matteo's pov.
The snow crunched under the soles of my worn-out shoes as I trudged through the white landscape at nighttime. Behind me, yards away, the house where I was held captive for the past five years was burning. I tightened my arms around my baby sister and she made a whimpering sound that sounded more like a wheeze. She had been in and out of it when we walked through the tunnels.
"Shh, little devil," I whispered into her hair. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here."
"Here, I'll take her," A guy, who was walking beside me yapping about some random shit I didn't pay attention to, offered for the third time, his arms extending to me. I jerked away before he could touch my baby sister with his filthy hands.
"Fuck off." I snarled. What's up with those men, thinking they can just take Angel from me? He held his hands in surrender and looked at me with a deadpan look as if to say 'I'm just trying to help, that's all.'
I walked past him, not giving any shit about him. At a near distance, I observed several varieties of cars. I let out a sound of relief as I noticed a private ambulance Dad mentioned. I picked up my pace to brisk walking.
"Help her now," I demanded as soon I finally stood before one of the doctors in casual clothing. The only sign was the cross sign on a band around his bicep. "She inhaled smoke and she passed out. She stopped breathing and I gave her chest compressions. It worked." I explained.
He nodded and asked me a few questions as he immediately pried Angel off me. I fought the urge to punch the innocent guy as soon as he touched her. I reminded myself he was trying to help her, not hurt her.
I felt empty and hollow as he took her from my arms. I wanted nothing more than to demand her back in my arms where I could always know she was safe. But I held myself back, knowing she needed emergency medical help and I was useless in the category.
He covered a small oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. The fog of her breaths appeared inside the see-through mask. I sighed in relief.
The pandemics were speaking to each other and I watched in silence as they fussed after Angel. I lifted my head to my surroundings for Mom, frantically pleading in my mind that she was okay.
Instead, I found Leo.
I sucked in a breath at the sight of my twin I haven't seen in years. He didn't see me. He stood stoic-faced with a few men and he had his arms crossed across his chest, his tattoo-covered forearms peeking out of his shirt and creeping up on his neck. His mouth moved harshly and it looked like he was giving out orders. He was firm, confident, and angry. Nothing like the other half I once knew five years ago.
Neither was I now, I suppose.
There was a pang in my heart as I thought about how different I would find him to be once I spoke to him. We did everything together once and we never left each other's side since we came out into the world together. Now we've been apart for five years.
"I should bring her to the hospital." the doctor said and I ripped away my eyes from my twin.
"I'll come with you," I told him firmly.
. . . . .
I didn't get an ounce of sleep. It was simply impossible.
It was six and thirty in the morning and the hospital was beginning to get loud. I lay wide awake on the hospital bed, wrapping an arm around Angel. A needle was stuck into her arm, connected to the IV drip. Her long, dark lashes fluttered against her reddened cheeks and her long black hair was spread out on the pillow around her like a halo.
She didn't
Mom slept like the dead on the bed next to me, her chest rising and falling. She looked peaceful for the first time in a long time. The sedative was still in full force. It would probably take a few more hours for her to wake up. Perhaps sooner or later.
Mom was shot twice - one in the leg and one at her side. But the doctors said it was only a flesh wound and a graze at her side. She would recover pretty fast without any hitch.
I didn't see my brothers or dad since yesterday. They tried but I sent them away. In a truly cowardly way, I didn't want to face them alone. I needed Mom and Angel awake with me.
All night, I waited for the sense of safety to envelop me. I was with my family again. Something that should make me relax. To be me again. Yet my body and mind refused to listen. There were too many people around. With a footstep, my muscles tense up. A creak, my mind sharps. Ready for a fight. Never let my guard down.
To protect my vulnerable baby sister.
She hasn't woken up. Another reason I couldn't sleep. I didn't dare to breathe as I watched her chest rise and fall and her heartbeat beeping on the screen carefully. I held my breath until she lets out an exhale. By then, I allow myself to breathe.
She can't stop breathing again. She just can't. Not on my watch.
It was the fucking scariest experience I've ever lived through and I've seen a lot of shit.
A footstep sounded from outside the closed door and I snapped my head up to the closed door, my muscles tensing.
The door creaked open a few seconds later and light poured into the room. It was Dad, this head sticking out of the door. He took a step forward and stood at the threshold. I relaxed a bit but not completely.
"Hey." He smiled. It looked awkward. Like he wasn't sure how to talk with me. It was weird. He never was the one to show his emotions openly. "Can't sleep?"
I shook my head. He smiled but it didn't meet his eyes. He looked over at Mom and sighed heavily. He came to sit on the end of the bed. I straightened up until my back was resting against the wall. I still kept a protective arm around my baby sister.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine," I grunted.
"I missed you a lot, buddy." He nudged my calf.
"Yeah. Me too." I didn't know what else to say to that.
I mindlessly twirled a strand of Angel's hair. His gaze flickered down to catch my movement and I saw the confusion flash in his eyes. His turmoil was obvious, his mind battling to pinpoint who this girl is.
My mouth stayed shut as I waited for the million dollars questions to finally come out of his mouth.
"Who's she to you." He finally asked.
"Her name's Angel," I told him.
"I figured." He murmured. "How old is she? Two? Three?"
I snapped my head up to him. "No. She's smaller than she should be." My jaws clenched. She was supposed to be a spoiled princess, not reduced to this malnourished toddler with skin covered with scars.
He nodded slowly, waiting for me to elaborate.
"She's five years old," I added. He froze. His entire being was unmoving and his eyes were sharp. "Mom named her after she gave birth to her in some dirty shower stall a week after they kidnapped us."
"Alone? Dirty stall." His voice was shaky. I could hear the underlying anger burning. His eyes were hardening.
"Yeah, not a lot of other choices." I shrugged.
"I-" His voice cracked and cleared his throat. "I thought the baby was dead." he shook his head to himself in disbelief and let his gaze fall upon my sleeping baby sister. His throat bobbled as he studied her far more intensely than before. "The blood in the car on the day you..."
"So did we. Mom bled and had some bad cramps right after the kidnapping. The baby didn't move for a few days. She was so sure she had a miscarriage." I said, shaking my head. "Then she suddenly had these sharp pains and popped out Angel ten minutes later. Fastest labor she had and there were no doctors. Yet here's this healthy baby girl. A fucking miracle."
He took a shaky intake of breath. "A daughter." He ran a hand across his face. "I have a daughter, after all this time..."
"Angel Valerie DeLuca." I offered. "Her full name. Mom let me choose her middle name." I added, remembering how fucking excited and pumped I was about choosing the name at thirteen years old. A spark of bright light in the darkness that enveloped my life.
"Angel DeLuca." He whispered to himself as he stared at Angel.
When the shock and denial had passed, anger flashed in his eyes.
"I can't believe I missed all those years. Her baby years..."
I snorted. "You missed nothing good. She was such an ugly fat baby. She cried all of the time. When she wasn't crying, she did nothing but sleep and shit."
His mouth tugged up slightly. "So we were you and your brothers, as my memory serves."
I snorted again. "Guess that's just all babies."
We fell into a strangely comfortable silence. I studied his face while he studied Angel's.
"Listen," I began, breaking the silence after a few minutes. I didn't want to do this and let Mom speak to him but the chance was that Angel would wake up earlier so I guess this meant the responsibility falls on me. "I originally wanted Mom to be the one to tell you about Angel but...the reason I'm telling this is that we need to establish some boundaries and rules."
His brows knitted together. "Boundaries?" he repeated.
I nodded, my face hardening. "Me and Mom, we know you. We know we're safe and that you're fine." I explained quietly. "But Angel doesn't. She was born into a world where nothing is safe. She knows nothing else than hell. No strangers are kind or nice in her own small world. I don't think she could even understand that they can be, other than me and Mom. She avoids them at all costs and you're a stranger to her, Dad."
Realization crossed his face and he pursed his lips. Anger flashed in his eyes.
"I don't think she'll have an easy time blending in or getting used to the new normal." I continued. "I was thinking of all of the possible triggers but I can't cross off everything. Just, I need to see, uh -" I paused, trying to find the right sentence. "Just until she adapts to everything, just allow me and Mom to take care of her..."
He gritted his teeth and looked down. "You mean to back off?" He gave me a tight smile without any humor.
"Maybe she'll adapt better than I except." I offered, knowing this was far-fetched. Angel wasn't the kind of child who trusted or adapted easily. In fact, she didn't trust at all. It was all thanks to her environment.
He offered nothing more than a nod. I think he was too dazed to say anything further.
The sunlight was beginning to filter through the shuttered windows. I watched the yellowish light as we stayed in comfortable silence.
Until I heard a groan on the other side of the room.