Chapter Fifty-nine

On Christmas day, Daniel was the first to wake up which resulted in Richie and Sarah waking up earlier than they had expected too.

With a sigh, Sarah turned to face her husband. "Morning." She said, looking up into his eyes.
"Morning dear." He reached in for a soft kiss. "Merry Christmas."
Sarah smiled. "Merry Christmas to you too honey."

As they shared another kiss, Daniel made himself heard again.

"Better go get him." Sarah said, pulling away from Richie.

In the bedroom, she first reached down into the crib to sooth Daniel before picking him up. She laid his head on her shoulder and stroked his back gently so he would know she was there for him.

When he had quieted down, she held him up and looked at him. He looked as adorable as ever.

She changed his diaper and dressed him in his Christmas outfit. It was still early but at least he'd be dressed then. After she had put him his red socks with white snowflakes on, Sarah picked up her son and walked back to her bedroom.

"Morning." Richie sat up and held the sheets up for Sarah.
She gently laid Daniel between them.
"That's cute. Baby's first Christmas." He read the text on Daniel's shirt, seeing the Christmas tree print underneath it.
"I got it last week, thought it would be cute."
"Very cute." Richie agreed.
"It'll be cute until he drooled all over it."
"He's growing a lot." Richie agreed again. "His blue eyes have even gone."
Sarah smiled, looking at her son's bright eyes. "Knew he'd have your eyes."


Two hours later, the whole family sat in the living room. Daniel's shirt had been covered up by a seasonal bib and three teenagers sat waiting for the go sign to unwrap their presents.

A large christmas tree stood decorated by the window. This year a new ornament had been added. Each child had their own letter as an ornament in the tree. Daniel got his very own to add this year.

"Because it's Daniel's first Christmas. He should have his presents first." Richie decided for all of them and secretly teasing the older children.
"Mine first!" Ava said excitedly, hurrying over to the Christmas tree and picking out a red wrapped gift with a big bow.

In the end Daniel had a bunch of new toys, clothes and stuffed animals.

Afterwards, they all exchanged their own gifts with each other.

Joan had the joy of celebrating Christmas morning with all her grandchildren.

For lunch, Abbey joined the family too. Altogether they had a large lunch together in the dining room.

Afterwards, Daniel took a nap in his bed upstairs.

The rest of the afternoon was spend by enjoying their presents.

Richie loved seeing his family so happy. His mother here with them for Daniel's first Christmas, made it even better. His daughter was happy with every gift she got. She was always happy with everything she got, even the smallest thing. He was glad to know that his sons were exactly the same.

Quietly, he got up from the couch.

Sarah looked up at him questiongly but Richie only smiled. The smile told her everything as he went upstairs. She watched her family, just like Richie had.

A few minutes later, he returned with a brown manila file. He cleared his throat so everyone looked at him. He showed the file, trying to find words.

"I think this is the perfect moment to share this information."

Everyone frowned him.

Richie shook his head and took out two pieces of paper and handed one to Noah and the other to Caleb.

Ava couldn't wait another minute and looked over Noah's shoulder as he read it.

"Birth certificates?" Ava asked confused.
"Yeah." Richie smiled as he sat down with Sarah again. "Amended birth certificates." He clarified.

The boys weren't his stepchildren anymore, they were officially his children now.

Both boys didn't know what to say at the moment but everyone felt the same thing. Their family was finally complete in an official way.

Chapter Fifty-eight

A month later Richie was playing at the Craig Ferguson show for an entire week. He often watched it at home but now he could really make part of it.

It was the most fun he had had in a while except for not being home with his baby son. Daniel had grown a lot in the last month but he still saw him during the rest of the dag.

The baby still hadn't grown used to Joan and continued to cry whenever she picked him up. By now it was starting to worry them all. The same happened when friends came around and wanted to hold the baby.

Arriving home later after the show, Richie went straight up to Daniel'd bedroom but found the little bed empty in the dark room.

Turning around, he walked back to his own bedroom. Sarah must have taken him to eat not so long ago.

It was one of his favorite things to see, his wife and son together.

He walked into the room quietly. The lights were all turned off except for a small table lamp.

Sarah was laying down in bed, snuggled into the sheets.

Because she didn't react, Richie figured she was asleep already and started undressing for bed.

As he sat down on the bed, Sarah looked up at him.

"Thought you were sleeping?" Richie asked, wondering.
"I was. Thought it might have been Daniel who moved. He just wouldn't sleep earlier."
Richie frowned as he moved closer. "He didn't? Why not?"
"I don't know but I finally turned on the show and you were playing, that's when he started to calm down. He must have regocnized your voice on tv."
Richie smiled, looking down at his little boy laying in between them. "He must have."
"He fell asleep when the show finished."
"That's so sweet." He reached out to stroke Daniel's blond hairs. "Should take him to his own bed though."
Sarah agreed. "You can take him then."

Richie sat up and carefully picked up his boy. Daniel stirred but didn't wake up as he was carried to his own bed to sleep.

As a good father, Richie made sure he was tucked in and his stuffed animals were sitting on the edge, far enough from Daniel's head. That way Daniel had enough breathing space.

The small light on the cupboard was left on. As Richie walked out of the room, he left the door open so they could hear Daniel even though the baby monitor would make sure of that too.

Quietly, Richie got back in bed with his wife.

"Tired?" He asked gently.
Sarah moved closer to him, laying her hand on his bare chest as she looked up at him. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" The answer was too unclear for him.
"Maybe not." Sarah said, moving her hand lower over his chest and belly.
"Really?" He asked his third question unsure.

They hadn't been intimite since before Daniel was born. Thinking back quickly, he was sure it had at least been 3 months ago. If Sarah was ready, he definitely wasn't complaining.

When he felt Sarah's hand go inside his boxers, he knew she was sure.

He reached over to kiss his wife, then pulled her closer against him as they shared a romantic kiss.

"Missed you." He said, pulling up the sheets to move even closer and take a good look at his wife.
"Tell me about it." Sarah said as she reached in to kiss again.

Soon their minimul clothes had gone scattered to the floor.

His wife looked just as beautiful as she always had, making him very eager. He held her close as they shared another sweet kiss.

After three months of nothing, Richie was ready to burst but he was going to make it worth a three month wait for both of them.

Chapter Fifty-seven

Saturday morning, Richie was glad it was finally Saturday. He'd been busy all day Friday with interviews on TV and radio. It had kept him busy the entire day. Now he was glad the weekend was there.

During the rest of the week he had been able to contact some contractors to fix up his mother's house. He also got a hold of her in England and tonight she would fly over to Los Angeles instead of going home to New Jersey.

Even though his week had been pretty busy, the weekend would be busy too. Tonight his mother would fly in and move into the house for a while until they were able to fix up her house. Tomorrow they were having a party for everyone to come meet Daniel.

During his busy week, Richie also got a very nice surprise. A call from his agents made him go down to the office to pick up a big book.

He had been absolutely surprised when she handed it over to him. Confused at the moment, Richie had leafed through it, noticing all the kind words and pictures from his fans. It instantly made his day great to read messages from all of his appreciative fans.

Today being his day off, he sat down on the couch with the book and was determined to read each note carefully and really look at all the pictures.

"What do you have there?" Sarah asked, seeing her husband reading a large book.
"A fan book."
Sarah frowned. "A fan book?"
Richie nodded. "Yeah, my fans sent a book with messages and pictures. I'm just reading it now."
"Oh right." Sarah sat down next to him. "That's so nice of them."
Richie agreed.
"Anyway, I got your mom's room ready for tonight."
Richie looked up from the book. "You didn't have to do that."
"I know but Daniel was sleeping so quietly, I thought I'd just do it quickly."
"He's got a big day tomorrow."
Sarah chuckled. "He's looking forward to it."

The day went bye quietly until the older kids has to get ready for the halloween party they were attending that evening.

Dealing with two things at once, Richie was supposed to bring them to the party and then drive to the airport to be in time to pick up his mother. Then around midnight he'd had to go out again to pick everybody up from the party. That wasn't hard to do.

Ava was the first to go get ready, she instisted on having dinner early so she would have more time to get ready and prepare.

Even though Ava took the most time into getting ready for the party, Caleb had put the most time into his own costume. He hadn't had a haircut since the summer, making his hair grow out until it was long enough to look like a glam rock star.

"Dad!"

Richie looked back to the hallway. His son was right next to him, having his dinner. He didn't talk yet.

"That was Caleb." Sarah clarified for him.
"I know but, they don't call me dad yet."
Sarah shrugged. "Maybe they do now."

Richie got up and went upstairs, going to Calebs room. He knocked on the door, waiting for Caleb to tell him to come in before going into the room.

"What's wrong?" Richie asked.
Caleb stood infront of a mirror, wearing an old t-shirt and hold a pair of scissors. "How many cuts should I put into it to look like a real 80s rockstar?"
Richie laughed, then realized Caleb was being serious. "Well, you gotta show off what you got. That was the point of it." He shrugged. "You could always go shirtless."
"No." Said Caleb quickly.
"Then I guess you can cut a deep V-neck or cut open the sides or something."
Caleb laughed. "Thought you were the 80s rock star here."
Richie ignored it. "What pants are you wearing."
"Skinny jeans?" Caleb asked.
"Not even leather pants or spandex? You need spandex if you're gonna be an 80s rock star." He put the emphasis on needing it.
"I don't have spandex. Nobody does anymore."
"You could have asked. Just wait here." Richie left the room and went into his bedroom.

Somewhere in the back of the closet he found clothes had been untoched for years. He had to look for a while but finally found what he needed, black spandex, white stars on the sides of the legs. They might be a bit big for Caleb but it should work anyway. That was the great thing about spandex.

Carrying the pants, he walked back to Caleb's room.

"This is what you need."
Caleb looked, his eyes widening with surprise. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, you need it. If you're gonna dress up you better do it right." He laid the pants down on the bed.
"Thanks." Caleb said. "You don't still have make-up do you?"
Richie shook his head. "You'll have to ask Ava if you can borrow some stuff."

On his way back downstairs, Richie checked on both Noah and Ava too.


Before leaving to bring everyone to the party, they said goodbye to Daniel and Sarah.

Richie took a look at all four kids dressed up for halloween. A few days late but for parties it still worked.
Caleb looked pretty good as an 80s rock star, Noah had dressed up as Doctor Who. The eleventh Doctor Who, as Noah had pointed out a few times. Ava was wearing shorts and a top, finishing off with bunny ears. Last but definitely cutest, Daniel was wearing a Batman onesie.

Richie said goodbye to his youngest son and kissed Sarah goodbye. He'd be back in only an hour or so.

He drove to the address Ava had given him, where the party would be. He knew a lot of people at Ava's school and knew where the party would be. Before letting everyone out of the car, he reminded them again that he would pick them up around midnight. They all complained as he had expected but they had to be part of Daniel's day tomorrow too.

At the airport he was very happy to see his mother. It had been a while and it was always great to see her. They hugged a few minutes before letting go and get the luggage.

The drive home was fairly short, the traffic was calmer than usual. In less than an hour they arrived at home.

Joan got out of the car as Richie was getting her luggage from the trunk. She was going to stay for a while but had only brought her suitcases from England. She hadn't stopped at home. Richie had changed her ticket to Los Angeles instead of New Jersey.

"Can't wait to see my grandson." Joan said as Richie finally opened the door.
"He's probably in the living room with Sarah. Go ahead." He put down the suitcases by the stairs, then followed his mother into the living room.

Sarah sat on the couch, holding Daniel in her arms. "You're back." She looked up.
Richie came over and kissed her quickly, then sat down in his chair.
Joan sat down next to Sarah. "What a beautiful boy. Dressed up for Halloween even."
Sarah chuckled. "Richie's idea but it's cute. Wanna hold the superhero?"
"Of course."
Sarah carefully moved her son and Joan picked him up, immediately craddling him but Daniel didn't agree and started crying immediately.

All three looked at the baby worriedly. He was fine a second ago, why would he start crying all of a sudden?

Joan tried to calm him down, gently rock him, rub his back but nothing helped to calm him down.

"I don't know what's wrong." Sarah said.
"He probably just wants his mommy." Joan said, not thinking too much of it and passed Daniel back.
As soon as Sarah held him, Daniel stopped crying. "I'm sorry. I really don't know."
"It's fine."

The rest of the evening Sarah held Daniel until it was time for him to go to bed. Being tired, Sarah decided to go to bed early too.

In the end Richie was up alone, Joan had gone to bed too. With time difference it was very early morning in England by now.

Richie got comfortable in his chair and turned on the TV, trying to find a good movie. He wasn't lucky until he found a Halloween special horror movie. That would keep him busy for a while.

Chapter Fifty-six

A few days later, Richie found Sarah with Daniel in the living room. Forgetting what he was doing, he sat down next to Sarah and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close against him.

His son was smiling up at his as Sarah sighed annoyed.

"What's wrong?" Richie asked quickly.
"Space?" Sarah asked, shrugging away Richie's arm.
"You need space?" He asked confused.
Sarah moved a little uneasy, "You're so close to me, constantly."
Richie frowned, not understanding at all.
"You can't even leave me alone for five seconds."
Still frowning, Richie asked, "What's wrong?" Sarah had never minded him being close why would she now?
Sarah sighed.
"What?" Richie insisted.
Sighing again, Sarah answered. "I'm just tired."
"Tired?" Richie asked confused. "Are you sure that's it?"
"Yes. Daniel needs constant attention and I just want a few minutes to myself."
He nodded. "Okay, so give him to me and go nap?"
Sarah frowned, considering it.
"Come on, I'm not sick anymore. It's been over a week."
"Yeah, alright." Sarah gently moved her son over.
Richie took him gently and cuddled him. "Now you go to bed and nap as long as you need to. I'll be daddy."
Sarah nodded and got up from the couch. "Thanks." She said before leaving.


A few hours later, Sarah walked back down the stairs, having a view of the living room where Richie was pacing as he was making a phone call.
Quietly Sarah walked in, wondering who he was talking to. When he didn't say anything at all and hung up the phone, he looked at Sarah. His look was worried and confused.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.
"I can't get a hold of mom."
Sarah frowned. "Why? She's in England."
"The storm got a lot worse. I called David and his house is totally flooded. Mom's is probably too, that's why she won't answer the phone."
"Rich?" Sarah asked. "She's in England."
"What?" He asked confused, too worried to make sense of that.
"In England, visiting friends, remember? She left last week."
Richie's face cleared up immediately when he finally understood. "Oh. Right."
"Yeah."
"Then I should call her neighbors to check out how bad it is."
"You could try that. Where's Daniel?"
Richie pointed at the playpen. "He's sleeping."

Sarah went over to look at her son. Richie was right, he was sound asleep. There was no reason to wake him up. His meal could wait until he woke up. Sleeping babies should be left to sleep.

She turned around to see Richie worrying again.

Quietly walking over, Sarah took his iPhone before he could react.

"Now sit down and watch the news some more. You don't need to phone anyone. They're busy with cleaning up and your mom isn't anywhere near it."
"What about everyone else that lives there?" Richie protested.
"You can't do anything right now. The power is out, phone is probably out too and they're all trying to deal with what just happened. Your mom and friends are safe, tomorrow you can phone as many people as you like." Sarah explained, hoping he would understand it.
"I guess." Richie sighed as he sat down on the couch.

Sarah sat down next to him and moved close against him.

"Don't need space anymore?"
"Need my husband." Sarah smiled gently and reached in for a soft kiss.
"Good."

Just then Daniel announced he was awake and more than reading for his afternoon snack.

"Sounds like somebody else needs you." Richie said, letting go of Sarah and getting up.

He looked over the edge of the playpen. "Hey buddy, mommy's right here." He gently picked him up, supporting his head. "Chill, you're getting food."

Sarah had arranged her shirt so she was ready to feed the baby as Richie passed him over.

"He's hungry." Richie commented as he sat down again, watching his son starting to eat immediately.
"Yeah, he was supposed to eat half an hour ago."
"When did you last eat?" Richie wondered.
Sarah stroked her son's back as she thought about it. "This morning, I guess."
"Then you really need to eat." Richie said, already getting up to prepare lunch for Sarah.

Chapter Fifty-five

Richie happily walked out of the theatre after the fan event.

It had been an amazing few hours to meet his fans and talk to everyone. His throat hurt now but he still felt happy.

After answering all the questions everyone had thought of, Richie had brought out his own surprise. Calmly he had waited for the technical programs to do their task and after a few minutes the crowd could see a picture of Daniel. Everyone aw'ed immediately, making Richie feel proud of his son.

He got into the car that was waiting for him to drive to the airport.

The drive was short but it wasn't until he was on the airplane that he felt relaxed again. He wanted to get home to his family again.

Once the airplane was high up in the air, Richie tried to sleep but unlike usually, the loud engines kept him awake.

Luckily, with the change time and the time it took to get back home, he'd be home around the usual time he and Sarah were able to go to sleep after Daniel's last meal. Too bad he had missed it today but he could make up for it by feeding him at 4 am. He'd have to get up in the middle of the night but he didn't mind one bit. For Daniel he would do everything.

Only 5 days old, but already all his electronics were full of pictures of his baby. Remembering that fact, he picked out his iPad and looked at pictures of Daniel.

"Is that your baby?" A stewardess noticed as she walked past.
Richie look up, smiling. "Yeah, my boy."
"How old is he?" She leaned in a little to see the pictures better.
"Just 5 days, he was born Friday night."
"He's adorable. Congradulations."
"Thanks." Richie smiled at her again.
The stewardess smiled and nodded and continues her work.

The plane had an entertainment set for every passenger but Richie couldn't find any interesting tv shows or movies. Music always interested him and picking out an album cover that looked cool or a title that sounded interesting, he selected the album and plugged in the headphones to listen to it as he continued to look at all the pictures of Daniel he had.

The pictures weren't only of Daniel, often somebody was holding him. His older brothers and older sister were crazy about him too. It was amazing to see how much a tiny person like him could be loved so much.

Daniel still had to meet a lot of people but a plane wasn't a good place for such a small child, they'd wait for everyone to come to their house.

Abbey was still helping out at home but soon Richie's own mom would come to visit her new grandchihld too. Of course they had sent her pictures already but as she was abroad, it wasn't easy to just come over. As soon as her vacation was over, she was planning to visit her family. Richie looked forward to it very much, he might be grown up and have his own children but he still liked it when his mother came to visit. Time was a precious thing.

Finally the plane landed, to his relief, now he could finally get home.

He packed all of his belongings, which weren't much, his iPad and a few business files. That was all he had brought so he wouldn't have to go through baggage claim. That way he could save time.

Outside, it was very dark, a car was waiting to drive him home.

Putting his bag next to him on the car seat, he leaned his head back against the head rest. So close to home, he started to feel very tired. It had been a long and busy day. Besides that, the headache hadn't left him all day. Being sick never worked for him. Other people would have a cold for a few days but he always had to develop something else and stay sick for weeks. He hated it, especially now with Daniel. A baby's immune system wasn't that powerful yet.

The drive home went smoothly, no trafic and only took about half an hour.

Gladly he got out of the car and walked into the house. The spaceous entry was dark and quiet. As he had hoped, everyone had already gone to bed. Hopefully Sarah had been able to do so too. Daniel was a happy little baby that loved to be cuddled and held after he ate. He would do so later that night so Sarah could catch up on some sleep.

Leaving his bag by the stairs, he quietly walked up the stairs.

Instead of going into his own bedroom, he walked into the opposite room. Turning on the small light that stood in the corner so it wouldn't create too much light. On the rocking chair that Sarah had picked out, laid Daniel's stuffed animals, except for one.

Richie walked over to the crib but found it empty, only the stuffed animal he had bought for his son was laying in the bed.

Turning around and turning the light off again, he walked to his own bedroom to find the most precious scene he could imagine. The nightlight on Sarah's bedside table was still on, breaking the darkness of the room.

In bed, Sarah was reclining against her pillows, asleep with Daniel sleeping cuddled on her chest.

The sight was adorable, it had become clear that was Daniel's favorite way to sleep but thinking it wasn't safe, Richie carefully picked him up and laid him in the basinete next to their bed. That way he didn't have to go far.

When Richie turned around, he saw he had woken up Sarah. "Sorry." He said as he started to undress.
"It's okay, we fell asleep together. He needs to sleep alone too."
"You looked very sweet." When the only clothes he was wearing were his boxers, he got in bed. "I missed you." Moving close to his wife, he wrapped his arms around his.
Sarah easily adjusted to the new position and laid her head on Richie's shoulder to sleep.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Richie woke up with a hand pressed to his forehead. Opening his eyes, he saw Sarah looking down at him. "What are you doing?" He asked hoarse and confused.
"You're sick again, or still, at least you have a temperature." She pulled her hand back.
"It'll go away." Richie answer, turning to his side to look at her. Sarah was right, he felt like crap but he needed to go to New York today.
"Are you sure you want to go?"
"Yeah, I already had to cancel everything, I can't let these people down too. No singing, just talking."
Sarah smiled. "They're all going to love your voice."
"My fans love me regardless of my hoarse voice."
"So do I," Sarah reached in to give him a gentle kiss, "and don't you forget it."

Richie wanted to say something more but Daniel could be heard from the opposite room and Sarah had left to go to his aide before he could say anything more.

When he finally found the strength to get up and put on a pair of pants, Richie followed to where Sarah had gone.

In Daniel's room, Sarah was sitting in the rocking chair, nursing him.
Richie stayed in the doorway and watched.

"You know that's the most precious thing in the world?" Richie asked.
Sarah gently smiled up and him. "What?"
"Moms feeding their babies, it's a special thing. Such closeness, it's a special bond that just moms can have."
"You thought that much about it?" Sarah asked confused.
"Not really, it just is."
"I guess that's true." Sarah agreed. "Not like you can do it."
"Nope, I get the joy of talking to him about the birds and the bees."
Sarah chuckled. "That's ages still."
"Have to prepare mentally for it." Richie countered. "I'm gonna go get ready."

Back in the bedroom, he got his clothes together and packed a bag to take to New York. Sure he was feeling terrible but he wasn't letting his fans down any more than he already had. They were looking forward to and as long a he didn't sing, he should be alright.

He wasn't flying til a few hours later and would fly home after the short event. It would be more relaxing if he stayed the night at the hotel but he wanted to be home more than that he wanted to relax. Missing Daniel was something he hadn't done yet and wasn't looking forward to.

Before heading downstairs, he took a few painkillers to make his headache go away and hopefully feel a little better, then made sure they were in reach in his travel bag.

Sarah walked in with Daniel a few minutes later. Getting settled on the bed, she moved her pillows to be able to sit as she held her son.

"You know how lucky we are? He's so calm, hardy ever cries." Richie got back in bed, puling the blankets back over him, he felt they were still warm.
"Just when he's hungry." Sarah answered. "Noah was like that too."
"Yeah?" Richie asked as Sarah nodded. "By the way, Ava doesn't want to go to her mom's house so do you mind she stays here with you?"
Sarah smiled, knowing Ava wanted to see her little brother. She had already proved herself as a great older sister. "Of course I don't. It's her house too."
"Thanks."

Richie reached out to stroke Daniel's short, light hair. With his blond hair and blue eyes he always looked angelic, especially when he was sleeping or simply resting quietly. So far he was a very calm baby. Things could change, they both knew and they had only started, there were many years to look forward to but now they had to enjoy Daniel as a little baby.

"I'm gonna miss him." Richie confessed. "I'm gonna show a picture of him tonight."
"You haven't done that on Twitter yet?"
"No. I wanted to keep him all to myself but I'll show a picture tonight to update everyone. Kinda good I got sick, otherwise I would have missed it."
Sarah shrugged, not thinking it was good he was but in a way he was right.

Carefully, Richie reached out to take Daniel from Sarah arms. He had to leave soon.

He gently laid Daniel on top his chest, cuddling him. He hoped his son still had the newborn baby smell, he just couldn't smell right now.

It was still unbelievable he finally had the son he had always dreamed of, his tiny baby boy. As perfect as his older brothers and sister were but just that little different. His first baby with Sarah and honestly he hoped it wouldn't be their last, at least one more baby would be nice. He'd need to talk to Sarah about it.

Chapter Fifty-three

After spending the weekend in the hospital with almost their entire family, Sarah and Baby Boy Sambora were finally allowed to go home on Monday.

Richie made sure his son was strapped in his seat, making sure he was perfectly safe before he got in the car himself too.

The drive home, was one of the carefullest Richie had ever made, driving a few miles slower than the limit was, his foot hovering over to brake to ensure that he would react as soon as possible to avoid any sort of accident.

Along with Sarah, he also looked over his shoulder a few times to check how his son was doing. He looked so tiny in his car seat.

"Everyone is at school?" Sarah asked, making sure they would arrive to a peaceful and quiet house. She could have gone home earlier but they preferred late morning on Monday because the older children would be at school and it would be calm for the baby's homecoming. A little baby like him didn't need all the excitement.
"Yeah, Caleb drove. Ava's staying with us instead of at her mom's. Thought she would."
"Of course, she wants to see her little brother."
Richie nodded. "As long as all her girl friends don't visit yet. Too many squeals for him."
Sarah chuckled a little, Ava's friends were all overly excited girls.
"We could also skip the friends visiting and pick them up from school later. Then they can only see him for a few minutes. Easier." Richie suggested, not wanting to share his little boy too much.
Nodding, Sarah considered it. "What if he's sleeping?"
"We'll just put him in the seat and drive to the school, annoy Ava by waiting at the gate, if he's asleep they all have to be quiet and we can leave sooner." Richie explained his idea.
"I don't know." Sarah said, unsure about letting the baby leave the house just yet and being around so many people.

"We really need to name him." The baby had settled down in his living room crib as Sarah and Richie sat on the couch, observing him.
"I know." Sarah sighed. "I never thought it would be this difficult to name a baby but it's such a major decision."
Richie nodded, agreeing, the name would have to last an entire life time, they needed to put thought into it but they had been trying to think of names for months now and now time was getting very close.
"I want something traditional for him, nothing fancy like they do with children nowadays. Something decent, but something that can be cute too."
Again, Richie nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket.

Richie did as she asked and searched for a list of traditional names.

"Aaron? Benjamin? Dan?" He started listing the alphabetic list. "Then I like Daniel better." He quickly added.
"Daniel?" Sarah looked up at him. "Meaning?"
Richie tapped his phone a few more times, waiting for the page to load. "God is my judge." He finally answered.
Sarah smiled at him. "That works for us and our pasts. No one can judge what bad lives you can go through before changing it all around and create something like this."
Richie nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. I like Daniel, Danny, Dan. It works."
Sarah looked down at the baby in her arms, his face relaxed as his eyes were closed but she didn't think he was asleep. "Daniel." She said softly.

Both were amazed as the baby opened his eyes, shining his bright baby blues at them, knowing that was their sign for naming him.

"Daniel." Sarah said more firmly, making the decision.
"Middle name?" Richie asked, making Sarah sigh.
"That too?" She chuckled. "This was hard enough."

Richie scrolled through the names, figuring they could wait a little longer before deciding on the next name. There were a few names he liked but then didn't like the meaning of, or the other way around where he liked the meaning but didn't like the name that went with it.

"Isaac means laughter."
Sarah looked up at him again. "Yeah? That's nice." She agreed.
"Daniel Isaac?" Richie asked.

Sarah looked at her son, sleeping in his crib, Daniel Isaac. God is my judge and laughter. Their newborn baby would bring them much laughter and happiness. In a way it fitted with the meaning they had given to Daniel only a few minutes ago.

"Daniel Isaac Sambora." She agreed.



By the time school was over, Daniel had just woken up. It was a relief to Sarah who didn't want to expose him to all kinds of germs just yet.

Richie had understood from the first time and hadn't asked again. He got up from the couch and walked the few steps to Daniel's crib.

"Hey baby." He said softly as he picked up the crying baby, cuddling him to try to calm him down again. "Think he's hungry." Richie brought him over to the couch and sat down again, waiting for Sarah to be ready to feed him before passing him over.


Not much later, everyone got home from school and the peace and quiet had gone away. Usually they all spent time in their rooms after school, doing their homework, talking to friends or making plans to go out but now all three of them stayed in the living room, watching their little brother.

Daniel got passed around to everyone, being held and cuddles by all his loving siblings. His blue eyes shining bright whenever someone looked at him.