Chapter Text
No new concussion was good news. She had reinjured her ribs further, including one new fracture, as well as acquiring small fractures in her left foot and right forearm. She had also strained her back pretty well, and she had managed to, in the words of one shaky young doctor "explode the ACL" in her left leg. That sucked ass, naturally, but all the new injuries did mean a lot of good pain meds. For a blissful little while, Rio was floating on a cloud of bliss and peace and very mild ache.
Then Agatha entered, and she looked pissed.
"Babe," Rio squeaked.
"What in the name of all that's holy were you doing up on that ladder‽"
"I... I wanted to get a jump on getting the place ready to sell. I was feelin' okay, and the hedges had been getting a little out of hand lately..."
"Rio, you could have... You could have died!"
"Yeah. Yeah, I been close on to that a lot lately."
"It's not funny."
"I'm not laughing. Besides, if you hadn't surprised me..."
"I didn't think! I was terrified, Rio. I had Nicky right there with me..."
"He okay? Where is he?"
"I called Lilia. She's with him in the waiting room. Rio, I... I..."
Agatha was breathing very fast, tears welling in her eyes. Carefully, Rio grabbed her hand.
"I'm okay. We're gonna be okay. I'm sorry if I was being an idiot..."
"I'm sorry I yelled at you. But I... Fuck, Rio, please, do you promise you'll let me take you straight home once you're out of here. Please. Please."
"I will, mi luz. I promise you I will. Did the doctors talk to you yet?"
"Yeah. Rio, you're so hurt."
"I'll get better. Remember that ACL tear I had right after college? I'll bounce back from this one too."
"Yeah, but that one didn't happen when you also had multiple other fractures and a very recent concussion."
"I'll heal, Agatha. I will. And I'll come home to you and our son, and you and I will go to, just, massive amounts of therapy together, and we'll be okay."
"I just... You fell, and I... And when I got to you, you were so out of it, making these awful sounds, and I thought you were dying, and..."
"I'm safe, sweetheart, and I will be from now on."
Agatha looked so pale and shaky, and Rio reached up, grateful for one arm still being uninjured so she could stroke Agatha's cheek.
"You should sit down, babe. You look like you're gonna faint."
"I... I want to go get Nicky and Lilia. They both want to see you."
"Just... Take a breath first, okay, and sit down a second."
Nodding, Agatha went around to the chair on the far side of the bed and sat, immediately bending forward and resting her head on her knees.
"I... Fuck, I puked twice waiting for the ambulance, and now I'm starving," she grumbled.
"When you feel steadier, send in Lilia and Nicky and go get yourself something to eat."
"Right. Okay. Okay."
Agatha's breathing was beginning to calm, and after a few moments she straightened up, then slowly stood and returned to the bedside.
"You swear you're letting me take you home?"
"I swear, babe. We'll hire movers to bring all the stuff back home, and someone to get my old place ready and on the market."
"Thank you, my love."
"I'd do anything for you, Agatha. Just been being stubborn, lately."
Bending down, Agatha kissed Rio's forehead gently.
"Just rest. I'll go get Lilia and Nicky."
Agatha left the room, and Rio frowned up at the ceiling. She wanted to be at home, at their home, so badly. Maybe if she had started home sooner... Well, the ICE thing still would have happened, probably, but maybe not a lot of the shit since. Maybe.
Everything was so much and so tiring, and she was beginning, as she so often had in the past year, to wish she had not just bowed out when Agatha asked for the divorce. Yet instead of holding on, instead of immediately suggesting they work on things, she had just given in because, on some level, she had spent their whole relationship, even when they were just friends, waiting for the other shoe to drop and Agatha to not want to be around her anymore. She had always expected that she would be pushed away. But now she knew that Agatha had not really wanted the divorce either, that they had been very much on a similar wavelength. Agatha's own life had set her up to expect that people would never like her, let alone love her. Rio knew that feeling; that had been a big part of their original draw to each other.
The door of her room flew open, and in stormed Lilia, Nicky hurrying alongside her, holding tight to her hand.
"Rio Maria Vidal..." Lilia began.
"Do not use her whole name, Nonna!" Nicky cried.
"She might fall down again."
"I'm safe here, mijo," Rio smiled.
Nicky approached the side of the bed, and Rio held his hand.
"Will you ever come home, Mom?"
"As soon as they let me out of here again."
"Promise?"
"I promise. I already promised your mommy, and now I'm promising you."
Lilia looked quite upset.
"Rio, I've held my peace these last few weeks," she began.
"I know, Lil. I know. I've been fu... Freakin' around and findin' out lately. But, hey, the world is in chaos. From now on, I promise to live a more quiet life."
"Yes. Well. See that you do."
"Mom?" Nicky said quietly.
"Yeah, bud?"
"Can I hug you?"
"Just hold my hand for now, mijo. I hurt myself real bad this time. No huggin' anyone for a while."
"Okay."
Nicky looked ready to cry, and Rio looked to Lilia, who moved quickly to lift the boy up by the side of the bed. Gently, Rio brushed his hair back from his face.
"It's all gonna be okay from now on, Nicky. I promise, I'm not gonna get hurt anymore, and I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you or your mommy."
"Okay. I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, my buddy. I'm really sorry that everything's been so scary lately."
"I just am glad you will come home forever now."
"You and me both."
Agatha returned not long after, looking a little less worn out, and Lilia left for a morning of meetings. Oddly, Agatha was carrying the big tote they had always kept in the van, and Rio frowned in confusion at first.
"Babe, what..."
"Donuts," Agatha explained, carefully sliding a bakery box out of the tote.
"Oh, yeah!" Nicky said.
"We were bringin' donuts!"
"Well, day's already looking up," Rio grinned.
When Agatha and Nicky left about an hour later, they both seemed much more cheerful. Agatha made Rio promise to behave, and Nicky made her promise to get better as fast as she could. Of course, she took both vows to heart. No way was she going to betray her little family again.
Lenny showed up that afternoon near the start of visiting hours, not really to take Rio to task so much as to remind her of things.
"We're not exactly getting younger, Ri-ri. You gotta stop bein' so wild."
"I was trimming hedges."
"Still. You gotta chill a bit."
"This from the queen of wrapping sports cars around structures?"
"That was years ago. I calmed down once I met... Once I got my life together."
Rio rolled her eyes.
"Okay, okay. Look, I already promised Agatha and Nicky I'm gonna be more careful. I promise you too."
"Good. It's Violet's birthday in a month, and she'll be pissed if Aunt Rio can't be there because, I dunno, multiple limbs fell off or something."
"Yeah, I wouldn't miss that for anything."
"You sure? Rio, I... Look, I know stuff's been extra screwed up lately, but if you ask me, you've really been just... You've been sort of existing since... Ya know. Surviving and existing, but not living."
"What? I been doing fine. Been working, still been being a damn good parent..."
"Sure, but... Well, anyway, I'm just glad you and Agatha been working on shit. You two need each other. You need each other bad."
"We do," Rio agreed, and managed to keep the tears back.
When Lenny left, Rio closed her eyes. After this, no more bullshit. She was going home, taking care of herself and her family, and really focusing on keeping things chill. Just...
She dozed off a little, and when she woke, it was to a nurse checking her vitals, then telling someone it was all right to enter. Looking over, Rio smiled to see Agatha and Nicky returned. They both looked a bit more cheerful than this morning, and the nurse adjusted the bed ever so slightly so Rio could be sitting up to talk to them.
"Mom, I do not like everyone bein' sick an' hurted all the time," Nicky groused.
"Neither do I, buddy. But hey, I'm gonna be better soon, and Kitty's gonna be better soon too I bet, and it'll all be okay."
"Hope so."
Agatha leaned over the bed and kissed Rio softly.
"You feelin' better?" Rio asked, and Agatha laughed.
"I should be asking you that, but yes, I'm fine. Nicky and I had a pretty good afternoon. Lilia took us shopping and out to lunch and..."
"An' Mommy almost punched a camera guy!" Nicky declared.
"I did not," Agatha snorted.
"I told him, politely yet firmly, to back off. Lilia almost hit him."
"Lil's always been pretty badass," Rio smirked.
"You said a swear," Nicky said.
"So I did, mijo. Sorry. I promise five dollars for the swear jar as soon as I'm home."
"'Kay. You better. Mommy says as much as she swears, I can go t' any college I want, but I want the new Ka-Zar Jungle HQ playset before that, an' I figure every dollar counts."
Rio laughed, a touch painfully, and reached out to pat Nicky on the head.
"You'll have whatever you want, mijo."
"Mostly I just want you home," Nicky said, his big dark eyes so sad Rio felt like her heart snapped in half at the sight.
"I'll be there, buddy. I will."
Looking to Agatha, Rio saw her wife on the verge of tears.
"Hey, mi luz, it's gonna all work out."
Agatha nodded, and she leaned down again and kissed Rio's forehead. She looked very soft, sort of luminous, and Rio felt suddenly all nervous like she had the first time she asked Agatha out.
"I love you," Rio murmured.
"I love you too," Agatha whispered, and she smiled.
"I love my family," Nicky said, rushing around to hug Agatha quickly.
"We love you too, sweet baby," Agatha said, and bent down to lift Nicky onto her hip.
"It's all gonna be so much better soon, mijo," Rio promised.
"When you come home and are better," Nicky asked, "will we play basketball?"
"Sure thing."
"An' have ice cream?"
"Oh, you bet we'll have ice cream."
"How about the day your mom comes home," Agatha said, "we have a little party? Just you and me and your mom and Kitty and Sharon?"
"I would like that," Nicky nodded, and then he yawned.
"Think someone better get home and get to bed," Rio smirked.
Agatha helped Nicky bend down so Rio could kiss his cheek and he could offer her the gentlest of hugs around the neck.
"I'll be home so soon, mijo."
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you too. Night-night."
"Night-night."
Agatha kissed Rio's forehead again.
"Be back in the morning, my love. You be..."
"I'll behave, mi luz. You try to take it easy, okay?"
"I can but try."