The original cover of Five Star Hotel ♥️
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Okay, okay, so this is not the original ending to any re-readers. I left that chapter untouched... in all honesty, I haven't even read it because I mean... CRINGE! So I'm adding these next couple of chapters which is basically the original last chapter just hopefully better... does that make sense?
Whatever, you'll see what I mean once you read them.
(full disclosure: I really really slacked on the ending because I was focused on something else and I've always felt kind of guilty about that)
I stayed at the hospital until Dante got clearance to leave. He continuously tried to kick me out, claiming to have felt bad about keeping me locked up with him in the little plain room day after day.
"Fine, if you really want me to leave then I'll leave." I finally gave in.
"Right now?" He asked, shocked by my answer. "You will be back tomorrow, right?"
I laughed. "You don't want me to go anywhere, do you?"
"No, but it would be rude not to offer."
"Well, stop offering, because I don't want to go anywhere."
I took care of him as best as I could. My arm was beginning to heal even though it still hurt, but I was okay. My biggest concern was the PTSD that the doctor diagnosed me with. I had this reoccurring dream with flashes of Angela collapsing in front of me. The image of Dante falling to the ground. Nick pointing a gun at my head.
I had a feeling that none of it would go away. Not even the ridiculous therapy they had me go to would help with my trauma. Keeping myself preoccupied with Dante worked though. He couldn't do much for himself, so I gladly ran around completing whatever errands he needed help with.
On top of dealing with Dante's recovery, Jade and I visited Sean every single day. Sometimes more than once. When the doctor let us we wheeled Dante into Sean's room so he could visit him.
I didn't understand most of the medical terms that the doctors said to the three of us, but there were a couple of things that we all understood crystal clear even though none of us wanted to accept them.
He was still in critical condition. The doctors couldn't detect too much brain activity, so they were giving up. "There's nothing else we can do. Even if he does wake up there's no saying that he will be the same."
Susan was a mess. Jade spent most of her time comforting her. They talked about the baby a lot.
Silvio would come and go. The funny thing was that no one wanted him around. Not even the doctors and nurses. Even Dante began to get annoyed by his visits.
Silvio would show up unannounced and try to give what he thought was helpful advice to everyone. He may have been the boss, but he definitely didn't know what he was talking about when it came to medicine.
"I am fine. Do you know what would make things better?" Dante had asked his father.
"What?"
I sat in the back corner every time Silvio came over. He shot Nick, saving my life, but he made it clear that we weren't friends.
"If you would just go back to Italy." Dante admitted. "You must have a ton of things to sort out after everything that's happened."
"I do have some people that I need to take care of." God, that man scared me.
"Then take care of them." Dante sighed. He was too tired to deal with his father's business.
So a few days later Silvio got on his private jet and flew back to Italy. I wouldn't have been surprised if everyone at the hospital had thrown a party for his departure.
"What are we going to do, Stella?" Dante asked one night as he picked at tasteless hospital food.
"Do about what?"
"Once they finally allow me out of this hell hole. Where do we go? What is next for us?"
"I don't know about you, but I'm definitely not staying at that hotel again."
He chuckled, throwing a piece of pale chicken down on his plate. "I don't want to either. If things are going to change for us then we need to move forward. We can't stay stuck in time, or revisit the past."
"We could get an apartment." I offered. "I do have a ton of furniture in a storage unit from my old apartment."
He smiled. "It's going to be fun living together. Now I really can't wait until I get out of here."
Since I hadn't been getting much sleep on my own they prescribed me with some sleeping pills. I hated them because once I passed out with those things nothing could wake me up. There could be another shootout and I would sleep right through it. So tonight I decided to ignore them, meaning that I just sat there in the dark looking at a white wall. Very boring.
I wandered around the halls until I found the waiting room. It was a tiny hospital. Everyone who worked there was sworn to secrecy by Silvio. "Do you have a laptop or something I can use?" I asked the lady at the front desk. I had no way to contact the outside world.
She let me use her desktop since she wasn't doing anything on it. I searched for apartments in the city. Maybe something facing Central Park. Well, for now, I was daydreaming about a big apartment in front of Central Park. I wasn't a hundred percent sure about Dante's financial status. I didn't want him to think I was too high maintenance to move forward with.
I was also pretty sure that all this commotion made me lose my job. There was no way I would be able to explain my absence to my boss. Well, Gavin, my ex-boyfriend was in debt with a mob boss who just so happened to be the father of my new boyfriend. I ended up shooting the mob boss in the arm but then I also got shot in the shoulder, my boyfriend got shot in the stomach, and his best friend got beat into a coma with a baseball bat. Oh, and the ex, he was killed by the boss. And my cousin, yes, she's dead too. I laughed, not at all that had happened, but because I was imagining Gavin's reaction... not that I could tell him. Silvio had me sign stacks upon stacks of papers.
I did, however, print out a bunch of different places that were reasonably priced. I also added in the one that overlooked Central Park. A girl had the right to dream big.
The nurse told us that Dante was ready to leave any day now, she was just waiting for the doctors' clearance. In the meantime, I showed him all the apartments I found.
"I'm not trying to be pushy, but we are going to need a place to stay once they let you out."
"I like this one." He pointed to my first choice. It was two bedrooms and expensive. Two bedrooms because, well, who knew what the future held.
"I'm pretty sure I don't have a job, Dante." And there was no way I was going to dip into my father's wealth.
"I have a lot of money, baby. Don't worry about it."
"I'll feel bad. I don't want you to think that I'm too... high maintenance."
Dante winced as he sat up and took my face in his hands. "I'm sure you will find another job, besides, I want to spoil you. I love you, and I can see on your face that you want this. Let me give it to you. It's the least I can do."
I smiled. "If you insist."
The day Dante got released was also the day Sean woke up.
We packed up his things and were ready to head over to the hotel where the rest of our belongings were. Before leaving, Dante wanted to visit Sean. He slowly made it over to the ICU. I stood outside the door to give them some time alone.
"Hey, Buddy." I heard Dante say as he sat in one of the chairs. "I'm leaving today, and I know you're also gonna get out of here soon. I mean, you have to.
"Remember the day after Christmas when you told me that Jade was the girl of your dreams?" I did not know that. "I called you a girl because you were being so sentimental about it. Well, Sean, you gotta wake up for her. Forget about me," he sighed. "You need to wake up for her.
"You are going to have a baby, and I'm not sure if Jade will be able to do it all on her own." Jade had no idea what she was in for once this baby was born. She usually spent the day complaining if she ever got less than ten hours of sleep.
"I'm also looking forward to seeing you with a kid because I can't imagine that for the life of me." Dante laughed to himself.
"Well, I'm off. Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow." I watched Dante through the window as he stood up and walked to the door.
I couldn't help but stare at Sean. A part of me still didn't believe that was him, the once funny, carefree kid looked lifeless. But it was then that I saw his left hand move. Instead of his palm facing the mattress, it turned over and was now facing the ceiling.
I couldn't turn away from what I just witnessed, so I began to poke Dante's arm and point to Sean.
"Che Cosa?" Dante asked.
"His hand," I said. "Did you see his hand."
"What are you talking about?" He asked again.
"Sean, his hand just turned over. Look at that." I dragged Dante back into the room and showed him how one palm was facing the mattress and how the other palm was facing the ceiling.
"Have you been sleeping?" He looked at me like I was crazy.
Dante was lucky that he was still injured because that deserved a slap. "Are you kidding me? You think I'm crazy?" I frowned walking closer to Sean. I took his hand in mine and called his name. "Sean," I said quietly. "I saw you move, I know you're waking up. Prove to this guy that I'm not crazy, come on, Sean."
And just like that, he opened his eyes. "Do you see it now?" I asked Dante. If he said no then I would've definitely gotten myself committed.
Dante only nodded his head yes as he walked closer.
I ran out to get a doctor, but a swarm of men and women in white coats rushed past me and into the room.
Susan pushed past all of them with Jade on her tail.
Silvio was gone by then, but Sean's doctor quickly called him up to share the good news.
"What does he remember?" That was the one and only question that the cold-hearted mob boss asked about his son's best friend.
I was still holding a grudge for the time he made me think Dante had died. But father like son, Dante thought it was hilarious too.
Shockingly, Sean did remember bits and pieces about what happened to him before he got beat up, but he was more concerned about a dentist appointment he had supposedly scheduled before everything happened.
It was then when things, even though they weren't good, felt normal. Sean was going to be okay, Dante was recovering, Jade had finally stopped worrying so much about her future. Things were... okay and I was grateful for that.
Dante and I did had to stay at the hotel for a couple of more weeks before we finally got the keys to our new condo.
Gavin did fire, but I really couldn't blame him. Besides, I was too distracted to start work again. There were still so many lose ends in my life, I wasn't ready jump back into the normal world.
***
"We really need some furniture." Dante said to me one night. We were laying on a mattress on the floor surrounded by boxes.
"Fina-f*cking-ly." I sighed, ignoring him.
"Fina-f*cking-ly What?" He butchered my made up word like there was no tomorrow.
I laughed at him. "We finally get a f*cking chance. No secrets, no ex-boyfriends, no creepy fathers. Just me and you."
Dante smiled and leaned over to kissed my cheek. "I'm surprised you decided to stay with me." He confessed, slowly rolling onto his side. "I honestly didn't think you would."
"But I love you. I was miserable without you." I admitted to him.
"Good." He smiled. "Because I love you too."