Turned Around

21

"I want you to be my girlfriend," keeps echoing around and around her brain. "I want to be a better person for you." Also vies for attention as it makes it's own way through her brain. Simon wants her. She can't get past that. She has trouble focusing on anything else and has to force herself to pay attention when others are in the room.

The others had gone to get some food and rest. The hospital has settled down and lights lowered. The thoughts just wouldn't stop. How could Simon possibly want her? Not even her own family wanted her.

Simon comes back in and silently observes the woman he'd almost gave up on. He's so glad that she came back to him. Well, okay, that she came back. Now that she's back he has to convince her to become his. He doesn't like that there are tears on her face once more. He's tired of seeing tears on her.

"What's wrong, Sophia? Have I done something wrong again? I mean something other than the regular mafia shit?" Simon forces himself to ask coming up to her bed.

"Simon, how could you want me? My own family doesn't want me," the bitterness from that is still fresh and painful even though it's been several years since she left their house vowing to never return. The price was just too high and she couldn't pay it. Even if it meant dying on the streets, it was better than paying the price her parents demanded of her.

"What's not to love and want about you, Sophia? You're beautiful, strong, and damned courageous. You have fire and life, compassion and goodness. All the things I'm not. You should be running away from me, not contemplating actually becoming my girlfriend." Simon pulls the chair closer to her bed and gently takes one of her hands in his once more.

Sophia looks at him and shakes her head, "I'm not really any of those things, Simon and when you realize that you're going to be angry with me."

Simon gives her a smirk that turns into a gentle smile. "I see clearly what kind of girl you are. I've watched you, just like father, for some time. Unlike me you are compassionate and kind. You have a gentleness and goodness that make people think that you are weak, but you're not. A weak person wouldn't walk away from a life of luxury.

"Why did you, Sophia? Your family has money, perhaps not as much as we do, but they have a lot. Why did you leave and they disown you?" Simon really wants to know the answer to this question. It's something that not even their best investigators could uncover.

Sophia gives him a weak smile, "Been investigating me? Background checks to see if I'm good enough for the mafia?" Simon smiles back at her and only nods.

Sophia closes her eyes. "Once there was a little girl, she had everything she ever wanted. But she was never spoiled, her parents never let that happen, mostly because they couldn't handle whiny children. The girl got whatever she wanted except for two things: her parents love and the choice to choose who she's going to marry.

"At the tender age of seventeen her parents informed her that they were arranging a marriage between her and a gentleman of twenty years her senior. The man gave the girl the creeps. The more she was forced to be in his company the more she felt sick.

"The girl cried and begged, pleaded with her parents, but they wouldn't listen. The other man had money, a lot of it and he'd basically offered a large sum for the girl. Her parents had essentially sold her to him.

"When all else failed she flat out told her parents that she wouldn't marry the man. Her parents had always been cold towards her, but she always thought they loved her. That night she found out differently. 

"The parents ordered her to marry him and when she once more refused forced her to her room. She overheard the servants talking about how the parents were going to drug her and then force the marriage through. She couldn't stay any longer and with the help of a couple of servants that actually loved her, she managed to escape.

"She only had a few thousand dollars and a couple of backpacks worth of clothes when she left. Once she was out of the house she looked back once and vowed to never return. Her parents, she'd heard, disowned her when they found her gone. They tried to track her down, but then the erstwhile fiancee got wind of what happened and they had to deal with him.

"By the time they got things straightened out with the fiance, the girl had disappeared. She ended up on the other side of the country." Sophia opens her eyes and looks at Simon.

"My parents loved illegal things too. The darker businesses. They talked about things in the house and I learned by listening how to disappear and stay off the grid. My parents were really good about keeping rumors down about themselves, rather like you and Mr. Royal."

Simon smiles slightly, he thinks he knows where this is going. "Who are your parents, love?"

"Debi and Kevin Nelson, leaders of the largest west coast mafia."

With her words Simon lets out the laughter that bubbles up inside of him. Sophia looks at him waiting patiently for him to stop. When he has his breath back he leans forward and gives her a kiss on the forehead. "Thank you, love for denying your parents that marriage. The merger would have made their mafia twice the size of father's. They've been making noise about spreading their wings a bit and looking for territory out east. With you running away like you did, the noises stopped. They had too much on their plates with dealing with the jilted lover.

"Colter, I don't blame you for running away from him. Anyone with sense would run away from him. He's a real nasty piece of work.

"No wonder you were never curious about the dark businesses. And no wonder you never saw the outer looks of the men, especially Corey."

"Colter," Sophia shivers just hearing that name. "He's what Corey is going to become."

Her pronouncement shuts the laughter right out of Simon. "You think that he'll still come after you?"

"I know he will and so does your father. Either he will die or I will when he's released." Sophia gives him a mocking smile, "You still don't believe me. I didn't think you would. That's okay. He'll be getting out and my life will be ending. Make sure that you take good care of Tiffany, because he'll come after her once he deals with me."

Simon looks at her intently studying her, trying to see something. Sophia doesn't have the strength to stay awake any longer and closes her eyes. "Simon, I would say yes to being your girlfriend, but when it comes down to deciding who lives and who dies, I'll be dead and Corey will be the one to live. It's better if at this time you just give up all your crazy notions. Take care of Tiffany and give her the love that she so desperately needs."

"I don't know how to love, Sophia. I was hoping that you would show me how." Simon says in the strained silence that had fallen over the two with her words.

"Open your heart to her, it won't be hard. Not if you see me in her and you like me. But then again since I'm telling you no, you will likely not want to have anything to do with her."

"No, I'm not going to hold it against her." Simon promises Sophia.