•SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA•
Julia's POV
It took two nurses, four jello cups, forty minutes of coddling, a call from Olivia, and a dose of pain meds to calm Nicolai down and get him to sleep last night.
My eyes browsed every inch of Nicolai from the narrow couch I slept on- his Nintendo switch laying at the foot of his bed.
How'd we get here baby boy?
I sighed, grabbed my phone from the adjacent window sill, and rolled on my back.
There were a few texts from my mom, a voice message from Olivia last night, and a message from Matias.
Tingles in my veins ebbed and flowed with just a thought of that man's name.
Andres was a lot of things, even a liar, but he's not Adrian. He wouldn't lie about my father's death.
I tapped Matías' name as my phone diverted me to a FaceTime call.
A few rings passed before I hung up and clutched the phone to my chest.
Maybe I didn't want to know the answer. What if he said it was true about his family and my dad?
My top teeth bounced on my bottom lip as my stomach sounded the hunger alarm. I couldn't remember the last time I something that didn't have a percentage of alcohol in it.
I kicked the rough hospital blanket from my legs and slid my feet into my crocs as I shoved my unbrushed puff through my hoodie. Nicolai's breathing was finally stable and I leaned down brushing his loose curls from his forehead and planting a kiss.
As I stepped out, I noticed his nurse nearing his room.
"Hey, I was gonna head to the cafeteria for breakfast. That cool?"
"Yeah, of course! I'll be in there to do a small assessment in a minute. Just have the nurse at the desk buzz you in when you get back on the floor." She explained as she slung her stethoscope over her shoulder.
• • • •
"I wonder if they have orange spice tea?" I thought outwardly to an empty elevator as I reached the lobby of the hospital.
The line for Barnes' Café was longer than I expected it to be, but unlike Tian's restaurant, they were moving pretty quickly. I plucked my phone from my back pocket, going back to my recent messages as my thumb hovered over Matias' name. As I pulled my thumb back prepared to lay down a tap, Olivia's name took over my screen.
"Hello?"
"Julia!" My friend's distressed cry blared through the speaker.
"Olivia, sweetheart, what's wrong?"
"They shot him! They shot my dad!"
"What? Who?"
"Mancini!" -she wailed- "He sent his goons here this morning! Their price went up and we couldn't pay."
"Oh my God, where are you now?" I jumped out of line, pacing in the middle of the seating area.
"I'm at the shop with my mom. They wouldn't even let us go with him!"
"Calm down Liv. I'm on my way, okay?"
My feet tangled as I swiveled and sped back to the elevators and up to the recovery unit.
"Oh mio Dio, what if he dies?" A mixture of Aunt Sonia's shrieks and Olivia's whimpers passed to my side of the call.
"He's going to be just fine Liv. Say that."
"He's...gonna be fine." She weakly repeated.
"Good. I'll be there as soon as I can. I love you Liv."
A sniffle and three beeps ended our call as I bolted off of the elevator the moment the steel doors parted and I made my way to the secured doors separating the breezeway from the recovery floor.
I slammed my hand on the buzzer and intercom adjacent to it.
When I first arrived to the hospital I hadn't noticed how long it took a nurse to answer me, but I figured it shouldn't have taken too long.
I smushed the tip of my finger against the button again only to be met by smugly closed doors ignoring my plight.
Maybe I could just open them?
I pushed against the wide silver door handle as the automated system took over and opened the doors completely.
My scanning gaze roved the nurse-less unit as I carefully ambled in. The secretary that sat at the front desk along with the two nurses were no longer there.
I turned the corner toward Nicolai's room, realizing all the patient's doors were closed while the secure medicine room door was left ajar.
Hanging in the clipboard holder on my son's door was a red folder with black letters on it reading: 'DISCHARGE'.
Discharge?
Nicolai still had a healing bullet hole in his stomach. How was he being discharged? His doctor hadn't even seen him today.
I snatched the folder from the door, my anxiety and anger cocktail redirecting its target to the hospital staff.
I forcibly twisted the door handle, bursting into the room a little louder than I should have considering Nicky could be still sleeping.
Nicolai was missing from his tousled sheets, but he didn't go far. Neither did my blood as it crystallized within my vessels and reality separated itself from my body.
"Shhh." -Adrian held his index finger to his moist lips while his other hand stroked Nicolai's back- "egli dorme." (He's sleeping)
When I was six, I almost died.
We were smack dab in the middle of winter and my school friend, Dione, was staying with us for the last week of our break from school.
For a whole week we did nothing but eat, sleep, and ice skate on the frozen pond behind my house. I had gotten pretty good and I loved to showboat my skills.
It was the competitive nature from my father.
Dione took her position on the iced bench at the edge of the pond, while I took my position at its mouth.
I'd done this a million times on my own, and now it was time to shine.
When my blade wobbled over a dip in the ice, I was confused. When the ice cracked loudly beneath my feet, I was alarmed. When I fell through into the mind-numbingly cold water, I was petrified.
Through everything I'd encountered in my life, I have never come that close to death, and I vowed to always be careful on thin ice because I never knew when I would fall through.
A warm hand settled into the small of my back while the unmistakable tip of a icy gun familiarized itself with the back of my head.
"Come in, sit for a while."
The gun pushed against my head egging me on as I staggered forward and sat on the bed only feet away from the monster of my past.
"What's his name?" Adrian admired Nicolai with a sincerely interested smile.
I kept my eyes on Nick, unable to respond.
"Hey," he snapped and the gun, held by one his men, prodded my scalp.
"N-Nicolai..." My words barely made a whisper.
"Nicolai....? What, no middle name?"
Heat steamed my cheeks as I discretely sniffled, my fingers itching to reach out for my curled up baby boy.
Again the back of my head received a friendly reminder that no one could read minds.
"Antonio, his-his middle name is Antonio."
"Nicolai Antonio Maniscalco."
Adrian's proud sinister grin snuggly wrapped around his face as he tenderly dragged the knuckle of his index finger across Nicky's delicate cheek.
"How old is he?"
"Adrian...please-" I choked back sloshing cries eagerly waiting in my throat and I leaned forward attempting to grab Nicolai's leg.
"Aht," -he gestured for a gun from the other man standing beside the couch and causally pointed it at Nick- "Focus Julia. How old is he?"
"Six."
"Six." He nodded and inched his finger at the man behind me.
My eyes followed the gunman and I realized just who was holding me hostage.
Lorenzo.
Adrian gently passed Nicolai into Lorenzo's arms and he disappeared behind me.
"W-where's he taking him!" I twisted and turned.
"He'll be fine. Lorenzo is just taking him to the car. We'll catch up with them."
Adrian held the barrel of the gun to my jaw, using it to readjust my attention to his dusky wicked irises as he knelt down in front of me, his other hand gripping my leg.
My spine quaked as his thumb swept across my thigh and I tried to numb my mind like before.
"Hey, I'm sorry about all that. You know I can get a little rough. But look, I have a dilemma. You were always so good at solving my problems."
"Please don't hurt Nick."
Again he softly tapped the apex of the pistol against my collarbone, "Focus Julia. Nicolai isn't here- we're talking about you and me now."
I chomped down on my lip and glowered at him through blurred vision.
"See the thing is...Nicolai needs a mother, I need a wife to help run my empire, and you need a place to live. Did you have fun living with your little friend?"
My head fell forward, tucking my chin to my chest as the levees bravely holding back my tears finally broke.
"Julia..." Adrian's voice warned.
"Yes..."
"Good. Now that your six-year playtime is over," -Adrian stood, towering above me and stalked towards the door- "We can get back to work."
Unfamiliar footsteps echoed over Adrian's as I turned meeting a brawny suffocating force constricting my airway from behind.
My nails desperately clung to the man's skin, kicking and sinking my teeth into his beefy muscles.
My vision tunneled until my lungs cleaved to my chest and darkness completely shrouded my mind.
A/N: thanks for reading!!!
Vote and comment! I've been writing my butt off y'all. I want to enter the Watty's so bad.
So? What are your thoughts about the chapter?