"Y crees que eso funcionará?" I ask my brother. (You think that will work?")
I ended up accepting his call because as Mia said behaving like an 'bitch' wasn't helping anyone. Her professionalism left her for a second there and I won't lie, I didn't expect that.
"No lo tengo muy claro pero es mejor que no tener nada." Matteo says. (I'm not sure but it's better than nothing)
He thinks that to find the people who are after us we need help and he is right, we can't do this alone not with me and other men of our team out of the picture. We lost too many of them these last few months. The problem is whose help he wants, and how he is gonna get that help.
"Si tú crees que esa es nuestra mejor opción te apoyo pero no creo que él FBI esté por la labor de ayudarnos." The FBI has been after us for years, they won't help us if we don't give them the best of deals. (If you think that's our best option I support it but I don't think that the FBI will work with us)
"Lo harán si les doy algo a cambio que no pueden rechazar." He explains. (They will do it if I give them something they truly want)
"Ese es el problema, que vas a darles?" Matteo is smart, I know he won't do this if he doesn't think he can win but he is also reckless sometimes and I'm not there to stop him now. (That's the problem, what are you gonna give them?)
"Pensaré en algo." He brushes it off. "Danielle no sabe nada y me gustaría que quedase así." He whispers. (I will think of something. Danielle doesn't know anything and I would like it to stay that way)
"No es que hable con ella pero seguro que ocultárselo es buena idea?" I know he is trying to protect her but sometimes the more you try to do something the worst it gets. (It's not like I speak with her but are you sure that keeping this away from her is a good idea?)
"Si se me va de las manos no quiero que ella sufra las consecuencias, no merece esta mierda." He is protecting her, as expected. (If this gets out of hand I don't want her to suffer the consequences, she doesn't deserve it)
She is going to kill him when she figures out he is keeping information from her. And she will figure it out, Danielle is a smart woman.
"Bien, no hay más que hablar entonces." It's not like we have any other option so this is it. (Fine, it's settled then)
"Matteo?" I can hear Danielle's voice on the other side.
"Yes, angel?" Matteo seems to move the phone away but I can still hear him. The mother fucker is as whipped as he can be.
"Can you come with me for a second? I need your help." She says this time I hear it more clearly so she is probably in the same room as him.
"Of course baby, just a second." He brings the phone closer. "Tengo que irme, Danni me llama." (I have to go, Danni is calling me)
"Ya lo escuché, ve no te preocupes." I almost laugh. He would really do anything for that woman but love does that to people. Or at least I think it did, that kind of love disappeared from my life a long time ago. (Yeah I heard, go don't worry)
No more thinking about that love bullshit, the last thing I need.
"Te llamaré pronto, así que coge el puto teléfono y mejórate hermano." He says before I say my goodbyes and hang up. (I would call you soon so pick up the fucking phone and take care brother)
"Was it that bad huh?" Mia gets inside the room with a medical bag. "Just a check-up and then I'm out of your hair."
"Didn't you check after the therapy session?" I swore she did.
"I did but according to Hunter, I have to check before you go to sleep, just in case. It's routine. So, is everything settled with Matteo?" She gets closer.
"Everything's settled, he needed my opinion on something," I reply simply.
"See, not being a bitch is way easier." She jokes. Always in a good mood no matter what, I wish I had that ability.
"I didn't expect you to call me a bitch not gonna lie. To be fair I didn't think you would use such vocabulary. It's not professional Miss Maria Rodríguez." I joke too, using her full name.
"Miss Maria Rodríguez? We are going that way now, Russo?" She smiles, her whole face lighting up.
And for a second I forget that our relationship is supposed to be truly and just professional.
"You never go by your full name anymore, why's that?" I remember when she was younger, her parents and my mother used to call her Maria, not Mia.
She freezes for a second, taking in the question and I wonder if I said something I wasn't supposed to say.
"Oh just... you know, nurse school. 'Mia' stuck and I prefer it now." She finally answers but her smile disappears which means that I fucked up, should have stayed quiet. "I'm gonna check your leg now." She tries to act natural but there's something in her eyes that she can't hide.
"Okay." I nod not sure of what to reply with.
"Your right leg looks pretty good, I'm thinking maybe a week till you can finally put some weight over it. Maybe use crutches if your arms are strong enough." She checks around my leg. "What do you think about that? Are crutches okay?"
"Yeah, I mean I gotta move around somehow." And anything is better than the fucking wheelchair.
"I will tell my dad to get you some, we can practice a little on the next sessions, your arm strength and such." She is fully focused now, if I wanted professionalism I definitely got it.
"Sounds good, I'm eager to get out of this bed on my own so I will try my hardest," I say as she continues with the check-up. Her eyes focus on nothing else than my legs until she finishes.
Looking around her bag she takes out a bottle and hands me a pill. "Here, it's only an anti-inflammatory, just in case."
"Thank you." I take it and wash it down with some water.
"I will leave you alone, if you feel with energy tomorrow maybe we can do a small therapy session. Just basic stuff so we don't get you too tired for when Hunter comes." She still doesn't look at me and I worry my question upset her this much.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to say or ask anything that could hurt you. I'm sorry if I did." Opposite to what most may think I do have empathy and care about people's feelings.
Yes, I love to mess with people and I'm a rude ass motherfucker sometimes but I know when to stop. And even if I love having control over people and situations by using words, causing pain is not usually the reward I seek. Most of the time I just enjoy playing and frustrating.
She finally looks at me, her face a mixture of confusion and sadness. And I wish I had kept my mouth shut because I hate being the reason for her feeling like this when she was happy two minutes ago.
"I asked people to stop calling me that." She admits, slowly. "But when you said it at first I didn't even notice because it sounded different coming from you and for a second I forgot all of it and I was okay with that but then, then I remembered. It always comes back."
I have no idea what she is talking about but she knows that. Because she might be looking at me as she says those words but she is saying them to herself.
"What did you remember?" I dare to ask.
She pauses but this time her focus doesn't leave me.
"You know those moments in your life you try to convince yourself you are over? That they are just part of the past, that they don't have power over you anymore?" She asks quietly.
"I do." My life is filled with those moments.
"Well, they always hold power over you, something like that doesn't disappear. People tell you they do, that you will get over them but that's a lie."
I relate to every word and I wish I didn't, but not because of me, because she shouldn't. Not someone like her, young and... precious.
"They stick and they poison you but at the same time, they make you stronger. I let myself forget that for a second, I allowed myself to feel bad about remembering them." Her voice is barely a whisper by now but her smile comes back. "Don't let yourself forget that, our past is part of us and we shouldn't try to forget it." I wish she told me what caused her all this pain but I understand why she wouldn't. There are parts of our past no one wants to talk about.
"We live with it hoping that it doesn't get ahold of us and drown us, that's how we survive," I add, staring at her small smile.
"We are not that different after all, somewhat funny don't you think?" Her smile grows bigger.
"I guess we are not, no." This time I can't stop the smile forming on my lips as she stares at me with those eyes and neither I can or try to hide it.
Her gaze softens, and all the worry and pain seem to leave her in a second as she takes her bag and walks to the door, where she stops giving me one last look. "You should smile more often, it looks really good on you." That's all she says before disappearing from the room.
And it's not until I stop hearing her steps that I stop smiling.
Author's note
As always if you are here ty for reading and don't forget to vote and comment your thoughts!
I really like this chapter, the way they understand each other because at the end of the day they are not that different. They are bonding but when would they figure out their relationship is not that strictly professional?
Also I hope I'm portraying how they are curious about one another and probably attracted too but they still don't acknowledge/know it. They are far from deep feelings but there's definitely a spark.
Also Mia <3 What she went through will be revealed soon tho there's a bunch of hints you probably know already.
Ly all,
Maria