More Than Once | THE WATTPAD DRAFT

Chapter 36

*This story is on-going and changes will be made along the way.

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**

Two days later my dad was scheduled to go in for his surgery in the afternoon. The sun had decided to make an appearance today and a sense of hopefulness surrounded me. He needed to get through this surgery and he would be okay to go home. I just wanted him to be home. After chatting to the lovely nurse again, she assured me that this is a very low-risk surgery and he should be out just after an hour. I had planned to go to the hospital and wait until he was out. I hadn't seen my family since my last encounter with Camila but I was going to swallow my pride and be there for my dad. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and applied mascara to my otherwise, natural look. Giovanni's phone rang from outside the bathroom door. I heard him answer it and I went back to finish off my look. I placed my mascara back into my makeup bag and left the bathroom. Giovanni had his back towards me as he spoke 

"Alvaro, she's going to be alright. You need to stay calm,"

Alvaro? What was going on? I could feel a sense of worry start to build inside as I walked over to him. He couldn't hide the concern that spread across his face.

"Let me just talk to Isabella and I'll be on the first flight out," he ran his fingers through his hair, "Let me know when you are at the hospital. Adiós hermano,"

He disconnected the call and turned to me, "Penelope went into labour,"

"Already?" I was shocked, "But she's still a month to go,"

"That's why they're worried about the baby. They are on the way to the hospital now and Alvaro is freaking out,"

I felt so bad for them. They were such a lovely couple and I knew how excited they were for this baby.

"You need to go," I said

"But what about your father?"

"He'll be fine," I reached out and cupped his cheek with my hand, "The worst is over now and once he gets this surgery then he'll be back home but your brother needs you right now,"

"Isabella, if you want me to stay just say the word,"

"You need to be there for your brother. Once I know my dad is okay, I'll be on the first flight back to Barcelona,"

He pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head against his chest that was rising at a faster pace than usual. I could sense the underlying fear in his body - he was worried about Penelope.

"You sure?" he needed reassurance

I pulled away with enough space to look up at him, "I promise you I'll be alright,"

He leaned down and kissed my forehead, "Please keep me updated and if you need me back here, I'll come right back,"

"And I love you for that," I murmured, "But you need to be there for your family right now and I need to be there for mine,"

**

A couple of hours later, Giovanni and I went our separate ways. He managed to get the next flight out to Barcelona and I headed to the hospital. He told me I could extend my stay at the hotel for as long as I wanted. The last thing I wanted to do was have to ask my mother or sister if I could stay with them. I would much rather stay in my own space. I arrived at the hospital with my heart in my throat. I didn't want to face my family without Giovanni and his absence brought on a sudden emptiness inside I hadn't experienced before. I was completely besotted with him and he made these last few days bearable - he was my comfort throughout and as much as I knew it was the right thing for him to go be there for his brother, it didn't make me miss him any less.