Patience

11

Tori bit her lip and looked up at Lindsey before placing her phone in the middle of the table and opening up the messages.

stevienicks

Tori, I'm really sorry. Karen's gone until the new year. I...I can't lose you again. When I found out I was pregnant it was the best feeling in the world. I had always wanted to be a mother and knowing that the father of my baby was Lindsey Buckingham, a man that even after everything we've put each other through  I still love him. But I was so excited. I didn't want to take Klonopin while I was pregnant because I was worried you would be born with a cleft lip or something because that's what some studies show that Klonopin can do to a baby. And when you moved around in my stomach and kicked me. Danced around inside of me when I would sing. Those were the best feelings in the world. I know Lori told you why we gave you up so I won't tell you again, but it was the hardest decision I ever had to make and I immediately regretted it the moment that you were taken from my arms. I breastfed you and held you and god I love you so much. And these past three days have put me through an emotional wringer. I need to make it right please let me make it right. I missed twenty-six years with you and I don't want to miss anymore. I don't know how many years I left on this earth and I can't leave here without getting to be your mother, I just can't. 

stevienicks

Please, Tori, please. 

The final message was simply her address.

"What do I do?" Tori questions.

"I can't tell you that Kiddo. I have to go, my wife and I are currently separated and I have to go get my other kids as it is my week, but here's my cell phone number. Can I hug you?" He asks.

Tori nods and stands up and Lindsey wraps his arms around his daughter and Tori squeezes him a little bit tighter. A love of a father runs throughout his body and flows into her in a hug that only a dad can give a daughter and Tori relishes in it. 

After Lindsey leaves, Tori sits in her booth and contemplates her next move. She ventures into Target and makes her way to the food section. In the bakery department, she stops at the tables and cocks her eyebrow. This could completely backfire and she grabs what she thinks she'll need to get through it afterward. A thing of chocolate chip cookies, some red velvet cupcakes, and some mini cherry pie bites. It's 12 dollars she didn't really need to spend but she has enough red wine at home to get through the downfall of all of this she just needed the accompanying treats. 

***

Pulling up to Stevie's gate, she starts having second thoughts, but she quickly types in her birthdate and once the gate presses open she slowly drives up. Alec and Chris are out on the porch and Tori feels the urge to turn around but she doesn't. Instead, she grabs at the treats and climbs out of her car. Alec smiles and Christopher shakes his head as she walks towards them.

"I um, I brought peace offerings." She holds up the bags. 

"She's going to be so glad you're here. We finally got her to leave her bedroom this morning, come on in. Take your shoes off though." Christopher warns her as he opens the front door. 

"Teedee, come here, I have something for you!" Chris calls cocking his eyebrow as the young girl drops five inches. 

Stevie slowly appears her eyes bloodshot and tired, like she's either been smoking a lot of weed or she was crying a lot. She slowly casts her gaze up at her brother and sees Tori and she starts crying again. 

"I um...I brought peace offerings." She repeats the same thing that she said to Christopher just minutes prior. 

"Can I just hold you?" She sniffles.

"Yeah, you can hold me." Tori sighs as she nods. 

"Thank you." Stevie grins quickly pulling her into her arms and squeezing her tightly. 

Stevie holds her for about five minutes before she pulls away and looks at her face. She then pulls her back into arms for another few minutes until Chris clears his throat.

"So what is your peace offering?" 

"Oh, um...I got chocolate chip cookies, some red velvet cupcakes, and little cherry pie bites." She explains holding the bag out.

"How did you know those were my favorites?" Stevie asks.

"I didn't. They're my favorites." She shrugs. 

"That's...wow." Alec shakes his head. 

"W-what made you decide to come back?" Stevie leans against the railing of the staircase. 

"Well, I...I had coffee with Lindsey and he talked me into reading your messages." Tori tells her.

"You met with Lindsey?" Stevie asks.

"I did. He came without his assistant and he was really nice." Tori nods.

"Well, let's go get some treats and I...I want you to come upstairs with me and I want to show you something." Stevie leads her through the house. 

***

Tori feels awkward being led upstairs and into a bedroom where a small white dog is in the middle of a giant bed. But she follows Stevie into the room anyway and she obeys when Stevie pats the space next to her. The small dog on the bed slowly slinks over to Tori and sniffs her before eventually crawling onto her lap and curling up into a ball.

"She's cute. This is Lily isn't it?" She questions.

"Yeah, this is Lily. Um, this is what I wanted to show you." She grabs at the small wooden hope chest on the floor and she pulls it onto the bed. 

"What is it?" Tori questions.

"Well it's...it's the only thing I really have of well you, I guess." Stevie shrugs.

Tori opens the lid and grabs out the empty golden frame first. "The picture that I showed you at Olive Garden, goes in this frame." 

"I see." Tori sighs and then she pulls out the other two pictures.

"I can finally hang them up around here." Stevie smiles taking the one of the two of them and Lindsey right before they took her home, and she puts it on her nightstand.