Her.
3 hours of nerve-wracking surgery were just the beginning of hell that neither of us was ready for.
I have been throwing up and crying for hours, my mind and senses stained with the smell of burnt metal, blood and the sound of sirens. Leo has been right by my side, not leaving me alone even for a second.
We are exhausted, drained of tears and energy, but none of that seems to matter to us.
All we worry about is our quadruplets.
"I have no idea what is harder: this or telling bambini what happened."- exhaled Leo, wrapping me in his embrace as I sighed, absolutely restless and lifeless.
He kissed my temple, holding me tightly in his warm embrace, his scent being the only sedative my body reacts to. My arms wrapped around his lean waist and I nuzzled into him, battling my tears for the millionth time.
"Shh, our little ones will be okay. They need all of our strength and calmness, amore mio. We got this together."- said my husband gently, tenderly kissing my forehead as I nodded, taking deep breaths to steady my rapid heartbeat and uneven breathing.
"Il signore e la signora Russo, sì?"- said the doctor, approaching us once we nodded hurriedly, meeting him halfway. (Mr and Mrs Russo, yes?)
"Come stanno i nostri quadrupedi? "- we asked in immense worry, having a billion questions and concerns. (How are our quadruplets?)
"È un miracolo che siano vivi dopo quello che hanno sopportato: respirare tanto fumo, tonnellate di sedativi in circolo e disidratazione. Le loro condizioni sono stabili e nel complesso stanno bene. Tuttavia, hanno riportato molte contusioni e alcune ustioni, ognuna di grado diverso."- said the doctor, Leo and I holding onto each other, hearing each word out. (It is a miracle that they are alive after what they endured: breathing in so much smoke, tons of sedatives in their systems and dehydration. Their condition is stable and they are okay overall. However, they got a lot of bruises and a few burns, each of different degree.)
The doctor described the medical condition of our little babies in detail, answered all of our questions and once our small children were in their room, Leo and I dashed to them, needing to be with them.
"Piccoli."- I almost whispered, sobbing as I took the agonising sight in.
Dio, they are so tiny, so innocent and fragile. Those scars, cuts, bruises - they do not deserve any of that.
The sight wasn't hard on me only.
I gently cupped my husband's perfect face, wiping his tears away, both of us on the edge before unleashing goddamn wrath and hell onto everyone, who is involved in this.
Him.
But the revenge is for later.
Right now Lorenzo, Federico, Luise and Eloisa need us more.
Our quadruplets are sleeping the drugs off, Cami and I unable to tear our eyes off the monitors, keeping an eye on their steady, calm heartbeats.
Time ticked by, making my wife's pale green eyes flutter close for longer. I took my jacket off and kissed Cami's forehead, tenderly wrapping her in it before letting her lay her pretty head on my lap.
I took her pin off, letting her satiny, light blonde hair loose, and ran my fingers through the soft, shiny strands, my mind as if frozen after hours of turmoil.
Camila shifted on my lap, bringing me out of my thoughts, and I couldn't help my small, genuine smile, watching her wrap her petite arms around me, not leaving me alone with my thoughts and worries even when asleep.
Emilio's P.O.V.
I hugged Max, rubbing his back as he slowly calmed down, scared and worried about our parents and siblings - just like all of us.
"They all are going to be just fine. Mamma and papà are super strong, quadruplets are very brave and will be back with sooner than you think."- I assured my little brother as he nodded, taking deep breaths little by little.
Tini is hugging Ari and Angie, Lucas is with Sofi and tiny Eliot and Francesca are asleep in a bassinet right in front of us. Our pets are safe and taken care of by us. Granny Carmen and grandpa Fransisco are on the phone with granny Lillian and grandpa Juan, then they have to call our uncles. Uncle Martin is on his way to Rome.
"When will mamma, papà and quadruplets come to us? When will we go home?"- asked Ari through quiet sobs, clutching on Tini, who really became our rock in this situation, proving to be the most amazing elder sister we could ever ask for.
She was the one, who found the right approach to us when mamma and papà told us about everything, she calmed me, Sofi and Luc down first and that helped us to work together as a team to soothe our youngest siblings down and be their shoulders to lean on.
"I don't know, piccola, but I am sure that we won't wait for long."- assured Tini with a gentle smile, cuddling twins, and we all exhaled, pulling ourselves together more and more.
Carmen's P.O.V.
"Dio, non si meritano tutto questo."- I said through tears as my husband hugged me, kissing my forehead gently. (God, they don't deserve this.)
"Sono così giovani, hanno bambini così dolci e devono affrontare tanti problemi e tanti pericoli."- I almost whispered, my heart aching for my perfect daughter-in-law and my precious son. (They are so young, they have such sweet kids and they have to deal with so many problems and so much danger.)
One hazard after another - this is insufferable. My son and daughter-in-law had so many plans for their and their family's future: they wanted to renew their vows on their upcoming 18th wedding anniversary, hold a grand celebration on their 20th wedding anniversary, to go on a huge family trip with all of us and they had so many projects regarding work in plans.
Dio, maybe, they could even have one more little bambino!
Why do they have to go through this?!
"Mia dolce benedizione, nostro figlio ha tutto sotto controllo. Sappiamo entrambi che Leonardo non permetterà che qualcosa faccia del male a Camila e ai suoi figli, farà di tutto per tenerli al sicuro."- said my husband, wiping my tears away tenderly. (My sweet blessing, our son has it all under his control. We both know that Leonardo won't let anything hurt Camila and his children, he will do everything to keep them safe.)
"Ed è proprio per questo che mi preoccupo, anima mia adorata. È la tua copia: nostro figlio rinuncerà alla propria vita per tenere al sicuro i suoi cari! Non voglio che mio figlio muoia!"- I stated in worry, tears brimming in my eyes. (And that's exactly why I worry, my beloved soul. He is your copy: our son will give up his own life to keep his loved ones safe! I do not want my boy to die!)
I know my boy and I know that when it comes to his wife and children - he has no limits.
"E ora che Camila, il mio piccolo tesorino, è coinvolta di più nella mafia, Dio solo sa cosa potrebbe accadere. E se qualcosa andasse storto? Hanno dei figli così belli e un futuro così glorioso, non hanno bisogno di tutto questo."- I stated in fear, worried about the two of them, fearing of the worst. (And now Camila, my little darling, is involved in the Mafia more, God knows what might happen. What if something goes wrong?! They have such beautiful children and such a glorious future, they don't need all of this.)
Fransisco's P.O.V.
My beautiful wife is too quick to think of the worst. I too am worried about our daughter-in-law and our son, but I also trust them, especially my son when it comes down to this - Mafia.
Camila is a brilliant sniper and it came to my attention that my son has been practising self-defence and boxing with her - she is more than capable of standing up for herself and her family. And Dio, what my boy is capable of - he will put anyone six feet underground within just a few seconds.
I know that my grandchildren, son and daughter-in-law are going to be okay, I deeply and dearly believe in that and hope and pray for the best.
"Il mio sole, se la caveranno benissimo. Nostro figlio non permetterà che accada nulla a Camila, che terrà anche lui lontano dal male. Si coprono le spalle a vicenda."- I soothed my wife, kissing her tears away, and she hugged me tightly. (My sun, they are going to be just fine. Our son won't let anything happen to Camila, who will keep him away from harm too. They have each other's backs.)
"Quello che dovremmo fare ora è assicurarci che i nostri preziosi nipoti stiano bene e siano al sicuro, sì?"- I stated with a loving smile that my sweet Carmen returned. (What we should do right now is make sure our precious grandchildren are okay and safe, yes?)
"Sì, mio tesoro."- replied my beloved wife and I kissed her gently, hugging her tightly and vigilantly. (Yes, my treasure.)