until we do. Just trust us. Have I ever not had your best interest at heart?" Tori softly defused. Noah dried his eyes on his sleeve before shaking his head.
"No," he sniffled.
"Exactly. You are just as much my baby as the boys and Ella. I would never leave their Uncle No No behind," she joked, receiving a small laugh in return. "Now, go get your laundry while mom and I talk for a minute," Tori instructed. The sixteen year old did as he was told, leaving the coast clear for the women.
"How do you—"
"No time. I think I want to get my tubes tied," Tori sprang onto her maternal figure. Laura was speechless for a moment. That was not a sentence she'd ever thought she'd hear her twenty-one-year-old say.
"A—are you sure? That's pretty permanent," Laura asked. Tori shrugged and pulled her knees to her chest.
"I mean, yeah. We can not afford to have more kids and we are content with three and a Noah. Anything more may bankrupt us," Tori replied. Laura took a deep breath, trying to soak in all the information. She couldn't deny that the youngsters needed not another child, but she also knew how hard that would be if they, for some reason, changed their minds.
"You know I support you through everything, but this seems a bit ludicrous. You love kids. You love having kids. You both will most likely want more in the future. Why don't we stick to the implant for now?" Laura suggested. Tori's face changed as if a lightbulb went off in her head and not the good kind.
"Ooh, I definitely forgot," Tori groaned. Laura rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair.
"Victoria,"
"I know. I know. I'm going to make an appointment with my OB as soon as possible," she said, adding another mental note to do that. Laura wasn't impressed and got up from the table, heading back to her room. "I will! I swear!" Tori yelled.
"Mhmm," was the only response she got back before Noah came up the steps with his laundry basket.
"You will what?" He nosily asked.
"Plan a murder," she whispered, before shaking her head and grabbing her keys. "Nothing," she said loud enough for her brother to hear.
The two headed back home to be back before André's gym session. Tori wanted to be the only one monitoring Jax during his recovery, so that when they saw the doctors she would be able to tell her everything.
10:43 PM
The kids slept soundly in their parents bed, with Ella on Tori's chest, the boys scattered between the middle and André on the other side. "This is what we wanted, Mama. Isn't it weird to think about all we went through with these three. Hiding your pregnancy. Finding out it was twins. The whole Josh and Maya thing. The drugs and alcohol. Man," he sighed with a satisfied smile. "We fought through so much to finally have this," he said. Tori glanced to all of the kids, amazed at the lives they created. This was not how she expected her life to go, but she was loving almost every moment of it.
wednesday — january 12th
9:15 AM
Tori, Kayla, Michelle, and Kamari sat around the Murillo kitchen island in a small state of panic. "I don't know how this could've happened," Tori paced, between the sink and stove.
"Do we need to go back to middle school?" Kamari sassed.
"I mean I know how it could've, but it shouldn't have." Tori replied.
"Well are you on something?" Michelle asked.
"Damnnit! I knew I was forgetting something!" Tori groaned, receiving looks of joy.
"Welp, you know what this means," Kayla smirked, pulling out the bag Tori had requested. With an eye roll Tori held out her hand.
"Just give me the bag,"
9:19 AM
"What does it say?" Michelle squirmed as Tori came out of the bathroom.
"It actually flashed a picture of my bank account crying," Tori sarcastically replied. The girls flooded their best friend with all the love and support they had. Lord knows she was going to need it.
🧸🧸🧸🧸
The End