Home Is Where The Heart Is

Chapter 3

Gaga sleeps for a while, still feverish. She feels slightly better when she wakes up around noon, thanks to the medicine she is getting through her IV. She takes her phone, to see if her parents texted her an exact time of their visit, with her kids, in the afternoon. She unlocks the phone, but a message from Taylor catches her attention first. 'Joey called me. Call me when you see this.' Gaga realizes that she hadn't spoken to Taylor yet, and she immediately dials his number. He picks up after the first ring. 'I'm so sorry, honey,' Gaga immediately apologizes for not being in touch, and she hears a relieved sigh on the other end of the line.

'It- don't worry about it,' Taylor's voice hits Gaga, and suddenly she misses him. 'Are you okay, Stef? I talked to Joey and your dad and they said-' He talks fast, until Gaga interrupts him. 'I'm fine,' she softly says. 'I still feel a little ill and my head hurts, but that's it.' She hears silence, and then a deep sigh. 'I don't believe you.' Taylor simply states. 'I'm coming home.' He says right after. 'No, Taylor, you shouldn't do that.' Gaga argues. 'We're done filming. I'm missing my kids and my wife is in the hospital. The only thing I'll be missing here are a couple of days in Paris.' He firmly tells Gaga, sure that she is not going to fight him on this.

'I'm handling everything fine here,' Gaga doesn't want to rob Taylor from his free days, but she hears him snort through the phone. 'Okay maybe not that fine,' she sighs. 'But I'll be out of here tomorrow and you really deserve some time off, you've been working so hard lately.' She bites her bottom lip and listens to the silence on the other end of the line. 'Tay?' She softly asks after a few long minutes. 'Okay babe, whatever you want.' Taylor reluctantly agrees with her. They talk a little longer, and then Taylor has to go. He doesn't say why, but Gaga is too tired to ask about it. She then checks when her kids are coming, and then she falls back asleep.

'Babies!' Gaga exclaims when her kids run into her hospital room. 'I missed you so much.' She tells them immediately after. Joey sits down in the chair he owned all night, but Samantha and Christopher are a little more hesitant. 'Come here, I want hugs,' Gaga smiles at her kids, and little Chris immediately rushes to her side and climbs up into her bed. Gaga shifts over to the other side so he can lay beside her, and he cuddles close to her. 'I missed you, mommy,' he murmurs when he lays against her.

Samantha first looks over her shoulder, where she sees her grandparents with her little sister in the hallway. She and her siblings immediately ran to see their mother, but she feels a little lost now. Slowly she walks towards Joey, and she sits in the chair next to him. Her mom is softly stroking Christopher's hair, and she seems alright, apart from the big bandage on her forehead. Samantha is still a little afraid, so she just silently sits there. Suddenly Gaga turns to their side, and she looks at Samantha. 'How are you Sammy? Did you have a good day at school?' She asks, but Samantha only nods.

Then Cynthia and Joe come in with Annabelle, and Gaga's attention turns towards them. Annabelle is whimpering a little, probably affected by the unfamiliarity and strange smell in the hospital. Gaga holds her arms out, and Cynthia hands the little girl over. Gaga hugs her tiny daughter, who stops crying soon after being wrapped up in her mother's embrace. Gaga softly kisses her dark hair while the young girl nestles against Gaga's chest and quite soon falls asleep. 'She didn't sleep well last night,' Cynthia explains. 'None of us did,' Samantha suddenly adds, and everyone turns to face her.

When everyone looks at her, Samantha suddenly bursts into tears. She buries her face in her hands while her frail body shakes heavily. Gaga can do nothing but watch, with Annabelle on her lap, and also a lot of tubes and wires attached to her she is unable to move. 'Come here, sis.' Joey rubs Samantha shoulder, and she climbs onto his lap. He holds her tightly, and now Gaga is also able to reach her, so she softly rubs her head. Safely in Joey's strong arms, Samantha is soon calm again. She reaches for Gaga's hand, and softly squeezes it. 'It's okay, Sammy. I promise you,' Gaga looks at her. 'I promise you I'm alright.'