Fate

VII

Liza sighed as she stepped away from a 12 hour surgery. The patient had survived, but Liza wasn't so sure that her sanity did. It had been two excruciating days that she hadn't seen Tony. She had no idea where he was, how
he was doing, how he had been.. it worried her that he hadn't made any attempts to talk to her. She was certain to have glimpsed Carlito around the hospital a few times, and she scoured hospital records to make sure that Tony wasn't checked in- thankfully he wasn't.

As she rid herself of her used gloves and mask, she breathed a breath of exhaustion. She wasn't sure what her next move would be. If Tony came to ask her forgiveness, she wasn't sure he could get it. He had always been a temperamental man, and it seemed that the cocaine simply worsened his impulse. She shuddered at the memory of his red, watery eyes- glaring down at her as if she was satan himself.  Attempting to regain her composure, she headed to the bathrooms and splashed some cold water on her face. After unlimited cups of coffee, she could feel herself beginning to crash now.

Not only from fatigue- but also the pressure that was now in her shoulders. As she returned to her office and gazed at the papers scattered over her desk, she was reminded that she couldn't handle everything she thought she could. She'd returned to the hospital to learn that many investors had pulled from funding; a consequence of her father's actions, she'd learned.

Dropping her head into her arms, Liza sighed loudly- attempting to hold in tears. She loved to help people, but her father had placed this responsibility on her too soon- and now she had to tell many other doctors and nurses who had families to feed that their jobs were at risk- the hospital may just be closed down. She was grateful to Marco, of course- but him gifting her the hospital fresh out of Med School was like giving a Bugatti to a 13 year old.

She didn't care what would happen to her; she knew despite her father's failures that her and Pedro would be set. She was just worried about her employees- it would be most difficult to displace them all.

A knock in her door drew her from her dwelling. "Yes?" she barely muttered. The door opened to reveal Carlito. "Miss Soberano." he greeted, ever the formal one. Liza sighed, eyeing the flowers in his hands- knowing Tony wasn't too far behind. "I don't want to see him, Carlito." she simply answered. Her mind was far from clear, she wouldn't be able to handle his presence.

Carlito nodded, sensing her mood. She couldn't even look at him- not to mention the mess of her scrubs and office. He felt sorry for her- she was surely juggling too many things at once. "I understand Miss." He cleared some papers and gently set the flowers aside, "I'll leave you be. Take care of yourself." he tried to give her a smile-and as quickly as he approached, he vanished once more.

Liza paid the flowers no attention. Immediately, she grabbed the envelope nestled neatly between the leaves and petals of the bouquet; eager to know what Tony wanted to say.

Liza,
I know you don't want to see me. I'm afraid to see you too, honestly. Just know that I'm sorry, and I miss and love you with everything in me. You're all I got left.

I'll be coming to your place tomorrow. I gotta leave for Miami by the end of the week, and I got plenty I have to say to you.

Your Tony.

Liza's eyes welled with tears of frustration.

Your Tony.

She cried silently in her office- hoping that if sobs managed to escape the hospital was loud enough to block it out. Tears fell from her eyes, dripping onto various papers she had scattered about. Her head fell onto her desk, as she squeezed her eyes shut- unwilling to let the tears stop. She wished that she could stop loving Tony- but she knew she wouldn't be able to..the thought bringing on another wave of tears. Knowing that in her heart- she had already forgiven him.