You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me

Chapter 20

Dean went into autopilot. He grabbed her suitcase and got her into the car. Then he drove them to the hospital.

"Chrissy, I'm sorry if I upset you."

"Dino," she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "Pallies for life. And I'm sorry about your Mama."

"Thanks," he said quietly.

Chrissy smiled, "Maybe we can take a trip to see her."

"She would love that. She'd love to see you."

When they arrived at the hospital, Chrissy was whisked away and Dino sat in a room with the expectant fathers, holding a place for Frank when he arrived.

It took awhile, but finally, Frank arrived at the hospital. He ran inside and found Dino sitting in corner staring at his shoes, his face held up by his fists.

Frank stared at him for a moment. He wanted to be angry. The small cut on his lip and fading bruise under his eye made him want to be angry. Looking at his best friend, the feelings of anger went away. Dean was his brother, and his brother had been right. He had been flirting with Angie Dickinson. Though he had no intention of anything going further, he wanted the attention for a moment, attention that his pregnant wife needed. With Sammy, he was right too. They had fought, so Frank turned his part in Ocean's Eleven into the part of Josh the garbage man. He was right about the kids too. Frank struggled giving affection so he tried to buy it. Music, Dodgers tickets, vacations, gadgets... He tried to buy his way into their hearts. That ended today.

He walked over to Dino and sat down next to him, patting his back. "Frank, I'm..." Dino looked up at him with bloodshot eyes.

"How's Chrissy?" Frank asked.

"Haven't heard. Frank, I'm sorry."

Frank shook his head, "Don't be. I'm an ass."

A doctor suddenly burst into the room, "Sinatra?"

Frank scrambled to his feet, "Yes? Sir, we're having some complications. With Chrissy's advanced maternal age, there are several risks right now. I need to know. Should we prioritize the baby or the mother's health?"

"My wife!" Frank nearly shouted.

"Pally," Dean put his arm around Frank's shoulder as he became unsteady,

The doctor nodded and then left the room quickly. Frank looked like he was going to faint. He let out a breath and stared at Dean, "My God... What'll I do if something happens to her?"

Dean felt tears filling his eyes and swallowed hard, "Nothing's going to happen, Frank."

"I can't lose my wife," Frank cried, burying his face into Dean's shoulder.

His wife, Dean thought. He couldn't help it. Even in this moment, he kicked himself. He had screwed it up.

It felt like an eternity until the doctor returned. His face displayed a certain uneasiness. "Mr. Sinatra, your wife is stable though she is unconscious right now. Your daughter is very frail. I'm not sure if she'll pull through or not. It is a waiting game now, I'm afraid. Would you like to meet your daughter?"

Frank nodded and followed the doctor, "Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Go be with Chrissy, please."

Dean left the room and went to where Chrissy laid peacefully. He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. "Oh, Chris... what I would give to make your life easier... to take away the pain you've endured."

He began to cry as he gently stroked her hand with thumb. She was so beautiful. Even more, she had a heart of gold. That was what drew him to her all those years ago. Then watching her become a mother on her own made him realize how strong she was. Jamie...

"Shit!" He muttered as the thought popped into his head. Jamie had been at a friend's house the night before with no idea what had happened. He jumped up and went to find a phone. Quickly, he dialed Sammy who he prayed was home,

Luckily, he answered, "Sammy! Listen, I need help. Chrissy had the baby. She's unconscious right now, and the baby is fighting for her life."

"Oh my... How's Frank?"

"He's a wreck. Listen, I need you to pick Jamie up from his sleepover and look after him until I can get there."

"What kind of a house am I driving to, Pally?" Sammy asked, conscious of the tumultuous time he was living in.

"I think it'll be fine. If you have trouble, let me know. Family seems nice enough. I've picked him up there before and they knew who I was."

"What do I tell the kid?"

"Tell him that his Momma is okay, and Uncle Dino will be there as soon as possible."

"Dean, relax. Uncle Sammy's got it under control."

Dean hung up the phone and returned to Chrissy's room. The anesthesia must have been wearing off because she began to stir.

"Dean?" she mumbled, before even opening her eyes.

Christ, Dean thought. Frank would've lost his mind if he was here.

"I'm here, honey. How are you doing?"

She moaned as she became aware of the pain in her body, "What the hell happened?"

"You had the baby, but there were complications."

Chrissy began to cry, "Dino..." she reached for him.

He stood from his chair and sat down on the edge of her bed, engulfing her in his arms.

"Tell me the baby is okay?"

"She's fighting. Her Poppa is with her right now."

"He is?" Chrissy's voiced filled with hope. "He actually made it here..."

Dean nodded.

"And I have a daughter?"

Dean smiled, "You do."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Oh my God! Jamie!" she gasped.

"I took care of it. Sammy went to get him."

Another sob escaped Chrissy, "What would I do without you?"

"I asked myself that question several times this morning about you," Dean choked.

They broke their embrace and stared at one another for a moment. "Dean, I..."

The door opened, "Chrissy!" Frank ran to her side, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her.

"How's our girl?" Chrissy asked nervously.

"Could be better, but could be worse. She seems to be stabilizing a bit. God, she's beautiful," Frank kissed his wife again.

"Well," Dean sighed, "If you don't need me, I'm going to go get Jamie from Sammy and take him home with me."

"Thank you, Dino," Frank said gratefully.

Dean gave a little nod as he left the room. He couldn't help but look back and see Frank and Chrissy embracing. He felt the familiar pang in his chest and twist in his gut as he saw it. How could such a sweet moment between a couple make him feel so ill?