Accidents Happen

Part 2

Romulus sighed contently as he watched his grandsons in his rear view mirror.

They had insisted Romeo, who was fresh out of the hospital, sit between them and they were excitedly telling him all about the house and the new neighborhood as a whole.

"The house is not as big as our old one," Feliciano chirped.

"And it's kinda quiet," Lovino murmured.

"But it's going to be a lot better with you," Feli added with a smile. The hyper Italian's eyes popped open a little wider and his smile matched the motion. "Oh, and there's some other kids next door.  They are adopted from all over the world. Japan, China, Hong Kong, Viet-viet-viet, Uhhhhhh."

"Vietnam," Lovino corrected, "and that's not all over the world, it's just Asia."

"Well it's a lot of places anyway."

Romeo forced a smile and nodded gently to acknowledge his brothers bickering.

Romulus let out a slow breath as he thought about how thankful he was to have Feliciano and Lovino watching over their sibling.

But several worries and fears still clawed at the back of his mind.

The principal still hadn't gotten back to them about changing the boy's classes to be together and he was beginning to get worried. 

He thought all about the parents who he had conversed with. The smiling couples dragging their hyper children around. The ones who heard though the gossip circles about the accident back home. The mothers offering to bake a casserole for the Vargas boys. The fathers offering help with work on the new house.

Everyone was trying to help in their own way but none of this, Romulus knew, was going to help the boys.  

For a long few moments, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he mentally ran through names of the parents who knew their children were going to be in the same classes as the boys if they weren't moved.

"I'll ask Yao about putting Kiku and Feli together, Tino about putting Peter and Romeo with each other and..."

"Nonno?"

Romulus recognized Romeo's weak voice.

"What is it little one?"

"Are you talking to yourself again?"

He glanced in the mirror to see the youngest sibling attempt to make a half hearted smile. It made Romulus happy to see that smile out of the hospital.

Romulus chuckled and smiled.

"Yes I am. It's just me talking out loud to figure out a problem."

"Did it work?" Feliciano asked.

Romulus just shrugged. "Sort of."

Romeo nodded and the boys dissolved back into their vivid description of their new surroundings.

Romulus drummed his fingers on the steering wheel again.

There has to be someone to put Lovino with. It wasn't going to be easy with how easily the child was irritated and how wary he was of new people. He surely wasn't going to be able to communicate with the other children in his class. Bilingual classes in America apparently meant Spanish and English. Not Italian and English.

Suddenly a thought flashed through his mind.

"Boys?"

"Yes?" the triplets chorused together.

"Did any of you meet a little boy named Antonio today?"

He could see Romeo's frown in the mirror.

"Sorry Romeo, I guess that was just a question for your brothers," he said with an apologetic smile.

Romeo rolled his eyes before Lovino brought the conversation back.

"No I don't think so."

Feliciano jumped in.

"I met a lot of boys today. And girls. I don't remember all of their names. But I don't think I can remember a boy named Antonio." 

Romulus sighed, "that is alright boys. I'll figure this out on my own."

"Figure what out Grandpa?" Feliciano asked with a slight head tilt.

"It's nothing," he said waving them off.

The triplets gave him a concerned look before returning to idle chatter.

Worrying his teeth into his lip, Romulus reached down to grab his phone.

Not feeling it, he took his eyes off the road to look down at the cup holder.

Then the car shook violently as the wheel struck a deep pothole.

Romulus' body tightened in fear and his entire body went rigid.

Adrenaline kicking in, he jerked the wheel to his left and into the grass along side the road.

His muscles ached with tension as flashes of images rushed to cloud his vision.

The normal boring drive.
The low hum of a random talk show on the radio.
The sound of the triplets bickering in the back.
The sweet smile of his wife as she looked into his eyes.
The strangled shout his son-in-law made just before the car jerked violently.
The feeling of floating as the car flipped several times.
The seemingly far away crying of Lovino and Feliciano.
The fear as he lay there trying to stay awake long enough to reach them.
The mind numbing pain in his leg that finally forced him to succumb to sleep.

"Nonno!"

Romulus startled out of his flashback.

In the rearview mirror he could see Lovino and Feliciano protectively grabbing the edges of Romeo's car seat staring at their grandpa with fearful eyes.

He swallowed heavily and unbuckled his seatbelt to turn to them.

As he got closer he could see they were all crying and Romeo was shaking and desperately grasping his left shoulder.

With gentle fingers, he stroked Romeo's hair.

"Are you boys alright?"

Feliciano and Lovino nodded but the youngest brother seemed frozen.

"Romeo? Did you hit your shoulder?"

"No." His voice was shaky and he seemed to be crying harder now.

"Did I scare you?"

The youngest sibling nodded and scrunched his eyes shut.

"Hold on."

Fumbling with the door, Romulus got out and reached in the back to unbuckle his grandson from his seat.

With a gentle motion, he picked Romeo up and pulled him gently into his arms, the child's head resting on his shoulder.

He could feel the squeeze of his right hand digging into his shirt.

"It's okay Romeo. I just got a little scared that's all," he hummed swaying gently back and forth to calm his grandson down. "Nothing is going to hurt you. You're safe little one."

He glanced over to see his other grandsons looking at the pair worriedly.

He gave them a reassuring smile.

"Can I put you back in your car seat now? It's getting dark and I'm pretty sure you would like some dinner soon."

He could feel Romeo swallow heavily.

"Can you just hold me for a bit longer Nonno?"

Romulus stroked his back and sighed slowly.

"Of course Romeo, as long as you need me to."