The Rock Star and The Mafia

Chapter 81

Cheri didn't get much sleep that night.  Alessio was having trouble getting comfortable because of his leg and kept jerking and moaning.  She knew he was in pain and she was going to try and alleviate some of it so they both could get some rest.

Sliding from bed, she put on her boxers and then padded into the bathroom and grabbed her essential oils.  She took an empty bottle and combined her lavender oil with sage oil as she had read that the combination of these two oils had a pain relieving affect on the muscles.

Going to their closet, Cheri grabbed an extra pillow and folded it.  She had a feeling his leg needed to be elevated.  She knew that he wouldn't take any of the doctor prescribed pain pills because he said they made him feel loopy.

She made her way downstairs to grab him a cold bottle of water, knowing he would be thirsty when she woke him up.  As she was opening the fridge, her mind kept going back over the previous events.  She couldn't believe that he was really home. 

Standing next to the bed, she twisted off the cap of the water and set it on the bedside table.  The pillow and the oil were already on the floor next to where she would be, next she would wake him.

Putting her lips to his cheek, she gave gentle kisses while whispering his name.  He finally stirred and blinked his eyes several times before they came into focus.  When his eyes landed on hers, she smiled and that's when she got the greatest gift of all...he smiled back.

"Why are you up?" he asked still groggy from sleep.  "I think your leg is bothering you" she answered.  "I can help but I didn't want to do anything while you were sleeping.  I didn't want to startle you" she finished.

He nodded for her to go ahead.  Picking up the pillow, she told him what she was going to do first and with his help, they got the pillow under his knee.  He blew out the breath that he'd been holding in.

"Feels better already" he breathed.  Moving on to the last step, she poured some oil into her hands and rubbed them together.  "It's lavender and sage oil" she told him.  "It helps with deep muscle pain.  Everyone is different but I'm hoping it won't take long to start working."

She started rubbing the oil in about two inches above and below the incision and then did the same on either side of his scar.  He hissed and winced a couple of times but the more she massaged his muscles, they seemed to relax and unwind.

"Feels better already" he said honestly.  When she was through, she went and washed her hands, getting all the oil off and then returned to their room.  She handed him the bottle of water, which he accepted gratefully and drank the entire contents.

"You think you can go back to sleep?" she asked as she crawled back in beside him.  He had already laid back against his pillow, eyes closed, sighing and said he thought so.  "Thank you baby" he said quietly.

"Oh shit!" Cheri called out suddenly.  This had Alessio struggling to sit up, hissing all the while.  "What's wrong?" he asked frantically.  She just smiled and shook her head.  "Calm down, baby.  Nothing's wrong.  Give me your hand" she said.

Slightly rolling to his left side, he placed his right hand out to her which she took and put on her lower belly.  They waited a minute and then they both felt it, they waited again.  There it was!  Another kick!

Alessio's eyes widened as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.  "Jesus, is that what I think it is?" he asked, his voice in awe.  Tears shining in her eyes, Cheri nodded.  "That's our baby.  She knows her daddy's voice" she said proudly.

Cheri wasn't sure how long they laid there, Alessio's hand and hers resting on her belly, waiting for the next movements.  "How long has that been going on?" he asked.  She raised his hand, lifted her shirt and put his hand back on her bare belly.

"It started night before last" she answered.  They felt it again.  It was the most miraculous thing either of them had ever experienced.  "I talk to her everyday, told her about you, how much you loved us and I know she could hear me because afterwards, she would get a little active and then settle back down" Cheri was smiling as she shared this with her husband.

"I had my doctor's appointment, but I told them I didn't want to know what we were having without you being there" she said to him.  Rolling over, she opened the bedside table drawer and retrieved the latest pictures.

"Oh my wow" he breathed at the sight.  He looked at the four different pictures several times before laying them down on his table and despite the discomfort, he rolled towards Cheri and pressed his lips to her naked belly and began talking to their baby.

It was a beautiful moment, sealed in time, in their memories, that they could go and retrieve at any time.  She loved the feeling of her fingers in his hair as his head laid on her belly, caressing her tenderly and rubbing her round stomach.

He seemed reluctant to change positions but had to out of necessity.  "Don't over do it baby" she warned.  "You will have plenty more chances for bonding with my belly" she joked.

He chuckled at her comment as he got comfortable again.  "Any better on the pain?" she asked.  He nodded.  "Lay your head on me" he asked.  On her side, she slipped under his arm, laid her head on his side, her hand around his waist and her leg over his.

"Now I can sleep" he told her.  She stayed awake until she heard the soft, even breath sounds coming from his body and she could tell he was much more relaxed and pain free at the moment.

Cheri let her eyes close soon after that.  They were both mentally and physically exhausted and needed respite.  Tomorrow she hoped that he would be ready for business as usual and that everything would flow for him as it should.

She had asked for Lorenzo to set up a meeting with all the family heads.  They needed to know that he was back and back for good.  She would make sure that Don Castellano's presence was known and that it was business as usual.